🔻It is not God’s plan to bring hardships and calamities for His servants, unless the divine testing system requires a servant to be tested by a hardship or calamity.
🔻Paying attention to destinies determined by God reduces a person’s sorrows and eliminates regret and jealousy.
👉🏼 Destiny (5)
🔸We should believe that destinies determined by God are ruling over our individual and social lives, although it is possible for us to affect divine providence. We must also pay attention to this question that what is the most important factor in determining our destinies.
🔸One can affect his/her #destiny. For example, we can pray or give charity. However, our prayers will be answered only if that “determining factor” allows it. If it does not allow it, our prayers will not be answered, even if we are a good servant.
🔸The main and most determining factor for our destinies is #testing and divine trials. We have been created to be tested in this world.
🔸It is not God’s plan to bring #hardships and calamities for His servants, unless the divine trials and testing system requires a servant to be tested by a hardship or calamity. It is not God’s plan to give #ease to His servants in this world unless testing requires it. It is not God’s plan to give or take away #opportunities from His servants, unless testing requires this.
🔸For example, God gives much #sustenance to some people while He keeps some people poor. If He gives much sustenance to one servant, this is the way he is being tested. And if God gives little sustenance to another person, that is due to his test. [Nahj al-Balaghah, sermon no. 91]
🔸This means that all the moments of our lives and all the destinies that God has determined for us, from any way we look at, are under the influence of the determining factor, which is testing and trials. Paying attention to destinies determined by God reduces a person’s sorrows and eliminates regret and jealousy.
#AliRezaPanahian
#Most_Determining_Factor
#Destiny
âś… @PanahianEN
🔻Paying attention to destinies determined by God reduces a person’s sorrows and eliminates regret and jealousy.
👉🏼 Destiny (5)
🔸We should believe that destinies determined by God are ruling over our individual and social lives, although it is possible for us to affect divine providence. We must also pay attention to this question that what is the most important factor in determining our destinies.
🔸One can affect his/her #destiny. For example, we can pray or give charity. However, our prayers will be answered only if that “determining factor” allows it. If it does not allow it, our prayers will not be answered, even if we are a good servant.
🔸The main and most determining factor for our destinies is #testing and divine trials. We have been created to be tested in this world.
🔸It is not God’s plan to bring #hardships and calamities for His servants, unless the divine trials and testing system requires a servant to be tested by a hardship or calamity. It is not God’s plan to give #ease to His servants in this world unless testing requires it. It is not God’s plan to give or take away #opportunities from His servants, unless testing requires this.
🔸For example, God gives much #sustenance to some people while He keeps some people poor. If He gives much sustenance to one servant, this is the way he is being tested. And if God gives little sustenance to another person, that is due to his test. [Nahj al-Balaghah, sermon no. 91]
🔸This means that all the moments of our lives and all the destinies that God has determined for us, from any way we look at, are under the influence of the determining factor, which is testing and trials. Paying attention to destinies determined by God reduces a person’s sorrows and eliminates regret and jealousy.
#AliRezaPanahian
#Most_Determining_Factor
#Destiny
âś… @PanahianEN
đź”»Why does God test us?
đź”»Human beings have two kinds of interests: an interest in becoming good and an interest in becoming bad.
👉🏼 Destiny (11)
🔸Why does Almighty God test us? Because we have been created #human beings, who are creatures who can produce added value. Some imagine God wanted to create good, #obedient creatures! The angels had this same idea. When God wanted to create human beings they said, “Will you set in it someone who will cause corruption in it and shed blood while we celebrate Your praise and proclaim Your sanctity?” [Qur’an 2:30] But God wanted to create a being who produces added value and becomes good.
🔸Someone asked #ImamSadiq (as), “Why didn’t God create His servants in such a way that they would all be obedient and monotheists?” He replied, “If God created people obedient, reward and punishment would have been meaningless. God created His servants in a way that they do something themselves to deserve reward or punishment.” [Al-Ihtijaj, Tabarsi, vol. 2, p. 340]
🔸To produce added value, people must have two kinds of #interests: an interest in becoming good and an interest in becoming bad. If you only had one kind of interest, #testing and having a free will was meaningless. You would definitely choose that one interest. If you had two interests, one stronger and one weaker, you would always choose the stronger interest. If you had two equal interests, you couldn’t choose and would be in a dilemma.
🔸God designed our interests very beautifully and wisely. He made one interest stronger and more valuable, but concealed. And the weaker, less valuable interest is manifested. God has created this surprising balance so that people can choose.
🔸When you satisfy your divine, stronger, more valuable interests you truly enjoy more. But these interests are more concealed. If their true value were easily seen, you would go toward them from the beginning like angels. On the other hand, the weaker, less worthy worldly interests, are more easily seen, experienced and appear stronger.
🔸With this design, God has given people the opportunity to make a valuable choice.
#AliRezaPanahian
#Most_Determining_Factor
#Destiny
âś… @PanahianEN
đź”»Human beings have two kinds of interests: an interest in becoming good and an interest in becoming bad.
👉🏼 Destiny (11)
🔸Why does Almighty God test us? Because we have been created #human beings, who are creatures who can produce added value. Some imagine God wanted to create good, #obedient creatures! The angels had this same idea. When God wanted to create human beings they said, “Will you set in it someone who will cause corruption in it and shed blood while we celebrate Your praise and proclaim Your sanctity?” [Qur’an 2:30] But God wanted to create a being who produces added value and becomes good.
🔸Someone asked #ImamSadiq (as), “Why didn’t God create His servants in such a way that they would all be obedient and monotheists?” He replied, “If God created people obedient, reward and punishment would have been meaningless. God created His servants in a way that they do something themselves to deserve reward or punishment.” [Al-Ihtijaj, Tabarsi, vol. 2, p. 340]
🔸To produce added value, people must have two kinds of #interests: an interest in becoming good and an interest in becoming bad. If you only had one kind of interest, #testing and having a free will was meaningless. You would definitely choose that one interest. If you had two interests, one stronger and one weaker, you would always choose the stronger interest. If you had two equal interests, you couldn’t choose and would be in a dilemma.
🔸God designed our interests very beautifully and wisely. He made one interest stronger and more valuable, but concealed. And the weaker, less valuable interest is manifested. God has created this surprising balance so that people can choose.
🔸When you satisfy your divine, stronger, more valuable interests you truly enjoy more. But these interests are more concealed. If their true value were easily seen, you would go toward them from the beginning like angels. On the other hand, the weaker, less worthy worldly interests, are more easily seen, experienced and appear stronger.
🔸With this design, God has given people the opportunity to make a valuable choice.
#AliRezaPanahian
#Most_Determining_Factor
#Destiny
âś… @PanahianEN
🔻 It is impossible to say the testing system only determines a part of a person’s life and not the other parts.
đź”» Islam is a complete religion without any defects that need to be compensated for.
👉🏼 Destiny (14)
🔸It is impossible to say the testing system only determines a part of a person’s life. It is impossible the system of religious orders be under the influence of testing, but the issue of #government not be under its influence.
🔸In a religious government, testing is an important principle. A religious government is not a government that wishes to achieve results at any cost, because #testing is very important in religion. Thus, it gives #opportunities to people and doesn’t use the power of government to control people. Of course, giving opportunities often results in people misusing them.
🔸Once the Prophet (s) was told that some people were #hoarding certain goods. The Prophet (s) ordered them to return the hoarded goods to the market. A man said, “O Prophet of God (s), set a price for these goods.” The Prophet (s) said, “I won’t do so. Let it be determined naturally.” [Tahdhib al-Ahkam, vol. 7, p. 161] The Prophet (s) could have set the price, but he didn’t use his authority in just any way.
🔸Sometimes #legislators want to eliminate the possibility of any kind of sin, oppression or irregularity. So they put extra laws. But Islam has not done such a thing. We should always pay attention to the fact that Islam is a complete religion without any defects. So there is no need for us to compensate for it. Know that the laws you see in the west have not been designed due the growth of the science of jurisprudence or based on discussions about natural or human sciences. No, they are the result of security issues and political discussions.
🔸I am talking about the prevention of oppression and crimes. You are not able to stop all kinds of oppression with laws. You should leave some kinds of oppression to be taken care of by ethics. If ethics didn’t correct them, then the courts are used. Sometimes by setting extra laws, we want to bring certain preventions, but in this way we ruin all opportunities for being tested.
#AliRezaPanahian
#Most_Determining_Factor
#Destiny
âś… @PanahianEN
đź”» Islam is a complete religion without any defects that need to be compensated for.
👉🏼 Destiny (14)
🔸It is impossible to say the testing system only determines a part of a person’s life. It is impossible the system of religious orders be under the influence of testing, but the issue of #government not be under its influence.
🔸In a religious government, testing is an important principle. A religious government is not a government that wishes to achieve results at any cost, because #testing is very important in religion. Thus, it gives #opportunities to people and doesn’t use the power of government to control people. Of course, giving opportunities often results in people misusing them.
🔸Once the Prophet (s) was told that some people were #hoarding certain goods. The Prophet (s) ordered them to return the hoarded goods to the market. A man said, “O Prophet of God (s), set a price for these goods.” The Prophet (s) said, “I won’t do so. Let it be determined naturally.” [Tahdhib al-Ahkam, vol. 7, p. 161] The Prophet (s) could have set the price, but he didn’t use his authority in just any way.
🔸Sometimes #legislators want to eliminate the possibility of any kind of sin, oppression or irregularity. So they put extra laws. But Islam has not done such a thing. We should always pay attention to the fact that Islam is a complete religion without any defects. So there is no need for us to compensate for it. Know that the laws you see in the west have not been designed due the growth of the science of jurisprudence or based on discussions about natural or human sciences. No, they are the result of security issues and political discussions.
🔸I am talking about the prevention of oppression and crimes. You are not able to stop all kinds of oppression with laws. You should leave some kinds of oppression to be taken care of by ethics. If ethics didn’t correct them, then the courts are used. Sometimes by setting extra laws, we want to bring certain preventions, but in this way we ruin all opportunities for being tested.
#AliRezaPanahian
#Most_Determining_Factor
#Destiny
âś… @PanahianEN
🔻 Religion isn’t bitter.
🔻 Life’s nature is such that there is some bitterness in it.
👉🏼 Destiny (15)
🔸There are bitter realities in this world from which religion rescues a person to some extent. #Religion isn’t bitter. It’s life’s nature that there is some bitterness in it. God has mentioned this bitterness, “Certainly We have created man to be in distress.” [Qur’an 90:4]
🔸In Letter no. 31 in Nahj al-Balaghah, #ImamAli (as), addressed his young son and described 14 features of youthhood, mostly referring to the bitterness of life. “[This letter is] from a mortal father… to a son who yearns for that which will not be achieved, is treading the path of those who have gone, is subject to ailments, is caught up in the days, is a target of hardships…”
🔸Religion tells a person, “Give me your hand so that I may release you from these #hardships a little and cause your bitterness to be #fruitful. Now that you pray, when you tolerate your problems and hardships, you will gain light. Even if you weren’t praying, you would have had to tolerate hardships but without gaining any light.
🔸Paying attention to this fact that God is #testing us is very useful for a person’s spirit. It doesn’t let a person become weighed down by useless and superfluous happiness, sorrows, fears, and anxieties. It removes grudges from a person’s heart and brings comfort. It also corrects a person’s relationship with God and eliminates arrogance. Of course, it also causes a person to become fearful and anxious with respect to God a little. But afterwards, affection is created in a person’s heart and he becomes dependent on God. This is because he now understands he isn’t so independent. Thus, he will supplicate and rely on God even more.
🔸Whoever fears being tested should follow this advice of Imam Ali (as), “If you fear something, throw yourself into it, because your fear is greater than the action itself.” [Nahj al-Balaghah, wisdom no. 175] After starting that action, you will see it wasn’t as frightening as you had thought. Once you have entered into the middle of a test, you will feel relieved.
#AliRezaPanahian
#Most_Determining_Factor
#Destiny
âś… @PanahianEN
🔻 Life’s nature is such that there is some bitterness in it.
👉🏼 Destiny (15)
🔸There are bitter realities in this world from which religion rescues a person to some extent. #Religion isn’t bitter. It’s life’s nature that there is some bitterness in it. God has mentioned this bitterness, “Certainly We have created man to be in distress.” [Qur’an 90:4]
🔸In Letter no. 31 in Nahj al-Balaghah, #ImamAli (as), addressed his young son and described 14 features of youthhood, mostly referring to the bitterness of life. “[This letter is] from a mortal father… to a son who yearns for that which will not be achieved, is treading the path of those who have gone, is subject to ailments, is caught up in the days, is a target of hardships…”
🔸Religion tells a person, “Give me your hand so that I may release you from these #hardships a little and cause your bitterness to be #fruitful. Now that you pray, when you tolerate your problems and hardships, you will gain light. Even if you weren’t praying, you would have had to tolerate hardships but without gaining any light.
🔸Paying attention to this fact that God is #testing us is very useful for a person’s spirit. It doesn’t let a person become weighed down by useless and superfluous happiness, sorrows, fears, and anxieties. It removes grudges from a person’s heart and brings comfort. It also corrects a person’s relationship with God and eliminates arrogance. Of course, it also causes a person to become fearful and anxious with respect to God a little. But afterwards, affection is created in a person’s heart and he becomes dependent on God. This is because he now understands he isn’t so independent. Thus, he will supplicate and rely on God even more.
🔸Whoever fears being tested should follow this advice of Imam Ali (as), “If you fear something, throw yourself into it, because your fear is greater than the action itself.” [Nahj al-Balaghah, wisdom no. 175] After starting that action, you will see it wasn’t as frightening as you had thought. Once you have entered into the middle of a test, you will feel relieved.
#AliRezaPanahian
#Most_Determining_Factor
#Destiny
âś… @PanahianEN