Sayings Imam Ali ibn Aba Talib. [a.s]

1. Imam Ali ibn Aba Talib, peace be upon him said the following: During civil disturbance be like an adolescent camel who has neither a back strong enough for riding nor udders for milking.

2. Imam Ali ibn Aba Talib, peace be upon him said the following: Whoever adopts greed as a habit devalues himself; whoever discloses his hardship agrees to be humiliated, and whoever allows his tongue to overpower his soul debases the soul.

3. Imam Ali ibn Aba Talib, peace be upon him said the following: Miserliness is a shame; cowardice is a defect; poverty disables an intelligent man from arguing his case, and a destitute person is a stranger in his own home town.

4. Imam Ali ibn Aba Talib, peace be upon him said the following: Incapability is a catastrophe; endurance is bravery; abstinence is a wealth; self-restraint is a shield (against sinning), and the best company is submission (to Allah’s will).

5. Imam Ali ibn Aba Talib, peace be upon him said the following: Knowledge is a venerable estate; good manners are new outfits, and thinking is a clear mirror.

6. Imam Ali ibn Aba Talib, peace be upon him said the following: The bosom of the wise is the safe of his secrets; cheerfulness is the bond of friendship; effective forbearance is the grave of shortcomings.
It is narrated that Imam Ali ibn Aba Talib (p.b.u.h.) said the following in order to explain this meaning: Mutual reconciliation is the covering for shortcomings, and whoever admires himself attracts many opponents against him.

7. Imam Ali ibn Aba Talib, peace be upon him said the following: Charity is an effective cure, and the actions of people in their present life will be before their eyes in the next.

8. Imam Ali ibn Aba Talib, peace be upon him said the following: How wonderful is man: He speaks with fat, talks with a piece of flesh, hears with a bone and breathes through a hole!

9. Imam Ali ibn Aba Talib, peace be upon him said the following: When this world advances towards anyone (with its riches), it attributes to him the good of others, and when it turns away from him, it deprives him of his own good.

10. Imam Ali ibn Aba Talib, peace be upon him said the following: Deal with people in such a manner that if you die, they should weep for you, and if you live they should long for you.

11. Imam Ali ibn Aba Talib, peace be upon him said the following: When you gain power over your adversary, pardon him as your way of expressing thanks [to Allah] for being able to overpower him.

12. Imam Ali ibn Aba Talib, peace be upon him said: The most helpless of all men is whoever cannot find a few brothers during his life, but still more helpless is whoever finds such a brother but loses him.

13. Imam Ali ibn Aba Talib, peace be upon him said the following: When you get (only) small favors, do not push them away by being ungrateful.

14. Imam Ali ibn Aba Talib, peace be upon him said the following: Whoever is abandoned by near ones is dear to remote ones.

15. Imam Ali ibn Aba Talib, peace be upon him said the following: Every mischief monger cannot even be reproved.

16. Imam Ali ibn Aba Talib, peace be upon him said the following: All matters are subject to destiny, so much so that sometimes death results from effort.

17. Imam Ali ibn Aba Talib, peace be upon him was asked to explain the saying of the Messenger of Allah that: “Banish your old age (by hair-dye) and do not acquire resemblance to the Jews.” Imam Ali ibn Aba Talib (p.b.u.h.) replied: The Prophet (p.b.u.h.) said this at a time when the religion was confined to a few, but now that its expanse has widened and it is firmly settled, everyone is free in his action.

18. Imam Ali ibn Aba Talib, peace be upon him said the following about those who avoided fighting on his side: They abandoned righteousness but did not support wrong.

19. Imam Ali ibn Aba Talib, peace be upon him said the following: Whoever gallops with a loose rein collides with death.

20. Imam Ali ibn Aba Talib, peace be upon him said the following: Forgive the shortcomings of considerate people because when they fall into error, Allah raises them up.

21. Imam Ali ibn Aba Talib, peace be upon him said the following: The consequence of fear is disappointment and of bashfulness is frustration. Opportunity passes away like the cloud. Therefore, make use of good opportunities.

22. Imam Ali ibn Aba Talib, peace be upon him said the following: We have a right. If it is granted to us, that is good; otherwise, we will ride on the hind of the camel even though the night journey may be long.

Sayyid ar-Razi says the following: “This is a very fine and eloquent expression. It means that if we are not allowed to enjoy our right, we will be regarded as humble. This sense comes out from this expression because on the rear part of the camel only slaves, prisoners or other people of this type used to ride.”

23. Imam Ali ibn Aba Talib, peace be upon him said the following: If the deeds of someone accord (him) a back status, he cannot be given a front status simply on account of his lineage.

24. Imam Ali ibn Aba Talib, peace be upon him said the following: To render relief to the grief-stricken and to provide comfort in hardship means the atonement of great sins.

25. Imam Ali ibn Aba Talib, peace be upon him said the following: O son of Adam! When you see that your Lord, the Glorified One, bestows His favors on you while you are disobeying Him, you should fear Him.

26. Imam Ali ibn Aba Talib, peace be upon him said the following: Whenever a person conceals a thing in his heart, it manifests itself through unintentional words from his tongue and (in) the expressions of his face.

27. Imam Ali ibn Aba Talib, peace be upon him said the following: Keep walking in your sickness as long as you can.

28. Imam Ali ibn Aba Talib, peace be upon him said the following: The best part of moderation is to conceal it.

29. Imam Ali ibn Aba Talib, peace be upon him said the following: When you are running away from the world and death is approaching, there is no question of delay in the encounter.

30. Imam Ali ibn Aba Talib, peace be upon him said the following: Fear! Fear! By Allah, He has hidden your sins, so much so that it is as though He has forgiven them!

Faith, Unbelief, Doubt and Their Pillars

31. Imam Ali ibn Aba Talib, peace be upon him, was asked once about faith. He said the following: “Faith stands on four pillars: endurance, conviction, justice and jihad.
Endurance, again, has four aspects: eagerness, fear, abstention (from the allurements of the world) and anticipation (of death). So, whoever is eager for Paradise will ignore his passions; whoever fears the Fire (of Hell) will refrain from committing prohibited deeds; whoever abstains from the world takes hardships lightly, and whoever anticipates death will hasten towards good deeds.
Conviction, also, has four aspects: prudent perception, intelligence and understanding, drawing lessons from instructive things and following the precedents of past people. So, whoever perceives with prudence, wise knowledge will be manifest to him, and to whomsoever wise knowledge becomes manifest he appreciates instructive objectives, and whoever appreciates instructive objectives is just like past people.
Justice also has four aspects: keen understanding, deep knowledge, a good power of decision and firm forbearance. Therefore, whoever understands comes to acquire the depth of knowledge; whoever acquires the depth of knowledge drinks from the spring of Judgment, and whoever exercises forbearance never commits evil actions in his affairs and leads a praiseworthy life among the people.
Jihad, also, has four aspects: enjoining others to do good, keeping away others from doing evil, fighting (in the way of Allah) sincerely and firmly on all occasions and detesting anyone who is vicious.
So, whoever asks others to do good provides strength to the believers; whoever dissuades others from committing evil humiliates the unbelievers; whoever fights sincerely on all occasions carries out all his obligations, and whoever detests the vicious and becomes angry for the sake of Allah, then Allah will be angry in favor of him and will keep him pleased on the Day of Judgment.
Unbelief stands on four pillars: hankering after whims, quarreling with others, deviating from the truth and dissenting. So, whoever hankers after whims does not incline towards right; whoever quarrels much on account of ignorance remains permanently blinded from what is right; whoever deviates from the truth, for him good becomes evil and evil becomes good and he remains intoxicated with misguidance, and whoever makes a breach (with Allah and His Messenger), his path becomes difficult, his affairs become complicated and his way of escape becomes narrow.
Doubt has also four aspects: irrationality, fear, wavering and undue submission to everything. So, whoever adopts irrationality as his way of life, for him there is no dawn after the night; whoever is afraid of what befalls him has to run on his heels; whoever wavers in doubt, the satans trample upon him with their feet, and whoever submits to the destruction of this and the next world succumbs to it.

Sayyid ar-Razi says the following: “We have left out the remaining portion of this saying for fear of length and for being outside the purpose of this chapter.”

32. Imam Ali ibn Aba Talib, peace be upon him said: The doer of good is better than the good itself, and the doer of evil is worse than the evil itself.

33. Imam Ali ibn Aba Talib, peace be upon him said the following: Be generous but not extravagant; be thrifty but not stingy.

34. Imam Ali ibn Aba Talib, peace be upon him said the following: The best of riches is the abandonment of desires.

35. Imam Ali ibn Aba Talib, peace be upon him said the following: If someone is quick in saying about people what they dislike, they will speak about him that with which they have no knowledge.

36. Imam Ali ibn Aba Talib, peace be upon him said the following: Whoever prolongs his desire ruins his actions.

37. Once Imam Ali ibn Aba Talib, peace be upon him was proceeding towards Syria when the countrymen of al-Anbar met him. Seeing him, they began to walk on foot then ran in front of him. He inquired why they were doing so. They replied that this was the way they respected their chiefs. Then he said the following: “By Allah, this does not benefit your chiefs. You are belaboring yourself in this world and earning misery for the next by it. How harmful is the labor in whose wake there is punishment, and how profitable is the case with which there is deliverance from the Fire (of Hell)!

The Imam Admonishing His Son:

38. Imam Ali ibn Aba Talib, peace be upon him said the following to his son al-Hassan (p.b.u.h.): O son! Learn four things and (a further) four things from me:
Nothing will harm you if you practice them. The richest of all riches is intelligence; the biggest destitution is foolishness; the most wild of the wild is vanity, and the best achievement is goodness of the moral character.
O my son! You should avoid making friends with a fool because if he intends to benefit you, he will harm you. You should avoid making friends with a miser because he will run away from you when you need him the most. You should avoid making friends with a sinful person because he will sell you for nought. And you should avoid making friends with a liar because he is like a mirage, making you see far things as near and near things as far.

39. Imam Ali ibn Aba Talib, peace be upon him said the following: Supererogatory worship cannot bring about nearness to Allah if it hampers what is obligatory.

40. Imam Ali ibn Aba Talib, peace be upon him said the following: The tongue of the wise man is behind his heart, while the heart of the fool is behind his tongue.

Sayyid ar-Razi says the following: “This sentence has a strange and beautiful meaning. It means that the wise man does not speak with his tongue except after consulting his mind and exercising his imagination, but the fool quickly utters whatever comes to his tongue without pondering. In this way, the tongue of the wise man follows his heart while the heart of the fool follows his tongue.”

41. This very notion has been related from Imam Ali ibn Aba Talib, peace be upon him in a different version thus: The heart of a fool is in his mouth, while the tongue of the wise man is in his heart.
The meaning of both the saying (40 and 41) is the same.

42. Imam Ali ibn Aba Talib, peace be upon him said the following to one of his companions during the latter’s sickness: May Allah make your illness a means for wiping out your sins because there is no reward for sickness but that it erases sins and makes them fall like (dried) leaves. Reward lies in saying by the tongue and doing something with the limbs. Certainly, Allah, the Glorified One, admits into Paradise by virtue of truthfulness of intention and chastity of heart whomsoever He wishes from among His servants.

Sayyid ar-Razi says the following: “Imam Ali ibn Aba Talib (p.b.u.h.) is right in saying that there is no reward for sickness as such because compensation is admissible with regard to how Allah, the Sublime One, deals with His creatures such as causing them grief, illness and the like. However, reward and recompense become admissible with regard to the actions of the creature. This is the difference between the two. Imam Ali ibn Aba Talib (p.b.u.h.) has clarified it through his lustrous knowledge and sound view.

43. Imam Ali ibn Aba Talib, peace be upon him said the following about Khabbab ibn al-Aratt:
May Allah have mercy on Khabbab ibn al-Aratt since he accepted Islam willingly, immigrated (from Mecca) obediently, remained content with what sufficed him, was pleased with Allah and lived the life of a mujahid.

44. Imam Ali ibn Aba Talib, peace be upon him said the following: Blessed is the person who kept in mind the next life, acted so as to be able to render his account, remained content with what sufficed him and remained pleased with Allah.

45. Imam Ali ibn Aba Talib, peace be upon him said the following: Even if I strike thenose of a believer with this, my sword, so he may hate me, he will not hate me, and even if I pile all the wealth of the world before a hypocrite (Muslim) so he may love me, he will not love me. This is so because it is a verdict pronounced by the tongue of the revered Prophet (p.b.u.h.) who said the following: “O Ali! A believer will never hate you and a hypocrite (Muslim) will never love you.”

46. Imam Ali ibn Aba Talib, peace be upon him said the following: The sin that displeases you is better in the view of Allah than the virtue that makes you proud.

47. Imam Ali ibn Aba Talib, peace be upon him said the following: The worth of a man is according to his courage, his truthfulness is according to his balance of temper, his valor is according to his self-respect and his chastity is according to his sense of shame.

48. Imam Ali ibn Aba Talib, peace be upon him said the following: Victory is (won) with determination; determination is pondering over thoughts and thoughts are formed by guarding secrets.

49. Imam Ali ibn Aba Talib, peace be upon him said the following: Fear the might of a noble person when he is hungry and that of an ignoble person when he is satisfied.

50. Imam Ali ibn Aba Talib, peace be upon him said the following: The hearts of the people are like wild beasts. If someone tries to tame them, they will pounce back upon him.

51. Imam Ali ibn Aba Talib, peace be upon him said the following: So long as your status is good, your defects will remain covered.

52. Imam Ali ibn Aba Talib, peace be upon him said: The most capable of pardoning is whoever is the most powerful to punish.

53. Imam Ali ibn Aba Talib, peace be upon him said: Generosity is that which is by one’s own initiative because giving on being asked is either out of selfrespect or to avoid rebuke.

54. Imam Ali ibn Aba Talib, peace be upon him said: There is no wealth like wisdom, no destitution like ignorance, no inheritance like refinement and no support like consultation.

55. Imam Ali ibn Aba Talib, peace be upon him said: Patience is of two kinds: patience over what pains you, and patience regarding what you covet.

56. Imam Ali ibn Aba Talib, peace be upon him said: With wealth, a strange land is a homeland, while with destitution, even a homeland is a strange land.

57. Imam Ali ibn Aba Talib, peace be upon him said: Contentment is wealth that does not diminish.

Sayyid ar-Razi says: “This saying has also been related from the Prophet (p.b.u.h.).”

58. Imam Ali ibn Aba Talib, peace be upon him said: Wealth is the fountainhead of passions.

59. Imam Ali ibn Aba Talib, peace be upon him said: One who warns you is like one who gives you good tidings.

60. Imam Ali ibn Aba Talib, peace be upon him said: The tongue is a beast; when it is let loose, it devours.

61. Imam Ali ibn Aba Talib, peace be upon him said: Woman is a scorpion whose touch is sweet.

62. Imam Ali ibn Aba Talib, peace be upon him said: If you are met with a greeting, give better greetings in return. If a hand of help is extended to you, do a better favor in return, although the credit will remain with the one who was the first.

63. Imam Ali ibn Aba Talib, peace be upon him said: One who intercedes is the wing of one who seeks.

64. Imam Ali ibn Aba Talib, peace be upon him said: The people of the world are like travelers who are being carried while they are asleep.

65. Imam Ali ibn Aba Talib, peace be upon him said: A lack of friends means strangeness.

66. Imam Ali ibn Aba Talib, peace be upon him said: To miss what one needs is easier than to beg from an inappropriate person.

67. Imam Ali ibn Aba Talib, peace be upon him said: Do not feel ashamed for giving little because refusal is smaller than that.

68. Imam Ali ibn Aba Talib, peace be upon him said: Charity is the adornment of destitution, while gratefulness (to Allah) is the adornment of riches.

69. Imam Ali ibn Aba Talib, peace be upon him said: If what you aim at does not come about, then do not worry as to what you were.

70. Imam Ali ibn Aba Talib, peace be upon him said: You will not find an ignorant person but at one extreme or another (i.e. a person who neglects or a person who exaggerates).

71. Imam Ali ibn Aba Talib, peace be upon him said: As intelligence increases, speech decreases.

72. Imam Ali ibn Aba Talib, peace be upon him said: Time wears out bodies, renews desires, brings death nearer and takes away aspirations. Whoever is successful with it encounters grief, and whoever misses its favors also undergoes hardships.

73. Imam Ali ibn Aba Talib, peace be upon him said: Whoever places himself as a leader of the people should commence with educating his own self before educating others, and his teaching should be by his own conduct before teaching by the tongue. The person who teaches and instructs his own self is more entitled to esteem than whoever teaches and instructs others.

74. Imam Ali ibn Aba Talib, peace be upon him said: Each breath taken by a man is a step towards his death.

75. Imam Ali ibn Aba Talib, peace be upon him said: Every countable thing is to pass way and every expected thing must come about.

76. Imam Ali ibn Aba Talib, peace be upon him said: If matters get mixed up, then the last ones should be appreciated compared to the previous one.

77. It is related that when Dirar ibn Hamzah (the correct: Damrah) ad-Dibabi (or as-Suda’i) went to Mu`awiyah and Mu`awiyah inquired from him about Imam Ali ibn Aba Talib, peace be upon him, he said the following: “I testify that I have seen him on several occasions when night had spread and he was standing in the niche (of the mosque) holding his beard, groaning like a man bitten by a snake and weeping as a grieved man, saying: O world, O world! Get away from me! Why do you present yourself tome?! Or are you eager for me?! You may not get that opportunity to impress me. Deceive some other person. I have no concern with you. I have divorced you thrice after which there is no restitution. Your life is short, your importance is little and your liking is humble. Alas! The provision is little, the way is long, the journey is far and the goal is hard to reach.”

On the Subject of Predestination

78. A man inquired from Imam Ali ibn Aba Talib, peace be upon him saying, “Was our going to fight the Syrians destined by Allah?” Imam Ali ibn Aba Talib (p.b.u.h.) detailed his reply, a selection from which is here:
Woe unto you! You take it as a final and unavoidable destiny (according to which we are bound to act). If it were so, there would have been no question of reward or chastisement and there would have been no sense in Allah’s promises or warnings. (On the other hand) Allah, the Glorified One, has ordered His servants to act according to their free will and has cautioned them and protected them (from evil). He has placed easy obligations on them and has not put heavy obligations. He gives them much (reward) in return for little action. He is disobeyed, not because He is overpowered. He is obeyed but not by force. He did not send prophets just for fun. He did not send down the Book for the people without a purpose. He did not create the skies, the earth and all that is in between them in vain. That is the imagination of those who disbelieve: “...then woe unto those who disbelieve because of the fire” (Holy Qur’an, 38: 27).

79. Imam Ali ibn Aba Talib, peace be upon him said: Take wise points from wherever they may be because if a wise saying is in the bosom of a hypocrite, it flutters in his bosom till it comes out and settles with others of its own category: in the bosom of the believer.

80. Imam Ali ibn Aba Talib, peace be upon him said: A wise saying is a lost article of the believer. Therefore, get wise sayings even though from people of hypocrisy.

81. Imam Ali ibn Aba Talib, peace be upon him said: The worth of every man is in his attainments.

Sayyid ar-Razi says that this is the statement whose value cannot be assessed, with which no wise saying can be weighed and with which no other sentence can be matched.

82. Imam Ali ibn Aba Talib, peace be upon him said: I impart to you five things which, if you ride your camels fast in search of them, you will find them worth the effort:
None of you should repose hope save in his Lord (Allah); none of you should fear anything save his sin; none should feel ashamed of saying, “I do not know” when he is asked about a matter which he does not know; none should feel ashamed of learning a thing that he does not know and you should practice endurance because endurance is for belief what the head is for the body: Just as there is no good in a body without the head, there is no good in belief without endurance.

83. Imam Ali ibn Aba Talib, peace be upon him said the following about a man who praised him much, although he did not admire him: I am below what you express and above what you feel in your heart.

84. Imam Ali ibn Aba Talib, peace be upon him said: The survivors of the sword are large in number and have many offspring.

85. Imam Ali ibn Aba Talib, peace be upon him said: Whoever abandons saying, “I do not know” meets his destruction.

86. Imam Ali ibn Aba Talib, peace be upon him said: I love the opinion of an old man more than the determination of a young man: (or according to another version: more than the martyrdom of a young man.)

87. Imam Ali ibn Aba Talib, peace be upon him said: I wonder about the man who loses hope despite the possibility of seeking forgiveness.

88. (Imam) Aba Ja`far Muhammad ibn Ali al-Baqir, peace be upon him, has related from Imam Ali ibn Aba Talib (p.b.u.h.) that the Imam had said: There were two sources of deliverance from the punishment of Allah: one of them has been raised up, while the other is before you. You should, therefore, adhere to it. The source of deliverance, which has been raised up is the Messenger of Allah Muhammad (p.b.u.h.), while the source of deliverance that remains is the seeking of forgiveness. Allah, the Glorified One, has said the following: “And Allah is not to chastise them while you are among them, nor is Allah to chastise them while yet they seek [His] forgiveness’ (Holy Qur’an, 8: 33).

Sayyid ar-Razi says that this is one of the most beautiful ways of deriving the meaning and a most delicate manner of an interpretation.

89. Imam Ali ibn Aba Talib, peace be upon him said: If a man behaves properly in matters between himself and Allah, then Allah will keep proper the matters between him and other people. And if a man keeps proper the affairs of his next life, then Allah keeps proper for him the affairs of this world. Whoever is a preacher for himself is protected by Allah.

90. Imam Ali ibn Aba Talib, peace be upon him said: The perfect jurist of Islam is whoever does not let people lose hope from the mercy of Allah, does not make him despondent of Allah’s kindness and does not make him feel safe from Allah’s punishment.

91. Imam Ali ibn Aba Talib, peace be upon him said: The hearts get disgusted as bodies get disgusted; so look for beautiful wise sayings for them.

92. Imam Ali ibn Aba Talib, peace be upon him said: The most humble knowledge is that which remains on the tongue and the most honorable one is that which manifests itself through (the action of) the limbs and the organs of the body.

93. Imam Ali ibn Aba Talib, peace be upon him said: None of you should say, “O Allah! I seek Your protection from affliction” because there is none who is not afflicted. But whoever seeks Allah’s protection should seek it from misguiding troubles because Allah, the Glorified One, says the following: “And be admonished that your wealth and your children are a trial” (Holy Qur’an, 8: 28). It means that He tries people with wealth and progeny in order to distinguish one who is displeased with his livelihood from one who is happy with what he has been given. Even though Allah, the Glorified One, knows them more than they know themselves, yet He does so to let them perform actions with which they earn reward or punishment. This is so because some of them like to have male (children) and dislike to have female (children), whereas some like to amass wealth and dislike adversity.

Sayyid ar-Razi says that this is a wonderful interpretation related from the Imam (p.b.u.h.).

94. Imam Ali ibn Aba Talib, peace be upon him was asked what is good; he replied thus: Good is not that your wealth and progeny should be much, but good is that your knowledge should be much, your forbearance should be great and that you should vie with other people in worshipping Allah. If you do good deeds, you should thank Allah, but if you commit evil, you should seek forgiveness of Allah. In this world, good is for two persons only: the man who commits sins but rectifies them by repentance, and the man who hastens towards good deeds.

95. Imam Ali ibn Aba Talib, peace be upon him said: Action accompanied by fear for Allah does not fail; how can a thing fail that has been accepted?!

96. Imam Ali ibn Aba Talib, peace be upon him said: The persons most attracted to the prophets are those who know most what the prophets have brought.
Then Imam Ali ibn Aba Talib (p.b.u.h.) recited this verse: “Verily, of men, the nearest to Abraham are surely those who followed him and this (Our) Prophet (p.b.u.h.) (Muhammad (p.b.u.h.)) and those who believe” (Holy Qur’an, 3:68). Then he said the following: The friend of Muhammad (p.b.u.h.) is whoever obeys Allah, even though he may have no blood relationship [with him], and the enemy of Muhammad (p.b.u.h.) is whoever disobeys Allah even though he may have near kinship [with the Prophet (p.b.u.h.)].

97. Imam Ali ibn Aba Talib, peace be upon him heard about a Kharijite who said the mid-night prayers and recited the Holy Qur’an, then he said: Sleeping in a state of firm belief is better than praying in a state of doubt.

98. Imam Ali ibn Aba Talib, peace be upon him said: When you hear a tradition, test it according to the criterion of intelligence not to that of mere hearsay because those who relate knowledge are numerous, but those who safeguard it are few.

99. Imam Ali ibn Aba Talib, peace be upon him heard a man reciting the following: “Verily, we are Allah’s, and verily to Him shall we return” (Holy Qur’an, 2: 156). The Imam (p.b.u.h.) said: Our saying, “Inna li’llah (Verily we are Allah’s) is an admission of His majesty over us, while our saying, “Wa inna ilayhi raji’un” (and verily to Him shall we return) is an admission of our being mortal.

100. Some people praised Imam Ali ibn Aba Talib, peace be upon him in his presence. The Imam (p.b.u.h.) said: O Lord! You know me better than I know myself, and I know myself better than they know. O Lord! Make us better people than what they think and forgive us for what they do not know.

101. Imam Ali ibn Aba Talib, peace be upon him said: The fulfillment of (others’) needs becomes a lasting virtue in three ways: regarding it as small, so that it attains bigness, concealing it so that it may manifest itself, and doing it quickly so that it becomes pleasant.

102. Imam Ali ibn Aba Talib, peace be upon him said: Shortly, a time will come for people when high [government] positions will be given only to those who defame others, when vicious people will be regarded as witty and just will be regarded as weak. People will regard charity as a loss, consideration for kinship as a burden and worship as grounds for claiming greatness among others. At such a time, authority will be exercised through the counsel of women, and there will be posting of young boys in high positions and the running of the administration by eunuchs.

103. Imam Ali ibn Aba Talib, peace be upon him was publicly seen in worn-out clothes with patches. When it was pointed out to him, he said: With it [such shabbiness of dressing] the heart fears, the mind feels humble and the believers emulate it. Certainly this world and the next are two enemies of each other, two paths in opposite directions. Whoever likes this world and loves it hates the next and is its enemy. These two are like the East and the West. If the walker between them gets near to one, he gets farther from the other. After all, they are like two fellow-wives.

104. It is related by Nawf al-Bikali that: “One night, I saw Imam Ali ibn Aba Talib (p.b.u.h.) coming out of his bed and looking at the stars. Then he said to me: ‘O Nawf! Are you awake or are you sleeping?’ I said: ‘I am awake, O Imam Ali ibn Aba Talib (p.b.u.h.)!’ whereupon the Imam (p.b.u.h.) said the following: O Nawf! Blessed be those who abstain from this world and are eager for the next one. They are the people who regard this earth as the floor; its dust as their bed-cloth, and its water as their perfume. They recite the Holy Qur’an in low tones and supplicate in high tones then they are cut off from the world like Isa (Jesus) was.
‘O Nawf! Prophet Dawud (David) (p.b.u.h.) rose up at a similar hour one night and said: This is the hour when whatever a person pleads, his plea is granted to him unless he is a tax-collector, an intelligence man, a police officer, a lute player or a drummer.’”

Sayyid ar-Razi says the following: “It is also said that ‘artabah’ means ‘tabl’ (drum) and ‘kubah’ means lute.”

105. Imam Ali ibn Aba Talib, peace be upon him said: Allah has placed on you some obligations which you should not ignore, has laid down for you limits which you should not transgress, has prohibited you from certain things which you should not violate and has kept quiet about certain things, but He has not left them out by mistake so that you should not find them.

106. Imam Ali ibn Aba Talib, peace be upon him said: If people give up something relevant to religion to set right their worldly affairs, Allah will inflict upon them something more harmful than that.

107. Imam Ali ibn Aba Talib, peace be upon him said: Often the ignorance of a learned man ruins him while the knowledge he has does not avail him.

108. Imam Ali ibn Aba Talib, peace be upon him said: In man, there is a piece of flesh attached to him: a vein, and it is the strangest thing in him. It is the heart. It has a store of wisdom and things contrary to wisdom. If it sees a ray of hope, eagerness humiliates it, and when eagerness increases, greed ruins it. If disappointment overtakes it, grief kills it. If anger rises in it, a serious rage develops. If it is blessed with pleasure, it forgets to be cautious. If it becomes fearing, it becomes heedless. If peace extends all round, it becomes neglectful. If it earns wealth, freedom from care puts it in the wrong. If trouble befalls it, impatience makes it humble. If it faces starvation, distress overtakes it. If hunger attacks it, weakness seats it. If its food increases, heaviness of stomach pains it. Thus, every shortness is harmful to it and every excess is injurious to it.

109. Imam Ali ibn Aba Talib, peace be upon him said: We (members of the Prophet’s family) are like the pillow in the middle. Whoever lags behind has to come forward to meet it, while whoever exceeds the bounds has to return to it.

110. Imam Ali ibn Aba Talib, peace be upon him said: None can establish the rule of Allah, the Glorified One, except whoever shows no relenting (in the matter of right), who does not behave like wrong doers and who does not run after greed.

111. Sahl ibn Hunayf al-Ansari died at Kufah after his return from the battle of Siffin and he was very much loved by Imam Ali ibn Aba Talib, peace be upon him. On this occasion, Imam Ali ibn Aba Talib (p.b.u.h.) said: Even if a mountain had loved me, it will have crumbled down.

Sayyid ar-Razi says that the meaning of this is that since the trial of the man who loves Imam Ali ibn Aba Talib (p.b.u.h.) will be so, severe troubles will leap towards him and this is not the case except with the God-fearing, the virtuous and the select good ones. There is another similar saying of Imam Ali ibn Aba Talib’s individuals, namely:

112. Whoever loves us, members of the Household (of the Prophet [p.b.u.h.]), should be prepared to face destitution.

Sayyid ar-Razi says that this has been interpreted in a different way as well, but on this occasion, it is not fit to mention here.

113. Imam Ali ibn Aba Talib, peace be upon him said: No wealth is more profitable than wisdom; no loneliness is more estranging than vanity, no wisdom is as good as tact, no honor is like fear from Allah, no companion is like the goodness of moral character, no inheritance is like civility, no guide is like promptitude, no trade is like virtuous deeds, no profit is like the Divine reward, no self-control is like inaction in time of doubt, no abstention is like that from prohibitions, no knowledge is like thinking, no worship is like the carrying out of obligations, no belief is like modesty and endurance, no attainment is like humility, no honor is like knowledge, no power is like forbearance and no support is more reliable than consultation.

114. Imam Ali ibn Aba Talib, peace be upon him said: At a time when virtue is in vogue in the world and among people, if a person entertains an evil suspicion about another person from whom nothing evil has ever been seen, then he has been unjust. And at a time when vice is in vogue in the world and among people, if a man entertains a good idea about another person, he flings himself in peril.

115. It was said to Imam Ali ibn Aba Talib, peace be upon him: “How are you, O Imam Ali ibn Aba Talib (p.b.u.h.)?” He replied: How can he be whom life is driving towards death, whose state of health can change into sickness any moment and who is to be caught (by death) from his place of safety.

116. Imam Ali ibn Aba Talib, peace be upon him said: There are many people who are given time (by Allah) through good treatment towards them and many who are deceived because their sinful activities are veiled (by Allah) and many who are impressed by good talk about themselves. And Allah does not try anyone as seriously as He tries him whom He allows time (to remain sinful).

117. Imam Ali ibn Aba Talib, peace be upon him said: Two categories of persons will face ruin on my account: whoever exaggerates in loving me and whoever hates me intensely.

118. Imam Ali ibn Aba Talib, peace be upon him said: To miss an opportunity brings about grief.

119. Imam Ali ibn Aba Talib, peace be upon him said: The example of the world is like a serpent: It is soft in touch but its inside is full of venom. An ignorant person who has fallen into deceit is attracted towards it, but a wise and intelligent man stays on guard against it.

120. Imam Ali ibn Aba Talib, peace be upon him was asked about the tribesmen of Quraish. He replied as follows: As for Banu Makhzam, they are the blossoms of the tribesmen of Quraish. It is delightful to talk to their men and to marry their women. As for Banu `Abd Shams, they are far-sighted and cautious about all that is hidden from them. As for ourselves (Banu Hashim), we spend whatever we get and are very generous in offering ourselves to death. Consequently, those people are more numerous, more contriving and more ugly while we are most eloquent, well-wishing and handsome.

121. Imam Ali ibn Aba Talib, peace be upon him said: What a difference there is between two kinds of actions: “A deed whose pleasure passes away but its (ill) consequence remains, and a deed whose hardship passes away but its reward stays.

122. Imam Ali ibn Aba Talib, peace be upon him was present at a funeral when he heard someone laugh. He, therefore, said: Is it that death has been ordained only for others? Is it that right is obligatory only on others? Is it that those whom we see departing on their journey of death will come back to us? We lay them down in their graves then enjoy their estate (as if we will live for good after them). We have ignored every preacher, man or woman and have exposed ourselves to every catastrophe.

123. Imam Ali ibn Aba Talib, peace be upon him said: Blessed be whoever humbles himself, whose livelihood is pure, whose heart is chaste, whose habits are virtuous, who spends his savings (in the name of Allah), who prevents his tongue from speaking nonsense, who keeps people safe from evil, who is pleased with the (Prophet’s) Sunnah and who is unconnected with innovation (in religion).

Sayyid ar-Razi says that some people attribute this and the previous saying to the Messenger of Allah (p.b.u.h.).

124. Imam Ali ibn Aba Talib, peace be upon him said: The jealousy of a woman (with co-wives) is heresy, while the jealousy of a man is a part of belief.

125. Imam Ali ibn Aba Talib, peace be upon him said: I am defining Islam as none has defined it before me: Islam is submission, submission is conviction, conviction is affirmation, affirmation is acknowledgment, acknowledgment is carrying out (of obligations) and carrying out obligations is action.

126. Imam Ali ibn Aba Talib, peace be upon him said: I wonder at the miser who is speeding towards the very destitution from which he wants to run away and misses the very ease of life which he covets. Consequently, he passes his life in this world like the destitute but will have to render an account in the next world like the rich.
I wonder at the proud man who was just a drop of semen the other day and will turn into a corpse tomorrow. I wonder at the man who doubts Allah although He sees His creations. I wonder at him who has forgotten death although he sees people dying. I wonder at him who denies the second life although he has seen the first. I wonder at him who inhabits this transient abode but ignores the everlasting one.

127. Imam Ali ibn Aba Talib, peace be upon him said: Whoever falls short of actions falls into grief, and Allah has nothing to do with him who spares nothing from his wealth in the name of Allah.

128. Imam Ali ibn Aba Talib, peace be upon him said: Guard yourselves against cold in its (seasonal) beginning and welcome it towards its end because it affects bodies in the same way as it affects plants. In the beginning, it destroys them, but in the end it gives them fresh leaves.

129. Imam Ali ibn Aba Talib, peace be upon him said: The Greatness of the Creator appreciated by you will belittle the creatures in your view.

130. When Imam Ali ibn Aba Talib, peace be upon him returned from (the battle of) Siffin and noticed the graves outside Kufah, he said: O residents of houses which give a sense of loneliness, of depopulated areas, of gloomy graves! O people of the dust! O victims of strangeness! O people of loneliness and O people of desolateness! You have gone ahead and preceded us while we are following you and will join you. The houses (you left) have been inhabited by others; the wives (you left) have been married by others; the properties have been distributed (among heirs). This is the news about those around us; what is the news about things around you?!
Imam Ali ibn Aba Talib (p.b.u.h.) turned to his companions and said: Beware! If they were allowed to speak they will inform you that: “Verily, the best provision is fear of Allah” (Holy Qur’an, 2: 197).

About Those Who Unfairly Blame Life in this World

131. Imam Ali ibn Aba Talib, peace be upon him heard a man speaking ill of life in this world, so he said to him: O you who abuses the world! O you who has been deceived by it and cheated by its wrongs! Do you thus covet the world then abuse it?! Do you accuse it or should it accuse you?! When did it bewilder you or deceive you, whether by the decay and fall of your forefathers, or by the sleeping places of your mothers under the ground? How much did you look after them in their illness and nursed them during sickness, desiring them to be cured and consulting physicians for them in the morning when your medicine did not avail them and your wailing for them did not benefit them? Your mourning over them did not prove useful to them and you could not achieve your aim. You could not ward off (death) from them with all your power. In fact, through the dying man, the world presented an illustration for you and showed you by the example of his falling down how you will also fall.
Certainly, this world is a house of truth for whoever appreciates it, a place of safety for whoever understands it, a house of riches for whoever collects provision from it (for the next world), and a house of instructions for whoever draws instruction from it. It is the place of worship for those who love Allah, the place of praying for the angels of Allah, the place where the revelation of Allah descends, and the marketing place for those devoted to Allah. Herein, they earned mercy and herein they acquired Paradise by way of profit.
Therefore, who can abuse it when it has announced its departure and called out that it will leave?! It had given news of its own destruction and the death of its people. By its hardship, it set an example of their hardships. By its pleasures, it created eagerness for the pleasures (of the next world). It brings ease in the evening and grief in the morning by way of persuasion, dissuasion, alarm and warning. People abuse it on the morning of their repentance, but there are others who will praise it on the Day of Judgment. The world recalled to them the next life and they bore it in mind. It related to them (things of the next life) and they acknowledged them. It preached to them and they took lesson therefrom.

132. Imam Ali ibn Aba Talib, peace be upon him said: There is an angel of Allah who calls out every day: “Beget children for death! Collect wealth for destruction and raise construction for ruin!”

133. Imam Ali ibn Aba Talib, peace be upon him said: This world is a transient place, not a place of stay. The people herein are of two types: One is a man who sold away his soul (to his passions) and thus ruined it, and the other is a man who purchased his soul (by controlling his desires) and freed it.

134. Imam Ali ibn Aba Talib, peace be upon him said: A friend is not a friend unless he affords protection to his comrade on three occasions: in his adversity, in his absence and at the time of his death.

135. Imam Ali ibn Aba Talib, peace be upon him said: Whoever is bestowed four things is not disallowed four things: whoever is allowed to pray is not deprived of the response to it; whoever is allowed to offer repentance is not deprived of its acceptance; whoever is allowed to seek forgiveness is not deprived of forgiveness, and whoever is allowed to be grateful is not deprived of furtherance of favors.

Sayyid ar-Razi says that this is confirmed by the Book of Allah. About praying, Allah says, “Call unto Me, I will answer you” (Holy Qur’an, 4: 60). About forgiveness Allah says, “And whoever does evil, or wrongs his own self and thereafter seeks Allah’s forgiveness shall find Allah oft-Forgiving, most Merciful” (Holy Qur’an, 4: 110). About gratefulness He says, “If you show gratitude, I will increase (my favors) to you” (Holy Qur’an, 14: 7). About repentance He says, “Verily, repentance (acceptable) with Allah is only for those who do evil out of ignorance then turn (to Allah) soon (thereafter); to these, Allah will turn mercifully, and Allah is all-Knowing, all-Wise” (Holy Qur’an, 4: 17).

136. Imam Ali ibn Aba Talib, peace be upon him said: For the God-fearing, prayers is a means of seeking nearness to Allah, and for the weak, the hajj is as good as jihad. For everything there is a tax, and the tax of the body is fasting. The jihad of a woman is to afford pleasant company to her husband.

137. Imam Ali ibn Aba Talib, peace be upon him said: Seek livelihood by giving alms.

138. Imam Ali ibn Aba Talib, peace be upon him said: Whoever is sure of a good return is generous in giving.

139. Imam Ali ibn Aba Talib, peace be upon him said: Assistance is allowed according to need.

140. Imam Ali ibn Aba Talib, peace be upon him said: Whoever is moderate does not become destitute.

141. Imam Ali ibn Aba Talib, peace be upon him said: A small family is one of the ways of (securing) ease.

142. Imam Ali ibn Aba Talib, peace be upon him said: Loving one another is half the measure of wisdom.

143. Imam Ali ibn Aba Talib, peace be upon him said: Grief is half the old age.

144. Imam Ali ibn Aba Talib, peace be upon him said: Endurance comes according to affliction. Whoever beats his hand on the thigh in his affliction ruins all his good actions.

145. Imam Ali ibn Aba Talib, peace be upon him said: There are many who fast but whose fast is nothing more than hunger and thirst. There are many who offer of prayers and whose prayer is no better than wakefulness and hardship: the sleep as well as the eating and drinking of the intelligent (God-fearing) person is far better.

146. Imam Ali ibn Aba Talib, peace be upon him said: Protect your belief by charity; guard your wealth by paying Allah’s share thereof, and ward off the waves of calamity by praying.

Imam Ali ibn Aba Talib's Conversation With Kumayl ibn Ziyad al-Nakha`i

People are of three kinds:

147. Kumayl ibn Ziyad has related saying that Imam Ali ibn Aba Talib, peace be upon him caught hold of his hand and took him to the graveyard. When the Imam (p.b.u.h.) had passed through the graveyard and left the city behind, he let a deep sigh and said the following:
O Kumayl these hearts are containers. The best of them is that which preserves (its contents); so, preserve what I say to you:
People are of three types: One is the scholar and the Divine. Then, the seeker of knowledge who is also on the way to deliverance. Then the common rot who runs after every caller and bends in the direction of every wind. They seek no light from the glory of knowledge and do not take protection from any reliable support.
O Kumayl! Knowledge is better than wealth. Knowledge guards you, while you have to guard the wealth. Wealth decreases by spending, while knowledge multiplies by spending, and the results of wealth die as wealth decays.
O Kumayl! Knowledge is belief which is acted upon. With it, man acquires obedience during his life and a good name after his death. Knowledge is the ruler while wealth is ruled upon.
O Kumayl! Those who amass wealth are dead even though they may be living, while those endowed with knowledge will remain as long as the world lives. Their bodies are not available but their figures exist in the hearts. Look, here is a heap of knowledge (and Imam Ali ibn Aba Talib [p.b.u.h.] pointed to his bosom). I wish I could get someone to bear it. Yes, I did find (such a person), but either he was one who could not be relied upon, or he was one who exploits the religion for worldly gains and, by virtue of Allah’s favors on him, he will dominate the people, and through Allah’s pleas he will master His devotees. Or he was one who was obedient to the hearers of the truth but there was no intelligence in his bosom. At the first appearance of doubt, he will entertain misgivings in his heart.
So, neither this nor that was good enough. Either the man is eager for pleasures, easily led away by passions, or is covetous for collecting and hoarding wealth. Neither of them has any regard for religion in any matter. The nearest example of these is the loose cattle. This is the way that knowledge dies away with the death of its bearers.
O Lord! Yes! Yet the earth is never devoid of those who maintain Allah’s plea either openly and reputedly or, being afraid, as hidden in order that Allah’s pleas and proofs should not be rebutted. How many are they and where are they? By Allah, they are few in number, but they are great in esteem before Allah. Through them, Allah guards His pleas and proofs till they entrust them to others like themselves and sow the seeds thereof in the hearts of those who are like them.
Knowledge has led them to real understanding, so they have associated themselves with the spirit of conviction. They take easy what the easy going regard as hard. They endear what the ignorant take as strange. They live in this world with their bodies here but their spirits resting in the high above. They are the vicegerents of Allah on His earth and callers to His religion. O, how I yearn to see them! Go away, O Kumayl, wherever you wish!

148. Imam Ali ibn Aba Talib, peace be upon him said: Man is hidden under his tongue.

149. Imam Ali ibn Aba Talib, peace be upon him said: Whoever does not know his own worth is ruined.

On Preaching

150. Imam Ali ibn Aba Talib, peace be upon him said the following to a man who had requested him to preach:
Do not be like him who hopes for (bliss in) the next life without action and delays repentance by prolonging his desires, who utters words like ascetics in this world but whose deeds are like those who are eager for it. If he is granted something of it, he does not feel satisfied. If he is denied, he is not content. He is not grateful for what he gets and covets an increase in whatever remains with him. He curbs others (from wrongdoing) but not his own self. He commands others for what he himself does not do. He loves the virtuous but does not behave like them. He hates the vicious but he himself is one of them. He dislikes death because of the excess of his sins but adheres to that because of which he is afraid of death.
If he falls ill, he feels ashamed: if he is healthy, he feels secure and indulges in amusements. When he recovers from illness, he feels vain about himself. When he is afflicted, he loses hope. If distress befalls him, he prays like a bewildered man. When he finds ease of life, he falls into deceit and turns his face away. His heart overpowers him by means of imaginary things while he cannot control his heart by his conviction. For others, he is afraid of small sins, but for himself, he expects more rewards than his performance. If he becomes wealthy, he becomes self-conscious and falls into vice. If he is impoverished, he despairs and becomes weak.
He is brief when he is doing a good thing but goes too far when he is begging. When passion overtakes him, he is quick in committing sin but delays repentance. If hardship befalls him, he goes beyond the canons of the (Islamic) community. He describes instructive events but does not take instruction himself. He preaches at length but does not accept any preaching for himself. He is tall on speech but short on action. He aspires for things that will perish and ignores things that will last for good. He regards profit as loss and loss as profit. He fears death but does nothing in its anticipation.
He regards the sins of others as big but considers the same things for himself as small. If he does something in obedience to Allah, he considers it much, but if others do the same, he considers it small. He, therefore, rebukes others but flatters himself. Entertainment in the company of the wealthy is dearer to him than remembrance (of Allah) with the poor; he passes verdicts against others for his own interests and does not do so against himself for others’ interests. He guides others but misguides himself. He is obeyed by others but he himself disobeys (Allah).
He seeks the fulfillment of obligations (to himself) but does not fulfill his own obligations (towards others). He fears the people (and deeds) for others besides his Lord (Allah) and does not fear his Lord in dealing with the public.

Sayyid ar-Razi says that if this book had contained nothing save this short statement, it will have sufficed as a successful piece of preaching, a specimen of high philosophy, an objective of wisdom for the onlooker and a source of instruction for the meditative onlooker.

151. Imam Ali ibn Aba Talib, peace be upon him said: Every human being has to meet the end, sweet or sour.

152. Imam Ali ibn Aba Talib, peace be upon him said: Every comer has to return, and after returning, it is as though he never existed.

153. Imam Ali ibn Aba Talib, peace be upon him said: The one who endures does not miss success although it may take a long time.

154. Imam Ali ibn Aba Talib, peace be upon him said: Whoever agrees with the action of a group of persons is as though he joins them in that action. And everyone who joins in wrong commits two sins: one sin for committing the wrong and the other for agreeing with it.

155. Imam Ali ibn Aba Talib, peace be upon him said: Adhere to your covenants and entrust their fulfillment to steadfast persons.

156. Imam Ali ibn Aba Talib, peace be upon him said: On you lies (the obligation of) obedience to the person about whom you cannot plead the excuse of ignorance.

157. Imam Ali ibn Aba Talib, peace be upon him said: Your minds are opened when you see, and you are guided when you receive guidance, and you are made to hear when you do hear.

158. Imam Ali ibn Aba Talib, peace be upon him said: Remonstrate with your brother by being kind to him, and respond to his evil by being generous to him.

159. Imam Ali ibn Aba Talib, peace be upon him said: If one places himself where he may be charged, let him not blame those who may think ill of him.

160. Imam Ali ibn Aba Talib, peace be upon him said: One who possesses prefers himself over others.

161. Imam Ali ibn Aba Talib, peace be upon him said: One who follows only his view perishes, and one who consults with others shares their wisdom.

162. Imam Ali ibn Aba Talib, peace be upon him said: One who hides his secret holds his own option.

163. Imam Ali ibn Aba Talib, peace be upon him said: Poverty is the greatest death.

164. Imam Ali ibn Aba Talib, peace be upon him said: If one is fair to another who is not fair to him, it is as though he worships him.

165. Imam Ali ibn Aba Talib, peace be upon him said: No creature should be obeyed so long as such obedience means disobedience of the Creator.

166. Imam Ali ibn Aba Talib, peace be upon him said: No blame should be placed on one in delaying taking what belongs to him; blame should be on one who takes what does not belong to him.

167. Imam Ali ibn Aba Talib, peace be upon him said: Conceit stops one from seeking perfection.

168. Imam Ali ibn Aba Talib, peace be upon him said: The undertaking is near, but company is not.

169. Imam Ali ibn Aba Talib, peace be upon him said: Morning surely shines for those who have vision.

170. Imam Ali ibn Aba Talib, peace be upon him said: Abandoning a sin is easier than seeking help.

171. Imam Ali ibn Aba Talib, peace be upon him said: How often one meal blocks many!

172. Imam Ali ibn Aba Talib, peace be upon him said: People are enemies of what they do not know.

173. Imam Ali ibn Aba Talib, peace be upon him said: One who welcomes various views gets to know where error lies.

174. Imam Ali ibn Aba Talib, peace be upon him said: One who sharpens his weapon seeking revenge against those who incur the Wrath of Allah will be strong enough to kill those who are strong in committing falsehood.

175. Imam Ali ibn Aba Talib, peace be upon him said: If you fear doing something, then do it because your fear is greater than the deed itself.

176. Imam Ali ibn Aba Talib, peace be upon him said: The mechanism whereby one earns mastership is forbearance.

177. Imam Ali ibn Aba Talib, peace be upon him said: Reprimand the evil doer by rewarding the doer of righteousness.

178. Imam Ali ibn Aba Talib, peace be upon him said: Remove evil from the chest of others by eradicating it from your own.

179. Imam Ali ibn Aba Talib, peace be upon him said: Fanatically insisting on disagreeing poisons one’s view.

180. Imam Ali ibn Aba Talib, peace be upon him said: Greed is perpetual bondage.

181. Imam Ali ibn Aba Talib, peace be upon him said: The fruit of carelessness is regret, whereas the fruit of determination is safety.

182. Imam Ali ibn Aba Talib, peace be upon him said: Preferring silence over articulating wisdom produces nothing good; likewise is to speak out of ignorance.

183. Imam Ali ibn Aba Talib, peace be upon him said: No two cases vary from each other except that one of them is falsehood.

184. Imam Ali ibn Aba Talib, peace be upon him said: Never have I ever doubted the truth whenever it was shown to me.

185. Imam Ali ibn Aba Talib, peace be upon him said: Never have I told a lie, nor was I ever called a liar. Never did I ever stray, nor could any use me to cause others to stray.

186. Imam Ali ibn Aba Talib, peace be upon him said: The oppressor who starts the oppression will tomorrow bite his hand (in regret).

187. Imam Ali ibn Aba Talib, peace be upon him said: Departure (from this world) is nigh.

188. Imam Ali ibn Aba Talib, peace be upon him said: One who openly opposes what is right perishes.

189. Imam Ali ibn Aba Talib, peace be upon him said: One who is not saved by patience will be finished by impatience.

190. Imam Ali ibn Aba Talib, peace be upon him said: How strange! Should caliphate be obtained through friends and relatives?!

Al-Shareef al-Razi, for whom verses of poetry are narrated, has said a couple of lines the gist of which is as follows:

If you through shura took charge of them,
How so since those whose advice is to be sought were absent?!
And if you through kinsfolk argued with the opponent,
Others are more worthy of and nearer than you to the Prophet.

191. Imam Ali ibn Aba Talib, peace be upon him said: One in this life is a target of death, a loot to calamities. With every sip there is hardship, with every morsel there is pain. Whenever a servant of Allah receives a blessing, he bids farewell to another. Whenever he welcomes a new day, he bids farewell for its sake to another. This is so because we are assistants of the fates: Every breath we draw is a target of death; so, how can we hope to last since this night and this day never raise anything in honor except that they are more swift in destroying what they build and scatter what they gather?

192. Imam Ali ibn Aba Talib, peace be upon him said: O son of Adam! Anything you earn beyond your need is stored for others.

193. Imam Ali ibn Aba Talib, peace be upon him said: Hearts have desires, coming or going; so, approach your hearts according to their desires and approaches, for if you force the heart, you will blind it.

194. Imam Ali ibn Aba Talib, peace be upon him said: What shall I satisfy my anger when I am enraged? Is it when I am unable to seek revenge, so it will be said to me: “Why did you not have patience?” Or should I do it when I am able, so it will be said to me: “Why did you not forgive?”!

195. Passing by some garbage, Imam Ali ibn Aba Talib, peace be upon him said: This is some people were too miser to give others.
In another narrative, he is reported as having said, “This is what you used to compete with each other for!”

196. Imam Ali ibn Aba Talib, peace be upon him said: None of your wealth was wasted so long as it provided you with admonishment.

197. Imam Ali ibn Aba Talib, peace be upon him said: These hearts wear out just as bodies wear out; so, seek for them beautiful pieces of wisdom.

198. Imam Ali ibn Aba Talib, peace be upon him, having heard the Kharijites say, “There is no government except Allah’s”, said: “A true statement intended to reap falsehood.”

199. Describing the mobs, Imam Ali ibn Aba Talib, peace be upon him said: They are the ones who overwhelm when they gather and who are known when they disperse.
It is said that he, peace be upon him, rather said: “They are the ones who do harm when they gather and they do good when they disperse.” The Imam (p.b.u.h.) was asked, “When understand their mischief when they gather, but what is the benefit when they disperse?” The Imam (p.b.u.h.) said, “Each one of them returns to his profession, so people benefit from them, such as the builder returning to build, the weaver returns to his craft and the baker returns to his bakery, and so on.”

200. Imam Ali ibn Aba Talib, peace be upon him said the following when a criminal was brought to him escorted by mobs: There is no welcome for you here, O faces that are not seen except when a bad deed is committed.

201. Imam Ali ibn Aba Talib, peace be upon him said: With every human being, there are two guardian angels. When fate comes, they make room for him; fate is a secure protection.

202. Talhah and az-Zubair said to the Imam, peace be upon him, “We shall swear the oath of allegiance to you provided we are your prtners in this matter (in caliphate).” Imam Ali ibn Aba Talib (p.b.u.h.) said: No, but you both are partners when strength and aid are sought, and you both are aides against inability and extreme effort.

203. Imam Ali ibn Aba Talib, peace be upon him said: O people! Fear Allah Who hears you when you speak, Who knows what you hide in your breasts, and be more swift than death which catches up with you when you flee, which take you when you stay, and which remembers you when you forget about it.

204. Imam Ali ibn Aba Talib, peace be upon him said: Do not be discouraged by ingrates from doing good deeds, for you may be thanked by those who do not benefit from your good deed and who still are grateful to you for it. You may obtain gratitude from a grateful person much more than what someone who hides it has wasted, “... and Allah loves the doers of righteousness.”

205. Imam Ali ibn Aba Talib, peace be upon him said: Every container becomes straitened by what is put in it except the container of knowledge: It expands.

206. Imam Ali ibn Aba Talib, peace be upon him said: The first compensation for a clement person for his clemency is that people are his supporters against the ignorant ones.

207. Imam Ali ibn Aba Talib, peace be upon him said: If you are not clement, then put on the garb of clemency, for many are those who imitate others and who become almost just like them.

208. Imam Ali ibn Aba Talib, peace be upon him said: One who holds himself to account succeeds. When who overlooks it loses. One who is cautious earns security. One who receives admonishment expands his vision. One who expands his vision gains understanding, and who gains understanding earns knowledge.

209. Imam Ali ibn Aba Talib, peace be upon him said: The life of this world shall be kind to us after being cruel to us just as a she-camel that rejects those who milk it but turns with affection to its newborn. Having said so, the Imam (p.b.u.h.) recited the following verse: “And We wished to be gracious to those who were being oppressed in the land, to make them leaders (in faith) and to make them heirs” (Qur’an, 28:5).

210. Imam Ali ibn Aba Talib, peace be upon him said: Fear Allah like one who is willing to risk everything [just to please Allah], who urges himself to walk towards Allah, who starts in awe, who looks into the outcomes of matters, into the penalty of anything forbidden, who is apprehensive of the final end.

211. Imam Ali ibn Aba Talib, peace be upon him said: Generosity is the guard of honors. Clemency is ship’s restrainer. Forgiveness is the zakat of victory. Solace is your compensation for one who betrayed you. Consultation is the same as guidance. One who sticks only to his own view takes a risk. Patience struggles against calamities. Impatience aids against time’s fluctuations. The best of wealth is to abandon high hopes. How many are the minds that are subdued by aggressive desires! A sign of success is to remember experience. Affection is a useful kinship. And do not place your trust in someone who has no patience.

212. Imam Ali ibn Aba Talib, peace be upon him said: One’s self-conceit is one of the envies of his own mind.

213. Imam Ali ibn Aba Talib, peace be upon him said: Overlook imperfections and pains and you will always be pleased.

214. Imam Ali ibn Aba Talib, peace be upon him said: One whose stem is lean, his leaves will be thick.

215. Imam Ali ibn Aba Talib, peace be upon him said: Disputes destroy views.

216. Imam Ali ibn Aba Talib, peace be upon him said: One who wins becomes greater.

217. Imam Ali ibn Aba Talib, peace be upon him said: In the alterations of conditions lies the knowledge of the gems of men.

218. Imam Ali ibn Aba Talib, peace be upon him said: Envying a friend is a sign of fault in one’s friendship.

219. Imam Ali ibn Aba Talib, peace be upon him said: Most places where minds are conquered fall under the glitter of high hopes.

220. Imam Ali ibn Aba Talib, peace be upon him said: It is not fair to put an end to trust by entertaining doubt.

221. Imam Ali ibn Aba Talib, peace be upon him said: How miserable the ration of a servant of Allah to the Hereafter is if he oppresses Allah’s servants!

222. Imam Ali ibn Aba Talib, peace be upon him said: The very best of a generous man’s acts of generosity is that he is mindless of what he knows (of people’s faults).

223. Imam Ali ibn Aba Talib, peace be upon him said: One who is attired with the outfit of modesty, people never see his fault.

224. Imam Ali ibn Aba Talib, peace be upon him said: Through abundance of silence does one earn respect. Through fairness does one win lovers. Through acts of favors does one’s value get greater. Through humility does one’s blessing become complete. Through bearing hardships, loftiness is earned. Through fair dealing, an opponent is subdued. And through clemency with regard to a shallow-minded person does one earn supporters.

225. Imam Ali ibn Aba Talib, peace be upon him said: How strange it is that the envious ones overlook the soundness of their own bodies!

226. Imam Ali ibn Aba Talib, peace be upon him said: A covetous person is tied with the ropes of humiliation.

227. Imam Ali ibn Aba Talib, peace be upon him was asked about iman. He said: Iman is a knowledge with the heart, an admission with the tongue, and an action according to the [Islamic] injunctions.

228. Imam Ali ibn Aba Talib, peace be upon him said: If one becomes sad about this world, he becomes angry with what Allah decrees. One who complains about a calamity that befell him, he complains against his Lord. And one who goes to a wealthy man and humbles himself to him on account of his wealth wipes out two-thirds of his creed. If one recites the Qur’an, and when he dies he goes to hell, he is one of those who used to mock the Signs of Allah. If one keeps talking about his love for this world, his heart will be burnt by it in three instances: a worry which he never overcomes, a miserliness which never abandons him, and a hope which he never realizes.

229. Imam Ali ibn Aba Talib, peace be upon him said: Satisfaction suffices for wealth and good manners for a bliss. He (p.b.u.h.) was asked about the meaning of this verse: “... We shall let him lead a good life.” He (p.b.u.h.) said, “It (good life) is satisfaction.”

230. Imam Ali ibn Aba Talib, peace be upon him said: Be partners of one to whom sustenance go for this is the best means for acquiring wealth and the most worthy of earning a good luck.

231. Imam Ali ibn Aba Talib, peace be upon him said the following in explanation of the verse saying, “Allah enjoins you to abide by justice and kindness”: Justice means equity, while kindness is doing others favors.

232. Imam Ali ibn Aba Talib, peace be upon him said: If one gives with the short hand, he will be given with the long one.

Al-Razi has said, “The meaning of this statement is that if one spends out of his wealth in the way of goodness and kindness, though it may be little, Allah Almighty will make its reward great. The short hand here is a reference to that of the servant of Allah, whereas the long one is a connotation of the Lord, the most Exalted One, Who is never weakened by giving and Who provides with a lot for what is little.

233. Imam Ali ibn Aba Talib, peace be upon him said: Do not invite anyone to a duel, but if you are called upon to duel, respond, because one who calls to a duel is an oppressor, and the oppressor is always defeated.

234. Imam Ali ibn Aba Talib, peace be upon him said: The best of women’s attributes are the men’s worst: self-conceit, cowardice and miserliness. So if a woman is self-conceited, she will not let one approach her (in bed). If she is miser, she safeguards her wealth and that of her husband. And if she is a coward, she is scared of anything displayed before her.

235. Imam Ali ibn Aba Talib, peace be upon him was asked, “Describe to us the wise person.” He (p.b.u.h.) said: He is the one who puts everything in its right place. He (p.b.u.h.) was then asked to describe the ignorant person, so he said: “I have just done so!”

Al-Razi has said, “He means to say that the ignorant person is the one who does not put things in their right places. He simply is the antithesis of the wise person.

236. Imam Ali ibn Aba Talib, peace be upon him said: By Allah! Your world is cheaper in my eyes than the intestines of a pig in the hands of leper.

237. Imam Ali ibn Aba Talib, peace be upon him said: Some people worship Allah out of their desire (to worship Him). Such is the worship of traders. Some people worship Allah out of fear of Him; such is the worship of slaves. And some people worship Allah to thank Him; such is the worship of the free.

238. Imam Ali ibn Aba Talib, peace be upon him said: Woman is evil, and the worst of her evil is that we cannot do without her!

239. Imam Ali ibn Aba Talib, peace be upon him said: One who obeys postponements loses track of rights. One who obeys a taleteller loses friends.

240. Imam Ali ibn Aba Talib, peace be upon him said: A rock taken by force in the building of a house is a pawn for its destruction.

241. Imam Ali ibn Aba Talib, peace be upon him said: The oppressed one’s day (of judgment) is to the oppressor much more hard than the day of the oppressor against the oppressed.

242. Imam Ali ibn Aba Talib, peace be upon him said: If many answers crowd together, the truth is hidden.

243. Imam Ali ibn Aba Talib, peace be upon him said: Fear Allah to some degree (even) though it may be little, and set a curtain between you and Allah (even) though it may be thin.

244. Imam Ali ibn Aba Talib, peace be upon him said: When replies are numerous, the correct point remains obscure.

245. Imam Ali ibn Aba Talib, peace be upon him said: Surely in every blessing there is a right of Allah. If one carries out that right, Allah increases the blessing, and if one falls short of doing so, one stands in danger of losing the blessing.

246. Imam Ali ibn Aba Talib, peace be upon him said: When capability increases, desire decreases.

247. Imam Ali ibn Aba Talib, peace be upon him said: Keep on guard against the slipping away of blessings because not everything that runs away comes back.

248. Imam Ali ibn Aba Talib, peace be upon him said: Generosity is more prompting to good than regard for kinship.

249. Imam Ali ibn Aba Talib, peace be upon him said: If a person has a good idea about you, make his idea come true.

250. Imam Ali ibn Aba Talib, peace be upon him said: The best deed is that which you have to force yourself to do.

251. Imam Ali ibn Aba Talib, peace be upon him said: I came to know Allah, the Glorified One, through breaking determinations, a change of intentions and the loss of courage.

252. Imam Ali ibn Aba Talib, peace be upon him said: The sourness of this world is the sweetness of the next while the sweetness of this world is the sourness of the next.

253. Imam Ali ibn Aba Talib, peace be upon him said: Allah has laid down iman (conviction) for purification from polytheism; salat (prayer) for purification from vanity; zakat as a means of livelihood; siyam (fasting) as a trial of the people; hajj for the honor of Islam; persuasion for good (al-amr bil-ma‘ruf) for the good of the common people; dissuasion from evil (an-nahy ‘anil-munkar) for controlling the mischievous; regard for kinship for increase of number; revenge for stopping bloodshed, the award of penalties for the realization of importance of the prohibitions; the abstinence from drinking wine for the protection of one’s wits; the avoidance of theft for inculcating chastity; the abstinence from adultery for safeguarding lineage; the abstinence from sodomy for increasing the progeny; tendering testimony for furnishing proof against contentions; abstinence from telling lies for increasing the esteem of the truth; the maintenance of peace (salam) for the protection from danger; Imamate (Divine Leadership) for the orderliness of the community and obedience (to Imams) as a mark of respect to the Imamate.

254. Imam Ali ibn Aba Talib, peace be upon him used to say: If you want an oppressor to take an oath, ask him to swear like this: that he is out of Allah’s might and power, because if he swears falsely in this way, he will be swiftly punished while if he swears by Allah Who is such that there is no god but He, he will not be quickly punished since he is acknowledging the Unity of Allah, the Sublime.

255. Imam Ali ibn Aba Talib, peace be upon him said: O son of Adam! Be your own representative in the matter of your property, and do about it whatever you want to be done with it after your death.

256. Imam Ali ibn Aba Talib, peace be upon him said: Anger is a kind of madness because the victim to it repents afterwards. If he does not repent his madness is confirmed.

257. Imam Ali ibn Aba Talib, peace be upon him said: Health of body comes from paucity of envy.

258. Imam Ali ibn Aba Talib, peace be upon him said the following to Kumayl ibn Ziyad an-Nakha‘i: O Kumayl! Direct your people to go out in the day to achieve noble traits and to go out in the night to meet the needs of those who might be sleeping, for I swear by the One Whose hearing extends to all voices, if someone pleases another’s heart, Allah will create a special thing out of this pleasing so that whenever any hardship befalls him, it will come running like flowing water and drive away the hardship as wild camels are driven away.

259. Imam Ali ibn Aba Talib, peace be upon him said: When you fall in destitution, trade with Allah through charity.

260. Imam Ali ibn Aba Talib, peace be upon him said: Faithfulness with faithless people is faithlessness with Allah, while faithlessness with faithless people is faithfulness with Allah.

261. Imam Ali ibn Aba Talib, peace be upon him said: There is many a man being gradually brought towards punishment by good treatment with him; many a man who remains in deceit because his evils are covered, and many a man who is in illusion because of good talk about him, while there is no greater ordeal by Allah, the Glorified One, than the giving of time.

Sayyid ar-Razi says: “This saying has appeared earlier as well but here it contains a beautiful and useful addition.”


Section where we have included selections from wonderful sayings
of Imam Ali ibn Aba Talib, peace be upon him which require explanations:

262-1. A tradition related from Imam Ali ibn Aba Talib, peace be upon him says: When the situation is like this, then the head of the religion will rise and people will gather around him as pieces of rainless cloud gather during autumn...

Sayyid ar-Razi says: “ya`sub” is the great chief who is in charge of the people’s affairs, and “quza” means the pieces of cloud which have no rain.

263-2. A tradition of Imam Ali ibn Aba Talib, peace be upon him says: He is a versatile speaker.

Sayyid ar-Razi says: “Ashahshah” means one expert and free in speech, and everyone who is free in speech or in walking is called “Ashahshah”, while in another sense this word means a miserly and niggardly person.

264-3. A tradition from Imam Ali ibn Aba Talib, peace be upon him says: Quarrels bring about ruin.

Sayyid ar-Razi says: “Quhm” means “ruin” because quarrels often drive men into ruin and grief. In the same way, it is said “quhmatul-A`rub” which means the period (of drought) when the cattle owned by the nomad desert Arabs are reduced to bones. Another argument is also advanced in this matter, namely that the situation drives them to green areas. In other words, the hardship of the desert life drives them to hadar (metropolis area, a more sophisticated and complex living environment than that wherein nomads of the desert live).

265-4. A tradition from Imam Ali ibn Aba Talib, peace be upon him says: When girls come of age, relatives on the father’s side are preferable.

Sayyid ar-Razi says, “Instead of ‘nassa’l-hiqaq’, the combination of ‘nassa’l-haqa’iq’ has also been related.” “Nass” means the last end of things or their most remote limit, such as “an-nassi fi’ssayr” means the maximum a beast can walk. Or you say “nasastur-rajula `anil-amri” when you have questioned a man to the extreme to make him utter all that he has. Thus, “nassul-haqa’iq” means prudence because it is the last limit of childhood and is the time when a child crosses childhood into maturity. This is a very eloquent reference to the point, and a strange one, too. Imam Ali ibn Aba Talib (p.b.u.h.) intends to say: “When girls reach this stage, their relatives on the father’s side have a better right [to marry them] than their mother, provided they are those with whom marriage is not prohibited, such as brothers and uncles, etc., to arrange for their marriages if they so desire. “Al-hiqaq” also means the quarreling of the mother with a girl’s paternal relatives. This quarrel is that everyone of them says he has a better right for her. That is why it is said “haqatuhu hiqaqan” on the lines of “jadaltuhu jidalan”. It has also been said that “nassul-hiqaq” means acquiring understanding. This is prudence, too, because Imam Ali ibn Aba Talib (p.b.u.h.) refers to the stage when rights and duties become applicable. The person who has related the word as “haqa’iq” intends to signify the plural of “haqiqah” (reality, fact, truth).
The above is what Aba ‘Ubayd al-Qasim ibn Sallam has stated (in Gharib al-Hadith, Vol. 3, pp. 456-458); but I think that what is meant here by the word “nassul-hiqaq” is a girl’s reaching the stage when it is possible to marry her and allow her to dispose of her rights herself on the analogy of “bil hiqaqi mina’l-ibili” (a camel’s attaining majority) wherein “hiqaq” is the plural of “hiqqah” or “hiqq”; it means completion of three years and entry into the fourth, which is the time when it reaches the age when it is possible to ride on its back. “Haqa’iq”, too, is the plural of “hiqqah”. Thus, both the versions point to the same meaning, and this interpretation is more in keeping with the way of the Arabs than the other one stated earlier.

266-5. A tradition of Imam Ali ibn Aba Talib, peace be upon him says: Faith produces a “Alumazah” in the heart. As faith develops, “Alumazah” also increases.

Sayyid ar-Razi says: “Alumazah” is a white spot, or something like that. On that analogy, if a horse has a white spot on its lower lip, it is called “farusun al-mazu”, that is, a white-spotted horse.

267-6. A tradition of Imam Ali ibn Aba Talib, peace be upon him says: If a man has “ad-daynu’z-zanun” (i.e. doubtful loan), it is his duty to pay zakat thereon for all the past years when he recovers it.

Sayyid ar-Razi says: “Az-zanun” is the loan about which the lender does not know whether he will be able to recover it from the borrower or not. He is like the one who hopes as well as loses hope. This is the most eloquent way of expression. In this way, everything about which you do not know where you stand will be zanun. In the same strain, the poet al-A`sha (Maymun ibn Qays al-Wa’ili [d. 7/629]) says, “The azzanun well (i.e. the one that may or may not have water), which is also deprived of the rain of the clouds and cannot be compared to the Euphrates whose waves are rising high and which ever pushes the boat away on its current as it does the adept swimmer.”
“Jubb” means “ well” (located in a wilderness), while zanun is that about which it is not known whether or not it has water.

268-7. A tradition of Imam Ali ibn Aba Talib, peace be upon him relates that he arranged a force for advancing for jihad and said: I’dhibu (turn away) from women as far as you can.

Sayyid ar-Razi says: It (“i‘dhibu”) means “stay away” from thoughts of women and from clinging your heart to them, and do not have union with them, because all this produces weakness in enthusiasm, affects the firmness of determination, weakens one against his enemy and prevents one from excelling in fighting. Anything which prevents from something is called “adhAba ‘anhu” i.e. turned away from it. Thus, “al-‘adhib” and “al-adhub” mean one who gives up eating and drinking.

269-8. A tradition of Imam Ali ibn Aba Talib, peace be upon him says: ... Like the successful shooter (al-yasir al-falij) who looks forward to achieving success at his first shot.

Sayyid ar-Razi says: “Al-yasirun” (pl. of al-yasir) means those who shoot with arrows on the slaughtered camel by way of gambling, while “al-falij” means successful or victorious. For example, it is said: “falaja `alayhim” or “falajahum” (that is, he got victory over them or overpowered them). A poet has said by way of war this recital: “When I noticed a successful person securing victory..., etc.”

270-9. A tradition of Imam Ali ibn Aba Talib, peace be upon him runs as follows: When the crisis became red-hot, we sought refuge with the Messenger of Allah (p.b.u.h.), and none of us was closer to the enemy than he himself was.

Sayyid ar-Razi says: “This means that when fear of the enemy increased and fighting became serious, the Muslims begin to think that since the Messenger of Allah had taken up fighting himself, Allah must give them victory through him and that, therefore, they will be safe from all the dangers because of his presence.”
And the words “idha’hmarra’l-ba’su” (when the crisis became red-hot) refers to the seriousness of the matter. For this purpose, several expressions have been used out of which this is the best, since Imam Ali ibn Aba Talib (p.b.u.h.) has likened war with fire which combines heat and redness both in action as well as in color. This is confirmed by the words of the Messenger of Allah (p.b.u.h.) when during the battle of Hunayn, he noticed the people of Hawazin (tribe) fighting, he said: “Now the watis has heated up” and watis is the place where fire is lighted. In this way, the Messenger of Allah (p.b.u.h.) likened the seriousness of fighting by men to the seriousness of the fire and its flames.

This section ends and we return to the original theme of the chapter.

271. When the news of the attack of Mu`awiyah’s men on al-Anbar reached Imam Ali ibn Aba Talib, peace be upon him, he himself came out walking till he reached an-Nukhaylah where people overtook him and said: “O Imam Ali ibn Aba Talib! We are [mighty] enough for [defeating] them.”
He said: You cannot be enough for me against yourselves, so how can you be enough for me against others? Before me, the people used to complain of the oppression of their rulers, but now I have to complain of the wrongful actions of my people; as though I am led by them and they are the leaders, or that I am the subject and they are the rulers.

The narrator says: “When Imam Ali ibn Aba Talib (p.b.u.h.) uttered this during his long speech, which we have included in the collection of sermons (No. 27), two men from among his companions advanced towards him and one of them said: “‘I rule none except myself and my brother’ (Qur’an, 5: 25). So, order us with your command, O Imam Ali ibn Aba Talib and we will carry it out.” Thereupon, Imam Ali ibn Aba Talib (p.b.u.h.) said: “How can you two accomplish what I aim at?”

272. It is said that al-Harith ibn Hawt came to Imam Ali ibn Aba Talib and said: “Do you believe that I can ever imagine that the people of Jamal were wrong?” Imam Ali ibn Aba Talib, peace be upon him said: “O al-Harith! You have seen below yourself but not above yourself, so you have been confused. Certainly, you have known right, so that you can recognize the righteous. And you have not known wrong, so that you can recognize the people who are wrong!” Then al-Harith said: “In that case, I shall withdraw along with Sa‘d ibn Malik and ‘Abdullah ibn `Umar,” whereupon Imam Ali ibn Aba Talib (p.b.u.h.) said: “Verily, Sa‘d and `Umar have neither sided with right nor forsaken wrong.”

273. Imam Ali ibn Aba Talib, peace be upon him said: One who holds authority is like one who rides a lion; he is envied for his status but he well knows it.

274. Imam Ali ibn Aba Talib, peace be upon him said: Do good with the bereaved ones of others so that good is done to your bereaved ones, too.

275. Imam Ali ibn Aba Talib, peace be upon him said: When the utterance of the wise is to the point, it serves as a cure, but if it is wrong, it acts like an illness.

276. Someone asked Imam Ali ibn Aba Talib, peace be upon him to define religion for him. The Imam said, “Come to me tomorrow so that I may enlighten you in the presence of all people; thus, if you forget what I say, others might retain it. This is so because an utterance is like a fluttering prey which may be grappled by someone but missed by others.”

Sayyid ar-Razi says, “We have already stated in the earlier chapter how Imam Ali ibn Aba Talib replied to this man, namely his saying (No. 31): ‘Faith stands on four pillars, etc.’”

277. Imam Ali ibn Aba Talib, peace be upon him said: O son of Adam! Do not inflict the worry of the day that has not yet come on the day which has already come because if that day is in your life, Allah will also bestow its livelihood.

278. Imam Ali ibn Aba Talib, peace be upon him said: Have love for your friend up to a limit, for it is possible that he may turn into your enemy some day. And hate your enemy up to a limit, for it is possible that he may turn into your friend some day.

279. Imam Ali ibn Aba Talib, peace be upon him said: There are two kinds of workers in the world. One is a person who works in this world for this world and his work for this world keeps him unmindful of the next. He is afraid of destitution for those whom he will leave behind but feels safe about it. So, he spends his life seeking the good of others. The other is one who works in this world for what is to come hereafter, and he secures his share of this world without an effort. Thus, he gets both the benefits and becomes the owner of both homes. In this way, he is prestigious before Allah. If he asks Allah anything, He does not deny him.

280. It is related that during the days of (caliph) `Umar ibn al-Khattab, the question of the excess of the ornaments of the Ka‘bah was mentioned to him and some people suggested the following: “If you raise by it an army of Muslims, it will be a matter of great reward, and what will the Ka‘bah do with the ornaments?” `Umar thought of doing so but asked Imam Ali ibn Aba Talib (p.b.u.h.) what he thought. The Imam said: When the Qur’an was revealed to the Prophet (p.b.u.h.), there were four kinds of property: One, the property of a Muslim which he distributed among the successors according to fixed shares. Second, the tax (fay’) which he distributed to those for whom it was meant. Third, the one-fifth (khums) for which Allah had fixed the ways of disposal. Fourth, the amounts of charity (sadaqat) the disposal of which was also fixed by Allah. The ornaments of the Ka‘bah did exist in those days, but Allah left them as they were. He did not leave them by omission, nor were they unknown to Him. Therefore, you should keep them where Allah and His Prophet placed them.
Thereupon, `Umar ibn al-Khattab said, “If you had not been here, we would have been humiliated.” He left the ornaments as they were.

281. It is related that two persons were brought to Imam Ali ibn Aba Talib, peace be upon him once. They had stolen a public property. One of them was a slave purchased with public money and the other had been purchased by someone from among the people. Imam Ali ibn Aba Talib (p.b.u.h.) said, “As for this one who has stolen the public property, there is no punishment for him, for it means one who is the property of Allah has taken another property of Allah. As for the other, he should be punished.” Consequently, the thief’s hand was cut off.

282. Imam Ali ibn Aba Talib, peace be upon him said: If my steps acquire firmness out of these slippery places, I will alter several things.

283. Imam Ali ibn Aba Talib, peace be upon him said: Know with full conviction that Allah has not fixed for any person more livelihood than what has been ordained in the Book of Destiny, even though his means (of seeking it) may be great, his craving for it intense and his efforts for it acute. Nor does the weakness of a person or the paucity of his means stand in the way between what is ordained in the Book of Destiny and himself.
Whoever realizes it and acts upon it is the best of them all in comfort and benefit, while whoever disregards it and doubts it exceeds all men in disadvantages. Very often, a favored person is being slowly driven (towards punishment) through those favors, and very often an afflicted person is being done good through his own affliction. Therefore, O listener, increase your gratefulness, lessen your haste and stay within the bounds of your livelihood.

284. Imam Ali ibn Aba Talib, peace be upon him said: Do not turn your knowledge into ignorance or your conviction into doubt. When you gain knowledge act (upon it), and when you acquire conviction, proceed (on its basis).

285. Imam Ali ibn Aba Talib, peace be upon him said: Greed takes a person to the watering place but brings him back without letting him drink. It undertakes responsibility but does not fulfill it. Often, the drinker gets choked before he quenches his thirst. The greater the worth of a thing yearned for, the greater is the grief for its loss. Desires blind the eyes of understanding. The destined share will reach him who does not approach it.

286. Imam Ali ibn Aba Talib, peace be upon him said: O Allah! I seek Your protection from this: that I may appear to be good in the eyes of the people while my inward self may be sinful before You, and that I may guard myself (from sinning) only for show before the people although You are aware of everything about me. Thus, I appear before the people in good shape although my evil acts are placed before You. This means achieving nearness to Your creatures but remoteness from Your pleasure.

287. Imam Ali ibn Aba Talib, peace be upon him said: I swear by the One Who let us pass the dark night after which there was a bright day that such and such did not happen.

288. Imam Ali ibn Aba Talib, peace be upon him said: A small action which is continued with regularity is more beneficial than a long one performed with grudge.

289. Imam Ali ibn Aba Talib, peace be upon him said: When optional issues stand in the way of obligatory ones, abandon them.

290. Imam Ali ibn Aba Talib, peace be upon him said: Whoever keeps in view the distance of the journey remains prepared.

291. Imam Ali ibn Aba Talib, peace be upon him said: Perception by the eyes is not real observation because the eyes sometimes deceive people; but wisdom does not deceive whomsoever it counsels.

292. Imam Ali ibn Aba Talib, peace be upon him said: Between you and preaching there is a curtain of deception.

293. Imam Ali ibn Aba Talib, peace be upon him said: The ignorant among you get too much while the learned are just put off.

294. Imam Ali ibn Aba Talib, peace be upon him said: Knowledge dispels the excuse of those who advance excuses.

295. Imam Ali ibn Aba Talib, peace be upon him said: Anyone whom death overtakes early seeks time while the death of anyone who is deferred puts forth excuses for the postponement (of doing good deeds).

296. Imam Ali ibn Aba Talib, peace be upon him said: For every thing to which people say “how good!” there is an evil hidden in this world.

297. Imam Ali ibn Aba Talib, peace be upon him was asked about destitution. He said the following: It is a dark path; do not tread upon it. It is a deep ocean; do not dive in it. And it is the secret of Allah; do not take trouble about (knowing) it.

298. Imam Ali ibn Aba Talib, peace be upon him said: When Allah intends to humiliate a person, He denies him knowledge.

299. Imam Ali ibn Aba Talib, peace be upon him said: In the past, I had a brother-in-faith, and he was prestigious in my view because the world was humble in his eyes, the needs of the stomach did not have a sway over him. He did not long for what he did not get. If he got a thing, he would not ask for more. He remained most of the time silent. When he spoke, he silenced the other speakers. He quenched the thirst of inquirers. He was weak and feeble, but at the time of fighting, he was like the lion of the forest or the serpent of the valley: he would not put forth an argument unless it was decisive.
He will not abuse anyone in an excusable matter unless he had heard the excuse. He would not speak of any trouble except after its disappearance. He said what he would do and would not say what he will not. Even if he could be exceeded in speech, he could not be excelled in silence. He was more eager for keeping quiet than speaking, and if two things confronted him, he would see which was more akin to the longing of the heart and he would oppose it.
These qualities are incumbent upon you. So, you should acquire them and compete with each other in upholding them. Even if you cannot acquire them, you should know that acquiring a part is better than giving up the whole.

300. Imam Ali ibn Aba Talib, peace be upon him said: Even if Allah had not warned of chastisement on those who are disobedient to Him, it will be obligatory by way of gratitude for His favors that He should not be disobeyed.

301. Imam Ali ibn Aba Talib, peace be upon him said the following to express his condolences to al-Ash‘ath ibn Qays about (the death of) his son: O Ash‘ath! If you grieve over your son, certainly it is the consequence of the blood relationship; but if you endure, then Allah provides recompense for every affliction. O Ash‘ath! If you endure even then, matters will move on as ordained by Allah. But in that case, you will deserve to be rewarded, while if you lose patience, matters will again move as ordained by Allah. But in this case, you will be bearing the burden (of your sins). O Ash‘ath! Your son (when he lived) gave you happiness while, at the same time, he was a trial and a hardship and (when he died) he caused you to grieve while, at the same time, he has proved to be a source of reward and mercy for you.

302. Imam Ali ibn Aba Talib, peace be upon him said the following at the grave of the Messenger of Allah (p.b.u.h.) at the time of his burial: Certainly endurance is good except about you. Fretting is bad except over you. And the affliction about you is great while every other affliction before or after it is small.

303. Imam Ali ibn Aba Talib, peace be upon him said: Do not associate with a fool because he will beautify his actions before you and wish that you, too, be like him.

304. Imam Ali ibn Aba Talib, peace be upon him was asked about the distance between the East and the West when he replied as follows: A day’s trip for the sun.

305. Imam Ali ibn Aba Talib, peace be upon him said: Your friends are three and your enemies are (also) three. Your friends are: your friend, your friend’s friend and your enemy’s enemy. And your enemies are: your enemy, your friend’s enemy and your enemy’s friend.

306. Imam Ali ibn Aba Talib, peace be upon him saw a man busy against his enemy with what was harmful to his own self as well, so he said: You are like one who pierces a spear through himself in order to kill the person sitting behind him.

307. Imam Ali ibn Aba Talib, peace be upon him said: How many are the objectives of lessons, but how few are those who take lessons!

308. Imam Ali ibn Aba Talib, peace be upon him said: Whoever goes too far in quarreling is a sinner, but if one falls short in it, one is oppressed, and it is difficult for a quarreling person to fear Allah.

309. Imam Ali ibn Aba Talib, peace be upon him said: I am not worried about a fault after which I get time to offer prayers in two units (rek‘as) and beg safety from the wrath of Allah.

310. Imam Ali ibn Aba Talib, peace be upon him was asked once: “How will Allah conduct the accounting of all persons despite their large number?” He replied: “Just as He provides them livelihood despite their large number.” Then it was said to Him: “How will He conduct their accounting without their seeing Him?” He replied: “Just as He provides them with livelihood although they do not see Him.”

311. Imam Ali ibn Aba Talib, peace be upon him said: Your messenger is the interpreter of your intelligence while your letter is more eloquent in expressing your true self.

312. Imam Ali ibn Aba Talib, peace be upon him sāid: The person who is afflicted with hardship is not in a greater need for praying than the one who has been spared affliction but is not immune to it.

313. Imam Ali ibn Aba Talib, peace be upon him said: People are the progeny of the world and none can be blamed for loving the mother.

314. Imam Ali ibn Aba Talib, peace be upon him said: The destitute person is a messenger of Allah. Whoever denies him denies Allah, and whoever gives him gives Allah.

315. Imam Ali ibn Aba Talib, peace be upon him said: A self-respecting man never commits adultery.

316. Imam Ali ibn Aba Talib, peace be upon him said: The fixed limit of life is enough to remain watchful.

317. Imam Ali ibn Aba Talib, peace be upon him said: A man can sleep over the death of his child but cannot sleep over the loss of his property.

Sayyid ar-Razi says: “This statement means that a man remains patient about the death of his children but does not do so at the loss of his property.”

318. Imam Ali ibn Aba Talib, peace be upon him said: Mutual affection between fathers creates a relationship between the sons. Relationship is more in need of affection than affection is for a relationship.

319. Imam Ali ibn Aba Talib, peace be upon him said: Be afraid of the thoughts of believers because Allah, the most Exalted One, has placed the truth on their tongues.

320. Imam Ali ibn Aba Talib, peace be upon him said: The belief of a person cannot be regarded as true unless his trust in what is with Allah is more than his trust in what he himself has.

321. When Imam Ali ibn Aba Talib, peace be upon him came to Basrah, he sent Anas ibn Malik to Talhah and az-Zubayr to make them recall what he (Anas) himself had heard the Messenger of Allah (p.b.u.h.) saying concerning them both, but he avoided doing so. When he came back to Imam Ali ibn Aba Talib (p.b.u.h.), he said that he had forgotten that matter. Thereupon, Imam Ali ibn Aba Talib (p.b.u.h.) said: “If you are speaking a lie, Allah will afflict you with white spots (leucoderm) which even the turban may not cover.”

Sayyid ar-Razi says: “White spot means leucoderma. After sometime this disease did occur to Anas’s face, so much so that he was never seen with his face uncovered.”

322. Imam Ali ibn Aba Talib, peace be upon him said: Sometimes the hearts advance [towards their Creator] and sometimes they retreat. When they advance, get them to perform the optional [acts of worship] (as well). But when they retreat, keep them confined to only what is obligatory.

323. Imam Ali ibn Aba Talib, peace be upon him said: The Qur’an contains news about the past, foretelling about the future and commandments for the present.

324. Imam Ali ibn Aba Talib, peace be upon him said: Throw a stone in return from where one comes to you because evil can be met only with evil.

325. Imam Ali ibn Aba Talib, peace be upon him said to his secretary ‘Ubaydullah ibn Aba Rafi‘: Put cotton flake in the ink pot, keep the nib of your pen long, leave some space between the lines and close up the letters because this is good for the beauty of the writing.

326. Imam Ali ibn Aba Talib, peace be upon him said: I am the ya‘sab (leader) of the believers, while wealth is the leader of the wicked.

Sayyid ar-Razi says: “It means that the believers follow me while the wicked follow the path that take them to wealth and riches just as the bees follow their ‘ya`sub’, their leader.”

327. Some Jews said to Imam Ali ibn Aba Talib, peace be upon him: “You did not bury your Prophet when you picked up differences about him.” It is then that Imam Ali ibn Aba Talib (p.b.u.h.) replied thus: “We did not differ about him; we differed after him (i.e. about his succession). You had not dried up your feet yet, having come out of the river, when you began asking your Prophet: ‘Make you for us a god as they have gods of their own.’ Said he; ‘Verily you are a people behaving ignorantly’ (Qur’an, 7:138).”

328. Imam Ali ibn Aba Talib, peace be upon him was asked: “With what did you overpower your adversaries?” He answered: “Whenever I confronted one of them, he helped me against himself.”

Sayyid ar-Razi says: “Imam Ali ibn Aba Talib (p.b.u.h.) is pointing out his striking of awe in the hearts.”

329. Imam Ali ibn Aba Talib, peace be upon him said to his son Muhammad ibn al-Hanafiyyah: “O my son! I fear lest destitution overtakes you. So, you should seek Allah’s protection from it because destitution is [an indication of] a deficiency in religious beliefs, perplexity of intelligence, and it is conducive to hatred of obstinate people.”

330. Imam Ali ibn Aba Talib, peace be upon him replied to a man who had asked him a difficult question with the following: Ask me for understanding but do not ask for confusion because the ignorant person who tries to learn is like the learned man, but the learned man who tries to create confusion is like the ignorant.

331. ‘Abdullah ibn `Abbas once advised Imam Ali ibn Aba Talib, peace be upon him against his views, so the Imam (p.b.u.h.) said: You have only to advise me, but then I have to see (what to do), and if I act against your advice, you have to follow me.

332. Imam Ali ibn Aba Talib, peace be upon him returned to Kufah from Siffin, he passed by the residences of the Shibamites (who belonged to the tribe of Shibam) and heard their women mourning those killed in Siffin. At that time, a Shibamite, namely Harb ibn Shurahbil ash-Shibami, who was one of the nobles of those people, went to him. Imam Ali ibn Aba Talib (p.b.u.h.) said to him: “Do your women have control over you as regarding the weeping that I hear? Do you not refrain them from such crying?” Harb began to walk with him while Imam Ali ibn Aba Talib (p.b.u.h.) was on horseback, so Imam Ali ibn Aba Talib (p.b.u.h.) said to him: “Get back because the walking of a man like you with one like me is mischief for the ruler and a disgrace for the believer.”

333. Imam Ali ibn Aba Talib, peace be upon him passed by the dead bodies of the Kharijites on the day of the battle of Nahrawan and said: “Woe unto you! You have been harmed by him who deceived you.” He was asked: “O Imam Ali ibn Aba Talib (p.b.u.h.)! Who deceived them?” He replied: “Satan, the deceiver, and the inner self [nafs] that leads one to evil deceived them through passions. It made it easy for them to get into sins, promised them victory and eventually threw them into the Fire.”

334. Imam Ali ibn Aba Talib, peace be upon him said: Beware of disobeying Allah in solitude because the Witness (of that situation) is also the Judge.

335. When the news of the killing of Muhammad ibn Aba Bakr reached Imam Ali ibn Aba Talib, peace be upon him, he said: Our grief over him is as great as their (i.e. the enemy’s) joy for it, except that they have lost an enemy and we have lost a friend.

336. Imam Ali ibn Aba Talib, peace be upon him said: The age up to which Allah accepts any excuse for a human being is sixty years.

337. Imam Ali ibn Aba Talib, peace be upon him said: One whose sin overpowers him is never victorious, and whoever secures victory by evil means is (in fact) vanquished.

338. Imam Ali ibn Aba Talib, peace be upon him said: Allah, the Glorified One, has fixed the livelihood of the destitute in the wealth of the rich. Consequently, whenever a destitute remains hungry, it is because some rich person has denied (him his share). Allah, the Sublime, will question them [the rich] about it.

339. Imam Ali ibn Aba Talib, peace be upon him said: Not to be in need of putting forth an excuse is better than putting forth a true excuse.

340. Imam Ali ibn Aba Talib, peace be upon him said: The least right of Allah on you is that you should not make use of His favors in committing His sins.

341. Imam Ali ibn Aba Talib, peace be upon him said: When the disabled fall short in performing acts of obedience to Allah, the Glorified One, it is a good opportunity given by Allah for the intelligent to perform such acts.

342. Imam Ali ibn Aba Talib, peace be upon him said: The sovereign is the watchman of Allah on earth.

343. Describing a believer, Imam Ali ibn Aba Talib, peace be upon him said: A believer has a cheerful face, a sorrowful heart, a very broad chest (very generous), and a very humble heart. He hates high status and dislikes fame. His grief is long, his courage is far-reaching, his silence is much and, his time is occupied. He is grateful, enduring, buried in his thoughts, sparing in his friendship (with others), of a bright demeanor and of a soft temperament. He is stronger than stone but more humble than a slave.

344. Imam Ali ibn Aba Talib, peace be upon him said: If a man happens to see the end of (his) life and his final fate, he will begin hating desires and their deception.

345. Imam Ali ibn Aba Talib, peace be upon him said: There are two shares in the property of every person: heirs and accidents.

346. Imam Ali ibn Aba Talib, peace be upon him said: The person who is approached with a request is free till he makes a promise.

347. Imam Ali ibn Aba Talib, peace be upon him said: Whoever prays but does not exert effort is like one who shoots without a bow-string.

348. Imam Ali ibn Aba Talib, peace be upon him said: Knowledge is of two kinds: that which is absorbed and that which is just heard. The one that is heard does not give benefit unless it is absorbed.

349. Imam Ali ibn Aba Talib, peace be upon him said: Correctness of decisions goes together with power. One emerges with the other’s emergence and disappears when the other disappears.

350. Imam Ali ibn Aba Talib, peace be upon him said: The beauty of destitution is chastity and the beauty of riches is gratitude.

351. Imam Ali ibn Aba Talib, peace be upon him said: The day of justice will be more severe on the oppressor than the day of oppression on the oppressed.

352. Imam Ali ibn Aba Talib, peace be upon him said: The biggest wealth is that one should not have an eye on what others possess.

353. Imam Ali ibn Aba Talib, peace be upon him said: Utterances are preserved and actions are to be tired. “Every soul, for what it earned, is pawned” (Qur’an, 74: 38). People are to be made deficient (as regarding their bodies) and meddled with (as regarding their minds) except those whom Allah protects. The ones who inquires from among them aims at confusing, while the one who answers creates hardship. It is possible that the man who has the best views among them will be deviated from the soundness of his thinking by pleasure or displeasure, and it is possible that a single glance may affect even the man with the best wisdom from among them or a single expression may transform him.

354. Imam Ali ibn Aba Talib, peace be upon him said: O folks! Fear Allah, for there is many a man who aspires for what he does not get, many a builder of a house who does not live to occupy it, and many a collector of that which he shall just leave behind. Possibly he may have collected it wrongfully or by denying one’s right. He acquired it unlawfully and had to bear the weight of sins on its account. Consequently, he returned (from this world) with that weight and came before Allah with sorrow and grief. “He lost this world and (also) the thereafter; that is a loss (which is) manifest” (Qur’an, 22: 11).

355. Imam Ali ibn Aba Talib, peace be upon him said: Lack of access to sins is also a kind of chastity.

356. Imam Ali ibn Aba Talib, peace be upon him said: The dignity of your face is solid, but begging dissolves it; therefore, look carefully before whom you dissolve it.

357. Imam Ali ibn Aba Talib, peace be upon him said: To praise more than what is due is sycophancy; to do it less is either because of inability to speak or of envy.

358. Imam Ali ibn Aba Talib, peace be upon him said: The most serious sin is that which the doer considers light.

359. Imam Ali ibn Aba Talib, peace be upon him said: One who sees his own shortcomings abstains from looking into other’s shortcomings. Whoever feels happy with the livelihood with which Allah provides him does not grieve over what he misses. Whoever draws out the sword of rebellion gets killed by it. Whoever strives without means perishes. Whoever enters the depths gets drowned. Whoever visits places of ill-repute receives blame.
Whoever speaks more commits more errors. Whoever commits more errors becomes shameless. Whoever is shameless will have less fear of Allah. Anyone who decreases his fear of Allah causes his heart to die. One whose heart dies enters the Fire. Whoever observes the shortcomings of others and disapproves of them then accepts them for himself is definitely a fool. Contentment is a capital that does not dwindle. Whoever remembers death much is satisfied with small favors in this world. Whoever knows that his speech is also a part of his action speaks less except where he has some purpose.

360. Imam Ali ibn Aba Talib, peace be upon him said: The oppressor among the people has three signs: He oppresses his superior by disobeying him, and his junior by imposing his authority and he tops other oppressors.

361. Imam Ali ibn Aba Talib, peace be upon him said: At the extremity of hardship comes relief, and at the tightening of the chains of tribulation comes ease.

362. Imam Ali ibn Aba Talib, peace be upon him said the following to one of his companions: Do not devote much of your activity to your wife and children because if your wife and children are lovers of Allah, then He will not leave His lovers without caring for them. And if they are enemies of Allah, then why should you worry and keep yourself busy about the enemies of Allah?

363. Imam Ali ibn Aba Talib, peace be upon him said: The greatest defect is when you are concerned about the defect (in others) which is already present in yourself.

364. Someone congratulated another person in the presence of Imam Ali ibn Aba Talib, peace be upon him on the birth of a son saying: “Congratulations for getting a rider of horses”. Imam Ali ibn Aba Talib (p.b.u.h.), said: Do not say so; but say: You have an occasion to be grateful to Allah, the Giver, and be blessed with what you have been given. May he attain full life, and may you be blessed with His devotion.

365. One of the officers of Imam Ali ibn Aba Talib, peace be upon him built a stately house about which Imam Ali ibn Aba Talib (p.b.u.h.) said: These are silver coins showing their faces. Certainly, this house speaks of your riches.

366. It was said to Imam Ali ibn Aba Talib, peace be upon him, peace be upon him: “If a man is left in his house and the door is closed, from where will his livelihood reach him?” He replied: “From whatever way his death reaches him.”

367. Offering condolences to people one of whom had just died, Imam Ali ibn Aba Talib, peace be upon him said: This thing has not started with you nor does it end with you. This fellow of yours was used to journeying and, therefore, it is better to think of him as still journeying. Either he will rejoin you or you will rejoin him.

368. Imam Ali ibn Aba Talib, peace be upon him said: O people! Let Allah see you fearing at the time of happiness just as you fear Him at the time of distress. Certainly, whoever is given ease (of life) and does not consider it as a means of slow approach to tribulation (wrongly) considers himself as safe against what is to be feared while whoever is afflicted with straitened circumstances but does not perceive them to be a trial loses to a coveted reward.

369. Imam Ali ibn Aba Talib, peace be upon him said: O slaves of desires! Cut them short because whoever leans on the world gets nothing out of it except the pain of hardships. O people! Take upon yourselves to train your own souls and turn away from the dictates of your natural inclinations.

370. Imam Ali ibn Aba Talib, peace be upon him said: Do not regard an expression uttered by any person as evil if you can find it capable of bearing some good.

371. Imam Ali ibn Aba Talib, peace be upon him said: If you have a need from Allah, the Glorified One, then begin by seeking Allah’s blessing on His Messenger, may Allah bless him and his descendants, then ask your need, because Allah is too generous to accept one (seeking His blessing on His Messenger) of the two requests made to Him while denying the other.

372. Imam Ali ibn Aba Talib, peace be upon him said: Whoever is jealous of his esteem should keep from quarreling.

373. Imam Ali ibn Aba Talib, peace be upon him said: To make haste before the proper time or to delay after a proper opportunity, in either case there is folly.

374. Imam Ali ibn Aba Talib, peace be upon him said: Do not ask about things which may not happen because you have enough to worry about with what already happens.

375. Imam Ali ibn Aba Talib, peace be upon him said: Imagination is a clear mirror, and the taking of lessons (from things around you) provides warning and counsel. It is enough for improving yourself that you should avoid what you consider as bad in others.

376. Imam Ali ibn Aba Talib, peace be upon him said: Knowledge is associated with action. Therefore, whoever knows should act [upon it] because knowledge calls for action. If there is a response, well and good; otherwise, it (i.e. knowledge) departs from him.

377. Imam Ali ibn Aba Talib, peace be upon him said: O people! The wealth of this world is broken into sorts that may bring an epidemic; therefore, keep off this grazing land. Leaving it is a greater favor than peacefully staying in it, and its part which suffices for subsistence is more blissful than its riches. Destitution has been ordained for those who are rich here, while comfort has been designated for those who keep away from it. If a person is attracted by its dazzle, it blinds both his eyes. And if a person acquires eagerness towards it, it fills his heart with grief which keeps alternating in the black part of his heart, some grief worrying him and another giving him pain. This goes on till the suffocation of death overtakes him. He is flung in the open while both the shrines of his heart are severed. It is easy for Allah to cause him to die and for his comrades to put him in the grave.
The believer sees the world with eyes that derive instruction and takes from it food enough for his barest needs. He hears in it with ears of hatred and enmity [towards this world]. If it is said (about someone) that he has become rich, it is also said that he has turned destitute. And if pleasure is felt on one’s own living, grief is felt over his death. This is the status, although the day has not yet approached when they will be disheartened.

378. Imam Ali ibn Aba Talib, peace be upon him said: Allah, the Glorified One, has laid down rewards for obedience to Him and punishment for committing sins against Him in order to save men from His chastisement and to drive them towards Paradise.

379. Imam Ali ibn Aba Talib, peace be upon him said: A time will come when nothing will remain of the Qur’an except its writing and nothing of Islam except its name. The mosques in such days will be busy with regard to construction but desolate with regard to guidance. Those staying in them and those visiting them will be the worst of all people on earth. From them, mischief will spring up and, toward them, all wrong will turn. If anyone isolates himself from it (mischief), they will fling him back into it. And if anyone steps back from it, they will push him towards it. Says Allah, the Glorified One, (in one hadith qudsi, i.e. the tradition in which Allah Himself speaks): I swear by Myself that I shall send upon them an evil wherein the one who endures will be bewildered,” and He will do so. We seek Allah’s pardon against stumbling through neglect.

380. It is related that seldom did Imam Ali ibn Aba Talib, peace be upon him ascend the pulpit without uttering the following statement before starting his sermon: O people! Fear Allah, for man has not been created for naught so that he may waste himself, nor has he been left without anyone caring for them so that he may commit foolish acts. This world, which appears to him to be beautiful cannot be the replacement for the next which appears in his eyes to be bad, nor is the vain person, who is successful in this world, is sure that he will prosper in the next even to a small extent.

381. Imam Ali ibn Aba Talib, peace be upon him said: There is no distinction higher than Islam, no honor more honorable than fear of Allah, no asylum better than self-restraint, no intercessor more effective than repentance, no treasure more precious than contentment, and no wealth is a bigger remover of destitution than satisfaction with mere subsistence. Whoever confines himself to what is just enough for maintenance achieves comfort and prepares his abode in ease. Desire is the key of grief and the conveyance of distress. Greed, vanity and jealousy are incentives to falling into sins and mischief-making, the collection of all bad habits.

382. Imam Ali ibn Aba Talib, peace be upon him said the following to Jabir ibn ‘AbdAllah al-Ansari: O Jabir! The mainstay of religion and the world are four persons: The scholar who acts upon his knowledge, the ignorant person who does not feel ashamed of learning, the generous person who is not niggardly in his favors, and the destitute who does not sell his next life for his worldly benefits. Consequently, when the scholar wastes his knowledge, the ignorant feels too ashamed to learn, and when the generous is niggardly with his favors, the destitute sells his next life for the worldly benefits.
O Jabir! If favors of Allah abound on a person, the people’s needs toward him also abound. Therefore, whoever fulfills for Allah all that is obligatory on him in this regard will preserve them (Allah’s favors) in continuance and perpetuity, while whoever does not fulfill those obligations will expose them to decay and destruction.

383. Ibn Jarir at-TAbari has, in his History (Vol. 2, p. 1086; also Ibn al-Athir in his History, Vol. 4, p. 478) related from ‘Abd ar-Rahman ibn Aba Layla, al-faqih, who was one of those who had risen with (‘Abd ar-Rahman ibn Muhammad) Ibn al-Ash‘ath to fight al-Hajjaj (ibn Yasuf ath-Thaqafi), that he (Ibn Aba Layla) was exhorting people to carry out jihad by recalling the following: “On the occasion of the encounter with the people of Syria, I heard Imam Ali ibn Aba Talib (p.b.u.h.), may Allah exalt his rank among the righteous and may He reward him with the reward of martyrs and men of truth, saying: ‘O believers, whoever observes excesses being committed and people being called towards evil and disapproves it with his heart is safe and free from responsibility for it, and whoever disapproves of it with his tongue will be rewarded and he is in a higher status than the former, but whoever disapproves it with his sword in order that the word of Allah may remain superior and the word of the oppressors may remain inferior, catches hold of the path of guidance and stands on the right way, while his heart is lit with conviction.’”

384. Another saying in the same strain runs as follows: So..., among them (the Muslim community) there is one who disapproves evil with his hand, tongue and heart. This man has perfectly attained the virtuous habits. And among them there is one who disapproves evil with his tongue and heart but not with his hand. This man has attained only two virtuous habits but lacks one. And among them there is the third who disapproves evil with his heart but not with his tongue and hand. This is the one who lacks the two better qualities out of the three and holds only one. Then, among them there is also one who does not disprove evil with his tongue, heart or hand. He is just a dead man among the living.
All the virtuous acts, including waging a war in the way of Allah, as compared to the persuasion for good and dissuasion from evil, are just like spitting in the deep ocean [i.e. of no consequence]. The acts of persuasion for good and dissuasion from evil do not bring death nearer, nor do they lessen the livelihood. And better than all this is to utter a just expression before a tyrannical ruler.

385. The following is related from Aba Juhayfah who said, “I heard Imam Ali ibn Aba Talib, peace be upon him saying: The first fighting with which you will be overpowered is fighting with the hands. Thereafter, you will fight with your tongues then with your hearts. Consequently, whoever does not recognize virtue with his heart or does not disprove evil will be turned upside down. Thus, his upside will be turned downwards and his low side will be turned upwards.

386. Imam Ali ibn Aba Talib, peace be upon him said: Certainly, right is weighty and wholesome while wrong is light and epidemic.

387. Imam Ali ibn Aba Talib, peace be upon him said: Do not feel safe from the punishment of Allah even about the best man in the whole community because Allah, the Sublime, says: “But none feels secure from the plan of Allah save the people (who are the) losers” (Qur’an, 7: 99). Again, do not lose hope even for the worst man of the community because Allah, the Sublime One, says: “Verily, none despair from Allah’s mercy save the disbelieving people” (Qur’an, 12: 87).

388. Imam Ali ibn Aba Talib, peace be upon him said: Miserliness contains all other evil vices and is the rein with which one can be led to every evil.

389. Imam Ali ibn Aba Talib, peace be upon him said: O son of Adam! Livelihood is of two kinds: The livelihood which you seek and the livelihood which seeks you; if you do not reach it, it will reach you. Therefore, do not turn your one day’s worry into a year’s worry. Whatever you get every day should be enough for you for the day. If you have a whole year of your life, even then Allah, the Sublime, will give you every next day what He has destined as your share. If you do not have a year in your life-span, then why should you worry for what is not for you? No seeker will reach your livelihood before you, nor will anyone overpower you in the matter of livelihood. Likewise, whatever has been destined as your share will not be delayed for you.

Sayyid ar-Razi says: “This statement has already appeared elsewhere in this Chapter except that here it is clearer and more detailed. This is why we have repeated it according to the principle laid down in the beginning of the book.”

390. Imam Ali ibn Aba Talib, peace be upon him said: Many a man faces a day after which he finds no day, and many a man is in an enviable status in the earlier part of the night but is mourned by wailing women in its later part.

391. Imam Ali ibn Aba Talib, peace be upon him said: Words are in your control till you have not uttered them. But when you have spoken them, you are under their control. Therefore, guard your tongue as you guard your gold and silver, for often one expression snatches away a blessing and invites a penalty.

392. Imam Ali ibn Aba Talib, peace be upon him said: Do not say what you do not know; rather, do not say all that you know because Allah has laid down some obligations for all your limbs by means of which He will put forth arguments against you on the Day of Judgment.

393. Imam Ali ibn Aba Talib, peace be upon him said: Fear lest Allah should see you committing His sins or misses you when it is time to obey Him and, as a result, you will become a loser. Therefore, when you are strong, be strong in obeying Allah, and when you are weak, be weak in committing sins against Allah.

394. Imam Ali ibn Aba Talib, peace be upon him said: Leaning towards this world despite what you see of it is a folly, and lagging behind in doing good deeds when you are convinced of good reward for them is an obvious loss, while trusting in everyone before trying is a weakness.

395. Imam Ali ibn Aba Talib, peace be upon him said: It is (the proof of the) humbleness of the world before Allah that He is disobeyed only herein and His favors cannot be achieved except by renouncing it.

396. Imam Ali ibn Aba Talib, peace be upon him said: One who is in search of something will obtain it, at least some of it.

397. Imam Ali ibn Aba Talib, peace be upon him said: That good is no good after which there is the Fire, and that hardship is no hardship after which there is Paradise. Every bliss other than Paradise is minor, and every calamity other than the Fire is comfort.

398. Imam Ali ibn Aba Talib, peace be upon him said: Beware that destitution is a calamity, but worse than destitution is ailment of the body, while worse than bodily ailment is the disease of the heart. Beware that plenty of wealth is a blessing, but better than plenty of wealth is the health of the body, while still better than the health of the body is the purity of the heart.

399. Imam Ali ibn Aba Talib, peace be upon him said: “Anyone whose his action keeps him behind, his lineage cannot push him forward.”
In another version, it is expressed thus: “Whoever misses his own personal attainments cannot gain any benefit from his forefathers’ attainments.”

400. Imam Ali ibn Aba Talib, peace be upon him said: The believer’s time has three periods: The period when he is in communion with Allah, the period when he manages for his livelihood, and the period when he is free to enjoy what is lawful and pleasant. It does not behoove a wise person to be away (from his house) save for three matters, namely: for the purposes of learning, or going for something for the next life, or for enjoying what is not prohibited.

401. Imam Ali ibn Aba Talib, peace be upon him said: Abstain from the world so that Allah may show you its real evils, and do not be neglectful because (in any case) you will not be neglected.

402. Imam Ali ibn Aba Talib, peace be upon him said: Speak so that you may be known, since man is hidden under his tongue.

403. Imam Ali ibn Aba Talib, peace be upon him said: Take of the favors of the world whatever comes to you and keep away from what keeps away from you. If you cannot do so, be moderate in your pursuits.

404. Imam Ali ibn Aba Talib, peace be upon him said: Many an expression is more effective than an onslaught.

405. Imam Ali ibn Aba Talib, peace be upon him said: Every small thing that is contented upon suffices.

406. Imam Ali ibn Aba Talib, peace be upon him said: Let it be death but not humiliation. Let it be little but not through others. Whoever does not get while sitting will not get by standing either. The world has two days: one for you and the other against you. When the day is for you, do not feel proud, but when it is against you, endure it.

407. Imam Ali ibn Aba Talib, peace be upon him said: The best scent is musk, its weight is light while its smell is sweet.

408. Imam Ali ibn Aba Talib, peace be upon him said: Put off boasting, give up self-conceit and remember your grave.

409. Imam Ali ibn Aba Talib, peace be upon him said: The child has a right on the father while the father, too, has a right on the child. The right of the father on the child is that the latter should obey the former in every matter save in committing sins against Allah, the Glorified One, while the right of the child on the father is that the latter should give the first a beautiful name, provide him with good training and teach him the Qur’an.

410. Imam Ali ibn Aba Talib, peace be upon him said: Evil effect of sight is right, charm is right, sorcery is right, and fa’l (auguring good) is right, while tayrah (auguring evil) is not right, and spreading of a disease from one to the other is not right. Scent gives pleasure, honey gives pleasure, riding gives pleasure and looking at greenery gives pleasure.

411. Imam Ali ibn Aba Talib, peace be upon him said: Nearness with people in their manners brings about safety from their evil.

412. Someone uttered an expression above his status. Imam Ali ibn Aba Talib, peace be upon him said: You have started flying soon after growing feathers and commenced grumbling before attaining youth.

Sayyid ar-Razi says: Here, “shakir” [in the original Arabic text] means the first feathers that grow on a bird before it is strong enough to fly. And “saqb” means the young camel who does not grumble unless it becomes mature.

413. Imam Ali ibn Aba Talib, peace be upon him said: Whoever hankers after contraries gets no means of success.

414. On being asked about the meaning of the expression: “la hawla wala quwwata illa billah” (there is no strength nor power except through Allah), Imam Ali ibn Aba Talib, peace be upon him said: We are not masters of anything along with Allah, and we are not masters of anything save what He makes us masters of. So, when He makes us masters of anything of which He is a superior Lord over us, He also assigns some duties to us. And when He takes it away, He takes away those duties as well.

415. Imam Ali ibn Aba Talib, peace be upon him heard ‘Ammar ibn Yasir (may Allah have mercy on him) conversing with al-Mughirah ibn Shu‘bah and said: Leave him alone, O ‘Ammar, for he has entered religion only to the extent of his deriving advantage of the world, and he has willfully involved himself in misgivings in order to adopt them as cover for his shortcomings.

416. Imam Ali ibn Aba Talib, peace be upon him said: It is good for the rich to show humility before the poor to seek rewards from Allah, but better than that is the pride of the poor towards the rich with trust in Allah.

417. Imam Ali ibn Aba Talib, peace be upon him said: Allah does not grant wisdom to a person except that some day He will save him from ruin with its help.

418. Imam Ali ibn Aba Talib, peace be upon him said: Whoever clashes with the truth will be knocked down by it.

419. Imam Ali ibn Aba Talib, peace be upon him said: The heart is the book of the eye.

420. Imam Ali ibn Aba Talib, peace be upon him said: Fear of Allah is the chief trait of the human character.

421. Imam Ali ibn Aba Talib, peace be upon him said: Do not try the sharpness of your tongue against the One Who gave you the power to speak, nor the eloquence of your speech against the One Who set you on the right path.

422. Imam Ali ibn Aba Talib, peace be upon him said: It is enough for your own discipline that you abstain from what you dislike from others.

423. Imam Ali ibn Aba Talib, peace be upon him said: One should endure like free people; otherwise, one should keep quite like the ignorant.
In an incident, it is related that Imam Ali ibn Aba Talib (p.b.u.h.) said to al-Ash‘ath ibn Qays by way of offering his condolences on the death of his son: Either endure like great people or else you will forget like animals.

424. Imam Ali ibn Aba Talib, peace be upon him said: It deceives, it harms and it passes away. Allah, the Sublime, did not approve it as a reward for His lovers nor as a punishment for His enemies. In fact, the people of this world are like those riders that as soon as they descended, the driver called out to them and they marched off.

425. Imam Ali ibn Aba Talib, peace be upon him said to his son al-Hassan, peace be upon him: O my son! Do not leave anything of this world behind you because you will be leaving it for either of two sorts of persons: a person who uses it in obeying Allah, in this case he will acquire virtue through what was evil for you, or a person who uses it in disobeying Allah and, in that case, he will be reaping evil with what you collected for him. So, you will be assisting him in his sinfulness. Neither of these two deserves to be preferred by you over your own self.

Sayyid ar-Razi says: “This saying is also related in another version thus: Whatever of this world is now with you was with others before you, and it will pass to some others after you. Thus, you are collecting things for either of two sorts of men: a man who uses whatever you collected in obedience of Allah and thus acquired virtues with what was evil for you, or a man who uses it in disobeying Allah, so you will be getting evil for what you collected. Neither of these two is such that you should prefer him over your own self, for you may burden yourself for his own sake. Therefore, hope for the mercy of Allah: Divine livelihood for whoever survives anyone who passes away.

426. Someone said “Astaghfirullah!” (I seek Allah’s forgiveness) before Imam Ali ibn Aba Talib, peace be upon him. Imam Ali ibn Aba Talib (p.b.u.h.) said: May your mother may lose you! Do you know what “istighfar” is? “Istighfar” is meant for people of a high status. It is a word that stands on six pillars: The first is to repent over the past, the second is to make a firm determination never to revert to it, the third is to carry out all the rights of people so that you may meet Allah quite clean with nothing to account for, the fourth is to fulfill every obligation which you ignored (in the past) so that you may now do justice with it, the fifth is to aim at the flesh grown as a result of unlawful earning, so that you may melt it by grief (of repentance) till the skin touches the bone and a new flesh grows between them, and the sixth is to make the body taste the pain of obedience as you (previously) made it taste the sweetness of disobedience. It is only on such an occasion that you may say: “Astaghfirullah!”

427. Imam Ali ibn Aba Talib, peace be upon him said: Clemency is (like) kinsfolk.

428. Imam Ali ibn Aba Talib, peace be upon him said: How wretched the son of Adam is! His death is hidden, his ailments are concealed, his actions are preserved, the bite of a mosquito pains him, choking cause his death and sweat gives him a bad smell.

429. It is related that Imam Ali ibn Aba Talib, peace be upon him was sitting with his companions when a beautiful woman passed by and they began to look at her. It was then that Imam Ali ibn Aba Talib (p.b.u.h.) said: The eyes of these men are covetous, and such glances are the cause of their becoming covetous. Whenever anyone of you sees a woman who attracts him, he should meet his wife [for cohabitation] because she is a woman just like his wife.
One of the Kharijites said: “May Allah kill this heretic! How logical he is!” People then leapt towards him to kill him, but Imam Ali ibn Aba Talib (p.b.u.h.) said: “Wait a little bit. There should either be abuse [for an abuse] or else pardoning from the offence.”

430. Imam Ali ibn Aba Talib, peace be upon him said: Suffices you if your wisdom distinguishes for you the ways of going astray from those of guidance.

431. Imam Ali ibn Aba Talib, peace be upon him said: Do good and do not regard any part of it small because its small is big and its little is much. None of you should say that “Another person is more deserving than me” in doing good. Otherwise, by Allah, it will really be so. There are people of good and evil. When you leave either of the two, others will perform it.

432. Imam Ali ibn Aba Talib, peace be upon him said: Whoever mends his inward self, Allah mends his outward self. Whoever performs acts for the sake of his religion, Allah accomplishes his acts of this world. Anyone whose dealings between himself and Allah are good, Allah turns the dealings between him and other people good, too.

433. Imam Ali ibn Aba Talib, peace be upon him said: Forbearance is a covering curtain, and wisdom is a sharp sword. Therefore, conceal the weaknesses in your conduct with forbearance and kill your desires with your wisdom.

434. Imam Ali ibn Aba Talib, peace be upon him said: There are some creatures of Allah whom Allah particularly chooses for His favors so that they may be of benefit to other people. Therefore, He keeps such favors in their hands so long as they give them out to others. But when they deny them to others, He takes away the favors from them and gives them to others.

435. Imam Ali ibn Aba Talib, peace be upon him said: It does not behoove a man to have trust in two things: health and riches, because there is many a man whom you see healthy but he soon falls and many a man whom you see rich but soon turns destitute.

436. Imam Ali ibn Aba Talib, peace be upon him said: Whoever complains about a need to a believer, it is as though he has complained about it to Allah. But whoever complains about it to an unbeliever, it is as though he complained about Allah.

437. Imam Ali ibn Aba Talib, peace be upon him said on the occasion of an ‘Id: It is an ‘Id for anyone whose fast is accepted by Allah and for whose prayers He is grateful, and (in fact) every day wherein no sin against Allah is committed is an ‘Id.

438. Imam Ali ibn Aba Talib, peace be upon him said: On the Day of Judgment, the greatest regret will be felt by the man who earned wealth through sinful ways, although it is inherited by a person who spends it in obeying Allah, the Glorified One, and he will be awarded Paradise on that account while the first one will be dragged into the Fire on its account.

439. Imam Ali ibn Aba Talib, peace be upon him said: The worst in bargaining and the most unsuccessful in striving is a man who exerts himself in seeking riches although fate does not help him in his aims and, consequently, he goes from this world in a sorrowful state while in the next world, too, he will face its ill consequences.

440. Imam Ali ibn Aba Talib, peace be upon him said: Livelihood is of two kinds: the seeker and the sought. Therefore, whoever hankers after this world, death traces him till it turns him out of it. But whoever hankers after the next world, worldly ease itself seeks him till he receives his livelihood from it.

441. Imam Ali ibn Aba Talib, peace be upon him said: The lovers of Allah are those who look at the inward side of the world, while the other people look at its outward side. They occupy themselves with its most remote benefits while the other people occupy themselves with the immediate benefits. They kill those things which they feared will have killed them, and they leave here in this world what they think will leave them. They took the amassing of wealth by others as a small matter and regarded it like losing. They are enemies of those things which others love while they love things which others hate. Through them, the Qur’an has been learned, and they have been given knowledge through the Qur’an. With them, the Qur’an is staying while they stand by the Qur’an. They do not see any objective of hope above what they hope and no objective of fear above what they fear.

442. Imam Ali ibn Aba Talib, peace be upon him said: Remember that pleasures will pass away while the consequences will stay.

443. Imam Ali ibn Aba Talib, peace be upon him said: Try (a man) and you will hate him!

Sayyid ar-Razi says: “Some people say that this saying was articulated by the Prophet (p.b.u.h.), but what confirms that it is the saying of Imam Ali ibn Aba Talib (p.b.u.h.) is the statement related by Tha‘lab from Ibn al-Arabi, that is, that (caliph) al-Ma’man said, “If Ali had not said ‘ukhbur thiqlihi’ (try a man and you will hate him),” I will have said: ‘aqlihi takhbur’ (hate a man in order to try him).”

444. Imam Ali ibn Aba Talib, peace be upon him said: It is not that Allah, to Whom belongs Might and Majesty, may keep the door of gratitude open for a person and close the door of plenty upon him, or to open the door of prayer to a person and close the door of acceptance upon him, or to open the door of repentance on a person and close the door of forgiveness upon him.

445. Imam Ali ibn Aba Talib, peace be upon him said: The most appropriate person for an honorable status is whoever descends from the people of honor.

446. Imam Ali ibn Aba Talib, peace be upon him was asked: “Which of the two is better: justice or generosity?” Imam Ali ibn Aba Talib (p.b.u.h.) replied: “Justice puts things in their places while generosity takes them out from their directions. Justice is the general caretaker, while generosity is a particular benefit. Consequently, justice is superior and more distinguished of the two.”

447. Imam Ali ibn Aba Talib, peace be upon him said: People are enemies of what they do not know.

448. Imam Ali ibn Aba Talib, peace be upon him said: The whole of asceticism is confined between two expressions of the Qur’an: Allah, the Glorified One, says: “... lest you should distress yourselves because of what you miss and be over-joyous for what He has granted you” (Qur’an, 57: 23). Whoever does not grieve over what he misses and does not revel over what comes to him acquires asceticism from both its sides.

449. Imam Ali ibn Aba Talib, peace be upon him said: What a breaker is sleep for the resolutions of the day!

450. Imam Ali ibn Aba Talib, peace be upon him said: Governing power is the proving ground for people.

451. Imam Ali ibn Aba Talib, peace be upon him said: No town has a greater right on you than the other. The best town for you is that which bears you.

452. When the news of the death of (Malik) al-Ashtar (may Allah have mercy on him), reached Imam Ali ibn Aba Talib, peace be upon him, he said: Malik, what a man Malik was! By Allah! If he had been a mountain, he would have been a big one (a find), and if he had been a stone, he would have been quite stiff. No horseman could have reached it and no bird could have flown over it.

Sayyid ar-Razi says: “find” means a lonely mountain (rising in height above the others in the range).

453. Imam Ali ibn Aba Talib, peace be upon him said: A little that lasts is better than much that brings grief.

454. Imam Ali ibn Aba Talib, peace be upon him said: If a man possesses a revealing quality, wait and see his other qualities.

455. Imam Ali ibn Aba Talib, peace be upon him asked Ghalib ibn Sa‘sa‘ah, father of al-Farazdaq (the famous Arab poet), during a conversation between them: “What about the large number of your camels?!” The man replied: “They have been swept away by (the performing of) obligations, O Imam Ali ibn Aba Talib (p.b.u.h.)!” Whereupon Imam Ali ibn Aba Talib (p.b.u.h.) said: “That is the most praiseworthy way of (losing) them.”

456. Imam Ali ibn Aba Talib, peace be upon him said: Whoever trades without knowing the rules of religious law will be involved in usury.

457. Imam Ali ibn Aba Talib, peace be upon him said: Whoever regards small distresses as big, Allah involves him in big ones.

458. Imam Ali ibn Aba Talib, peace be upon him said: Whoever maintains his own respect in view, his desires appear light to him.

459. Imam Ali ibn Aba Talib, peace be upon him said: Whenever a man cuts a joke, he separates himself away a bit from his wit.

460. Imam Ali ibn Aba Talib, peace be upon him said: Your turning away from the one who inclines towards you is a loss of your share of advantage, while your inclining towards one who turns away from you is selfhumiliation.

461. Imam Ali ibn Aba Talib, peace be upon him said: Riches and destitution will follow presentation before Allah.

462. Imam Ali ibn Aba Talib, peace be upon him said: Al-Zubayr remained a man from our house till his wretched son ‘Abdullah came forth.

463. Imam Ali ibn Aba Talib, peace be upon him said: What has a man to do with vanity? His origin is semen, his end is a carcass, while he cannot feed himself nor ward off death?

464. Imam Ali ibn Aba Talib, peace be upon him was asked who the greatest poet was. He said: “Any group of them that did not proceed on the same lines in such a way that we can know the height of their glory, but if it has to be done, then it is ‘al-Malik ad-Dillil’”.

Sayyid ar-Razi says, “Amir al-Mu’minin here is referring to Imri’ul-Qays.

465. Imam Ali ibn Aba Talib, peace be upon him said: Is there no free man who can leave this chewed morsel (of the world) to those who like it? Certainly, the only price for your souls is Paradise. Therefore, do not sell your soul except for Paradise.

466. Imam Ali ibn Aba Talib, peace be upon him said: Two greedy persons never get satisfied: the seeker of knowledge and the seeker of this world.

467. Imam Ali ibn Aba Talib, peace be upon him said: Belief means that you should prefer truth (even) when it harms you rather than falsehood (even) when it benefits you, that your words should not be more than your action and that you should fear Allah when speaking about others.

468. Imam Ali ibn Aba Talib, peace be upon him said: Destiny holds sway over (our) predetermination till effort itself brings about ruin.

Sayyid ar-Razi says, “Something of this meaning has already appeared earlier though in words different from these.”

469. Imam Ali ibn Aba Talib, peace be upon him said: Forbearance and endurance are twins and they are the product of high courage.

470. Imam Ali ibn Aba Talib, peace be upon him said: Backbiting is the tool of the helpless.

471. Imam Ali ibn Aba Talib, peace be upon him said: Many a man gets into mischief because of being spoken well of.

472. Imam Ali ibn Aba Talib, peace be upon him said: This world has been created for other than itself and has not been created for itself.

473. Imam Ali ibn Aba Talib, peace be upon him said: Banu Umayyah (the Umayyads) have a fixed period (mirwad) wherein they are having their way. But when differences arise among them, even if the hyena attacks them, it will overpower them.

Sayyid ar-Razi says, “Here, mirward is a form derived from irwad which means: to allow time, to wait for, to give a respite. It is an extremely eloquent and wonderful expression. It is as though Imam Ali ibn Aba Talib (p.b.u.h.) has likened the period of Banu Umayyah to a limited area meant for the training of horses for racing where they are running towards the limit, so that when they reach its extremity, their organization is destroyed.

474. Eulogizing the Ansar, Imam Ali ibn Aba Talib, peace be upon him said: By Allah, they nurtured Islam with their generous hands and eloquent tongues as a year-old calf is nurtured.

475. Imam Ali ibn Aba Talib, peace be upon him said: The eye is the strap of the rear.

Sayyid ar-Razi says, “This is a wonderful metaphor. It is as though Imam Ali ibn Aba Talib (p.b.u.h.) has likened the rear part of the body to a bag and the eye to a strap. When the strap is let loose, the bag cannot retain anything. According to the well-known and reputed view, this is a saying of the Prophet, but some people have stated it belong to Imam Ali ibn Aba Talib (p.b.u.h.). Al-Mubarrad has mentioned it in his book Al-Muqtadab under a chapter titled “Words of single letters”. We, too, have discussed this metaphor in our book titled Majazat al-athar an-NAbawiyyah.”

476. Imam Ali ibn Aba Talib, peace be upon him said in one of his speeches: A ruler came to power over them. He remained upright and made them upright till the entire religion put its bosom on the ground.

477. Imam Ali ibn Aba Talib, peace be upon him said: A severe time will come to people wherein the rich will seize their possessions with their teeth (by way of miserliness) although they have not been commanded to do so. Allah, the Glorified One, says: “Do not forget generosity among yourselves” (Qur’an, 2: 237). During this time, the wicked will rise up while the virtuous will remain low. Purchases will be made from the helpless, although the Prophet (p.b.u.h.) has prohibited purchasing from the helpless.

478. Imam Ali ibn Aba Talib, peace be upon him said: Two types of persons will fall into ruin on my account: One who loves me and exaggerates, and the other who lays on me false and baseless blames.

Sayyid ar-Razi says, “ This is on the lines of Imam Ali ibn Aba Talib's (p.b.u.h.) own saying which runs thus: ‘Two categories of persons will be ruined on my account: One who loves me with exaggeration, and one who hates [me] and is a bearer of malice’.”

479. Imam Ali ibn Aba Talib, peace be upon him was asked about the Unity of Allah (Tawhid) and His justice (‘Adl). He replied: Unity means that you do not subject Him to the limitations of your imagination, while justice means that you do not lay any blame on Him.

480. Imam Ali ibn Aba Talib, peace be upon him said: There is no good in silence about matters involving wisdom just as there is no good in speaking with ignorance.

481. Imam Ali ibn Aba Talib, peace be upon him said the following in his prayer for rain: “O Lord! Send us rain by submissive clouds, not by unruly ones.”

Sayyid ar-Razi says, “This is an expression of wonderful eloquence, because Imam Ali ibn Aba Talib (p.b.u.h.) has likened the cloud, which is accompanied by thunder, lightning, wind and flashes with unruly camels that throw away their saddles and throw down their riders, describing the clouds that are free from these terrible things to the submissive camels which are easy to milk and obedient to ride.”

482. It was said to Imam Ali ibn Aba Talib, peace be upon him: “We wish you had changed your gray hair, O Imam Ali ibn Aba Talib (p.b.u.h.)!” He said: “Dye is a way of adornment, whereas we are in a state of grief.”

Sayyid ar-Razi says, “Imam Ali ibn Aba Talib (p.b.u.h.) is referring to the death of the Messenger of Allah (p.b.u.h.).

483. Imam Ali ibn Aba Talib, peace be upon him said: The fighter in the way of Allah who gets martyred will not get a greater reward than whoever remains chaste despite means. It is possible that a chaste person may become one of the angels.

484. Imam Ali ibn Aba Talib, peace be upon him said: Contentment is a wealth that is not exhausted.

Sayyid ar-Razi says, “Some people have narrated saying that this is the statement of the Messenger of Allah (p.b.u.h.).”

485. When Imam Ali ibn Aba Talib, peace be upon him put Ziyad ibn Abih in place of ‘Abdullah ibn al-‘Abbas over Fars (in Persia) and its revenues, he had a long conversation with him in which he prohibited him from advance recovery of revenue. Therein he said: Act upon justice and stay away from violence and injustice because violence will lead them to forsake their abodes while injustice will prompt them to take up arms.

486. Imam Ali ibn Aba Talib, peace be upon him said: The worst sin is that which the one who commits it takes it lightly.

487. Imam Ali ibn Aba Talib, peace be upon him said: Allah has not made it obligatory on the ignorant to learn till He has made it obligatory on the learned to teach.

488. Imam Ali ibn Aba Talib, peace be upon him said: The worst comrade is he for whom formality has to be observed.

Sayyid ar-Razi says, “This is so because formality is inseparable from hardship, and it is an evil that is caused by a comrade for whom formality is observed. Consequently, he is the worst of all comrades.”

489. Imam Ali ibn Aba Talib, peace be upon him said: “If a believer enrages (ihtashama) his brother, it means that he will leave him.”

Sayyid ar-Razi says, “It is said that hashamahu or ahshamahu means: ‘He enraged him’. According to another view, it means ‘He humiliated him’, while ihtashamahu means ‘He sought these for him’, and that is most likely to cause him to separate.”


This is the end of our selection of the utterances of Imam Ali ibn Aba Talib, peace be upon him. We praise Allah, the Glorified One, for having enabled us to collect the scattered utterances from various sides and to bring together from different places the material that was lying far away. We intend, as we stipulated in the beginning, to leave some blank pages at the end of every chapter for the insertion of whatever we may get and the addition of whatever comes to us, for it is possible that some material which is not in our view at present or which is not available may become known to us and fall in our hands. We have no ability save through Allah. In Him we trust, and He is Sufficient for us. He is the best Supporter.

This book was completed in the month of Rajab, in the year 400 A.H. (1009 A.D.). May Allah bless our master Muhammad, the last of the prophets and the one who guided us towards the best path, and bless his virtuous descendants and companions who are the stars of conviction.

Sources: http://www.sibtayn.com/

Posted in: Poems and words of wisdom