ভূমিকা

Shiavault - a Vault of Shia Islamic Books Ethical Discourses: Volume 2 Discourse 5: A Noble End At the end of the Ziyarat of Sayyidah Fatimah Ma’sumah b. Musa al-Kadhim (as) we address Allah (SwT) and pray: … وَ أَسْئَلُكَ أَنْ تَخْـتِمَ لِي بِالسَّعَادَةِ فَلاَ تَسْـلُبْ مِنِّي مَا أَنَا فِيهِ … “O' Allah!

I ask you for a noble end (to my life) and do not take away (the true faith, security and Your consciousness) which I possess.” Based on this line, we would like to discuss a tradition which speaks about having a noble end to this life, as this is a very important issue. Sometimes, a person may live a very prosperous life, traversing the path of the truth, however something may happen and the end of his life would be filled with disbelief, sins and open rebellion!

It is also possible that a person lives a life of sin, however he is then given the opportunity to change before his life ends and turn into a person such as hur b. Yazid al-Riyahi! He may become such a person that within the course of a few hours, he changes and becomes one whom people stand in front of and proclaim: بِأَبِي أَنْــتُمْ وَ أُمِّي!

“May my father and mother be sacrificed for you!” It is not only us, rather, even the Infalliables (as) stand in front of the graves of such martyrs and say this line!

Having a good end to this life can be accomplished in various ways and there is a tradition in Mizan al-hikmah that has been narrated from ‘Uyun al-Akhbar al-Riza in which this issue has been alluded to: قَالَ الإِمَامُ الصَّادِقُ لِبَعْضِ النَّاسِ: إِنْ أَرَدْتَ أَنْ يَخْتِمَ بِخَـيرِ عَمَلِكَ حَتّى تَقْبِضَ وَ أَنْتَ فِي أَفْضَلَ الأَعْمَالِ فَعَظِّمِ لِلٌّهِ حَقَّهُ أَنْ تُبَذِّلَ نِعَمَائِهِ فِي مَعَاصِيهِ وَ أَنْ تَغْـرُ بِحِلْمِهِ عَنْكَ وَ أَكْرِمْ كُلَّ مَنْ وَجَدْتَهُ يَذْكُرُ مِنَّا أَوْ يَـنْـتَحِلَ مُوَدَّتِنَا.

Imam Ja’far b. Muhammad as-Sadiq (as) has said, “If you wish to have a good ending (from the life of this world) and that your soul is taken from you (while you are) in the best of states, then do not use the blessings of Allah to commit transgressions. If you have performed a sin and Allah has not yet punished you for it, then do not be proud at His forbearance.

Consider any one who narrates our (the Ahlu'l Bayt's) words as being a noble person and one who accepts us and has intense love for us.”[^1] In this tradition, the Imam has stated, “You should perform three tasks so that your end (in this life) will be a righteous one.

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