Hadiths Of

Even though everyone needs advice from others, it is the advice that comes from within a person that is the best advice. This is because each person is aware of their own characteristics and faults more than anybody else.

One must focus their attention on continuous self-examination, regardless of a lack of feedback from others, because self-examination prevents us from making future mistakes. In this hadith, “fear” means fearing God and His punishment as well as one’s own wrongdoing, and not fearing people and whimsical powers.

“Caution” refers to being careful, not in the sense of becoming inactive. Rather, observing discretion and abstinence whilst engaging in various fields of activities, which is the true meaning of piety.

The reason why the Imam (a.s.) proclaims that the most favourite of things for God, after knowing Him, is chastity of the stomach and private parts, whilst not mentioning any other obligatory practices or acts of worship, like daily prayers, is because chastity is a preventive method that hinders obtrusive factors, and it is always the case that an obtrusive factor has a stronger effect than a facilitating factor. An example is when someone consumes beneficial and nourishing foods but simultaneously takes poisonous substances; in this case, the food will, of course, have no beneficial effect.

Likewise, in spiritual matters, if someone worships excessively but regularly infects their soul with the virus of sin, their worship will have no effect. However, if the mirror of their heart is not tainted with sin, their divine nature will guide them to spiritual growth and perfection. Therefore, giving up sins is more important than performing acts of worship. This is why Satan tempts human beings to commit sins more than tempting them to give up worship, because once sin overtakes a person, their worship will no longer be able to bring them close to God. So, the most beloved act is giving up two sins: the sin of the stomach (gluttony, eating illegitimate things, etc.), which leads to seeking worldly pleasures, accumulation of wealth, and greed, and the other is sexual lust.