Our gathering here is characterized by harmony and congruity. I hope this concord and unity will further be increased. At our previous meetings in the holy month of Ramazan over the past years we usually read and elaborated on some sentences from Nahj-ul-Balaghah. This year we will also do the same thing. I have selected a few sentences dealing with the concept of faith from different parts of the book for this purpose.
With respect to faith, Commander of the Faithful, Imam Ali (greetings be upon him) says, "Faith is the most illuminated path, it is the brightest light." Faith in the words of Commander of the Faithful means belief in God, in His messenger and in the Day of Judgment. Faith is a kind of submission, submission to truth. Sometimes a person knows that something is true but tries to hide that truth. The opposite of hiding the truth is faith, which means accepting the truth.
Faith, even in its general sense, prepares the ground for action. Imam Ali (greetings be upon him) says, "Faith shows the way toward pious deeds." And right after this sentence, he states, "Pious deeds show the path toward faith." Thus, we see that there is a mutual relationship between faith and pious deeds, and this is a very important point. It means that we should deepen our faith through pious deeds, as we are also guided toward pious deeds by faith.
Faith is weakened by faults and flaws, and the weakness of faith in turn negatively affects our deeds and gives rise to more frailties and blemishes.
In another part of Nahj-ul-Balaghah, in response to a question about faith, Commander of the Faithful says, "Faith rests on four pillars: endurance and perseverance, certitude, justice and jihad." As regards the fourth pillar of faith, namely jihad, which means striving and earnest endeavor, Imam Ali (greetings be upon him) points out that jihad has four branches: enjoining the good, forbidding the evil, honesty and sincerity in words and deeds in both social and political spheres, and avoiding unbelievers, profligates and those leading an immoral life.
Commander of the Faithful further describes faith as being of two types: first, deep-rooted and steady faith and second, transient and superficial faith. The first type of faith is based on a deep reasoning and insight and is supported by pious deeds. The second type of faith is not based on logic, it is based on emotions. It has not been deepened by pious deeds, which require self-purification and self-chastisement. This is why this type of faith is superficial, transient and not internalized, and at the time of trial, namely when one is encountered with temptations such as those for wealth, position or sensual pleasures, this type of faith is usually lost.
It is worthy of mention that all of us have a certain weak point, the so-called Achilles' heel. The only way to protect ourselves is through piety, self-discipline and self-observation.
The last sentence I would like to talk about is part of Imam Ali's epistle to Malek-e-Ashtar. There are wonderful points in this letter that evoke admiration. Commander of the Faithful, in his letter, states: "The destruction of the earth results from the poverty of its inhabitants." In other words, when the people become poor, their land begins to deteriorate. The Imam (greetings be upon him) does not express this as a philosophical point, but as a reality. Flourishing of a land is caused by the efforts of its inhabitants. Therefore, the prosperity of a land is proportional to the energy and morale, capabilities and innovations of its inhabitants. It is clear that such features are less prominent in the people who are poor.
Imam Ali (greetings be upon him) continues to say, "If people are poor, their poverty is the fault of their rulers." In other words, the responsibility for the people's poverty lies with those ruling the people, since they embezzle national wealth and misappropriate it instead of spending it for the people's well-being and welfare.
Sometimes those ruling the people are like former dictators. For example, Reza Khan wanted everything for himself and observed no limits in this respect. His entourage also misused national funds. This was the common practice of former dictatorships. However, modern governments which have a democratic appearance, but which are despotic in nature, also do the same thing, although in a different way.
Today, large economic corporations are pulling the strings of these seemingly democratic governments. They are the ones that make policies, set the stage for the election of presidents and even the election of parliamentarians. The president, for his part, has his own aides and assistants. He appoints ministers and high-ranking administrators. Therefore, the president and the officials around him form the ruling clique.
The type of dictatorship that is practiced today is different from that of the past. In the past, dictators like Reza Khan issued commands and orders. However, today, due to their democratic appearance, governments do not issue orders, but instead enact laws that serve the interests of economic corporations which are their patrons. They would take any measure that is necessary for infusing new life into those corporations. They would even attack another country like Iraq for this purpose. Who would benefit from Iraq's oil or from the reconstruction of that country? The answer is, the economic-financial establishments behind U.S. and British governments. They are the ones that would benefit from the Middle East oil, from dominating the Middle East region, or from something called "Great Middle East".
Now some may claim that there is no such thing as poverty in the United States or Britain. What should be taken into consideration is that to what extent British government has given rise to poverty in the Indian Subcontinent. Or to what extent colonial powers have caused poverty in Africa or Latin America. Or today, to what extent the United States is responsible for poverty, hunger and privation throughout the world due to its economic influence. These are the points that should be taken into consideration as the criteria for making judgments in this respect. Besides, even in the United States and Britain themselves there is a wide social gap between the poor and the rich.
In conclusion, what I would like to stress is that we, the government officials, should practice self-observation and self-discipline. Also, all government employees who are entrusted with important tasks should do the same thing. It is necessary to have self-confidence as well as trust in Almighty Allah.
I hope we are all influenced by the wise words of Commander of the Faithful.
Greetings be upon you and Allah's mercy and blessings