Hadith

Imam Ali ibn Abu Talib [a]

1968 sayings · page 26 of 50

1. By Allah, no sooner does a community dissent after their prophet than falsehood prevails over the truth, save that which Allah wills

   Amali al-Mufid, p. 235, no. 5; Mizan ul Hikmah, page No. 218 · permalink

2. Verily, from corruption comes the loss of sustenance.

   al-Kafi, v. 8, p. 23, no. 4; Mizan ul Hikmah, page No. 219 · permalink

3. A coward is not allowed to participate in a campaign, because he would flee fast. However, he must take whatever he was going to use for the conquest [i.e. weaponry] and give it to someone else. Thus, he will have the same reward, without decrease in the reward of the other thereof.

   Bihar al-Anwar, v. 100, p. 49, no. 16; Mizan ul Hikmah, page No. 231 · permalink

4. Habbat al-`AUrani said, 'One day I heard Ali (AS) take an oath saying, 'By the One who created the sky from smoke and water'.'

   Bihar al-Anwar, v. 58, p. 104, no. 35; Mizan ul Hikmah, page No. 232 · permalink

5. Drawing lessons [from past experiences] gives rise to sinlessness.

   Ghurar al-Hikam, no. 879; Mizan ul Hikmah, page No. 430 · permalink

6. Verily Godwariness is a protection [against sin] for you in your life, and a great profit for you after your death.

   Ghurar al-Hikam, no. 3466; Mizan ul Hikmah, page No. 430 · permalink

7. Sinlessness is fastened with Godwariness.

   Ghurar al-Hikam, no. 4316; Mizan ul Hikmah, page No. 430 · permalink

8. The intellects are most often destroyed as a result of their subservience to bursts of avid desires.

   Sharhe Nahj al-Balagha by Abi al-Hadid, v. 19, p. 41; Mizan ul Hikmah, page No. 382 · permalink

9. Piety and greed can never come together.

   Ghurar al-Hikam, no. 10578; Mizan ul Hikmah, page No. 382 · permalink

10. Be on your guard against evil women and be wary of even the best of them if they enjoin you to do good, go against them and do the opposite so that they abandon all hope of your obeying them in doing evil

    Bihar al-Anwar, v. 103, p. 224, no. 4; Mizan ul Hikmah, page No. 602 · permalink

11. Expectation makes one forget death.

    Ghurar al-Hikam, no. 874; Mizan ul Hikmah, page No. 276 · permalink

12. The closest thing is death, and the remotest thing is expectation.

    Ghurar al-Hikam, no. 2920-2921; Mizan ul Hikmah, page No. 276 · permalink

13. A soul does not depart from his expectation until it enters the realm of death.

    Ghurar al-Hikam, no. 10844; Mizan ul Hikmah, page No. 276 · permalink

14. Indeed you are in the days of expectation that is followed by death. So he who works in the days of his expectation before death arrives will benefit from his work and will not be hurt by death.

    Bihar al-Anwar, v. 77, p. 333, no. 21; Mizan ul Hikmah, page No. 276 · permalink

15. A man who has high expectations is deficient in his action.

    Bihar al-Anwar, v. 77, p. 421, no. 40; Mizan ul Hikmah, page No. 277 · permalink

16. As for high expectation, it causes you to forget the Hereafter.

    al-Kafi, v. 2, p. 336, no. 3; Mizan ul Hikmah, page No. 277 · permalink

17. A man who is sure about leaving his loved ones, dwelling under the earth, facing the final Account, and that he will be needless of what he leaves behind, and needy of what he has sent forth [for the Hereafter] deserves to shorten his expectation and lengthen his action.

    Bihar al-Anwar, v. 73, p. 167, no. 31; Mizan ul Hikmah, page No. 278 · permalink

18. He who places his expectation in a human is indeed fearful of him.

    Bihar al-Anwar, v. 78, p. 79, no. 61; Mizan ul Hikmah, page No. 278 · permalink

19. Experiences are a beneficial knowledge.

    Ghurar al-Hikam, no. 1036; Mizan ul Hikmah, page No. 279 · permalink

20. said to his son (AS), 'I started teaching you manners before your heart hardened and your mind became preoccupied in order for you to comprehend with your mind what experienced people have spared you from searching and experiencing. Thus you were spared the hardship of search and the pain of experience.'

    Tuhaf al-`Uqoul, no. 70; Mizan ul Hikmah, page No. 279 · permalink

21. A man who does not test things out is bound to be deceived.

    Bihar al-Anwar, v. 77, p. 420, no. 40; Mizan ul Hikmah, page No. 279 · permalink

22. A man who masters his experiences will be safe from harm, while a man who is devoid of experiences will be blind to consequences [of actions].

    Ghurar al-Hikam, no. 8040, 8680; Mizan ul Hikmah, page No. 279 · permalink

23. Experience suffices as a trainer.

    Ghurar al-Hikam, no. 7016; Mizan ul Hikmah, page No. 279 · permalink

24. The worth of a man's opinion is measured by his experience.

    Ghurar al-Hikam, no. 5426; Mizan ul Hikmah, page No. 279 · permalink

25. Reason is an instinct that is enhanced by knowledge and experience.

    Ghurar al-Hikam, no. 1717; Mizan ul Hikmah, page No. 280 · permalink

26. Reason is to retain [and learn from] one's experiences.

    Ghurar al-Hikam, no. 673; Mizan ul Hikmah, page No. 280 · permalink

27. Two types of people will perish in my name: the one who is an extremist in his love for me, and the one who loathes me with a vengeance.

    Nahj al-Balagha, Saying 469; Mizan ul Hikmah, page No. 281 · permalink

28. O Allah, verily I disclaim association with the extremists as Jesus son of Mary's disassociation with the Christians. O Allah degrade them forever, and do not ever help any of them.

    Bihar al-Anwar, v. 25, p. 284, no. 32; Mizan ul Hikmah, page No. 281 · permalink

29. Fasting is just as much keeping away from prohibited things as it is keeping away from food and drink.

    Bihar al-Anwar, v. 96, p. 294, no. 21; Mizan ul Hikmah, page No. 311 · permalink

30. Blessed be the one whose own fault preoccupies him from finding faults in others.

    Nahj al-Balagha, Sermon 176; Mizan ul Hikmah, page No. 312 · permalink

31. The most intelligent of people is he who is well aware of his own faults and blind to others' faults.

    Ghurar al-Hikam, no. 3233; Mizan ul Hikmah, page No. 312 · permalink

32. We [the Prophet's household] are like the saddle-cushion in the middle. He who slides behind has to come forward to it, while he who has slid too far forward has to return back to it.

    Sharhe Nahj al-Balagha by Abi al-Hadid, v. 18, p. 273; Mizan ul Hikmah, page No. 547 · permalink

33. As regards the oppression against us in this matter in spite of being the foremost in descent and bearing the strongest relationship to the Messenger of Allah (SAWA) - it was [a result of] selfishness. The hearts of some people coveted it [the leadership] whereas the hearts of others did not care for it. And the Arbiter is Allah.

    Nahj al-Balagha, Sermon 162; Mizan ul Hikmah, page No. 548 · permalink

34. O Allah! You know that what we did was neither to compete for power nor to acquire anything from the vanities of the world. Rather we only wanted to restore the original characteristics of Your religion and to usher prosperity into Your lands, so that the oppressed from among Your servants may be safe and that Your abolished commands may be re-established.

    Nahj al-Balagha, Sermon 131; Mizan ul Hikmah, page No. 548 · permalink

35. By Allah, were it not for fear of dissention among the Muslims, that they would return to disbelief and that the religion would be damaged, we would indeed have changed the situation [of leadership] as much as possible.

    Amali al-Mufid, p. 155, no. 6; Mizan ul Hikmah, page No. 549 · permalink

36. There is no bail for any of Allah's punishments.

    Mustadrak al-Wasa`il, v. 13, p. 439, no. 15846; Mizan ul Hikmah, page No. 552 · permalink

37. The treasurers of wealth perish during their own lifetimes, whereas the knowledgeable ones remain alive for all time, their individual selves may pass away, but the likes of them continue to remain in the hearts.

    Nahj al-Balagha,; Mizan ul Hikmah, page No. 504 · permalink

38. The scholar is alive even when he is dead, whereas the ignorant man is dead even though he may be alive.

    Ghurar al-Hikam, no. 1124-1125; Mizan ul Hikmah, page No. 504 · permalink

39. The peak of betrayal is disloyalty to a beloved friend and the breaking of vows.

    Ghurar al-Hikam, no. 6374; Mizan ul Hikmah, page No. 144 · permalink

40. One of the worst forms of betrayal is being disloyal with things entrusted in one's possession.

    Ghurar al-Hikam, no. 931; Mizan ul Hikmah, page No. 144 · permalink

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