In the Name of All{h, the Source of General Mercy to all of Humanity, the Source of Specific Grace to the Believers

Topic of Discussion: Misguidedness

âad|th 49 · Discussion 62
Lectures on Akhl{q [Isl{mic Ethics and Spirituality] Delivered by
his Eminence Ñyatull{h al-`UÉm{ al-H{jj Shaykh N{Äir Mak{rim Sh|r{z|

Translated by Saleem Bhimji

for Al-FatÅ Al-Mub|n Publications [www.al-mubin.org] and Isl{mic Publishing House [www.iph.ca]

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Text of âad|th:

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t was said to Imam As-Sajj{d one day: “Surely al-Hasan al-BaÄr| has said, ‘It is not amazing (to me) how the person who is destroyed
(by All{h) is destroyed – rather what is truly amazing to me is that person who is saved (by All{h) and how he is saved! [I am not
surprised how a person deviates from the straight path (as this is quite easy); rather, I am surprised how a person attains true guidance].
The Imam said to him, ‘Rather, I say – it is not amazing how the person who is saved (by All{h) is saved, rather that which is amazing
for me is the person who is destroyed (by All{h) and how he is destroyed with the vast mercy of All{h!’”1

Explanation of the âad|th:

T
his Åad|th points to a very important topic – there are some people who have developed the habit of pessimism and negativity in their
lives – and in today’s terminology, they see everything as being dark and gloomy. They state that, by keeping in mind the ever
presence of Sha|Ç{n - the one who is seeking to misguide everyone – and in addition, the lower desires and passions and the
corruption of the time and place in which we are living in, it is amazing for humanity to be saved from all of these – meaning that our original
state is that of corruption and pollution by sins and that true guidance is that which goes against the ‘natural state’ of life and it is something
amazing if it is to develop!
In our opinion, those people who think in this form actually possess Satanic thoughts – and thus, this person, Al-âasan Al-BaÄr|, is also one
of those people who possesses Satanic thoughts in his mind!
The story of him and his encounters with Im{m `Al| are well know. On one occasion, Im{m `Al| had said to him: “Why did you
not take part in the Battle of Jamal?” He replied, “I went forth to take part in the Battle of the Camel however I saw a person yelling that
both the killer and the one who is killed are both going to be in the hell fire.” In reply, the Im°m told him, “Definitely it is your brother,
Sha|Ç{n, who made this claim so as to misguide you.”
One of the those things which led to corruption during the time period of Im{m `Al| was this person – al-âasan al-BaÄr| who is
considered as one of the Fuqah{ and Commentators of the Qur`{n in the view of the Ahlus Sunnah!
The intimate friends of All{h Q do not think in this way and the Isl{mic Scholars too must not think in this way – rather, they must state that
the truth of the matter is that all people must be the people of salvation since the grand and expansive Mercy of All{h Q is that which led to
124,000 Prophets being sent and all of this Divine Heavenly Books coming to us – especially the Qur`{n. In addition to this, All{h Q has

1
BiÅ{rul Anw{r, Volume 75, Page 153
Ethical Discourse # 62 – Page 1 of 2
granted humanity an intellect and aptitude and if they were to make use of this asset, then mankind would definitely take control over their
soul. In addition, mankind has also been granted the pure nature (FiÇrah) which is another thing which leads to guidance. He has also been
granted a conscience which is a very good authority and judge over himself. All{h Q has also granted mankind lessons to learn through in
his life which al people are able to see with their own eyes. The signs of Monotheism and the greatness of the Heavens and the Earth are full
of His Signs – after all of this, what else is needed for guidance?
If we were to put a single hair under the lens of a microscope and analyze it in this way, we would definitely see that this one strand of hair is
enough to recognize All{h Q – thus, what can be stated about the eye, heart and brain and the great way in which they have been designed;
in addition, what about the plants and over 15,000 different types of animals which live in the water – all of these things point to All{h Q
and are a way for us to gain guidance.
Imam al-K{dhim has stated to H{r}n al-Rash|d:

156 * 70 89

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The Mercy of All{h Q dictates that in the world around us, the signs of guidance of all of humanity must be present. Therefore, it should
not be a surprise that the person attains salvation, and thus we must state that our original state is that of salvation and not destruction.
One of the forms of the evil whispering of the Sha|Ç{n which affects both the elders and young people of he society and even affects some of
the Religious Scholars is when a person says that this present time (which he is living in) has become corrupt and thus we have given up all
hope and now we have no responsibility left. In reality, this is the act of removing one’s responsibility from his own shoulders and looking at
the world in the eyes of Al-âasan al-BaÄr| by stating that it is not possible for mankind to attain salvation.
The true believer must be just like Im{m al-Sajj{d and must say that it should be of no surprise who are saved (from destruction) rather,
that person who is misled is the one whom we should show surprise towards – meaning that we should always be looking forward to
salvation and work in these regards.
We should just think about the period of the Ban| Umayyah – the period of the Ban| Umayyah was actually better than the period in which we
are living today – it was a time which was full of spiritual darkness however at the same time, the Im{m has still stated that it should not
be surprising if one attains salvation.
It is our prayer and desire that we are able to understand this lesson which we have learnt from the presence of Im{m as-Sajj{d and that
we do not seek to remove ourselves from our the responsibility which All{h Q has placed over us.

…and all praise belongs to All{h Q – only the mistakes are mine.

Ethical Discourse # 62 – Page 2 of 2