In the Name of Allah, the Beneficent, the Merciful

“The Price of Love”

He was from Khurasan. He had travelled a long way and suffered a lot to reach his destination; because he was walking barefoot. His shoes were worn out, his feet were cracked, and his heels were split. When he reached Medina, he directly went to see Imam Baqir (PBUH).

As soon as he met with the Imam (PBUH), he thanked Allah (SWT) for achieving his goal. When Imam Baqir (PBUH) noticed his inured feet, he asked the man,” What is this?”

The man replied,” O son of the Messenger of Allah! I have travelled along way. O swear to Allah (SWT) that nothing made me leave my hometown but my love for you, the Ahl al-Bait (PBUT)”.

Imam Baqir (PBUH) responded to the man from Khurasan by saying,” Glad tidings to you! I swear to Allah (SWT) that you will be resurrected with us”.

The man asked in shock,” O son of the Messenger of Allah! With you?”

Imam Baqir (PBUH) replied,” Yes! No one loves us (the Ahl al-Bait (PBUT)) except that Allah (SWT) will resurrect him with us. Is religion anything other than love? Allah (SWT) has said,” Say: If you love Allah, then follow me (the Messenger of Allah), so that Allah will love you (too) ⁽¹⁾”” ⁽²⁾.

Indeed the fact that everyone will be resurrected with whatever he loves has been emphasized in many narrations. For example, it is narrated in a Hadith that if a person loves a piece of rock, he will be resurrected with it on the Day of Judgment ⁽³⁾.

Based on these sayings, it is evident that human choses and shapes his life and destiny himself; in other words, human is not like natural objects. Whatever is in the nature is as it was created, and has no choice. But human beings are as they want to be. Therefore, if a person loves something, and this love somehow penetrates his soul and affects his actions, according to the saying of Imam Baqir (PBUH), he will be resurrected with the very same thing.

(The above is a selection taken from “The Philosophy of Ethics”, by Martyr Murtada Mutahhari (with some changes and additions))

The Roshd Website offers condolences to all Muslims, especially you dear friend, upon 7^th of Dhi al-Hajjah, the anniversary of the martyrdom of reviver of the religion of Islam and the clear guide, the fifth Imam of the Shiites,

Imam Muhammad ibn Ali al-Baqir (PBUH).

Roshd Islamic Shia Website

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Footnotes:

1-    The Holy Quran (3, 31)

2-    Da’aim al-Islam, vol. 1, p. 71

3-    Amaali of Saduq, p. 130