Imam Ali ibn Abu Talib [a]
1968 sayings · page 33 of 50
Allah means the worshipped one, by Whom people are bewildered, and to Whom they are submissive. Allah is the One veiled from the grasp of sights, and the One hidden from imagination and contemplation.
al-Tawhid, p. 89, no. 2; Mizan ul Hikmah, page No. 94 · permalink
The downfall of rulers is weak management.
Ghurar al-Hikam, no. 3931; Mizan ul Hikmah, page No. 132 · permalink
Never deem any act of common courtesy that you are able to carry out as insignificant in comparing it to a greater act, for verily the simple act performed when the need for it arises is more beneficial to its receptor than the great act for which there is no need. Perform for each day good acts that befit it and you will grow on the right course.
al-Ja`afariyyat, p. 233; Mizan ul Hikmah, page No. 203 · permalink
The best act of common courtesy is that which good people are able to benefit from.
Ghurar al-Hikam, no. 4983; Mizan ul Hikmah, page No. 204 · permalink
The bane of power is aggression and tyranny.
Ghurar al-Hikam, no. 3972; Mizan ul Hikmah, page No. 138 · permalink
The fountainhead of all afflictions is infatuation with vain pleasures.
Ghurar al-Hikam, no. 5244; Mizan ul Hikmah, page No. 138 · permalink
The worst affliction of the intellect is arrogance.
Ghurar al-Hikam, no. 5752; Mizan ul Hikmah, page No. 138 · permalink
The best of houses is the bathhouse for in it the Fire [of Hell] is remembered and [bodily] dirt is removed.
al-Faqih, v. 1, p. 115, no. 237; Mizan ul Hikmah, page No. 139 · permalink
There are two things that have ruined people: fear of poverty and going after pride
al-Khisal, p. 69, no. 102; Mizan ul Hikmah, page No. 733 · permalink
Let go of your pride, put down your arrogance, and remember your grave.
Nahj al-Balagha, Saying 398; Mizan ul Hikmah, page No. 733 · permalink
Whoever does something out of vainglory, Allah will resurrect him black on the Day of Judgment.
Bihar al-Anwar, v. 73, p. 292, no. 20; Mizan ul Hikmah, page No. 733 · permalink
The worst state of the rulers among righteous people is for them to be assumed to love pride and be regarded as haughty.
Nahj al-Balagha, Sermon 216; Mizan ul Hikmah, page No. 733 · permalink
What is it with the son of Adam [human being] and pride?! His beginning is a sperm and his end is a carcass. He cannot sustain himself, nor can he repel death.
Nahj al-Balagha, Saying 454.] ; Mizan ul Hikmah, page No. 733 · permalink
When the Prophet (SAWA) would mention a merit of himself, he would say, 'And with no pride'
Bihar al-Anwar, v. 16, p. 341, no. 33; Mizan ul Hikmah, page No. 734 · permalink
Amir al-Mu'minin Im?m 'Al? ibn Ab? T?lib (a.s.) said in a letter he wrote to one of his companions, 'Seize what you have left of your life, and do not keep [deferring] saying, 'Tomorrow, and the day after tomorrow', for verily those before you were ruined because of their persistent wishful thinking and their procrastination, until suddenly the command of Allah [i.e. death] overtook them while they were heedless
Bihar al-Anwar, v. 73, p. 75, no. 39; Mizan ul Hikmah, page No. 735 · permalink
He whom death overtakes early calls for more time, and he whose death is deferred continues to put forth excuses with further procrastination
Nahj al-Balagha, Saying 285; Mizan ul Hikmah, page No. 735 · permalink
Do not be like one who hopes for [bliss in] the Hereafter without performance of good deeds, and delays repentance by holding high hopes [of being forgiven] when faced with a desire, he is quick to commit a sin but delays the repentance
Nahj al-Balagha, Saying 150; Mizan ul Hikmah, page No. 736 · permalink
Undertake yourselves to trading, for there lies therein your independence from what others possess, and verily Allah, Mighty and Exalted, loves the trustworthy servant who is engaged in a profession
al-Khisal, p. 621, no. 10; Mizan ul Hikmah, page No. 737 · permalink
Your desire for the impossible is ignorance.
Ghurar al-Hikam, no. 5384; Mizan ul Hikmah, page No. 425 · permalink
If you wish for noble traits, then avoid the prohibited things.
Ghurar al-Hikam, no. 4069; Mizan ul Hikmah, page No. 737 · permalink
One of the best noble traits is the avoidance of prohibited things.
Ghurar al-Hikam, no. 9382; Mizan ul Hikmah, page No. 737 · permalink
Even if Allah, glory be to Him, had not forbidden that which He has prohibited, it would have been mandatory for the one possessing intellect to avoid them [at least].
Ghurar al-Hikam, no. 7595; Mizan ul Hikmah, page No. 738 · permalink
He whose intellect is weak has bad oratory.
Ghurar al-Hikam, no. 7985; Mizan ul Hikmah, page No. 475 · permalink
Evidence of lack of intellect is keeping company with ignorant people.
Ghurar al-Hikam, no. 9299; Mizan ul Hikmah, page No. 476 · permalink
Overly high aspirations are a result of a corrupt intellect.
Ghurar al-Hikam, no. 7093; Mizan ul Hikmah, page No. 476 · permalink
The fruit of the intellect is steadfastness.
Ghurar al-Hikam, no. 4589; Mizan ul Hikmah, page No. 476 · permalink
The fruit of the intellect is adherence to the truth.
Ghurar al-Hikam, no. 4602; Mizan ul Hikmah, page No. 476 · permalink
The fruit of the intellect is adherence to the truth.
Ghurar al-Hikam, no. 4602; Mizan ul Hikmah, page No. 476 · permalink
The fruit of the intellect is contempt for this worldly life and repression of one' s whims.
Ghurar al-Hikam, no. 4654; Mizan ul Hikmah, page No. 476 · permalink
The intellect is a tree the fruit of which is generosity and modesty.
Ghurar al-Hikam, no. 1254; Mizan ul Hikmah, page No. 476 · permalink
The caprice is the intellect' s adversary.
Masalib al-Sa' ul, p. 56; Mizan ul Hikmah, page No. 476 · permalink
Many a slavish mind is subservient to an overpowering caprice!
Nahj al-Balagha, no. 211; Mizan ul Hikmah, page No. 477 · permalink
Allah has imposed the abandonment of drinking alcohol in order to safeguard the intellect.
Nahj al-Balagha, Saying 252; Mizan ul Hikmah, page No. 477 · permalink
Know that entertaining high hopes distracts the intellect and causes one to forget their remembrance [of Allah].
Nahj al-Balagha, Sermon 86; Mizan ul Hikmah, page No. 477 · permalink
Agression removes [Allah's] favor.
Ghurar al-Hikam, no. 382; Mizan ul Hikmah, page No. 87 · permalink
Agression brings about destruction.
Ghurar al-Hikam, no. 795; Mizan ul Hikmah, page No. 88 · permalink
Praise be to Allah, the First before every first, and the Last after every last, and His Firstness necessitates that there is no beginning to Him, and His Lastness necessitates that there is no end to Him.
Nahj al-Balagha, Sermon 101; Mizan ul Hikmah, page No. 447 · permalink
He never ceases to exist and will always be, the First before all things without a beginning, and the Last after all things without an end.
Nahj al-Balagha, Letter 31; Mizan ul Hikmah, page No. 448 · permalink
was once asked by a Jew, 'When did our Lord, Mighty and Exalted, come to be?', to which he replied, 'O Jew, It is not that our Lord was not and then came to be, for the question 'When did x come to be?' is posed regarding something that is not there and then comes to be. He exists without coming into being; He is ever existing having nothing before Him. He is before 'before' itself, before any limit. Limits do not apply to Him for He is the ultimate limit of all limits.'
Bihar al-Anwar, v. 77, p. 331, no. 18; Mizan ul Hikmah, page No. 448 · permalink
The number of droplets of water, or of stars in the sky, or of gusts of wind in the air are not unknown to Him, and neither is the crawling of ants on rocks, nor the settling place of tiny particles in the darkness of the night. He knows the spots where leaves fall and the subtle movement of the pupils of the eyes.
Nahj al-Balagha, Sermon 178; Mizan ul Hikmah, page No. 449 · permalink
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