دَورُ العَقلِ فِي العِقابِ وَالثَّوابِ The Role of the Intellect in Chastisement and Reward

18ـ مجمع البيان: أثنى قومٌ على رجُلٍ عندَ رَسولِ اللّه‏ (صَلَّيَ اللهُ عَلَيهِ وَ آلِهِ) فقالَ رسولُ اللّه‏ِ (صَلَّيَ اللهُ عَلَيهِ وَ آلِهِ): كَيفَ عَقلُ الرَّجُلِ ؟ قالوا: يا رَسولَ‏اللّه‏ِ، نُخبِرُكَ عَنِ اجتِهادِهِ في العِبادَةِ وأصنافِ الخَيرِ ، وتَسألُنا عَن عَقلِهِ ؟ ! فقالَ: إنَّ الأحمَقَ يُصيبُ بِحُمقِهِ أعظَمَ مِن فُجورِ الفاجِرِ، وإنَّما يَرتَفِعُ العِبادُ غَداً في الدَّرَجاتِ ويَنالونَ الزُّلفى مِن رَبِّهِم عَلى قَدرِ عُقولِهِم.

18– The Prophet (SAWA) asked a group of people who were praising a man, ‘How is the man’ s intellect’ to which they replied, ‘O Prophet of Allah, we are telling you about his endeavours at worship and other good acts, and you are asking us about his intellect!’ So he replied, ‘Verily the stupid person suffers as a result of his stupidity worse than the licentiousness of an immoral person. The servants will rise up in rank in the Hereafter and will receive great rewards from their Lord in proportion to their intellects.’[Majma`a al-Bayan, v. 1, p. 487]
 

19ـ رسولُ اللهِ‏ِ (صَلَّيَ اللهُ عَلَيهِ وَ آلِهِ): إنَّما يُدرَكُ الخَيرُ كُلُّهُ بِالعَقلِ ، ولا دِينَ لِمَن لا عَقلَ لَهُ.

19– The Prophet (SAWA) said, ‘Verily all good is grasped through the intellect, and the man devoid of intellect has no religion.’[Tuhaf al-`Uqoul, no. 54]
 

20ـ الإمامُ الحسنُ (عَلَيهِ الّسَلامُ): بِالعَقلِ تُدرَكُ الدّارانِ جَميعاً، ومَن حُرِمَ مِنَ العَقلِ حُرِمَهُما جَميعاً.

20– Imam al-Hasan (AS) said, ‘Both the abodes [of the world and the Hereafter] are grasped by the intellect, and whoever is deprived of the intellect is deprived of them both.’[Kashf al-Ghamma, v. 3, p. 197]
 

21ـ الإمامُ الباقرُ (عَلَيهِ الّسَلامُ): لَمّا خَلَقَ اللّه‏ُ العَقلَ قالَ لَهُ: أقبِلْ فَأقبَلَ ، ثُمَّ قالَ لَهُ: أدبِرْ فَأدبَرَ ، فقالَ: وعِزَّتي وجَلالي ما خَلَقتُ خَلقا أحسَنَ مِنكَ، إيّاكَ آمُرُ وإيّاكَ أنهى ، وإيّاكَ اُثيبُ وإيّاكَ اُعاقِبُ .

21– Imam al-Baqir (AS) said, ‘When Allah created the intellect He said to it, ‘Come forward’ so it came forward, then commanded it, ‘Go back’ and it went back. Then He said to it, ‘By my Honour and Exaltedness, I have not created anything better than you. It is you that I command, and you that I prohibit from things, and you that I punish and you that I reward.’[al-Kafi, v. 1, p. 26, no. 26]
 

22ـ الإمامُ الباقرُ (عَلَيهِ الّسَلامُ) ـ مِمّا اُوحِيَ إلى موسى (عَلَيهِ الّسَلامُ) ـ: أنا اُؤاخِذُ عِبادي عَلى قَدرِ ما أعطَيتُهُم مِنَ العَقلِ .

22– Imam al-Baqir (AS) narrated, ‘Among what was revealed to Moses (AS) was, ‘I take My servants to account according to the level of intellect that I have given them.’[al-Mahasin, v. 1, p. 308, no. 608]
 

23ـ الإمامُ الباقرُ (عَلَيهِ الّسَلامُ): وَجَدتُ في الكِتابِ [ يَعني كِتاباً لِعَلِيٍّ (عَلَيهِ الّسَلامُ) ] أنَّ قيمَةَ كُلِّ امرِئٍ وقَدرَهُ مَعرِفَتُهُ ، إنَّ اللّه‏َ تَبارَكَ وتَعالى يُحاسِبُ النّاسَ عَلى قَدرِ ما آتاهُم مِنَ العُقولِ في دارِ الدّنيا .

23– Imam al-Baqir (AS) said, ‘I found written in the Book [i.e. the Book ascribed to Imam Ali (AS)] that the worth and value of every man is his knowledge. Verily Allah, Blessed and most High, will take people to account according to the intellects that He has given them in this world’ s life.’[Ma`ani al-Akhbar, p. 1, no. 2]
 

24ـ الإمامُ الكاظمُ (عَلَيهِ الّسَلامُ): مَن أرادَ الغِنى بِلا مالٍ ، وراحَةَ القَلبِ مِنَ الحَسَدِ ، والسَّلامَةَ في الدِّينِ ، فَلْيَتَضَرَّعْ إلَى اللّه‏ِ عَزَّوجلَّ في مَسألَتِهِ بِأن يُكمِلَ عَقلَهُ .

24– Imam al-Kazim (AS) said, ‘He who wants wealth without the need for riches, and comfort of the heart free from jealousy, and security in his faith should implore Allah, Mighty and Exalted, in his plea for Him to perfect his intellect.’[al-Kafi, v. 1, p. 18, no. 12]