Humility to God and the Imams is an act of devotion. Pride or over-consciosuness of oneself = unless it is used in keeping oneself away from wrong doing is one of the signs of mean-minded- ness. The Prophet says, “He who is humble to God will be exalted by Him. There is no man whose head is not in the hands of an angle. If he lowers it down before God, the angel lifts it up saying ‘raise your head. God has raised you up.’ If he raises his head with pride, the angel will lower it saying ‘lower yourself because God has lowered you down.” Ostentation, pride and self-conceit are the peculiar characteristics of the devils. They are condemned by the people in general. But, if they are shown to the Imams, they look abominable. It is the worst sin that one can commit. We fail to understand how people can feel proud of or make a show of their actions if they undergo some hardship or take part in a religious war on account of the Imams. If they do this they do it for their own- selves and for their own good. If they have done this for the sake of God, then they are indebted to God and the Imams in this respect. God says “They think they have conferred an obligation on you by following Islam. Tell them do not tallk of your obligation on me by your following Islam. On the contrary God has obliged you by guiding you to the right faith. If you are true (you will realise the truth of this.)
On the other hand if they work for the Imams for the sake of an allowance that is given to them or the wages that have been paid to them, then they are nothing more than wage-earners. If they work for the wages they have no further claim. If they work more, they are entitled to a reward. If they work less than what they were expected to do then they are the sinners. However, if they work voluntarily in order to improve their position and earn a good name, their purpose is served.
The Prophet says, “On the day of judgement God will order some people to be thrown in Hell fire. Some of these people will say ‘O God, we have fought for your sake’. Some will say ‘we have been regularly performing the pilgrimage to your house. Others will say ‘we have been praying and giving charities in your name. God will say to them: You are liars. You have done all these things in order that you should be talked about as brave persons, as pilgrims and as generous men. Your purpose has been served. You were talked about by people as such. Go to Hell. fire.”
In short, he who feels proud of his actions, will be ruined by his pride, and he who puts a proper value upon himself will never suffer.
Again if one of those followers of the Imams scorns at the behaviour of the Qazis and officers in treating him and his opponents alike and at the sense of security which his enemies and the ‘zim- mies’ enjoy along with him, he is misled by the false notion of his superiority over others. He thinks that because of his close proximity with the Imams, he is entitled to a preferential treatment. He is carried away by pride. His self-conceit drives him away from the right course. He tries to make a show of his superiority over his enemies without realising the blessing that God has con- ferred on him by bringing him nearer to the Imams and without thinking of the duties that are enjoined on him because of his nearness. He has a mistaken idea that he is entitled to a better treatment at the hands of the Imams and their officers than his enemies.
If he makes a proper estimate of himself, he will come to his senses. He will then realise that if he had not been closely connected with the Imams, he would have stood before his enemy much more degraded than what the latter appears to be to him. Consequently it is his duty to treat his enemies on equal footing with himself and never to boast to them of his influence with the Imams. They are just and fair. They treat their friends and foes alike. In this matter they do what they have been commanded by God to do. We cannot attribute any injustice to them in front of ignorant people. If we do so we shall be giving them a handle to be used against the Imams. We shall be putting into their heads a wrong idea that the Imams do things according to their own whims and not according to the dictates of God.
The Imams are above being oppressive to any one. To charge them with being unjust is as dreadful as to be hostile and oppressive to them. It is a clear case of transgression and defiance of their orders. It is a misrepresentation of their favours and slipping away from the right course.