ভূমিকা

Shiavault - a Vault of Shia Islamic Books Taqwa (Piety) Advice of Features Of The Pious ========================= (1) One of the features of the pious is truthfulness and the acknowledgement of truth. In this relation, God says: “And he who brings the truth and (he who) accepts it as the truth, these are they that guard (against evil).” [^1] The commentators of the Holy Quran consider “he who brings the truth” as Gabriel and “he who accepts it as truth” as the Messenger of Allah (SAW).

Other commentators have said that the first one refers to the Holly Prophet (a.s.) and the second one to Imam Ali (AS). There are other commentators who believe that the first one includes all the prophets and the second one includes their nations. We should not, however, limit the meaning of the pious to special narrations.

In describing the pious and speaking about righteousness, God says, “It is not righteousness that you turn your faces towards the East and the West , but righteousness is this that one should believe in Allah and the last day and the angels and the Book and the prophets, and give away wealth out of love for Him to the near of the kin and the orphans and the needy and the wayfarer and the beggars and for (the emancipation of) the captives, and keep on prayer and pay the poor-rate; and the performers of their promise when they make a promise , and the patient in distress and affliction and in time of conflicts; these are they who are true (to themselves) and those are they who guard (against evil)”.

[^2] In traditions, the master of the pious, Imam Ali (AS), has been considered as the true example of this verse.[^3] God has said: “O you who believe! Be careful of (your duty to) Allah and be with the truthful.” [^4] In a tradition narrated by Imam Baqir (AS), we read: “…be with Ali ibn Abi Talib and the household of Mohammad.”[^5] Some great scholars have confirmed Imamate of the infallible imams with this verse.

Invoking Mohaqqeq Toosi in his book, Tajreed, they have argued that God has ordered all believers to be with the true ones. Beyond doubt, to be with the true ones does not mean to be with them physically, but it means to follow their path ideologically, their deeds and their speeches. The above-mentioned verse obviously shows that God the All-Wise does not order His servants to follow the wrongdoers. Therefore, these truthful ones must be free from all kinds of sins, and hence infallible.