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How can we control our thoughts Agha Ali Reza Panahian Oct.30,2019 In the same way that you should exercise for your muscles to become strong, in exactly the same way, the way to start to increase spiritual power is with mind exercises. Exercising the mind is through mind control. My mind shouldn’t wander everywhere. My mind should go where I order it to go. In the same way that when you exercise you strengthen your arm, Allamah Tabatabai has given exercises for controlling the mind. Allamah Tabatabai said in his book “Risalah al-Wilayah,” “Choose a quiet place

Becoming familiar with some of the sweet concepts of the Sha’baniya Supplication Session 1 In the name of God, the Beneficent, the Merciful. It is very good before using, reading, thinking or whispering a supplication to God, to become familiar with the supplications’ passage in detail, become aware of its meaning and refer to the expositions on it. In these short opportunities, I will try to briefly discuss some topics to help us become familiar with this supplication. We hope the Almighty God will give us success to get the most use from this supplication. The “Sha’baniya Supplication” starts with sending salutations on the Holy Prophet (s) and his Pure Household (‘a). According to many recommendations, which everyone has heard, and as has been mentioned in the traditions very much too, each prayer should start with salutations. This prayer has started with salutations too, like many other prayers, which have reached us. In the prayers that do not start with salutations, naturally we should send these salutations ourselves. There are many reasons for this. I will only say one sentence about this and pass on it. It is as if when a person doesn’t have the Household of the Prophet’s guardianship, their guardianship is not in his heart, and he doesn’t remember these personages with honor, the Almighty God doesn’t hear him, won’t answer his prayer and doesn’t take this person into account. For whoever enters the Judgment Day, his/her ID is following God’s Guardians. In this case too, whoever stands in God’s presence should show his/her ID. This salutation is our identity card. If a person shows this identity card with love and devotion, says, “God, see I’m devoted to the Prophet and his Household,” hasn’t just said the salutations negligently, and has repeated this salutation with fondness, the way will open for him to pray. In the first phrase, the Commander of the Faithful, Ali (‘a), uses three surprising words. This prayer starts without any introduction. “Hear my prayer when I call You. Hear my voice when I call You. Pay attention to me when I whisper to You.” One of the wonders of this prayer is that it starts without any introduction. This prayer is the words of a person who can’t tolerate anymore! It’s as if he has come a far distance and only wants to moan. He knows that God is waiting to hear his words, but he wants to shout at times, whisper at times and pray at times. “Hear my voice when I call you.” “Nida” means calling with a loud voice. “Pay attention to me when I whisper to You.” “Najwa” means talking in a very low voice. And “Du’a” is used for any kind of calling. Three consecutive words. It is as if the Commander of the Faithful wants to cry out, “God, I want to talk to You!” He’s showing his insistence to whisper to God, cry out to Him and supplicate Him. He’s not saying others things. He wants, calls and invites God. The next sentence shows this. “I have escaped to You and am standing between Your hands.” “I have escaped to You” means I have escaped and come to You. It gives the same feeling that those three words had. “Hear my prayer. Hear my voice. Pay attention to me when I whisper to You.” It’s as if a person has come running. “I am now standing between Your hands.” “Between Your hands” is a more beautiful and pleasing concept than standing in front of God. It’s as if a little one has taken refuge with a great one and is in his power. This is much more beautiful. Those who are the smaller one before a greater one, and have felt the support of a kind, greater one, can understand this. “I am poor before You and I beseech You.” The Commander of the Faithful (‘a) is only beseeching in this supplication. He is expressing this with different phrases. He is beseeching in all of his words. These words are not meaningless words for the Commander of the Faithful. These words arise from the depth of his feelings. He wants to cry intensely with these words. We study, review and even think about these words. But, these words have become internalized for the Commander of the Faithful. The Imam is not reading these words from a prayer book. These words are the interpretation of the Imam’s moans. =================================== Follow us: Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Panahianen/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/PanahianEN/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/PanahianEN Telegram: https://telegram.me/Panahianen/ =================================== Subscribe https://www.youtube.com/c/PanahianEnglish =================================== See our pages in various languages: https://panahian.net/ ===================================

Becoming familiar with some of the sweet concepts of the Sha’baniya Supplication / Session 2 In the name of God, the Beneficent, the Merciful. In the beginning of the “Sha’baniya Supplication,” many reasons for not supplicating God have been mentioned. These reasons show that when a person wants to say something to God, there is no need to say anything. God hears a person’s words even before he says anything; God knows his words. The Almighty God knows a person’s needs, so how else can one talk to God? Perhaps many people don’t read supplications because they think God knows everything that is in their hearts and all their needs. The Commander of the Faithful (‘a) mentions the reasons for not praying. After the passionate insistence that can be seen at the beginning of the supplication, after that intense emotion, beseeching and escaping from others, life and the world towards God, and after the enthusiasm that he shows for talking to God, he immediately says some things, which seem to be reasons for not praying. The Imam (‘a) says, “I have hope for the reward that is with You. You know what is inside me. You are aware of my needs and my inner being. My return to the Hereafter and my eternal home are not hidden from you.” You are not unaware of my past or my future and what I want to tell You. “Whatever I want to say or request, and also what I have hope for my outcome, are not hidden from You.” All of these can be a reason for not praying. “God You know my situation!” If the Almighty God knows these, why does he insist on talking to God? Actually, I want to say that the Commander of the Faithful, Ali (‘a), wants to announce the severity of his insistence here. Although God knows, he is beseeching Him and asking Him, “Hear my prayer. Hear my voice. Pay attention to me when I talk to You.” When the Commander of the Faithful says these words, his insistence on praying becomes clear. “I insist and I know that You know all about me.” We regular people may not really have this deep understanding like Imam Ali (‘a) that God is totally aware about us. But, the Commander of the Faithful has a deep understanding and belief that God is aware about a person. So why does he insist for God to hear him when he knows that God hears? This shows a certain level of desire and asking, when a person puts these kinds of rational words aside. As a poem says, “Say goodbye to wisdom.” If a person wants to reason exactly, he may say, “God, I’m sitting here and You know all my requests.” But, when this intense emotion, enthusiasm and pleading reaches a peak, a person cannot be patient and quiet anymore. We should read the “Sha’baniya Supplication” with this intention that we have come to see how the Commander of the Faithful (‘a) talks to God. This supplication is amazing. We should read it in a way that we are looking at the face and insistence of the Commander of the Faithful (‘a). I remember a tradition in which the Imam said some things to his companion. His companion said, “I saw that the Commander of the Faithful was leaving the city at dawn. I asked, ‘Where are you going?’ He replied, ‘I’m going after my own wishes!’ The Imam was in a different mood when he said this. I asked, ‘What are your wishes and needs?’ The Imam replied, ‘The one who should know, knows. I don’t need to tell these to anyone else.’” Here, the Imam is saying the same sentences to his friend too. And, he left in that different mood. He would wail and cry very much (when praying). God, if we aren’t able to reach You, we ask to see at least the Commander of the Faithful’s supplications one time, so that we can understand what is going on in the world, how Your friends felt and look at them from afar. If we are never able to imagine this feeling clearly and aren’t able to experience this in ourselves, let us see it in the unique face of the Commander of the Faithful. See in the first phrase of this supplication how Imam Ali states his beliefs about God, “God, whatever happens to me till the end of my life is in Your hands and Your knowledge. What comes to me or is taken away, benefits or loss, are in Your hands and not the hands of anyone else.” He’s showing his extreme monotheism. Along with this, Imam Ali (‘a) is showing a great enthusiasm, and that enthusiasm doesn’t allow him to be silent. Although God sees him, his severe enthusiasm compels him to talk to his God. As I explained about the previous phrase, this severe enthusiasm causes him to say, “Hear my prayer. Hear my voice.” There is no need for him to say these. God hears.

Becoming familiar with some of the sweet concepts of the Sha’baniya Supplication Session 5 In the name of God, the Beneficent, the Merciful. One of the very beautiful, monotheistic sentences in the beginning of the Sha’baniya Supplication is the phrase, which I mentioned in previous sessions for another reason, “What comes to me or is taken away, benefits or loss, are in Your hands and not the hands of anyone else. My Lord, if You deprive me, who can give me sustenance? If You humiliate and leave me, who can help me?” What comes to me or is taken away, benefits or loss, are in Your hands and not the hands of anyone else. Then, it concludes, “My Lord, if You deprive me, who can give me sustenance? If You humiliate and leave me, who can help me?” The first point is that it’s obvious when we are asked, “Who has power and in whose hands are affairs? Is there anyone else with the Almighty God?” we give a clear answer. “Power is in God’s hands. Others besides God cannot do anything.” So why don’t these monotheistic teachings become internalized in our hearts the way they should for them to cause us to cry, moan and talk to God, and have the most intense love in our hearts for the Lord? Loving to talk to the Almighty God and feeling a need for this conversation deeply, are due to these monotheistic teachings that have become internalized in one’s heart. What is the obstacle to these monotheistic teachings becoming internalized in our hearts? The obstacle is that we give too much value to various causes. We don’t see God’s role as being more than a cause, the tools that we have, or even our own power. It’s usually tribulations that create such a feeling for a person. Tribulations bring a person to a dead end. Then, one suddenly feels that he doesn’t have anyone except God. But, when we are at the peak of prosperity, we don’t have anyone but God either. When everything around us and all events are going smoothly, when we are on the verge of reaching all of our desires, in the same way, we don’t have anyone except God. We are not polytheists in this way that we believe in God while believing in other gods with Him. We are not polytheists in this way that we worship idols and consider both God and idols to be effective in the world. But, an amount of polytheism exists, which prevents us from having monotheism in our hearts. It takes away our feeling for wanting to talk to God. This amount of polytheism is usually in our hearts that we see causes and people to be very effective in our lives. We should think deeply about how much power God exerts in our lives according to the verse of the Qur’an where God tells the Prophet, “…and you did not smite when you smote the (enemy), but it was Allah Who smote them!” [Qur’an 8:17] A high understanding of monotheism will become internalized in a person’s heart. We should ponder on the topic of “determinism and free will.” We should look at how involved God is in our lives in each moment. We should consider this fact that there are no coincidences in our lives. When we get a taxi in the street or call for a taxi, which taxi and which taxi driver comes, which radio station he is listening to in the taxi, and what we are hearing, none of these are coincidences. And, God can change the minds of people around us about what they say to us. He always does this. Because, all the scenes around us should be designed in a way that are in accordance with God’s tests. Therefore, everything is in God’s hands. It’s really in His hands. It’s fine if we do our duty with regard to the causes. It’s our duty to repel a harm that comes towards us and to go towards a benefit, which comes to us, and take that benefit, but of course using lawful ways. Otherwise, we have turned God against ourselves. It’s not that we shouldn’t care about causes at all, but we should see God to be more powerful than these causes. If this state is created within us, the feeling of wanting to talk to God will intensify. We often talk to and supplicate God politely, which is excellent. Sometimes we talk to and supplicate God with affection. Of course, this is excellent too. But, these don’t contradict a person understanding his exigency. The Household of the Prophet talked to God politely, affectionately, and also with an intense urgency. Where does this urgency arise from? It comes from the monotheism in their hearts, not in tribulations, but in regular situations. They truly look intensely at God in regular situations. The next point, which can be connected to this topic and strengthen it, is in the second phrase that I read for you. He says, “My Lord, if You deprive me, who can give me sustenance? If You humiliate and leave me, who can help me?” Believing that we always need God’s help is a very valuable belief. One of the greatest tribulations that God threatens bad people with in the Qur’an, is where He says, “I won’t help you!” What does this mean?

Session 4 / Becoming familiar with some of the sweet concepts of the Sha’baniya Supplication In the name of God, the Beneficent, the Merciful. The feeling of wanting to supplicate God is a feeling that is caused by spiritual maturity. As a result of spiritual maturity, a person feels dependent on God, like the attachment a child has to his parents. When you separate a child from his mother, he doesn’t calm down no matter what logic you use. He can’t tolerate even a moment of being separated whatever your reasoning. One who reaches spiritual maturity gains this feeling in connection with the Lord of the universe. The difference is that a child doesn’t have a sense of guilt, humility, humbleness, beseeching, and many other feelings towards his parents that a servant has towards his master. But, this kind of feeling of needing to be close to one’s parents, is created in a person who has reached spiritual maturity. Of course, his feeling of needing to be close to the Lord of the universe is much more intense than that of a child. He sees some obstacles between God and himself. He feels sad because of these obstacles. These obstacles may be natural obstacles, like the length of one’s lifespan before meeting God. He sees these natural obstacles as being a barrier for getting close to God and meeting Him, so he cries. Or these obstacles may be from himself, and they are usually of this type. Basically, one of the good feelings that a servant who has attained spiritual growth feels towards his master is that he always feels guilty before his master. This feeling of guilt is a true feeling and not a compliment. This will be the cause of his broken heart and sorrow, and he will be able to supplicate God. If the Almighty God wants to be gracious to a person, He puts him on the path of the relationship between a servant and his master. Naturally, there is only crying on this path. Perhaps many who are not familiar with these ideas will be surprised at these words. It’s like a person who wants to use logic to compel a child to be patient and silent for a few minutes while being apart from his mother. But the child doesn’t accept this at all. It’s as if no one understands the child, and the child doesn’t understand others. Rumi says beautifully in a poem, “When He wants to help us, He pulls our interest towards moaning.” Next, the poem describes a heart, which moans. “Auspicious is the heart, which burns for Him (from love). Good for the eyes, which weep for Him. A person who sees the end is a blessed servant. The end of each cry is a laugh. Wherever there are flowing tears, there’ll be mercy. Wherever there is running water, there’ll be greenery.” The poem continues describing crying. These are not descriptions, which will create that feeling in us. It’s like trying to describe a perfume or the smell of a flower. Or, it is like when we try to explain colors for a person who cannot see. There aren’t any words for describing colors. There are no words for describing the smell of a flower, or the smell of a perfume or cologne. Although people experience it, they cannot describe it. This state of wanting to supplicate God is created due to a spiritual growth. A person’s spiritual growth causes him to feel a need. This is in the same way that when people reach the age of maturity they feel a need for a companion, the same way that parents feel a need for children, and the same way that people feel a need for being in a community and are sad when they are alone. When a person grows spiritually, he wants this relationship with God too. All these supplications can be understood in such an atmosphere. If a person is not in such an atmosphere, he cannot understand this supplication at all. It’s very good if we recite this supplication with this feeling, this pleading and praying that, “God, open this door for me.” Or, we should read this supplication with the feeling that we are very far from the feeling that the Commander of the Faithful, Ali (‘a), felt. Praising this beautiful relationship and regretting that we don’t have it can bring a person closer to Him. Let’s talk about one of the phrases. In accordance with the rituals for supplication, the Imam (‘a) says, “What comes to me or is taken away, benefits or loss, are in Your hands and not the hands of anyone else.” One of the rituals for supplication is that a person announce his knowledge about God, especially knowledge about the oneness of the God of the universe. Seeing only God to be effective in the world, in our being and in our lives and remembering these monotheistic teachings in our praying to God and our supplications is beautiful. A tradition says, “When someone says, ‘There is no strength or power except from the High and Great God,’ the Almighty God immediately says, ‘My angels! See My servant confessed that no one has power except Me. Now, resolve any problems that he has.’”

Becoming familiar with some of the sweet concepts of the Sha’baniya Supplication / Session 3 In the name of God, the Beneficent, the Merciful. In talking about the Sh’abaniya Supplication, we are still talking about the first phrase. There is a very lofty concept in the first phrase, which should be discussed separately. This concept is “Tadarru” (beseeching). The Commander of the Faithful, Ali (‘a), explicitly calls to the God of the universe, “I am standing between Your hands. I am poor before You and beseeching You.” I am standing in front of You like one who is very small and poor in front of one who is completely rich and great, “…and beseeching You.” Beseeching is a term, which has been used seven times in the Holy Qur’an with the same meaning. Of course, it’s more than seven times. But, only in seven cases has it been used with exactly the same meaning of a person praying to God pleadingly. The fundamental meaning of beseeching is not crying. Crying is one of its results. It is the height of pleading, entreating, and being humble in front of the Almighty God. If we want to say the meaning, a person who beseeches is one who pleads a lot. A person who beseeches is one who doesn’t have any pride or assets. He’s extremely humble. It has been said in the Holy Qur’an, “Already We have seized them with punishment, but they neither humbled themselves to their Lord, nor did they beseech Him.” [Qur’an 23:76] After feeling distress and destitution, they didn’t beseech God! In this supplication, it is as if by saying, “I am poor before You and beseeching You,” the Imam is answering this verse from the Chapter “The Believers.” The Qur’an says, “We have seized them with punishment, but they neither humbled themselves to their Lord...” Imam Ali replies here, “I am poor before You.” And the Qur’an says, “…nor did they beseech Him.” Imam Ali says in this supplication, “…and beseeching You.” Beseeching has been mentioned in the Qur’an in different situations. Beseeching is a kind of pleading, which isn’t hidden anymore and is apparent. This broken heart shows itself, “Pray to your Lord beseechingly and in secret.” [Qur’an 7:55] This means to call God beseechingly, meaning openly, or hidden within yourself. There are other verses, which refer to this too. The verse of the Chapter “The Cattle” is suitable for these days. “Why did they not entreat when Our punishment overtook them! But their hearts had hardened, and Satan had made to seem decorous to them what they had been doing.” [Qur’an 6:43] Why didn’t they beseech Us when our punishment overtook them? The Almighty God tells what He expects explicitly. When a divine tribulation comes, the servants should beseech Him. God is waiting to bring His servants under His shelter. In this verse, God asks why they didn’t beseech Him. The reason they didn’t beseech Him was that their hearts had become so hardened that they didn’t even go to God in tribulations, “Satan had made to seem decorous to them what they had been doing.” In the verse before this verse, God the Almighty says that He has sent this scourge for people to beseech Him, “We have certainly sent (apostles) to nations before you, then We seized them with stress and distress so that they might entreat (Us).” [Qur’an 6:42] For us common people, this kind of beseeching God is elicited in tribulations. For those who don’t beseech God, even in tribulations, their hearts have truly become hardened as the Qur’an says. But, for people with understanding and the Friends of God, beseeching God is the result of their deep understanding, extreme interest and intense ardor for the high position of being close to God. We should resolve this riddle in our minds once and forever, that is this extent of crying needed when talking to God that the Commander of the Faithful moaned to God like this? What did he really want? What punishment did he fear?! We should accept that there is a spiritual maturity, which many don’t achieve at all. This spiritual maturity is more than fearing punishment, more than the intensity of suffering that a person will tolerate in Hell, and more than the fear of a sinful person or a criminal of retribution. Some good people feel such a severe need for being close to God that if they see they are far from this intense need, even a bit, they cry to God beseechingly. Was the Commander of the Faithful a weak person for someone to see his crying, broken heart? All his existence was solidity. If the entire universe had turned upside down, he would have stood firmly and wouldn’t have even flinched! He had nothing to be afraid of or to lose. So, why did he moan to God like this? He had reached a spiritual maturity. He felt a severe need for those high spiritual positions. When he felt a bit far from that desirable point, and that peak became more novel and substantial for him every moment, he would cry pleadingly.

Follow us: Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Panahianen/ ... Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/PanahianEN/... Twitter: https://twitter.com/PanahianEN Telegram: https://telegram.me/Panahianen/ ============================== In the Name of God, the Beneficent, the Merciful The holy month of Ramadan is a celebration of our spirituality. There is a celebration in the believers’ hearts that they are the special guests of the Almighty God. We see the peak of God’s affection to us in this dear month. More than thinking of how to have affection for God, we should be busy thinking about God’s affection and grace toward ourselves. We should feel ashamed and thankful so that our worshiping during the month of Ramadan be full of emotions and feelings due to these two aspects. We should be thankful for God’s abundant grace and feel ashamed that we are unable to respond appropriately to the Almighty God. Perhaps it’s better if during this holy month of Ramadan, we don’t go to God in order to get something. Rather, we go to Him to respond and thank Him for what He has given us up until now. Many ask for forgiveness, ask for their needs, ask for their future and ask to have a good end. These are good. But we should keep in mind that what is more obligatory is to be thankful about what God has given us. “If you give thanks, I will increase you.” [Qur’an 14:07] If we are thankful, whatever we want will be given to us in more abundance. If we worship God thankfully during the month of Ramadan, then the whole world will see that the Muslims and the believers are the most cheerful people. We also fast during the Eids. Fasting brings cheerfulness. This should be shown to the people of the world. Those who measure societies\' cheerfulness should measure the cheerfulness of the believers and the Islamic nation. They will see that no community is as cheerful as the believers are, especially during the month of Ramadan. In each month of Ramadan, the believers gain one year’s thankfulness, happiness, vitality and cheerfulness. Along with other prayers and supplications, it is necessary for us to remember the Imam of the Time (aj) during the holy month of Ramadan. We feel ashamed and are thankful to the Imam (aj) because he is praying for us. We feel ashamed that with all the claims we make and although we are calling him, we have not yet been able to bring to an end the Imam’s being alone. We are ashamed that we haven’t been able to prove our claim to the people of the world and to prove to our children that we want to help the Imam. There are some people who deserve to be able to help him. But it seems we haven’t all been accepted in this way, because he is still in occultation. The month of Ramadan is a month when Imam Mahdi (aj) should be remembered. The month of Ramadan is a month for worshipping. Perhaps we can say the top of the supplications for the month of Ramadan is the “Iftitah Supplication.”    One fourth of the Iftitah Supplication is about the Imam of the Time (aj) and matters related to him, which are actually outstanding points. I wish we were able to read the Iftitah Supplication every night during this holy month of Ramadan and remember the Imam of the Time (aj). We consider the night before the 15th of Sha’ban to be a night that is related to the Imam of the Time (aj) since this night is the anniversary of his birth. In the same way but due to other aspects, we should consider the month of Ramadan, especially its last ten nights, to be related to the Imam of the Time (aj) and remembering him. During the Nights of Destiny, the file of our deeds is shown to him and he signs our file. The last ten days [of this holy month] are the nights when we should recite the magnificent supplication, “Allahumma Kun Li Waliyyak al-Hujjah…” Whatever we ask for from God, He gives to us based on the signature, management, guardianship and supervision of Imam Mahdi (aj). We pray that the Imam of the Time (aj) himself will intercede for us so that we will have a cheerful month of Ramadan that is filled with remembering Imam Mahdi (Aj). I ask all the believers to pray for me.

I’m not infatuated with anyone but God. Follow us: Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Panahianen/ ... Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/PanahianEN/... Twitter: https://twitter.com/PanahianEN Telegram: https://telegram.me/Panahianen/ ============================== What is faith? Faith is something that eliminates your useless entanglements and makes you ready to understand this point that the only thing worth living for is the excitement of getting close to God. How close have I become to Him? Our likings and fears are keeping us busy. These don’t let us see our high goal in life, which is getting close to God. What does faith do? Faith wants to give us peace of mind so that we can abandon the games they have designed for our minds and our hearts’ entertainments. It keeps you safe in calamities and fears. It keeps you safe from the harms of the sweet points in life! Do you know what is one of the harms of this sweetness? When you experience this sweetness, you’ll be repelled by it afterwards. This is one of its harms. [One might think,] “Having too much calm is not good either! If I’m too calm, I won’t work anymore. If I’m too calm, where will I experience excitements? People want a life with excitement. But by talking about faith, you are calming everything down. The excitement of marriage! Thinking about what will happen! The excitement of having a relationship. Excitement…” But God says, “These excitements are not enough for you. I’m not against excitements. I want to give you a deeper excitement.” People pay money to be in an exciting atmosphere. One says, “If we don’t have such excitements, we’ll rot.” He’s right. One cannot live without excitements. But what does God say? He says, “I want to give you a deeper excitement.” Nothing will remain from these excitements for you afterwards, and you’ll feel upset. And they’re not useful for you. What happens? You became rich? You used all your money. What was added to you? And you’re bored by these too. One says, “I’ve seen this show before and I’m tired of it. Couldn’t we go to a different show?” “I’ve seen this movie before.” “I’ve gone to this amusement park before.” So he goes to do something else. He is constantly trying different things. People say, “Islam is against us having excitements.” But Islam is against our wrong lifestyle. Islam has announced many relations are unlawful. Why? They have some sort of excitement, but Islam says, “Why do you waste yourself for such excitements? You won’t gain anything afterwards. Instead, have a serious excitement. Pure Lady Fatimah Zahra (as) would pray in such a way that she experienced spiritual excitement and its effects could be seen in her appearance. Even if we have the best worldly life, we won’t have such excitements even once a year. The spiritual excitements are without harms, but those excitements have many harms. Spiritual excitements are useful, but those excitements are harmful. Spiritual excitements are eternal. I confess to you that I don’t believe in a god whom when one goes to him for the second time, it feels like the first time again [in terms of enjoyment]. I don’t believe in such a god. God is not like this. It is said in the traditions that on the eve before Fridays, the Friends of God receive a new understanding of God. Their new understanding is such that when they look back, it’s as if they didn’t know God before. But such a thing doesn’t happen in our lives even once! See what excitement they experience. What does having faith do? It takes away false excitements so that there is space for the main excitement. What is the name of that main excitement? “Getting close to God.” I want to get close to God. How should we communicate with God? The way is to have faith. Faith cuts your dependance on others. That is why the main dhikr of faith is«لا إله ‌إلّا ‌الله» [There is no god but Allah]. What does “Ilah [god]” mean? It means whoever you’re infatuated with.«لا إله ‌إلّا ‌الله» I’m not infatuated with anyone but God. Faith gives a person this safety. Faith tells a person, “Forget the sweetness and bitterness of the world. You don’t want the small excitements from the sweetness of this world, nor do you want the useless fears. Let me give you safety.” Faith wants to give us peace of mind so that we can abandon the games they have designed for our minds and our hearts’ entertainments.

This is the way we’ve been created. Follow us: Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Panahianen/ ... Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/PanahianEN/... Twitter: https://twitter.com/PanahianEN Telegram: https://telegram.me/Panahianen/ ============================== Human beings don’t seek to achieve anything unless they have an inner knowledge of it. People don’t start with learning and experiencing. People start every action and their life with a kind of restlessness. What does being restless mean? They understand something is within themselves and they look for it. There is some obscure asset, but we don’t know exactly what it is and we don’t know why we’re restless. So we try to find it. It’s the same when people are choosing a goal. They constantly think, “What goal is better for me?” An inner knowledge helps them in choosing their goal. When you reach this goal, you say, “You are what eases my restless heart.” More than trying to choose our goal, we must try to find our goal within ourselves. We ourselves must discover what our goal is, not what our goal should be. We have an inner knowledge within us for choosing our goal. God hasn’t created us without a goal. So choosing a goal is not in our hands. Our goal in life has been chosen for us from before. “O human beings, surely you must strive (to attain) to your Lord, a hard striving until you meet Him.” [Qur’an 84:6] You will eventually meet God, but you will suffer on this path. This won’t be easy. It’s complicated and difficult. [God says,] “I’ve created you in this way. So go wherever you want.” This is the only suitable goal for a person. Not being suitable doesn’t mean being valueless. It means it’s impossible. [So we’re not saying,] “Try not to choose any other goals!” No, you aren’t able to choose another goal. Other things can’t be your goal. They won’t set you on fire. This is our nature. “The nature made by God in which He has made men.” [Qur’an 30:30] We have been created in a way that this is what we want. How did the Commander of the Faithful, Ali (as), choose his goal? One is surprised at this. What was the Imam’s feeling about his goal - getting close to God? Imam Husayn (as) said, “Whenever I saw my father, the Commander of the Faithful (as), he was crying.” O Imam, what is this goal doing to you? We know in general that this goal is probably God and getting close to Him. We don’t have Imam Ali’s (as) wisdom. We can’t imagine, “O Imam, you constantly cried for this? You cried for it every night. What had this goal done to you?! Tell me a little so that it may affect me some too. Why am I so unfeeling?!” In the story narrated by Nauf, he said the same thing. He saw Imam Ali (as) was restless as he was moving away. He asked the Imam, “Where are you going?” See what Imam said. “I’m going toward my longings.” O Imam, may I be sacrificed for you. What are your longings? Nauf asked the Imam, “What are your longings?” He knew the answer in general but wanted to know more. Do you know how the Imam responded? What innocence! What glory! He said, “The One Who should know my longings, knows.” He didn’t answer. He wanted to talk to God Himself. Imam, so you have a longing, but you can rest now. God knows you. You love Him. And He loves you. So why do you want to go and cry?! You’re friends with God! One cannot understand this. The fact that we can’t understand Imam Ali (as) shows that we haven’t yet found this goal and it hasn’t set us on fire yet. We should be calm, like a still water in which the bottom of the pond can be seen. O goal, pull us to you and captivate us. Introduce yourself to me. So choosing a goal is not in our hands. Our goal in life has been chosen for us from before. “O human beings, surely you must strive (to attain) to your Lord, a hard striving until you meet Him.” [Qur’an 84:6] You will eventually meet God. We have been created in a way that this is what we want. [So we’re not saying,] “Try not to choose any other goals!” No, you aren’t able to choose another goal. Other things can’t be your goal. They won’t set you on fire.

We haven’t been able to help people to understand this attractive, affectionate, deep, rational concept of getting close to God. Follow us: Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Panahianen/ ... Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/PanahianEN/... Twitter: https://twitter.com/PanahianEN Telegram: https://telegram.me/Panahianen/ ============================== The most important feature of a goal is that it should create a fire from within a person. It should give warmth, strengthen, entertain and give direction to a person’s imaginations. This is how a person’s goal should be, otherwise one’s life is useless. [As a poem says,] “Pray over his body although he’s not dead.” A life in which one’s goal doesn’t give warmth and doesn’t answer one’s need for love is a very low level of life. In our life, everything really depends on the goal we choose. Imagine if you let people be free but don’t talk about religion, God’s commands or beliefs. Just tell people, “Live with a goal that warms you, creates a fire and answers your need for love. See where you can find this goal yourself.” They can’t find such a goal even if false propaganda is used. Have you seen that people talk about love and affection? It’s interesting that everyone talks about love, but no one reaches to it. Everyone likes and admires a life filled with love. Instead of using the term “a life with love,” God has designed this in religion in this way that He says, “Set your goal to be getting close to Me.” Getting close to God will light a fire (of love) in one’s heart. Maybe when people talk about a life with love, this is what they mean. And we have worked so poorly and weakly in this regard! The effects of our deeds have sometimes been so repulsive that we haven’t been able to help people to understand this attractive, affectionate, deep, and so rational concept of getting close to God. People do not know religion to be getting close to God. But no deed without having the intention of getting close to God is accepted. Unfortunately, if you introduce religion without the concept of getting close to God, religion will seem awful to people. Those people [who’ve learned this kind of religion] are right to hate it. Perhaps religion without the passionate, attractive meaning of closeness to God has been taught to them. Imagine if one is able to understand such a goal, he sets it as his goal and he is able to gradually strengthen this goal. Imagine what effects this will have on one’s heart. The explosive part of religion that awakens one’s heart and causes him to move can be found in the concepts of getting close to God and how to get close to Him. God shows us this majestic universe and says, “I have created these. These are my creation. Now look at Me Myself.” It’s incomparable. Then God says, “Set your goal to be getting close to Me.”

Get up at dawn and confess your faults to God. Follow us: Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Panahianen/ ... Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/PanahianEN/... Twitter: https://twitter.com/PanahianEN Telegram: https://telegram.me/Panahianen/ ============================== With all God’s power in designing and managing, He doesn’t have anything to do other than taking us on a journey! You just need to know and declare your faults to God at dawn [when praying]. Sit in the car for the rest of the day and God will take you. If you pay attention to your faults for a while, it will become easy for you. You’ll see the enjoyable results and won’t fear seeing your faults. Then you’ll see more of your faults. And you’ll see God hasn’t asked you for anything other than for you to see your faults. Get up at dawn, review your faults [before God] and see how He will manage your life till night. God won’t let you make mistakes. He will allow you to do some deeds to uplift yourself. He’ll take you to the paths where less bad events will happen for you. Your life will be fun. Have you seen how some people join tours that take them around? The tours ask people to join their group and they charge them too. People easily pay for such things and ask these tours to take them around. [They say,] “We don’t know which parts of this city are fun to see.” Tour leaders say, “I’ll take you around.” They stop at different places and explain for them. [In the same way,] Almighty God makes a person’s life like going on a picnic. You only need to know and declare your faults [to God] at dawn. Sit in the car for the rest of the day and God will take you. He says, “I have planned this for you today.” You yourself will start to realize what’s going on. It’s like you’re sitting in a personal trailer, not in a bus with forty other people. I mean a recreational vehicle that’s like a complete house. It’s a nice house. Imagine if someone is there who explains for you, “I want to take you to these places today. I saw that you have that certain problem and this herb is good for you. So I’m taking you to the farm where they have it. Also, I see you need this certain kind of exercise. So I’ll take you to a mountain for climbing, and this will help heal your leg pain. You also have that other problem, and there is a place for mineral water on our way.” “How beautiful you design everything for me!” God doesn’t have anything to do other than this! With all God’s power in designing and managing, He doesn’t have anything to do other than taking us on a journey! [In the Qur’an] when God wants to say He’s giving the worst punishment to a person, He says, “I abandoned him.” The Holy Prophet of Islam would constantly pray, “O God, don’t ever leave me on my own for even the blink of an eye.” Don’t leave me on my own. Plan for me. Take me on a picnic. Take me like a tour leader who takes people around and shows things to them. How does this come about? I swear this is the result of a person getting up at dawn and seeing and knowing his faults. With all God’s power in designing and managing, He doesn’t have anything to do other than taking us on a journey! Get up at dawn, review your faults [before God] and see how He will manage your life till night.

The adverse effects of constant parental censure Follow us: Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Panahianen/ ... Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/PanahianEN/... Twitter: https://twitter.com/PanahianEN Telegram: https://telegram.me/Panahianen/ ============================== Some parents are constantly questioning their children who are students. Whenever he or she comes home from school or the father enters the house, the parents ask about the child’s studies and immediately tell him/her to study. They immediately blame him/her, “Why didn’t you study? Why aren’t you studying now? Why are you playing now?” They immediately ask about the children’s grades and blame them if their grades are low. They immediately compare them with others. If parents do these things, it’s because of their compassion. But in doing this, they make their children hate studying. Plus, the children will start hating themselves too. If immediately after returning home from school every day, or immediately after the father comes home every day, a child is questioned, preached to and punished, this isn’t useful. Why do you do this? It will get worse. A child will become fed up. Why? Because some ideas will become formed in his mind. [He’ll think,] “Father means punishment if you don’t study.” Having this idea about his father is not good, and the child will become distanced from him. And yet, the reason behind these behaviors is that the parents are worried about their children and love them. They don’t care about other people’s studies and don’t direct others like this. They don’t care if others become wretched or become prosperous. The parents are worried about you, their child. This is the reason for their behavior, but this reason isn’t seen. What is seen? The bitterness of ordering, preaching, blaming, and checking up on them. Dear parents, even when your child returns home after an exam, exams that are held occasionally, don’t ask them about it immediately. Say, “How was the weather? Did you play after your test?” Wait one or two hours, then ask, “By the way, how was your test?” so that they won’t feel stressed. Why am I saying this? Your child shouldn’t think you are just judging, checking, blaming and punishing him. So when parents want to train their child, they must be careful of the bitter feelings that may be created. Training needs an introduction, should be occasional and must be done using different ways so as not to create negative feelings. If parents are constantly preaching, checking, blaming and asking about the child’s studies, he will start hating his parents and also hate his studies. He will also think negatively about the home, and the home environment will be irritating for him.

“Can anything else be a response to a favor but a favor?” [Qur’an 55:60] See God’s kindness toward His servants | Agha AliReza Panahiyan Follow us: Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Panahianen/ ... Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/PanahianEN/... Twitter: https://twitter.com/PanahianEN Telegram: https://telegram.me/Panahianen/ ============================== We are not supposed to abandon any of our needs, and besides our needs, any of our interests. We are supposed to increase ourselves each moment. We are not supposed to forget ourselves. Forgetting oneself is in fact a divine punishment. “Those who forget about God, He will make them forget themselves.” [Qur’an 59:19] Since they forgot God, God does something that they forget themselves too. When you look at a sinner, you see that he has forgotten himself, what benefits him and his enjoyments. Each sin means you have forgotten and abandoned your own interests, enjoyments, likings and entertainments. Seeking benefits is not bad, but which kinds of benefits? Your small benefits or the great, lasting benefits? In fact, doing any good action is a kind of being self-seeking! But it’s a good way of being self-seeking and not bad. When is self-seeking bad? If you want your own benefits and others to sacrifice for you, this is wrong. When is self-seeking good? It’s when you seek your own benefits by sacrificing for others. In the end, you’re seeking good for yourself! By sacrificing for others, you’re seeking good for yourself. This is a correct way of being self-seeking. [You may ask,] “I thought if I forget myself and my benefits, God will reward me. Now you’re telling me to be self-seeking?! Why should God love me if I am self-seeking?” If I want to give you a nice answer, I’ll tell you, “You don’t understand. You don’t understand that God loves us more than our mothers do.” When we are self-seeking and are successful, the first one who rewards us is God Himself. When a child gets accepted for entering the university, his mother sheds tears of joy. “Mother, you haven’t been accepted. He’s been accepted.” She says, “Yes, he’s my child. He’s dear to me. His success is my success.” “Mother, you won’t be given anything. He’ll leave. She/he will get married and leave.” She answers, “That’s my child! I love to see his/her success.” How does one get close to God? When you seek benefits for yourself, since God loves you very much, He gets happy and rewards you with Heaven. “Good job!” “Why do You reward me with Heaven? This was to my own benefit!” Shall I tell you the answer for you to be greatly affected by God’s intense magnanimity and affection? God says, “I have created a creature by the name of ‘human being,’ and you have respected him. So I thank you. You have done Me a favor.” Where in the Qur’an does it say, “You have done Me a favor and I want to thank you”? Tell me the verse in the Qur’an. It’s truly effective. “I’ve done You a favor?!” “Yes.” “Can anything else be a response to a favor but a favor?” [Qur’an 55:60] “You’ve done Me a favor, and I want to do you a favor.” “God, I’ve done You a favor?!” “Yes, you didn’t waste what I created. You did Me a favor as much as you could, and I will do you a favor as much as I can. You were able to do Me a favor this much. How much am I able to do you a favor? I’ll give you Heaven for an eternity.” Each sin means you have forgotten and abandoned your own interests, enjoyments, likings and entertainments. When you seek benefits for yourself, since God loves you very much, He gets happy and rewards you with Heaven. “Good job!”

Ayatollah Sayyid Ali Khamenei narrates and explains an excerpt from the will of the Messenger of Allah, the holy Prophet Muhammad (S) where he speaks to the Commander of the Believers, Amirul Mo\'mineen, Imam Ali ibne Abi Talib (A). What is one of the things that the Messenger of Allah (S) said to Imam Ali (A) in his will? What will happen to a society if a large part of the society becomes acquainted with and familiar with the holy Qur\'an? And how does one become acquainted with and familiar with the holy Qur\'an? Furthermore, in what situations must one recite the holy Qur\'an? Also, what are some specific sets of Qur\'anic chapters that have been recommended by Islamic gnostics? Finally, what are the etiquettes of reciting and reading the holy Qur\'an, which if not followed can have disastrous consequences? Ayatollah Sayyid Ali Khamenei expounds upon the will of the Messenger of Allah, holy Prophet Muhammad (S).

It’s not good to talk negatively, especially to God when supplicating Him, and specifically on the Nights of Destiny. But sometimes one sees in the supplications that the Imams themselves talked somewhat negatively. It seems talking like this sometimes has a good effect in the world. This year the religious meetings aren’t the same as before and the believers don’t easily get together. I’m sorry, but let me talk a little negatively. In previous years, when we used to get together and there were good meetings, what did we do? Did our Imam (aj) return?! Some are worried about Muharram. Some are worried about Arbaeen [due to COVID-19]. But during Ashura in previous years we weren’t able to meet Mahdi (aj), the son of Fatimah, either! We weren’t able to benefit enough from these nights. I’m not saying they were ineffective. But you know that the Nights of Destiny are enough for us to bring our Imam back [by praying]. Our situation wasn’t good and now it has become worse. I don’t know how broken hearted you are when you talk with God. What if God is upset at the way we pray and supplicate Him? What if He didn’t like our previous years, since we participate in religious gatherings due to them being fun and entertaining? What will our children think about us? Will they say, “My parents participated in a religious gathering, cried some and came home. It was interesting”? Or will they say, “During these three nights, I don’t know why my parents were so distressed. Why were they pleading so much?” [We should behave such that] our children say, “During these three nights my parents were extremely sad.” ============================== Follow us: Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Panahianen/ ... Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/PanahianEN/... Twitter: https://twitter.com/PanahianEN Telegram: https://telegram.me/Panahianen/ ==============================

We’ve been created for a continually increasing, warming love. Follow us: Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Panahianen/ ... Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/PanahianEN/... Twitter: https://twitter.com/PanahianEN Telegram: https://telegram.me/Panahianen/ ============================== When you look at the collection of religious teachings and guidance, you usually feel they mostly tell us what not to do. [Religion says,] “Don’t do that. Detach yourself from this world. Abandon your wishes.” Religions guidance and commands mostly want us to put things aside. That is why many people don’t like religion. They feel that religious recommendations are mostly prohibiting, bitter and unpleasant. Is it really like this? Are most of religion\'s recommendations and teachings really about \"cutting off, detaching, giving something up and leaving\"? Is this true or is this a false belief? The fact is, yes, it is like this. The beloved Prophet of Islam (s) both warned and gave good tidings. He gave good news. But it’s clear that the Holy Prophet (s) is mostly addressed as a warner in the Qur’an. And his being a warner is more than his being one who gives good tidings. Why is it like this? It’s because a person doesn’t need to be told, “Be good. Be in love. Connect with God. Reach Him. Live with love.” You know, human beings don’t need such recommendations. Why? Because a person is in love. He wants to connect [with God]. People have all these good features. They are not apparent. They are hidden in a human being. If you abandon some things in your life, these will naturally show themselves. A person won’t fall in love by your saying, “Be in love. Be enthusiastic.” Love should come from within. Effective recommendations for people are words such as, “Abandon it. Leave it. Stop. Don’t say it. Don\'t say these words.\" In fact, religion’s way of training is a bit like looking for treasure. You have to open the way. Pick up this and that. Pick up this rock. Break that rock. Pick these up until you reach that shining gem, or until you reach that clear source of water, for example. It is like digging a well. Some are very pure. With a little digging you reach water. For others, you must dig a deep hole to reach water. So, you see religion’s recommendations mostly tell us what we shouldn’t do. They’re more about abandoning, prohibiting and warning. Religion wants to detach a person from some things instead of advising him to become connected [to God]. Because there is no need to advise people to become connected. We are all in love and have been created in love. If one abandons some things, love will show itself. So religion’s recommendations are prohibiting in appearances or at least there are more prohibiting ones. Religion truly wants to make people fall in love. But one doesn’t fall in love by telling him to do so. One should remove the obstacles. A person doesn’t need to be told, “Be good. Be in love. Connect with God. Reach Him. Live with love.” Why? Because a person is in love. He wants to connect [with God]. People have all these good features. They are not apparent. They are hidden in a human being. We’ve been created for a deep, lasting love. We’ve been created for a continually increasing, warming love! How can we gain this? By abandoning many things and detaching our heart from them.

Even if you move slowly toward God, He’ll run toward you. Follow us: Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Panahianen/ ... Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/PanahianEN/... Twitter: https://twitter.com/PanahianEN Telegram: https://telegram.me/Panahianen/ ============================== The truth is that God hasn’t asked that much from us. Have you heard, “Take a step and God will send His blessings”? Have you heard the tradition, “Take one step toward God, and God will take ten steps toward you”? Have you heard this tradition that when you move slowly toward God, He’ll run toward you? What is the first step we should take? God embraces a person who is aware of his or her own faults. He caresses them very much! He is incredibly kind to them! This is to such an extent that even if you feel you don’t have any faults, just tell God that you do. Then see how God will embrace you. Nonetheless, it is impossible that a person has no flaws. But even if one is not aware of his faults, he should tell God, “God, in general I have flaws. But I’m not aware of my flaws.” One should say, “Al-Afw (forgive me)” 300 times in his midnight prayer. The Holy Prophet (s) advised us to ask for God’s forgiveness at least 70 times a day. God hasn’t asked that much from us. Have you heard, “Take a step and God will send His blessings”? Have you heard the tradition, “Take one step toward God, and God will take ten steps toward you”? Have you heard this tradition that when you move slowly toward God, He’ll run toward you? What is the first step we should take? We should know our own fault. This is half a step or sometimes one complete step. Then God will help you eliminate this defect. He’ll design the rest of your life in such a way that you are corrected. After that, you shouldn’t think you did something special in confronting your will and purifying yourself. When you look, you’ll see that God has made the rest possible. This is how it truly is. God arranges the rest so that you can eliminate that flaw. In some cases, He corrects you right away. He doesn’t bother you and allow it to take much time. God becomes very happy! [According to the traditions,] God says, “When a sinner turns back to Me, it’s as if I’ve found something I’d lost. When a sinner turns back to Me, like a person who has lost his food and water in a desert and is perishing, then he suddenly finds them, I become happy in this way.” We are that sinner! When we recognize we have a sin, God becomes happy as if He has found something He’d lost. It’s as if God was perishing due to His thirst, then He found water. It’s as if God becomes excited! Of course, these are our inaccurate interpretations. But this analogy has been mentioned in the traditions. We should become excited if we find a defect in ourselves. So let’s search within ourselves to find our defects.

Ghadeer kay hairat angaiz fazail Agha Alireza Panahiyan غدیر کے حیرت انگیز فضائل | علیرضا پناہیان

Religiosity starts from this point. Follow us: Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Panahianen/ ... Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/PanahianEN/... Twitter: https://twitter.com/PanahianEN Telegram: https://telegram.me/Panahianen/ ============================== We want to reach the goal that God has created us for. What should we do? From where should we start? One starting point is choosing your goal well. Moving forward, having the insight to have a program to move forward and having enthusiasm to reach the destination, are very dependent on our seeing the goal. Whenever you see your heart feels cold, whenever you see you don’t have that needed speed and eagerness, whenever you see you can’t find the way and don’t know what you should do, know that your connection with your goal has become weak. For each deed you should have the intention of getting close to God. When you say, “To get close to God,” you’re saying your goal. Mention your goal, then take action. Mention your goal, then take action. Doing good deeds and worshiping without mentioning the goal is useless. Interestingly you must keep repeating this. If you prayed but didn’t have the intention of getting close to God, you have to pray again. It was useless. Having a goal is this important! This doesn’t mean just saying you believe and then thinking that now you’re a believer. You should keep remembering this goal and being concerned with it for each act. You should take action because of it. You want to chat with your friend or you want to rest. You want to get up at dawn. You want to go to work tomorrow. You should say it. You should repeat it in your heart. “I’m doing these for that goal.” You should repeat this. How many actions do you do every day? Can you count the actions you do in your day? “I go to work.” Before going to work, you do one hundred other things too. One is that you get dressed. Let’s talk about getting dressed. We don’t count it as an activity. What is your intention for wearing these clothes? “I’m just wearing clothes. I can’t go without clothes! I have to wear clothes.” “Why are you wearing these clothes?” “I’ve bought them to wear them!” A tradition says that if you wear clothes to attract people’s attention, God won’t look at you as long as you’re wearing those clothes. “But this was the most normal act. This was my everyday coat!” What was your intention today for wearing this normal, everyday coat?” This is how religion trains us. Religiosity starts from this point. “A person wears clothes to attract people’s attention. Do I have to look ugly? Should I wear a sack?!” No, but why do you want to attract people’s attention? Because of God or because of yourself? “Just forget it! You look at my intentions in too much detail!” It’s fine if you look proper to others. It’s good that you bought good clothes. Whether your clothes are normal, average or good, say, “God, I want to look good because of You.” [One says,] “But I don’t remember to do this!” If you don’t pay attention to this, you won’t move toward your goal! You’ll also lose the opportunities you have. Then you will wonder why you don’t move forward. It’s because you’re not in a hurry and don’t feel a pressing need. Because of God! After putting on your clothes, won’t you say goodbye before you go out? Why do you want to say goodbye? “But we always say goodbye! Can I just make the intention that from now on whenever I say goodbye it’s for the sake of God?” Why do you want to take a step toward your goal just once? You don’t want to put effort to move toward your goal again? You’ve become tired of your goal!? Is this repetition bothering you? One time forever? Maybe you want a computer to do it for you?! So you don’t want to become close to God at all. Go live your life. A person who has a strong connection with his goal will remember it each time. Now that God has made it so simple and you can move toward God with your simple deeds, why don’t you do it? You’re announcing to others, “People, I know God. This God is boring for you to want to remember Him all the time. So don’t come toward Him. My life is boring too. Don’t make your life boring.” Is this what you want to announce? You haven’t gone toward God yourself and now you want to prevent others as well? One should pay attention to his goal very much. And one should have a constant connection with his goal. Whenever you see your heart feels cold, whenever you see you don’t have that needed speed and eagerness, whenever you see you can’t find the way and don’t know what you should do, know that your connection with your goal has weakened. A person who has a strong connection with his goal will remember it each time. For all your deeds, you should have the intention of getting close to God. “Getting close to God” means saying our goal. Doing good deeds and worshiping without mentioning the goal is useless. Religiosity starts from this point.

Clip Pay attention to Me Ali Reza Panahian Salam my dear. How are you? “May I come up?” Come dear. Do you want to sit here while I’m talking? Shall I talk while you’re sitting here? “Read.” *** During the days and nights of the holy month of Ramadan, we should reap the most benefit. How can we receive light from this month? How can we benefit from God’s Grace in this holy month of Ramadan? By paying attention! This is the main factor. The most important capacity we have in our soul and which we don’t usually benefit from is paying attention. Paying attention is not usually considered to be something that valuable. No matter how much you stand behind a store window and say, “I have truly paid attention to this car behind the window,” this is not something valuable in this world. People say, “You shouldn’t have paid attention to it.” But it is exactly the opposite when standing before God. Whoever has gained something, he has gained it by paying attention to God wholeheartedly and by beseeching Him. In the beginning, paying attention happens in one’s mind. “I have turned my face to Him Who has created the heavens and the earth…” [Qur’an 6:79] A person should pay attention to God in his thoughts. Gradually, when this paying attention becomes deeper, it turns into paying attention with one’s heart. A person faces Him with his heart. “I have turned my face to Him…” “Salam.” Salam my dear. How are you? “May I come up?” Come dear. Come. It’s fine. Come up. Do you want to sit here while I’m talking? Shall I talk while you’re sitting here? Sit here; I’ll talk. You sit, I sit, and we’ll talk. It’s not a problem if I talk? “No. Read.” Read? She says read. Do you want to go down or are you comfortable sitting here? Do you want to go down? She says she won’t come. Let her be. “Candy…” No, no, leave her. “I’ll take her. She’ll be distracting.” No, will you be distracted? “No.” [Audience,] “Haj Aqa, we shouldn’t pay attention [as you were explaining].” Don’t pay attention. She got the candy from you but didn’t come. Of course I am happy to be in the presence of this luminous child. She’s so pure. See. This dear child reminded me of Mr. Baha’udini. His son-in-law related, “Once, I came home, and I saw the children were very noisy. But he was sitting and thinking deeply. I said, ‘Children, be quiet!’ I quieted them. Then, Mr. Baha’udini noticed me. He said, ‘What do you want with the children?!’ I said, ‘I thought they shouldn’t be noisy and bother you.’ He replied, ‘What do they have to do with me?’ I realized that children do not distract Mr. Baha’udini at all.” This ability to pay attention is very valuable. Paying attention means that my face, my soul and my heart are turned toward You God. I’m paying attention to You now. “I have turned my face to Him Who has created the heavens and the earth…” Paying attention to whom? To the One Who has created the heavens and the earth! God doesn’t want anything from His servant. He says, “Just pay attention to Me.” God gives everything to His servant. He’s not stingy at all. God has created us so that He may give to us. God doesn’t want anything. God doesn’t like negligence. He says, “Why aren’t you paying attention to Me?” When a person pays attention, that’s it. Don’t leave your soul unattended to pay attention and become busy with everything it wants. Say, “Wait, I should have a program for myself now.” In order to strengthen your attentiveness, you should pay attention to your sorrows, my dears. Nothing will drag a person’s attention to itself like sorrows. Find beautiful spiritual sorrows and pay attention to them. This is what supplications do. This doesn’t mean we should be sad. It means we should pay attention. If crying and sorrows help, even better. Now what if sorrows distract us from God? That’s a nasty sorrow. Having a sorrow that does not cause a person to pay attention to God and which distances him from God is very bad. This doesn’t mean having sorrows. It means paying attention, and we should gain this ability. O God, help us to leave this holy Month as people who are attentive. There were times when we paid attention to other things besides You. Especially if we have enjoyed them too - very bad! “I ask for Your forgiveness for every pleasure other than remembering You.” [Imam Sajjad (as), Al-Dhakirin Supplication] God doesn’t want anything from His servant. He says, “Just pay attention to Me.” God gives everything to His servant. He’s not stingy at all. God doesn’t want anything. God doesn’t like negligence. During the days and nights of the holy month of Ramadan, it is by being attentive that we benefit. How good it is to recite the Qur’an while being attentive. How good it is to pray while being attentive. Do your work while being attentive. Do your work, but your heart should be with God. ***

An interesting answer from the Holy Prophet (as) Agha Alireza Panahiyan

A door to Heaven has opened for us ============================== Follow us: Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Panahianen/ ... Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/PanahianEN/... Twitter: https://twitter.com/PanahianEN Telegram: https://telegram.me/Panahianen/ ============================== Do you know why we don’t repent, worship, do good deeds or endeavor to have a good intention very much? Because we think we always have these opportunities! That’s it. There is a very old joke. It may not seem as funny nowadays. A person was told, “If you want money, go to Tehran. It’s all over the place there [meaning it’s easy to make money there].” “Really?!” “Yes.” When he got off the bus, he saw a bill on the ground next to his foot. He thought, “It’s really true that money is all over the place in Tehran. I’ll start collecting from tomorrow. I have come a long distance and I’m tired now.” The next day, he asked the motel, “Do you have a bag?” “What do you want it for?” “I want to collect money,” he said. “From where?” “They said it’s all over the place!” he replied. “Yesterday when I got off the bus, I saw a bill,” he continued. “You should have picked up that bill! It’s not like that.” Many people think like this. “I’ll do it later.” God doesn’t like such an attitude. Are you sure you will have a chance in the future?! Who will give you this chance? When a good deed comes to your mind, does it come for no reason? O God, I should repent very much for the times when it occurred to me to come to You, but I told myself I’ll do it later. I thought I will always have these opportunities. It is said that when something good comes to your heart, don’t ignore it! Think, “An angel has inspired this thought in me!” See how the Immaculate Ones talk to God. They have said that when you want to talk to God, imagine that this is your last chance. Think, “Will there be any other opportunities? Will I have such an opportunity again?” We don’t think like this. We think we always have such opportunities! But the Immaculate Imams tell us there aren’t always these opportunities! This is the last chance. It is said, “Appreciate the opportunities you have. They pass by like a cloud passing by.” It’s like small, scattered clouds that come into the sky for a short time. When you look again, they’re not there anymore. This is how opportunities are. The Commander of the Faithful, Ali (as), has said this and not just any person! He knows the universe better than others. He said that this is how we should look at matters. One of these opportunities is the Night of Destiny and the month of Ramadan. There are many opportunities that we miss unfortunately. We have been told to read the Jawshan Kabeer Supplication on the Nights of Destiny. A door to Heaven has opened for us! Don’t read even one line of the Jawshan Kabeer Supplication negligently. Don’t call God by even one of His attributes in the Jawshan Kabeer Supplication negligently. “God, did You hear me? I am saying this to You. O He Who plans the day and the night. O He Who gives the sustenance of the small child. O God, did You hear me? I said this about You! See.” Whether you cry or not, pay attention while you are saying these and they will have an effect on the world! Do you know why we don’t repent, worship, do good deeds or endeavor to have a good intention very much? Because we think we always have these opportunities! Many people think like this. “I’ll do it later.” God doesn’t like such an attitude. Are you sure you will have a chance in the future?! Who will give you this chance? When a good deed comes to your mind, does it come for no reason? When something good comes to your heart, don’t ignore it! Think, “An angel has inspired this thought in me!

Clip | Tumhara Khof Kia Hai | Agha Ali Reza Panahian facebook.com\\sarbazEmehdi youtube.com\\sarbazEmehdi If you are really in love, where is your fear? | Alireza Panahian

I don’t want to be far from Imam Ali (as) in Heaven. Follow us: Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Panahianen/ ... Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/PanahianEN/... Twitter: https://twitter.com/PanahianEN Telegram: https://telegram.me/Panahianen/ ============================== We should tell everyone, “See your good points, so that you may gain energy to move forward.” When they say not to see your good points since you will become arrogant, this means if you see some goodness in yourself and stop. This is bad. But if you see your good points and gain energy to move forward, this is a beneficial self-awareness. Actually the peak of self-awareness is not seeing our bad points; it’s seeing our good points. Be so drowned in seeing your good points that you feel you can’t live without reaching the peak. You should honor yourself very much. Imam Ali (as) said, «مَن کَرُمَت نفسُهُ هانَت علیهِ الشَّهَوات» “If someone honors himself, carnal desires will become contemptible to him.” [He’ll say,] “What’s this?! This isn’t right for my status.” The peak of self-awareness is for a person to understand his value. What is one of the good points we have right now? We should truly honor ourselves for this. One truly becomes excited when he sees this goodness. It is that we are not jealous of the Friends of God. We feel an affection for them. We are not arrogant toward them; we are humble and sympathetic toward them. This is very important! My friends, if we look carefully at ourselves to see what it is we want, we’ll weep day and night because we are far from the Imam of the Time (aj). We’ll weep day and night begging God, “Don’t let my house be far from the house of the Commander of the Faithful (as) in Heaven.” This is what we want. This is a part of us. We don’t say, “Unfortunately, this tendency is not very strong in me.” This exists within you! How can I tell you this? You already have this! The Arafah Supplication talks more about thanking God for His blessings than asking for forgiveness for our bad points. This is surprising! Imam Husayn (as) is drowned in this. If one gets close to Imam Husayn (as), the Imam will start showing that person his goodness. You participate in Imam Husayn’s (as) mourning ceremony wearing a black shirt. Then he starts. He’ll say, “See how good you are. You love me. You cry for me. See how good you are!” He increases your energy and uplifts your spirits. We should tell everyone, “See your good points, so that you may gain energy to move forward.” Actually the peak of self-awareness is not seeing our bad points; it’s seeing our good points.

A Special Mindset for the Nights of Power (Laylatul Qadr) Why don’t we take full advantage of God’s Kindness? We are prevented from benefiting from God’s Mercy because we count on ourselves. This barrier is arrogance, being conceited about our possessions and achievements. We never talk to God as if we are a criminal, cutthroat, villain. No, we talk to God as if we are honorable people, “God, as You are aware, I’m obviously one of Your good servants. And I haven’t had a fault thus far. But, I decided to turn to You tonight to say if You want to grant me more blessings, sure, I agree! Yes, I have some faults. It is possible I haven’t done as much as I should.” This person is the epitome of arrogance. This person is not able to benefit from God’s Mercy. During the Nights of Power (Qadr) I like to go amongst the crowd of worshippers and see who has come for the first time, a person who has a history of serious wrongdoing! And, he is too embarrassed to talk. People ask him, “Sir, would you like a Qur’an?” When he wants to take the Qur’an, he thinks, “I’m too embarrassed to touch it. I have nothing, absolutely nothing to say.” If I find such a person during the Nights of Power, I’ll go and stand behind him. I’ll say, “God, whatever you grant him, grant to me too.” He doesn’t have a trace of arrogance. He has no pretentiousness at all. Others go back home happily. But, this person is still standing. Towards the end, he will say, “God, did You look at me too?” This kind of person will make use of God’s Mercy that night. Benefiting from God’s Mercy is very hard. Why? Because we count on ourselves. Don’t count on yourself. Are you able to go to a gathering of worshippers to repent like that criminal? You won’t go. You’d say, “It’s impossible. Is it possible?! Thank God, I’m not that bad either.” We are even proud of our deeds, which we haven’t done! At least he has done some good deeds. We tell ourselves, “We still have time until the end of the Month of Ramadan.” “Till the end of the month?! But, you haven’t done anything yet!” “I’ll do something. Don’t worry!” We are prevented from benefiting from God’s Mercy because we count on ourselves. What should we do to stop counting on ourselves? The supplications narrated from the Household of the Prophet (‘a) are excellent opportunities. A supplication says, “God, even if I had done a good deed, I shouldn’t have relied on it. I should have relied on Your Grace. And now, I haven’t even done that good deed. So, I must only rely on Your Grace. What should I do if You don’t look at me?”

سخنراني دعاي ندبه - Agha Ali Raza Panahiyan Speech - Farsi

In this video clip, Agha Panahian explains how the enemy works in the cultural space, and how should we handle their attacks. This clip also features Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Syed Ali Khamenei. We have obtained legal permission from the original maker of the non-translated video. NOTE: This is the Official YouTube Channel of Aba Saleh Productions, managed by Jawad Hemani(myself), with some inputs from others. The content is FREE to use without any Copyrights, provided it is used for the sake of propagating true Islamic teachings, and not for personal interests. Contact: [email protected]

See the Imam’s (as) outlook ============================== Follow us: Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Panahianen/ ... Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/PanahianEN/... Twitter: https://twitter.com/PanahianEN Telegram: https://telegram.me/Panahianen/ ============================== There is a beautiful tradition narrated from a man named Nauf. He said, “I saw Imam Ali (as) turn away from everyone and move away quickly and eagerly.” Have you seen when someone is pursuing something he likes how he moves away from others? He doesn’t say goodbye ten times. He‘s like an arrow that has been shot from a bow! This is a description of how the Imam went away. The man asked him, “Where are you going?” It was midnight when he saw the Commander of the Faithful, Ali (as), leaving! Now see how the Imam said he wanted to go pray the Midnight Prayer and worship. [The Imam said,] “Nauf, leave me. Indeed my longings take me to the presence of my beloved.” O Imam, may I be sacrificed for you. Worshiping to you is going toward your longings, right? May I be sacrificed for you. It’s obvious that this worshiping is fun and enjoyable for you. “I said, ‘My master, what are your longings?’ The Imam said, ‘The One Who should know, the One Whom I long for knows this Himself. I don’t need to tell this to anyone else.’” See how the Commander of the Faithful talked. This is how he was. Nauf said, “O Commander of the Faithful, I’m afraid of my greed...”He saw Imam Ali’s (as) position. He looked at himself and said he’s afraid! Nauf was a good person. He saw Imam Ali’s (as) longings and what was fun to him. So Nauf said he was afraid of his own greed for this world. He saw that he didn’t have that same enthusiasm the Imam had for worshiping. He asked what he should do. The Imam (as) was surprised. The Imam said, “Why don’t you take refuge with He Who protects those who are afraid and is the shelter of the mystics?” Why don’t you get help from God? He gives refuge. If you’re truly afraid, He gives refuge to those who are afraid. Get help from God Himself! He is the shelter of the mystics. You understood you’re not in a good situation? You understood there is a better situation? He is the shelter of the mystics. He gives refuge Himself. Why do you ask the Imam? What a truly high-level conversation. It is very beautiful and mystical. Nauf said, “Guide me to Him.” I don’t know how to read the words of the Commander of the Faithful (as). The Imam said, “He is the Exalted and Great God. Attach your longings to His good grace.” This is how worshiping becomes something fun and enjoyable! See the Commander of the Faithful’s (as) outlook. The Exalted and Great God will take you to your longings. Don’t you want to be like this?! So ask Him. God will take you to your longings. [The Imam said,] “Don’t you want to worship God like me?!” The Imam didn’t say, “like me.” I’m saying it like this. Don’t you want to worship God like the Imam? God will take you to your longings. What is worshiping my dear ones? Worshiping means you talk about your longings with God and He takes you to them. O God, so worshiping is fun and enjoyable.