Topic of Discussion:

l
In the name of All°h, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful

Discussion: Making Use of the Opportunities

Which We Have While in this Transient World
Øad¢th #4
#44 [ Discussion #5
#57]
Lectures on Akhl°q given by His Eminence
Ayatull°h al-`U®m° al-Ø°jj ash-Shaykh N°•ir Mak°rim ash-Sh¢r°z¢ (may All°h protect him)
Translated by Saleem Bhimji – www.al-mubin.org – al-mubin@al-mubin.org

‫ اﺳﺘﻐﻼل اﻟﻠﺤﻈﺎت ﻓﻲ اﻟﺪﻧﻴﺎ‬:‫اﻟﻤﻮﺿﻮع‬

Topic: Making Use of the Opportunities Which
We Have While in this Transient World
Text of the Øad¢th:

* % 
: % , 
 7 6  6 (405
  * " 3&. ) 2 / (01
 , - . ) 
% '
* " + $ ,  !" #  $ % &'
(       :
      

. 240   9
 : 8
   * % 
:   #
 
 (     
TRANSLATION The Messenger of All°h
has said, “Do not curse the transient world since it is that thing upon
TRANSLATION:
which the true believer rides upon to perform good deeds and which saves him from the evil. Any time a servant
says, ‘May All°h curse (asks All°h to remove His mercy) from the material world, the transient world says in
reply to him, May All°h curse that person who performs sins, may the curse of All°h be upon those of us who are
the most sinful.”1

Commentary of Øad¢th:

T
he praise and denunciation of this transient world has been mentioned in various a¶°d¢th, however this
¶ad¢th (under discussion) is one of those a¶°d¢th in which the transient world has been praised. If you pay
close attention, you will see that a great number of people speak bad things about this material world. For
example, they say things like: O’ you cursed time; O’ you evil sky, and… whereas we see that the Prophet  has
said, “Do not curse this material world since for the true believer, it is a stead to ride upon through which he is
able to reach to all things…”2

1 Bi¶°rul Anw°r, Volume 74, Page 187

2 How beautifully has Nasir Khusrow put it, when he said:

‫ﻛﻦ زﺳﺮ ﺑﺎد ﺧﻴﺮه ﺳﺮى را‬ ‫ﻧﻜﻮﻫﺶ ﻣﻜﻦ ﭼﺮخ ﻧﻴﻠﻮﻓﺮى راﺑﺮون‬
‫ ز داﻧﺶ ﺑﺮى را‬،‫ﻧﺸﺎﻳﺪ ﻧﻜﻮﻫﺶ‬ ‫ﺑﺮى دان ز اَﻓﻌﺎل ﭼﺮخ ﺑﺮﻳﻦ را‬
‫ﻣﺪار از ﻓﻠﻚ ﭼﺸﻢ ﻧﻴﻚ اﺧﺘﺮى را‬ ‫ﭼﻮ ﺗﻮ ﺧﻮد ﻛﻨﻰ اﺧﺘﺮ ﺧﻮﻳﺶ را ﺑﺪ‬
‫ﺑﻪ اﻓﻌﺎل ﻣﺎﻧﻨﺪه ﺷﻮ ﻣﺮ ﭘﺮى را‬ ‫ﺑﻪ ﭼﻬﺮه ﺷﺪن ﭼﻮن ﭘﺮى ﻛﻰ ﺗﻮاﻧﻰ؟‬
Ethical Discourse | Discussion # 57 | Page 1 of 3
When you curse the transient world, the world replies and says, “May Allah curse whichever of us has performed
more sins against All°h i; meaning that if I have performed more sins, may All°h i curse me and if you have
performed more sins, then may All°h i curse you!”

The discussion in regards to this transient world is very extensive, however in summary we can state that: The
transient world is a place of both business and worship for the true friends of All°h i.3 This world is a prepared
means through which, if we make use of it in the correct manner, it can be a ladder for us to ascend into the
heavens. However that which is important is how we spend our life in this transient world since the life of this
world is only one proverbial hour of our lives and we must see how we make use of the things at our disposal;
how we make use of our physical strength; how we make use of our intellects and how have make use of our
youth since on the Day of Judgment, we will be asked about certain things: of our youth, our life span, our
wealth, and…4

Pay attention to the following examples:

1. The blow which Am¢rul Mo’min¢n `Al¢ ibn Ab¢ ∞°lib  struck either on the day of Khandaq or A¶z°b on the
body of `Umar ibne `Abduwud was greater than the worship of all the Jinn and Humanity. Did `Al¢  make use
of something which was not from this material world (in this blow)? In that instant in his life, he made use of his
sword and the power of his arms, and Isl°m – which was up until that point, was lamenting – was saved. It was
his blow on that day which was the secret behind the continuation of Isl°m in that decisive moment of history.

‫ﺑﺠﻮﻳﺪ ﺳﺮ ﺗﻮ ﻫﻤﻰ ﺳﺮورى را‬ ‫اﮔﺮ ﺗﻮ زآﻣﻮﺧﺘﻦ ﺳﺮ ﻧﺘﺎﺑﻰ‬

‫ﺳﺰا ﺧﻮد ﻫﻤﻴﻦ اﺳﺖ ﻣﺮ ﺑﻰ ﺑﺮى را‬ ‫ﺑﺴﻮزﻧﺪ ﭼﻮب درﺧﺘﺎن ﺑﻰ ﺑﺮ‬
‫ﺑﻪ زﻳﺮ آورى ﭼﺮخ ﻧﻴﻠﻮﻓﺮى را‬ ‫درﺧﺖ ﺗﻮ ﮔﺮ ﺑﺎر داﻧﺶ ﺑﮕﻴﺮد‬

3 In Nahjul Balagha we read that `Al¢  told a person who had dedicated his entire life to worship and had thrown the
transient world behind his back that, “You have made an error. For those people who are aware and who are
spiritually awake, this material world is a great asset.” After this, he began to explain this issue in the following manner
by saying that the world is a “  </8 03="” or a place of transactions for the intimate friends of All°h i.

In another ¶ad¢th, the transient world has been compared to field of the next life which crops are grown on while in this
¶ad¢th, we see that it has been compared to a place of business transactions in which a person has been given many
resources and equity from All°h i and a place in which he is able to sell them for the highest price possible and in
return for this commodity of no worth, he has been given the great blessings (Paradise).

Principally, the phrase of this world being a place of business transactions and that too a business transaction which has
with it a huge return has been used in order to stimulate one of the most important motivations within a person –
meaning the motivation towards profit and of the removal of harm or loss from his person since this Divine Transaction
is not only one in which there is profit, rather, it is one which also keeps away the “>8 ?@:” or perpetual punishment
from the person. (Tafs¢r-e-Namuna, Volume 24, Page 92)

4 In a ¶ad¢th narrated from Ibn `Abb°s, we read that the Noble Prophet  has said:

7" $ : * : / GI

J

$' / (% $ F * .
* " " * : / GH&,'
$' H0$ : * : :%2  
* : 
A

 . BC=D  % , " 
 /E
G#, K L 
&4D * : / G2 K
$ :
“On the Day of Judgment, no servant shall move from where he is until he is asked about four things: About his life and
how he spent it; about his wealth and how he earned it and where he spent it; about his actions and what he did and
about love for us, the Ahlul Ba¢t.” (Tafs¢r-e-Namuna, Volume 27, Page 13)

Ethical Discourse | Discussion # 57 | Page 2 of 3

Thus, that transient world in which a person can perform a deed which would be better than the worship of all
the Jinn and Mankind is not something bad!

2. `Abdul Ra¶m°n ibn Muljim Mur°d¢ and Shimr ibne Dhil Jawshan also made use of this same transient world,
their swords and their physical power which they possessed. One of them did his deed in the Masjid of Kufa
while the other carried out his act in Karbal°, however because of their deeds, they became the worst and most
unfortunate of people.

Where is the difference between these two examples? The difference lies in the way that these people used the
tool – meaning the transient world. In half a day, the martyrs of Kerbal° reached to the highest station of nobility
both in this material world and the next life and we see what divine blessings were conferred upon those people
and their actions in that half day such that their movement is now the source and foundation for all of our
revolutions and Isl°mic programs of action.

Therefore, that which we have at our disposal is a great asset and we must recognize the worth of it. It is
regretful that we do not make use of this great worth and blessing! If in those hours of our life when we were
young, we knew and understood the abilities and intelligence which All°h i had given us, then we would surely
have been able to reach to great heights since this transient world is a collection of various amenities which we
can make use of.

In regards to this ¶ad¢th (under discussion), there is a sentence which the late Sayyid Shar¢f al-Radh¢  narrates
in the form of a poem:

M"E ' " / /' >)' N' 2 M"E MI.

“They (the people) say that the time period (which they are living in) has become corrupt,
Rather, it is they themselves who have become corrupt, and the time period has not become corrupt.”

In other words, the people are saying that this transient world has become very bad whereas we see that it is not
the world which has become bad, rather, it is us ourselves who have not made a good use of it. The sun shines;
the moon reflects the sun’s light; the rain falls down; the ground grows what it grows; the heart of the person
continues to work, etc… these are all not bad things! Rather it is the person himself who makes a bad use of these
things. We must pay attention to this point that All°h i has given us very many assets and equities, including:
the asset of this Revolution and the system of the Isl°mic Republic and if we do not recognize its worth, then this
World will definitely send curses upon us.

The reason why this transient world has been denounced is that it has been used in an incorrect manner.

The sword is something bad if it is placed in the hands of Ibn Muljim, however it is good if it is in the hands of
`Al¢ .

In summary, it is the goals, outcomes and assets of this material world which are the most important things to
keep in mind.5

…and all praise belongs to All°h (Glory and Greatness be to Him), only the mistakes are mine

5 In the words of Mawlawi:

‫ ﻧﺎدان را ﺑﻪ دﺳﺖ‬،‫ﺑﻪ ﻛﻪ آﻳﺪ ﻋﻠﻢ‬ ‫ﺗﻴﻎ دادن در ﻛﻒ زﻧﮕﻰ ﻣﺴﺖ‬
‫ﻓﺘﻨﻪ آرد در ﻛﻒ ﺑﺪ ﮔﻮﻫﺮان‬ ‫ﻋﻠﻢ و ﻣﺎل و ﻣﻨﺼﺐ و ﺟﺎن و ﻗﺮان‬

Ethical Discourse | Discussion # 57 | Page 3 of 3