Once, a relative of Imam Sajjad (a.s.) approached the Imam (a.s.) and began to revile and insult him. The Imam (a.s.) did not utter a word in reply but, after the man had left the gathering, he turned to the people around him and said: “You heard what this man said. Now I want you to accompany me and hear what I have to say in response to his abuses and insults.” The companions complied, “We shall surely accompany you; in fact we had hoped that you would reply to him at that very moment.” The Imam (a.s.) set off towards the person’s house and was heard reciting the following Qur’anic verse: “And who restrain (their) anger, and forgive (the faults of) men; for God loves those who do good (to others).” (Holy Qur’an, ch. Aale I’mraan (3), vs. 134.) The narrator says: “ When we heard the recitation of this verse, we realized that the Imam (a.s.) intended to exhibit goodness towards the person who had just insulted him.” When he reached the person’s house, the Imam (a.s.) called out to him and announced his arrival. On seeing the Imam, the person immediately assumed that he had come to respond to his abuses. However, as soon as the Imam (a.s.) saw the man, he said, “O’ Brother! You came to me and uttered things which were appalling and unpleasant. If what you have attributed to meis true, I seek forgiveness for myself from God, but if it is not so, then I pray that God forgives you.” The man was shocked to hear these words and repented. He kissed Imam Sajjad (a.s.) between the eyes and apologised, saying: “My insults and abuse were unfounded and cannot be attributed to your character. In fact, those insults befit me more than you.” ( Muntahal Aa’maal, – Shaikh Abbas Qummi (ra) vol. 2, pg. 4. )
The Conduct of Imam Sajjad (a.s.)
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