Imam Sajjad (PBUH) has said, ”There are several signs for a religious Muslim: Avoiding useless statements, refraining from quarrels, being patient, and having good morals.”(1)
Imam Sajjad (PBUH) was complete in all the distinct attributes of humanity, morality, and virtue. Among all the people of his time, he was the most virtuous and knowledgeable in morality, and the best in terms of giving alms and expressing kindness towards the poor. Indeed, no one surpassed him in these virtues.
One of the noble virtues of Imam Sajjad (PBUH) was that he treated whoever had misbehaved towards him with kindness and favor. One day he came across a group of people who were verbally abusing him. However, he turned towards them and said, ”If what you are saying about me is true, may Allah (SWT) forgive me for it; but if it is not, I ask Allah (SWT) to forgive you”.
Although Imam Sajjad (PBUH) was kind towards her mother more than anyone else, he usually refused to eat with her. One day, his companions asked him about the reason and said,” You are among the most righteous and noble of the people, and you do favor towards your mother more than anyone else. So why is it that you refuse to eat with her?” Imam (PBUH) replied,” It is out of my politeness and respect for her, because I fear that I might aim for a bite of food which she already had aimed for”.
Once, one of the servants of the Imam (PBUH) was asked about his morals. The servant said, ”I never took food to him during the days and never laid his bed at nights, because he was usually fasting in days at worshipping at nights”.
Every night, Imam Sajjad (PBUH) used to knock on the doors of one hundred houses with his own hands and offer food to their poor dwellers, who hid their poverty no to be disgraced. He used to distribute food among them without getting any help from his servants, even though the weight of the scrip he was carrying hurt his back. This was because he did not want anyone to become aware of his action. On the other hand, the poor people also did not want to be recognized by anyone. As such, Imam Sajjad (PBUH) tried not to reveal their secret.
He never had any meal unless he would give the poor the same of that meal.
These were just a small portion of the virtues of Imam Sajjad (PBUH). Despite the terrible conditions at his time, Imam Sajjad (PBUH) was the best model for morality, which was the ultimate goal of his grandfather, Prophet Muhammad (PBUH&HP), by his behavior. Undoubtedly, maintaining and practicing these traditions is among the best ways of increasing the faith.
(The above is a selection taken from the third volume of “The Traditions of the Imams vol. 3” (2), by Muhsin Amin (with some changes))
The Roshd Website congratulates all Muslims, especially you dear friend, upon 5th of Sha’ban, the birthday anniversary of the beauty of the worshippers and the master of the prostrators, Imam Ali ibn Hussain (PBUT).
Footnotes:
1. Mishkaat al-Anwar fi Ghurar al-Akhbar, p. 221
2. Translated by Hussain Wejdani