The Quranic Definition of Asceticism: Wisdom from Imam Muhammad al-Baqir

al-Haytham ibn Waqid al-Hurami:

“I asked Abu Hanifa, 'What is asceticism (zuhd) according to the Book of Allah?' He replied, 'I asked Abu Ja'far Muhammad (al-Baqir) ibn Ali, peace be upon them, about it. He said, 'It is as Allah, the Most High, says, "So that you may not despair over whatever [good] has escaped you nor exult [unduly] over whatever [good] has come to you." [Quran, Al-Hadid: 23].' So, whoever is like this, he is truly ascetic."

أَخْبَرَنَا أَبُو الْحَسَنِ عَلِيُّ بْنُ مُحَمَّدِ بْنِ أَحْمَدَ، أَخْبَرَنَا الْحَسَنُ بْنُ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ بْنِ سُعِيدِ [الْعَسْكَرِيّ]، حَدَّثَنَا بَكْرُ بْنُ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ الْمُحَتَّسِبُ، حَدَّثَنَا ابْنُ الْمُنْذَرِ الْكُوفِيّ، حَدَّثَنَا الْهَيْثَمُ بْنُ وَاقِدِ الْحَرَّمِيّ، قَالَ: قُلْتُ لِأَبِي حَنِيفَةَ مَا الزُّهْدُ مِنْ كِتَابِ اللَّهِ؟ قَالَ: سَأَلْتُ أَبَا جَعْفَرٍ مُحَمَّدَ بْنَ عَلِيٍّ عَلَيْهِمَا السَّلاَمُ عَنْ ذَلِكَ؟ فَقَالَ: قَوْلُهُ تَعَالَى: "لِكَيْلَا تَأْسَوْا عَلَى مَا فَاتَكُمْ وَلَا تَفْرَحُوا بِمَا آتَاكُمْ؟"[الْحَدِيدِ: 23]. فَمَن كَانَ هَكَذَا فَهُوَ الزَّاهِدُ حَقًّا.

al-Imām al-Mufīq bi-Allāh al-Ḥusayn ibn Ismā'īl al-Jurjānī, al-I'tibār wa Salwat al-'Ārifīn ed. 'Abd al-Salām ibn 'Abbās al-Wajīh, Mu'assasat al-Imām Zaid ibn 'Alī al-Thaqāfīyah, 1st edition, 2001, Pg. 45

Words of Wisdom from Amir al-Mu'minin: Reflecting on Life and the HereafterAmir al-Mu'minin Ali b. Abi Talib, peace be upon him, said:
The period [of one’s life], even if it is long, is short, and the past is a lesson for the one who abides [by it]. The dead serve as a lesson for the living, and no one can be certain of what tomorrow holds. It is as if you have been placed on the bed of death, and you have been held accountable for your sins. Modesty has silenced you, considering the bounties bestowed upon you, which cannot be counted, measured, or assessed by anyone other than the Lord of the Hereafter and the First [life]. You have caused those bounties to result from your sins and directed them toward His displeasure and aversion. You have been audacious in this regard, regardless of the days of trials, afflictions, and the night on which you will rest in the grave, which will not incline toward a day when wealth or children will be of no benefit. “And [on that Day,] the trumpet [of judgment] will be sounded, and all [creatures] that are in the heavens and all that are on earth will fall down senseless. unless they be such as God wills [to exempt]. And then it will sound again – and lo! standing [before the Seat of Judgment], they will begin to see [the truth]!” [Quran, 39: 68]. And the day “who was lost in sin will on that Day but desire to ransom himself from suffering at the price of his own children, and of his spouse, and of his brother, and of all the kinsfolk who ever sheltered him, and of whoever [else] lives on earth, all of them – so that he could but save himself.” [Quran, 70: 11-14]."

قَالَ أَمِيرُ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ عَلِيُّ بِنْ أَبِي طَالِبٍ عَلَيْهِ السَّلَام: الْمُدَّةُ وَإِن طَالَتْ قَصِيرَةٌ، وَالْمَاضِي لِلْمُقِيمِ عِبَرَةٌ، وَالْمَيِّت لِلْحَيِّ عِظَّةٌ، وَلَيْسَ الْمُرْءُ مِنْ غَدٍ عَلَى ثِقَةٍ، فَكَأَنَّكَ (قَد) نَصَبْتَ عَلَى سَرِيرِ الْمَنَايَا، وَوُقِفْتَ مَسْؤُولًا عَنِ الْخَطَايَا، فَأَلْجَمَكَ الْحَيَاء، لِمَا قَدْ أَنْعَمَ عَلَيْكَ مِنْ نِعْمٍ بِمَا لَا يُعَدُّ وَلَا يُحْصَى وَلَا يُقَدَّرُ عَلَيْهِ إِلَّا رَبُّ الْآخِرَةِ وَالْأُولَى، فَسَبَّبَتَهَا لِمَعَاصِيهِ وَذَرَعْتَهَا إِلَى سُخْطِهِ وَتَجَافِيهِ، وَتَجَاسَرْتَ عَلَيْهِ غَيْرَ مُكْتَرِثٍ بِأَيَّامِ الْبَلْوَى وَالْبَلْى وَاللَّيْلَةِ الَّتِي تَتَوَسَّدُ فِيهَا عَلَى الثُّرَى، لَا تَلْوِي عَلَى يَوْمٍ لَا يَنْفَعُ فِيهِ مَالٌ وَلَا بَنُون، وَيَوْم (نُفِخَ فِي الصُّورِ فَصَعِقَ مَن فِي السَّمَوَاتِ وَمَن فِي الْأَرْضِ إِلَّا مَن شَاءَ اللَّهُ ثُمَّ نُفِخَ فِيهِ أُخْرَى فَإِذَا هُمْ قِيَامٌ يَنْظُرُون) [الزمر:68].وَيَوْم (يَوَدُّ الْمُجْرِمُ لَوْ يَفْتَدِي مِنْ عَذَابِ يَوْمِئِذٍ بِبَنِيهِ، وَصَاحِبَتِهِ وَأَخِيهِ، وَفَصِيلَتِهِ الَّتِي تُؤْوِيهِ، وَمَن فِي الْأَرْضِ جَمِيعًا ثُمَّ يُنْجِيهِ) [المعارج:11-14].

al-Imām al-Mufīq bi-Allāh al-Ḥusayn ibn Ismā'īl al-Jurjānī, al-I'tibār wa Salwat al-'Ārifīn ed. 'Abd al-Salām ibn 'Abbās al-Wajīh, Mu'assasat al-Imām Zaid ibn 'Alī al-Thaqāfīyah, 1st edition, 2001, Pg. 41

The first (anthropological) description of the Yemeni people and the Najdi people, as expressed by the Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him and his family, is as follows: Regarding the people of Yemen, he said, "They have the softest hearts and the gentlest of natures." Concerning the people of Najd (specifically Riyadh), he mentioned, "They have hardness and sternness of hearts among those who work with camels, where the devil's horn rises." Therefore, gentleness and softness lead to compassion and mercy, while the opposite, hardness and sternness, does not. The Yemeni stance (Sanaa) towards Gaza is not surprising, and the same goes for the Najdi stance (Riyadh).

~ Jamal al-Shami

أول وصف (أنثروبولوجي) للشعب اليمني والنجدي على لسان النبي محمد صلى الله عليه وآله وسلم، عن أهل اليمن: ((هُمْ أَرَقُّ أَفْئِدَةً وَأَلْيَنُ قُلُوباً))، وعن أهل نجد (الرياض): ((القَسْوَةَ وغِلَظَ القُلُوبِ في الفَدّادِينَ، عِنْدَ أُصُولِ أذْنابِ الإبِلِ، حَيْثُ يَطْلُعُ قَرْن الشَّيْطانِ))، فالرقة واللين تنتج الشفقة والرحمة وعلى العكس من ذلك القسوة والغلظة، فالموقف اليمني (صنعاء) تجاه (غزة) ليس بغريب وكذلك الموقف النجدي (الرياض).

Imām al-Mu'ayyad billāh Aḥmad b. al-Ḥusayn al-Hārūnī:

I escaped from enemies to enemies,
And I considered them a group of the trustworthy.

فَرَرتُ من العُداةِ إلى العداة
وكنتُ عددتُهم زُمَرَ الثِّقاتِ

My hopes were disappointed with a people
Who perceive my virtues as vices

لقد خابت ظنوني عند قوم
يرون محاسني من سيئاتي

They incite the malicious against me,
And are more evil in my sight than the malicious

يُهِيجُونَ الغُواةَ عليَّ هَيْجا
وهم شَرٌ لديَّ من الغُواة

Linked below is a Google Drive folder that contains 1,700+ books on Palestine and Israel. They are mostly in English.

https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/18u9KYo3MvRpyI0SDqD2AzseTvuSn3S8T

al-Imām Muḥammad b. al-Qāsim b. Ibrāhīm, said:

“… Certainly, Amīr al-Muʾminīn ʿAlī b. Abī Ṭālib, said: "O Harith, know the truth, and you will identify its adherents, for truth transcends individual recognition."

فَإِنَّ أَمِيرُ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ عَلِيُّ بْنُ أَبِي طَالِبٍ - عَلَيْهِ السَّلاَم - قَالَ: يَا حَارِثُ اَعْرِفِ الْحَقَّ تَعْرِفْ أَهْلَهُ، فَإِنَّ الْحَقَّ لاَ يُعْرَفُ بِالرِّجَالِ

al-Usūl al-Tisʿah

The Muslim community finds itself at a crossroads, torn between the hopeful proclamation of "We will be forgiven" سَيُغْفَرُ لَنَا [Quran, 7:169] and the perilous delusion that "The fire will most certainly not touch us for more than a limited number of days." لَن تَمَسَّنَا ٱلنَّارُ إِلَّآ أَيَّامٗا مَّعۡدُودَة [Quran, 2:80] This delicate balance defines the struggle of a people who yearn for redemption and divine mercy, yet often underestimate the consequences of their actions. It is a pivotal moment where the weight of past deeds, both righteous and transgressive, hangs in the balance, and the collective fate of the Muslim community remains uncertain. The call for forgiveness echoes with the longing for absolution, while the belief in limited repercussions reveals a dangerous complacency.