المُقَرَبُونَ
THOSE BROUGHT NEAR TO ALLAH
المُقَرَبُونَ / Those Brought near to Allah
1ـ رسولُ اللّهِ (صَلَّيَ اللهُ عَلَيهِ وَ آلِهِ) ـ لمّا اُسرِيَ بهِ ـ: يا رَبِّ، ما حالُ المؤمِنِ عِندَكَ ؟ قالَ: يا محمّدُ ... ما يَتَقَرَّبُ إلَيَّ عَبدٌ مِن عِبادِي بشيءٍ أحَبّ إلَيَّ ممّا افتَرَضتُ علَيهِ، وإنّهُ لَيَتقرَّبُ إلَيَّ بالنافِلَةِ حتّى اُحِبَّهُ، فإذا أحبَبتُهُ كنتُ إذا سَمعَهُ الذي يَسمَعُ بهِ، وبَصَرَهُ الذي يُبصِرُ بهِ، ولِسانَهُ الذي يَنطِقُ بهِ، ويَدَهُ التي يَبطِشُ بها، إن دَعاني أجَبتُهُ، وإن سَألَني أعطَيتُهُ.
1– The Prophet (SAWA) said, ‘Allah, Mighty and Exalted, has said, ‘My servant can never come close to Me with something more beloved to Me than that which I have made obligatory for him, and he can come close to Me with supererogatory prayers such that I love him. And when I love him, I will become his hearing that he hears with, his sight that he sees with, his tongue that he speaks with, his hand that he strikes with. When he prays to Me, I will answer, and when he asks Me, I will give him.’
[al-Kafi, v. 2, p. 352, no. 7]
2ـ الإمامُ عليٌّ (عَلَيهِ الّسَلامُ): علَيكُم بِصِدقِ الإخلاصِ وحُسنِ اليَقينِ، فإنّهُما أفضَلُ عِبادَةِ المُقَرَّبينَ.
2– Imam Ali (AS) said, ‘Observe true sincerity and excellent certainty, for they are both the best form of worship
[carried out] by those brought near
[to Allah].’
[Ghurar al-Hikam, no. 6159]
المُقَرَبُونَ
THOSE BROUGHT NEAR TO ALLAH
3ـ الإمامُ زينُ العابدينَ (عَلَيهِ الّسَلامُ): إنَّ أقرَبَكُم مِن اللّهِ أوسَعَكُم خُلقاً.
3– Imam Zayn al-Abidin (AS) said, ‘The closest of you to Allah are those who are the most magnanimous of character.’
[al-Kafi, v. 8, p. 69, no. 23]
4ـ الإمامُ الصّادقُ (عَلَيهِ الّسَلامُ): فيما أوحَى اللّهُ عَزَّوجلَّ إلى داودَ (عَلَيهِ الّسَلامُ): يا داودُ، كما أنَّ أقرَبَ الناسِ مِن اللّهِ المُتَواضِعُونَ كذلكَ أبعَدُ الناسِ مِن اللّهِ المُتَكبِّرُونَ.
4– Imam al-Sadiq (AS) narrated, ‘Within what Allah revealed unto David (AS): ‘O David, just as the closest people to Allah are the humble ones, so the farthest away from Allah are the proud ones.’
[al-Kafi, v. 2, p. 292, no. 39]
5ـ الإمامُ الصّادقُ (عَلَيهِ الّسَلامُ): ثلاثةٌ هُم أقرَبُ الخَلقِ إلَى اللّهِ يَومَ القِيامَةِ حتّى يَفرُغَ (الناسُ) مِن الحِسابِ: رجُلٌ لم تَدَعْهُ قُدرَتُهُ في حالِ غَضَبِهِ إلى أن يَحيفَ على مَن تَحتَ يَدَيهِ، ورجُلٌ مَشى بينَ اثنَينِ فلم يَمِلْ مَعَ أحَدِهِما علَى الآخَرِ بشَعيرَةٍ، ورجُلٌ قالَ الحَقَّ فيما لَهُ وعلَيهِ.
5– Imam al-Sadiq (AS) said, ‘There are three kinds of people who will be the closest to Allah on the Day of Resurrection, until all are judged. They are: a person whose power when he is angered does not allow him to wrong those he has power over; a person who walks between two people and is not biased to either one of them, not even by the width of a small hair; and the person who speaks the truth, whether it be for or against him.’
[al-Khisal, p. 81, no. 5]
الوُصُولُ اِلَي اللهِ / Reaching Allah
6ـ الإمامُ عليٌّ (عَلَيهِ الّسَلامُ): مَن صَبَرَ علَى اللّهِ وَصَلَ إلَيهِ .
6– Imam Ali (AS) said, ‘Whoever has patience for the sake of Allah will reach Him.’
[al-Da`aawst, p. 292, no. 39]
7ـ الإمامُ عليٌّ (عَلَيهِ الّسَلامُ) ـ في المناجاةِ الشَّعبانيّةِ ـ: إلهي هَبْ لي كمالَ الانقِطاعِ إلَيكَ، وأنِرْ أبصارَ قُلوبِنا بضِياءِ نَظَرِها إلَيكَ، حتّى تَخرِقَ أبصارُ القُلوبِ حُجُبَ النورِ، فَتَصِلَ إلى مَعدِنِ العَظَمَةِ .
7– Imam Ali (AS) said in his supplication of Sha`aban, ‘O Allah, grant me the perfection of devotion to You, and illuminate the sight of our hearts with the radiance of looking at You until the sight of our hearts pierces through the veils of light, reaching the source of Exaltedness.’
[Iqbal al-A`amal, v. 3, p. 299]
8ـ الإمامُ العسكريُّ (عَلَيهِ الّسَلامُ): إنَّ الوُصولَ إلَى اللّهِ عَزَّوجلَّ سَفَرٌ لا يُدرَكُ إلّا بامتِطاءِ اللَّيلِ.
8– Imam al-‘Askari (AS) said, ‘Reaching Allah, Mighty and Exalted, is a journey that cannot be accomplished without mounting the night
[i.e. night vigil].’
[Bihar al-Anwar, v. 78, p. 380, no. 4]
ما يُتَقَرَّبُ بِهِ إلَى اللّهِ / What Brings One Near to Allah
9ـ رسولُ اللهِِ (صَلَّيَ اللهُ عَلَيهِ وَ آلِهِ): يا عليُّ، إذا تَقَرَّبَ العِبادُ إلى خالِقِهِم بالبِرِّ فَتَقَرَّبْ إلَيهِ بالعَقلِ تَسبِقْهُم .
9– The Prophet (SAWA) said, ‘O Ali, if worshippers come close to their Creator through righteous deeds, then you should come close to Him with your intellect and you will beat them.’
[Mishkat al-Anwar, p. 251]
10ـ الإمامُ عليٌّ (عَلَيهِ الّسَلامُ): تَقَرُّبُ العَبدِ إلَى اللّهِ سبحانَهُ بِإخلاصِ نِيَّتِهِ .
10– Imam Ali (AS) said, ‘The servant can come near to Allah, glory be to Him, by making his intentions sincere.’
[Ghurar al-Hikam, no. 4477]
11ـ الإمامُ الباقرُ (عَلَيهِ الّسَلامُ): كانَ فيما ناجى بهِ اللّهُ موسى (عَلَيهِ الّسَلامُ) على الطُّورِ أن: يا موسى، أبلِغْ قَومَكَ أ نّهُ ما يَتَقَرَّبُ إلَيَّ المُتَقرِّبونَ بمِثلِ البُكاءِ مِن خَشيَتي، وما تَعَبَّدَ لي المُتَعبِّدونَ بمِثلِ الوَرَعِ مِن مَحارِمي، ولا تَزَيَّنَ لي المُتَزيِّنونَ بمِثلِ الزُّهدِ في الدنيا عمّا بِهِمُ الغِنى عَنهُ.
فقالَ موسى (عَلَيهِ الّسَلامُ): يا أكرَمَ الأكرَمينَ، فماذا أثَبتَهُم على ذلكَ ؟ فقالَ: يا موسى، أمّا المُتَقرِّبُونَ إليَّ بالبُكاءِ مِن خَشيَتي فَهُم في الرَّفيقِ الأعلى لا يَشرَكُهُم فيهِ أحَدٌ .
11– Imam al-Baqir (AS) said, ‘One of the things that Allah confided to Moses (AS) on the mountain is: ‘O Moses, inform your people that those who are close to Me can only come nearer to Me by crying to Me out of awe of Me, and the best worship performed by My worshippers is restraint against committing what I have forbidden. Those who adorn themselves for Me have no better adornment than abstinence from worldly affairs in that which they can manage without.’ Moses (AS) asked, ‘O most Generous of the generous, so what establishes them upon it?’ He said, ‘O Moses, as for those who come near to Me with crying from My awe, they are in the loftiest level which they will share with no one.’
[Thawab al-A`amal, p. 205, no. 1]