This section: Lengthy Wishes
“O Abuzar, never delay doing good deeds because of your wishes, since what you have at hand is today and it is not certain that you will be alive tomorrow. If you are alive, behave as your today (behave according to what I have just instructed you about your current time), but if you are not, you will not be sorry about your previous day”, a part of Prophet Muhammad’s testament to Abuzar.
Lengthy Wishes
The holy Prophet stated,” What I am afraid of mostly for my Ummah(followers) are their lust and long term wishes since their lust prevents them from reaching to righteousness and long wishes causes ignorance to the Resurrection Day(Asna Ashariah: p.: 35). The older one gets, the closer to death, greedier to the world and its mortal properties, and the more his/her wishes for comfort and immortality in this world, he become, as the Holy Prophet said,” When one of the Adam’s scion ( a human) gets old, two of his characteristics become young [are refreshed]: greed and wishes”.
{ More are the roots of an old palm than a young one,
More fond the world is an old man than a younger man}
Usually long wishes are due to the expectation of a long life, and it is not unlikely that performing good deeds and doing obligatory affairs be delayed, greed and avidity dominate our behavior, and afterlife world become forgotten because of such expectation. We have certainly observed end of such persons, and how their long term wishes have led to their notoriety and their being hated in this world , and that they will be taunted in their life and even after it. Blaming these people, Imam al-Ali mentioned,” Whoever hurries in following and providing his/her wishes, and does not control them, death will stumble him/her from the horse of wishes on which s/he is riding, throw him down, and [finally] the wishes not provided, s/he will die( Nahj al-Balagah; wise saying 18). Being fond of wishes and trying to satiate them make one greedy and in need of others and (may) mislead to committing shameful, devilish doings since Imam al-Ali said,” The best not being in need of others is getting rid of wishes[ long wishes], and whoever lengthen wishes,[indeed] corrupts his/her deeds”.
Second Section: Unworthiness of the World
“O Abuzar, I swear to One at whose hands is my life that if world was as worthy as the wings of a mosquito or a fly, God would not give even one drop of water to a pagan”, Prophet Muhammad said.
World is a passageway to God and to the highest point of spiritual perfection, it is an opportunity to move on the true way, gain something as provision for the eternal world and reaching to prosperity and auspiciousness. Those who try to refine their self(and spirit) and consider the world nothing, but a mean of reaching to the magnificent goal of creation and moving on the sublime way to it, they never lose their hearts for this world; they take the best use of this short, mean world for the benefit of their eternal afterlife world. They are well aware that the real life is the other world as God says,”This present life is nothing, but diversion and play( the Spider: 64): و ما هذه الحیوه الدنیا الا لهوو لعب ”
It is very surprising when some of the people consider financial prosperity as the sign of auspiciousness and one’s good destiny, ignoring that some times the most wretched, and damned, are the wealthiest, these people are severely(and negatively) interested in their wealth that they are likely to do anything[ even crime and murder] to provide their needs. The Honorable Prophet said,” To prove unworthiness of the world, it would be enough to remind that even pagans not only are provided with mortal dependences of this world and not deprived of them, but also some their outstanding figures like Korah, Pharaoh, شداد و نمرود were living in pleasure and numerous wealth, and considered them as a sign of their auspiciousness. The Holy Prophet stated,” There would be no individual in this world who takes advantage of this world- even one mouthful- unless God will lessen his/her share in the afterlife world with same amount”.
Concerning this world and afterlife world, Imam al-Moses bin Jafar mentioned,” Obtaining properties of world and religion both are difficult tasks; however, whenever you desire to use whatever of worldly properties, it appears that a criminal has already outran you. But, in order to get goods and properties of Hereafter (religious properties) you will find no aid to give you a hand; the world is very mean, infidel while the afterlife is sublime and Fidel to its followers. In one of his mystical intuitions. Jesus Christ saw the world as an old woman and asked her,” How many times have you got married?”.”It is too numerous that I can not count them”, she replied. “Have they [your husbands] died or divorced you?” “I killed them all”. “Then very surprisingly are those fools who observe what you do to others, but still are interested in you and do not learn lesson from them”, Jesus said. The Holy Prophet of Islam said to Abuzar,” O Abuzar, the world and whatever belongs to it are cursed and damned, except those by which you try to reach to God’s satisfaction”. Any worldly thing applied to gain God’s satisfaction is admired like knowledge and good deeds; knowledge itself stays with individual, and good deeds will be seen and remained through their effects and will have a good ending.
