Hadith

Imam Ali ibn Abu Talib [a]

1968 sayings · page 17 of 50

1. Do not fight them unless they initiate the fighting, because, by the grace of Allah, you are in the right, and to leave them until they begin the fighting will be another proof for your side's right against them. If, by the will of Allah, the enemy is defeated, then do not kill the one who runs away nor strike a helpless person nor finish off the wounded nor inflict harm on women.

   Nahj al-Balagha, Letter 14; Mizan ul Hikmah, page No. 982 · permalink

2. The Prophet (SAWA) prohibited poisoning the land of the polytheists.

   al-Kafi, v. 5, p. 28, no. 2; Mizan ul Hikmah, page No. 983 · permalink

3. Repeat the attack and be ashamed of running away, for it is a disgrace that remains throughout the generations as a burden on their necks and is a fire on the Day of Reckoning. Therefore, sacrifice your souls for other souls and cheerfully walk to death.

   Nahj al-Sa`ada, v. 2, p. 232; Mizan ul Hikmah, page No. 983 · permalink

4. Woe betide the wasteful person, how far he is from self-improvement and from redressing his situation.

   Ghurar al-Hikam, no. 10092; Mizan ul Hikmah, page No. 985 · permalink

5. Wasting leads to stagnation [of wealth] whereas thriftiness causes it to thrive.

   Bihar al-Anwar, v. 72, p. 192, no. 9; Mizan ul Hikmah, page No. 985 · permalink

6. The giving of wealth to an undeserving cause is squandering and wasting.

   Nahj al-Balagha, Sermon 126; Mizan ul Hikmah, page No. 985 · permalink

7. The most thankful of people is he who is most content whilst the most ungrateful of people is he who is most covetous

   Kitab al-Irshad, v. 1, p. 304; Mizan ul Hikmah, page No. 935 · permalink

8. Whoever increases his thinking in whatever he learns, his knowledge will become proficient, and he will come to understand whatever he did not understand before

   Ghurar al-Hikam, no. 8917; Mizan ul Hikmah, page No. 937 · permalink

9. There is no knowledge like thinking

   Nahj al-Balagha, Saying 113; Mizan ul Hikmah, page No. 938 · permalink

10. Thinking is a transparent mirror

    Nahj al-Balagha, Saying 5; Mizan ul Hikmah, page No. 938 · permalink

11. Whoever eats less, their thought will be more purified

    Ghurar al-Hikam, no. 8462; Mizan ul Hikmah, page No. 939 · permalink

12. How can one's thought be purified if they are constantly full.

    Ghurar al-Hikam, no. 6975; Mizan ul Hikmah, page No. 939 · permalink

13. Thinking outside [the bounds] of wisdom is fantasy.

    Ghurar al-Hikam, no. 1278; Mizan ul Hikmah, page No. 939 · permalink

14. Whoever thinks much about sins, will be prompted to commit them.

    Ghurar al-Hikam, no. 8561; Mizan ul Hikmah, page No. 939 · permalink

15. Whoever thinks about the Grandeur of Allah will fail.

    Ghurar al-Hikam, no. 9207; Mizan ul Hikmah, page No. 939 · permalink

16. Woe to you O Dha`alab! I do not worship a Lord Whom I cannot see!' So Dha`alab asked, 'But how do you see Him? Describe Him to us.' Imam (AS) replied, 'Woe betide you! Eyes do not see Him by looking with the sights; it is the hearts that behold Him with the realities of faith.'

    Amali al-Saduq, p. 281, no. 1; Mizan ul Hikmah, page No. 447 · permalink

17. A delay in response should not dishearten you, for verily the grant [from Allah] is proportional to [the sincerity of] your intention, and maybe the response has been delayed in order for it to be a greater reward for the one who asked and a greater bestowal for the hopeful one, or maybe you asked for something and it was not given to you and instead you are to be granted something better sooner or later, or it may have been kept away from you for your own good, for many a matter that you ask for would be detrimental to your religion [and faith] if it were to be given to you

    Kashf al-MaIajja, no. 228; Mizan ul Hikmah, page No. 918 · permalink

18. Stay away from places of suspicion and suspect gatherings, for an evil friend seduces his companion

    Bihar al-Anwar, v. 75, p. 90, no. 2; Mizan ul Hikmah, page No. 920 · permalink

19. A man who places himself in a suspect situation must not blame those who suspect him

    Bihar al-Anwar, v. 75, p. 90, no. 4; Mizan ul Hikmah, page No. 920 · permalink

20. A man who enters suspect places will be suspected

    Bihar al-Anwar, v. 75, p. 91, no. 8; Mizan ul Hikmah, page No. 920 · permalink

21. No one has the power to withhold or bestow sustenance except the All-Sustainer

    Ghurar al-Hikam, no. 10838; Mizan ul Hikmah, page No. 921 · permalink

22. He apportions sustenance, abundantly and sparingly, and He distributes them to those in need as well as to those who prosper, and He is Just in His allotment in order that he may test whomever He wishes with prosperity or with hardship, and that He may test therewith the gratefulness and perseverance expressed by both rich and poor

    Nahj al-Balagha, Sermon 91; Mizan ul Hikmah, page No. 921 · permalink

23. This is a crow and this is an eagle, this one a dove and this one an ostrich He has given each bird an individual name and has guaranteed each one its sustenance

    Nahj al-Balagha, Sermon 185; Mizan ul Hikmah, page No. 921 · permalink

24. His creatures are His dependants, for whom He has guaranteed the means of subsistence, and apportioned provisions.

    Nahj al-Balagha, Sermon 91; Mizan ul Hikmah, page No. 922 · permalink

25. Go out and seek your livelihood for it is guaranteed to the one who goes in search of it.

    Kitab al-Irshad, v. 1, p. 303; Mizan ul Hikmah, page No. 922 · permalink

26. Know that even if a servant was devoid of shrewdness and was feeble in his schemes, it would not reduce the amount of sustenance that Allah has apportioned for him, and even if a servant were to be skilfully shrewd and crafty, it would not do anything to increase the sustenance that Allah has apportioned for him

    Amali al-Mufid, p. 207, no. 39; Mizan ul Hikmah, page No. 922 · permalink

27. Take from [the wealth of] this world that which comes to you, and avoid that which evades you, and if you cannot do this, then at least seek your livelihood through decent means

    Nahj al-Balagha, Saying 393; Mizan ul Hikmah, page No. 923 · permalink

28. Imam Ja'far Sadiq (a.s.) was asked regarding fasting on Wednesday. He replied that Ali (a.s.) used to say, "The Almighty Allah created Hell on Wednesday. He likes the person fasting on this day seeking protection against the fire of Hell."

    Sawab al-A`amal, Page 118 · permalink

29. The fruit of knowledge is sincerity of action.

    Ghurar al-Hikam, no. 4642; Mizan ul Hikmah, page No. 519 · permalink

30. The fruit of knowledge is sincerity of action.

    Ghurar al-Hikam, no. 4642; Mizan ul Hikmah, page No. 519 · permalink

31. The most just person is he who uses his strength even-handedly.

    Ghurar al-Hikam, no. 3242; Mizan ul Hikmah, page No. 500 · permalink

32. The most just from all creation is he who fulfils rights most indiscriminately.

    Ghurar al-Hikam, no. 3014; Mizan ul Hikmah, page No. 500 · permalink

33. He who appoints himself a leader of people must begin by teaching himself before teaching others. And his discipline of them must be through his own example rather than through his words. The one who teaches and disciplines himself is more worthy of esteem than the one who teaches and disciplines people.

    Bihar al-Anwar, v. 2, p. 56, no. 33; Mizan ul Hikmah, page No. 520 · permalink

34. It is incumbent upon the knowledgeable man to act upon what he knows, and then to seek to learn that which he does not know.

    Ghurar al-Hikam, no. 6196; Mizan ul Hikmah, page No. 520 · permalink

35. Knowledge is linked to action, so he who knows acts. And knowledge calls for action, so if one answers [the call] it remains, and if not it departs from him.

    Nahj al-Balagha, Saying 366; Mizan ul Hikmah, page No. 520 · permalink

36. Verily people abstain from gaining knowledge because of the numerous instances they witness of the people' s lack of action in accordance with what they know.

    Ghurar al-Hikam, no. 3895; Mizan ul Hikmah, page No. 521 · permalink

37. The whole world is ignorance apart from the areas of knowledge, and all of knowledge will be held punishable apart from that which is acted upon.

    Bihar al-Anwar, v. 2, p. 29, no. 9; Mizan ul Hikmah, page No. 521 · permalink

38. Knowledge without action is a curse, and action without knowledge is straying in error.

    Ghurar al-Hikam, no. 1587; Mizan ul Hikmah, page No. 522 · permalink

39. Salvation is found in sincerity

    Tanbih al-Khawatir, v. 2, p. 118; Mizan ul Hikmah, page No. 854 · permalink

40. [To see] An impudent yet knowledgeable man and a religious but ignorant man is a mortal blow to me, for the ignorant man dupes people with his religiosity whilst the knowledgeable man drives them away through his impudence.

    Munyat al-Murid, p. 181; Mizan ul Hikmah, page No. 522 · permalink

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