Imam Hassan (as) describing the virtues of a pious companion said ‘He was greater than the other people in my eyes. The loftiest virtue, which had made him great in my eyes, is that the world was small (valueless) in his eyes. He had attained freedom from the domination of ignorance. And never begged from anyone, except the trust worthy person, for a benefit. He did not complain and did not get enraged & furious & was not put out of patience (by weariness or annoyance). Most of the times he remained silent but when he opened up his lips to talk he would be at the zenith of all the speakers. He was weak and feeble but when it came to struggle and strife he was a fierce lion. He was more inclined to lend ear in the gathering of scholars than talk. If some one overcame him in speech, no one could overcome him in silence. He never said what he did not practice (but) practiced what he did not say. When he was confronted with two matters that he did not know which one of those was nearer to Allah, then he would see which of those was nearer to his desire so he would oppose it. He did not blame anyone for the works where in there was room for excuse, in similar cases.”[i]
[i] TUHFUL AQOOL P 234
Author: Sheikh Mateen Charbonneau
Sheikh Mateen Charbonneau is of French-Canadian descent. He was born in the United States to a Christian family, and later chose to convert to Shi’a Islam in 1999 at the age of 17, having studied both faiths. He started studying Islamic Seminary classes (Howza) in March 2013 at Imam Ali Center in Springfield, Virginia and studied abroad in Najaf al-Ashraf and Karbala and received his ‘amama (turban) from the esteemed marja’ Ayatollah Sayed Muhammad Taqi al-Modaressi in 2018. He earned a certificate from Harvard University in Islamic Studies, has filmed many documentaries about his journey to Islam, authored several books, taught in the Islamic Seminary (Howza), and is the founder of the nonprofit organization 2nd Chance Books (2014). He has lectured throughout the United States and various other countries spreading the message of Ahl ul Bayt (as). Since 2022 he has been residing in Antalya, Türkiye where he is the resident scholar of the local community and continuing his work with 2nd Chance Books.
mateenjc.com 