The Sublime Station of Obedience to God
Servitude or Divinity?
In a noble Divine narration (Hadith Qudsi), God Almighty says:
“O son of Adam, obey Me, and I shall make you such that when you say to a thing ‘Be,’ it will be.”
Obedience to God’s command is among the most important duties of human beings and the essential condition of being His servant. A servant is one who esteems the word of his Master and refrains from disobedience. In this hadith, God has so honored and exalted His obedient servant that He grants him the power to act in creation. “Be, and it is” is one of the Divine attributes, yet here it is bestowed upon the true servant.
Obedience is the hallmark of a pure servant of God. However, this quality is conditional upon certain prerequisites, without which it cannot be realized. Chief among them is sincerity: being free from any trace of ostentation, hypocrisy, or material motives.
One who prays merely to be seen by people and considered pious is caught in the trap of showing-off (riya) and reputation-seeking (sum‘a). Such a person seeks the pleasure of people more than the pleasure of God, wishing others to admire his acts of worship.
Yet obedience belongs solely to God, and none besides Him is worthy of worship and obedience.
Obedience takes many forms: performing the Divine obligations, observing the rights of others, and even one’s daily work and livelihood can all be types of obedience to God—provided they are done sincerely, without ostentation, and in the correct manner. Moreover, no lesser act of obedience should ever be pursued at the cost of neglecting a greater one.
Thus, good deeds, acts of worship, and religious duties performed for worldly gain, public approval, or the pursuit of rank and position, though appearing religious, cannot truly be called obedience. Real obedience is any act done purely for the sake of God’s pleasure—even if it is not an explicit ritual or religious obligation. For example, engaging in business, or even attaining leadership and authority, if intended for God’s sake, is praiseworthy and counts as obedience.
Such a person embodies the meaning of the above hadith. God so honors him for his obedience that He raises him to a rank akin to His own power—so that when he says to a thing “Be,” it will be. In other words, his will surpasses ordinary human will, and he is granted influence within the order of creation.
This noble hadith has been transmitted in many Shi‘a sources. The great jurist, the late Allama Shaykh Ahmad ibn Fahd al-Hilli, recorded it in his precious book ‘Uddat al-Da‘i.
The shrine of this great scholar was located in Karbala, about 200 meters from the sacred courtyard of Imam Husayn (peace be upon him). In his honor, a seminary was built bearing his name, within which his noble grave was placed. Later, due to reconstruction and street expansion, part of the seminary was annexed to the road, leaving his blessed grave at the street side. Today, his shrine remains a site of visitation for lovers of the culture and teachings of Ahl al-Bayt (peace be upon them).
The late Allama Majlisi (may God have mercy on him) also cited this hadith in his monumental work Bihar al-Anwar.
Creation and Divine Power
The universe—ranging from galaxies to solar systems, to their large and small planets such as Earth, Mercury, and Saturn; from deserts, seas, mountains, forests, birds, beasts, and reptiles to the fish dwelling in the depths of seas and oceans; as well as natural phenomena like thunder, lightning, rain, floods, and earthquakes—all are under the power of the Almighty God and fall within the sphere of creation. The Exalted God has no hands or feet. His “hand” means His perfect power that encompasses everything.
Now, the aforementioned Divine narration calls upon the servants to worship and obey Him, so that through obedience they may attain such a power by which they could intervene in creation beyond ordinary human will.
There are many stories about this. The Holy Qur’an repeatedly calls us to take lessons from the tales and destinies of past nations:
{Indeed, in their stories there is a lesson for people of intellect.}
The Construction of Lady Zaynab’s Shrine (peace be upon her)
One of these instructive stories, which I myself and many others witnessed, is the account of the late Ḥāj Mahdi Behbahani. About seventy years ago, more or less, he traveled to the grave of Lady Zaynab (peace be upon her) in Sham (present-day Syria) and found it to be a simple, solitary grave in a desert on the outskirts of a small village. The village, which had only a few mud houses, was then called Rawiyah. The grave of Lady Zaynab (peace be upon her) stood alone in the desert, without dome or minaret, without courtyard or shrine.
Ḥāj Mahdi, upon seeing the grave of Lady Zaynab in such simplicity and neglect, became deeply saddened. Although he was not a wealthy or affluent man, he resolved to construct a dome and an enclosure for her resting place, and to establish a shrine with guardianship for it. Over the years, with the gradual support of pilgrims who visited the Lady’s grave, he was able to build the shrine, dome, courtyard, and surrounding chambers little by little.
In this way, visitors could reside there without worrying about lodging. Thus, after many years, Ḥāj Mahdi’s long-cherished dream was fulfilled.
A Severe Illness
Years passed after that event. Ḥāj Mahdi fell gravely ill: his toes turned dark and blackened. The blackness slowly spread to the soles of his feet, then to his entire feet. No matter how many doctors he consulted, no remedy helped. The darkness kept spreading upward until it reached his calves and perhaps even higher.
At last, he packed up and traveled to Beirut, where he was admitted to a hospital and placed under the supervision of several non-Muslim doctors. Some of the physicians, skilled in their field, after X-rays and various tests, unanimously concluded that both of his legs must be amputated. Otherwise, medicine and treatment would be useless, the blackness would spread further, reaching vital organs such as the kidneys, liver, and heart, and eventually cause his death.
Reluctantly, Ḥāj Mahdi submitted and signed for the amputation. All the preparations were made, and the night arrived before the scheduled surgery the next morning.
Seeking Lady Zaynab’s Intercession (peace be upon her)
That night, while the hospital was relatively quiet, Ḥāj Mahdi asked his companion to arrange a car. Unable to stand on his legs, he was placed in a wheelchair and taken into a taxi. He asked the driver to take him to Damascus. The distance between Beirut and Damascus was about a hundred kilometers—two to three hours of travel each way at that time.
In the middle of the night, he arrived at the shrine of Lady Zaynab (peace be upon her). The gates were closed. He knocked on the door. The caretaker, whom Ḥāj Mahdi himself had once appointed to the shrine, came and said from behind the gate: “Whoever you are, come back tomorrow.”
Ḥāj Mahdi introduced himself. The caretaker opened the door, and he was wheeled inside to the sacred tomb. With all hope cut off from everyone else, and clinging only to Lady Zaynab (peace be upon her), he pressed his sorrowful head against her blessed shrine and said:
"I have labored much here. I know my reward is with you in the Hereafter. But I have come to say just one thing: Do not allow my legs to be amputated at the end of my life. That is all I ask, nothing else."
He then told his companion: “I have made my request from Lady Zaynab. Let us return.” It was clear he was in a special spiritual state—despairing of all others and hopeful only in her intercession.
They put him back in the car, and that very midnight, they returned him to his hospital in Beirut.
The next morning, the doctor who had overseen all of Haj Mehdi’s tests and X-rays the day before—and had ordered the surgery—came at the appointed hour to the operating room. Without considering it necessary to re-examine him or take new X-rays, he prepared himself for the operation. A number of others were present in the operating theater, and everything was set for the surgery. The surgeon and his colleagues donned their special gowns. They lifted the sheet covering Haj Mehdi’s legs to begin the procedure.
The moment the specialist’s eyes fell upon Haj Mehdi’s legs, he froze, staring in astonishment. He looked at the patient’s legs, then back at himself. After a few moments of silence, bewildered, he asked Haj Mehdi:
— “Are you… yourself?”
Haj Mehdi replied: “Yes, I am.”
The doctor asked: “Are you the same man who was here last night?”
Haj Mehdi said: “Yes.”
With amazement filling his eyes, the doctor asked: “Did Jesus Christ come here last night?”
Haj Mehdi gave a brief smile and answered: “We have many Messiahs. Last night I went to one of them.”
The specialist immediately ordered new X-rays to be taken of his legs. They took him for imaging again. The doctor repeatedly studied the scans, then fixed his gaze back on Haj Mehdi. After several minutes, he finally declared:
— “These are not the same legs as last night. There is absolutely nothing wrong with them.”
He prescribed only an ointment, advising Haj Mehdi not to put too much strain on his feet. From the doctor’s perspective, the legs were perfectly healthy, without any problem whatsoever.
I myself, in the year 1374 AH, met Haj Mehdi Behbahani. His legs were perfectly healthy, and he walked normally without any problem. There, this very story was recounted about him. Many others had also seen him. My late father and my brother, Grand Ayatollah Sayyid Muhammad Shirazi (may Allah sanctify his soul), on their journeys to Hajj would sometimes pass through Syria and Beirut. In some of the photographs that remain from those trips, Haj Mehdi Behbahani also appears alongside them.
In the end, Haj Mehdi departed from this world, and his body was laid to rest in one of the chambers of the sacred courtyard of Lady Zaynab (peace be upon her). At the western entrance of the holy shrine, there is a corridor with a few chambers on either side. In one of those chambers, the body of that noble man was buried. May his memory be blessed.
Lady Zaynab (peace be upon her) was the noble daughter of the Commander of the Faithful, Imam Ali, and Lady Fatimah al-Zahra (peace be upon them). The lofty station and dignity of this heavenly lady is hidden from no one. Serving this great lady is so valuable that the one who offers it, no matter how difficult, will find their needs fulfilled. Without doubt, Haj Mehdi’s service was a form of obedience that was accepted [by God].
Lady Zaynab (peace be upon her), though over a thousand years have passed since her departure from this world, remains a peer and counterpart of the Ahl al-Bayt (peace be upon them). If serving her carries such immense value, then how much greater is the worth of serving the Ahl al-Bayt themselves and obeying their command—since it is, in reality, obedience to the command of Almighty God.
Human beings—men and women alike, whether merchants, employees, or in any other occupation—must make obedience to God’s command their way and method of life. They should strive in this path and pay special attention to the divine commandments in all aspects of their lives: in their interactions with others such as spouse, children, friends, colleagues, neighbors, and parents. They must always give priority to obedience to God over everything else. Undoubtedly, whoever makes such a decision will surely succeed.
Of course, this matter should not be treated as an experiment or subjected to trial and error—as though one obeys God simply to test whether it brings benefits or not. Obedience to God and the blessings it brings are an established truth, proven by thousands of examples of success throughout history. By browsing through the books of hadith and history, we come across countless stories that confirm this reality.
Therefore, one of the goals of every human being—and indeed the ultimate and highest goal—should be obedience to God. In whatever condition, circumstance, or place a person may be, they must strive in this direction. Buying and selling, dealings with others, and all aspects of life should fall under the light of this great Islamic teaching. Performing the obligations, avoiding the forbidden acts, observing recommended deeds, and staying away from the disliked acts must be the measure of every Muslim’s effort. Each person should dedicate as much of their energy as possible to this aim.
One must also keep in mind the principle of precedence (tazāhum). If a person can discern the conflict between obligatory and recommended acts, or between prohibited and disliked acts, they must act accordingly. And if they are unable to discern this, then it is best to consult the experts. One should weigh acts of obedience and worship, distinguishing the more important from the less important, and the essential from the relatively less essential.
What truly matters is that when the short span of life comes to an end, a person should not be left with regret—regret that for billions of years and beyond they will lament why they did not dedicate their worldly life to obedience to their Lord. As long as one is blessed with the gift of life, they must decide to make use of it. Indeed, this is the most vital priority for every God-centered human being.
We ask Almighty God for the success of obeying Him.
And may blessings be upon Muhammad and his pure family.
