Upon looking at the affluence and riches available to us, we have to thank God for what He has given us.
Revelation teaches us where to look for assets, how to use them and who has given them to us.
اهَاوَقْتَوَ اهَرَوجُفُ اهَمَهَلْأَ فَ
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If you follow the inspiration of your heart you will gain another inspiration which is revelation and which is dealt with in the Holy Quran. In that Holy Book, you will get the assurance that thanking God for His affluence is compulsory. The Holy Quran has guided us in this path:
.نِ ورُفُكْ تَ لَوَ يلِ اورُكُشْاوَ مْكُرْكُذْأَ ينِورُكُذْافَ
“Therefore remember Me, I will remember you, and be thankful to Me, and do not be ungrateful to Me. 2:152”
اورُكُبشْاوَ مْكُابنَقْزَرَ ابمَ تِ اببَيّطَ نْ مِ اولُكُ اونُمَآ نَيذِلّا اهَيّأَ ايَ
نَ ودُبُعْتَ هُايّإِ مْتُنكُ نْإِ هِلّلِ
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“O you who believe! Eat of the good things that We have provided you with, and give thanks to Allah if Him it is that you serve. 2:172”
نَ ورُكُ شْ تَ مْكُ لّعَلَ تِ ابَيّطّ لا نْ مِ مْ كُ قَزَرَوَ
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“And (He) gave you of the good things that you may give thanks. 8:26”
لَ ببعَجَوَ ائًيْببشَ نَوببمُلَعْتَ لَ مْكُتِاهَمّأُ نِوطُ بُ نْمِ مْكُجَرَخْأَ هُلّلاوَ
نَ ورُكُ شْ تَ مْكُ لّعَلَ ةَدَئِفْلَْ اوَ رَاصَبْلَْاوَ عَمْسّلا مْكُلَ
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“And Allah has brought you forth from the wombs of your mother-you did not know anything-and He gave you hearing and sight and hearts that you may give thanks. 16:78”
Upon having declared that thanking God and appreciating Him for his affluence is compulsory, God says that uttering this appreciation is to man’s benefit:
يّ ببنِغَ هَببلّلا نّ إِببفَ رَببفَكَ نْ مَوَ هِسِ فْنَلِ رُكُ شْ يَ امَنّإِفَ رْكُشْيَ نْمَوَ
دٌيمِحَ
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“And whoever is grateful, he is only grateful for his own soul; and whoever is ungrateful, then Allah is Self-sufficient, Praised. 31:12”
The Holy Quran considers the grateful believers as a distinct group. However the number of such people, according to the Holy Quran, is Low.
رُوكُشّ لا يدِابَعِ نْ مِ لٌ يلِقَوَ ارًكْشُ دَووُادَ لَآ اولُمَعْا
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“Give thanks, O Family of Dawood! And very few of My servants are grateful. 34:13”
نَ يرِكِاشّ لا يزِجْنَسَ وَ اهَنْمِ هِتِؤْنُ ةِرَخِلْا بَ اوَثَ دْرِيُ نْ مَوَ
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“And whoever desires the reward of the hereafter I shall give him of it; and I will reward the grateful. 3:135”
3) Opening the doors of science and knowledge towards Divinity:
The holy word rabb (God) literally means “Owner” and “instructor”. In the whole world there is no real owner, nor a genuine progressive instructor except the Almighty God.
The word “rabb” is frequently used in the Holy Quran and in invocations and supplications and other books on the Islamic knowledge. If any body is absorbed by this word he is neither an aggressor, nor is he inflicted by aggression. He will not be deceived by the alien cultures, either.
The comprehension of the term divinity is effective in freeing man from the satanic webs of evil-doings and desires.
An understanding of this holy term educates man to the degree that he will become the source of generocity, honor, knowledge, conscience, and manhood. In the words of the Holy Quran, this word will create an honorable tree.
Iqbal (The Pakestani Gnostic), based on the Holy Quran, considers as the most educated man any man who is connected with God. He says this kind of education consists of three stages: (1) obedience; (2) self-control; and (3) being God’s envoy on the earth.
Obeying God in all aspects of life and showing obedience towards prophets and the Infallible ones(s) is necessary. Then we should keep this obedience unaffected by the evils; and finally we should reach the position of being God’s envoy on the earth.
The door which God opened to us to recognize His Divinity is the door of Nobovvat (Prophethood) and Imamate [belief in Imams (s)]. Imam Ali(s) says in the first sermon of Nahjolbalaqa:
ىصصلع ذَ صصخَ أ ،ءَاصصيبنْأ هِدِصصلْوِ نْ صصمِ هُنَاحبْصصسُ ىفطَ صصصْ اوَ
مْ هُتَنَامأ ةِ لَاسرّلا غِيلبْتَ ىلعَوَ ،مْهُقَاثيمِ يحوَلا
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“The Almighty God selected some of the off springs of His Prophets and through revelation He appointed them to propagate the ideas of the Prophethood, and trustworthiness.”
The covenant for the propagation of the ideas of the Prophethood is the greatest covenant ever.
Naturally there should be a spirit void of any whims and wishes to receive revelation. Any internal fault would darken the revelation.
A Prophet should base his private life on ghe revelation. Being a usual human being, he has the task to act as an intermediary between God and people.
The most difficult part of a Prophet’s life, however, is to stay away from any sign of self-interest.
Imam Ali(s) adds to what we heard from him above:
“God appointed some Prophets out of the nations to help people act in accordance with the innate covenant which they have with their God. The Prophets will remind people of the God’s forgotten assets given them. The Prophets are supposed to lead people towards faith through sound reasoning and to excite and enrich people’s hidden intellects. They are also supposed to reveal to people God’s signs of grandeur: such as the lofty skies over them and the earth cradle under their feet and the necessary sustenance.” The function of Prophethood is explained in the following verses of the Holy Quran:
اببًوتُكْ مَ هُنَودُبجِيَ يذِبلّا يّ بمّلُْ ا يّ ببِنّلا لَ وسُ رّلا نَ وعُبِتّيَ نَ يذِلّا
مْ هُاببهَنْيَوَ فِ ورُعْمَلْابببِ مْهُرُمُأْ ببيَ لِببيجِنلِْاوَ ةِارَوْتّلا يفِ مْهُدَنْعِ
ثَ ئِابببَخَلْا مْببهِيْلَعَ مُرّببحَيُوَ تِ ابببَيّطّ لا مْببهُلَ لّببحِيُوَ رِكَنمُلْا نْعَ
نَ يذِببلّافَ مْ ببهِيْلَعَ تْ نَاببكَ يببتِلّا لَلَغْلَْ اوَ مْهُرَببصْإِ مْببهُنْعَ عُضَيَوَ
هُببعَمَ لَزِببنأُ يذِببلّا رَوببنّلا اوببعُبَتّاوَ هُورُصَ نَوَ هُورُزّعَ وَ هِبِ اونُمَآ
.نَ وحُ لِفْمُلْا مْهُ كَ ئِلَوْأُ
“Those who follow the Apostle-Prophet, the Ummi, whom they find written down with them in the Tavrat and the Injeel (The Old Testament and the New Testament) who enjoins them good and forbids them evil, and makes lawful to them impure things, and removes from them their burden and the shackles which were upon them; so as for those who believe in him and honor him and help him, and follow the light which has been sent down with him, these it is that are the successful. 7:157”
These holy verses emphasize the following issues: 1) man’s uprise against injustice;
3) the teaching of the Holy Quran which embodies human life and existence;
4) the teaching of wisdom to man;
5) Enjoining the good and forbidding the evils;
6) Removing the obstacles which make hindrances on the man’s progress; 7) And Light in life which makes man to improve:
In the words of the leader of the pious ones, we shall read:
1) To excite men to carry out the contract which they have with their God; 2) To remind men of the God-given assets;
3) Conveying the Islamic teaching through sound reasoning; 4) Enriching man’s wisdom;
5) Showing the God’s signs in the lofty skies over the head on man and the earth cradle under his feet.
6) Showing people how God’s signs will help them when their strength does not exist any longer;
7) Educating people how to behave moderately and how to distinguish between right and wrong.
These are among the Divine revelation on the earth which are explicitly stated in the Holy Quran. Imam Ali’s statements in Nahjolbalaqa and his behaviors and manners showed these principles in action.
The great Prophet of Islam has said on the issues of Imamate and Velayat, which are revealed to him by God: