Hadith

Imam Ali ibn Abu Talib [a]

1968 sayings · page 48 of 50

1. What a good provision for the Resurrection good-doing towards people is.

   Ghurar al-Hikam, no. 9912; Mizan ul Hikmah, page No. 360 · permalink

2. Good-doing is the tithe (Zakat) of victory.

   Ghurar al-Hikam, no. 5450; Mizan ul Hikmah, page No. 361 · permalink

3. He whose good-doing is much his brethren will love him.

   Ghurar al-Hikam, no. 8473; Mizan ul Hikmah, page No. 361 · permalink

4. Hearts are won over through good-doing.

   Ghurar al-Hikam, no. 4339; Mizan ul Hikmah, page No. 361 · permalink

5. Indeed your good-doing to the enemies and the jealous ones who scheme against you is more irritating to them than your taking an offensive stance against them, and it is also a motivation for their reform.

   Ghurar al-Hikam, no. 3637; Mizan ul Hikmah, page No. 361 · permalink

6. Truly if you do good, then it is your own soul that you honour and do good to, but if you do wrong, it is your own soul that you degrade and wrong.

   Ghurar al-Hikam, no. 3808; Mizan ul Hikmah, page No. 362 · permalink

7. Good manners are the perfection of man.

   Ghurar al-Hikam, no. 998; Mizan ul Hikmah, page No. 362 · permalink

8. O Believer! This knowledge and good manners are the value of your soul so strive to learn them, for however much your knowledge and good manners increase, so will your value and worth accordingly.

   Mishkat al-Anwar, p. 135; Mizan ul Hikmah, page No. 363 · permalink

9. Good manners are the best disposition.

   Ghurar al-Hikam, no. 967; Mizan ul Hikmah, page No. 363 · permalink

10. The best inheritance parents bequeath their progeny are good manners.

    Ghurar al-Hikam, no. 5036; Mizan ul Hikmah, page No. 363 · permalink

11. People need good manners more than gold and silver.

    Ghurar al-Hikam, no. 3590; Mizan ul Hikmah, page No. 363 · permalink

12. Good manners are the best lineage and the noblest means.

    Ghurar al-Hikam, no. 4853; Mizan ul Hikmah, page No. 363 · permalink

13. Acquire good manners, for they are the best personal merit.

    Ghurar al-Hikam, no. 6096; Mizan ul Hikmah, page No. 363 · permalink

14. [To be a man of] intellect is that you say only that which you know and act upon what you say.

    Ghurar al-Hikam, no. 2141; Mizan ul Hikmah, page No. 470 · permalink

15. [To be a man of] intellect is to preserve your experiences, and the best of all that you have experienced is that which has taught you a lesson.

    Nahj al-Balagha, Letter 31; Mizan ul Hikmah, page No. 470 · permalink

16. There are two divisions of intellect the natural intellect and the intellect of experience, and both of them produce benefit

    Masalib al-Sa' ul, p. 49; Mizan ul Hikmah, page No. 470 · permalink

17. The chest of a man of intellect is the strongbox of his secret.

    Nahj al-Balagha, Saying 6; Mizan ul Hikmah, page No. 471 · permalink

18. was asked to describe a man of intellect, to which he replied, 'He is the one who puts things in their place.' The he was asked, 'So describe to us the ignorant man', to which he replied, 'I have already done so.

    Nahj al-Balagha, Saying 245; Mizan ul Hikmah, page No. 471 · permalink

19. The nourishment of the body is food whilst the nourishment of the soul is feeding others.'

    Mishkat al-Anwar, no. 325; Mizan ul Hikmah, page No. 323 · permalink

20. That which you yourself eat gets consumed whereas that which you feed others diffuses [i.e. the benediction in that sustenance].

    Ghurar al-Hikam, no. 9634; Mizan ul Hikmah, page No. 323 · permalink

21. Verily it is only a festival for he whose fasts Allah has accepted and whose prayers He has acknowledged, and every day in which we do not disobey Allah is a day of celebration.

    Sharhe Nahj al-Balagha by Abi al-Hadid, v. 20, p. 73; Mizan ul Hikmah, page No. 324 · permalink

22. Suwayd b. Ghafla narrated, 'I went to visit him [i.e. Imam Ali (AS)] on one of the festivals, and he had a small table in front of him on which was wheat bread, and a plate of khatifa[khatifa a food made of flour and milk (ed.)] and milbana[milbana a food made of bran, milk and honey (ed.)], so I asked, 'O Commander of the Faithful, it is a day of celebration and you are eating khatifa! to which he replied, 'It is only a day of celebration for whoever has been forgiven.'

    Bihar al-Anwar, v. 40, p. 326, no. 7; Mizan ul Hikmah, page No. 325 · permalink

23. Amir al-Mu'minin Im?m 'Al? ibn Ab? T?lib (a.s.) when he was brought a gift for Nayruz, exclaimed, 'What is this' to which they replied, 'O Commander of the Faithful, today is Nayruz.' He replied, 'Make everyday Nayruz for us [i.e. through your good actions].'

    al-Faqih, v. 3, p. 300, no. 4073; Mizan ul Hikmah, page No. 325 · permalink

24. Our Nayruz is everyday.

    al-Faqih, v. 3, p. 300, no. 4074; Mizan ul Hikmah, page No. 325 · permalink

25. Astuteness and gluttony cannot coexist.

    Mustadrak al-Wasa`il, v. 12, p. 94, no. 13615; Mizan ul Hikmah, page No. 329 · permalink

26. When the stomach is filled with [even] permissible food, the heart becomes blind to goodness.

    Ghurar al-Hikam, no. 4139; Mizan ul Hikmah, page No. 329 · permalink

27. Overeating spoils piety.

    Ghurar al-Hikam, no. 659; Mizan ul Hikmah, page No. 329 · permalink

28. Overeating is the greatest aid to acts of disobedience.

    Ghurar al-Hikam, no. 9922; Mizan ul Hikmah, page No. 329 · permalink

29. Eating little is a sign of self-restraint, and eating a lot is a sign of wastefulness.

    Mustadrak al-Wasa`il, v. 16, p. 213, no. 19634; Mizan ul Hikmah, page No. 327 · permalink

30. A man who eats excessively, his health declines and his burden becomes heavier than he can endure.

    Ghurar al-Hikam, no. 8903; Mizan ul Hikmah, page No. 328 · permalink

31. Hunger and disease cannot coexist.

    Mustadrak al-Wasa`il, v. 16, p. 222, no. 19652; Mizan ul Hikmah, page No. 328 · permalink

32. One of the noblest deeds of a kind person is feigning ignorance of that which he knows already

    Nahj al-Balagha, Saying 222; Mizan ul Hikmah, page No. 634 · permalink

33. I have been deprived of [the opportunity to] pray in the night', to which Im?m replied, 'You are one whose sins have imprisoned you

    al-Kafi, v. 3, p. 450, no. 34; Mizan ul Hikmah, page No. 638 · permalink

34. Verily a man tells a lie and he is deprived of the nigh prayer as a result

    Ellal al-Shara'ie, p. 362, no. 2; Mizan ul Hikmah, page No. 638 · permalink

35. He who adopts prudence is cautious, and he who lacks prudence is reckless.

    Ghurar al-Hikam, nos. 7913, 7914; Mizan ul Hikmah, page No. 751 · permalink

36. He who involves himself in matters without considering the consequences exposes himself to troubles.

    Tuhaf al-`Uqoul, no. 90; Mizan ul Hikmah, page No. 752 · permalink

37. Planning before action will preserve you from regret.

    Uyoun Akhbar al-Reza (AS), v. 2, p. 54, no. 204; Mizan ul Hikmah, page No. 752 · permalink

38. Allah has obligated faith in order to purify one from polytheism

    Nahj al-Balagha, Saying 252; Mizan ul Hikmah, page No. 756 · permalink

39. Verily being wary of one's duty to Allah is the remedy for the disease of your hearts and the purifier of the pollution in your souls

    Nahj al-Balagha, no. 198; Mizan ul Hikmah, page No. 757 · permalink

40. Since you have no choice but to purify your bodies, then make a point of purifying yourselves of your faults and your sins

    Ghurar al-Hikam, no. 3743; Mizan ul Hikmah, page No. 757 · permalink

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