1. During civil disturbance adopt such an attitude that people do not attach any importance to you - they neither burden you with complicated affairs, nor try to derive any advantage out of you.
2. He who is greedy is disgraced; he who discloses his hardship will always be humiliated; he who has no control over his tongue will often have to face discomfort.
3. Avarice is disgrace; cowardice is a defect; poverty often disables an intelligent man from arguing his case; a poor man is a stranger in his own town; misfortune and helplessness are calamities; patience is a kind of bravery; to sever attachments with the wicked world is the greatest wealth; piety is the best weapon of defence.
4. Submission to Allah's Will is the best companion; wisdom is the noblest heritage; theoretical and practical knowledge are the best signs of distinction; deep thinking will present the clearest picture of every problem.
5. The mind of a wise man is the safest custody of secrets; cheerfulness is the key to friendship; patience and forbearance will conceal many defects.
6. A conceited and self-admiring person is disliked by others; charity and alms are the best remedy for ailments and calamities; one has to account in the next world for the deeds that he has done in this world.
7. Man is a wonderful creature; he sees through the layers of fat (eyes), hears through a bone (ears) and speaks through a lump of flesh (tongue).
8. When this world favors somebody, it lends him the attributes, and surpassing merits of others and when it turns its face away from him it snatches away even his own excellences and fame.
9. Live amongst people in such a manner that if you die they weep over you and if you are alive they crave for your company.
10. If you overpower your enemy, then pardon him by way of thankfulness to Allah, for being able to subdue him.
11. Unfortunate is he who cannot gain a few sincere friends during his life and more unfortunate is the one who has gained them and then lost them (through his deeds).
12. When some blessings come to you, do not drive them away through thanklessness.
13. He who is deserted by friends and relatives will often find help and sympathy from strangers.
14. Every person who is tempted to go astray, does not deserve punishment.
15. Our affairs are attached to the destiny decreed by Allah, even our best plans may lead us to destruction.
16. There is a tradition of the Holy Prophet "With the help of hair-dye turn old age into youth so that you do not resemble the Jews". When Imam Ali was asked to comment on this tradition, he said that in the early stage of Islam there were very few Muslims. The Holy Prophet advised them to look young and energetic and not to adopt the fashion of the Jews (priest) having long, white flowing beards. But the Muslims were not in minority then, theirs was a strong and powerful State, they could take up any style they liked.
17. For those who refused to side with any party, Imam Ali or his enemies, Imam Ali said: They have forsaken religion and are of no use to infidelity also.
18. One who rushes madly after inordinate desire, runs the risk of encountering destruction and death.
19. Overlook and forgive the weaknesses of the generous people because if they fall down, Allah will help them.
20. Failures are often the results of timidity and fears; disappointments are the results of bashfulness; hours of leisure pass away like summer-clouds, therefore, do not waste opportunity of doing good.
21. If the right usurped from us is given back to us we shall take it, otherwise we shall go on claiming it.
22. If someone's deeds lower his position, his pedigree cannot elevate it.
23. To render relief to the distressed and to help the oppressed make amends for great sins.
24. O son of Adam, when you see that your Lord, the Glorified, bestows His Favors on you while you disobey Him, you should fear Him (take warning that His Wrath may not turn those very blessings into misfortunes).
25. Often your utterances and expressions of your face leak out the secrets of your hidden thoughts.
26. When you get ill do not get nervous about it and try as much as possible to be hopeful.
27. The best form of devotion to the service of Allah is not to make a show of it.
28. When you have to depart from this world and have to meet death (eventually), then why wish delay (why feel nervous about death).
29. Take warning ! He has not exposed so many of your sinful activities that it appears as if He has forgiven you (it may be that He has given you time to repent).
30. When Imam
Ali was asked about Faith in Religion, he replied
that the structure
of faith is supported by four pillars endurance,
conviction,
justice and jihad.
Endurance is
composed of four attributes: eagerness, fear, piety and
anticipation
(of death). so whoever is eager for Paradise will ignore
temptations;
whoever fears the fire of Hell will abstain from sins;
whoever practices
piety will easily bear the difficulties of life and
whoever anticipates
death will hasten towards good deeds.
Conviction has
also four aspects to guard oneself against infatuations
of sin; to search
for explanation of truth through knowledge; to gain
lessons from
instructive things and to follow the precedent of the past
people, because
whoever wants to guard himself against vices and
sins will have
to search for the true causes of infatuation and the true
ways of combating
them out and to find those true ways one has to
search them
with the help of knowledge, whoever gets fully
acquainted with
various branches of knowledge will take lessons
from life and
whoever tries to take lessons from life is actually
engaged in the
study of the causes of rise and fall of previous
civilizations
.
Justice also
has four aspects depth of understanding, profoundness of
knowledge, fairness
of judgment and dearness of mind; because
whoever tries
his best to under- stand a problem will have to study it,
whoever has
the practice of studying the subject he is to deal with,
will develop
a clear mind and will always come to correct decisions,
whoever tries
to achieve all this will have to develop ample patience
and forbearance
and whoever does this has done justice to the cause
of religion
and has led a life of good repute and fame.
Jihad is divided
into four branches: to persuade people to be
obedient to
Allah; to prohibit them from sin and vice; to struggle (in
the cause of
Allah) sincerely and firmly on all occasions and to detest
the vicious.
Whoever persuades people to obey the orders of Allah
provides strength
to the believers; whoever dissuades them from
vices and sins
humiliates the unbelievers; whoever struggles on all
occasions discharges
all his obligations and whoever detests the
vicious only
for the sake of Allah, then Allah will take revenge on his
enemies and
will be pleased with Him on the Day of Judgment.
31. There are
four causes of infidelity and loss of belief in Allah:
hankering after
whims, a passion to dispute every argument,
deviation from
truth; and dissension, because whoever hankers after
whims does not
incline towards truth; whoever keeps on disputing
every argument
on account of his ignorance, will always remain blind
to truth, whoever
deviates from truth because of ignorance, will
always take
good for evil and evil for good and he will always remain
intoxicated
with misguidance. And whoever makes a breach (with
Allah and His
Messenger) his path becomes difficult, his affairs will
become complicated
and his way to salvation will be uncertain.
Similarly, doubt
has also four aspects absurd reason- ing; fear;
vacillation
and hesitation; and unreasonable surrender to infidelity,
because one
who has accustomed himself to unreasonable and
absurd discussions
will never see the Light of Truth and will always
live in the
darkness of ignorance. One who is afraid to face facts (of
life, death
and the life after death) will always turn away from ultimate
reality, one
who allows doubts and uncertainties to vacillate him will
always be under
the control of Satan and one who surrenders himself
to infidelity
accepts damnation in both the worlds.
32. A virtuous
person is better then virtue and a vicious person is
worse than vice.
33. Be generous but not extravagant, be frugal but not miserly.
34. The best kind of wealth is to give up inordinate desires.
35. One who says
unpleasant things about others, will himself quickly
become a target
of their scandal.
36. One who hopes inordinately, impairs his deeds.
37. When Imam
Ali, marching at the head of his army towards Syria,
reached Ambar,
the landlords of the place came out to meet him in
zeal of their
love, faithfulness and respect, no sooner had they seen
Imam Ali they
got down from their horses and started running in front
of him. Imam
Ali asked the reason of their strange actions. They
replied that
it was their custom to show their love and respect in that
way. Imam Ali
replied: "By Allah, by your action you do no good
whatsoever to
your rulers but you tire yourself and put yourself in
toils in this
world and in trouble in the next. How unfortunate is that
exertion, which
brings harm here and in the Hereafter and how useful
is that ease
which keeps you in comfort in this world and away from
the Hell in
the next.
38. Imam Ali
once said to his son Imam Hasan, My son, learn four
things from
me and through them you will learn four more. If you
keep them in
mind your actions will not bring any harm to you: The
greatest wealth
is Wisdom; the greatest poverty is stupidity; the
worst unso-
ciableness is that of vanity and self-glorification; and the
best nobility
of descent exhibits itself in politeness and in refinement
of manner. The
next four things, my son, are: "Do not make
friendship with
a fool because when he will try to do you good he will
do you harm;
do not make a miser your friend because he will run
away from you
at the time of your dire need; do not be friendly with
a vicious and
wicked person because he will sell you and your
friendship at
the cheapest price and do not make friend of a liar
because like
a mirage he will make you visualize very near the things
which lie at
a great distance and will make you see at the great
distance the
things which are near to you".
39. Recommended
prayers cannot attain the pleasures of Allah for
you when obligatory
prayers are left unattended.
40. A wise man
first thinks and then speaks and a fool speaks first
and then thinks.
41. A fool's
mind is at the mercy of his tongue and a wise man's
tongue is under
the control of his mind.
42. One of the
companions of Imam fell ill. Imam Ali called upon him
and thus advised
him: "Be thankful to Allah. He has made this illness
a thing to atone
your sins because a disease in itself has nothing to
bring reward
to anyone, it merely expiates one's sins and so far as
reward is concerned,
one has to earn it with his good words and
good deeds.
The Almighty Lord grants Paradise to his creatures on
account of their
piety and noble thoughts".
43. May Allah
Bless Kabbab bin Aratt. He embraced Islam of his
own freewill
and immigrated (from Makkah) cheerfully. He lived a
contented life.
He bowed happily before the Will of Allah and he led
the life of
a mujahid.
44. Blessed is
the man who always kept the life after death in his
view, who remembered
the Day of Judgment through all his deeds,
who led a contented
life and who was happy with the lot that Allah
had destined
for him. 45. If I cut a faithful Muslim into pieces to
make him hate
me, he will not turn into my enemy and if I give all the
wealth of this
world to a hypocrite to make him my friend he will not
befriend me.
It is so because the Holy Prophet has said: " O Ali! No
faithful Muslim
will ever be your enemy and no hypocrite will ever be
your friend.
"
46. The sin which
makes you sad and repentant is more liked by
Allah than the
good deed which turns you arrogant.
47. Value of
a man depends upon his courage; his veracity depends
upon his self-respect
and his chastity depends upon his sense of
honor.
48. Success is
the result of foresight and resolution, foresight
depends upon
deep thinking and planning and the most important
factor of planning
is to keep your secrets to yourself.
49. Be afraid
of a gentleman when he is hungry, and of a mean
person when
his stomach is full.
50. Hearts of
people are like wild beasts. They attach themselves to
those who love
and train them.
51. So long as
fortune is favouring you, your defects will remain
covered.
52. Only he who has the power to punish can pardon.
53. Generosity
is to help a deserving person without his request, and
if you help
him after his request, then it is either out of self-respect or
to avoid rebuke.
54. There is
no greater wealth than wisdom, no greater poverty than
ignorance; no
greater heritage than culture and no greater support
than consultation.
55. Patience
is of two kinds: patience over what pains you, and
patience against
what you covet.
56. Wealth converts
a strange land into homeland and poverty turns
a native place
into a strange land.
57. Contentment is the capital which will never diminish.
58. Wealth is the fountain head of passions.
59. Whoever warns
you against sins and vices is like the one who
gives you good
tidings.
60. Tongue is a beast, if it is let loose, it devours.
61. Woman is a scorpion whose grip is sweet.
62. If you are
greeted then return the greetings more warmly. If you
are favoured,
then repay the obligation manifold; but he who takes
the initiative
will always excel in merit.
63. The source of success of a claimant is the mediator.
64. People in
this world are like travelers whose journey is going on
though they
are asleep. ( Life's journey is going on though men may
not feel it
).
65. Lack of friends means, stranger in one's own country.
66. Not to have a thing is less humiliating than to beg it.
67. Do not feel
ashamed if the amount of charity is small because to
refuse the needy
is an act of greater shame.
68. To refrain
from unlawful and impious source of pleasures is an
ornament to
the poor and to be thankful for the riches granted is the
adornment of
wealth.
69. If you cannot
get things as much as you desire than be contented
with what you
have.
70. An ignorant
person will always overdo a thing or neglect it
totally.
71. The wiser a man is, the less talkative will he be.
72. Time wears
out bodies, renews hopes, brings death nearer and
takes away aspirations.
Whoever gets anything from the world lives
in anxiety for
holding it and whoever loses anything passes his days
grieving over
the loss.
73. Whoever wants
to be a leader should educate himself before
educating others.
Before preaching to others he should first practice
himself. Whoever
educates himself and improves his own morals is
superior to
the man who tries to teach and train others.
74. Every breath you take is a step towards death.
75. Anything which can be counted is finite and will come to an end.
76. If matters
get mixed up then scrutinize the cause and you will
know what the
effects will be.
77. Zirar bin
Zamra Zibabi, known as Zirar Suda'i, was a companion
of Imam Ali.
When, after the martyrdom of Imam Ali, he went to
Damascus, Muawiya
called him and asked him to say something
about Imam Ali.
Zirar, knowing that Muawiya hated Imam Ali
intensely tried
to avoid this topic, but Muawiya forced him to speak.
Thereupon, Zirar
said: "O Amir, I had often seen Imam Ali in the
depth of nights,
when people were either sleeping or engrossed in
amusements,
he would be standing in the niche of the Masjid, with
tears in his
eyes and he would beseech Allah to help him maintain a
pious, a virtuous
and a noble character and to forsake the world. He
would then address
the world, saying 'O vicious world! Be away
from me, why
do you come in front of me like this ? Do you want to
allure me ?
Allah forbid that I should be allured and tempted by you
and your pleasures.
It is not possible. Go and try your allurements on
somebody else.
I do not desire to own you and do not want to have
you. I have
forsaken you thrice. It is like divorcing a woman thrice
after which
act she cannot be taken back as a wife. The life of
pleasures that
you offer is of a very little duration. There is no real
importance in
what you offer, the desire of holding you is an insult
and a humiliation
to sober minds. Sad is the plight of those who want
to acquire you.
They do not provide for the Hereafter. They have to
pass through
a long journey over a very difficult road towards a sat
destination'.
Zirar says that when he stopped, there were tears in the
eyes of Muawiya
who said, 'May peace of Allah be upon Abul
Hasan Ali bin
Abi Talib, he was undoubtedly like that. Now tell me,
Zirar! How do
you feel his separa- tion?' Zirar replied, "My sorrow
and grief is
like that of woman whose only child has been murdered
in her lap".
With this remark Zirar walked out of the court of
Muawiya and
left the city.
78. After the
Battle of Siffin, somebody asked Imam Ali whether
they had been
destined to fight against the Syrians. Imam Ali replied
if by destiny
you mean a compulsion (physical or otherwise) through
which we are
forced (by nature) to do a thing then it is not so. Had it
been an obligation
of that kind there would have been no question of
reward for doing
it and punishment for not doing it (when you are
physically forced
to do a thing, like breathing, sleeping, eating,
drinking etc.
then there can be no reward for doing it and no
retribution
for not doing it. In such cases nature forces you to do a
thing and you
cannot but do it), then the promised blessings and
punishments
in life after death will have no meaning. The Merciful
Lord has given
his creatures (human beings) complete freedom to do
as they like,
and then prohibited them from certain actions and
warned them
of the consequences of such actions (His Wrath and
His Punishments).
These orders of Allah carry in them the least
trouble and
lead us towards the most convenient ways of life and the
rewards which
He has promised for good deeds are many times
more than the
actions actually deserve. He sees people disobeying
Him and tolerates
them not because He can be overruled or be
compelled to
accept human supremacy over Him. He did not send
His prophets
to amuse Himself or provide amuse- ment for them. He
did not reveal
His orders without any genuine reason nor has He
created the
galaxies and the earth without any purpose. The Universe
without plan,
purpose and program is the idea of infidels and the
pagans, sorry
will be their plight in the leaping fires of Hell. Hearing
this the man
asked Imam Ali, "Then what kind of destiny was it that
we had?" Imam
Ali replied: "It was an order of Allah to do it like the
order He has
given in His Holy Book: You are destined by Allah to
worship none
but Him, here 'destined' means 'ordered' it does not
mean physical
compulsion".
79. Acquire wisdom
and truth from whomever you can because even
an apostate
can have them but unless they are passed over to a
faithful Muslim
and become part of wisdom and truth that he
possesses, they
have a confused existence in the minds of apostates.
80. Knowledge
and wisdom are really the privilege of a faithful
Muslim. If you
have lost them, get them back even though you may
have to get
them from the apostates.
81. Value of
each man depends upon the art and skill which he has
attained.
82. I want to
teach you five of those things which deserve your
greatest anxiety
to acquire them: Have hope only in Allah. Be afraid
of nothing but
sins. If you do not know a thing never feel ashamed to
admit ignorance.
If you do not know a thing never hesitate or feel
ashamed to learn
it. Acquire patience and endurance because their
relation with
true faith is that of a head to a body, a body is of no use
without a head,
similarly true faith can be of no use without attributes
of resignation,
endurance and patience.
83. A man hypocritically
started praising Imam Ali, though he had no
faith in him
and Imam Ali hearing these praises from him said "I am
less than what
you tell about me but more than what you think about
me".
84. Those who
have come alive out of a blood-bath live longer and
have more children.
85. One who imagines
himself to be all-knowing will surely suffer on
account of his
ignorance.
86. I appreciate
an old man's cautious opinion more than the valor of
a young man.
87. I wonder
at a man who loses hope of salvation when the door of
repentance is
open for him.
88. Imam Muhammad
Baqir says that Imam Ali once said: "There
were two things
in this world which softened the Wrath of Allah and
prevented its
descent upon man: One has been taken away from you;
hold the other
stead- fastly. The one which has been taken away
from men is
the Holy Prophet and the one which is still left with them
and which they
must hold steadfastly is repentance and atonement for
sins because
Allah at one place in the Holy Book addressed the Holy
Prophet and
said Allah would not punish them while you were among
them nor while
they were asking for forgiveness. (Surah Anfal, 8 :
33)
89. Whoever keeps
in order his affairs with Allah (follows His orders
sincerely),
Allah will also put his affairs with men in order. Whoever
makes arrangement
for his salvation, Allah will arrange his worldly
affairs; whoever
is a preacher for himself, Allah will also protect him.
90. He is the
wisest and the most knowing man who advises people
not to lose
hope and faith in the Mercy of Allah and not to be too
sure and over-confident
of immunity from His Wrath and
Punishment.
91. Like your
body your mind also gets tired so refresh it by wise
sayings.
92. That knowledge
which remains only on your tongue is very
superficial.
The intrinsic value of knowledge is that you act upon it.
93. Take care
and do not pray to the Lord, saying, "Lord! I pray to
You to protect
and guard me from temptations and trials", for there is
none who is
not tempted and tried. But beseech Him to guard you
against such
temptation as may lead you towards wickedness and
sins because
Allah says in His Holy Book, Know that your wealth
and children
are temptations. (Surah al-Anfal, 8: 28) it means Allah
tried people
through wealth and children so that it may be tested as
to who is content
with what he gets honestly and who is thankful to
Allah for the
position he is placed in with regard to his children.
Though Allah
knows them better than even they know themselves,
yet those trials
and tests are for the purpose of their realizing and
knowing those
deeds which merit reward or which deserve
punishment.
There are some people who love to have male children
and hate daughters
and there are some who simply crave for wealth
and hate poverty.
94. Imam Ali
was asked the meaning of being well-off or
well-provided
for. Imam Ali replied, "Your welfare does not lie in
your having
enormous wealth and numerous children but it rests in
your being highly
educated and forbearing and in your being proud of
your obedience
to Allah. If you do a good deed then thank Allah for
it and if you
commit a sin then repent and atone for it. In this world
there is a real
welfare for two kinds of people, one is the person
who, when commits
a sin, atones for it and the other is anxious to do
good as much
as possible.
95. Importance
of the deeds that you have done with fear of Allah
cannot be minimized
and how can the deeds which are acceptable to
Allah be considered
unimportant.
96. "Nearest
to the prophets are those persons who have to those
prophets and
obey them". Saying this, Imam Ali cited a passage from
the Holy Qur'an
'Best liked by Abraham and nearest to him were the
people who obeyed
him'. He further said, "That the present times are
the times of
our Holy Prophet and his faithful followers. The best
friend of our
Holy Prophet is he who, though not related to him,
obeys the orders
of Allah and his greatest enemy is the man who
though related
to him, disobeys Allah '.
97. Imam Ali
was told of a Kharijite that he got up in the night to
pray and recite
the Holy Book. Imam Ali said, "To sleep with having
sincere faith
in religion and Allah is better than to pray with wavering
faith".
98. Whenever
a tradition of the Holy Prophet is related to you,
scrutinize it,
do not be satisfied with mere verbatim repetition of the
same because
there are many people who repeat the words
containing knowledge
but only few ponder over them and try to fully
grasp the meaning
they convey.
99. Imam Ali
heard somebody reciting the passage of the Holy
Qur'an we belong
to Allah and our return is towards Him, Imam Ali
said, "How true
it is ! Our declaring that we belong to Allah indicates
that we accept
Him as our Master, Owner and Lord. And when we
say that our
return is towards Allah indicates that we accept our
mortality".
100. Some people
praised Imam Ali on his face. He replied, "Allah
knows me very
well and I also know myself more than you. Please,
Lord ! make
me better than what they imagine me to be and please
excuse those
Weaknesses of mine which they are not aware of".
101. To secure
for you fame, credit as well as blessings, the help that
you give to
men in need, should possess the following attributes:
whatever its
extent, it should be considered by you as trifling so that
it may be granted
a high status; it should be given secretly, Allah will
manifest it;
and it must be given immediately so that it becomes
pleasant.
102. Your society
will pass through a period when cunning and
crafty intriguers
will be favoured by status, when profligates will be
considered as
well-bred, well-behaved and elegant elites of the
society, when
just and honest persons will be considered as
weaklings, when
charity will be considered as a loss to wealth and
property, when
support and help to each other will be considered as
favour and benevolence
and when prayers and worship to Allah will
be taken up
for the sake of show to gain popularity and higher status,
at such times
regimes will be run under the advice of women and the
youngsters will
be the rulers and counselors of the State.
103. Imam Ali's
garment was very old with patches on it. When
somebody drew
his attention towards it, he replied, " Such dresses,
when worn by
men of status make them submissive to Allah and
kind-hearted
towards others and the faithful Muslims can
conveniently
follow the example ". Vicious pleasures of this world
and salvation
are like two enemies or two roads running in opposite
directions or
towards opposite poles, one to the North and the other
to the South.
Whoever likes to gain the pleasures and pomps of this
world will hate
austerity in life which is necessary to gain salvation.
Reverse will
be the attitude of a man desirous of achieving Eternal
Bliss. One has
to adopt either of the two ways of life, and as they
both cannot
be brought together, a man has to choose one of them.
104. Nawf bin
Fizala Bakali, the famous scholar of the early Islamic
days says that
one night he was with Imam Ali. In the middle of the
night, Imam
Ali got up from his bed, looked for sometime at the stars
and inquired
of Nawf whether he was awake. Nawf said: "I got from
my bed replying,
"Yes, Amirul Mo'minin (Commander of the
Faithful) !
I am awake".
Imam Ali said
Nawf ! Those are the fortunate people who adopt
piety as the
principle of their lives and are fully attentive to their
welfare for
the Hereafter. They accept bare earth as the most
comfortable
bed and water as the most pleasant drink. They adopt
the Holy Qur'an
and prayers as their guide and protector and like
Prophet Jesus
Christ (Isa) they forsake the world and its vicious
pleasure.
Nawf ! Prophet
David (Daud) once got up at such an hour in the
night and said
this was the hour when prayers of everyone who
prayed were
accepted except of those who forcibly collected
revenues or
who were scandal- mongers or were persons in the
police force
of a despotic regime or were musicians".
105, Those who
give up religion to better their lot in life seldom
succeed. The
Wrath of Allah makes them go through more calamities
and losses than
the gains they gather for themselves.
106. There are
many educated people who have ruined their future
on account of
their ignorance of religion. Their knowledge did not
prove of any
avail to them.
107. More wonderful
than man himself is that part of his body which
is connected
with his trunk with muscles. It is his brain (mind). Look
what good and
bad tendencies arise from it. On the one hand it holds
treasures of
know- ledge and wisdom and on the other it is found to
harbour very
ugly desires. If a man sees even a tiny gleam of success,
then greed forces
him to humiliate himself. If he gives way to avarice,
then inordinate
desires ruin him, if he is disappointed, then
despondency
almost kills him. If he is excited, then he loses temper
and gets angry.
If he is pleased, then he gives up precaution. Sudden
fear makes him
dull and nervous, and he is unable to think and find a
way out of the
situation. During the times of peace and prosperity he
becomes careless
and unmindful of the future. If he acquires wealth,
then he becomes
haughty and arrogant. If he is plunged in distress,
then his agitation,
impatience and nervousness disgrace him. If he is
overtaken by
poverty, then he finds himself in a very sad plight,
hunger makes
him weak, and over-feeding harms him equally. In
short every
kind of loss and gain makes his mind unbalanced.
108. We, Ahlul
Bayt (chosen descendants of the Holy Prophet),
hold such central
and balancing position in religion that those who are
deficient in
understanding and acting upon its principles, will have to
come to us for
reformation, and those who are overdoing it have got
to learn moderation
from us.
109. A Divine
rule can be established only by a man, who, where
justice and
equity are required, neither feels deficient nor weak and
who is not greedy
and avaricious.
110. Sohayl bin
Hunayf Ansari was a favourite companion of Imam
Ali. At the
time of Imam Ali's return from Siffin, he died at Kufa of
the wounds sustained
in the battle. His death left Imam Ali very sad
and he said:
"Even if a mountain loves me it will be crushed into bits".
(it means people
are tested with my love, and to prove it they have to
pass through
loss and calamities).
111. Anyone who
loves us Ahlul Bayt must be ready to face a life of
austerity.
112. No wealth
is more useful than intelligence and wisdom; no
solitude is
more horrible than when people avoid you on account of
your vanity
and conceit or when you wrongly consider yourself
above everybody
to confide and consult; no eminence is more
exalting than
piety; no companion can prove more useful than
politeness;
no heritage is better than culture; no leader is superior to
Divine Guidance;
no deal is more profitable than good deeds; no
profit is greater
than Divine Reward; no abstinence is better than to
restrain one's
mind from doubts (about religion); no virtue is better
than refraining
from prohibited deeds; no knowledge is superior to
deep thinking
and prudence; no worship or prayers are more sacred
than fulfillment
of obligations and duties, no religious faith is loftier
than feeling
ashamed of doing wrong and bearing calamities patiently;
no eminence
is greater than to adopt humbleness; no exaltation is
superior to
knowledge; nothing is more respectable than forgiveness
and forbear-
ance; no support and defense are stronger than
consultation.
113. When a community
is composed of honest, sober and virtuous
people, your
forming a bad opinion about anyone of its members,
when nothing
wicked has been seen of him, is a great injustice to him.
On the contrary
in a corrupt society to form good opinion of anyone
of them and
to trust him is to harm yourself.
114. When somebody
asked Imam Ali as to how he was getting on,
he replied:
"What do you want to know about a person whose life is
leading him
towards ultimate death, whose health is the first stage
towards illness
and whom society has forced out of his retreat".
115. There are
many persons whom constant grants of His Bounties
turn them wicked
and fit for His punishment and there are many more
who have become
vain and self- deceptive because the Merciful
Allah has not
exposed their weaknesses and vices to the world and
the people speak
highly about them. All this is an opportunity. No
trial of the
Lord is more severe than the time He allows (in which
either you may
repent or get deeper into vices).
116. Two kinds
of people will be damned on my account Those who
form exaggerated
opinion about me and those who under-estimate
me because they
hate me.
117. To lose
or to waste an opportunity will result in grief and
sorrow.
118. She world
is like a serpent, so soft to touch, but so full of lethal
poison. Unwise
people are allured by it and drawn towards it, and
wise men avoid
it and keep away from its poisonous effects.
119. When asked
about Quraysh, Imam Ali replied that amongst
them Bani Mukhzum
are like sweet scented flower of Quraysh; their
men are good
to talk to and their women prove very good wives;
Bani Abdush
Shams are very intelligent and very prudent but we (of
Bani Hashim)
are very generous and very brave to face death. Bani
Abdush Shams
are more in numbers, ugly and intriguers but Bani
Hashim are beautiful,
good speakers and orators and very faithful as
friends.
120. What a difference
is there between a deed whose pleasure
passes away
leaving behind it the pangs of pain and punishment and
the deed whose
oppressive harshness comes to an end leaving
behind Divine
rewards !
121. Imam Ali
was following a funeral and as it was passing along a
road, somebody
laughed loudly ( a sign of discourtesy and lack of
manner ). Hearing
this laugh, Imam Ali remarked, " Some of us feel
that death is
meant for everybody except themselves or it is destined
to others and
not to themselves or those whom we see dying around
us are only
travelers going on a journey and will come back to us. It
is a sad sight
to see that in one moment we commit them to earth and
in the next
we take hold of the things left by them as if we are going
to remain permanently
in this world after them. The fact is that we
forget sensible
advice given to us and become victim of every
calamity.
122. Blessings
are for the man who humbles himself before Allah,
whose sources
of income are honest, whose inten- tions are always
honorable, whose
character is noble, whose habits are sober, who
gives away in
the cause and in the Name of Allah, the wealth which is
lying surplus
with him, who controls his tongue from vicious and
useless talk,
who abstains from oppression, who faithfully follows the
traditions of
the Holy Prophet and who keeps himself away from
innovation in
religion.
123. Jealousy
in woman is unpardonable but in man it is a sign of his
faith in religion
(because Islam has permitted polygamy and
prohibited polyandry).
124. I define
Islam for you in a way that nobody dared do it before
me. Islam means
obedience to Allah, obedience to Allah means
having sincere
faith in Him, such a faith means to believe in His
Power, belief
in His Power means recognizing and accepting His
Majesty, acceptance
of His Majesty means fulfilling the obligations
laid down by
Him and fulfillment of obligations means actions
(Therefore,
Islam does not mean mere faith, but faith plus deeds).
125. I wonder
at the mentality of a miser, fearing poverty he takes to
stinginess and
thus hastily pushes himself head- long into a state of
want and destitution,
he madly desires plenty and ease, but throws it
away without
understand- ing. In this world he, of his own free will,
leads the life
of a a beggar and in the next world he will have to
submit an account
like the rich.
I wonder at the
arrogance of a haughty and vain person. Yesterday
he was only
a drop of semen and tomorrow he will turn into a
corpse. I wonder
at the man who observes the Universe created by
Allah and doubts
His Being and Existence. I wonder at the man who
sees people
dying around him and yet he has forgotten his end. I
wonder at the
man who understands the marvel of genesis of creation
and refuses
to accept that he will be brought back to life again. I
wonder at the
man who takes great pains to decorate and to make
comfortable
this mortal habitat and totally forgets his permanent
abode.
126. Whoever
is not diligent in his work, will suffer; who- ever has
no share of
Allah in his wealth and in his life then there is no place for
him in His Realm.
127. Be very
cautious of cold in the beginning of winter and welcome
it at the close
of the season because cold season effects your bodies
exactly as it
effects the trees; in the early season its severity makes
them shrivel
and shed their leaves and at the end it helps them to
revive.
128. If you understand
Allah's Majesty, then you will not attach any
importance to
the creatures.
129. While returning
from Siffin, Imam Ali passed along the cemetery
of Kufa. Addressing
the graves he said: "O you, who are lying in
horrible and
deserted houses. O you, who are shut up in the dark
graves, who
are alone in their abodes, strangers to the places
assigned to
them; you have gone ahead and preceded us, while we
are also following
your steps and shall shortly join you. Do you know
what has happened
aver you? Your houses and property was taken
up by others,
your widows have remarried, this is what we can tell
you of this
world. Can you give us some news about things around
you?" Saying
this, Imam Ali turned to his companions and said, "If
they are permitted
to speak they will inform you that the best
provision for
the next world is piety and virtue".
130. Imam Ali
heard someone abusing and blaming the world and
said to him,
"O you, who are blaming the world, who have been
allured and
enticed by it, and have been tempted by its false
pretenses. You
allowed yourself to be enamored of, to be captivated
by it and then
you accuse and blame it. Have you any reason or right
to accuse it
and to call it a sinner and seducer? Or is the world not
justified in
calling you a wicked knave and a sinning hypocrite? When
did it make
you lose your intelli- gence and reasoning? And how did
it cheat you
or snake false pretenses to you? Did it conceal from you
the fact of
the ultimate end of everything that it holds, the fact of the
sway of death,
decay and destruction in its domain? Did it keep you
in the dark
about the fate of your fore- fathers and their final abode
under the earth?
Did it keep the resting-place of your mothers a
secret from
you? Do you not know that they have returned to dust?
Many a time
you must have attended the sick persons and many of
them you must
have seen beyond the scope of medicine. Neither the
science of healing
nor could your nursing and attendance nor your
prayers and
weeping prolonged the span of their lives, and they died.
You were anxious
for them, you procured the best medical aid, you
gathered famous
physicians and provided best - medicines for them.
Death could
not be held back and life could not be pro- longed. In
this drama and
in this tragedy did the world not present you with a
lesson and a
moral?
Certainly, this
world is a house of truth for those who look into it
carefully, an
abode of peace and rest for those who understand its
ways and moods
and it is the best working ground for those who
want to procure
rewards for life in the Hereafter. It is a place of
acquiring knowledge
and wisdom for those who want to acquire
them, a place
of worship for the friends of Allah and for Angels. It is
the place where
prophets received revelations of Allah. It is the place
for virtuous
people and saints to do good deeds and to be assigned
with rewards
for the same. Only in this world they could trade with
Allah's Favors
and Blessings and only while living here they could
barter their
good deeds with His Blessings and Rewards. Where else
could all this
be done? Who are you to abuse the world when it has
openly declared
its mortality and mortality of everything connected
with it, when
it has given everyone of its inha- bitants to understand
that all of
them are to face death, when through its ways it has given
them all an
idea of calamities they have to face here, and through the
sight of its
temporary and fading pleasures it has given them glimpses
of eternal pleasures
of Paradise and suggested them to wish and
work for the
same. If you study it properly you will find that simply to
warn and frighten
you of the consequences of evil deeds and to
persuade you
towards good actions, every night it raises new hopes
of peace and
prosperity in you and every morning it places new
anxieties and
new worries before you. Those who passed such lives
are ashamed
of and repent the time so passed abuse this world. But
there are people
who will praise this world on the Day of Judgment
that it reminded
them of the Hereafter and they took advantage of
these reminders.
It informed them of the effects of good deeds and
they made correct
use of the information it advised them and they
were benefited
by its advice".
131. An Angel
announces daily: "Birth of more human beings means
so many more
will die, collection of more wealth means of much
more will be
destroyed, erection of more buildings means so many
more ruins will
come".
132. This world
is not a permanent place, it is a passage, a road on
which you are
passing. There are two kinds of people here: One is
the kind of
those who have sold their souls for eternal damnation, the
other is of
those who have purchased their souls and freed them from
damnation.
133. A friend
cannot be considered a friend unless he is tested on
three occasions:
in time of need, behind your back and after your
death.
134. Anyone who
has been granted four attributes will not be
deprived of
their (four) effects; one who prays to Allah and implores
to Him will
not be deprived of granting of his prayers; one who
repents for
his thoughts and deeds will not be refused acceptance of
the repentance;
one who has atoned for his sins will not be debarred
from salvation
and one who thanks Allah for the Blessings and
Bounties will
not be denied the increase in them.
The truth of
these facts is attested by the Holy Qur'an As far as
prayers are
concerned He says Pray to Me and I shall accept your
prayers. About
repentance He says: Whoever has done a bad deed
or has indulged
in sin and then repents and asks for His forgiveness
will find Allah
most Forgiving and Merciful. About being thankful He
says if you
are thankful for what you are given, I shall increase My
Bounties and
Blessings. About atonement of sin He says Allah
accepts the
repentance of those who have ignorantly committed vice
and then soon
repent for it, Allah accepts such repentance's, He is
Wise and Omniscient.
135. Daily prayers are the best medium
through which
one can Seek the nearness to Allah. Hajj is Jihad
(Holy War) for
every weak person. For everything that you own
there is Zakat,
and Zakat of your body is fasting. The Jihad of a
woman is to
afford pleasant company to her husband.
136. If you want
to pray to Allah for better means of subsistence,
then first give
something in charity
137. When someone is sure of the returns, then he shows generosity.
138. Aid (from Allah) is in proportion to the trouble.
139. He who practices
moderation and frugality will never be
threatened with
poverty.
140. One of the conveniences in life is to have less children.
141. Loving one another is half of wisdom.
142. Grief is half of old age.
143. Grant of
patience (from Allah) is in proportion to the extent of
calamity you
are passing through. If you exhibit fretfulness, irritation,
and despair
in calamities, then your patience and your exertions are
wasted.
144. Many persons
get nothing out of their fasts but hunger and
thirst, many
more get nothing out of their night prayers but exertions
and sleepless
nights. Wise and sagacious persons are praiseworthy
even if they
do not fast and sleep during the nights.
145. Defend your
faith (in Allah) with the help of charity. Protect
your wealth
with the aid of Zakat. Let the prayers guard you from
calamities and
disasters.
146. Kumayl bin
Ziyad Nakha'i says that once Imam Ali put his hand
in his hand
and took me to the grave-yard. When he passed through
it and left
the city behind, he heaved a sigh and said "Kumayl, these
hearts are containers
of the secrets of knowledge and wisdom and
the best container
is the one which can hold the most and what it
holds, it can
preserve and protect in the best way. Therefore,
remember carefully
what I am telling you. Remember that there are
three kinds
of people: one kind is of those learned people who are
highly versed
in the ethics of truth and philosophy of religion, second
is the kind
of those who are acquiring the above knowledge and the
third is that
class of people who are uneducated. They follow every
pretender and
accept every slogan, they have neither acquired any
knowledge nor
have they secured any support of firm and rational
convictions.
Remember, Kumayl, knowledge is better than wealth
because it protects
you while you have to guard wealth. It decreases
if you keep
on spending it but the more you make use of knowledge
the more it
increases. What you get through wealth dis- appears as
soon as wealth
disappears but what you achieve through knowledge
will remain
even after you.
O Kumayl ! Knowledge
is power and it can command obedience. A
man of knowledge
during his lifetime can make people obey and
follow him and
he is praised and venerated after his death.
Remember that
knowledge is a ruler and wealth is its subject.
O Kumayl ! Those
who amass wealth, though alive, are dead to
realities of
life, and those who achieve know- ledge, will remain alive
through their
knowledge and wisdom even after their death, though
their faces
may disappear from the community of living beings, yet
their ideas,
the knowledge which they had left behind and their
memory, will
remain in the minds of people".
Kumayl says that
after this brief dissertation, Imam Ali pointed
towards his
chest and said, "Look Kumayl! Here I hold stores and
treasures of
knowledge. I wish I could find somebody to share it with
me. Yes, I found
a few, but one of them, though quite intelligent, was
untrustworthy,
he would sell his salvation to get hold of the world and
its pleasures,
he would make religion a pretence to grasp worldly
power and wealth,
he would make this Blessing of Allah
(knowledge)
serve him to get supremacy and control over friends of
Allah and he
would through knowledge exploit and suppress other
human beings.
The other person was such that he apparently obeyed
truth and knowledge,
yet his mind had not achieved the true light of
religion, at
the slightest ambiguity or doubt he would get suspicious of
truth, mistrust
religion and would rush towards skepticism. So neither
of them was
capable of acquiring the superior knowledge that I can
impart. Besides
these two I find some other person One of them is a
slave of self
and greedy for inordinate desires, which can easily drag
him away from
the path of religion, the other is an avaricious,
grasping and
acquisitive miser who will risk his life to grasp and hold
wealth, none
of these two will be of any use to religion or man, both
of them resemble
beasts having appetite for food. If sensible trustees
of knowledge
and wisdom totally disappear from human society then
both knowledge
and wisdom will suffer severely, may bring harm to
humanity and
may even die out. But this earth will never be without
those persons
who will prove the universality of truth as disclosed by
Allah, they
may be well-known persons, openly and fearlessly
declaring the
things revealed to them or they may, under fear of
harm, injury
or deaths hide themselves from the public gaze and may
carry on their
mission privately so that the reasons proving the reality
of truth as
preached by religion and as demonstrated by His Prophet
may not totally
disappear. How many are they and where could they
be found? I
swear by Allah that they are very few in number but their
worth and their
ranks before Allah are very high. Through them Allah
preserves His
Guidance so that they, while departing, may hand over
these truths
to persons like themselves. The knowledge which they
have acquired
has made them see the realities and visualize the truth
and has instilled
into them the spirit of faith and trust. The duties
which were decreed
as hard and unbearable by them. They feel
happy in the
company and association of things which frighten the
ignorant and
uneducated. They live in this world like everybody else
but their souls
soar to the heights of Divine Eminence. They are
media of Allah
on this earth and they invite people towards Him.
How I love to
meet them O Kumayl ! I have told you all that I have
to say, you
can go back to your place whenever you like".
147. A man can be valued through his sayings.
148. One who
does not realize his own value is condemned to utter
failure. (Every
kind of complex, superiority or inferiority is harmful to
man).
149. Somebody
requested Imam Ali to advise him how to lead a
useful and sober
life. Imam Ali thereupon advised him thus: "Do not
be among those
people who want to gain good returns without
working hard
for them, who have long hopes and keep on
postponing repentance
and penance, who talk like pious persons but
run after vicious
pleasures. Do not be among those who are not
satisfied if
they get more in life and are not content if their lot in life's
pleasures is
less (they are never satisfied), who never thank Allah for
what they get
and keep on constantly demanding increase in what is
left with them;
who advise others to such good deeds that they
themselves refrain
from; who appreciate good people but do not
follow their
ways of life; who hate bad and vicious people but follow
their ways of
life; who, on account of their excessive sins hate death
but do not give
up the sinful ways of life; who, if fallen ill, repent their
ways of life
and on regaining their health fearlessly readopt the same
frivolous ways;
who get despondent and lose all hopes, but on
gaining health,
become arrogant and careless; who, if faced with
misfor- tunes,
dangers or afflictions, turn to Allah and keep on
beseeching Him
for relief and when relieved or favoured with
comfort and
ease they are deceived by the comfortable conditions
they found themselves
in and forget Allah and forsake prayers;
whose minds
are allured by day dreams and forlorn hopes and who
abhor to face
realities of life; who fear for others the enormous
repercussions
of vices and sins but for their own deeds expect very
high rewards
or very light disciplinary actions. Riches make such
people arrogant,
rebellious and wicked, and poverty makes them
despondent and
lethargic. If they have to work, they work lazily and
if they put
up a demand they do it stubbornly.
Under the influence
of inordinate cravings, they commit sins in quick
succession and
keep on postponing repentance. Calamities and
adversities
make them give up the distinguished characteristics of
Muslims (patience,
hope in future and work for improvement of
circumstances).
They advise people with narration's of events and
facts but do
not take any lesson from them. They are good at
preachings but
bad at practice, therefore they always talk of lofty
deeds but their
actions belie their words. They are keen to acquire
temporal pleasures
but are careless and slow to achieve permanent
(Divine) benefits.
They think good for themselves the things which
are actually
injurious to them and regard harmful the things which
really benefit
them. They are afraid of death but waste their time and
do not resort
to good deeds before death overtakes them. The vices
which they regard
as enormous sins for others, they consider as
minor shortcomings
for themselves. Similarly, they attach great
importance to
their obedience to the orders of Allah and belittle
similar actions
in others. Therefore, they often criticize others and
speak very highly
of their own deeds. They are happy to spend their
time in society
of rich persons, wasting it in luxuries and vices but are
averse to employing
for useful purposes in company of the poor and
pious people:
They are quick and free to pass verdicts against others
but they never
pass a verdict against their own vicious deeds. They
force others
to obey them but they never obey Allah. They collect
their dues carefully
but never pay the dues they owe. They are not
afraid of Allah
but fear powerful men".
150. Everyone has an end, it may be pleasant or sorrowful.
151. Everyone,
who is born, has to die and once dead he is as good
as having not
come into existence.
152. One, who
adopts patience, will never be deprived of success
though it may
take a long time to reach him.
153. One who
assents or subsribes to the actions of a group or a
party is as
good as having committed the deed himself. A man who
joins a sinful
deed makes himself responsible for two-fold
punishments,
one for doing the deed and the other for assenting and
subscribing
to it. 154. Accept promises of only those persons who
can stead- fastly-adhere
to their pledges.
155. You are
ordained to recognize the Imams (the right successors
of the Holy
Prophet) and to obey them.
156. You have
been shown, if you only care to see; you have been
advised if you
care to take advantage of advice; you have been told
if you care
to listen to good counsels.
157. Admonish
your brother (comrade) by good deeds and kind
regards, and
ward off his evil by favouring him.
158. One, who
enters the places of evil repute has no right to
complain against
a man who speaks ill of him.
159. One, who acquires power cannot avoid favouritism.
160. One, who
is willful and conceited will suffer losses and
calamities and
one who seeks advice can secure advan- tages of
many counsels.
161. One, who
guards his secrets has complete control over his
affairs.
162. Poverty is the worst form of death.
163. One, who
serves a person from whom he gets no reci- procal
performance
of duties, in fact, worships him.
164. One should not obey anyone against the commands of Allah.
165. Do not blame
a man who delays in securing what are his just
rights but blame
lies on him who grasps the rights which do not
belong to him.
166. Conceit is a barrier to progress and improvement.
167. Death is near and our mutual company is short.
168. There is enough light for one who wants to see.
169. It is wiser to abstain then to repent.
170. Often inordinate
desire to secure a single gain acts as a
hindrance for
the quest of many profitable pursuits.
171. People often
hate those things which they do not know or
cannot understand.
172. One, who seeks advice learns to realize his
mistakes.
173. One who
struggles for the cause of Allah secures victory over
His enemies.
174. When you
feel afraid or nervous to do a thing then do it
because the
real harm which you may thus receive is less poignant
than its expectation
and fear. 175. Your supremacy over others is in
proportion to
the extent of your knowledge and wisdom.
176. The best
way to punish an evil-doer is to reward handsomely a
good person
for his good deeds.
177. If you want
to remove evil from the minds of others then first
give up evil
intentions yourself.
178. Obstinacy will prevent you from a correct decision.
179. Greed is permanent slavery.
180. Deficiency
will result in shame and sorrow but caution and
foresight will
bring peace and security.
181. To keep
silent when you can say something wise and useful is
as bad as keeping
on propagating foolish and unwise thoughts.
182. If two opposite theories are propagated one will be wrong.
183. When truth was revealed to me I never doubted it.
184.I never lied
and the things revealed to me were not false I never
misled anybody
nor was I misled.
185. One, who starts tyranny, will repent soon.
186. Death is never very far.
187. One who forsakes truth earns eternal damnation.
188. One who cannot benefit by patience will die in grief.
189. In this
world, man is a target of death, an easy prey to
calamities,
here every morsel and every draught is liable to choke
one, here one
never receives a favour until he loses another instead,
here every additional
day in one's life is a day reduced from the total
span of his
existence, when death is the natural outcome of life, how
can we expect
immortality?
190. O son of
Adam, if you have collected anything in excess of your
actual need,
you will act only as its trustee for someone else to use it.
191. Hearts have
the tendency of likes and dislikes and are liable to
be energetic
and lethargic, therefore, make them work when they are
energetic because
if hearts are forced (to do a thing) they will be
blinded.
192. When I feel
angry with a person how and when should I satisfy
my anger, whether
at a time when I am not in a position to retaliate
and people may
advise me to bear patiently or when I have power to
punish and I
forgive. 193. Minds get tired like bodies. When you feel
that your; mind
is tired, then invigorate it with sober advice.
194. If you find
that somebody is not grateful for all that you have
done for him,
then do not get disappointed because often you will
find that someone
else feels under your obligation though you have
done nothing
for him and thus your good deeds will be compensated,
and Allah will
reward you for your goodness.
195. The first
fruit of forbearance is that people will sympathize with
you and they
will go against the man who offended you arrogantly.
196. One who
takes account of his shortcomings will always gain by
it; one who
is unmindful of them will always suffer. One who is afraid
of the Day of
Judgment, is safe from the Wrath of Allah. One who
takes lessons
from the events of life, gets vision, one who acquires
vision becomes
wise and one who attains wisdom achieves
knowledge.
197. Bear sorrows
and calamities patiently, otherwise you will never
be happy.
198. One who comes into power often oppresses.
199. Adversities often bring good qualities to the front.
200. If a friend envies you, then he is not a true friend.
201. Avarice dulls the faculties of judgment and wisdom.
202. Oppression
and tyranny are the worse companions for the
Hereafter.
203. The best deed of a great man is to forgive and forget.
204. Silence
will create respect and dignity; justice and fairplay will
bring more friends;
benevolence and charity will enhance prestige
and position;
courtesy will draw benevolence; service of mankind will
secure leadership
and good words will overcome powerful enemies.
205. A greedy
man will always find himself in the shackles of
humility.
206. There are
people who worship Allah to gain His Favors, this is
the worship
of traders; while there are some who worship Him to
keep themselves
free from His Wrath, this is the worship of slaves; a
few who obey
Him out' of their sense of gratitude and obligations,
this is the
worship of free and noble men.
