Rasa News Agency reports - Hujjat al-Islam Sayyed Ali Qazi-Askar, the representative of the Supreme Leader of the Islamic Revolution, Ayatollah Sayyed Ali Khamenei, for Hajj and Pilgrimage Affairs, spoke to a crowd of pilgrims at the Holy Shrine of Imam Ali ibn Musa ar-Ridha in Mashhad.
His Eminence described man’s power of choice and free will and the divine guidance of the Fourteen Infallible Leaders towards the “straight path.” He also explained the personal and social consequences of sins and mentioned the numerous Quranic verses and ahadith (traditions) on these issues.
Hujjat al-Islam Qazi-Askari emphasized that God wants man to choose his own way: “God does not force mankind to accept faith; however, God has sent prophets to mankind to show them the path of monotheism, so that they may choose it out of their own free will. In the Holy Quran, this path is called ‘sirat al-mustaqim’ – the straight path.”
He explained that God is the originator of mankind and we will eventually return to Him on the Day of Judgement. There is only one path which leads to God and this path is only achieved by following the guidance of the Prophet Muhammad and his Infallible Household. The reason that they are infallible and immune to human sin is so that they can guide humanity to God by showing them the correct method toward God.
Hujjat al-Islam Qazi-Askar explained that man can make God pleased by doing what He has ordained as permissible and avoiding what He has forbidden. These rules are eternally fixed and unchangeable. God, with his all-encompassing wisdom, knows what is best for the minds, bodies and souls of His creations.
A person can achieve happiness in life by following these divine commandments and staying away from sin. The constant remembrance of God calms one’s soul and helps defeat depression. Following this divine path will lead man towards success in this life and in the hereafter. Daily prayer and fasting brings peace to ones heart and alleviates difficulties in life.
God has said in the Holy Quran that one who performs good deeds and has faith in God and spends his life in remembrance of God, and the Day of Judgement, will enjoy the blessings of God and be among the righteous who will enter heaven. God says that the person who turns away from God and he who forgets God, will have a difficult and miserable life and will not find happiness or tranquility. Personal and social sins can ruin the foundations of ones faith and can destroy the foundations of healthy living.
His Eminence explained that in the Holy Quran, God asserts that any bitterness and tragedy that brings a nation or group of people down is due to their collective actions, but God does not burden any nation unjustifiably. If a nation is suffering, then we should look at their actions and behaviour to understand the reasons for their problems.
The effects of individual and social sin that is mentioned can destroy the joy of worship and the pleasures of life and can be the cause of natural disasters and afflictions upon the people. Thus, individuals and society must work together to build a strong relationship with God to avoid creating a society full of sin and corruption. When people do not know God, they commit many more transgressions.
Hujjat al-Islam Qazi-Askar said that the domination of the enemies over society is due to the increase of sin. This emphasizes the necessity of promoting Islamic values and ethnical virtues in society. Many people did not value or appreciate the greatness of the government of Imam Ali, and thus, they were overtaken by the cruel tyrants, Mu’awiyah and Yazid.
His Eminence also discussed the recent actions of the Takfiri terrorist group “The Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL)” in Syria and Iraq: “These extremist and terrorist groups aim to prevent the expansion of the School of the Holy Household of the Prophet Muhammad [Shi’ite Islam] in the world by creating animosity. They have committed the worst crimes in the Islamic world. They publish pictures and videos of their crimes on social networks but yet the world has remained silent about their crimes. There have been no reports of their human rights abuses. They use human rights as a weapon to destroy the ethical values in society.”
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