الأجل
THE PREORDAINED TERM
[OF DEATH]
الأجَلُ أصدَقُ شَيءٍ / The Preordained Term
[Of Death]
1- الإمامُ عليٌّ (عَلَيهِ الّسَلامُ) : خَلَقَ الآجالَ فأطالَها وقَصَّرَها ، وقدَّمَها وأخَّرَها ، ووصَلَ بالموتِ أسبابَها.
1- Imam Ali (AS) said, ‘He
[i.e. Allah] created the duration
[of every life] and made them short or long; He expedited some and postponed others, and connected their causes with the death.’
[Sharhe Nahj al-Balagha li Ibn Abi al-Hadid, v. 7, p. 21]
2- الإمامُ عليٌّ (عَلَيهِ الّسَلامُ) : لا شيءَ أصدقُ مِن الأجلِ.
2- Imam Ali (AS) said, ‘Nothing is truer than death.’
[Ghurar al-Hikam, no. 10648]
الأجل
THE PREORDAINED TERM
[OF DEATH]
3- الإمامُ عليٌّ (عَلَيهِ الّسَلامُ) : نِعْمَ الدَّواءُ الأجلُ.
3- Imam Ali (AS) said, ‘What a good remedy death is!’
[Ibid. no. 9905]
4- الإمامُ عليٌّ (عَلَيهِ الّسَلامُ) : نَفَس المَرءِ خُطاهُ إلى أجَلِهِ.
4- Imam Ali (AS) said, ‘A man’s soul is his steps towards his death.’
[Sharhe Nahj al-Balagha li Ibn Abi al-Hadid, v. 18, no. 221]
الأجَلُ حِصْنٌ حَصينٌ / Death Is A Fortified Castle
5- الإمام عليٌّ (عَلَيهِ الّسَلامُ) : كفى بالأجلِ حارِساً .
5- Imam Ali (AS) said, ‘Death suffices as a guard.’
[Bihar al-Anwar, v. 5, p. 142, no. 14]
6- الإمامُ عليٌّ (عَلَيهِ الّسَلامُ) : الأجَلُ حِصْنٌ حَصِينٌ .
6- Imam Ali (AS) said, ‘Death is a fortified castle.’
[Ghurar al-Hikam, no. 494]
لِكُلِّ شَيءٍ أجَلٌ / Everything Has An End
7- الإمامُ عليٌّ (عَلَيهِ الّسَلامُ) : إنّ لكلِّ شيءٍ مُدّةً وأجَلاً.
7- Imam Ali (AS) said, ‘Everything has a fixed duration and an end.’
[Nahj al-Balagha, Sermon 190]
8- الإمامُ عليٌّ (عَلَيهِ الّسَلامُ) : جَعلَ اللّهُ لكلِّ شيءٍ قَدْرا، ولكلِّ قَدْرٍ أجَلاً.
8- Imam Ali (AS) said, ‘Allah has made a measure for everything and for every measure an end.’
[Ghurar al-Hikam, no. 4778]
الأجَلُ المُعَلَّقُ وَالأجَلُ المَحتومُ / Suspended And Sealed Ends
9- الإمامُ الصّادقُ (عَلَيهِ الّسَلامُ) ـ في تفسيرِ الآيةِ ـ : الأجلُ الّذي غَيرُ مُسمّى مَوقوفٌ ، يُقدِّمُ مِنه ما شاءَ ، ويؤخِّرُ مِنه ما شاءَ ، وأمّا الأجَلُ المُسمّى فهُوَ الّذي يَنزِلُ مِمّا يُريدُ أنْ يكونَ مِن ليلةِ القَدْرِ إلى مِثلِها مِن قابِلٍ ، فذلك قولُ اللّهِ: «إذا جَاء أجلُهم لا يستأخِرونَ ساعةً ولا يستقدِمون»
9- Imam al-Sadiq (AS) said, interpreting the above verse: ‘The first – undetermined – term is suspended; He can expedite and postpone it as He wishes. As for the specified term, that is what He wills to occur as a result of the Night of Ordainment (laylat al-qadr) to the next year’s Night of Ordainment; and that is Allah’s statement: “when their time comes, they shall not defer it by a single hour nor shall they advance it”.’
[Bihar al-Anwar, v. 5, p. 139, no. 3]
ما يَدفَعُ الأجَلَ المُعَلَّقَ / What Safeguards Against The Suspended End
10- الإمامُ عليٌّ (عَلَيهِ الّسَلامُ) : بالصَّدَقةِ تُفْسَحُ الآجالُ.
10- Imam Ali (AS) said, ‘People’s terms are extended by charity.’
[Ghurar al-Hikam, no. 4239]
11- الإمامُ الصّادقُ (عَلَيهِ الّسَلامُ) : يَعيشُ النّاسُ بإحسانِهِم أكثرَ مِمّا يَعيشُونَ بأعمارِهِم ، ويَموتُونَ بذُنوبِهِم أكثرَ مِمّا يَموتُونَ بآجالِهِم.
11- Imam al-Sadiq (AS) said, ‘People live by their goodness towards others more than they do according to their
[predestined] life terms; they also die due to their sins more than they die due to the end of their terms.’
[Bihar al-Anwar, v. 5, p. 140, no. 7]