After Ayatullāh Ramadānī concluded his speech, he was asked some questions by some of the brothers and sisters present. The responses to these questions contain real gems from which those seeking that Divine light may derive benefit.
How do I know that I am ascending (towards
Allāh)?
The Qur’ān and the Ahlulbayt
are the guides for us throughout this journey. The very fact that you perform
your obligations and refrain from the forbidden actions shows that you are on
the path. The recommended actions and abstention from discouraged actions make
the path more defined.
It is one matter to
pray in order to relieve oneself of the obligation of praying and quite another
to love prayer. Imām Al-Ḥussain (a) is related to have said that ‘Surely I love
the Prayer’. This is a higher level: whatever we do, we must love.
Can you offer us some advice?
1.
Recite the
Qur’ān every day, and read at least fifty verses. Do not read less than this.
2.
Tawassul:
seek a means of nearness to Allāh. The best people to do this through are the
Ahlulbayt. Scholars have said that the more danger you are in (spiritually),
the more you should increase your Tawassul.
3.
Recite
Du’ā Al-‘Ahd every day and the Salaam to the Imam of our time which is found
after Du’ā Al-Nudbah in Mafātīḥ Al-Jinān
4.
Give
Ṣadaqah each day
5.
Fasting is
very effective. Try to fast one or two days of the week.
6.
Visiting
the cemetery of the Muslims is also very effective. If you are able, then do
this in a group. For example, this may be done every two weeks. This changes
things within the soul. Ayatullāh Ḥassan-Zādeh Āmulī has said to “tread the
path that people previously have tread”. Visiting the cemetery is one example
of this. Ayatullāh Ramadānī related an incident from the Commander of the
Faithful in this regard where the Imām (a) visited the cemetery and addressed
the departed souls.
The ultimate objective is to achieve
perfection. However, we also need to have short time goals. How should someone
set a goal that is achievable but will also keep one moving towards the
ultimate objective?
1.
Perform
all the obligations and refrain from all the forbidden actions
2.
The goal
is spiritual nearness to Him
3.
Don’t
overdo it. Do not burden the soul with performing recommended actions when it
cannot bear it.
4.
Once we
enter this field of performing the obligations and refraining from the forbidden
actions, Allāh gives us opportunities that we could not even imagine where they
have come from.
5.
If
feasible, then have study or discussion circles to increase your Ma’rifah of
Allāh and the Imām of our time (a)
6.
Increase
your contact with the Imām of our time (a). Increase in the recitation of the
supplication, ‘Oh Allāh, grant me gnosis (ma’rifah) of Yourself…’
How should one control one’s anger towards
people and control one’s lower self in general?
1.
When you
are angry, change the (physical) position that you are in. For example, go to a
different room.
2.
Avoid
being in a place where you will become angry
3.
Practice
controlling the tongue for some time. This is a journey and it requires
practice (training); monitor the self.
4.
Refer to
verses of the Qur’ān and traditions from the Ahlulbayt regarding anger
5.
Anger is
like a thief. Sometimes one accumulates much good during the day but in one
moment of anger, it is all lost.
6.
Have an
oath and a pledge (with yourself and with Allāh) that you will not be angry
7.
The Dhikr
of ‘Lā Ilāha Illallāh’ is especially effective in this regard i.e. in helping
to control one’s anger when one is angry
8.
Not all
anger is a vice. If it is anger due to witnessing something wrong then this
anger is Divine. Be on the middle path.
How does one love worship?
1.
By
understanding the position of worship and its reality. By understanding what
worship really is. ‘The prayer is the ascension of the believer’.
2.
Murāqabah:
see what is entering and leaving your heart. Monitor the imports and exports of
your heart.
3.
The heart
of the believer is ‘the throne of the Ever-Merciful’ (so guard it!)
How does one seek true knowledge?
1.
The Qur’ān
is the truth
2.
The innate
nature of the human being confirms what is right and wrong
3.
The Ahlulbayt
are the place of the truth
4.
As human beings,
we are limited and deficient. But by connecting ourselves with Allāh, Who is
limitless and Perfect, our limitations and deficiencies are made up for. We
must have that connection with Him.
How does one who wishes to tread this path
avoid being influenced by others?
By increasing one’s
determination and strengthening it. Once this is done, then as mentioned in a
saying related from the Commander of the Faithful (a), ‘even amongst the
heedless ones, he is not affected’
How does one achieve the state of continuously
remembering Allāh?
1.
At certain
times, the human soul has a level of receptivity and at other times it does
not. Sometimes the human soul inclines towards remembering Allah and at other
times it contracts and does not wish to remember Him. At the times when your
soul is receptive, remember Him; make the most of those moments in which the
soul has a desire towards Dhikr. At the times of closure when the soul retracts
and becomes tight, it should not be burdened.
2.
To be
‘always in remembrance’ is to see Allāh in everything you do and to perform
every action for Him.
