Taking Heed

Pearl of Wisdom

'Allah has prohibited stealing because of the financial corruption and murder that would ensue were it to be permissible; and because of all other aggressive crimes that would result such as murder, fighting, and jealous hostilities, and because it would lead to the abandonment of fair trade and industry for earning a living, in exchange for extortion of property where nobody would have rightful ownership of anything [and everything was available for the taking].' And the reason why the right hand of the thief is to be severed [as Punishment] is because he steals things with his right hand, and because it is the best and most useful limb out of all his limbs, so its severing has been prescribed to serve as a deterrent and a lesson to mankind that they must not desire to seize anything that does not belong to them. And because most of the time the theft is committed with the right hand.'

Imam Ali ibn Musa al-Ridha [as]

Nur al-Thaqalayn, v. 1, p. 627, no. 183

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Library » The Lantern of the Path » Taking Heed

Taking Heed

The Messenger of Allah said, 'He who learns his lessons in this world lives in it like a man asleep: he sees it but does not touch it.' Abhorrence is increased in his heart and in his self by the behaviour of those who are deceived by this world, which can only bring the reckoning and punishment. He exchanges that world for what will bring him near to Allah's pleasure and pardon. He washes himself free of those things to which the world invites him, and of its worldly adornments, with the water of the world's extinction.

Taking heed brings three things to the person who does so: knowledge of what he does, acting by what he knows, and knowledge of what he does not know. The root of taking heed lies in one's fear of its outcome, when he sees that he has fully realized abstinence at the beginning. Taking heed is only successful for those who have purity and insight.

Allah said,

Take a lesson, O you who have eyes! (59:2)

and again,

For surely it is not the eyes that are blind, but blind are the hearts which are in the breasts. (22:46)

Then Allah opens the eye of someone's heart and insight by means of consideration, then He has given him a high station and an immense fortune.

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