The School of Zayd

al-Imām Muḥammad b. al-Imām al-Qāsim al-Rassī قدس الله أرواحهم الزكية said: [𝐌𝐚𝐣𝐨𝐫 𝐒𝐢𝐧𝐬] The believer must avoid all major sins that Allāh has forbidden, such as disbelief, killing without just cause, unjustly taking people's property, engaging in usury, and consuming intoxicants. They must be cautious of every act that they know is disobedience to Allāh. Allāh has prohibited both major and minor sins, as mentioned in the verse: {If you avoid the major sins which you are forbidden, We will remove from you your lesser sins and admit you to a noble entrance [into Paradise]} [An-Nisāʾ]. No one, whether knowledgeable or ignorant among the adults, commits an evil deed, commits a sin, or engages in wrongdoing without their conscience recognizing it. When they commit such actions, their conscience acknowledges the evil, and it also enlightens them about piety and virtuous knowledge when they act righteously. Thus, let the believing servant always remain vigilant and alert, monitoring their actions, obedient to Allāh's commands, and refraining from disobedience. Allāh has said: {Indeed, those who fear Allāh, when an impulse touches them from Satan, they remember [Him] and at once they have insight} [al-Aʿrāf]. It means they repent and do not persist in their sins. [𝐑𝐞𝐩𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐞] If a Muslim who possesses understanding realizes they have committed major sins, they should not lose hope in Allāh's mercy. Instead, they should repent sincerely, and then they may hope for the forgiveness of the Most Merciful. Allāh describes those who hope for His mercy and puts hope in the right perspective when He says: {Indeed, those who have believed and those who have emigrated and fought in the cause of Allāh - those expect the mercy of Allāh. And Allāh is Forgiving and Merciful} [al-Baqarah]. The path to Paradise and Hellfire is two-fold. The path to Paradise involves obedience to Allāh, free from major sins, while the path to Hellfire involves disobedience to Allāh, even if it includes some obedience. If a person believes in parts of Allāh's book and rejects other parts, they are not considered believers, and Allāh does not exclude them from the threat of Hellfire. Allāh says: {So do you believe in part of the Scripture and disbelieve in part? Then what is the recompense for those who do that among you except disgrace in worldly life; and on the Day of Resurrection, they will be sent back to the severest of punishment} [al-Baqarah]. 📗 — Majmūʿ kutb wā Rasāʾil al-Imām Muḥammad b. al-Qāsim al-Rassī 🔗 — https://t.me/TheZaydiSchool

The statement of ʿAbdullāh b. ʿUmar when he was we told by a group of people: "O Abū ʿAbd al-Raḥmān, there are people who fornicate, drink, steal, and kill, and they say: it was all in the knowledge of Allāh, therefore we had no choice but to commit these sins." Upon hearing this, he became angry and said: "Glory be to Allāh, the Almighty! He indeed knew that they would commit these sins, but His knowledge did not compel them to do so." My father ʿUmar Ibn al-Khaṭṭāb narrated to me that he heard the Messenger of Allāh, peace be upon him and his family, say: "The knowledge of Allāh concerning you is like the sky that shelters you and the earth that supports you. Just as you cannot escape the sky and the earth, you cannot escape the knowledge of Allāh. However, just as the sky and the earth do not compel you to commit sins, the knowledge of Allāh does not compel you to commit them either." Then, Ibn ʿUmar said: "I prefer a servant who commits a sin and acknowledges his fault over a servant who fasts during the day and prays at night, yet claims that Allāh, the Exalted, compels him to sin." 📗 — Tabaqāt al-Muʿtazila (al-Imām Aḥmad b. Yaḥyā al-Murtaḍā) 🔗 — https://t.me/TheZaydiSchool

It was narrated to us from ʿAbd al-Raḥmān, he said: it was narrated to us from Ḥamād b. Salama, from ʿAmmār b. Abī ʿAmmār, from Ibn ʿAbbās, he said: "I saw the Prophet, peace be upon him and his family, in a dream at midday, disheveled and covered in dust. He had a bottle with him containing blood, collecting it or tracing something in it. I said: 'O Messenger of Allāh, what is this?' He said: 'This is the blood of al-Ḥusayn and his companions, which I have been collecting since today.'" ʿAmmār said: "We marked that day and found that he (al-Ḥusayn) was killed on that very day." 📗 — Musnad Aḥmad 📘 — al-Amālī al-Kubrā (al-Khamīsīyya) 🔗 — https://t.me/TheZaydiSchool

Ibn al-Jawzī narrated in his book Dhamm al-Hawa: When Ardashir grew powerful and the kings submitted to him, he besieged the king of the Syrianites, who was fortified in his city. Ardashir couldn’t conquer it until one day, the king’s daughter climbed the fortress, saw Ardashir, and fell in love with him. She descended, took an arrow, and wrote on it: "If you promise to marry me, I will show you a way to conquer the city!" He wrote back: "I will fulfill your request!" She showed him the way, and he entered the city, killed its inhabitants, and married her after killing her father! One night, she couldn’t sleep. He asked her: "What’s wrong?" She said: lThe bed has affected my side!" He looked at where she pointed and marveled at her delicate skin. He asked: "What did your father feed you?" She replied: "Honey, marrow, and butter!" He said: "No one treated you as well as your father, and yet this is what you did to him. I do not trust you with my life!" He ordered her to be tied between two horses, which were then driven in opposite directions, tearing her apart and killing her! When a suitor comes to you, ask about his relationship with his mother. If he is dutiful, accept him. If he is disrespectful, reject him even if he possesses the wealth of Qarūn and promises to make you the queen of the world. A man who is not good to his mother will not be good to you! Some girls fear men who have close relationships with their mothers, confusing dutifulness with a lack of independence. Do not fear marrying a dutiful son; fear marrying a disrespectful one! A man who doesn’t honor his mother won’t honor any of you, no matter what you do for him! It’s easy to distinguish between a dutiful son and a 'mama’s boy,' so don’t confuse the two! For you, when you like a girl and rely on Allāh to propose, your first question should be about her respect for her parents. If she respects and honors her father, she will likely treat you the same way. If you learn otherwise, flee from her like you would from contagious diseases, even if she were the most beautiful woman in the world! One who doesn’t respect the man who raised her won’t respect the man who marries her! Beware of the saying: "Marry them and change them!" Many have tried, and instead of changing their spouses, they themselves changed! Even if they didn’t change, their lives became miserable. A wise person does not enter a stormy sea hoping for safety; there’s no good in battling the waves, and if one survives, they will emerge exhausted!

Imām ʿAlī b. al-Ḥusayn, peace be upon him, married a female slave whom he had freed. ʿAbd al-Malik b. Marwān reproached him for this and wrote to him: "As for what follows: It has reached me that you freed your slave and married her. You had among the nobility of Quraysh those who could honor you through marriage and strengthen your lineage through their children. Yet, you did not consider yourself or your offspring and married into lowliness." So, he wrote back in response: "As for what follows: I freed her by the Book of Allāh and took her back according to the Sunnah of the Messenger of Allāh, peace be upon him and his family. By Allāh, no one can surpass the Messenger of Allāh in glory. Allāh has elevated the lowly through Islām, perfected the deficient, and honored through it those who were base. Thus, there is no shame upon a Muslim. The Messenger of Allāh, peace be upon him and his family, himself married his freed slave and the woman of his slave." ʿAbd al-Malik then said: "Indeed, ʿAlī b. al-Ḥusayn elevates himself from where others degrade themselves." 📗 — Nathr al-Durr fi l-Muḥāḍarāt 🔗 — https://t.me/TheZaydiSchool

A person should recognize the nobility of their time and the value of their moments, not wasting any instant on anything other than acts of devotion. They should prioritize the best words and deeds, always maintaining a sincere intention for good, even if their body cannot perform all the actions, as the noble ḥadīth states: "The intention of a believer is better than his deed." Many of the righteous predecessors would seize every moment. It is narrated that one of the devout followers was approached by a man who said to him: "Converse with me." He replied: "Hold back the sun." One scholar, encouraging his son to value time, said: "Know, my son, that days are expanded into hours, and hours into breaths, and every breath is a treasure. Be cautious not to let a breath pass without value, lest you see an empty chest on the Day of Judgment and regret! Observe what you do with each hour, ensuring you dedicate it to the most honorable pursuits. Do not neglect yourself; accustom it to the finest and most beautiful deeds, and send to the grave what will bring you joy upon reaching it."

On the authority of Ṣuhayb, the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him and his family, said: "How wonderful is the affair of the believer, for his affairs are all good, and this is not the case with anyone except the believer. If something good happens to him, he gives thanks, and that is good for him; and if something bad befalls him, he endures it patiently, and that is good for him." Imām ʿAlī, peace be upon him, was asked about what is good, and he said: "Good is not that your wealth and children are abundant, but that your knowledge is vast and your actions great, and that you take pride in worshipping your Lord. If you do well, you praise Allāh, and if you do wrong, you seek forgiveness from Allāh. There is no good in this world except for two men: a man who sins and rectifies it with repentance, and a man who hastens to do good deeds." 📕 — Rabīʿ al-Abrār (al-Zamakhsharī) 📘 — Nahj al-Balāgha 🔗 — https://t.me/TheZaydiSchool

Narrated by al-Ḥārith al-Hamdānī: A man came to the Commander of the Faithful, peace be upon him, and asked him about fate. He [Imām ʿAlī] said: "It is a deep sea, do not enter it." The man said: Tell me about fate." He said: "It is a dark path, do not tread it." The man said: "Tell me about fate." He said: "It is a secret of your Lord that is hidden from you, do not divulge it." The man said: "Tell me about fate." He said: "Tell me about Allāh: did He create you for what He willed or for what you willed?" The man said: "For what He willed." He said: "Does He employ you for what He wills or for what you will?" The man said: "For what He wills." He said: "Does He cause you to die when He wills or when you will?" The man said: "When He wills." He said: "Will He resurrect you on the Day of Judgment for what He wills or for what you will?" The man said: "For what He wills." He said: "Tell me about yourself, do you have a will with Allāh, in spite of Allāh, or without Allāh?" The man sad: "I do not know, please inform me." He said: "If you claim that you have a will with Allāh, you have claimed partnership in will; if you claim that you have a will in spite of Allāh, you have claimed that your will overpowers Allāh’s will and strength; if you claim that you have a will without Allāh, you have claimed independence of your will from Allāh’s will." He continued: "Do you not ask your Lord for well-being?" The man said: "Yes." He said: "Is the affliction that has befallen you from Him or from someone else?" He said: "It is from Him." He said: "Do you say there is no power and no strength except through Allāh?" The man said: "Yes." He said: "Do you understand the interpretation of these words?" The man said: "Teach me, O Commander of the Faithful, from what Allāh has taught you." He said: "There is no power to avoid disobeying Allāh, nor to come to His obedience except through Allāh. Allāh gives both the remedy and the affliction. Do you understand this regarding Allāh, the Exalted?" The man said: "Yes, I have repented from what I was in." He then told his companions: "Stand up and greet your brother, for he has now become a Muslim." 📘 — Nuzhat al-Abṣār wa Maḥāsin al-Āthār, by Abū l-Ḥasan ʿAlī b. Mahdī al-Ṭabarī (d. 329) 🔗 — https://t.me/TheZaydiSchool

The Prophet, peace be upon him and his family, said: "Whoever believes in Allāh and the Last Day, let him be kind to his neighbor. Whoever believes in Allāh and the Last Day, let him honor his guest. Whoever believes in Allāh and the Last Day, let him speak good or remain silent." 📓 — al-Iʿtiṣām (al-Imām al-Qāsim b. Muḥammad) 📒 — Musnad Aḥmad, Bukhārī, Muslim, al-Tirmidhī 🔗 — https://t.me/TheZaydiSchool