Studying Imam al-Sajjad's [a] Affairs It is desirable to study and ponder...

Studying Imam al-Sajjad's [a] Affairs It is desirable to study and ponder, whatever has been narrated about the actions, deeds, intensity of repentance and obedience of Imam al-Sajjad[^1] [a] during this night, in order to find out that such a noble and esteemed personality like him, with all that piety and spiritual grandeur, present himself before Allah (the Glorious, the Exalted), for repentance in this manner; therefore how should we -with all this disobedience, ingratitude, indecency and intemperance present ourselves before Allah (the Glorious, the Exalted), for repentance and obedience.

“The great Sayyid in the book of Iqbal has quoted from Imam al-Sadiq [a], that when the Holy Month of Ramadhan arrived, Imam al-Sajjad [a] did not admonish his male and female servants for their mistakes, rather wrote all their mistakes in a diary.

Then on the last night of the Holy Month, he called all of them and asked them to sit down around him, opened his diary, called their names one by one, saying: 'Do you remember that on that day you made a mistake and I did not admonish you?' The servant replied: 'Yes! I do remember. Then when he got all of them to admit their mistakes in this manner, he stood up in their midst and said: 'All of you cry loudly saying: 'O' Ali bin Husayn!

As you have written our mistakes in your note-book, your Lord has also written about your mistakes, and without even a single mistake being left out, has registered them in a special diary; a day will come when you will be scrutinized in His presence the way we have come before you for scrutiny; now you should forgive us and let us go, the way you desire Allah to forgive you; you forgive us so that He forgives you; you overlook upon us, so that He may overlook upon you; you be kind to us so that He be kind towards you.

“O' Ali bin Husayn! Here we are standing afraid in your presence, you too should remember the Day when you would be standing afraid in the presence of your Master; the Wise and Just Lord Who would not overlook even the tiny deeds and would bring them for accounting; therefore, you be generous to us, so that He too would be generous towards you on that Day.

“He uttered these words himself, so that they could repeat them, they too repeated these words with their tongues loudly, while he was standing among them, shedding tears, cried, and said: `O' Allah! You Yourself have commanded to overlook and forgive those who have done wrong to me. O' Allah!