A Support for Life: Imam Jawad (PBUH)

We humans inherently cannot live without a support. The way human is created is that everyone seeks a support to depend on.

Humans are divided into four categories based on what they depend on in life.

At the first level, the lowest level of humanity, there are people who depend on their wealth and properties. Their support comes from their wealth.

The second category is higher than the first. These people do not depend on their wealth; rather they seek support from their ranks and positions. And that is the source of support for the second group, found with many examples in the world.

The people at the third level are more superior. These persons are those who have surpassed wealth and rank; they have left ambition, rank, position, headship, kingship and governance for the worldly people. They have reached self-confidence. Such persons depend on the power of their soul. This level is the level of the great persons of humanity. These people seek to extract the hidden powers of the self and seek support from it. Such powers, if extracted, can be marvelous. That is if the mind and will of the human self gets trained in the right direction, its power reaches high enough to stop greatest powers. Therefore the special individuals of humanity look for the support from the self, the power of mind and will.

The power of self is strangely great. However, it is still, similar to other things, limited. The highest perfection, which is superior to all others, becomes accomplished when this self-power connects to an unlimited power whose rule has prolonged from the beginning to the end. When one reaches here humanity has fruited.

In this respect, Imam Jawad (PBUH) discloses part of this truth eloquently, leaving us with a jewel, which reveals the secret of creation, salvation and misery of the mankind.

Mohammad Ibn Ali Ibn Musa al-Rida (PBUT), Imam Jawad (PBUH), has stated,

"Trust in God is the cost of every precious material, and the ladder to accomplish any high rank."¹

Truly the Imam has ignored all the people and the whole world with his statement. Those who seek support from their wealth are not even included. Those who depend on rank, governance are not counted. Those who like Aristotle, Plato, and all scholars of theoretical and practical knowledge who place the power of self and will as the basis of support, come to ponder that,

"O human, your nature seeks for a precious essence. The more precious the essence, the more you value it. This is a secret about your nature. Another secret your nature is that you are motivated and ambitious. This is the characteristic of human nature."

Where do we find these two lost needs? Where should we seek for these two requests of human nature? In trusting and depending on wealth? This is refuted. Is it found in support that comes from the rank? This is refuted as well. Is the answer in trust in self? That is also refuted due to limitedness.

The lost point is the fourth source of support which is trust and depending upon God.

* Selection taken from the speech of Grand Ayatollah Wahid Khurasani, (with some changes)²

1. A'lam al-Din, p. 309
2. This speech was made on the occasion of martyrdom of Imam Jawad (PBUH) on 1427 A.H.