Imam Ali ibn Abu Talib [a]
1968 sayings · page 15 of 50
Pondering about the dominion of the heavens and the earth is the worship of the sincere ones.
Ghurar al-Hikam, no. 1792; Mizan ul Hikmah, page No. 1014 · permalink
Verily part of worship is to talk to people in a gentle manner and to spread the greeting of peace among them.
Ghurar al-Hikam, no. 3421; Mizan ul Hikmah, page No. 1014 · permalink
It is narrated that Ali (a.s.) used to recite this blessed supplication during the first ten days of Zilhajj. He used to say that if one recites the supplication: 'Laa ilaaha illallaahu a'dadal layaalee wadduhoori laa ilaaha illallaahu a'dada amwaajil buh'oori laa ilaaha illallaahu wa rah'matuhu khairum mimmaa yaj-maoo'na laa ilaaha illallaahu a'dadash shauki wash shajari laa ilaaha illallaaha illallaahu a'dadash sha'ri wal wabari laa ilaaha illallaahu a'dadal h'ajari wal madari laa ilaaha illallaahu a'dada lamh'il u'yooni laa ilaaha illallaahu fil laili idhaa a's-a's wa fis' s'ub-h'i idhaa tanaffasa laa ilaaha illallaahu a'dadar riyaah'i fil baraariyyi was' s'ukhoori laa ilaaha illallaahu minal yaumi ilaa yaumi yunfakhu fis' s'oor' ten times during these ten days the Almighty Allah would reward him a rank equaling pearls and rubies in Paradise for each Tahleel. There would be a distance equal to that of traveling a hundred years on a fast vehicle between each rank. There would be a city on each level having a castle made of precious stone and those cities won't be cut off from each other. They would have surrounding walls, forts, high-rises, houses, wives, beds, Hoorul Ein, food laid on tables, servants, rivers, trees, ornaments and dresses. No one can describe them. When that person comes out of grave, each and every hair on his body would be illuminated and seventy thousand angels would surround him and walk with him till the door of Paradise. When this person enters Paradise, the angels would follow him until they reach the city, whose outer appearance would be like that of a ruby and it would be like green emerald from inside. It will have all sorts of things created by Allah in Paradise. When they reach here, he would be told, "O loved one of Allah! Do you know which city is this and what all things it has?" He would reply, "I don't know but who are you?" They would say, "We are angels. When you recited Laa ilaaha illallaah in the world, we saw you and this city along with the servants is for you. You would be given a better reward from the Almighty Allah. You will see in Darus Salaam, the neighborhood of Allah what He has given you. You will see that this reward would never be taken back." The narrator says that one must recite this supplication much so that one is rewarded more.
Sawab al-A`amal, Page 108/109 · permalink
The best form of worship is self-restraint.
al-Kafi, v. 2, p. 468, no. 8; Mizan ul Hikmah, page No. 1015 · permalink
The best form of worship is breaking a habit or an addiction.
Ghurar al-Hikam, no. 2873; Mizan ul Hikmah, page No. 1016 · permalink
The best form of worship is abstinence.
Ghurar al-Hikam, no. 2872; Mizan ul Hikmah, page No. 1016 · permalink
Imam Ja'far Sadiq (a.s.) narrates that Amirul Momineen (a.s.) said, "The fasts of the month of Patience (Ramadan) and three fasts of a month keep the evil-thoughts away from one's heart. The three fasts of a month are equal to the fasts of an age for Allah says in His book, "Whoever brings a good deed, he shall have ten like it." [Surah Anaam 6:160]
Sawab al-A`amal, Page 117 · permalink
They(Godwary) endured hardship for a short while, and in consequence they secured comfort for a long time.
Nahj al-Balagha, Sermon 193; Mizan ul Hikmah, page No. 685 · permalink
Patience is of two types: perseverance in the face of that which you despise, and enduring restraint against that which you love
Ghurar al-Hikam, no. 1874; Mizan ul Hikmah, page No. 686 · permalink
Patience comes in the form of either persevering in the face of an affliction, or enduring an act of obedience, or restraining oneself against an act of disobedience. And this third type is of a higher calibre than the first two
Sharhe Nahj al-Balagha by Abi al-Hadid, v. 1, p. 319; Mizan ul Hikmah, page No. 686 · permalink
Verily if you are patient, the trials of destiny will befall you and you will be rewarded for them, whilst if you are anxious, not only will the trials of destiny still befall you but they will cover you over
Jami`a al-Akhbar, p. 316, no. 882; Mizan ul Hikmah, page No. 687 · permalink
You can either have the perseverance of noblemen or be lost in the oblivion of beasts.
Nahj al-Balagha, Saying 414; Mizan ul Hikmah, page No. 687 · permalink
Take into account who it is that suckles your children, for verily this is what a child grows on
al-Kafi, v. 6, p. 44, no. 10; Mizan ul Hikmah, page No. 899 · permalink
Protect your children from the milk of prostitutes and madwomen, for verily the milk has an effect [on the child].
Bihar al-Anwar, no. 9; Mizan ul Hikmah, page No. 899 · permalink
Know that the one in whose hands are the treasures the kingdom of this world and the Hereafter has allowed you to supplicate, He has guaranteed to answer you, He has commanded you to ask Him so He can give you, and He is the All-Merciful, the Kind. He has not placed any barrier between Him and you, He has not committed you to whoever intercedes for you then He has placed in your hands the keys to His treasures by allowing you to ask from Him, so whenever you wish, open the doors of His treasures by supplicating to Him
Bihar al-Anwar, v. 77, p. 204, no. 1; Mizan ul Hikmah, page No. 901 · permalink
Supplication is the key to mercy and a lantern in the darkness
Bihar al-Anwar, v. 93, p. 300, no. 37; Mizan ul Hikmah, page No. 901 · permalink
The most beloved action on this earth with Allah Mighty and Exalted is supplication
al-Kafi, v. 2, p. 467, no. 8; Mizan ul Hikmah, page No. 901 · permalink
Supplication is the shield of the believer
al-Kafi, v. 2, p. 468, no. 7; Mizan ul Hikmah, page No. 901 · permalink
Repel the surges of calamity with supplication. The person who is continuously facing calamities is not more in need of supplication than that person who is free and secure from calamity
Bihar al-Anwar, v. 93, p. 301, no. 37; Mizan ul Hikmah, page No. 903 · permalink
Amir al-Mu'minin Im?m 'Al? ibn Ab? T?lib (a.s.) said in his will to his son al-Husayn (AS), 'I advise you to be wary of your duty to Allah in wealth and poverty and [I advise you] of being just towards both friend and foe.'
Tuhaf al-`Uqoul, no. 88; Mizan ul Hikmah, page No. 500 · permalink
The fountainhead of all virtues is knowledge and the peak of all virtues is knowledge.
Ghurar al-Hikam, no. 5234; Mizan ul Hikmah, page No. 502 · permalink
Knowledge commands, action drives, and the carnal soul is the obstinate mount.
Tuhaf al-`Uqoul, no. 208; Mizan ul Hikmah, page No. 502 · permalink
Knowledge is the lamp of the intellect.
Ghurar al-Hikam, no. 536; Mizan ul Hikmah, page No. 502 · permalink
Knowledge is indeed a good guide.
Ghurar al-Hikam, no. 837; Mizan ul Hikmah, page No. 502 · permalink
Knowledge is the noblest source of repute.
Kanz al-Fawa' id li al-Karajiki, v. 1, p. 319; Mizan ul Hikmah, page No. 502 · permalink
Knowledge is the lost property of the believer.
Uyoun Akhbar al-Reza (AS), v. 2, p. 66, no. 295; Mizan ul Hikmah, page No. 502 · permalink
Knowledge is such a dignified thing that he who is not proficient at it claims to be so, and one is pleased for it to be attributed to him. And ignorance is such a rebuked thing that even the one who possesses it claims to be free of it.
Munyat al-Murid, p. 110; Mizan ul Hikmah, page No. 502 · permalink
There is no treasure more profitable than knowledge.
al-Kafi, v. 8, p. 19, no. 4; Mizan ul Hikmah, page No. 503 · permalink
There is no source of dignity like knowledge.
Nahj al-Balagha, Saying 113; Mizan ul Hikmah, page No. 503 · permalink
Every container becomes cramped by what is placed therein, except the container that holds knowledge, for verily it expands because of it.
Nahj al-Balagha, Saying 205; Mizan ul Hikmah, page No. 503 · permalink
When Allah wishes to repudiate someone, he deprives him of knowledge.
Nahj al-Balagha, Saying 288; Mizan ul Hikmah, page No. 503 · permalink
Knowledge is life.
Ghurar al-Hikam, no. 185; Mizan ul Hikmah, page No. 503 · permalink
Verily knowledge is the life of the hearts, the light of the eyes from blindness and the strength of the bodies against weakness.
Amali al-Saduq, p. 493, no. 1; Mizan ul Hikmah, page No. 503 · permalink
Amir al-Mu'minin Im?m 'Al? ibn Ab? T?lib (a.s.) once took Kumayl out to the desert, and when they reached the desert, he let out a deep sigh and said, 'O Kumayl, knowledge is better than wealth for wealth is reduced by spending whereas knowledge causes your spendings to flourish, and any good product of wealth ceases when it ceases to exist.'
Nahj al-Balagha, Saying 147; Mizan ul Hikmah, page No. 504 · permalink
So take a lesson from how Allah dealt with Iblis [Satan], when He thwarted his great works and his extensive efforts [because of the vanity of a single moment] even though he had been worshipping Allah for six thousand years, each hour of which was so long that it is not known whether they were years by the reckoning of this world or the next.
Nahj al-Balagha, Sermon 192; Mizan ul Hikmah, page No. 815 · permalink
I praise Allah and seek His aid against the acts that led to Satan's banishment and his eviction, and [I seek] His protection from his snares and his deceitful ways.
Nahj al-Balagha, Sermon 151; Mizan ul Hikmah, page No. 815 · permalink
Be on your guard against the enemy who covertly penetrates into your hearts and secretly whispers into your ears
Ghurar al-Hikam, no. 2633; Mizan ul Hikmah, page No. 816 · permalink
There are three types of temptation: the love of women, which Satan uses as his sword; drinking wine, which Satan uses as his snare; and love of the dinar and the dirham [symbols of wealth], which Satan uses as his arrow
al-Khisal, p. 113, no. 91; Mizan ul Hikmah, page No. 816 · permalink
They have taken Satan as the controller of their affairs, and he has in turn adopted them as his partners. He has laid eggs and hatched them in their bosoms, and creeps and crawls onto their laps, until he sees through their eyes and speaks with their tongues. Thus does he lead them to commit errors and glamorizes their own foolish deeds to them, like the act of one whom Satan has made partner in his domain, speaking lies through his tongue
Nahj al-Balagha, Sermon 7; Mizan ul Hikmah, page No. 816 · permalink
O Kumayl! Verily Iblis [Satan] does not threaten them in his own name, rather he threatens them in Allah's name in order to cause them to disobey Him, and thus does he entangle them in difficulties.
Basharat al-Mustafa, p. 27; Mizan ul Hikmah, page No. 816 · permalink
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