Causes of Ojb

Haj Agha Bahraini had a nice series going a while back about Ojb. He said that Ojb (or self satisfaction) is the first step to kebr. Kebr has more of an outward look, you see yourself and others. So this looking at yourself first and being satisfied with yourself, that's ojb. Then when you compare it to others and say you are better that's kebr.

Sheytan saw himself first, then he started looking at others (namely Adam). That was the one action that caused the chain reaction and sent him out of heaven. Here are some of the causes that he mentioned (they are all good things too, so we really need to be careful):

• Knowledge: WHAT?! How can this be, are we not taught to learn all that we can? How does this good thing open the path to destruction for us? One who has studied a lot reaches a ghihg level, at this point he sees himself and none onthers. He thinks he is too ghigh for everyone else. his walk, his talk, actions are all degrading to other people.

• Ma'refat (level of Erfan): Another bummer! Once again you begin to think that you are above everyone else...Ebadat (worship): But we just said in surah Nuh, the first thing that was advised was to worship ALLAH for success. A person that is abed, sometimes gets caugh in ojb and this is one of their biggest problems. The best example, SHEYTAN!!!
• Taqwa, Kamalat (completeness), wara' (level where you begin to show off): These are things that lead to the doors of ojb.
• Bravery: If you are very brave, you see yourself as indestructible, and may soon begin to wander off your limits.
• Sekhavat (one who forgives a lot): One who forgives everything will think to himself/herself, look how nice I am, look how good I am, I hold no grudges. Other are not like this. They just don't let go...
• Nasab o hasab (stature of relatives): If you dad was a vizir or a great lawyer or someone successful, this may make you look at people differently.
• Jamal: Being beautiful, being nice. This also leads to ojb.
• Money, stature, power: All of this brings ojb. A lot of those who are rich when they interact with poor people they belittle them.
• Tasallot (sultanate): Someone who has a throne or sits on a great position, or power, will have the doors of ojb knocking.One who has a lot of friends.Zeerakee (cleverness)

Any thoughts on some of these things. We see it time in and out that things that are so good for us can become the worse things!!!

Summary of Session on 4/11/2009

There exists a differences in opinions in of the definition of a ma'soom. 1) They can make a silly mistake. 2)But other side says not even that.

From this khotbe we realize Sheytan was a malak, therefore a malak can make mistakes. Some of them have free will. A test only makes sense if you have free will. Imam Ali says Allah tested the angels, which means at least one of them had free will. Sheytan failed the test because he said you created this Adam from something that stinks.

If Allah would have wanted he could have made Adam very good and very beautiful. He could have done so much to make the bowing obvious. But he didn't, he kept it constant. But Allah tests his creatures with things that they don't have knowledge in. Things like gheybat we know the analogy of eating the dead brother's meat. we want the bad and good to be separated. the masoom know the essence of it so they are able to stay away from it. We know as well, but our "knowing" is different from there's.

Majority of people do not get this opportunity to turn around once they commit a sin. Probability of u-turning is less as you keep going on. In anything you want to do approach it with caution.

He wants to remove kebr and arrogance away from them. Now you will know you are very vulnerable. There is nothing to stop you, get rid of this self satisfaction, remove the takabbor, Le Ayyel Omoore llayka ashkoo, to which of these actions should i come and give shekayat (complain). I can do so much with nothing stopping me.

People learn from what happened to sheytan. What should we learn? Because all of his efforts and hard work for many thousands of years got destroyed with one second. Just like vice versa works. 6k years of worship and it's not obvious if it was regular years or hereafter years. one day in akherat is like 1k years (this is ayah quran).

Who is safe from this act now. When we sin we mean I don't need you (Allah). At some level we are doing takabbor.

Allah will not allow a human to enter heaven with the same action when another person was exiled because of it. There are signs for Kebr, find them, remove them. And his command on skies and ground is the same. There is no special guidlines, it doesn't matter who you are.
Kebr - think to yourself if you are better than others, that's kebr. stay away from people because you think that you're better than them, that's kebr. Kebr grows as you become more knowledgable.

No single action can be absolutely good or absolutely bad, it all depends on intention. like salat for salat or salat for riya.

The Nature of Allah's Tests

"But Allah, the Glorified, tries His creatures by means of those things whose real nature they do not know in order to distinguish (good and bad) for them through the trial, and to remove vanity from them and keep them and keep them aloof from pride and self-admiration".

Reminder for All of Us

A reminder to me in the first place and then to you all:

Imam Ali Says: It is easier not to sin in the first place than to ask for Allah's forgiveness after committing a sin.

Why do you think this might be the case?

amin