Tradition

سِتَّةٌ لا تَكُونُ فِى مُؤْمِن: اَلْعُسْرُ وَ النَّكْدُ وَ الْحَسَدُ وَ الْلَّجاجَةُ وَ الْكِذْبُ وَ الْبَغْىُ

Imam al-Sadiq (‘a) is narrated to have said: “There are six things which do not exist in the believing individual- severity, ill-manners, jealousy, stubbornness, lying, and oppression.”1

Brief Commentary

Those who see themselves as being believers are potentially fooling themselves if they possess certain attributes and characteristics. At the very least, the true believers should be free of the six negative attributes mentioned in this tradition. What is interesting is that these six characteristics are all connected to how people relate to one another socially. The true believers are those who are easy going, good-natured, benevolent, and who submit to the truth. They are furthermore truthful, just, and justice seeking for others. The title of a believer is an extremely high-ranking title that is unsuitable for those who possess any of the aforementioned six attributes. We should judge ourselves first and foremost and see if we possess any of these six attributes.

• 1. Taken from the book: Tuhaf al-’Uqul, p. 282, Wasa'il Al-Shi’a, vol. 15, p. 349, Alam Al-Deen, p.129, Al-Khisal, vol. 1, p. 325, Al-Mahasin, vol. 1, p. 158.