Tradition

اِتَّقِ اللّه بَعْضَ التُّقَى وَ إنْ قَلَّ وَدَعْ بَيْنَكَ وَ بَيْنَهُ سِتْراً وَ إنْ رَقَّ

Imam al-Sadiq (‘a) is narrated to have said: “Be careful of (your duty to) God and sanctify him even if only a little. Place a curtain between him and yourself even if it is very thin.”1

Brief Commentary

When some people begin to walk on the path of sin, they quickly cut off all of their previous connections with God. They burn all of their bridges and they shut all of the doors which would make their return possible. In this tradition, Imam al-Sadiq (‘a) is saying that such people should at least leave one door open. One day, such individuals will naturally feel regret for their actions and if they have left this one door open, then they can have a means of return.

• 1. Taken from the book: Tuhaf al-’Uqul, p. 268.