\u201cHe was never verbally crude with anyone. He never interrupted anyone,\nand always waited for them to finish talking. He never refused to fulfill\nanyone\u2019s needs that he was capable of fulfilling. He never stretched his legs\nout in front of anyone, and he never leaned back in front of anyone. I never\nsaw him reproach any of his servants. He never burst into loud laughter, rather\nhe would smile gently. If anyone claims that he has seen anyone as noble as\nhim, do not believe him.\u201d (1)<\/p>\n\n\n\n
These are the words of Abraham ibn\nAbbas Souli in regards with the social behavior of Imam Reza (PBUH); the Imam\nwhose humanity and benevolence was unique. He practiced equity and justice\namong people through his humble behavior, and made efforts to elevate the\nstatus of human beings. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Ibn Shahr Ashub has narrated in his\nbook Manaqib that, \u201dOne day Imam Reza (PBUH) entered a public bathroom. A man\nwho had not recognized the Imam (PBUH) asked him to massage his back. So Imam\nReza (PBUH) started rubbing his back. When people notified the man that the\nperson massaging him was Imam Reza (PBUH), he became distressed and asked the\nImam (PBUH) for forgiveness; however, Imam Reza (PBUH) continued massaging that\nperson while comforting him\u201d(2).<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Yasir, a servant of Imam Reza (PBUH),\nnarrates that, \u201cThe tradition of Imam Reza (PBUH) was so that whenever he had a\nprivate session, he gathered all his servants, including the young and old\nones, talked to them, and was intimate and friendly with them. When he sat down\nto dine, he invited all the servants, whether young or old, to sit down at the\nsame tablecloth and eat with him (3). He opposed those who blamed the Imam\n(PBUH) for not having a separate sitting for the servants by saying, \u2018Our Lord\nis the same, and our parents are the same (referring to Prophet Adam and Eve\n(PBUH)); and Allah (SWT) will reward based on deeds (4)\u201d. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
These social behaviors of Imam Reza\n(PBUH) depict examples of human morality in Islam. In terms of social rights\nand human nobility, Imam Reza (PBUH) dismisses any social levels or personal\npreference in the society. He emphasizes human nobility to save mankind from\nany social leveling. According to Islam, he considers the only criterion for\nsuperiority to be obedience of Allah (SWT), as the Holy Quran says,\u201d Surely the\nmost honorable of you with Allah is the most pious (5)\u201d. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
(The above is a\nselection taken from \u201cAn Analysis of the Life of Imam Reza (PBUH)\u201d by Muhammad\nJawad Fadlullah (with some changes))<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The Roshd Website offers condolences to\nall Muslims, especially you dear friend, upon the end of Safar, the anniversary\nof the martyrdom of the kind leader and the aid of the weak, Imam Ali ibn Musa\nal-Reza (PBUH).<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Footnotes:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
1. Uyun Akhbar\nal-Reza, vol. 2. Ch. 44, Hadith 7<\/p>\n\n\n\n
2. Manaqib Aal\nAbi-Talib, vol. 4, p. 362<\/p>\n\n\n\n
3. Uyun Akhbar\nal-Reza, vol. 2. Ch. 40, Hadith 23<\/p>\n\n\n\n
4. Kafi, vol. 8,\np. 230<\/p>\n\n\n\n
5. The Holy\nQuran, (49:13)<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
\u201cHe was never verbally crude with anyone. He never interrupted anyone, and always waited for them to finish talking. He never refused to fulfill anyone\u2019s needs that he was capable of fulfilling. He never stretched his legs out in front of anyone, and he never leaned back in front of anyone. I never saw him […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[28248],"tags":[22414,17778,22415,17940,22163,17890,22288,22416,18418,20618,18522,22413],"class_list":["post-4545","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-occasional-letters","tag-2011-02-04","tag-allah","tag-finish","tag-human","tag-imam-reza","tag-life","tag-need","tag-noble","tag-occasion-letters","tag-smile","tag-social","tag-sunshine-of-kindness"],"yoast_head":"\n