Sermon of Muttaqin, Part 12 — They possess lean bodies and slender

The twelfth characteristic of the pious, based on the Sermon of the Pious:

They possess lean bodies: "wa ajsaduhum nahifah" (and their bodies are lean and slender).

Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him) said:

"A group of people followed the Commander of the Faithful. He turned to them and asked, 'Who are you?' They replied, 'Your Shia, O Commander of the Faithful.' He said, 'Why do I not see the mark of the Shia upon you?' They asked, 'And what is the mark of the Shia?' He replied, 'Yellowed faces from staying awake [in worship], hollowed bellies from fasting, parched lips from supplication, and the dust of the humble upon them.'"¹

Almighty God says:

"Their sign is visible in their faces from the effect of prostration."

Shaykh Sadouq has mentioned in his book Thawab al-Aqmam about Hazrat Abul Fazl Abbas (a.s.) that the effect of prostration could be seen between his two eyes. There is also a story about bringing the holy head of the Holy Prophet to Kufa. Qasim bin Asbagh bin Nabateh - one of the friends and relatives of Amir al-Mu'minin (AS) - says:

A man from Bani Darm tribe who was present in the killing of Imam Hussain (AS) and the incident of Karbala came to us. His face turned black, while before that he was a very white and handsome man. I said to him: I barely recognized you; What caused this color change? He said with anxiety and distress: "At Karbala, I killed one of Imam Hussein’s (AS) companions—a man upon whose forehead the mark of prostration was clearly visible—and I brought his head to Ibn Ziyad in Kufa."

The person he referred to was Hazrat Abu al-Fadl Abbas (AS); a man upon whose forehead the signs of worship and prostration had become manifest due to his abundant devotion to God.

The mark of God’s servants is the humility and submission evident on their countenances;
And when the light of day is fully revealed, the day itself bears witness to this truth.

How wondrous are they whom the pre-dawn hours gather in devotion to God;
And their gleaming swords bear witness that they are truly free and noble men.

In these two verses, Sayyid Haydar Hilli describes Imam Hussein (AS) and his companions—foremost among whom stands Hazrat Abu al-Fadl Abbas (AS).

References

• 1. Mishkat al-Anwar fi Ghurar al-Akhbar, Vol. 1, p. 105.
• 2. Sheikh al-Saduq, Thawab al-A'mal wa 'Iqab al-A'mal, Vol. 1, p. 219.
• 3. Kalbasi, Muhammad Ibrahim bin Abd al-Rahim, Al-Khasa'is al-Abbasiyyah, Qom: Al-Maktabah al-Haydariyyah, 1378 SH (1420 AH), pp. 169, 170, and 171.