Tradition

إِعْلَمْ أَنَّكَ لَنْ تَخْلُو مِنْ عَيْنِ اللّهِ فَانْظُرْ كَيْفَ تَكُونُ

Imam al-Jawad (‘a) is narrated to have said: “Know that you are never outside the sight of God, so be careful of how you behave.”1

Brief Commentary

The first effect of faith in God is a feeling of constantly being under his watch. This isn’t just a sense of physically being watched, but it also relates to one’s inner state such as one’s thoughts, feelings, and intentions. There is nothing that he does not see and this is the most comprehensive sense of being seen that could possibly exist.

As one’s faith grows stronger, the sense of this observation also increases, becoming more comprehensive and deeper in scope. This continues until an individual sees themselves as being perpetually under watch. This state is the greatest and most powerful means of self and social reformation, and it is the most beautiful manifestation of faith. This is also the state which can cure the worst social ills present in our society today.

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