In the Name of Allah, the All-Beneficent, the All-Merciful وَ سَمِعَ عليه السلام رَجُلًا مِنَ الْحَرُورِيَّةِ يَتَهَجَّدُ وَ يَقْرَأُ فَقَالَ: نَوْمٌ عَلَى يَقِينٍ خَيْرٌ مِنْ صَلَاةٍ فِى شَكٍّ Amir al-mu’minin (ʿa), heard about a Kharijite who said the mid-night prayers and recited the Qur’an, then he said: “Sleeping in a state of firm belief is better than praying in a state of doubtfulness.” Today, we look at Saying 97, where Imām ʿAlī (ʿa) shatters the illusion of superficial religiosity and calls us to a deeper, more stable form of faith. Quality Over Performance While Imām ʿAlī (ʿa) was in the company of his companions, he heard a man from the Harūriyya (the Khawarij) deeply immersed in midnight prayers (tahajjud) and the recitation of the Qur’an. This group was famous for their long night vigils, yet their thinking was superficial and their belief was mingled with doubt. Upon hearing this man, the Imām (ʿa) made a striking declaration: «نَوْمٌ عَلَى يَقِين خَيْرٌ مِنْ صَلاَة فِي شَكّ»“ Sleeping in a state of firm belief is better than praying in a state of doubtfulness.” This statement is a profound reality check for us. What brings us close to God and keeps us on the straight path is Yaqīn (certainty). When our faith is firm, it prevents us from deviating; but when it is shallow, we can easily be led astray, making our worship hollow and of little value. The Imām (ʿa) echoes this sentiment in Saying 145: «كَمْ مِنْ صَائِم لَيْسَ لَهُ مِنْ صِيَامِهِ إِلاَّ الْجُوعُ وَالظَّمَأُ وَكَمْ مِنْ قَائِم لَيْسَ لَهُ مِنْ قِيَامِهِ إِلاَّ السَّهَرُ وَالْعَنَاءُ حَبَّذَا نَوْمُ الْأَكْيَاسِ وَإِفْطَارُهُمْ» “How many a fasting person whose fasting brings him nothing but hunger and thirst, and how many a night stander whose night vigil brings him nothing but wakefulness and fatigue. Blessed is the sleep of the wise and their breaking of the fast.” The Cautionary Tale of the Beautiful Reciter To illustrate the danger of outward devotion without inward transformation, we look at an event involving the Imām’s close devotee, Kumayl ibn Ziyād. One night, while walking past a house, they heard a man reciting the Qur’an in a mournful, weeping tone:

*For a Better Life* 📃 Imam Ali (AS) said 🍃 إِنَّ رَأْيَكَ لَا يَتَّسِعُ لِكُلِّ شَيْءٍ فَفَرِّغْهُ لِلْمُهِمِّ. Your intellect cannot encompass all things; therefore, dedicate it to what is most important. غرر الحكم، حدیث 3638.

This week’s reflection focuses on the first verse from the collection on Emotional Intelligence in the Qur'an: [Aal-e-Imran:134]: الَّذِينَ يُنفِقُونَ فِي السَّرَّاءِ وَالضَّرَّاءِ وَالْكَاظِمِينَ الْغَيْظَ وَالْعَافِينَ عَنِ النَّاسِ وَاللَّهُ يُحِبُّ الْمُحْسِنِينَ Who spend [in the cause of Allah] during ease and hardship and who restrain anger and who pardon the people - and Allah loves the doers of good; The Qur’an provides us with a literal roadmap for emotional regulation. It doesn't tell us not to feel anger. Anger is a natural human emotion. But it highlights the mastery required to restrain it when it flares, and the spiritual strength needed to excuse others. True power isn't losing control when things go wrong. True power is having the strength to react, but choosing to pause instead. Most of us have been conditioned to let our anger drive our actions, running on an automatic loop that creates the same painful results in our marriages, our families, and our homes. But real growth starts when we interrupt that pattern. This week, ask yourself: * What usually triggers my anger at home or at work? * When my body tightens and my mind speeds up, do I just react, or can I find a way to pause? * Who am I being when I let anger dictate my words, and who do I actually want to be? This week's practice: When a trigger hits this week, try a simple living interrupt: S.T.O.P. 1. Stop in your tracks. 2. Take a deep breath. 3. Observe your thought (Is this reaction going to help me or hurt me?). 4. Proceed mindfully. May Allah help us master our nafs, grant us the capacity to overlook the faults of others, and place us among the virtuous whom He loves.

Did you know that according to Imam Ja’far al-Sadiq (a.s.), every single Prophet sent by Allah celebrated and recognized the sanctity of Eid

*Qur’an: Imams Guide by Allah’s Command (Takwini Guidance)* _Waja’alnahum aimmatan yahduna bi amrina…_ 💠 We find in the Qur'an that whenever it mentions imamate it puts guidance side by side. 📖 Allah says in the story of Abraham: And We gave him Isaac and Jacob as a further gift; and We made [them] all righteous ones; and We made them imams, to guide [people] by Our command ... (21:72-73); 📖 and He says in another place in the Qur’an: And We made of them imams to guide by Our command as they were patient, and they were certain of Our signs (32:24). 💠 Here the imamate is defined in terms of guidance, and then further qualified with the condition, "by Our command." Clearly, the imamate does not mean any type of guidance; *it is a guidance which emanates from the command of Allah*. And the realiity of that command is described in these words: 📖 His command, when He intends anything, is only that He says to it: Be, and it is. Therefore glory be to Him in Whose hand is the kingdom of everything ... (36:82-83); 📖 And Our command is but one, as the twinkling of an eye (54:50). 💠 The Divine Command is the sublime side of the creation, with which the Imams face towards Allah; it is pure, free from fetters of time and space, and untouched by change and variation. *It is also the real meaning of the word "Be," because the Divine Command "Be," is nothing other than the actual existence of the thing concerned.* 💠 it very clearly proves that whatever is the subject of guidance (that is, the hearts and the deeds), *the imam has its inner reality*; he is constantly in touch with its other side—the side of the command, which is never hidden from him. 💠 It is known that hearts and the deeds, like any other thing, have two sides, one of the "command" and the other of the "creation" ; *therefore, the reality of the deeds of men - both good and bad— is always in the vision of the imam*, always under his observation; and he has authority over both ways — the way of happiness and bliss and the way of unhappiness and distress.