40 Sufi Comics

In the Holy Qur'an

Verily in the Heavens and the Earth are Signs for those who believe. And in your (own) creation and in what He spreads abroad of animals there are signs for a people that are sure; And (in) the variation of the night and day, and (in) what Allah sends down of sustenance from the clouds, then gives life thereby to the Earth after its death, and (in) the changing of the winds, there are signs for a people who understand (45:3-5)

In the Traditions

Imam Ali said, "Wonder at man, who observes with a ball of fat (the eye), who talks with a lump of flesh (the tongue), who listens by means of a bone (the inner ear) and breathes through a hole in the flesh (the nose)."

Imam Jafar said, "Consider the universe together with its sun, moon, stars and Zodiac, which revolve perpetually in accordance with a definite decree and judgement to bring about numerous benefits to the denizens of the earth, variegated animal and vegetable kingdoms through the changes in the four seasons, the days and nights, which have been expatiated to you. Can any man with a discerning mind think that such a regulated plan and design on which depend the order and organisation of the universe, can come about without the Omniscient Designer?

If someone says that mere chance has brough this about, why does he no say that same thin in connection with the Persian-wheel which he sees revolving, irrigating a garden planted with trees and vegetation?

He sees all its compnents parts manugactured according to a definite plan, each part coupled with the other on a patern to serve the needs of the garden and its contents."

In the Holy Qur'an

Have not those who disbelieve known that the heavens and the earth were joined together as one united piece, then We parted them? And we have made from water every living thing. Will they not then believe? (21:30)

In the Traditions

Imam Jafar was asked by Mufaddal, "O My Master, there is a group of people that claim that this (creation) is the doing of nature (itself)", the Imam said, "Ask them about the nature, does it have knowledge and power to carry out such actions (as creation) or not? For if they answer that it has knowledge and power, then what is preventing them from acknowledging the existence of a creator? For verily, this is His creation. If they claim that nature does these actions without knowledge or without purpose while having witnessed the exactness and wisdom therein, it is (obviously) known that this is the work of a very wise creator, and what they have caleed 'nature' is the very system running through creation."

In the Holy Qur'an

Be sure we shall test you with something of fear and hunger, some loss in goods or lives or the fruits (of your toil), but give glad tidings to those who patiently persevere (2:155)

In the Traditions

The Prophet said, "When Allah loves a servant He tests him with tribulations, and if he endures these He selects him (from His Proximity), and if he bears them iwth satisfcation, He distinguishes him (a higher status)."

In the Holy Qur'an

Say: Are those who know equal to those who do not know? Only those who possess intellect take admonition (39:9)

In the Traditions

The Prophet said, "The quest for knowledge is incumbent upon every Muslim, by virtue of it the Lord is obeyed and worshipped, consanguinal relations are maintained, and the lawful is distinguished from the prohibited.
Knowledge leads to action and action follows it. The fortunate ones are inspired by it whereas the wretched ones are deprived of it."

Imam Ali said, "Knowledge is better than wealth, for knowledge guards you while you guard wealth, and wealth is reduced by spending, whereas knowledge increases by spending it, and any good produced by wealth (respect and honour) ceases when it ceases to exist."

Imam Ali said, "The scholar is alive even when he is dead, whereas the ignorant man is dead even though he may be alive."

The Prophet said, "An hour spent by a knowledgeable man lying on his bed thinking about his deeds is better than seventy years spent by the worshiper performing acts of worship."

In the Holy Qur'an

So, he has done an atom's weight of good shall see it. And he who has done an atom's weight of evil should see it. (99:7-8)

In the Traditions

Imam Jafar was asked the meaning of Allah's words, '(In order) that He may try you - which of you is best in deed' (67:2) and he answered, "this does not mean the greatest number of deeds, but rather the most correct deeds: truly, correctness comes from fear of Allah and a good and sincere intention. Perseverance in a deed until one finishes it is the hardest of deeds. A sincere deed is one for which you want no one's praise but Allah's; indeed the intention is better than the deed itself, rather, the intention is a deed."

Then he read Allah's word, "Say: Everyone acts according to his manner" (17:84) and explained it as meaning, "according to his intention."

In the Holy Qur'an

Allah commands you that when you judge between people you judge with justice (4:58)

In the Traditions

Imam Jafar said, "The proof of the man of intellect lies in two things: truthful words and correct actions. The man of intellect does not say something which the intellect rejects, neither does he expose himself to suspicion, nor abandon the help of those who have been tested. Knowledge guides him in his actions; gnosis is his certainty in the paths he treads, and forbearance is his companion at all times."

In the Holy Qur'an

He grants wisdom to whom He pleases, and whoever is granted wisdom, he indeed is given a great good and none but men of understanding mind. (2:229)

In the Traditions

The Prophet said, "The very basis of man is his intellect, and the man devoid of intellect has no religion"

Imam al Kadhim in his advice to Hisham, "O Hisham, nothing has been bestowed upon the servants better than the intellect. The sleep of a man of intellect is better than the night vigil of an ignorant man. Every single Prophet that Allah has sent down has been a man of intellect, whose intellect supersedes the labour of all diligent workers. The servant is not considered as having fulfilled an obligatory act from among the acts made incumbent by Allah until he understands it."

In the Holy Qur'an

And Allah has created you and what you make (37:96)

He said: Our Lord is He Who gave to everything its creation, then guided it (to his goal). (20:50)

In the Traditions

A person asked Imam Ali whether man has the power to exercise free will or not. If he has the power to do things, then how is it possible to say that there is no power to help but from Allah?
The Imam said, "You have ability by the Will of Allah, while He has it independently. If He endows you with it, that is His favour. If He takes it away from you, that means He is testing you. Iny any case, you should remember that whatever He bestows on you, He is still its owner. If He enables you to do a thing, that thing is still within His power."

In the Holy Qur'an

And He has made subservient to you whatsoever is in the Heavens and whatsoever is in the Earth, all from Himself, most surely there are signs in this for people who relfect (45:13)

In the Traditions

The Prophet said, "Do not insult the world for it is the best mount for the believers, because by means of it he attains good and through it he is saved from evil."

In the Holy Qur'an

Do they not reflect within themselves? (30:8)

Certainly We created man in the best make (95:4)

In the Traditions

The Prophet said, "Whoever knows himself knows his Lord"

Imam Ali said,

"Your sickness is within you, though you do not realise
And your cure is within, yet you do not see
Your claim that you are nothing but a tiny entity
Yet wrapped up inside of you is the greatest universe
You are the clear book, through whose letters
All that is secret is revealed and made know.
So you have no need for anything outside of you
Your consciousness is within you, though you do not know."

In the Holy Qur'an

And spend in the way of Allah and cast not yourselves to perfition with your own hands, and do good (to others); surely Allah loves the doers of good. (2:195)

In the Traditions

Imam Jafar said, "When love of Allah takes possession of the innermost being of Allah's bondsman, it empties him of every preoccupation except remembrance of Allah. The lover is the most inwardly sincere of all people for Allah. He is the most truthful in his words, the most faithful in his pledge, the most astute in his actions, the purest in remembrance, and the greatest in devoting his self in worship."

Imam Ali said, "Love of Allah is a fire which does not pass by anything without burning it up; the light of Allah does not come over something without illuminating it."

In the Holy Qur'an

So that you may not grieve for what has escaped you, nor be exultant at what He has given you. (57:23)

In the Traditions

The Prophet said, "Contentment is a wealth that never dries up", and "Contentment is an inexhaustible treasure."

Imam Jafar said, "Be patient in what befalls you, for this indeed is one of the greatest tasks."

In the Holy Qur'an

Most surely there is a reminder in this for him who has a heart or listens while he is present (50:37)

And truly he (David) has a intimacy with Us and a good resting place (38:25)

In the Traditions

The Prophet said, "Allah, most High, has receptacles on the earth, and verily they are the hearts. The most beloved of hearts to Allah are the softest ones, the purest ones, and the firmest ones: those that are the softest to their brothers, those that are the most pure from sins, and those that are the firmest in the path of Allah."

Imam Ali said, "Tears only dry up (ie. fail to flow) as a result of hardness of the heart, and the hearts only harden as a result of frequent sinning."

When a person complained to the Prophet about the hardness of his own hear, the Prophet replied, "If you want your heart to soften, feed the needy and stoke the head of ophans."

Imam al-Jawad said, "Seeking Allah with the hearts is more effective than tiring the limbs with actions"

In the Holy Qur'an

Indeed, those who are near your Lord are not prevented by arrogance from His worship, and they exalt Him, and to Him they prostrate. (7:206)

In the Traditions

The Prophet said to some of his companions, "Why is it that I do not see sweetness in your worship?" When they asked him what sweetness of worship was, he replied, 'Humility'.

The Prophet said, "Good fortune is theirs who are humble - but not through poverty, who spend of their wealth which they have gained lawfully, who have mercy on the abased and poor and who keep company with the scholars of law and the wise."

In the Holy Qur'an

And verity in the remembrance of Allah do the hearts find rest (13:28)

In the Traditions

Imam Ali said, "I searched for wealth and I did not find it other than through contentment. Adhere to contentment and you will become rich."

Imam Al-Hadi said, "The thankful person prospers more as a result of his thanks than as a result of the bounty which incited the thanks, because bounties are sources of delight (in this world), whereas to thank brings bounties in this world and hereafter."

In the Holy Qur'an

Successful indeed are the believers who are humble in their prayers (23:1-2)

In the Traditions

O God,

bless Muhammad and His Household,
delight my soul through Thy decree,
expand my breast through the instances of Thy decision,
give to me a trust through which i may admint
that Thy decree runs only to the best,

and let my gratitude to Thee
for what Thou hast taken away from me
be more abundant than my gratitude to Thee
for what Thou hast conferred upon me!

Preserve me from imagining any meanness
in someone who is destitute
or imagining any superiority
in someone who posseses wealth,

for the noble is he
whom obedience to Thee has ennobled
and the exalted is he
whom worship of Thee has exalted!

Excerpt of Supplication In Satisfaction with the Decree
by Imam Zainul Abideen

In the Holy Qur'an

And keep up prayer and pay the poor-rate and bow sown with those who bow down... And see assistance through patience and prayer, and most surely this is most difficult except for the humble ones. (2:43-45)

In the Traditions

My God,

who is the one who has come before Thee
seeking hopistality,
and whom Thou hast not received hospitably?

Who is the one who is dismounted at Thy door
hoping for magnamimity,
and to whom Thou hast not shown it?

Is it good that come back from Thy door,
turned away in disappointment,
while I know of no patron qualified by beneficence but Thee?

How should I have hope in other than Thee,
when the good - all of it - is in Thy hands?

How should i expect from others,
when Thine are the creation and the command?

Should i cut off my hope for Thee,
when Thou hast shown me of Thy bounty
for that which I have not asked?

Wouldst Thou make me have need for my like?

But I hold fast to Thy cord!

O He through whose mercy
the strivers reach felicity

Excerpt of the Whispered Prayer of the Hopeful
by Imam Zainul Abideen

In the Holy Qur'an

And whatever wealth you spend, it is for your own benefit (2:272)

Those of you who have faith and spend (in Allah's way) there is a great reward for them (57:7)

You will never attain piety until you spend out of what you hold dear, and whatever you may spend of anything Allah indeed knows it. (3:92)

In the Traditions

Imam Ali in his will to his son said, "You have in your world that with which you can reform your (eternal) abode, so spend rightfully and do not be a storage place for other's (dues)."

In the Holy Qur'an

Say: call upon Allah or call upon the Beneficent; whichever you call upon, He has the best names. (17:110)

In the Traditions

The Prophet said, "As for prayer, it is the essense of worship."

O He who

gives to a servant
who asks from Him,

takes him to his wish
when he expectantly hopes for what is with Him,

brings him near and close
when he approaches Him,

covers over his sin and cloaks it
when he shows it openly,

and satisfies and suffices him
when he confidence in Him!

Excerpt of The Whispered Prayer of the Thankful
by Imam Zainul Abideen

In the Holy Qur'an

When my servants ask you about Me, (tell them that) I am indeed most near. I answer the supplicant's call when he calls Me. So let them respond to Me, and let them have faith in Me, so that they may fare rightly (2:186)

In the Traditions

My God,

the uninterrupted flow of Thy graciousness
hast distracted me from thanking Thee!
The flood of Thy bounty has rendered me incapable
of counting Thy praises!

The succession of Thy kind acts has diverted me
from mentioning Thee in laudation!

The continuous rush of Thy benefits has thwarted me
from spreading the news of Thy gently favours!

This is the station of him who
confesses to the lavishness of favours,
meets them with shortcomings,
and witnesses to his own disregard and negligence.

Thy favours are many -
my understanding falls short of grasping them,
not to speak of exhausting them!

So how can i achieve thanksgiving?

For my thanking Thee requires thanksgiving.

Whenever i say, 'To Thee belongs praise!',
it becomes thereby incumbent upon me to say,
'To Thee belongs praise!'

Excerpt of the Whispered Prayer of the Thankful
by Imam Zainul Abideen

In the Holy Qur'an

Surely Allah loves those who turn much to Him (in repentance), and He loves those who purify themselves (2:222)

But if they repent and keep up prayer and pay the poor-rate, they are your brethren in faith (9:11)

In the Traditions

The Prophet said, "Allah is more delighted when a slave turns to Him than when a man finds his riding-beast and provisions after they have gone astray during a dark night"

The Prophet said, "There is nothing more beloved to Allah than a youth who turns to Him"

Imam Ali said, "All good is contained in 3 things: your looking, your silence and your speech. Looking without reflection is negligence, silence without mediation is unmindfulness, and speech without remembrance is idle talk. Happiness will be theirs whose looking is a lesson, whose silence is mediation, whose speech is remembrance, who weep because of their mistakes and by whose hand people are safe from evil."

In the Holy Qur'an

Say: He, Allah is One. Allah is He upon whom all depend. He begets not, nor is he begotten. And none is like unto Him (112:1-4)

In the Traditions

Imam Ali was asked by one of his companions, Dhi'lib al Yamani, "Have you see your Lord" The Imam replied, "I would not worship a Lord whom I have not seen." He was then asked, "How did you see Him?" The Imam replied, "The eyes cannot see Him according to outward vision, it is the hearts that perceive Him, through the verities of faith."

In the Holy Qur'an

Woe to those who pray but who are unmindful of their prayers (107:4-5)

Establish the prayer for My remembrance (20:14)

DO not be amongst those who are unmindful (7:205)

In the Traditions

The Prophet said, "Know that Allah does not answer supplication from a heedless and distracted heart."

The Prophet said, "Seize the opportunity to supplicate during tenderness (of heart) for verly it is a mercy."

The Propher said, "Whoever prays two cycles of prayer, and does not allow his mind to wander to the affairs of this world, will be forgiven for the wrong action he has committed earlier."

Imam Ali said, "Cajole your soul tactfully to worship, and be gently with it and do not force it. Make allowances for both its weariness and its activity, except for the daily obligations that are incumbent upon it, for it must fulfil them and undertake them at their prescribed times."

In the Holy Qur'an

And those who patiently perserve, seeking the pleasure of their Lord, and keep up prayer and spend (beneolently) out of what We have given them secretly and openly and repel evil with good; as for those, they have the (happy) issue of the abode (13:22)

In the Traditions

The Prophet said, "Man is with whom he loves. Whoever loves a bondsman in Allah, loves Allah. No one loves Allah except he whom Allah loves."

My God,

were it not incubment to accept Thy command,
I would declare Thee far to exalted for me to remember Thee,
for I remember Thee in my measure,
not in Thy measure,
and my scope can hardly reach the point
where i may be a locus for calling Thee holy!

Among Thy greatest favours to us
is the running of Thy rememberance across our tongues
and Thy permission to us
to supplicate THee,
declare Thee exalted,
and call Thee Holy!

Excerpt of the Whispered Prayer of the Rememberers
by Imam Zainul Abideen

In the Holy Qur'an

And keep up prayer in the two parts of the day and in the first hours of the night (11:114)

In the Traditions

The Prophet said, "The most noble of my community are those who carry the Qur'an in their hearts, and those who stand in prayer at night."

THe Prophet said, "Surely Allah will place light in the heart of the slave who retires with his Master in the deepest darkeness of the night, coversing with Him in prayer; and if he says, 'O Lord' then Allah will call out to him saying, 'At your service, my slave, whatever you ask of Me, i will surely give you and if you reply on Me then i will be enough for you'.
Then He will say to the Angles, "My Angels, look at My slave - he retires alone with Me in the deepest darkness of the night while the misguided are playing and the negligent are sleeping, Bear witness that i have forgiven him."

In the Holy Qur'an

Say (as for) the death from which you flee, that will surely overtake you, then you shall be sent back to the Knower of the unseen and the seen (62:8)

In the Traditions

The Holy Prophet said, “Remember the destroyer of pleasures.”
When asked what that was, he replied, “Death. Wherever one of Allah’s servants remembers this when he is wealthy, this world is constricted for him. Wherever he remembers it in hardship, it is expanded for him.”

Imam Ali said, “Wash the dead and your heart will be moved, for surely an empty body is a profound lesson.”