Wilayah of Ahlul Bait

He said: Abul Qasim Ja'far b. Muhammad - may Allah bless him with mercy, reported to me from his father, from Sa'd b. Abdillah, from Ahmad b. Muhammad b. Isa, from Muhammad b. Sinan, from Abdul Karim b. Amru and Ibrahim b. Rahah al-Basri, who both reported from Mayassar, who reported that:
Abu Abdillah Ja'far b. Muhammad, peace be upon him told him: "What do you say about a person who does not disobey in what Allah has enjoined and forbidden, but he disassociates with you and your friends in this matter (i.e. wilayah of Ahlul Bait)?" I said: "What can I say in your presence?" He said: "Say, for I command you to speak." I said: "He will be in hellfire."
Then he said: "O Mayassar, what do you say about a person who has faith similar to yours, and has committed sins normally committed by people, but he refrains from the major sins?" I said: "What can I say in your presence?" He said: "Say, for that is my order." I said: "He will be in Paradise."
He said: "Perhaps you are hesitating in saying that such a person will be in Paradise!" I said: "No"
He said: "Do not hesitate, for surely, Allah, Most High, says (in the Qur'an): 'If you avoid the heinous sins that are forbidden you, We will expiate your evil deeds and admit you in honourable manner.' (al-Nisa:V.31)"
Jabir asked the Prophet about his successor
He said: Abu Nasr Muhammad b. al-Husain al-Muqri reported to me from Abu Abdillah al-Husain b. Ali al-Razi, who reported from Ja'far b. Muhammad al-Hanafi, who reported from Yahya b. Hashim al-Simsar, who reported from Amru b. Shimr, who reported from Hammad, from Abu al-Zubair, from Jabir b. Abdillah b. Harram al-Ansari, who said:
Once I came to the Prophet, peace be upon him and his progeny, and asked: "O messenger of Allah, who is your successor?" He said that the Prophet kept silent for a while, not answering me. Then he said: "O Jabir, may I not answer your question?" So I said: "My father and my mother be your ransom; By Allah, you maintained a silence, till I thought you were not pleased."
He said: "O Jabir, I was not displeased with you. I was waiting for what the heavens would reveal, and then Jibraeel came to me saying: O Muhammad, your Lord sends you salutations and says unto you: Surely, Ali b. Abi Talib is your executor and your successor over your kinsfolk and the Ummah; and a protector of your Pool (al-Hawdh). He is the bearer of your standard, preceding you into Praradise."
I said: "O Prophet of Allah! Would you say that if someone did not believe in this, I should fight him?" He said: "Yes O Jabir. This status has not been established except for being followed. So whoever follows it, he will be with me tomorrow, (i.e. on the day of Judgement) and whoever opposes it, he will never arrive near me at the Pool (al-Hawdh)."
Those who love the Prophet and his progeny
He said: Abu Bakr Muhammad b. Umar al-Je'abi reported to me from Abul Abbas Ahmad b. Muhammad b. Saeed al-Hamdani, who reported from Umar b. Aslam, who reported from Saeed b. Yusuf al-Basri, from Khalid b. Abdul Rahman al-Madayeni, from Abdul Rahman b. Abi Layla, from Abu Dharr al-Ghifari - may Allah be pleased with him, who said:
I saw the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him and his progeny, stroke the shoulders of Ali b. Abi Talib, peace be upon him and say: "O Ali, whoever loves us is from pure Arab breed and those who hate us are the non-Arab infidels. Our Shias are people of noble descent and honour, and are of legitimate birth. And there is none on the path of Ibrahim except those who are our Shias; the rest of the people are away from it. And Allah has appointed angels who demolish the sins of our Shias, the way a pick destroys a structure."
Weeping for the sufferings of Ahlul Bait
He said: Abu Bakr Muhammad b. Umar al-Je'abi reported to me from Abul Abbas Ahmad b. Muhammad b. Saeed al-Hamdani, who reported from Ahmad b. Abdul Hamid b. Khalid, who reported from Muhammad b. Amru b. Utbah, from al-Husain al-Ashqar, from Muhammad b. Abi Amarah al-Kufi who said:
I heard Ja'far b. Muhammad, peace be upon him, say: "Whoever sheds a tear over our spilled blood, or over our usurped rights, or over the dishonour we have suffered, or any of our followers has suffered, such a person shall be blessed by Allah, Most High, in paradise for a long period of time."
The pillars of faith
He said: Abu Ja'far Muhammad b. Ali b. al-Husain reported to me from his father, who reported from Sa'd b. Abdillah, from Muhammad b. al-Husain b. Abu al-Khattab, from Muhammad b. Sinan, from al-Mufaddhal b. Umar al-Jo'fi, from Jabir b. Yazid, from Abu Ja'far, Muhammad b. Ali al-Husain, from his father, from his forefather, peace be upon them all, who said:
The Prophet, peace be upon him and his progeny, told Ali b. Abi Talib, peace be upon him: "O Ali, I and you, and your two sons Hasan and Husain and nine descendants of Husain are the pillars of faith and buttress of Islam. Those who will follow us will be saved and those who turn away from us, their way is to hellfire."
The love of Ahlul Bait
He said: Abul Qasim Ja'far b. Muhammad b. Qawalawy al-Qummi - may Allah bless him with mercy, reported to me from his father, who reported from Sa'd b. Abdullah, who reported from Ahmad b. Muhammad b. Isa, from al-Hasan b. Ali b. Faddhal, from Asim b. Hamid al-Hannat, from Abu Hamza al-Thumali from Hanash b. al-Mo'tamar, who said:
Once I called upon Amirul Mo'mineen, Ali b. Abi Talib, peace be upon him, while he was at al-Rahbah, reclining. So I said: "Peace be upon you, O, Amirul Mo'mineen and His mercy and His blessing, how are you this morning?" He said: He raised his head and returned the greetings and then said: "I have entered this morning with love for those who love us and patience fro those who hate us. Surely, he who loves us, awaits for repose, happiness and deliverance every day and night. And he who hates us has built a structure whose foundation is laid on the edge of a crumbling bank; which tumbles and tumbles down with him into the fire of hell.
O, Abu Mo'tamar, he who loves us cannot nurse hatred against us in his bosom and he who hates us cannot love us. No doubt, Allah, Most High, created the hearts of the slaves with a propensity to love us and has forsaken those who deviated to hate us. So, those who love us cannot hate us and those who hate us cannot love us; and our love can never be combined with the love of our adversaries in one heart. Allah has not assigned to any man two hearts in his chest - loving one group with this heart and loving those who are their enemies with the other."
Islam begins and ends with the Prophet and Ahlulbait
He said: Abu Bakr Muhammad b. Umar al-Je'abi reported to me from Ali b. Ishaq al-Makhrami, who reported from Uthman b. Abdillah al-Shami, who reported from ibn Luhayah, from Abu Zura'h al-Hadhrami, from Umar b. Ali b. Abi Talib, from his father, peace be upon him that:
The Prophet, peace be upon him and his progeny, said: "O Ali! With us Allah completed His religion, the same way as He initiated it, and with us He will unite your hearts (in love) after the enmity and hatred."
Hatred of Ahlul Bait leads to hell
He said: Abu Bakr Muhammad b. Umar al-Je'abi reported to me from Abdul Karim ibn Muhammad, who reported from Sahl b. Zanjalah al-Razi, who reported from ibn Abi Uways, who reported from his father, who reported from Hamid b. Qais, from Ata from Ibn Abbas, who reported that:
The Prophet, peace be upon him and his progeny, said: "O Children of Abdul Muttalib! I have beseeched Allah to convert the ignorant among you into learned men, and to make you steadfast in your stand, and to guide those of you who are gone astray; and to make you brave, generous and kind. By Allah, if a person were to offer prayers between al-Rukn and al-Maqam (around holy Ka'bah), but at the same time die with hatred towards you, O Ahlul Bait, such a person will enter hellfire."
To obey Ahlul Bait is to obey Allah
He said: Al-Sharif al-Swaleh Abu Muhammad b. Hamza al-Alawi al-Husaini al-Tabari, may Allah bless him with mercy, reported to me from Muhammad b. Abdillah b. Ja'far al-Himyari, from his father, from Ahmad b. Muhammad b. Isa, from Murook b. Ubaid al-Kufi, from Muhammad b. Zaid al-Tabari, who said:
I was present at the residence of al-Ridha, Ali b. Musa, peace be upon him, at Khurasan, and a group of Banu Hashim, including Ishaq b. al-Abbas b. Musa, was present also. So, addressing Ishaq, (al-Ridha) said: "O Ishaq! I have come to learn that you are telling people that we consider them as our slaves. I swear by my relation with the messenger of Allah, peace be upon him and his progeny, I have never said that! Nor did I hear to that effect from my forefathers, nor has it been conveyed to me from them through anyone. Yes, what we have said is that people are subservient to us in matters of obedience to Allah, loyal to us in religion. So let those present here convey this to those who are absent."
The four riders on the day of Qiyamah
He said: Abu Ali al-Hasan b. Ali b. Fadhl al-Razi reported to me from Abul Hasan Ali b. Ahmad b. Bishr al-Askari, who reported from Abu Ishaq Muhammad b. Haroon b. Isa al-Hashimi, who reported from Abu Ishaq Ibrahim b. Mahdi al-Ibili, who reported from Ishaq b. Sulaiman al-Hashimi, who reported from his father, who reported from Haroon al-Rashid, who reported from his father al-Mahdi, who reported from al-Mansur Abu Ja'far Abdullah b. Muhammad b. Ali, from his father, from his grandfather Ali b. Abdillah b. al-Abbas, from Abdillah b. Abbas b. Abdul Muttalib, who said:
I heard the Prophet, peace be upon him and his progeny say: "Four of us will be the riders on the Day of Resurrection and none other." So someone asked: "My father and mother be your ransom, who are the riders?" He said: "I will be riding al-Buraq, and my brother Swaleh will be mounting the god-sent she-camel which was hamstrung by his people, and my daughter Fatimah will be on my bright she-camel, and Ali b. Abi Talib, who will ride one of the she-camels of Paradise, whose bridle will be of fresh pearls, whose eyes will of ruby, whose stomach will of green aquamarine; upon the camel will be cupola of translucent pearls, so that its exterior will be visible from within, and her interior will be seen from outside. Its exterior will be from the mercy of Allah, and its interior will be from His grace. She will be fast as she advances, and also as she retracts. He will be ahead of me.
There will be a crown of light on his head, a crown which will give light to all assembled. It will have seventy corners, each shining like a brilliant star in the heaven; and in his hands will be the praised standard, and he will set forth announcing: 'There is no god but Allah, and Muhammad is His messenger.' And he will pass among the angels, they will say: 'He must be from the sent Prophets.' And as he will pass by the Prophets, they will say: 'He must be an angel nearest to Allah.' And then it will be announced from inside the Throne: 'O people! He is neither an angel nearest to Allah, nor a sent Prophet, nor a carrier of the Throne. He is Ali b. Abi Talib.'
Then his Shiahs will follow, and it will be announced: 'Who are you?' They will say: 'We are the partisans of Ali.' The answer will come: 'O partisans of Ali, you are secure; enter the Paradise and be with those who you loved."
Source: Al-Amali (The Dictations of Sheikh al-Mufid)

Love of Ahlul Bait leads to Paradise

He said: Abu Ja'far Muhammad b. Umar al-Zayyat informed us that Ali b. Ismail reported to him from Muhammad b. Khalaf, who reported from al-Husain al-Ashqar, who reported from Qais, from Laith b. Abi Sulaim, from Abdul Rahman b. Abi Laila, reporting from Al-Husain b. Ali, peace be upon him, that the Prophet, peace be upon him and his progeny, said:
"Remain steadfast on our love, the Ahlul bayt. For he who meets Allah with our love, will enter the Paradise with our intercession. By He Who controls my soul, a servant (of Allah) does not benefit from his deeds except by knowing us (and our stature)."
The system of Islam
He said: Abu Bakr Muhammad b. Umar al-Jea'bi reported from Ishaq b. Muhammad, who reported from Zaid b. al-Muaddal, from Saif b. Umar, from Muhammad b. Kuraib, from his father, from Abdullah b. Abbas that the Prophet, peace be upon him and his progeny, said:
"Listen and obey those whom Allah has granted the authority - for that is the system of Islam."
On Ahlul Bait
And with the same chain of narration, it is reported from Abul Qasim, Muhammad b.Ali, Ibn al-Hanafiyya, that the Prophet, peace be upon him and his progeny, said:
"He who does not have mercy on our young ones, and shows no reverence to our old ones and does not recognize our rights, is not from us."
Helping Ahlul Bait with one's tongue
He said: Ali-Sharif Abu Muhammad al-Hasan b. Hamza al-Tabari reported to me from Abul Hasan Ali b. Hatim al-Qazwaini, who reported from Abul Abbas Muhammad b. Ja'far al-Makhzoomi, who reported from Muhammad b. Shammoon al-Basri, from Abdullah b. Abdul Rehanm, reported from al-Husain b. Zayd from Ja'far b. Muhammad (AS) from his father (AS) who said:
"Whoever helped us with his tongue, against our enemy, Allah will let him speak out his argument when he will stand before Him (i.e. on the Day of Judgement)."
Love Ahlul Bait with your heart and help with your hand & tongue
He said: Al-Sharif Abu Muhammad al-Hasan b. Hamza reported to me from Ahmad b. Abdullah, from his grandfather Ahmad b. Abdullah, who reported from his father, who reported from Dawood b. al-No'man, from Amru b. Abu al-Miqdam, from his father who reported that al-Hasan b. Ali (AS) said:
"He who loves us with his heart, and helps us with his hands and tongue, will be with us (in Paradise) at the same lodging. And he who loves us with his heart and helps us with his tongue will be at a lower level. And he who loves us with his heart, but does not put his hand and tongue to use for us, he will be in Paradise." (i.e. in an ordinary station).
Adhering to the Ahlul Bait
He said: Abu Bakr, Muhammad b. Umaral-Je'abi reported from Ali. b. Ismail, who reported from Muhammad b. Khalaf, who reported from Husain al-Ashqar, who reported from Qais, from Laith b. Abi Sulaim, from Abdul Rehman b. Abu Layla, from al-Husain b. Ali b. Abi Talib who said:
The Prophet, peace be upon him and his progeny, said: "Adhere yourselves to our love, the Ahlul Bait, for surely, whoever meets Allah, having love for us (in his heart) he shall enter Paradise with our intercession. And By Him Who controls my spirit, a servant (of Allah) benefits nothing from his (good) deeds, unless he has recognized our Truth."
The Prophet's prayers for his descendants
He said: Abu Bakr Muhammad b. Umar al-Je'abi reported to me from Ahmad b. Muhammad b. Ziyad, who reported from al-Hasan b. Ali b. Affan, from Yazid b. Harun, from Hamid, from Jabir b. Abdillah al-Ansari who said:
Once, the Prophet, peace be upon him and his progeny, came upon us holding the hands of al-Hasan and al-Husain, peace be upon them and said: "These are my two sons, who I have brought up from infancy and for whom I have prayed to Allah as they grew up. I prayed for them for three things, out of which He granted two and restrained one. I beseeched Allah to keep them pure and cleansed from all evil and make them chaste. Allah granted my prayer. And I prayed that they and their progeny be guarded together with their followers, from the hellfire. Allah granted my prayer. And I asked Allah that the Ummah be united in their love for them." He said: "O Muhammad! I have decreed and I have determined. A group from among your Ummah will remain faithful to the covenant you have made with the Jews, the Christians and the Magians and will break your covenant regarding your descendants. And I have so decreed that, whoever does that, shall not have a place at My honoured station, nor will I allow him to enter My Paradise, nor shall I have an eye of mercy upon him on the Day of Judgement."
Ahlul Bait, the key to all wisdom
He said: Abul Qasim Ja'far b. Muhammad reported to me from his father, from Sa'd b.Abdillah, from Ahmed b. Muhammad b. Isa, from al-Hasan b. Mahboob, from Abu Ayyub al-Khazzaz, from Muhammad b. Muslim, who reported that:
Abu Ja'far Muhammad b. Ali, peace be upon him said: "People (who have discarded us) have no truth, nor any propriety, except that which they have learnt from us Ahlul Bait. None from them can judge truly or with justice, unless he has taken its guidance from Amirul Mo'mineen Ali b. Abi Talib, peace be upon him, the key, the gate, the path blazer, the way. And when they are confused in any matter, the fault is theirs if they commit an error; and if they decide rightly, the credit goes to Ali b. Abi Talib (AS)."
Allah will not accept acts of worship from one who has no love for the authority of Ahlul Bait
He said: Abul Qasim Ja'far b. Muhammad reported to me from his father, from Sa'd b. Abdillah, from Ahmad b. Muhammad b. Isa, from al-Hasan b. Mahboob, from Hisham, from Murazim who reported from al-Sadiq, Ja'far b. Muhammad, peace be upon him, who reported that:
The Prophet, peace be upon him and his progeny, said: "What has happened to some people in my Ummah, who become cheerful and jubilant when Ibrahim and the progeny of Ibrahim are mentioned to them; but when I and my progeny are mentioned, they detest it and frown at it! By He Who sent me as a truthful Prophet, if a person dies after having performed the (good) deeds of 70 Prophets, but he has no liking for the authority of our Ahlul Bait, Allah will not accept his obligatory or voluntary acts of worship."
The revelation descended in our homes and from us the knowledge reached the people. . .
He said: Abul Hasan Ahmad b. Muhammad b. al-Hasan reported to me from his father, from Sa'd b. Abdillah, from Ahmad b Muhammad b. Isa, from al-Hasan b. Mahboob from Yahya b. Abdillah b. al-Hasan who said:
I heard Ja'far b. Muhammad, peace be upon him, say in the presence of people of Kufa: "It is surprising to hear people claim that they have derived all their knowledge from the Prophet, peace be upon him and his progency, and having acted accordingly, they are guided. And they believe that we, Ahlul Bait, have not derived his knowledge, nor have we been guided by him, in spite of being his family members and descendants! The revelation descended in our homes, and from us the knowledge reached the people. Do you believe that they knew and were guided, while we remained ignorant and lost? This is indeed impossible."
Whoever hates the Ahlul Bait, Allah shall resurrect him as a follower of Judaism
He said: Abul Husain Muhammad b. al-Mudhaffer al-Bazzaz reported to me from Abu Abdillah Ja'far b. Muhammad al-Hasani, who reported from Idris b. Ziyad al-Kafrsosi, who reported from Hannan b. Sudair, from Sudaif al-Makki who reported from Muhammad b. Ali, peace be upon hm (commenting that I have not seen any believer of Muhammad to match his excellence) who reported from Jabir b. Abdillah al-Ansari, who said:
Once, the Prophet, peace be upon him and his progeny, caused an announcement to be made among the Muhajir and Ansar, so they assembled with their weapons. The Prophet, peace be upon him and his progeny, climbed the pulpit, praised Allah and expressed his gratitude to Him. Then he said: "O Muslims, whoever hates us, the Ahlul Bait, Allah shall resurrect him on the day of Judgement as a follower of Judaism." Jabir said: I stood up and asked: "O messenger of Allah, will it happen even if I testify that there is no god but Allah, and that Muhammad is the messenger of Allah?" He said: "If he testified that there is no god but Allah, that saved him from his blood being spilled and from paying the tax submissively and with humility."
Then the Prophet, peace be upon him and his progeny said: "Whoever hates us, the Ahlul Bait, Allah shall resurrect him, as a follower of Judaism on the Day of Judgement, and if he ever met Dajjal, he would be his partisan. And, even if he did not meet him (i.e. Dajjal), he would be resurrected in his grave, so that he believes in him (i.e. Dajjal). Surely, Allah made the whole of my Ummah appear before me while still in dust, and taught me their names, the way he taught all the names to Adam. So, standard bearers passed by me and I prayed for forgiveness, in favour of Ali and his followers.
Hannan b. Sudair said: I narrated this Tradition before Abu Abdillah Ja'far b.Muhammad, peace be upon him, and he said: "Did you yourself hear this from Sudaif?" He said: "It is now seventh night since I heard from him." He (i.e. Abu Abdillah) said: "I never thought that this narration ever escaped the lips of my father to anyone."
Acts and deeds shall not benefit except when coupled with wilayah
He said: Abu Nasr Muhammad b. al-Husain al-Muqri reported from Abu Abdillah al-Husain b. Muhammad al-Bazzaz, who reported from Abu Abdillah Ja'far b. Abdillah al-Alawi al-Muhammadi, who reported from Yahya b. Hashim al-Ghassani, from Muammar b. Sulaiman, from Laith b. Abi Sulaim, from Ata b. Abi Rabah, from Ibn Abbas who said:
The Prophet, peace be upon him and his progeny said: "Cling steadfastly to the affection for us Ahlul Bait. For whoever, meets Allah with our love in his heart shall enter Paradise by our intercession. By He Who controls Muhammad's breath, the acts and deeds of a servant shall not benefit him, except when coupled with our recognition and our love."
Isa b. Abdillah is from us - Ahlul Bait
He said: Abul Qasim Ja'far b. Muhammad - may Allah bless him with mercy, reported to me from his father, from Sa'd b. Abdillah from Ahmad b. Muhammad b. Isa, from Musa b. Talha, from Abu Muhammad brother of Yunus b. Ya'qoob, from his brother Yunus, who said:
I was at Medinah, when Ja'far b. Muhammad, peace be upon him, met me in one of its lanes. He said: "O Yunus, go to the door for a person from us Ahlul Bait is at the door." He said: "I went towards the door and found Isa b. Abdillah sitting there. So, I said: "Who are you." He replied: "I am from Qum." He said: "No sooner he said that, then Abu Abdillah appeared on a donkey and he entered the house riding the donkey. Then attending to us, he said: "Come through." Then he said: "O Yunus, I believe you were not prepared to grant when I said that Isa. b. Abdillah is from us, Ahlul Bait?" I said: "It is so, may I be your ransom. For Isa b. Abdillah is from people of Qum, how can he be one of you Ahlul Bait?" He said: "O Yunus, Isa b. Abdillah is from us as long as he lives, and he shall be from us after he has died."
Source: Al-Amali: The Dictations of Sheikh al-Mufid

True Love of the Ahlul-Bait (A.S.)

By: Jan Ali Kazmi
The prayer that the Muslims recite while sending peace upon Hazrat Imam Hussain A.S (Ziarat) are very effective to inculcate the feelings of self-immolation in one. The words of the prayer are;
"O Lord Hussein how I wish I were in Karbala with you and how I wish that I would have been among those martyred in Karbala with you and for your cause."
And this prayer has great significance and effect in nullifying (invaliding) the desire of the world from ones heart and these words should be frequently recited by all Muslims that,
"How I wish my Allah that in Karbala it would have been my hands which were severed (torn) instead of the blessed hands of Abbass the Faithful brother of Imam Hussein (these are words in which man offers sacrifice). How I wish that the arrow which wounded the little neck of Ali Asghar would have devoured (destroyed) my throat… and how I wish that the lance (sharp-pointed weapon) which pierced (thrust) into the heart of Ali Akbar would have cut my heart"
Thus, these are words, which should be recited regularly by Muslims so that a man might gauge (extent) himself whether he is ready for such sacrifices, or not? And by reciting these words again and again a man can cultivate and expatiate (expand) the love of Allah and the Ahlul-Bait in him and subside (restrain) and undervalue the love of the temporary and temporal world from, his heart.
And another important point to be ruminated (pondered) is that all the prayers should be offered with sincerity and concentration and the words of prayers should proffer from the depth of the heart and only a verbal affirmation (declaration) and confession (acknowledgment) is not advisable.
There once lived a Muslim who used to read the Ziarat of Hazrat Imam Hussein (AS) regularly, but some how he was not able to concentrate from his heart and his recitation of the Ziarat was only verbal and shallow (not deep). One night the Muslim saw a dream in which he found that Hazrat Imam Hussein (AS) in Karbala, where he alludes (suggests) to him that he is about to perform his prayers and if any arrows come his way the Muslim should counter the arrows by coming in the way. Now the Muslim did as he was told by Imam Hussein (AS), he waited for any arrow to come his way. However, the Muslim was weak in his intention and the love of self surpassed (exceeded) the love of Imam Hussain (AS) so as soon as an arrow came towards Imam Hussain (AS) the Muslim sided away and the arrow pierced Imam Hussain and he was wounded. At this the Muslim felt great embarrassment that he had high claims that he loved Hazrat Imam Hussain (AS) even more than his life but at the time of test he failed his Imam. Then the Muslim mustered (roused) up courage and stood up once again that this time he would not waver, but when another arrow came he got frightened once again and the arrow hit Imam Hussain (AS) even this time.
When the scholar woke up from his dream he began to shed tears of shame that Hazrat Imam Hussain (AS) had warned him through the vision. Yet his love is not been purified for the cause of Allah and the Ahlul-Bait and he still loves his self and prefers his life to Allah and the cause of the Ahlul-Bait.
If man wishes to attain a successful hereafter and aspires (desires) a peaceful death and a peaceful path to paradise. Then he should endeavour (try) and work hard to kill his love of the self and fill his heart with the love of Allah and the Ahlul-Bait. These are the measures of a man's success in this world and the hereafter. A man should check and test himself as to what extent he can claim to love the Ahlul-bait? It is a thing to be remembered that if the love of Hazrat Ali (AS) is strong in our hearts then our death would be very peaceful. We would not face any torments of the death and the grave and go through none of the tortures of hell and the intermediary (transitional) part (Alim-e-Barzakh). But if the love of Allah and the Ahlul-Bait is not strong then it is quiet possible that the love, which he claims, might diminish at the very threshold (doorstep) of death. And this is quiet possible because sometimes the tortures of death are so great that it might take away man's memory, and this is the philosophy behind the recitation of Talkeen as a part of the funeral rites of Muslim. It is recited in Talkeen that, "Say Allah is my God, that my Prophet is Prophet Muhammad (PBUH), that Ali (AS) is the Leader of the Faithful, that Quran is my book etc." The reason of repeating all these words during the funeral rites is that it might be possible that the deceased person had gone through such torments and tortures in his death that his memory might have been lost. The Talkeen is a sort of a reiteration (repetition) of his covenant (agreement) towards his God.
The question is as to how a man judge can and check himself that whether the love of Allah and the Ahlul-Bait is strong in him or he is a follower of his ego and a lover of the self? The formula prescribed is very easy and can be applied instantly.
Now if the love of the Ahlul-Bait is strong enough that it stops us from committing all the big and small sins of the world then it is strong enough to save us from the tortures and the torments of the Hereafter too. For instance, if we feel ashamed while committing any sort of sin from our eyes or our tongue then it is an indication that our love of the Ahlul-Bait is strong and firm. Then if this love spares (saves) us from the habit of drinking wine, and if we quit liquor (alcohol) because we remember the saying of Imam Sajjad (AS) that,
"O' Muslims refrain from drinking wine because whenever I see wine I remember the court of Yazeed where I stood with my aunts and Yazeed was busy in drinking wine"
If the love of Ahlul-Bait is strong then it will save man from the sin of lust and licentious- ness (unchaste acts), and if the love of Ahlul-Bait is strong then it will save us from the sin of gambling, envy, malice and spite. Thus if a man is reminded of the Ahlul-Bait whenever he intends to something good or bad then he should be thankful to his Allah. Also, be very sure in his heart that if this love is strong enough to control on the sins in this world, then this is the sign that man/woman is secure from the torments of hell and Hereafter.
Reference: ImamReza.net