Pride and dignity are among the most important traits that the great Islam called for and planted them in muslims selves. Islam vowed to improve them through the doctrines it legalized, the judgments it legislated, and the morals it directed. A believer is honorable by what God has honored him with faith and by what he bestowed of dignity. God almighty says:” Honor belongs to God, his messenger and believers, but the hypocrites don’t know”.[1] A believer is also supported, assisted, satisfied and protected even if he’s fighted by the whole world if he truly practices faith with all its outward and inward duties. God almighty addressed the believers saying:” And be not infirm, and be not grieving, and you shall have the upper hand if you are true believers”. [2]
A believer is honored by God’s honor even if he’s poor and destitute of money. Even if he remains a whole month starving, you see him not humiliating himself for anyone except God almighty because he’s certain that God almighty is the only harmful and beneficial; God almighty only has the kingdom of everything and nothing happens except by his command:” He is the creator and the commander”. [3] All of the living things are his creatures and he is the commander. So does anyone possess anything then?
Our master Al Imam Al Rida (a.s) narrated from his fathers:” Ali bin Al Hussein says:” A true man, a good man, is he who controls his desires according to God’s commands, and spends his powers for the sake of God’s satisfaction. He is who sees humiliation in the sake of the truth better than eternal honour in the sake of falsehood”.
Al Imam Abo Abdullah Al Sadeq (a.s) says:” God almighty has authorized a believer all his issues, but didn’t authorize him to humiliate himself. Don’t you see God almighty saying:” Honor belongs to God, his messenger and believers”. [4]
This honor makes a believer immune and high-ranked in order not to need anyone or like someone’s company to get his honor or dignity because his honor is related to religions not to tribes or followers. To preserve this honor, our master Al Imam Al Baqer presents his immortal commandment:” Ask for the continuity of honor by killing greed, repel the humiliation of greed by the honor of despair (despair of people’s help), and accomplish the honor of despair by high determination”.
Then, preserving honor is achieved by killing greed. Otherwise, it will end up in humiliation; and the humiliation of greed is pushed by the honor of despair.
The Rightly Guided, Al Maaref Islamic and Cultural Institution
[1] Surah Al Munafiqun, verse 8
[2] Surah Al Imran, verse 139
[3] Surah Al Aarad, verse 54
[4] Ahmad bin Ali bin Abi Taleb Al Tubarsi, Al Ibtijaj, part 2, page 321. First edition. Al Mortada Publishing House, Mashhad. .
source: english.almaaref
