Miscellaneous Articles

In this concern we find a plenty of “hadeeths” which urge the individual to join the community and to be in harmony with them and to be molded into its block after it has been proved to mindful people that strength and might are in communication.

And after it is certified in the narrations that Allah (be exalted) has made in it all advantages and blessings the prophet (S.W.A.) says “The Hand of Allah is with the community, the Satan runs with whom he dissents from the community” 99

He also says: “He who deviates from the community even a span has taken the noose of Islam off his neck” 100

There is in all that a decisive evidence that Islam is a social religion which tries to connect the individual with the community as much as there is a chance to do so.

Here we must point out to the truth that oppressive rulers had misapplied the concept of (the community) in the worst manner to strengthen their authorities and to protect their thrones. So they began to wreak their wrath upon everyone who speaks frankly the word of right and apposses their illegal domination, and try to disclose their unislamic manners, Amaweians- who took the general wealth to be their and Allah’s creature to be their slaves- killed every one who revolts against them under the plea that he has departed from the community, Abbaassians also followed that strategy, rather they exceeded the Amaweians in innovating the manners of killing and torture.

He who skims over the books of history finds that it reports very ugly depictions of the manners of torturing and murder which Amaweian and Abbassians had committed against Alaweians under a flimsy excuse which is departing from the general view and community.

However the prophet (S.W.A.) had clarified distinctly the concept of (the community) which doesn’t mean necessarily – the majority – as the shallow-minded think and as the oppressors misinterpret, rather it means the community of the followers of right even if they are few, the prophet (S.W.A.) said: “He who departs from the community of Moslems takes the loop of Islam off from his neck, it is said: O prophet of Allah’ what is the community of Moslems? He replayed: community of the follower of right even though they are few” 101

Back to the original topic, it has become clear that the Islamic ideology calls the Moslem to join the community, there is an inquiry here which imposes itself: there are so many “hadeeths” in our sources calling the Moslem to prefer solitude and finally to keep far away from people, the author of “Jaame’a elsaa’adaat” Sheikh Alnaraaqi answers this question by saying: “The ascendants adhered to generalize the praise of seclusion, to its advantages such as the prophet’s (S.W.A.) saying “Allah loves the hidden pious servant”, and his (S.W.A.) saying “The best of all people is a believer who strives in the path of Allah sacrificing his spirit and money, then a man secluded in one of the mountain passes”

And Imam Alsaadiq’s saying “Time has corrupted, brothers have changed, seclusion has become more tranquil to one’s heart” and his (A.S.) saying “lessen your acquaintances and denounce whom you know of them”, till he (Sheikh Neraki) said: the right is to say: the priority of which of them i-e seclusion or association varies according to the persons, circumstances, times and places so every one must consider his state…

For some people it is better to seclude themselves completely, for others association is better, for another kind a midway between seclusion and association” 102

To reconcile the two tendencies we can say: the tendency, which calls for seclusion can be taken for several facets, one of them is that be taking oneself to warship demands staying far from people for a certain time to dedicate oneself to Allah (be exalted).

This matter- naturally- is not applied to all kinds of worship as “Alhaaj” (pilgrimage) for example, which is a worship with a social nature during which people gather from everywhere in one place at a definite time to perform certain rituals.

From another side seclusion can be taken for avoiding association with evil people, it is stated in the prophet’s (S.W.A) sermon to Abbizer Alghifaari (A.S.) “…O Abbazar’ good friend is better than seclusion, seclusion is better than bad friend…” 103

As to associating with good people it is a recommended matter and Islam-as we have mentioned- urges to it.

Generally there are exceptional states which demand seclusion from people, as the general rule in Islam insists on associating with people and to forbear their harms.

The prophet (S.W.A.) says, “The believer who associates with people is better than the believer who doesn’t associate with people and doesn’t forbear their harm” 104

Islam dislikes complete seclusion from people whatever excuse it has whether ritual it was an other excuses, as there is no monasticism in Islam as it is known. Some of the evidences of that is that the prophet (S.W.A.) missed some one then he asked about him, he came, the man said: I wanted to go to this mountain and seclude myself from people to worship Allah (be exalted), the prophet (S.W.A.) said: ”Certainly one’s endurance of what he dislikes for an hour in some of the needs of Islam is better than worshipping alone for forty years” 105

In the light of that there are some positions demand that one should join the community and to be molded in it such as the states of “Jihaad” (struggle with weapons), joining the congregational prayer in mosques and studying in the centers of knowledge and the like.

Secondly, Changing the orders of social relationships:

The pre-Islamic society considered the relationship of blood and relative as the bases of all social relations.

So it puts the precept of kinship above the precepts of right-ness and justice when they contradict each other. The Holy Qur’an Has denounced this unislamic zealotry frankly:

“When He put the zealotry in the hearts of disbelievers the zealotry of the unislamic era” 106

The Islamic ideology worked to eradicate the clouds of zealotry out of the hearts, it doesn’t accept the priority of some people to others built on kinship or nationality, color, estayles and race. Instead of that it established new relations on moral principals; they are piety and virtue.

However the belief refuses all kinds of zealotry, as it is impossible to harmonize belief with zealotry.

It is related from Abbi Abdullah (A.S.) that he said; “the prophet (S.W.A.) said: He who fanaticizes or the others fanaticized to him has taken the noose of Islam off his neck.” 107 He also said: “He is not of us who propagates for a zealotry” he is not of us who fights for the sake of a zealotry, he is not of us who died for the sake of a zealotry “ 108

In this concern Ameeralmu’amineen (A.S.) introduces his remedial view point to the bad disease of zealotry in his well-known sermon “Alkase’a” he (A.S.) says “I have inspected but haven’t found any one who is fanatic for something except for an excuse (reason) which may deceive the minds of ignorant people or a pretext sticks to the minds of the fools, other than you. You are fanatic for a matter without known reason or cause. As to Eblees he became haughty over Adam because of his origin, he vilified Adam about his creation, so he 9the Satan) said:

I am fiery and you are made of clay. As to wealthy people of luxurious classes of ancient nations, they felt proud of the blessings and wealth they owned, so they said: “we are more than others in money and sons and we will not be tortured”.

If there should be a place of zealotry, then let your zealotry be to good characteristics and good deeds and excellent virtues… so be zealous for good praise worthy characteristics such as keeping neighborhood, fulfillment of promise, following paths of good and resisting one’s inclinations to pride, beginning by bestowing favors to the others, refraining from aggression, regarding murder a great sin, giving others their rights completely of one’s self, suppressing the rage, and avoiding corruption on earth” 109

Within this sequence his grandson Ali bin Alhussain (A.S.) interpreted the concept of zealotry and which kind of it is dispraised when he was asked about it. He (A.S.) said:

The Zealotry whose practcer is regarded to be sinful is that whose adopter sees the evil people of his kinsfolk better than the good people of another kinfolk it is not zealotry that one loves his kinfolk but it is zealotry that one helps his kinfolk to commit unjust. 110

In this way the Islamic belief worked to drive away the black clouds of zealotry out of the hearts, introduced a new social identity for people grounded on believing in Allah and his Apostle, spread out the feelings of love and mercy instead of the feelings of zealotry and hatred.

The zealotry, which means: “one’s standing up for his kinfolk, or his family, or his country in what disagrees the legislation and what contradicts rightness and justice, is one of the most dangerous and harmful trends in dispersing Moslems, weakening their spiritual and material energies, Islam has made war against it and warned Moslems of its evils” 111

Perhaps the most prominent phenomenon of the social change which the ideology brought about is that there were some individuals who had been at the bottom of the social ladder in the pre-Islamic era and suddenly –after the shining of the sun of Islam- they were at the top of the social pyramid. Belaal Alhabashi became the prayer announcer of the prophet (S.W.A.), Salmaan Al Faarsi, who has been a Persian man, transferred from a servitude to another one and he became in the age of Islam a grand companion of the prophet and a governor of a wide territory and above all he has become one of Ahlilbait (A.S).

A person asked Ali (A.S.) saying: O Ameeralmu’amineen tell me about Selmaan Al-Faarsi, Ali (A.S.) said: excellent, excellent, Selmaan is one of us: Ahlilbait, how can you have the like of Lukmaan Al-Hakeem…” 112

Notes:

99. Kenzel aumaal 1:206

100. Kenzel aumaal 1: 206/ 1035.

101. Rawzatel waaeizeen: Alfattal alnissabouri 334- Alrezi pub. Qum.

102. Jaamel sa’adaat; Alneraaqhi 3:195-197, Alnejjaf alashraf pub. 3/ 1383 H.

103. Mekarem Al-Akhlak, by Al-Tebrisy vol.1 p. 466/769.

104. Kenzel aumaal 1: 154/ 769.

105. Kenzelaumaal 4: 454/ 11354.

106. Alfateh: 48-26.

107. Usool Al-Kafi vol.2, p. 308/ ch. Of zealotry.

108. Sunnan Abbi dawood 2: 332/ 4- ch. of zealotry.

109. Interpretation of Nehjelbalagha, Ibna Abil hadeed 13: 166, Dar Ehiaael turath alarabi pub. 2.

110. Ausoulilkaafi 2: 308/7 ch. Of zealotry ketaab aleimaan walkufur.

111. The morals of Ahlilbait (A.S.) sayed M. Alsadre: 70.

112. Al- Ihtejaj vol.1, p. 260.

Adapted from: "The Role of Ideology in Constructing The Human Being" by: "Ar-Risaleh Center"