Amidst the chaos of the everyday life, certain phrases like Brotherhood, Dignity, and Forbearance have lost their meaning. One might think those phrases belonged to a previous age and to another period of time. The age that a father would ask his son while he did not need to ask; and the son would reply while he knew the father already knows the answer. It was all so a time would come, when some exhausted souls like me, you, and us, would ponder upon their dialog and break the barriers of ambiguity to these strange words.
Amir al-Mu’minin (PBUH) asked his son Hassan: “O my son, what is righteousness?”
Hassan Ibn Ali (PBUH) replied: “O father, righteousness is to replace the bad things with good deeds.”
– What is Dignity?
– To be good with relatives, and to remain tolerant of their cruel deeds.
– What is Bravery?
– To be chaste
– What is Lowliness?
– To think of cheap things in life and to refuse giving even smallest belongings in charity.
– What is Generosity?
– To give away (in charity) before requested.
– What is Cheapness?
– To seek owns comfort and ignore one?s spouse.
– What is Mercy?
– To give and benefit others, whether we are in need and whether full.
– What is Stinginess?
– To consider your property as (your) honor, and what you have given away in charity as wealth that has been wasted.
– What is Brotherhood?
– To have Devotion and loyalty in the time of hardship and peace.
– What is Fear?
– To act brave upon friends, and to run away from the enemy.
– What is Opportunity?
– To be pious in this world ?
– What is Forbearance?
– To control one?s anger and to keep resentment.
– What is Wealth?
– To be satisfied with what Allah has given, no matter how small ?
– What is Poverty?
– To greed for everything.
– What is Abjectness?
– To fear the truth ?
– What is Worthless Suffering?
– To talk about something that does not benefit you in any way.
– What is Greatness?
– To give away (in charity) in your time of need and to forgive the bad deeds of others.
– What is Wisely?
– To take good care of what is given to you …
– What is Great status?
– To do what is beautiful and to refrain from what is ugly.
– What is Providence?
– To be very patient and to treat people with leniency.
– What is Silliness?
– To follow those who think cheap and interact with those who are not on the guided path.
– What is deprivation?
– To lose a benefit that had been granted to you.
– What is Foolishness?
– To rush in reaching opportunities before having them available, and to refrain from answering (to what you already know). Nonetheless, silence is a great companion in most cases, no matter how eloquent of a speaker you are.[1]
When we think about phrases we see:
As a matter of fact, it is possible to look at life through a different perspective, to experience a more pleasant taste of life, and to experience even more beauty in life:
A different perspective and a Life full of true colors.
(Selected from “The Words of Imam Hassan (PBUH)” by Sayyed Hassan Shirazi; translated to Farsi by Ali Reza Mirza Muhammadi, with minor changes)
Footnote:
[1] This narration has been reported with minor differences in the following resources:
Shiite References:
Tuhaf al-‘Uqool, p.225 & Kashf al-Ghummah & vol.1 , p.568, Ma’ani al-Akhbar, p.402
Sunni References:
Tarikh Madinah Dimashq & vol.13, p.254 & Al-Bidayah wa al-Nahayahvol.8, p.44 & Majma’ al-Zawa’id, vol. 10, p.282