In the Name of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful

Allah says in His Glorious Book: Allah only desires to keep away the uncleanness from you, O people of the House! And to purify you a (thorough) purifying (33:33). One of the members of the House is the tenth Imam, Ali bin Muhammad Al-Hadi (a.s.) (15/Zu elhujja /212 to 03/Radjab/254Hijir). we need to study over and over again the lives sayings and teachings of the Members of the House, because they undoubtedly convey the teachings of the Messenger (p.) and because they teach us how to live righteously and how to straighten any deviation in the Islamic march.Although this Imam did not live for a long period, he earned the trust of his society including the Abbasid rulers. People used to stand for him, whenever he came and they used to seat him in the front of all the Bani Hashim seniors in a gesture of respect for his vast knowledge in all the fields they need to learn, whether in Islam or in life.He used to be like his fathers before him a very spiritual man, living with God in his mind heart and spirit. He also was righteous in his conduct with himself and others in all his affairs, for he represented Islam.The difference between a Muslim and a believerOne of the traditions to remember, is what he has narrated citing Imam Ali bin Abi Talib who used to say: The Messenger (p.) once said to me: Write. I asked: What should I write, and he said: Belief is what has lived in the heart and was credited by what one does… While Islam is what is announced by the tongue and legalizes marriage”.This tradition reflects the Quranic Ayah that says: The dwellers of the desert say: We believe. Say: You do not believe but say, we submit; and faith has not yet entered into your hearts (49:14)Thus Islam is commitment, and the Holy Quran has in several verses associated between belief and good deeds… while submission is simply saying that you are a Muslim, and that you belong to the Muslim community. However, this does not make one a believer.The mind is the proofOne of the Imam’s companions asked him the following question: “Why did Allah, the most Exalted, send Musa with Magic, Jesus with Medicine and Muhammad with words?” The Imam told him that each was sent with what was dominant in his age. Then the companion asked what then the proof is today. The Imam said: “It is the fact that Allah has given us the mind, which enables us to differentiate between what is right and what is false”.The Imam based his belief on the Quran and the prophetic tradition that considers the mind as what justifies Allah’s holding the people accountable for their actions including the belief in God. The tradition, which both Shiites and Sunnis believe to be authentic, holds that when Allah created the mind He said: “I have not created anything better than you. It is you that I command, it is you that I reward, and it is you that I punish. Therefore, the mind is what Allah gave the people so that they can think and reach the right conclusions including the belief in His existence... And it is what justifies holding them accountable, even those who received no Heavenly Messages. Therefore, the mind is the tool that we should resort to in solving all our scientific, intellectual, practical and political problems. We should never be driven by our whims or desires, for the mind does not betray those who seek its consult.The position of the ImamIn the Imam’s age, there were lots of people who used to exaggerate to the extent that they even equated between the Imams and Allah, the most Exalted.When asked by one of his followers about certain interpretations of the Quranic verse stating that prayers forbid evil is actually referring to a man, in addition to several such interpretations which could lead to the devastation of the nation, he said: “This is not our religion…” He also said: “We are but servants of God, who ascribe no partners to Him. If we obey Him He would have Mercy on us, and if we disobey Him He would punish us”. And this is what Allah told His Messenger (p.) to say: Say: Surely I fear, if I disobey my Lord, the chastisement of a grievous day.(6:15)Imam Al-Hadi was trying to set the concepts straight adopting the line of righteousness and the line of Ahl Al-Beit. And this is what we too should always do, remembering that we have to compare what we are told that it has been said by the Imams whether by a good persons or corrupt ones, with what has been said in the Book. If it confirms with it, we would accept it, but if it does not, we should discard it .