Value of human – II

In the first part of this writing, "Value of human - I", we mentioned that -based on Qur'an- "Taqwa" is the only factor by which humans may be categorized, and we briefly defined the meaning of Taqwa from Qur'an. Here we wish to look at another celestial verse from Qur'an:

…THIS IS IT AND NOTHING BUT THIS, Allah only accepts from the Mottaqin (those with Taqwa).

(Qur'an, Surah Maa'edah, verse 27)

This verse is clearly indicating that ONLY the acts, deeds and... of people with "Taqwa" are accepted by Allah; in another words, the good deeds of a person who does not possess Qur'anic Taqwa, i.e. does not believe in the "Ghaib" and Imam Mahdi (PBUH) and ...- do not earn Divine and Eternal acceptance and rewards.

Believing or not believing, having Taqwa or not, are the celestial distinguishing criteria set by Allah Himself for the evaluation of human value and for the eternal acceptance of deeds. At the same time, Allah, being All-Just, does not disregard any good deed, even the good deeds of non-believers; but the key point is that, for the non-believers, Allah -if He Pleases- pays them back in this world or at time of their death or …, while in the Qiaamat -the Judgment Day- they will have nothing in their accounts, and therefore they will not be taken to Heaven; in addition, it must be kept in mind that Heaven and Hell also have different levels and positions, and Allah -the Wise and the Merciful- considers many factors in placement of people, as He Wills.

Many Hadithes indicate this issue, for instance Imam Saadeq (PBUH) has narrated from the Prophet Mohammad (PBUH&HP) who has said that every unbelieving person who has good deeds in the world, Allah -the Exalted-, in order to compensate him for his deeds, gives him fame, recognition, chiefship and various worldly pleasures, so that he will enjoy the favors of this world, and then in the Hereafter, he will no longer deserve any rewards; and to compensate him for his bad deeds such as blasphemy and intended wrong doings, he will be committed to Hell(Ma'aad wa Adl,…).

In other words, a non-believer with good deeds, has actually opened an account in the "Bank of this world" and has deposited into it, his good deeds; but he has not opened an account in the "Bank of the Hereafter" and has not deposited into it, Divine Beliefs and Taqwa; therefore, when the Judgment Day arrives, his account in the "Bank of the Hereafter" will be empty, no matter how much savings he had in the "Bank of this world" which had already been returned to him in this world and… by Allah; of course some times the compensations will be in other forms, more details are given in Islamic Hadithes which we refer the interested readers to. Here, we are only making a general yet important point so that believers -by observing some unbelieving and non-Shi'ah people with good deeds- may not think that deeds without belief has eternal value.

As we have mentioned, the parable of this matter is just like the parable of a very wealthy person whose money is kept in a certain Bank; if another Bank -other than the Bank which he has an account with- is inquired, surely no funds are found, no matter how wealthy he may be.

Allah -the Almighty- in Qur'an indicates that:

Whoever desires the gain of the Hereafter, We will give him more of that gain; and whoever desires the gain of this world, We give him of it, and in the Hereafter, he has no portion.

(Qur'an, Surah Shora, verse 20)

Islamic Hadithes clearly interpret this verse:

Whoever has intentions for the life of this world, there will not be for him in the Hereafter, a portion; and whoever has intentions for the benefits of the Hereafter, Allah will give him the benefits of the world and the Hereafter.

(Osool Kaafi,… )

If we are searching for a way to attain prosperity, both in this world and the Hereafter, if we wish to be considered of high value by Allah, and most importantly, if we seek Allah's "Rezwaan" -special approval and satisfaction- the only Path to take is, the Path specified by Allah Himself. The Promises of Eternal rewards are only given to those who Believe and obey.

This absolutely does not mean that the Believers (Mo'menoon) should forget about good behavior and deeds, and only rely on their Belief; on the contrary, Imam Saadeq (PBUH) has said that the Believers will benefit from their GOOD deeds:

Whoever recognizes the Imam from Mohammad's progeny (PBUT), and has his "walaayat", with that recognition which he has, he has benefited from his GOOD deeds;… and he who has accepted the walaayat (lordship) of an unjust leader whom Allah has not confirmed his leadership, Allah will not accept his deeds.

(Behaar-Ol-Anwaar, vol. 27, p. 170)

When the Imam was asked about the fact that if his statements meant that the Shi'ah could do any thing without worry; the Imam got upset and responded that they should do GOOD, and because of their Belief in Imamat, their GOOD will be accepted; i.e. without the belief in Imamat, good deeds are not accepted.

Also, of course the Believers have the high hope that Allah accepts their repentance. In addition, certain special Promises have been given as privileges, to those who love and know the Imam of their time; if they make mistakes, there is still hope; the chosen Imam (PBUH) of each time is like the kindest father who does not forget his children, even when they make mistakes, and Lady Fatima (PBUH), like the kindest mother; Qur'an and Islamic Hadithes without any doubt, confirm the concept of Intercession, "Shafaa'at"; as a token we wish to present a small part of a very detailed Hadith in which, it is indicated that when Lady Fatima (PBUH) will be told by Allah to enter Heaven, she will pause for a moment, and Allah will ask about the reason, and she will say that she wishes that her true value to be known, then Allah shall tell the daughter of His "Habib (beloved)" to return and see if anyone in his/her heart has her love or the love of her children, then take him/her to Heaven with her, and… (Behaar-Ol-Anwaar, vol. 8, p. 51;… ). Additionally, it is said that when a Believer -who has the "walaayat" of this most blessed progeny- faces hardships, sickness and… in this world, even a fever, his/her sins are being erased and forgiven and… .

O' the Beloved Imam of our time! Believing in you and your mother Fatima and your chosen fathers, Anticipating your glorious Appearance, loving you and trying sincerely to obey you and your infallible forefathers -as the true manifestations of Qur'an, the Word and Will of Allah- are our honor and identity, and the celestial keys which are hoped to open the doors to Heavens; loving you and making you happy, is our heaven in this world, and the Heaven with you and all of the Ahl-Ol-Bait, in the Hereafter, is what we humbly seek, not based on our deeds -which, at their best, are not still worthy-, but from your Divine love, grace and mercy… .