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In the Name of
Allah
Spiritual Insights Shining from the World of
Science and Shiism in a Stage of the Life of Sheikh Ansari
It should be said that there are sparkles of
piety, honesty and scientific disposition evident in the life of Sheikh
Ansari which attracted the world to him. This pious disposition of Shiite
scientists should illuminate the world and persist until the day of
resurrection.
Some instances are mentioned below:
Sheikh’s mother came to him one day and
explained the hard life Sheikh’s brother was leading. She asked him to do
something for his brother. Since his mother’s order was important for
Sheikh and he had to obey it, he asked his mother to tell his brother to
go to him. When his brother came, he gave the key of the room in which the
money of the share of the Imam (PBUH) was kept and he told him he could
take whatever amount he wanted!
Sheikh’s brother entered the room and saw that
jewels and gold coins of that time were piled on top of each other in
bags. He stretched his hand and took some. Sheikh shouted in his local
accent:
O brother!
Take whatever amount you wish to, but I will not be with you on the day of
resurrection!
As Sheikh’s
words came from his heart and not from his tongue, they had great effect
on his brother.
Note: The Holy Prophet (PBUH) said:
Al-moezato idha kharajat min-ul qalbe dakhalat il-ul qalb: Advice
which comes from the heart, will be placed in the heart (will be
effective). And words which come out of the tongue will not go further
than the ear. Since Sheikh’s words came from his heart, they immediately
had effect on his brother and he threw the coins out of his hand.
Sheikh’s brother threw the coins back in their
place. He picked one of them and took a quarter of it which was sufficient
for his living expenses.
(This
proves Sheikh’s honesty and piety and observance of other people’s rights)
Because the
money had to get to its real owners not to his brother only because of the
blood relation they had.
Another
similar event is as follows:
When Sheikh
was traveling from the city of Kashan to Najaf and he came to Tehran, he
was a clergy’s guest in a school of science which was called Sadr School
(this school is presently located
near the Grand Tehran Bazaar). It was decided that they would prepare
some food for the night. Sheikh, through his spiritual insight, found out
that his host did not have money to buy bread. His Holiness gave the
clergy an amount with which he could buy two loaves of bread. The clergy
left and returned with two loaves of bread and some halwa (a sweet
dish). Sheikh said: The money I gave you was not enough for the bread and
halwa. The clergy replied: I bought the halwa on credit.
Sheikh refused to eat what the clergy
had bought!
That
night passed and the next day Sheikh started off for Najaf where he
attained the high degree of spirituality. This was the period when
Sheikh’s greatness, magnificence, leadership, management of the school of
theology, promotion of science and perfection and teaching and research
spread around the world and the Shiite schools of theology. Wherever there
was a school of theology, people would be talking about Sheikh Ansari’s
knowledge, piety and greatness and there were followers of Sheikh
everywhere.
The clergy who hosted Sheikh one night in Sadr
School in Tehran decided to go to Najaf to meet Sheikh and this happened.
He found the greatness and magnificence in
Sheikh’s body, mind, thought and spirit. In particular, he noticed the
students who had gathered around Sheikh consisting of researchers,
scholars and many clergymen. All the greatness in Sheikh’s management of
the school of theology filled his eyes and he found an opportunity to talk
to Sheikh privately. He asked Sheikh: Are you not the same person in whose
presence I was in that school in Tehran one night?
Sheikh replied: Yes, I am the same person.
He asked:
What happened that you have reached this stage? And I have remained as
I was and have not reached anywhere in science?
Sheikh said one sentence which was:
O’ friend!
We were both traveling in the path of
science, only you dared to eat the Halwa you bought on credit,
but I did not dare to eat it.
Since my fear was whether you and I would still
be alive until the next day when you were supposed to return that loan and
debt! This is the difference between you and me.
(However, this is not a religiously prohibited
act and Sheikh is not religiously prohibiting his host from doing it. This
is a precaution taken by those who are very close to Allah and are chosen
by Him. Any person who wanted (or wants) to reach the highest degree of
divine spiritual magnificence followed (and follows) this method in the
preliminary steps of his seir va soluk (moving forward from one
stage of Gnosticism to the next stage) that he should only swallow what he
has and what is his right and not what he finds and what is not his right.
O Viewer! Be thoughtful and think about
yourself!
Fa-in-ul naqadah basir-un basir:
A person who travels in a path should be clear-sighted and well aware as
accidents lie in ambush.
The path is long, deep and narrow! You should
both get to know yourself and rescue yourself!
The rest is left to you!
Await another stage of Sheikh Ansari’s life.
Prepared under the supervision of Professor
Mosavi
25
May 2008 |