Commentary on Dua Makarim Akhlaq (Part-6)
By: Mohammad Sobhanie
Seeking an Efficient and Productive Lifestyle
بِسْمِ اللَّـهِ الرَّحْمَـٰنِ الرَّحِيمِ
اللَّهُمَّ صَلِّ عَلَى مُحَمَّدٍ وَ آلِهِ، وَ اكْفِنِى مَا يَشْغَلُنِى الِاهْتِمَامُ بِهِ، وَ اسْتَعْمِلْنِى بِمَا تَسْأَلُنِى غَداً عَنْهُ، وَ اسْتَفْرِغْ أَيَّامِى فِيمَا خَلَقْتَنِى لَهُ.
O’ Allah (SWT), bless Mohammad (PBUH) and his Household (AS), spare me the concerns which distract me (from my main responsibility), employ me in duties which You will ask me tomorrow, and let me spend my days in the path for which You hast created me!
Commentary: Imam Sajjad (AS) asked Allah (SWT) to grant him the opportunity to spend his time in a blessed, valuable way. Time is one of the precious gifts of Allah (SWT) given to human beings, and God swears by it in Surah Al-Asr (103:1) [1].
Unlike many other blessings of life, passing minutes cannot be earned. Hence, we regret when we reflect on the past since the past cannot be attained again. According to verses 23:99-100 (Al-Mu’minum), we always wish for a few more days, hours, or seconds when our life ends.
Hence, Imam Sajjad (AS), in this part of the supplication, asked Allah (SWT) to spare him the matters that may distract him from his primary responsibility:
اللَّهُمَّ صَلِّ عَلَى مُحَمَّدٍ وَ آلِهِ، وَ اكْفِنِى مَا يَشْغَلُنِى الِاهْتِمَامُ بِهِ،
O’ Allah (SWT), bless Mohammad (PBUH) and his Household (AS), spare me the concerns which distract me (from my main responsibility),
Today, we are distracted by watching hours of sports, playing computer games, aimlessly surfing the Internet, and following celebrity lifestyles, issues, and problems. These futile concerns preoccupy our minds and prevent us from thinking about meaningful and real issues. Verse 23:3 (Al-Mu’minun) states that one of the characteristics of a believer is to refrain from engaging in vain activity, which averts man from his primary duty [2].
Another example of an unproductive activity is speaking only to say something or engaging in useless arguments. Amir Al-Mu’minin Ali (AS), in letter 69 to Al-Harith Al-Hamdani, wrote: “Confine your thinking to matters which are helpful to you [3].” (وَاقْصُرْ رَأْيَكَ عَلَى مَا يَعْنِيكَ)
Abdul-Azim Al-Hasani [4], commonly known as Shah Abdul-Azim, was a descendant of Imam Hassan (AS). He had an opportunity to meet Imam al-Rida (AS), Imam Jawad (AS), and Imam Hadi (AS) before passing away. He was a famous scholar and transmitter of Hadith.
Sheikh Mufid quoted a letter [5], [6] from Imam Reza (AS) to Abdul-Azim Al-Hasani (AS) that contains essential advice for the followers of Ahl al-Bayt. Among those related to this topic is to choose silence and avoid useless arguments. The letter begins with:
يا عَبدَ العَظيمِ، أبلِغ عَنّي أولِيائِيَ السَّلامَ، وقُل لَهُم أن لا يَجعَلوا لِلشَّيطانِ عَلى أنفُسِهِم سَبيلاً، ومُرهُم بِالصِّدقِ فِي الحَديثِ وأداءِ الأَمانَةِ، ومُرهُم بِالسُّكوتِ، وتَركِ الجِدالِ فيما لا يَعنيهِم،
O’ Abd al–Azim, send my warm greetings on my behalf to my friend and tell them, “Do not open a way for Satan in your hearts. And order them to be truthful and trustworthy. Advise them to choose silence and avoid useless arguments.”
Unwan Basri [7],[8],[9],[10],[11] came to the house of Imam Sadiq (AS) and asked him to bless him with his knowledge. The Imam (AS) told him there are two types of knowledge: knowledge as information in mind and knowledge as light in the heart. If you are interested in the latter one, you seek the essence of servitude.
Unwan Basri asked the Imam (AS) how he could attain the essence of servitude. The Imam (AS) replied that he must instil three characteristics in himself:
- Do not see ownership for himself of the things that Allah (SWT) has entrusted to him.
- Plan his affairs, but trust Allah (SWT) for the outcome.
The above characteristic is echoed in verse 51:2-3 (At-Talaq), which says:
وَمَن يَتَّقِ اللَّهَ يَجْعَل لَّهُ مَخْرَجًا ﴿٢﴾ وَيَرْزُقْهُ مِنْ حَيْثُ لَا يَحْتَسِبُ ۚ وَمَن يَتَوَكَّلْ عَلَى اللَّهِ فَهُوَ حَسْبُهُ ۚ
51:2-3 And whoever is conscious of Allah (SWT) – God will make for him a way out. And will provide for him from where he does not expect. And whoever relies upon Allah (SWT) – then God is sufficient for him.
- Focus on what Allah (SWT) has commanded and prohibited you from doing.
Then, the Imam (AS) said:
فَإِذَا أَکرَمَ اللهُ الْعَبْدَ بِهَذِهِ الثَّلَاثِ هَانَ عَلَیهِ الدُّنْیا وَ إِبْلِیسُ وَ الْخَلْقُ
If Allah (SWT) honors a servant with these three qualities, the world, Iblis, and all creation will become low in his eyes.
وَ لَا یطْلُبُ الدُّنْیا تَکاثُراً وَ تَفَاخُراً وَ لَا یطْلُبُ عِنْدَ النَّاسِ عِزّاً وَ عُلُوّاً وَ لَا یدَعُ أَیامَهُ بَاطِلًا
And he would not yearn after this world, its wealth, or personal pride. He would not seek what people have for glory or superiority (amongst them) and would not leave his days to pass away in vain.
فَهَذَا أَوَّلُ دَرَجَةِ الْمُتَّقِینَ؛ قَالَ اللهُ تَعَالَی: تِلْک الدَّارُ الْآخِرَةُ نَجْعَلُها لِلَّذِینَ لا یرِیدُونَ عُلُوًّا فِی الْأَرْضِ وَ لا فَساداً وَ الْعاقِبَةُ لِلْمُتَّقِینَ.
Then, the Imam (AS) said: “This is the first stage of piety. Allah (SWT), the Blessed and Exalted, said: (As for) that future abode, We assign it to those who have no desire to exalt themselves in the earth nor to make mischief, and the good end is for those who guard (against evil).”
In the second part of the supplication, the Imam (AS) asked Allah (SWT) to grant him the opportunity to perform his duties, which he will be questioned about on the Day of Judgment:
… وَ اسْتَعْمِلْنِى بِمَا تَسْأَلُنِى غَداً عَنْهُ،
O’ Allah (SWT), employ me in duties which You will ask me tomorrow.
Islam has established rules for various aspects of life that we are obliged to follow, and on the Day of Judgment, we will be questioned whether we have followed them. For instance, verse 2:83 (Al-Baqarah) states:
وَإِذْ أَخَذْنَا مِيثَاقَ بَنِي إِسْرَائِيلَ لَا تَعْبُدُونَ إِلَّا اللَّهَ وَبِالْوَالِدَيْنِ إِحْسَانًا وَذِي الْقُرْبَىٰ وَالْيَتَامَىٰ وَالْمَسَاكِينِ وَقُولُوا لِلنَّاسِ حُسْنًا وَأَقِيمُوا الصَّلَاةَ وَآتُوا الزَّكَاةَ ثُمَّ تَوَلَّيْتُمْ إِلَّا قَلِيلًا مِّنكُمْ وَأَنتُم مُّعْرِضُونَ ﴿٨٣﴾
2:83 And (recall) when We took the covenant from the Children of Israel, (enjoining upon them), “Do not worship except Allah; and to parents do good and to relatives, orphans, and the needy. And speak to people good (words) and establish prayer and give Zakah.” Then you turned away, except a few of you, and you were refusing.
On the Day of judgment, we will be questioned whether we have infringed any clause of the covenant. For instance, how did we treat our parents? Did we pray on time? Verse 4:103 (An-Nisa) of the Quran says:
… فَأَقِيمُوا الصَّلَاةَ ۚ إِنَّ الصَّلَاةَ كَانَتْ عَلَى الْمُؤْمِنِينَ كِتَابًا مَّوْقُوتًا ﴿١٠٣﴾
4:103 Establish (regular) prayer. Indeed, prayer has been decreed upon the believers a decree of specified times.
We will be asked how we responded to the Prophet’s (PBUH) call when he requested us to be kind to his near family:
… قُل لَّا أَسْأَلُكُمْ عَلَيْهِ أَجْرًا إِلَّا الْمَوَدَّةَ فِي الْقُرْبَىٰ ۗ … ﴿٢٣﴾
42:23 I do not ask you any reward for it except the love of (my) relatives.
The Quran tells us to invoke Allah (SWT) to send His blessing upon the Prophet and his family. We will be asked about our response to that call:
إِنَّ اللَّهَ وَمَلَائِكَتَهُ يُصَلُّونَ عَلَى النَّبِيِّ ۚ يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا صَلُّوا عَلَيْهِ وَسَلِّمُوا تَسْلِيمًا ﴿٥٦﴾
33:56 Indeed, Allah (SWT) confers blessing upon the Prophet (PBUH), and God’s angels (ask God to do so). O’ you who have believed, ask (Allah (SWT) to confer) blessing upon him and ask (Allah (SWT) to grant him) peace.
The Quran tells us to read its words as much as possible [12]. We will be asked about our response to this call, as specified in chapter Al-Muzzammil (73:20).
Imam Sadeq (AS) said [13]: “One of Luqman’s pieces of advice to his son was that people would be questioned about four things on the Day of Judgment: How did they spend their youth and life? How did they earn their wealth? How did they spend their wealth?”
شَبَابِكَ فِيمَا أَبْلَيْتَه، وعُمْرُكَ فيما أَفْنَيْتَه، وَمالِكَ مِمَّا اكْتَسَبْتَه، وَفيما أَنْفَقْتَه،
“How did you spend your youth? How did you spend your life? How did you earn your wealth? And how did you spend it?”
Another responsibility is to educate ourselves about religion, the Quran, and its teachings. Imam Baqir (AS) said [14]:
قَالَ أَبُو جَعْفَرٍ عَلَيْهِ اَلسَّلاَمُ لَوْ أُتِيتُ بِشَابٍّ مِنْ شَبَابِ اَلشِّيعَةِ لاَ يَتَفَقَّهُ فِي دِينِهِ لَأَوْجَعْتُهُ.
If they brought me a Shia youth who did not study the rules of his religion, I would scold him.
Imam Sajjad (AS) outlined 50 duties in Treaties on Rights. One of them is the responsibility of the father towards his children. Allah (SWT) will question whether we raised our children to be morally upright and obedient to Allah (SWT). Did we teach them permissible and forbidden actions of religion? Did we foster their habit of daily prayers, fasting, helping the poor and needy, and being truthful and trustworthy? The list could go on. Auditing of the Day of Judgment, according to some narrations, may take 50,000 years for some people.
In the third part of his supplication, the Imam (AS) asked Allah (SWT) to grant him the opportunity to do things that would help him achieve his creation’s purpose:
وَ اسْتَفْرِغْ أَيَّامِى فِيمَا خَلَقْتَنِى لَهُ.
And let me spend my days in the path for which You hast created me!
In verse 51:56 (Adh-Dhariyat), the Quran states that the purpose of human creation is “Ibadat” (عبادة), which means to worship and obey:
وَمَا خَلَقْتُ الْجِنَّ وَالْإِنسَ إِلَّا لِيَعْبُدُونِ ﴿٥٦﴾
51:56 And I did not create the jinn and mankind except to worship and obey Me.
“Ibadat” (عبادة) in the Quran means to worship, like in verse 37:95 (As-Saffat). Prophet Ibrahim (AS) told the Babylonians:
قَالَ أَتَعْبُدُونَ مَا تَنْحِتُونَ ﴿٩٥﴾
37:95 He said, “Do you worship that which you (yourselves) carve?”
“Ibadat” also means to obey, as stated in verse 36:60 (Ya-Sin):
أَلَمْ أَعْهَدْ إِلَيْكُمْ يَا بَنِي آدَمَ أَن لَّا تَعْبُدُوا الشَّيْطَانَ ۖ إِنَّهُ لَكُمْ عَدُوٌّ مُّبِينٌ ﴿٦٠﴾ وَأَنِ اعْبُدُونِي ۚ هَٰذَا صِرَاطٌ مُّسْتَقِيمٌ ﴿٦١﴾
36:60-61 Did I not enjoin upon you, O’ children of Adam, that you not obey Satan – (for) indeed, he is to you a clear enemy – And that you worship (only) Me? This is a straight path.
Allah (SWT) is the perfect being and worshipping and obeying God cultivates spiritual perfection and inner talent in the man. This has been echoed in verse 2:138 (Al-Baqar), which states we could gain the color of attributes of Allah (SWT) through worship and obeying God:
صِبْغَةَ اللَّهِ ۖ وَمَنْ أَحْسَنُ مِنَ اللَّهِ صِبْغَةً ۖ وَنَحْنُ لَهُ عَابِدُونَ ﴿١٣٨﴾
2:138 (We take our) color from Allah (SWT), and who is better than Allah (SWT) at coloring. We are God’s worshippers.
Furthermore, verse 2:30 (Al-Baqarah) states that Allah (SWT) created man to represent God on the earth, which is a very lofty position to hold:
وَإِذْ قَالَ رَبُّكَ لِلْمَلَائِكَةِ إِنِّي جَاعِلٌ فِي الْأَرْضِ خَلِيفَةً ۖ … ﴿٣٠﴾
2:30 And when your Lord said to the angels, “Indeed, I will make upon the earth a successive authority.”
Hence, the Imam (AS) asked Allah (SWT) to grant him the opportunity to worship and obey God so that divine attributes would be manifested in his soul. The reflection of those divine attributes would then make him a worthy representative of God on earth.
[1] (وَالْعَصْرِ) I swear by the time, 103:1
[2] (وَالَّذِينَ هُمْ عَنِ اللَّغْوِ مُعْرِضُونَ) who avoid whatever is vain and frivolous.
[3] https://www.al-islam.org/nahjul-balagha-part-2-letters-and-sayings/letter-69-Al-harith-ibn-abdillah-Al-awar-Al-hamdani
[4] https://en.wikishia.net/view/%27Abd_al-%27Azim_Al-Hasani
[5] https://lib.eshia.ir/11001/1/247 (نام کتاب : الإختصاص نویسنده : الشيخ المفيد جلد : 1 صفحه : 247)
[6] https://www.hadithlib.com/hadithtxts/view/700780
[7] https://www.al-islam.org/articles/hadith-unwan-al-basri
[8] https://lib.eshia.ir/11008/1/224
[9] (نام کتاب : بحار الأنوار – ط مؤسسة الوفاء نویسنده : العلامة المجلسي جلد : 1 صفحه : 224)
[10] https://hawzah.net/fa/Article/View/104328/حدیث-عنوان-بصری-دستور-العمل-امام-صادق-علیه-السلام-برای-خودسازی
[11] https://hawzah.net/fa/Magazine/View/2689/4288/27587/سه-دستور-العمل-عرفانی-از-آیت-الله-علی-آقا-قاضی-رحمه-الله
[12] (فَاقْرَءُوا مَا تَيَسَّرَ مِنَ الْقُرْآنِ) Al-Muzzammil, 73:20
[13] http://shiaonlinelibrary.com/الكتب/1692_ميزان-الحكمة-محمد-الريشهري-ج-١/الصفحة_567
[14] http://shiaonlinelibrary.com/الكتب/1122_الكافي-الشيخ-الكليني-ج-١/الصفحة_7 see also
https://hawzah.net/fa/Hadith/View/10030/ امام-باقر-عليه-السّلام-فرموداگر-جوانى-از-جوانان-شيعه-را-بنزد-من-مى-آوردند-كه-علم-دين-نياموخته-بود-حتما-او-را-تنبيه-مى-كردم
Commentary on Nahjul-Balaghah (Hadith 1)