ভূমিকা

Shiavault - a Vault of Shia Islamic Books Ethical Discourses: Volume 2 Discourse 38: The Best Of People قَالَ رَسُولُ اللٌّهِ: يَا عَلِيُّ، ثَلاَثٌ مَنْ لَقِيَ اللٌّهُ بِهِنَّ فَهُوَ مِنْ أَفْضَلِ النٌّاسِ: مَنْ أَتَى اللٌّهَ بِمَا افْتَرَضَ اللٌّهُ عَلَيْهِ فَهُوَ مِنْ أَعْـبَدِ النَّاسِ، وَمَنْ وَرَعَ عَنْ مَحَارَمِ اللٌّهِ فَهُوَ مِنْ أَوْرَعِ النَّاسِ وَ مَنْ قَنَعَ بِمَا رَزَقَهُ اللٌّهُ فَهُوَ مِنْ أَغْـنَى النَّاسِ. The (S) said, “O' ‘Ali!

If a person meets Allah with three traits, he will be considered as being from the greatest of people: the person who comes to Allah with that which He has made obligatory upon him will be of the most worshipping of people; the person who kept away from the prohibited of Allah will be of the most safeguarded of people; the person who is content with that which Allah provided to him for sustenance will be the richest of people.” The phrase, 'لقاء الله' [^1] as has been mentioned in this tradition, is a reference to the level of 'witnessing' which people will be given on the Resurrection.

If we wish to present this belief in an, albeit imperfect and partial analogy, it can be compared to Prophet Yusuf (as). As we know, he had a special distinction over his brothers. However they refused to humble themselves in the face of the status which he possessed. Actually, a group of them out-right denied his excellence and were surprised why their father, Prophet Ya’qub (as), would actually grant Yusuf (as) a higher merit than what they possessed!

Nonetheless, when Prophet Yusuf (as), who possessed the strategy and wisdom which he had, reached to the status of the '‘Aziz' of Egypt and was blessed by the many graces of Allah (SwT), at this point when his brothers saw what their actions had produced, they all spoke out and said: فَاللٌّهُ لَقَدْ آثَرَكَ اللٌّهُ عَلَيْنَا “I swear by Allah!

Allah has made him superior over all of us!” This shall also be the exact state of the disbelievers - both in the life of this world and the next life as well!