PROVISIONS FOR THE JOURNEY (MISHKAT), VOLUME 2

Book index

First Pages a1
Foreword 1
LESSON TWENTY FIVE 3
The Path towards Paradise and Manifestations of Divine Modesty 5
Disapproval of long-drawn-out dreams and the difference between them and positive hopepath 0
The world: means or goal? 7
Attention to the absolute self-sufficient results in freedom from want from other than Allah 9
Remembrance of death and manifestations of divine modesty 13
Neatness, a practice of the saints [awliyā’] of Islam 17
LESSON TWENTY SIX 19
The Role of Pure Supplication and Meritorious Deeds 21
The concept of supplication 0
Differences among people in supplication and requests 23
The importance of manifesting indigence and incapacity in the presence of Allah 26
The need to conform supplication to commendable deeds 28
The existential blessings of the righteous and upright 31
LESSON TWENTY SEVEN 35
The Status of a Sincere Servant in the Sight of Allah 37
Basis of man’s superiority and pre-eminence 0
The role of independence and sincerity of intention 42
LESSON TWENTY EIGHT 51
The Greatness of Worship and Servitude and Its Existential Effects 53
The witnessing of the earth in regard to man’s deeds 0
Characteristics of the praise of the earth and inanimate objects 54
The intelligence and consciousness of creatures and how they are influenced 57
The expansive domain of the light of the Imāms (‘a) 58
Deeds do not remain hidden from the eyes of witnesses 60
Sincerity of intention in Allah’s servants brings about joy and pride 62
Sincerity of intention brings about superiority in works 64
LESSON TWENTY NINE 69
Devotion and Worship, the Greatest Assets for Humanity 71
The parasite nature of the world for man 0
The pre-eminence of the complete human being 73
Paradise, the dwelling of the believers and the friends of the Ahl al-Bayt (‘a) 75
The companions of paradise 77
a) The station of the prophets (‘a) and the Noble Prophet (s) of Islam 78
b) The station of the righteous [sālihīn] 80
c) The station of the truthful [siddīqīn] 0
The station of infallibility especially reserved for the chosen ones of Allah 82
The importance of sincere faith and the means of attaining it 84
LESSON THIRTY 89
The Significance of Invocation of Allah, Constructive Social Intercourse and the Criteria for Choosing Friends 91
The benefits of reclusion and solitude 92
The benefits of association and coexistence with others 94
Fondness and brotherhood, blessings of Allah 97
The criteria for choosing friends and associates 99
The greatness of invocation of Allah while among the heedless 103
Man’s responsibilities regarding his speech 104
The virtue of sharing food with a believer and abstaining from the food of corrupt people 106
LESSON THIRTY ONE 111
The Tongue, A Means of Guidance or Misdirection 113
Deriving benefit from the tongue and other members of the body for the purpose of spiritual ascension and growth 0
Method of deriving benefit from the tongue and avoiding troubles it causes 116
Abstaining from talkativeness and excess in humor and joking 119
The diversity in methods of guidance 122
A perspective on the effects of speech and other deeds 125
The need to relate true speech and abstain from spreading rumors and hearsay 127
LESSON THIRTY TWO 131
The Manifestations of Venerating and Glorifying Allah 133
The uncomprehended status of the Prophet (s) and the Pure Imāms 134
The relationship between obedience to Allah and obedience to the Noble Prophet (s) and the Ahl al-Bayt (‘a) 136
The need to respect and honor the believers 140
a) Honoring elderly Muslims 141
b) Respecting scholars and implementers of the Qur’an 144
c) Respecting a just and equitable ruler 147
The need for a government and law in society 0
Qualifications of a righteous and competent ruler 149
The religious jurisprudent [walī al-faqīh]: the most righteous and competent 153
LESSON THIRTY THREE 157
The Need to Hold the Tongue and Censure Its Defects 159
The reciprocal effects of deeds or annulment [ihbāt] and proscription [takfīr] 0
Censuring of fault-finding 164
Censuring of flattery and sycophancy 167
Censuring of sarcasm and verbal abuse 171
Censuring of obstinance and insistence on one’s opinion 173
LESSON THIRTY FOUR 177
The Manifestation of Worship and Role of Mosques in Islam 179
The concept and scope of worship 0
a) Divisions of worship 180
b) Prayer, zenith of devotional service and proximity [qurb] to Allah 181
c) The philosophy of divine legislation for the preliminaries of the prayer and factors for attention in prayer 184
The mosque, place of ascension for the lovers of the beatific vision [liqā’ Allāh] 187
The wisdom of drawing people’s attention to mosques 190
Necessity of understanding the importance of mosques and their etiquettes 191
Virtues of being present in the mosque for worship 198
The most beloved servants of Allah 200
LESSON THIRTY FIVE 203
The Status of Piety, Asceticism and Self-discipline 205
The concept of piety and its relationship with divine fear [khawf] 0
The importance of piety and ways of attaining it 207
A glance at the levels of piety 211
A glance at the effects of piety 212
The quality of accountability and other characteristics of the pious 219
Self-restraint and asceticism in the words of the Noble Prophet (s) 221
LESSON THIRTY SIX 227
Forbearance, Moderateness and Trust in Allah as stated by the Prophet (s) 229
The lofty status of forbearance 230
Forbearance is befitting of the saints [awliyā’] of Allah 234
Moderateness and the difference between it and lenience and compromise 236
The Prophet’s (s) lack of lenience in regard to the polytheists 239
The station of trust in Allah 244
Trust in Allah and making use of material and spiritual means 246
The relationship between piety and trust in Allah 250
LESSON THIRTY SEVEN 253
Divine Providence and Divine Decree and the Role of True Faith 255
Submission to truth, the means of averting worries 0
A brief look at predetermination and divine decree [qadā wa qadar] 258
The station of certitude [yaqīn] and its levels 261
The saints [awliyā’] of Allah and contentment with Allah’s decree 265
A look at patience [sabr] and its significance 271
The effects of preferring the will of Allah over one’s own will 274
LESSON THIRTY EIGHT 279
Knowing Allah and His Wise Order 281
Man and his relationship with Allah 0
Attentiveness to Allah in difficulty and ease 285
The need to seek assistance from Allah 288
Results of knowledge and certitude in regard to the wise management of Allah 293
The role of hardships in the process of man’s perfection and spiritual ascendance 296
The Criteria of Value in the Words of Allah, the Exalted 301
Faith and good deeds, the criteria of man’s superiority 0
Worthwhile deeds from the viewpoint of Islam 304
The importance of integrity in cultural and religious programs 309
The importance of intention and inner inclinations 311
The way to purify motives and intentions 313
LESSON THIRTY NINE 299

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First Pages




بسم الله الرحمن الرحیم

In the Name of Allah,
the All-beneficent, the All-merciful






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Ahl Al-Bayt World Assembly

The Ahl al-Bayt World Assembly  is an international non-governmental organization (INGO) that was established by a group of Shiite elites under the supervision of the great Islamic authority of the Shiites in 1990 to identify, organize, educate and support the followers of Ahl al-Bayt.

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