Imam Ali ibn Husayn [a]
118 sayings · page 3 of 3
And help me [by allowing me to] weep on account of my self, for indeed I have wasted my life away with procrastination and high hopes, and I have now stooped to the level of those who despair of any good to come
Bihar al-Anwar, v. 98, p. 88, no. 2; Mizan ul Hikmah, page No. 736 link
But I know that there is no wrong in Your decree and no hurry in Your vengeance. He alone hurries who fears to miss, and only the weak needs to wrong. But You are exalted, my God, high indeed above all that!
al-Sahifa al-Sajjadiyya, p. 297, Supplication 48; Mizan ul Hikmah, page No. 450 link
Many a deluded and captivated man [by his own desires] awakes in the morning oblivious and joyful, eating and drinking, unaware that perhaps Allah' s wrath has already befallen him for something and as a result of which he will enter the Fire of Hell.
Tuhaf al-`Uqoul, no. 282; Mizan ul Hikmah, page No. 241 link
The right of the one who seeks your counsel is that you point him in the right direction if you know that he is inclined towards a certain opinion, and if you do not know [which way to point out], then you must guide him to someone who does
al-Khisal, p. 570, no. 1; Mizan ul Hikmah, page No. 222 link
Obedience to the [divinely appointed] authorities of command is a completion of one's Honor.
Tuhaf al-`Uqoul, no. 283; Mizan ul Hikmah, page No. 408 link
Someone once said in the presence of Imam Zayn al-Abidin (AS), 'O Allah, free me of need from Your creation'. The Im?m immediately responded, 'Not like that! People are in need of each other, rather say, 'O Allah, free me of need from the bad people from among Your creation.'
Tuhaf al-`Uqoul, no. 278; Mizan ul Hikmah, page No. 630 link
Every single believer whose eyes shed tears for the martyrdom of al-Husayn (AS) such that they roll onto his cheeks, Allah prepares chambers for him in Paradise as a result of them wherein he will dwell for ages
Sawab al-A`amal, p. 108, no. 1; Mizan ul Hikmah, page No. 65 link
O son of Adam! You will continue to thrive as long as you are the admonisher of your self, and as long as accounting for yourself is one of your concerns
Tuhaf al-`Uqoul, no. 280; Mizan ul Hikmah, page No. 69 link
No drops are more beloved to Allah, the Exalted, than two: a drop of blood [shed] for the sake of Allah, and a teardrop shed by a servant in the darkness of the night solely for Allah's sake.
Bihar al-Anwar, v. 69, p. 378, no. 31; Mizan ul Hikmah, page No. 989 link
An Imam from among us can only be infallible. Infallibility is not an outward physical feature that can be noticed which is why it must be documented [in the Qur'an or traditions].' He was then asked, 'O son of the Prophet, and what does infallible mean' to which he replied, 'It refers to one who clings fast to the rope of Allah, and the rope of Allah is the Qur'an. They do not separate from each other until the Day of Resurrection, and the Imam guides to the Qur'an and the Qur'an guides to the Imam, which is the purport of Allah' s saying [in the Qur'an] "Verily this Qur'an guides to what is most upright"[ Qur'an 179].'
Ma`ani al-Akhbar, p. 132, no. 1; Mizan ul Hikmah, page No. 429 link
The right of your companion is that you share his company with bounty and fairness. You should honour him as he honours you, and should not let him be the first to extend his generosity. And if he is the first to do so, then repay him. Wish for him as he wishes for you, and restrain him from any act of disobedience that he might contemplate. Be a mercy for him, and not a chastisement
Bihar al-Anwar, v. 74, p. 7, no. 1; Mizan ul Hikmah, page No. 348 link
Indeed Allah loves every sorrowful heart and loves every grateful servant.
al-Kafi, p. 99, no. 30; Mizan ul Hikmah, page No. 576 link
Imam Zayn al-Abidin (AS) said in his supplication "and divert our hearts from every other act of remembrance through Your remembrance, our tongues from every other act of thanksgiving through [being preoccupied with] thanking You, our limbs from every other act of obedience through [being preoccupied with] obedience to You! If You have ordained for us idleness in an occupation, make it an idleness of safety, wherein no ill consequence visits us nor weariness overtakes us as a result! Then the writers of evil deeds may depart from us with a page empty of the mention of our evil deeds, and the writers of good deeds may leave us happy with the good deeds of ours which they have written".
al-Sahifa al-Sajjadiyya, Supplication 11; Mizan ul Hikmah, page No. 420 link
Imam Zayn al-Abidin (AS) said in his supplication'O Allah, bless Muhammad and his Household, and spare me the concerns which distract me, employ me in that which You will ask me about tomorrow, and let me pass my days [engaged] in that for which You have created me!
al-Sahifa al-Sajjadiyya, supplication 20; Mizan ul Hikmah, page No. 420 link
Imam Zayn al-Abidin (AS) said in his supplication and grant me health for the sake of worshipping [You], and idleness for the sake of reclusion.'
al-Sahifa al-Sajjadiyya, supplication 20; Mizan ul Hikmah, page No. 420 link
Imam Zayn al-Abidin (AS) said in his supplicationn on the day of `Aarafa, 'Let me taste, through some of Your boundless plenty, the flavour of being free for what You love, and striving in what brings about proximity with You and to You, and give me a gift from among Your gifts! Make my commerce profitable and my return without loss, fill me with fear of Your station, and make me yearn for the meeting with You.'
al-Sahifa al-Sajjadiyya, supplication 47; Mizan ul Hikmah, page No. 420 link
I seek refuge in you from a soul which is never content, a stomach which is not satisfied and a heart which has no humility.
Iqbal al-A`amal, p. 20; Mizan ul Hikmah, page No. 418 link
When Allah will bring together the first and the last of people a caller will call out: 'Where are the patient ones that they may all enter Paradise without account?' The Imam then continued, 'The angels will ask them, 'Who are you?' and they will answer, 'The patient ones.' Again they will ask, 'And what were you patient with?' They will say, 'We were patient with acts of obedience to Allah, and we were patient in keeping away from acts of disobedience to Allah.
Bihar al-Anwar, v. 82, p. 138, no. 22; Mizan ul Hikmah, page No. 73 link
When Allah, Mighty and Exalted, will bring together the first and the last of people, a caller will rise and call out so that all people will hear. He will say, 'Where are those who loved each other for Allah' sake?' and a group of people will rise, and they will be told to enter Paradise without accounting.
al-Kafi, v. 2, p. 126, no. 8; Mizan ul Hikmah, page No. 73 link
Truly Allah loves every sorrowful heart
al-Kafi, v. 2, p. 99, no. 30; Mizan ul Hikmah, page No. 887 link
O son of Adam, you will always be with the good as long as fear [of Allah] is your motto and grief your cloak.
Amali al-Tusi, p. 115, no. 176; Mizan ul Hikmah, page No. 318 link
Verily the one whom Allah is most pleased with from among you is the one who is the most generous towards his dependents.
Bihar al-Anwar, v. 78, p. 136, no. 13; Mizan ul Hikmah, page No. 602 link
Whoever dies accepting our guardianship during the occultation of the one who will rise up [the awaited twelfth Imam, al-Mahdi], Allah will grant him the reward of a thousand such martyrs as died in the battles of Badr and Uhud
Bihar al-Anwar, v. 82, p. 173, no. 6; Mizan ul Hikmah, page No. 605 link
When the Day of Judgment comes Allah, Blessed and most High, will gather the first and the last of creation in one place. A caller will cry out, 'Where are the people of merit?' The Imam then said, 'Then a handful of people will rise, and the angels will receive them asking them, 'What were your merits?' They will say, 'We used to visit those who cut us off, give to those who deprived us, and forgive those who oppressed us.' It will then be said to them, 'You have spoken the truth. Enter Paradise.
al-Kafi, v. 2, p. 107, no. 4; Mizan ul Hikmah, page No. 607 link
Perseverance and contentment with divine destiny are the highest forms of Allah's worship. Allah will only destine what is beneficial for those who are patient and content with what Allah destines for them-whether they like it or not.
Mishkat ul-Anwar, Section 1 on Faith, Islam & Related Issues, Chapter 7 on Contentment, Hadees 145 link
The man who finds his clemency in the midst of his anger amazes me.
al-Kafi, v. 2, p. 112, no. 3; Mizan ul Hikmah, page No. 191 link
I saw goodness in its entirety was summed up in cutting off one's greed for other people's possessions.
Bihar al-Anwar, v. 73, p. 171, no. 10; Mizan ul Hikmah, page No. 352 link
Goodness in its entirety is man's guarding over himself.
Tuhaf al-`Uqoul, no. 278; Mizan ul Hikmah, page No. 352 link
The believer is silent in order that he remains safe, and speaks [only] in order to benefit.
al-Kafi, v. 2, p. 231, no. 3; Mizan ul Hikmah, page No. 299 link
It is no small wonder if man is given salvation [on the Day of Resurrection], rather what is a wonder is how he manages to end up in eternal damnation in spite of Allah's all-encompassing mercy.
Bihar al-Anwar, v. 78, p. 153, no. 17; Mizan ul Hikmah, page No. 250 link
Make us from among those who have attained inner knowledge of their selves and are convinced of their true abode, such that they spend their whole lives in Your obedience.
Bihar al-Anwar, v. 94, p. 128, no. 19; Mizan ul Hikmah, page No. 435 link
The last piece of advice that al-Khiar* gave to Prophet Moses (AS) was: 'When a person is lenient towards someone in this world, Allah will be lenient with him on the Day of Resurrection.
Bihar al-Anwar, v. 73, p. 386, no. 6; Mizan ul Hikmah, page No. 557 link
He who renounces the world's vain pleasures finds its afflictions trivial and is not bothered by them as a result.
Tuhaf al-`Uqoul, no. 281; Mizan ul Hikmah, page No. 121 link
Allah says, 'O son of Adam, be satisfied with what I have given you and you will be among the most abstemious of people.
Bihar al-Anwar, v. 78, p. 139, no. 22; Mizan ul Hikmah, page No. 122 link
The right of your subjects through the knowledge you possess is to know that Allah has made you a custodian over them on account of the knowledge He has bestowed on you and the storehouses [of wisdom] which He has opened up for you. If you teach people well, and do not mistreat them, nor treat them harshly, then Allah will increase His grace upon you. But if you withhold your knowledge from people or treat them harshly when they seek knowledge from you, then it will be Allah' s right to deprive you of knowledge and its magnificence, and to make you fall from your place in the people' s hearts
Aaw`ali al-La'ali, v. 4, p. 74, no. 54; Mizan ul Hikmah, page No. 514 link
The right of the one who trains you in knowledge is to magnify him, to frequent his sessions, to listen to him attentively, and to attend to him with devotion. You should not raise your voice to him, nor answer a question that someone has asked him about something, so that he may be the one to answer. You should not address anyone else in his session, nor backbite anyone in his presence. You must defend him if anyone ever speaks ill of him in your presence, conceal his faults and publicise his virtues. You should not sit in the company of his enemy, nor be hostile towards his friend. If you fulfil this right, Allah' s angels bear witness that you frequented him and learned from his knowledge for the sake of Allah, exalted be His Name, and not for the sake of people.
al-Khisal, p. 567, no. 1; Mizan ul Hikmah, page No. 516 link
Woe unto him whose ones exceed his tens' - by this he meant that the bad deed is counted one, but the good deeds are counted as ten.
Tuhaf al-`Uqoul, no. 281; Mizan ul Hikmah, page No. 360 link
The right of the ears is to keep them pure from listening to backbiting, and from that which is unlawful to listen to.
al-Khisal, p. 566, no. 1; Mizan ul Hikmah, page No. 128 link
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