RNA – Referring to the 114th verse of the Quranic chapter “Hud,” which states, “Indeed, good deeds do away with misdeeds,” Ayatollah Sayyed Abolhasan Mahdavi, a seminary teacher in the Iranian city of Esfahan, said, “Mourning for Imam al-Husayn purifies the human soul.”
Ayatollah Mahdavi, addressing a crowd of seminary students on the topic of morality added, “Good deeds can cleanse one’s soul of all the vice and wrong deeds, this is different than repenting from sins because the act of repentance is meant for someone who asks for God’s forgiveness and mercy upon him or her. God has stated in the Holy Quran that ‘Indeed, good deeds do away with misdeeds,’ this goes to prove His Almighty’s mercy.”
The senior Shi’a cleric went on, “I’d like to elaborate on those deeds that eliminate vice and sins, such as reciting adhan and iqamah (call for prayers) for they cleanse human soul while we’re reciting them because we’re making confessions to God. So is performing prayers at the first possible time, mourning for the great martyr of Karbala Imam al-Husayn, reciting Quran, helping the needy as well as any other acts of kindness and mercy.”
Expressing that any good deed might not remove a vice at once, the member of the Assembly of Experts highlighted that in some cases, our good deed must be repeated several times in order for them to be effective.
“Prayers purify the human soul, like a river that cleans human five times a day, since such act of worship is considered a true manifestation of God’s bounty and forgiveness,” Ayatollah Mahdavi said.
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