- Strengthen your connection to God via Dua and Dhikr
You should rely on God. You should ask Allah the Exalted to help you succeed. You should strengthen your relationship with spirituality and Allah the Exalted on a daily basis. Different preoccupations should not prevent you from engaging in dhikr and paying attention to spirituality.
One of the dangers is to drown ourselves in different preoccupations and to neglect our spiritual relationship with God. A source of support for our enthusiasm, energy, dynamism and activities, is divine assistance. We should sincerely ask God for His help. We should thank Allah the Exalted for divine blessings —including the blessing of this responsibility and this opportunity to render services — and ask Him to increase and continue the blessings. Therefore, this requires attention towards God.
You should appreciate the value of these days in the month of Sha'ban. You read in the holy Salawat of afternoons, "The Holy Prophet (God's greetings be upon him and his household) fasted during this month. He used to keep a vigil at nights in order to show his humility and appreciation for the value of this month. And he continued this until the time of his demise." [Iqbal al-A'mal, Volume 1, page 688]
This means that the Holy Prophet (p.b.u.h.) appreciated the value of Sha'ban and its days and nights until his death; all Sha'bans were like this for him. This Salawat continues as, "Oh God, help us follow his tradition and benefit from his intercession.” By Allah's favor, you should continue the tradition of this great personality during this month. You should pay attention to God, engage in dua and dhikr, and prepare yourselves for entering the auspicious month of Ramadan.
- Genuinely, heartfeltly speak to God in prayer
Maybe in the month of Sha'ban, we could, thanks to the spirituality gained in this month, read that sentimental and rich prayer [Al-Sha'baniyya Supplication] with sincere attention—not only repeating its words—but we speak with God genuinely heartfeltly, via the words of that supplication. If, God willing, this is all brought about, we will be ready to attend God’s feast during the month of Ramadan, and we will be fit to enter the night of Ghadr, at the summit of that month.
You, my dear brothers [and sisters], are among the best of those who can benefit from God’s feast of gifts, spread about during the months of Sha’ban, Rajab, and Ramadan. The reason is that in this arena, the one who endeavors harder, the one who stocks up on more purity and truthfulness, and the one who provides more work expecting fewer rewards, is more successful and closer to the source of goodness. That person is more exposed to the beams of God’s light [blessings].
Statements during a meeting with the Judicial branch officials
January 13, 1993
- Develop a fondness for Kumayl and Al-Sha'baniyya Supplications
I once asked Imam [Khomeini] (R.A), “Among the prayers, narrated by the Imams (a.s.), which one are you more interested in?” He said that he was more interested in the Kumayl prayer and the Sha'baniyya supplication. Interestingly, both of the Duas are related to Sha'ban.
Kumayl dua, as you know, is mainly recommended to be recited on the night of Sha’ban, 14th [birth anniversary of the last Imam of Shia]. Al-Sha'baniyya Supplication is also said by the Imams (a.s.) to belong to the month of Sha’ban.
The styles of the two Duas are similar. They are both expressing affection and love. In Al-Sha'baniyya Supplication we read: “Even if you take me to hell, I will shout out that I love you.” And in Kumayl dua we read: “If you send me to hell if you do not take my words from me, I will let out a cry of love, a cry of hope, a cry of devoutness.”
We should develop a fondness for these prayers and make our hearts soft a little more. The heart is a strange thing. Sometimes it turns into a means that takes humankind to the climax of the heavens and a climax of spirituality. Sometimes, on the other hand, it turns into hardened stone, attached to a person’s leg, taking him down into the depths of deepest waters and valleys; drowning him and injuring his soul.
If you give your heart to money, lust, a certain position or the like, this is how it becomes a heavy like a large stone: it is no longer a heart.
Statements during a meeting with the minister and managers of the Ministry of Intelligence,
October 4, 2004
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