150 - الرئاسة

150. LEADERSHIP

779 - ذَمُّ الرِّئاسَةِ

779. THE CENSURE OF [THE LOVE OF] LEADERSHIP

2451.الإمامُ الباقرُ عليه السلام : لا تَطلُبَنَّ أن تكونَ رَأساً فتكونَ ذَ نَباً .¹

2451.Imam al-Baqir (AS) said, 'Do not ever desire to be a leader for in doing so you will only be a follower.' ²

2452.الإمامُ الصّادقُ عليه السلام: إيّاكُم وهؤلاءِ الرؤساءَ الذينَ يَتَرأّسُونَ ، فَوَاللَّهِ ما خَفَقَتِ النِّعالُ خَلفَ رَجُلٍ إلّا هَلَكَ وأهلَكَ .³

2452.Imam al-Sadiq (AS) said, 'Beware of those leaders who are taking up the reins of leadership, for by Allah, no sooner does the sound of footsteps from behind them [following them] reach their ears than they themselves perish and destroy others along with them.' ⁴

2453.الإمامُ الصّادقُ عليه السلام : مَن طَلَبَ الرئاسةَ هَلَكَ .⁵

2453.Imam al-Sadiq (AS) said, 'One who seeks after leadership perishes.' ⁶

2454.الإمامُ الرِّضا عليه السلام - بعد ما ذَكَرَ الإمامُ عليه السلام رجُلاً وقالَ : إنَّهُ يُحِبُّ الرئاسةَ - : ما ذِئبانِ ضارِيانِ في غَنَمٍ قد تَفَرَّقَ رِعاؤها بِأضَرَّ في دِينِ المُسلمِ مِنَ الرئاسةِ .⁷

2454. Imam al-Rida (AS) said with reference to someone, 'Indeed he loves leadership', and then said, 'Two rapacious wolves hunting a lamb that has been separated from its shepherd and herd is not nearly as hazardous and perilous as seeking after leadership is to the faith of a Muslim.' ⁸

778 - مُكَفِّراتُ الذُّنوبِ‏

778. THINGS THAT EXPIATE SINS

1 - العُقوبةُ في الدنيا

1. Punishment in this World:

2432.رسولُ اللَّهِ صلى اللَّه عليه وآله : لا يَزالُ البَلاءُ في المؤمنِ والمؤمنةِ في جَسَدِهِ ومالِهِ وولدِهِ حَتّى يَلقَى اللَّهَ وما علَيهِ مِن خطيئةٍ .¹

2432.The Prophet (SAWA) said, 'A believing man or woman will continuously be in a state of physical, financial or domestic affliction so that when they die, they will meet Allah with a clean slate.' ²

2433.الإمامُ عليٌّ عليه السلام : ما مِنَ الشِّيعةِ عَبدٌ يُقارِفُ أمراً نَهَينا عَنهُ فيَموتُ حتّى يُبتَلى‏ ببَلِيّةٍ تُمَحَّصُ بها ذنوبُهُ ، إمّا في مالٍ ، وإمّا في ولدٍ ، وإمّا في نفسِهِ ، حتّى يَلقَى اللَّهَ عزّوجلّ وما لَهُ ذنبٌ ، وإنّه لَيَبقى‏ علَيهِ الشي‏ءُ مِن ذنوبِهِ فَيُشَدَّدُ بهِ علَيهِ عِندَ مَوتِهِ .³

2433.Imam Ali (AS) said, 'No servant from amongst our followers (Shia) who commits an act that we have forbidden dies without first being afflicted with a severe calamity which expiates his sins, be it with regard to his wealth, his children or his own soul, such that he meets Allah with a clean slate. Moreover, if any of his sins remain even after that, then they are expiated by the pain and difficulty at the time of death.' ⁴

2434.الإمامُ الصّادقُ عليه السلام : إذا أرادَ اللَّهُ بعَبدٍ خيراً عَجَّلَ عُقوبَتَهُ في الدنيا ، وإذا أرادَ بعَبدٍ سوءاً أمسَكَ علَيهِ ذُنوبَهُ حتّى‏ يوافِيَ بها يومَ القيامةِ .⁵

2434.Imam al-Sadiq (AS) said, 'When Allah wishes good for His servant, He hastens his punishment to the life of this world, and when he wishes bad for a servant, He suspends the punishment of his sins to face him on the Day of Resurrection.' ⁶

انظر : البلاء : باب 268 .

(See also: AFFLICTION: section 268)

2 - الأمراضُ‏

2. Illnesses:

2435.رسولُ اللَّهِ صلى اللَّه عليه وآله : السُّقمُ يَمحُو الذُّنوبَ .⁷

2435.The Prophet (SAWA) said, 'Illness wipes away sins.' ⁸

2436.رسولُ اللَّهِ صلى اللَّه عليه وآله : حُمّى‏ ليلةٍ كَفّارةُ سَنَةٍ .⁹

2436.The Prophet (SAWA) said, 'The fever of a single night is expiation for a whole year's sins.' ¹⁰

2437.الإمامُ عليٌّ عليه السلام : إذا ابتَلَى اللَّهُ عَبداً أسقَطَ عنهُ مِنَ الذُّنوبِ بقَدْرِ عِلَّتِهِ .¹¹

2437.Imam Ali (AS) said, 'When Allah afflicts a servant with illness, sins shed away from him in proportion to the severity of his ailment.' ¹²

2438.الإمامُ عليٌّ عليه السلام - في المَرَضِ يُصيبُ الصَّبِيَّ - : كفّارةٌ لوالِدَيهِ .¹³

2438.Imam Ali (AS) said, 'The illness that afflicts a child is expiation for his parents' sins.' ¹⁴

انظر : المرض : باب 1650 .

(See also: SICKNESS: section 1650)

3 - الأحزانُ‏

3. Sorrows:

2439.رسولُ اللَّهِ صلى اللَّه عليه وآله : ما أصابَ المؤمنَ مِن نَصَبٍ ولا وَصَبٍ ولا حَزَنٍ حتّى الهَمُّ يُهِمُّهُ إلّا كَفَّرَ اللَّهُ بهِ عَنهُ مِن سيّئاتِهِ .¹⁵

2439.The Prophet (SAWA) said, 'Every fatigue, hardship or sorrow that a believer undergoes, as well as worries that distress him, are a means by which Allah deletes his evil deeds.' ¹⁶

2440.الإمامُ الصّادقُ عليه السلام : إنّ الهَمَّ لَيَذهَبُ بِذُنوبِ المُسلِمِ .¹⁷

2440.Imam al-Sadiq (AS) said, 'Verily distress takes away the sins of the Muslim.' ¹⁸

2441.الإمامُ الرِّضا عليه السلام : ما أحَدٌ مِن شيعَةِ عَليٍّ أصبَحَ صَبيحةً أتى بِسيّئةٍ أو ارتَكَبَ ذنباً إلّا أمسى‏ وقد نالَهُ غَمٌّ حَطَّ عَنهُ سَيِّئَتَهُ ، فكيف يَجرِي علَيهِ القَلمُ ؟! ¹⁹

2441.Imam al-Rida (AS) said, 'When anyone from among the followers (Shia) of Ali commits a sin or perpetrates an evil deed in the morning, it is expiated by any distress he may undergo by nightfall. So how can the Pen ever write down his evil deeds?!' ²⁰

4 - الحَسناتُ‏

4. Good Deeds:

(وَأَقِمِ الصَّلَاةَ طَرَفَيِ النَّهَارِ وَزُلَفاً مِنَ الليْلِ إنَّ الْحَسَناتِ يُذْهِبْنَ السَّيِّئاتِ ذلِكَ ذِكْرى‏ لِلذَّاكِرِينَ) .²¹

"Maintain the prayer at the two ends of the day, and during the early hours of the night. Indeed good deeds efface misdeeds. That is an admonition for the mindful." ²²

2442.رسولُ اللَّهِ صلى اللَّه عليه وآله : إذا عَمِلتَ سيّئةً فَاعمَلْ حَسَنةً تَمْحوها .²³

2442.The Prophet (SAWA) said, 'When you commit an evil deed then follow it with the performance of a good deed to efface it.' ²⁴

5 - حُسنُ الخُلُقِ‏

5. Good Character:

2443.رسولُ اللَّهِ صلى اللَّه عليه وآله : أربَعٌ مَن كُنَّ فيهِ وكانَ مِن قَرنِهِ إلى‏ قَدَمِهِ ذُنوباً بَدَّلَها اللَّهُ حَسَناتٍ : الصِّدقُ ، والحَياءُ ، وحُسنُ الخُلُقِ ، والشُّكرُ .²⁵

2443.The Prophet (SAWA) said, 'Four qualities, when possessed by a person, cause Allah to transform his evil deeds into good deeds, even if he is sinful from head to toe. They are: honesty, modesty, good character and thankfulness.' ²⁶

2444.الإمامُ الصّادقُ عليه السلام : إنّ حُسنَ الخُلُقِ يُذِيبُ الخَطيئةَ كما تُذِيبُ الشمسُ الجَليدَ ، وإنّ سوءَ الخُلُقِ لَيُفسِدُ العَمَلَ كما يُفسِدُ الخَلُّ العَسَلَ .²⁷

2444.Imam al-Sadiq (AS) said, 'Verily good character melts away evil deeds as the sun melts away ice, and verily bad character corrupts one's actions like vinegar corrupts honey.' ²⁸

6 - إغاثةُ المَلهوفِ‏

6. Bringing Solace to a Grief-stricken Person:

2445.الإمامُ عليٌّ عليه السلام : مِن كفّاراتِ الذُّنوبِ العِظامِ : إغاثَةُ المَلهوفِ ، والتَّنفيسُ عنِ المَكروبِ .²⁹

2445.Imam Ali (AS) said, 'Among the things that expiate grave sins are: bringing solace to a grief-stricken person, and providing relief to an anguished person.' ³⁰

7 - استِغفارُ المَلائكةِ

7. The Angels' Seeking Forgiveness [on the sinner's behalf]:

2446.الإمامُ الصّادقُ عليه السلام : إنَّ للَّهِ‏ِ عزّ ذِكرُهُ ملائكةً يُسقِطونَ الذُّنوبَ عن ظُهورِ شِيعَتِنا كما تُسقِطُ الرِّيحُ الوَرَقَ مِنَ الشَّجَرِ في أوانِ سُقُوطِهِ ، وذلكَ قولُهُ عزّوجلّ : (يُسَبِّحُونَ بحَمدِ رَبِّهِم ويَسْتَغْفِرُونَ لِلَّذِينَ آمَنوا)³¹ واللَّهِ ماأرادَ بهذا غَيرَكُم .³²

2446.Imam al-Sadiq (AS) said, 'Verily Allah, Exalted be His Remembrance, has angels who strip off sins from the backs of our followers (Shia) like the wind strips the leaves off the trees in autumn, and this is in accordance with His words in the Qur'an, "they glorify the praise of their Lord and seek forgiveness on behalf of those who believe." ³³ By Allah this verse refers to none other than you [my followers].' ³⁴

8 - كثرةُ السجودِ

8. Frequent Prostration:

2447.الإمامُ الصّادقُ عليه السلام : جاءَ رَجُلٌ إلى‏ رسولِ اللَّهِ صلى اللَّه عليه وآله فقالَ : يارسولَ‏اللَّهِ صلى اللَّه عليه وآله ، كَثُرَت ذُنُوبي وضَعُفَ عَمَلِي ، فقالَ رسولُ‏اللَّهِ صلى اللَّه عليه وآله : أكثِرِ السُّجودَ فإنّه يَحُطُّ الذُّنوبَ كما تَحُطُّ الرِّيحُ وَرَقَ الشَّجَرِ .³⁵

2447.Imam al-Sadiq (AS) said, 'A man once came to the Prophet (SAWA) and said, 'O Prophet of Allah, my sins have increased and my [performance of] good deeds has weakened', to which the Prophet (SAWA) replied, 'Prostrate yourself to Allah frequently for verily this strips off sins as the wind strips off the leaves from the trees.' ³⁶

9 - الحجُّ والعُمرةُ

9. Performance of the Obligatory and the Voluntary Pilgrimage (hajj and umra):

2448.رسولُ اللَّهِ صلى اللَّه عليه وآله : العُمرَةُ إلى العُمرَةِ كَفّارَةُ ما بَينَهُما ، والحجّةُ المُتَقَبَّلَةُ ثوابُها الجَنَّةُ ، ومِنَ الذُّنوبِ ذنوبٌ لا تُغفَرُ إلّا بعَرَفاتَ .³⁷

2448.The Prophet (SAWA) said, 'The voluntary pilgrimage (umra) expiates all sins committed since the preceding voluntary pilgrimage, and the reward for an accepted obligatory pilgrimage (hajj) is Paradise. There are certain sins that can only be forgiven on the plains of Arafa [an area near Mecca in which part of the obligatory pilgrimage is performed].' ³⁸

11 - الصلاةُ على‏ محمّدٍ وآلِهِ‏

10. Sending Blessings on Prophet Muhammad (SAWA) and his Household:

2449.الإمامُ الرِّضا عليه السلام : مَن لم يَقدِرْ على‏ ما يُكَفِّرُ بهِ ذُنوبَهُ فَلْيُكثِرْ مِنَ الصَّلاةِ على‏ محمّدٍ وآلِهِ فإنّها تَهدِمُ الذُّنوبَ هَدماً .³⁹

2449.Imam al-Rida (AS) said, 'Whoever is not capable of performing actions to expiate his sins should abundantly send blessings on Muhammad and his household for verily this completely eradicates sins.' ⁴⁰

انظر : الصلاة (4) : باب 1148 .

(See also: PRAYER (4): section 1148)

12 - الموت‏

11. Death:

2450.رسولُ اللَّهِ صلى اللَّه عليه وآله : المَوتُ كفّارةٌ لِذُنوبِ المؤمنينَ .⁴¹

2450.The Prophet (SAWA) said, 'Death acts as a penance for the sins committed by believers.' ⁴²