Imam Reza (peace be upon him) says: “One hour of thought is better than a year of worship.” He was asked about the meaning of this hadith, to which he replied: “You pass by ruined houses and empty homes and say, ‘Where are the builders? Where are the inhabitants? Why do they not speak?’ Then he continued, ‘Worship is not merely an abundance of prayer and fasting; rather, worship is thinking about the matters of God Almighty.'”
Sometimes, we may find ourselves asking: What is the ideal life and the path that God has commanded us to follow? How can we live an ideal life? What exactly is our ideal life?
Any principle that can address all the issues of a person’s or society’s life and be set as a general goal becomes the ideal of that individual or society. For instance, some people set accumulating wealth as their ideal, and everything becomes a means to achieve that goal. Others may set achieving intellectual perfection as their ideal, viewing all aspects of human and natural life through the lens of science, among other examples.
However, what reason and the entire history of humanity have shown is that no ideal can fulfill an enlightened person without being able to interpret their position in the universe. But a serious interpretation of an enlightened person’s situation is not possible without answering the famous question, “Where did I come from? Why am I here? Where am I going?”
The answer to this question is directly related to the level of intellectual and spiritual growth of us humans. The higher and more refined one’s spiritual and intellectual growth is, the less likely they are to remain fixated on transient and limited matters. This is because the eternal and boundless nature of the human spirit constantly rises, and the impermanence and relativity of objects cannot satisfy this desire. Therefore, a person must connect with an infinite subject in terms of perfection. But what is this infinity, and how is it recognized?
When reason delves deeper and searches further, it finds that only God embodies the true infinite. This is the claim of the divine religions. Here we realize that, if we wish to understand the workshop of existence, live ideally within it, and leave it without confusion, we must choose for ourselves the subject of love for the Lord and submission to Him. Otherwise, the work of this world and worldly life will come to an end, and we will not understand where we came from…
Therefore, the most logical ideal is the one that can encompass all aspects of our life. One way to understand it is through the awakened conscience and reflection, which is always available to us as an informed judge, observer, and executor.
In this sense, our master Imam Ali bin Musa al-Reza (peace be upon him) emphasizes the supreme value of contemplation and learning from time, with the aim of awakening dormant consciences and removing the rust of negligence. This way, people may think about the signs of their Lord and the commandments He has given for their happiness; perhaps, then, they will find their ideal…
(Excerpted from the book Wijdan by the late Allameh Mohammad Taqi Jafari, with summarization and additions)