The following are advices of Imam ‘Ali bin Abi
Talib (a.s.) to his son Muhammad al-Hanafiyya. Imam (a.s.) has
beautifully admonished us all about the bodily organs and their
functions in connection to the obedience of Allah (SWT) and His
worship. It is important to note that how the Imam (a.s.) has based
his advises on the verses from the Holy Quran.
CAUTION ABOUT BODILY ORGANS:
O Son! Do not speak that
of which you have no knowledge; rather speak not everything that you
know of because Allah (SWT) has put certain obligations on all your
bodily parts and organs
that will protest against you
on the day of Judgement and you shall be held accountable for
them…Allah (SWT) says:
‘Do not follow that of which you have no knowledge. Indeed the
hearing, the eyesight and the heart – all of these are accountable’.
(17:36)
In another place, Allah
(SWT) says: ‘When you
were receiving it on your tongues, and were mouthing something of
which you had no knowledge, supposing it to be a light matter, while
it was a grave (matter) with Allah’.
(24:15)
This advice lays emphasis on control of the
tongue. One must not speak anything of which he has no knowledge.
Infact, one must also avoid speaking everything that he knows. There
is an in-depth meaning to this but simply put – a path of moderation
should be adhered to during speech.
You will then be
questioned regarding the worship of your bodily parts in obedience
to Allah (SWT): ‘O you
who have faith! Bow down and prostrate yourselves, and worship your
Lord, and do good, so that you may be felicitous’.
(22:77)
These are those duties
that have been made obligatory upon the bodily parts and organs. And
Allah (SWT) says: ‘The
places of worship belong to Allah, so do not invoke anyone along
with Allah’. (72:18)
According to Imam (a.s.), the ‘places of
worship’ is in reference to bodily parts that are placed on the
ground during prostration: The forehead; the two palms, the two
knees and the two toes. In other words, the faithful should make use
of these organs solely in the obedience of Allah (SWT) and perform
acts of worship with them. Doing good in life is also considered as
worship of Allah (SWT).
And Allah (SWT) says:
‘You did not use to
conceal yourselves lest your hearing should witness against you, or
(for that matter) your sight, or your skin, but you thought that
Allah did not know most of what you did’.
(41:22)
Explaining the meaning of ‘skin’ that will
testify against man, Imam (a.s.) said that it refers to private
parts. It is therefore essential that man should guard his private
part from Haraam (forbidden pleasures).
ABOUT EARS:
Every part of your body
has been charged with responsibilities. For instance the ears, you
should shun listening with it to any evil. Allah (SWT) says:
‘Certainly he has sent down to
you in the Book that when you hear Allah’s signs being disbelieved
and derided, do not sit with them until they engage in some other
discourse, or else you (too) will be like them. Indeed Allah will
gather the hypocrites and the faithless in hell all together”.
(4:140)
And Allah (SWT) says:
‘When you see those who
gossip impiously about Our signs, avoid them until they engage in
some other discourse; but if Satan makes you forget, then after
remembering, do not sit with the wrongdoing lot’.
(6:68)
And Allah (SWT) says:
‘Who listen to the word
(of Allah) and follow the best (sense) of it. They are the ones whom
Allah has guided, and it is they who possess intellect’.
(39:18)
And He (SWT) says:
‘And when they come upon vain
talk, (they) pass by nobly’. (25:72)