Ain Al-Hayat, The Essence of Life.pdf - Higher Intellect | Content ...

• Imam Jafar e Sadiq (a.s.) was asked the meaning of Zuhd (Piety) by someone.. He
said, “It is shunning activities that have been termed taboo (Haram) by Allah.”
• Hazrat Ali (a.s.) said, “ Men are of three types: the Zahed (Pious), Saber (Patient and
contented) and the Ragheb ( Inclined). Zahed is one for whom the pleasures and
pains of this world make no difference. He is not over delighted to receive worldly
gains nor is he very sad for the sufferings he undergoes. Saber is one who has
worldly desires, but keeps a check over his desires despite achieving worldly gains.
The transient nature of the worldly things creates dislike for them in his heart.
Ragheb is a person who endeavors to achieve worldly gains without giving a thought
to his desires being legitimate or illegitimate. The Raghib are people who are caught
in the whirlpool of the world and keep trying to achieve their ends despite getting
drowned in it.
• The Prophet of Islam (a.s.) said, “ O Abu Dharr! Allah has not ordered hoarding of
wealth. He has sent a Revelation asking people to remember Him, talk about Him
and spend their lives in His way. He wants to be thanked for the Bounties He has
endowed to the people. O Abu Dharr! The wealth and the fame of this world destroy
a person. These are two wolves that enter the flock of sheep and devour them
overnight! Man keeps sleeping in the search of wealth and pelf and when he awakes
he finds the angel of death calling him. He then realizes that every thing has turned
topsy turvy and he will have to go empty handed!”
• It is narrated by Hazrat Abdallah bin Abbas when the coinage was first started, Satan
felt very pleased and jumped in joy that he had a tool in his hands to lead men astray.
• Hazrat Ali (a.s.) says that three things are the cause of trouble for men
1. Love for women: This is the sword of the Satan.
2. Intoxicants: This is the web of the Satan.
3. Love for Deenar & Dirham: This is the Satan’s arrow.
• One who indulges in the love for women, he cannot abstain from taboo actions.
• One who takes the intoxicants cannot enter the portals of the Heaven.
• One who treats the Deenars and Dirhams as his friends is a creature of the world.
THE FIRST TRAIT:
Avarice in accumulating wealth is the worst of traits. A person with this trait will be
tyrannical and proud and would commit big sins in his pursuit for wealth. A human
being cannot have love for more than one entity. If he has love for amassing wealth, he
will not have love for Allah. This, in other words, is called Mammon Worship! The cure
for this ailment is that the person rivets his attention towards Allah and broods over the
futility and transience of the world. Then the realization will come to him that all the
wealth accumulated by him would be of no use. If he spent it in the way of Allah, he
would get rewarded in the Hereafter. He should think that efforts for acquiring
knowledge of the Faith and offering prayers to Allah would be for his good in this life
and the Hereafter. He should not spend all his time running after acquisition of riches.
He should bear in his mind the Retribution for amassing illegitimate riches. Even for
the legitimate riches, one will be accountable on the Day of Judgement! If he spent his
wealth in the way of Allah, he will get rewarded many times over! This reward will