GUIDING OTHERS THROUGH QURAN
It is related that:
Once Imam Ja’ffar as-Sadiq (as) was in the market
when he saw a man come to a bakery. The man diverted the attention
of the baker, stole two loaves of bread and left the place. Imam
(as) followed the man in order to guide him.
The man then came to a person who was selling
pomegranates. Once again he managed to divert the seller’s
attention, stole two pomegranates and walked away. Imam (as) was
surprised by his action so he (as) kept following him.
With two loaves of bread and two pomegranates in
his hand, the man then to a sick and needy person and gave him away
all that he had stolen. Imam (as) stopped the man and informed him
that he (as) was witness to his actions and that he had to offer an
explanation for the same.
The man asked, “Are you Ja’ffar ibn Muhammad?”
Imam (as) replied,
“Yes!”
So the man said, “It appears that you are
ignorant about Quran”.
Imam (as) asked the man to tell him the verse of
the Holy Quran, which he (as) was ignorant about and this is what
the man had to say:
“Allah (SWT) says:
“Whoever brings virtue shall receive ten times its like; but whoever
brings vice shall not be requited except with its like, and they
shall not be wronged”. (6:160) I first stole two loaves
of bread so they were two evil deeds. I then stole two pomegranates
so they too, were two evil deeds. All in all, I committed four evil
deeds. Then I gave them (bread & pomegranates) in charity (alms), so
I earned fourty good deeds. If you subtract four evil deeds from the
fourty good deeds, I still remain with thirty six good deeds – so I
am not a loser!”
When the Imam (as) heard this, he (as) realized
that the man was misled. He (as) said to him,
“May your mother loose
you! Have you not read this verse:
“Allah accepts only from the
Godwary”. (5:27)”.
What the Imam (as) implied was that means do not
justify the end. Allah (SWT) accepts only those deeds that are pure
and performed in accordance with His commands. This is what Quran
guides us to.
[Abu Baseer
asked Imam Ja’ffar as-Sadiq (as) to explain the verse, which reads:
“O you who believe! Be wary of Allah
with the wariness due to Him…” (3:102)
Imam (as) said,
“Allah must be obeyed and not disobeyed; He (SWT) should be
remembered (at all times) and never forgotten; and one should always
be grateful and not ungrateful to Him”.]
(Bihar al-Anwaar)
mulla@almahdi.org.uk