What We Are Missing in Our Lives | Alireza Panahian

What We Are Missing in Our Lives

If you deeply understand what I am going to explain to you honourable people tonight, your lives will change from now on.

If God has created us to reach the peak of spirituality, God’s servant can immediately object and say, “God I didn’t ask You to bring me into this world.” If the servant objects and says, “It is true that getting close to You God is very valuable and has an amazing reward. But, it is hard to reach that high peak. I don’t want to.”

This objection is acceptable, unless God has created me to get close to Himself in order to fully flourish, and enjoy greatly from life and the universe. And, He has made the way easy. This is correct. In this case, I as a servant cannot object. God says, “I haven’t made the way hard.” “Allah wants ease for you.” (Qur’an 2:185) On the Day of Judgement, each one of us who hasn’t reached to high levels will regret. For example, we didn’t become similar to the ‘Friends of God,’ like Imam Khomeini and Ayatullah Bahjat.

Is the way to reaching the peak easy or hard? One might say, “As far as I can see, it’s not that easy! We have to wake up early in the morning and pray in the middle of our resting. We have to repeat praying in the middle of our work and everyday life. There is a long way to go for me to reach the peak like Ayatullah Bahjat!”

If right now each one of us hasn’t reached the peak of flourishing and closeness to God, it is not only because of the hardships on the way. It is due to our own laziness. There is one most effective, profitable and useful action that we can do, which decreases the hardships of life and makes the hardships that exist sweet. This most important factor is to work with intention, with your mind, heart and soul. Intention! Making an intention is what we’re missing in our lives!

You go to a dealer, and you have the intention to buy a car. The dealer asks, “Why are you standing behind the window?” You say, “I want to buy it.” He says, “If you don’t have money, don’t stand here.” Done! Intention doesn’t have that much value in this world.

But, the God of the universe says, “Travel towards Me with intention. What do you want? Talk to Me.” “God, I want to illuminate the earth by talking to You in the middle of the night. I want calamities to be removed from the people of the earth because of my worshiping at dawn.” “I’ll wake you up for the Midnight Prayer.”

This is our great wretchedness that we don’t use our heart very much. If this crowd (which is walking for Arbaeen) takes these steps with sincere intention, strong determination, love, and says firmly, “I am going to bring back Hazrat Mahdi (‘a.j.),” I swear to God, the Imam (‘a.j.) will return. But, suddenly Satan comes and says, “You?! You are nothing! If they pray, just say Amen.” Satan ruins things, and you retreat. You have no right to retreat.

Your opinion and intention are important to God. What you want is important to God. You are important! God has created the universe for you.

You are now on this path because of the intention of your parents. One of your ancestors sighed for Aba Abdillah (‘a) for a moment, and that sigh was accepted. They wanted their children to be on this path, and now you are.

What do you think Ayatullah Bahjat did that he reached this position? I swear to God, only intention. Did you see Imam Khomeini changed history? He only made the intention, “God I want to change the path of history.” “Mr. Ruhollah, it is accepted.”

In this same simple way, God has brought you on this path. In the same simple way, He can take you to be one of Mahdi’s (‘a.j.) helpers. One day the Imam (‘a.j.) calls you, “Friends, come. You know the way.” If our Imam (‘a.j.) says at that time, “I thank all who walked on Arbaeen. They brought my reappearance sooner and helped prepare for it” don’t be surprised.

Whoever hasn’t gotten anywhere, definitely didn’t want to, or he asked for little. He definitely didn’t ask from the heart at sensitive moments! Ask! Making an i