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﴿وَجَعَلْنَاهُمْ أَئِمَّةً يَهْدُونَ بِأَمْرِنَا وَأَوْحَيْنَا إِلَيْهِمْ فِعْلَ الْخَيْرَاتِ وَإِقَامَ الصَّلَاةِ وَإِيتَاءَ الزَّكَاةِ ۖ وَكَانُوا لَنَا عَابِدِينَ﴾ “And We made them leaders guiding by Our command, and We revealed to them the doing of good deeds, the establishing of prayer and the giving of zakāt (obligatory alms); and they were worshippers of Us.”
This noble verse places guidance, worship and the doing of good deeds within a single context, as though laying the foundation for an integrated vision that shows that reforming reality begins with reforming the inner self. From here arises one of the contemporary problems in understanding the role of religious discourse.
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Striving Against the Self
Is jihād al-nafs (striving against the self) a harsh struggle or a journey of awareness? Discover how tazkiyah (purification of the soul) brings you back to God through balanced steps.
A Problem in Religious Discourse: Why the Focus on Ethics and the Spirit?
Some raise a pressing question:
Why does religious discourse focus on ethics and spirituality, while the Umma (the Muslim community) is living through intertwined political, economic, cultural and security crises?
Is the priority not to address these burning issues, rather than to speak of khushūʿ (humble reverence), benevolence and self-accounting?
It is a question that seems realistic, but it implicitly assumes that ethics is a secondary matter and that spirituality is a luxury that times of crisis cannot afford.
The Answer: The Moral Crisis Is the Root of All Crises
On reflection, we find that the roots of political, economic and social corruption go back to a deeper defect: the absence of moral conscience.
When a person in moral crisis takes charge of culture, culture falls into crisis.
When a person lacking self-restraint takes charge of the economy, economic justice collapses.
When trustworthiness is absent among decision-makers, political reality becomes distorted.
Systems lay down strict laws, oversight committees and severe penalties, and yet corruption keeps renewing itself; for laws regulate outward conduct, but they do not build conscience.
Moral conscience is the watchfulness that never sleeps.
Hence the spiritual dimension comes forward as a priority for reform, not as a homiletic sideline.
The Spiritual Dimension in Facing Contemporary Crises from the Perspective of the Holy Quran
God Almighty says:
﴿أَلَمْ يَأْنِ لِلَّذِينَ آمَنُوا أَن تَخْشَعَ قُلُوبُهُمْ لِذِكْرِ اللَّهِ وَمَا نَزَلَ مِنَ الْحَقِّ﴾ “Has the time not come for those who believe that their hearts should be humbled at the remembrance of God and at the truth that has been sent down?”
The address here is directed to the believers themselves, calling them to revive khushūʿ. Transformation begins in the heart.
This vision is clearly manifested in the life of the Prophet (s) and his Ahl al-Bayt (the Prophet’s household) (a), especially in the life of Imam Zayn al-ʿĀbidīn (a), who lived in a period in which values were shaken and political and cultural distortion prevailed.
His project was thus one of spiritual reform, rebuilding the human being from within.
Imam Zayn al-ʿĀbidīn and the Embodiment of the Spiritual Dimension in Facing Contemporary Crises
First: Meeting Offence with Kindness as a Method of Spiritual Reform
1) The First Narration
When the Imam (a) was insulted, he prevented his companions from responding and said to the man:
«ما سُتر عنك من أمرنا أكثر، ألك حاجة نعينك عليها؟» “What has been hidden from you of our affairs is greater. Do you have a need with which we may help you?”
Then he gave him money and treated him generously, and the hostility turned into an acknowledgement of his virtue.
The significance:
Good character is not weakness, but a strength that changes hearts.
Reform through wisdom opens what enmity cannot open.
Imam al-Ṣādiq (a) said:
«كونوا لنا زينًا ولا تكونوا علينا شينًا…» “Be an adornment for us, and do not be a disgrace upon us…”
2) The Second Narration
He said to someone who reviled him:
«إن كنا كما قلت فنستغفر الله، وإن لم نكن كما قلت فغفر الله لك». “If we are as you have said, then we seek God’s forgiveness; and if we are not as you have said, then may God forgive you.”
A reply that sums up an entire school in refining the self and extinguishing strife.
Second: Fulfilling People’s Needs and Its Effect in Addressing Social Crises
1) His Saying (a)
«إن عدوي يأتيني بحاجة فأبادر إلى قضائها…» “Indeed, my enemy comes to me with a need, and I hasten to fulfil it…”
He saw serving people as worship, and indeed as an opportunity that he should not let slip.
2) The Story of Muḥammad ibn Usāma
He took on his debt, which amounted to fifteen thousand dinars, and settled it at once.
The significance:
Spirituality is not withdrawal from people, but presence in their suffering.
Fulfilling needs strengthens mutual solidarity and restores trust within society.
Third: Profound Worship and Its Role in Building Moral Conscience
1) Earnestness and Diligence
He would pray a thousand rakʿas (units of prayer) in a day and a night, and was given the title “Dhū al-Thafanāt” (the one with calluses) because of the abundance of his prostrations.
2) Khushūʿ
His colour would change when he stood for prayer, as though he were standing before the Hereafter.
3) Humility
Despite the greatness of his worship, he regarded himself as beneath the station of his grandfather, the Messenger of God (s), and of the Commander of the Faithful (a).
4) The Comprehensiveness of the Supplications
Al-Ṣaḥīfa al-Sajjādiyya is not merely a collection of devotional texts, but an integrated educational and social project; it addresses the human being’s relationship with his Lord, with himself and with his society.
Why Do We Need to Revive the Spiritual Dimension Today?
Because crises are multiplying, but their roots are one.
And because when conscience is set right, politics, economics and culture are set right along with it.
Reforming the inner self is not an escape from reality; rather, it is the shortest path to reforming it.
If you have found in the life of Imam Zayn al-ʿĀbidīn (a) a vision for reforming the self and building conscience, perhaps the time has come to turn the idea into a practical path.
At Basira Center we offer journeys in ethics, self-purification and building a balanced way of life that unites awareness and action.
Begin your journey… for reforming the world begins with a step within.
basira.center/en/journeys/inner-struggle
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The Golden Time: Time Management in the Teachings of the Ahl al-Bayt (the Prophet's Household)
Is distraction stealing your time? The Time Management journey gives you a values-based approach and practical planning to invest your time well and achieve genuine balance.
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