In the Name of God, the Beneficent, the Merciful
All praise is due to God, The Lord of the world
“It is narrated from Imam Sadiq (pbuh) in the book ‘Al-Kafi’ that someone addressed a letter to Abi Dhar.”*
(Imam Sadiq (pbuh)) said, “Someone wrote a letter to Abi Dhar saying,
‘O' Abi Dhar, tell me some precious words from your knowledge.’”
As you are wise and knowledgeable, give me some new and valuable advice.
“Abi Dhar wrote back, ‘Knowledge is abundant, (and one thing I can tell you is that) if you can avoid doing wrong to someone you love, do so.’”
(Abi Dhar wrote to him,) “I will tell you a point and that is if you can avoid hurting someone you love, do so." This means you should try to not harm the one you love.
“The man asked him, ‘Have you ever seen a person who harms the one he loves?’”
The man told him (probably in the next letter), “Your Excellency Abi Dhar, that is absurd to say ‘Avoid doing harm to someone you like.’ Have you ever seen a person who likes someone else but harms them? That is nonsensical.”
“He (Abi Dhar) told him, “Yes! Your own self is the one you love the most, but if you disobey Allah, then you have definitely harmed yourself.”
Abi Dhar answered him, “Yes, we have seen this. You are the one you like the most among all the world’s creatures and people; you like yourself very much. When you commit a sin, you are doing harm to the person you like, who is yourself and your own soul. So you see, it is possible that a person likes someone, namely one’s own soul, and does harm to him.”
*Koleini, Muhammad ibn Ya'qub, Al-Kafi, volume 2: 458
