Sayed Mahdi Al-Modarresi:
Fear Your Sins
Every single lesson which emanates from Imam Ali is an ocean of knowledge. Despite centuries of persecution and oppression towards the Shia, today we still have over 25,000 sayings alone from Imam Ali. The final chapter of NahjulBalagha (Peak of Eloquence) is attributed to the sayings of Imam Ali. How miraculous is it that many of the teachings ofAhlulbayt have been preserved till today despite the many efforts to eradicate them from history.
We should rejoice upon the freedom to name our children after the Ahlulbayt, because in history people were slaughtered for simply for having the names of Ahlulbayt.
Imam Ali says:
I enjoin you to follow five instructions, that if you have to tread the desert on a camel just to obtain these instructions, it would be worth it:
1-Never place the hope of your affairs in anyone except Allah.
2-Fear nothing except your sins.
3-Never be ashamed of saying ‘I don’t know’ when asked about a matter which you have no knowledge of.
4-If you do not know something, seek to learn it.
5-Be patient, for patience to your faith is like a head to a body. Without a head a body cannot function, and likewise without patience, faith will be of no benefit.
Let us seek to dissect these wise instructions from the Imam (only 2 instructions were elaborated on in this lecture).
Point 1 –Place all your hope and trust in Allah
How many personal connections and acquaintances do we have in our lives with the anticipation of exploiting them if we ever need to. We should place our full trust of our affairs with the Lord of the worlds. Why aren’t our prayers answered many of the times? Because we generally come to Allah as our last resort, after we have attempted to obtain a solution to our request from every other source. It is Allah who has absolute control over our lives and this world entirely. When your ill, the medicine itself isn't the cure, but rather, it is a catalyst by which Allah chooses to allow to function or not function at all.
Point 2 –Fear nothing except your sins
Know that your sins and transgressions have a detrimental effect on your destiny. Sins have a physical stain on thesoul and your spirituality.
The Imam said:
“When a person commits a sin, a tiny black spot appears on the heart(soul).”
Be it a backbite here, or a lie there, or an insult here,all of these acts have a significant effect on us brothers and sisters. They shouldn’t be viewed as minor, inconsequential sins. These black dots keep adding up and eventually lead to a blackened, cold and hard heart.
The Noble Quran says:
ثُمَّكَانَعَاقِبَةَالَّذِينَأَسَآءُواالسُّوأَيأَنكَذَّبُوابِاَيَاتِاللَّهِوَكَانُوابِهَايَسْتَهْزِئُونَ
“Then evil was the end of those that did evil, for they belied the signs of Allah, and at them they used to mock.”
[Surah Ar-Rum 30; Verse 10]
In other words, if we keep on accumulating sins, then our hearts will no longer recognize the exaltedness of Allah, and the grandeur of His scriptures and Messengers, and the Ahlulbayt. We will neglect their lofty position and disregard their lessons. May Allah protect us all from such a self-inflicted calamity.
But just know brothers and sisters, that repentance and asking for forgiveness has a position thatis loved and extremely dear to Allah. However, we need to repent with full sincerity and comprehend the enormity of a sin. Every sin is a treacherous defiance against Allah.
Imam Zayn Al-Abideen says:
“Do not look at the size of the sin, look at who you are disobeying.”