And anyone who performs a great act for the sake of people...

And anyone who performs a great act for the sake of people, God will make it trivial in the sight of others.”[^3] Yes, honor { ‘izzah } and disgrace { dhillah } are in the hands of God, and it is He who draws hearts toward a person. So, one must work for Him to set works right. For the sake of God, Hadhrat Ibrahim ( ‘a ) left his wife and son in the scorching desert of Makka.

He then asked God to draw the hearts of people toward them.[^4] The Holy Qur’an also states: ﴿ إِنَّ الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا وَ عَمِلُوا الصَّالِحَاتِ سَيَجْعَلُ لَهُمُ ٱلرَّحْمٰنُ وُدًّا ﴾ “Indeed those who have faith and do righteous deeds—the All-beneficent will endear them {to His creation}.” [^5] This is one of God’s worldly rewards. Of course, God-given love is different from the fleeting and false popularity among people.

So many famous people are forgotten after their death, and so many unknown persons remain alive in the hearts of so many people! So, popularity must also be sought through God, as He is the Transformer of Hearts { muqallib al-qulub } and the hearts of people are in His hands. If someone works sincerely for the sake of God, God will compensate his sincerity in a manner beyond his expectations.[^6] Imam as-Sadiq ( ‘a ) said: أَلْقَلْبُ حَرَمُ اللهِ وَ لاَ تُسْكِنُوا حَرَمَ اللهِ غَيْر الله.

“The heart is the sanctuary of Allah; so do not allow anyone to dwell therein except Allah.”[^7] Examples of sincerity {ikhlas} Regarding an attribute of the pious { muttaqin } ‘Ali ( ‘a ) said: إِذَا زكّيَ أَحَدُهُم خَافَ مِمَّا يُقَالُ لَهُ.

“When anyone of them is spoken of highly, he is afraid of what is said about him.”[^8] The righteous men are afraid that the people’s attention toward them may obstruct their attention to God, and this is what is referred to by “ alladhina yasudduna ‘an sabilillah ”. One night, an interview with a 16 year-old war veteran was shown on Iranian TV.

The interviewer asked: “What is your occupation?” Answer: “Detonation of land mines.” Question: “How many mines have you detonated so far?” Answer: “By the grace of God, many.” Question: “Do you know exactly how many?” Answer: “I am afraid to tell lest Satan inflict me with self-admiration { ‘ujb } and arrogance { ghurur } and make my friends, who have detonated a smaller number of mines, feel belittled.” Allah is the greatest { Allahu akbar }!

Another example: It has been narrated that one of the students of the late Ayatullah Sayyid ‘Abd al-Hadi ash-Shirazi raised an objection about a lesson.

✦ ✦ ✦