Tradition

اَلا وَ إِنَّ أَبْغَضُ النّاسِ اِلَى اللّهِ مَنْ يَقْتَدىِ بِسُنَّةِ اِمام وَ لايَقْتَدىِ بِاَعْمالِهِ

Imam Zayn al-’Abidin (‘a) is narrated to have said: “The most detested of the people in front of God is he who has accepted an Imam and a leader, but does not follow him in regards to his actions.”1

Brief Commentary

One of the biggest defiencies that people commonly face is the separation between what they believe and what they actually do in their lives. Some people may speak about how much they like or believe in something, but when you look at their actions, you see that they are effectively not living based on those professed beliefs.

Such people may believe in God for example, but their actions practically show them as being disbelievers. Another individual may believe in God’s justice on the Day of Judgement, but when you look at their morals and ethics, you see that they are practically disbelievers when it comes to the Day of Judgement.

Such an individual may consider the Prophet of Islam (S) as the greatest of the prophets, and Imam ‘Ali (‘a) as the greatest of leaders, and yet his actions will not at all be in concordance with theirs. In light of this tradition, we should always be careful that our beliefs and actions are in line with one another, for this is the mark of the real believer.

• 1. Tuhaf al-’Uqul, p. 202.