Hawzah News Agency - One of the prominent characteristics of believers, which leads to their salvation, is avoiding vain activities; therefore, the Holy Quran, in describing them, states:

«وَالَّذِینَ هُمْ عَنِ اللَّغْوِ مُعْرِضُونَ.»

"Who avoid vain talk." (23:3)

Explanation:

From the Holy Quran, it can be inferred that "vain" (لغو) refers to both meaningless speech, such as:

«لا تَسْمَعُ فِیها لاغِیَةً.»

"where they will not hear any vain talk." (88:11)

and to useless actions, such as:

«وَ إِذا مَرُّوا بِاللَّغْوِ مَرُّوا کِراماً.»

"and when they come upon frivolity, pass by with dignity." (23:1-3)

During the time of Imam Sajjad (peace be upon him), there was a jester in Medina who entertained people with frivolous acts to make them laugh.

One day, this jester followed Imam Sajjad (peace be upon him) from behind and removed the cloak from his blessed shoulders. The Imam (peace be upon him) did not pay him any attention. The Imam’s companions ran after the jester, retrieved the cloak, and brought it back to the Imam.

Imam Sajjad (peace be upon him) then asked: "Who is this person?"

They replied: "He is a jester from Medina who amuses people with such antics."

Imam Sajjad (peace be upon him) said: "Tell him:

«إِنَّ لِلَّهِ یَوْماً یَخْسَرُ فِیهِ اَلْمُبْطِلُونَ.»

There is a Day (of Judgment) for God when those who engage in vain activities will suffer loss."
(Amali Shaikh Saduq, v. 1, p. 220)

Therefore, a believer—someone who understands their value in this world—pursues lofty goals in their life. Consequently, they avoid anything that diverts them from their divine path, whether it is meaningless speech or futile actions. As the Commander of the Faithful, Imam Ali (peace be upon him), states:

«مَنِ اِشْتَغَلَ بِالْفُضُولِ فَاتَهُ مِنْ مُهِمِّهِ اَلْمَأْمُولُ.»

"Whoever busies themselves with excessive and unimportant matters will miss out on essential and significant tasks." (Gurar al-Hikam, v. 1, p. 627)

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