Hawzah News Agency- Speaking during an ethics lesson as part of his ongoing series explaining Nahjul-Balagha, the senior cleric elaborated on aphorism 191 of the short sayings of Imam Ali (peace be upon him). He said the words of the Commander of the Faithful offer a precise definition of worldly life and the reality of human existence.
Reciting Imam Ali’s statement— “Indeed, man is in this world for a purpose, in which he wanders astray…”—Ayatollah Javadi Amoli explained that human beings are constantly exposed to death, accidents, and decline, even though daily occupations and distractions prevent them from sensing this reality.
He noted that human beings pay a heavy price for making use of time and the earth, and that price is life itself. “Man spends his most valuable capital—his life—to benefit from night and day, to dwell on the earth, and to enjoy its facilities, yet what he gains in return is temporary and unstable,” he said.
The grand ayatollah emphasized that no worldly pleasure is free from pain, and that every event in human life carries with it a form of suffering. Sorrows, he added, are suffocating experiences that cannot easily be erased from the mind and soul. “A person does not gain a single day of life without losing another. Adding a day does not preserve the past; it merely reduces the remaining capital of life. This is neither profit nor real gain,” he said.
Referring to illness, grief, and the gradual weakening of physical and mental faculties, Ayatollah Javadi Amoli described these as instruments that assist death in its slow advance. He said human beings steadily lose memory, strength, intelligence, and vitality, and this gradual process represents the continuous ‘arrows’ of death being directed toward mankind.
Citing the Quranic verse, “The Day He gathers you for the Day of Gathering—that is the Day of Loss,” the senior scholar explained that the Day of Judgment is the moment when the reality of human negligence is laid bare. “The Day of Judgment is not the Day of Transactions, but the Day of the Appearance of Losses,” he said, adding that on that day, the true outcome of mankind’s heedless dealings in this world will become fully apparent.
In the final part of his remarks, Ayatollah Javadi Amoli referred to another saying of Imam Ali (peace be upon him), advising that individuals should not accumulate wealth beyond their genuine needs. “What exceeds one’s real needs turns a person into nothing more than a treasurer for others,” he said.
He also cited Imam Ali’s words, “Indeed, hearts have moments of willingness and readiness,” underlining the importance of taking advantage of times when the heart is receptive. He stressed that moments of inner readiness are the best opportunities for acquiring knowledge and understanding, as learning gained in such a state is lasting and deeply influential throughout a person’s life.
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