Imam Ali ibn Abu Talib [a]
1968 sayings · page 35 of 50
Your own sense of honour has deluded you, such that your resulting slackness has become a source of disgrace for you. So fear the indecent acts that you commit, for perhaps through that you will be guided.
Bihar al-Anwar, v. 78, p. 83, no. 86; Mizan ul Hikmah, page No. 243 · permalink
He who is ignorant deludes himself, and his present is consequently worse than his past.
Ghurar al-Hikam, no. 8744; Mizan ul Hikmah, page No. 243 · permalink
Stay with the greater majority, for verily Allah's hand is with the [larger] group. Beware of separation for verily the deviant amongst you is the victim of Satan just as the deviant amongst the cattle is the victim of a wolf.
Nahj al-Balagha, Sermon 127; Mizan ul Hikmah, page No. 244 · permalink
By Allah, verily I believe that this community of yours will turn around and change, by congregating upon their falsehood and you having to separate through your truth.
Nahj al-Balagha, Sermon 25; Mizan ul Hikmah, page No. 244 · permalink
The bane of hope is death.
Ghurar al-Hikam, no. 3970; Mizan ul Hikmah, page No. 138 · permalink
The bane of goodness is a corrupt companion.
Ghurar al-Hikam, no. 3971; Mizan ul Hikmah, page No. 138 · permalink
Give life to your act of courtesy by killing it [i.e. by killing your expectation of receiving anything in return].
Ghurar al-Hikam, no. 2282; Mizan ul Hikmah, page No. 202 · permalink
If an act of courtesy is done unto you, then be sure to remember it, and if you do an act of courtesy unto someone else, then be sure to forget it.
Ghurar al-Hikam, nos. 4000-4001; Mizan ul Hikmah, page No. 202 · permalink
The yardstick [used to measure the goodness] of an act of courtesy is the absence of expectation accompanying it.
Ghurar al-Hikam, no. 9724; Mizan ul Hikmah, page No. 202 · permalink
One who does not sustain his good action loses it.
Ghurar al-Hikam, no. 9115; Mizan ul Hikmah, page No. 203 · permalink
Have mercy and you will be had mercy upon.
Amali al-Saduq, p. 174, no. 9; Mizan ul Hikmah, page No. 206 · permalink
How I wonder at the one who hopes for the mercy of the One above him and yet himself does not have mercy on the one below him.
Ghurar al-Hikam, no. 6255; Mizan ul Hikmah, page No. 206 · permalink
Show compassion to the young in your family and reverence to the old.
Amali al-Mufid, p. 222, no. 1; Mizan ul Hikmah, page No. 206 · permalink
There is no good in determination without a firm resolution
Ghurar al-Hikam, no. 10682; Mizan ul Hikmah, page No. 752 · permalink
Prudence is careful consideration of the consequences and consultation of people of reason
Ghurar al-Hikam, no. 1915; Mizan ul Hikmah, page No. 752 · permalink
The essence of prudence is stopping in the face of the dubious
Tuhaf al-`Uqoul, no. 214; Mizan ul Hikmah, page No. 752 · permalink
Feeling certainty and quietude before experience is against prudence
Ghurar al-Hikam, no. 1514; Mizan ul Hikmah, page No. 753 · permalink
The prudent one is he who is not preoccupied by the delusion of this world from working for his Hereafter
Ghurar al-Hikam, no. 1984; Mizan ul Hikmah, page No. 753 · permalink
The prudent one is he who is selective in his friendships, for man is judged according to his friend.
Ghurar al-Hikam, no. 2026; Mizan ul Hikmah, page No. 753 · permalink
The prudent one is he whose prosperity does not stop him from working towards the end goal
Ghurar al-Hikam, no. 1878; Mizan ul Hikmah, page No. 753 · permalink
The prudent one is he who puts off punishment when anger prevails, and hastens to reward the good, taking the first possible opportunity to do so.
Ghurar al-Hikam, no. 2179; Mizan ul Hikmah, page No. 753 · permalink
The most prudent one from among you is the one who is most abstemious
Ghurar al-Hikam, no. 2832; Mizan ul Hikmah, page No. 754 · permalink
Allah has created water to be a purifier where nothing can make it impure, except for that water whose colour, taste or smell has changed.
Wasael al-Shi`aah, v. 1, p. 101, no. 9; Mizan ul Hikmah, page No. 756 · permalink
Allah, the Exalted, placed the beauty of woman in her face and of man in his speech.
Bihar al-Anwar, v. 71, p. 293, no. 63; Mizan ul Hikmah, page No. 142 · permalink
Betrayal is the fountainhead of hypocrisy.
Ghurar al-Hikam, no. 969; Mizan ul Hikmah, page No. 143 · permalink
The betrayer is the one who busies himself with [the affairs of] others and his today is worse than his yesterday.
Ghurar al-Hikam, no. 2013; Mizan ul Hikmah, page No. 144 · permalink
Seeking to consult someone [in one's affairs] is guidance in itself, and the one who suffices himself with his own opinion endangers himself.
Nahj al-Balagha, Saying 211; Mizan ul Hikmah, page No. 220 · permalink
There is no better support than good counsel.
Nahj al-Balagha, Saying no. 54; Mizan ul Hikmah, page No. 220 · permalink
Seeking counsel has been highly emphasised because the opinion of the counselor is unadulterated whereas the opinion of the one seeking counsel is polluted with his own whims.
Ghurar al-Hikam, no. 3908; Mizan ul Hikmah, page No. 220 · permalink
Do not seek counsel from a liar for verily he is like a mirage he makes that which is far appear near, and he makes that which is near appear far.
Ghurar al-Hikam, no. 10351; Mizan ul Hikmah, page No. 221 · permalink
Amir al-Mu'minin Im?m 'Al? ibn Ab? T?lib (a.s.) said in a letter that he wrote to Muawiya, ' rather counsel is confined to the muhajirun and the ansar [muhajirun early Muslims who migrated from Mecca to Medina with the Prophet (ed.) ansar Medinan Muslims who helped the Meccan Muslim migrants settle in Medina (ed.) ]. If they agree on an individual and take him to be their leader, it will be deemed to mean Allah's pleasure.'
Nahj al-Balagha, Letter 6; Mizan ul Hikmah, page No. 222 · permalink
Do not desist from speaking the truth, nor from offering your counsel with fairness, for verily I do not regard myself above erring, nor do I consider myself immune from erring in my actions. It is only that Allah makes up for my shortcomings and helps me avoid errors in all these matters wherein He is more powerful than I.
Nahj al-Balagha, Sermon 216; Mizan ul Hikmah, page No. 222 · permalink
Courage is might at hand.
Ghurar al-Hikam, no. 572; Mizan ul Hikmah, page No. 223 · permalink
Courage is a ready victory and an obvious virtue.
Ghurar al-Hikam, no. 1700; Mizan ul Hikmah, page No. 223 · permalink
If qualities were to be classified, honesty would be with courage, and cowardice with dishonesty.
Ghurar al-Hikam, no. 7597; Mizan ul Hikmah, page No. 223 · permalink
The bane of works is the incompetence of workers.
Ghurar al-Hikam, no. 3958; Mizan ul Hikmah, page No. 136 · permalink
Courage has been created based on three natural characteristics, each of which has an exclusive merit over the rest. They are: self-esteem, dignity [in the face of humiliation], and seeking a good reputation. If they all attain perfection in the courageous man, he is an invincible hero, distinguished for his boldness in his generation. And if some of them are perfected in him more than others, then his courage will far supercede in those particular qualities over the rest.
Bihar al-Anwar, v. 78, p. 236, no. 66; Mizan ul Hikmah, page No. 224 · permalink
A man's worth is in proportion to the extent of his ambition, his honesty is in proportion to the extent of his gallantry, and his courage is in proportion to the extent of his dignity [in the face of humiliation].
Nahj al-Balagha, Saying 47; Mizan ul Hikmah, page No. 224 · permalink
A man's courage is in proportion to the extent of his ambition, and his zeal in proportion to the extent of his ardour.
Ghurar al-Hikam, no. 5763; Mizan ul Hikmah, page No. 224 · permalink
[A man's] courage is in proportion to the extent of [his] ardour.
Ghurar al-Hikam, no. 6180; Mizan ul Hikmah, page No. 224 · permalink
Shown with the book and page each saying is taken from. The collection carries no grading, and the English is the compiler’s. All speakers and subjects