This article is doing to deal with the importance of morality in Islamic teachings in accordance with the sayings of the holy infallible imam al-Albaqir (A).
The fifth infallible imam Muhammad al-baqir (A) was born in the 57th year of the Hijra (676/AD) on Friday the first day of the month of Rajab, in the city of Medina, and he was martyred in (733/AD). [1] Imam abu Ja'far, al-Baqir (A) [the one who splits open knowledge] was the first imam descended from both grandsons of Prophet Muhammad (P) Imam Hasan ibn Ali (A) and Imam Husayn ibn Ali (A). Many traditions and abundant wisdom were reported from this infallible Imam as well as on his authority. He is revered by Shiite Muslims for his religious leadership and highly respected by Sunni Muslims for his knowledge and Islamic scholarship as a leading jurist of Medina. [2]
In this article we are going to have a brief look at some of the narrations and hadiths narrated from Imam Baqir (A) on the commemoration of his birthday. One of the important issues that Imam Baqir (A) emphasizes upon is morality and the social relation between Muslims. According to the fifth imam (A) Muslims must try to be very friendly and kind to each other. He says "Allah's mercy be upon who makes relation between two of our friends. O believers! Be friends with and kind to each other." [3] In another tradition imam (A) says "Observing ties of kinship leads to good manners, generosity, purity of soul, increase of daily bread, and delay of death." [4]
Since morality is one of the main elements in Islamic teachings imam Baqir (A) in many of his sayings stresses the importance of truthfulness as a significant moral principle. He orders Muslims that they must "Learn truthfulness before speaking." [5] In one of his other sayings imam (A) advises Jabir son of Abdullah that "O Jabir! I swear by Allah that if you learn one hadith of lawful and unlawful from a truthful person, it is better for you than everything on which the sun rises and sets". [6] In the two mentioned narrations truthfulness is much emphasized by the holy imam, because through truthfulness and honesty people can trust each other and improve their community and social relations.
One of the beautiful hadiths quoted from imam Baqir (A) is about the people's behavior towards each other. According to this tradition "Man's smile to his (fellow) brother as well as wiping brushwood (hurts) out of him are generosity and the most beloved invocation before Allah is to make a believer happy." [7] It teaches Muslims how to behave to each other and it also tells them that making a friendly relation is not possible without behaving kindly and respectfully towards each other. But finally it must be noticed that according to the imam (A) the best friend and follower of the infallible imams is the one who "who obeys Allah is a lover of us, and the one who disobeys Him then he is an enemy for us (Ahlul-Bayt)." [8]
Conclusively it could be mentioned that based on the aforementioned hadiths, morality and ethics is the most important issue in Islamic doctrines that is why the fifth infallible imam al-Baqir (A) emphasizes the moral principles in his sayings. To have a friendly relation Muslims must observe the ethical rules being truthful towards each other and treat each other kindly and respectfully.
Notes:
[1] See: A Brief History of The Fourteen Infallibles. Qum: Ansariyan Publications. 2004. p. 117.
[2] Tabatabai, Muhammad Husayn (1975). Shiite Islam. Translated and Edited by Seyyed Hossein Nasr. State University of New York Press. pp. 68,179.
[3] رَحِمَ اللهُ امرَءاً ألَّفَ بَینَ وَلِیَّینِ لَنا. یا مَعشَرَ المُؤمِنِینَ، تَألَّفُوا وتَعاطَفوا. الکافی، ج 2، ص 345
[4] صِلَةُ الأرْحامِ تُحَسِّنُ الْخُلُقَ وتُسَمِّحُ الْکَفَّ وتُطَیِّبَ النَّفْسَ، وتَزِیدُ فی الرِّزْقِ وتُنْسِئُ فی الأجَلِ. کافی، ج 2، ص 152
[5] تَعَلَّمُوا الصِّدْقَ قَبْلَ الحَدِیثِ. کافی، ج 2، ص 104
[6] Ibid. یا جابِرُ، واللهِ لَحَدِیثٌ تُصِیبُهُ مِن صادِقٍ فی حَلالٍ وَحَرامٍ خَیرٌ لَکَ مِمّا طَلَعَتْ عَلَیهِ الشَّمْسُ حَتَّی تَغْرُب
[7] تَبَسُّمُ الرَّجُلِ فِي وَجهِ أخِیهِ حَسَنَةٌ، وصَرفُ القَذَی عَنهُ حَسَنَةٌ، وما عُبِدَ اللهُ بِشَيءٍ أحَبَّ إلی اللهِ مِن إدخالِ السُّرُورِ عَلَی المُؤمِنِ. وسائل الشیعة، ج 11، ص 569
[8] مَنْ کَانَ لِلّهِ مُطیعَاً فَهُوَ لَنا وَلِیٌّ وَمَنْ کانَ لِلّهِ عاصیاً فَهُوَ لَنا عَدُوٌّ. کافی, ج 2, ص 75