Short Sayings about Freedom, Knowledge by Imam Ali
In a series of sessions, Emad Afroogh tries to introduce the thoughts of Imam Ali (AS). Here is a summary of his remarks made in the 20th session:
I will refer to a few sayings of Imam Ali (AS) in this session.
The first one is saying number 133 in which Imam Ali puts people into two categories: “This world is a place for transit, not a place for stay. The people herein are of two categories. One is the man who sold away his self (to his passions) and thus ruined it, and the other is the man who purchased his self (by control against his passions) and freed it.”
Those who sell themselves get away from their true self, human dignity and honor, but those who buy themselves get dignity and honor. We have to look at ourselves and see which category we belong to.
We must be among those who have freed themselves. Freedom is equal to a healthy life and even a healthy government. The more free people there are in a government, the more and better the rate of that government will be, and vice versa.
Another short but deep sentence that I chose for today is saying number 175. This thought-provoking phrase is very meaningful for those who are involved in resistance, jihad and meaningful life: “When you are afraid of something dive straight into it, because the intensity of abstaining from it is greater (worse) than what you are afraid of.”
General Qassem Soleimani was an example of the two mentioned sayings. He freed himself while also diving into trouble. This can be a lesson for all of us in all aspects of our lives.
The next Hikmat that I chose for today is saying number 205. This sentence explains the unlimited boundaries of knowledge. “Every container gets narrower according to what is placed in it except the container of knowledge which expands instead.”
