Interest Seeking under the Cover of Seeking the Right | Alireza Panahian

Interest Seeking under the Cover of Seeking the Right

Some people are with the right as long as the right is in their favour. As soon as the right becomes against them, they become against the right too. Some people work in favour of the right to the extent that they think that the right is coming towards them and is benefiting them. As soon as the right doesn’t benefit them, they lose interest in the truth and move away from it. Their love for the right ends.

You have certainly heard the story of the “oven believer” who insisted for Imam Sadiq (‘a) to rise up. Finally, the Imam told him, “Go in this oven, which is filled with fire.” He replied, “Why should I do that?” The Imam passed on him and told the same thing to another companion who had just shown up, and he went in easily. The first person was worried that the oven was on and was thinking, “What is he doing in the oven now?”

When the Imam saw the discomfort of this person, he said, “Go and see how your friend is doing.” He went forward and saw that he is repeating God’s names in a cool and safe fire, and it hadn’t burned him. The Imam asked, “How many people do we have like this?” The man replied, “No one. It’s just this one person.” The Imam said, “So, it’s not time for my uprising. I have some friends. But, how much can they tolerate the right?”

“God, bestow the tolerance also for the right that You have introduced to us. And, that which we have been negligent about attaining, help us to attain.” (Iftitah Supplication) God, give us the success to act according to and tolerate what You have introduced to us. “And, what we have been negligent about attaining, help us to attain.”

If a person acts according to what he knows, he will attain what he doesn’t know. I think in preparing for the reappearance, it is these kinds of people who become ready for the Imam’s government.

It is unimaginable that the Imam of the Time (‘a.j.) comes and people are in a deep sleep, and they don’t know at all what the right is for them to tolerate it, then all of them become the helpers of the Imam overnight and advance to high levels. Naturally, this won’t happen. Whatever we say in the “Iftitah Supplication”, we have to carry out at this time as much as we can.

[From the series of speeches under the topic of “The Month of Ramadan, the Month of Hope for the Reappearance of Imam Mahdi (‘a.j.).” ‘A Commentary on the Iftitah Invocation.’ An excerpt from the 20th session.]