Sermon of Muttaqin, Part 14 — Their souls are chaste, pure, and guarded from sin

The Fourteenth Characteristic of the God-Conscious (Muttaqīn), Based on the Sermon of the Pious

They are chaste and pure:

“Their souls are chaste, pure, and guarded from sin.”

Imam Muhammad al-Baqir (PBUH) narrated:

Allah, the Exalted, revealed to His Noble Messenger (PBUH&HP):

“I express My gratitude for four qualities found in Ja’far ibn Abi Talib.”

The Messenger of Allah (PBUH&HP) summoned Ja’far and informed him of this divine honor.

Ja’far replied:

“Had Allah, Blessed and Exalted, not informed you of these qualities, I would never have spoken of them myself.”

He then explained:

“The first is that I never drank wine, because I knew that if I drank it, my intellect would be lost.”

“The second is that I never told a lie, because lying diminishes a person’s honor and nobility.”

“The third is that I never committed an act of immorality or violated chastity, because I feared that if I did so, the same would eventually befall me.”

“The fourth is that I never worshipped an idol, because I knew that an idol possesses neither the power to benefit nor to harm.”

Upon hearing this, the Messenger of Allah (PBUH&HP) placed his blessed hand upon Ja’far’s shoulder and said:

“It is only fitting that Allah, the Mighty and Majestic, grants you two wings with which you shall fly alongside His angels in Paradise.”

References

• ‘Ilal al-Shara’i’ (Shaykh al-Saduq), Vol. 2, p. 778.