A
Different Perspective
Amidst the chaos of the everyday life, certain phrases like Brotherhood,
Dignity, and Forbearance have lost their meaning. One might think those
phrases belonged to a previous age and to another period of time. The
age that a father would ask his son while he did not need to ask; and
the son would reply while he knew the father already knows the answer.
It was all so a time would come, when some exhausted souls like me, you,
and us, would ponder upon their dialog and break the barriers of
ambiguity to these strange words.
Amir al-Mu'minin (PBUH) asked his son Hassan:
"O my
son, what is righteousness?"
Hassan
Ibn Ali (PBUH) replied: "O father, righteousness is to replace the bad
things with good deeds."
- What
is Dignity?
- To
be good with relatives, and to remain tolerant of their cruel deeds.
- What
is Bravery?
- To
be chaste
- What
is Lowliness?
- To
think of cheap things in life and to refuse giving even smallest
belongings in charity.
- What
is Generosity?
- To
give away (in charity) before requested.
- What
is Cheapness?
- To
seek owns comfort and ignore one’s spouse.
- What
is Mercy?
- To
give and benefit others, whether we are in need and whether full.
- What
is Stinginess?
- To
consider your property as (your) honor, and what you have given away in
charity as wealth that has been wasted.
- What
is Brotherhood?
- To
have Devotion and loyalty in the time of hardship and peace.
- What
is Fear?
- To
act brave upon friends, and to run away from the enemy.
- What
is Opportunity?
- To
be pious in this world …
- What
is Forbearance?
- To
control one’s anger and to keep resentment.
- What
is Wealth?
- To
be satisfied with what Allah has given, no matter how small …
- What
is Poverty?
- To
greed for everything.
- What
is Abjectness?
- To
fear the truth …
- What
is Worthless Suffering?
- To
talk about something that does not benefit you in any way.
- What
is Greatness?
- To
give away (in charity) in your time of need and to forgive the bad deeds
of others.
- What
is Wisely?
- To
take good care of what is given to you ...
- What
is Great status?
- To
do what is beautiful and to refrain from what is ugly.
- What
is Providence?
- To
be very patient and to treat people with leniency.
- What
is Silliness?
- To
follow those who think cheap and interact with those who are not on the
guided
path.
- What
is deprivation?
- To
lose a benefit that had been granted to you.
- What
is Foolishness?
- To
rush in reaching opportunities before having them available, and to
refrain from answering (to what you already know). Nonetheless, silence
is a great companion in most cases, no matter how eloquent of a speaker
you are. (1)
When we think about phrases we see:
As a matter of fact, it is possible to look at life through a different
perspective, to experience a more pleasant taste of life, and to
experience even more beauty in life:
A different perspective and a Life full of true colors.
Footnote:
1- This narration has been reported with minor differences in the
following resources:
Shiite References:
Tuhaf al-'Uqool, p.225 & Kashf al-Ghummah & vol.1 , p.568, Ma'ani al-Akhbar,
p.402
Sunni References:
Tarikh Madinah Dimashq & vol.13, p.254 & Al-Bidayah wa al-Nahayahvol.8,
p.44 & Majma' al-Zawa'id, vol. 10, p.282 |