If I wish I will sell you as a slave and if not I will keep you as a slave.

If I wish I will sell you as a slave and if not I will keep you as a slave." The Koreyshite responded: "I swear to God that you are not any nobler than I am regarding family roots. Your father was not any better than my father in the Age of Ignorance and in the era of Islam. You are not at all superior to me regarding faith and religion. You are not any better than I am.

Given that I possess all these characteristics, how do you expect me to confess to be your slave?" The oppressor told him: "If you do not confess to this, I will order your execution." The man responded: "Killing me is not any worse than killing Imam Husayn." At this point, the order of execution was issued and he became a martyr for the sake of freedom and free will. [Ruzih i-Kafy, p.313] The Commander of the Faithful [11] stated: O people! People were not born slaves.

Verily all people are free."[Mizan al-Hikmat , v.2, p.351] And he also stated: Do not be anyone's slave since God created you to be free." [Bihar al-Anwar , v.77, p.214] Then we must note that what is meant by freedom is freedom from slavery and worship of other men, freedom from lust, erroneous instincts and moral corruption. Man is born pure and innocent as a superior creature free from slavery with nobility and honor. In short, man is free from all vices and has free will.

He is then guided by God, his own wisdom and nature, the Prophets, the Imams, the Holy Quran and the sages to use this freedom and free will in order to make the best choices and become prosperous in this world and in the Hereafter. If an individual pays no attention to the above-mentioned explanations and turns his back on God's guidance, undoubtedly one will lose the pearl of freedom, free will and control when dealing with the tyrants and the Satans of the time.

One will get involved in greediness, haughtiness, jealousy, instincts and lust. That person will be a slave to the world and other people. He/she will be a slave to [11] Imam Ali lust and instincts, a prisoner of greediness and will not benefit from nobility, prosperity and the blessings of this world and of the Hereafter.

There are some who commit any crime and pollute themselves with any sort of lust and sin: They obey anybody and call this roguery "freedom." They are ignorant slaves, vile servants, contemptible bondsmen and poor creatures. The Commander of the Faithful (Pbuh) stated: Those who give up their unlawful desires are really free men.