Short Sayings of Imam Ali (A.S.)

The best and last Messenger of God has said: “No one could understand Ali except God and myself.”
Ali was the only baby born inside Ka’aba, the house of God, built by Abraham (A.S).He was brought up by Mohammad (S.A) from his very childhood. He was a writer of the holy Quran with detailed references about all Aayaat revealed to the holy messenger (S.A).
Ali (A.S) was an embodiment of many divine and praiseworthy attributes of God, During ascension of Mohammad (S.A) God spoke to him in the voice or tone of Ali (A.S). So ‘ghallat’ exaggerate or consider Ali (A.S) as God. But God is One and Unique and Immortal, so no mortal can ever be regarded as God. Ali (A.S) was in reality a super human being, physically and spiritually.
He was a valiant warrior, whose one stroke of sword excelled the worship of all men and jinn as declared by the holy messenger (S.A) in the battle of Khandaq, a war between entire faith against entire faithlessness.
Ali (A.S) was advised by the holy messenger (S.A) to be patient under all conditions so he did not draw his sword for twenty five years during plots and intrigues against him. Thus he prevented the pristine true Islam from being nipped in the bud.
Ali (A.S) led a simple life; “low living and high thinking” was his way of life. His food was also simple, mostly oat and barley. He was so rich that he donated his own property e.g. date gardens grown by himself & wells which he dug and underground channels for irrigation to the poor.
Ali (A.S) was extremely erudite and fluent. His sermons, letters and words of wisdom have been partially compiled as Nahjol Balagha by Syed Razi. It is worthy of being taught throughout the world as a text book for perfection of human conduct and character.
Ali(A.S) was elected as the fourth khalifa by people. He dismissed those corrupt officers who were employed by the previous khalifa and were not suitable for their jobs.
Ali (A.S) is not less renowned than Daniel (A.S) for justice. Verdicts of Ali (A.S) are compiled as a book and many Jews, Christians and Non-muslims embraced Islam appreciating his exquisite justice. People of his time were so nincompoop that they could not appreciate the superhuman qualities of Ali (A.S) and by order of his enemies specially Bani Umayyah, Ali was cursed in sermons from pulpits in all the mosques in spite of the hadith by the holy messenger (S.A): “One who dies without cognizance of the Imam of his time, dies the death of the era of ignorance (like idolaters).”So Ali (A.S) is regarded as the most oppressed one in the history of the world. Ali (A.S) was not allowed to establish the best form of government as a model for the world, because of satanic enemies and plots and intrigues against him.
As people could not appreciate Ali (A.S), the best man of his time they were punished by God to suffer the rule of Bani ummayah for a thousand months as mentioned in the holy Quran, commentary of sura e Qadr.

Golden words of the Leader of the Believers Imam Ali (A.S)
1. Wisdom.
• The most precious wealth is wisdom, and the most miserable poverty is stupidity.
• Half of wisdom is love and friendship with people.(the other half is to guard yourself against the evils of people) (words of wisdom 142)
• Get hold of wisdom irrespective of its source, as wisdom is even in the hearts of hypocrites, where it is uneasy & flutters to emerge and occupy its proper place in a believer’s heart.
(words of wisdom 76 Faizol Islam)
• No wisdom is like planning thoughtfully with tact. (words of wisdom 76 Faizol Islam)
Note: intelligence is not worthy of reliance when it is against obedience to God and makes you exit from the highway of Gods blessed guides.
• Beware of companionship with the ignorant, he wishes to benefit you but in reality he harms you. (Nahjol balagha sermon 38)
• Poisons for wisdom are:
1. Greed
2. Poverty
3. Pride
4. Materialism or secularism
5. Addiction to wine
6. Captivity in carnal desires and caprice
7. Lust or sensuality.
8. Suspicion and evil temptations
9. Mocking and ridiculing
10. Getting imprisoned in the caprice of a ruler by serving his interests. (in disobedience to God) (Nahjol balagha)

Note: Wisdom is internal guide, whereas the holy Imams are external guides like messengers from God.

2. God.
• Imam Ali (A.S) has said: If all the curtains between me& God are removed, my belief in God (is so firm that it) will not increase any further.
• Someone asked Ali (A.S), “Do you worship a God, whom you have not seen?”
Ali (A.S) replied: “I do not worship a God whom I have not seen”
Note: Ali (A.S) has seen God through his heart & insight which is more reliable than eyes. Eyes cannot see air, nor microbes & virus, nor Laser & x-rays, nor invisible ultra violet and infra red-rays which are beyond the visible spectrum (violet to red). Eyes are deceived by mirage. The holy Quran says: “Eyes cannot see Him (God).”
No one has seen God neither His messengers nor Imams nor angels nor jinns nor anybody else, yet. But all’ momins’ have firm belief in God and they seek His help by saying (بک يا الله on the ‘Night of Destiny’ although atheists & polytheists have been deceived by Satan, and their satanic evil spirit (نفس اماره).
• One who has cognizance of his soul has cognizance of God. (Ghorarol hikam part 77 Hadith 301)
Note: a) Regarding ‘Soul’ God says: “They ask you about the ‘Soul’ Say the soul is a command of God & you are not given of its knowledge but a little. (S 17:A87)
When a person cannot understand his soul, He can never understand God’s Self, as worthy of Him.
In the holy Quran it is stated that,”God is Light of the heavens and the earth and is present everywhere. So He has no body & no abode. He is the Hidden & the Manifest, the Distant & the Near. Eyes cannot see Him but He is visible to our heart & mind. He is Infinite & cannot be grasped by our finite knowledge: Nothing is like Him & no light is like God’s Light.
• Ali (A.S) says “O ‘He’ of whom no one knows WHAT ‘He'(God) is, nor How ‘He’ is, nor WHERE ‘He’ is, nor in WHICH direction,’ He’ is, except ‘He’ Himself “. (Dua e Mashlool)
The holy messenger has said: “We could not understand You (God) to the extent worthy of Your cognizance”.
No one has comprehension of God’s Self (ذات خدا) but all mankind by human nature loves and worships God and seeks His help when in danger and despair.
Men can understand some attributes of God as indicated in the holy Quran, such as, God is Beneficent & Merciful. He is Just & Loving& Praiseworthy. He is the Best Protector.
He is the Creator of everything merely with His Will & Intention. He is the First & Primal Existence & is Everlasting. He is Ever Alive without death & transformation.
He is All-Hearing, All-Seeing & All-Knowing and All Powerful. He can make trees & stones & anything speak (e.g. God’s voice came from a tree for Moses A.S), He has no partner. He is the Unerring, the Holy &the Wise. He is absolute Truth.
He has guided us through His appointed messengers & Imams regarding the purpose of our life with His commandments & prohibitions in Heavenly Books. (e.g. Torah, Bible, Quran)
He is Extremely Patient, and gives respite to criminals, sinners & tyrants before punishing them. He is Forgiving for those who repent and seek pardon. He forgives the sinners, who love and follow God’s best pleaders & intercessors i.e. the fourteen sinless personalities when they intercede, with His permission
(من ذالذي يشفع عنده الا باذنه)
He is the Reviver of the dead for reckoning equitably on the Day of Judgment for eternal reward in Paradise or punishment in Hell.

3. Belief & Falsehood.
One never enjoys the relish of Belief until he gives up falsehood both in humorous and serious situations. (Usule Kafi Vol.2 P.340)
Note: Belief is faith in 1.God the Just, 2.His appointed divine guides (.His messengers and Imams) 3. Resurrection or Day of Judgment & Recompense in paradise or hell.

4. Pride.
It is astonishing that son of Adam should be proud, when his beginning is a sperm and his end is a decaying corpse. (dead body). (Nahjol Balagha Words of wisdom 454)

5. Man’s worth.
Every person’s worth is as much as his good deeds. (Biharol Anvaar vol 78 P.37)

Note: This sentence should be written with gold We live in deeds not years. A person, whose life is full of good deeds, good thoughts & good feelings, is much more precious than one, whose life is long but empty without precious good deeds.

6. Honour.
Your Honor is solid, but it becomes liquid when you beg or ask for something from people. Therefore you should see before whom your honor liquefies. (Nahjol Balagha Words of wisdom 346)

Note: Men with high spirituality do not beg except from God or generous momins. Men with no sense of honor sell themselves to devilish tyrants at a cheap price & commit any sin or crime and earn eternal punishment in the hereafter.

7. Women.
Some good qualities of women are bad qualities for men: Pride, modesty and miserliness are good for women but bad for men. Humility, Courage and Generosity are good qualities for men, and these are exactly the opposite of good qualities in women.

8. Adultery.
A person with sense of honor (غيرت) and sense of shame never commits adultery. (Nahjol Balagha Words of wisdom 305)
a) To prevent Adultery, a person is allowed to marry up to four wives if he can be equitable and just to them, otherwise he should marry only one wife. One who is vicious and lacks justice should not marry even one good wife .One cannot marry two sisters. (S4:A23)
b).A Muslim woman is not permitted to marry a non-Muslim even on temporary basis unless he accepts Islam. A Muslim man can marry a good Christian or Jew woman by a temporary marriage contract, which can be made permanent if the bride accepts Islam.
c) Adultery is committed when a person disobeys the commandments of God about marriage and obeys Satan or satanised men.

9. Friends and foes.
Ali (A.S) has said:” You have three categories of your friends & enemies:
Your friends are: 1. your own friends. 2. your friends’ friends 3. your enemy’s enemy.
And your enemies are 1. your own enemy 2. your friend’s enemy 3. your enemy’s friend.” (Nahjol Balagha Words of wisdom 295)
Note: The above guidance should be taken into consideration by governments in diplomatic and human relations.

10. Garrulity.
• When intelligence attains perfection a persons’ garrulity or talkativeness is decreased
• One who is very talkative will make many mistakes, his mistakes will lessen his sense of shame, and when sense of shame is reduced he will have less piety and therefore a dead heart which will lead to hell. (Tohofal Oqul P.89)

11. Gifts.
If good behavior failed to reform a person good gift or recompense will amend him. (Ghorarol hikam part 77 Hadith 547)

12. Freedom.
Do not enslave yourself to others when the Glorious God has created you free. (Ghorarol hikam part 85 Hadith 219)
Note: a) All persons should be true servants of God and obey Him and not the tyrants. Those who enslave themselves to tyrants not only lose their freedom but also become a fuel for hell in the everlasting life hereafter. No one lives forever in this temporal world, so people should know their purpose of life and strive to please God, the Creator, Who puts everyone to test before recompensing him. Those who even agree with tyrants shall meet the same fate as the tyrants no matter in which country they live and even if they are hundreds of years distant from the tyrants.
God says: “Do not obey the faithless and the hypocrites” (Ahzaab 33:1)
And God says: “Obey not from among them a sinner or a skeptic. (Dahr76: 24) So one should obey the messengers and Imams chosen by God; if they are killed by tyrants, God recompenses them with paradise.
b) Imam Ali (A.S) was martyred in a mosque while saying prayers. The misleading slogan of his enemies (kharejites) was: “Sovereignty or judgment is for God alone”. (Yosef 12:40)
Well the Aayat is quite true but it is misunderstood because God does not pass every verdict or judgment. God entrusts judgment to His divine guides.
The holy Quran states: “Judge between them by what God has revealed (the divine laws) and do not follow their (people’s) desires against the truth that has come to you. (Maeda5:48)
Moreover, God says: “If they obey most of those on the earth, they will lead you astray from God’s way; they follow assumptions or conjectures and they fabricate lies” (Ana’am6:116)
Furthermore the holy Quran states: “Indeed God commands you that when you judge between people JUDGE WITH JUSTICE. (Nisa 4: 58)
Justice of Imam Ali (A.S) is unquestionable. The holy messenger (S.A) has said: “Ali is with the truth and the truth is with Ali.”
c) Murtad
God says: There is no compulsion in religion. (Aayatal Korsi) Then why should a person be punished if he gives up Islam?
Before accepting Islam one has freedom of choice to select whatever religion he likes, but after accepting Islam, one has to abide by all its rules and regulations and reach the highest peak of heavenly religion.
God says: what is there after truth except error. (Yunos:32 )
When a Muslim rejects Islam he is known as murtad and God has commanded capital punishment for him to prevent hypocrisy and espionage and God does not commit a particle weight of tyranny and injustice. (S4:A40)
Therefore, those who criticize beheading a murtad are opponents of the divine finalized law of God and God says in sura e Maeda that those who do not implement the laws of God for justice are Tyrants ‘Zalimoon’, Infidels ‘Kafiroon, and Polytheists ‘ Moshrekoon’.

13. Commandment , Prohibition & Justice.
If you obey God’s commandments & His prohibitions they will neither allow death to approach you soon nor reduce your sustenance, rather they double your reward and make your recompense bountiful and what is superior to these two is to manifest JUSTICE for its administration by a cruel ruler. (Ghorarol hikam part 8 Hadith 272)
• A just Imam.
A just Imam for people is better than heavy rain. (Ghorarol Hikam V: 1 P.386)

14. Human relations.
Associate with people in such a way that they love you warm heartedly during your lifetime, and weep for you when you die. (Nahjol Balagha Words of wisdom 10 P.470)

15. Excessive attachment to family.
Beware of excessive attachment to your family & children because if they are God- loving, He will not neglect or ruin them, and if they are adversaries of God, why should you be attached to enemies of God? (Nahjol Balagha Words of wisdom 352)
Note: Even the notorious son of Noah (A.S) the messenger of God, will not be remembered by him in paradise.

16. Words for Kumayl.
• O Kumayl! These hearts are containers of (knowledge and secrets). The best of them preserves its contents, so preserve & remember what I tell you.
People are of three categories:
1. The divine scholars (cognizant of God & Resurrection…)
2. The students who seek knowledge and are heading towards salvation
3. The common people who indiscriminately obey every croak speaker and go with the wind (like dust and straw) in every direction, they are not illuminated by the radiant knowledge (and remain in darkness & follow the strayed ones) and they do not take refuge in the reliable shelters (of wise divine guides).
• O Kumayl! Knowledge is better than wealth. Knowledge guards you.(from the calamities of this world and the Hereafter)but it is you who guard your wealth. Wealth decreases by spending whereas knowledge increases by teaching others. Productions of wealth diminish when wealth diminishes.
• O Kumayl! Religion is acquisition of divine knowledge by virtue of which one is recompensed on the Day of Judgment. By this knowledge a person succeeds in obedience (of God, His messenger and sinless Imams) during his lifetime and earns a good name after his death. Knowledge is the ruler and wealth is ruled over. (Nahjol Balagha Words of wisdom 147 P.495)
Note: Komayl was taught Dua e Komayl by Ali(A.S)when requested to teach him Doa e hazrate Khidr.

17. Tyranny.
• The worst tyranny is to tyrannize the humble and the meek. (letter:31)
• Tyranny over people is a bad provision for the Day of Resurrection (Nahjol Balagha Words of wisdom 221)
• Do not oppress others, as you do not like to be oppressed by them. (letter 31)
• Severest punishment.
The severest punishment in the hereafter is for the tyrant ruler and the unchaste learned scholar. (Ghorarol Hikam V: 2 P.74)
Note: A country survives with skepticism but it cannot survive with tyranny.

18. Unity of Ummah.
In reply to the letter of Abu Musa Ash’ari
Be aware that no person is so covetous and zealous as me (Ali A.S) for the unity and solidarity of the Ummah of Mohammad (S.A) for love and attachment between the people and thereby I shall attain good reward and worthy restoration (from God).
Note: Ali (A.S) was patient for 25 years in order to preserve the true religion brought by the messenger of God and he did not draw his sword to claim his right as a successor appointed by God on the 18th day of zilhaj at Ghadir. (N.B Letter No.78)

19. Sunnah of Mohammad(S.A)
Letter No.77 written to Abdollah ibne Abbas when he was deputed to clear the misunderstanding of the Kharejites.
Do not argue with them by the Quran because Quran has many aspects (for interpretation of its hidden meanings). You will say (one meaning) and they will say (another meaning). Hence argue and convince them by sunnah of the holy messenger (S.A) then they will be unable to escape from it. (N.B Letter No.77)

Note: a) According to the Sunnah of the best messenger of God, Mohammad (S.A) no one can approach the excellence of Ali (A.S). From his very birth Ali (A.S) was brought up as a Muslim and he never worshipped any idols like others. His parents (Abu Talib & Fatima binte Asad) and the Messenger(S.A) and Khadijah (S.A) and many Arabs followed monotheism as taught by Ismaiel and Ibrahim (A.S)but many other Arabs deviated from monotheism and had become idol worshippers.

20. Concern of women & men.
Concern of women is disbelief, and concern of men is belief.(words of wisdom 119.Faizol Islam, Nahjol Balagha)
Note: a) Concern of women about men makes them jealous of other wives, as four wives are permitted by God to prevent adultery and for many other reasons; but concern of man about his wives is for guarding their chasteness therefore it is belief and faith.
b) King Solomon was a messenger of God and he had a number of wives, similarly the holy messenger Mohammad (S.A) and also many holy Imams married a number of wives in obedience to God. Whereas adultery is persuaded by Satan and it is a sin.
c) Hazrate Khadijah(S.A) was the only wife of the holy messenger(S.A) as long as she was alive; but after her death, he(S.A) married many women.
Indian Hindus used to burn a living wife with her dead husband, called Sattee It was a great tyranny. God has permitted remarriage of widows, so Mohammad (S.A) married a number of widows not only to support them but also to give them honor as ‘ummul momineen’ ,i.e. mother of all believers. Sattee was prohibited by impact of Muslim culture. Now women say ‘juti sattee’ i.e. my shoe may be burnt instead of me.
d) There was a war for a hundred years between Kurus and Pandavas over the issue of a common wife between many men Crimes in many countries are increasing because there is increase in the number of illegitimate children. Illegitimate children like Umroo bin A’as and Obaydollah ibne Ziaad, were also responsible for martyrdom of Ali (A.S) & Imam Husain (A.S)
Nabigah the mother of A’as was an adulteress like Marjaanah the mother of ibne Ziaad.These well known facts are mentioned in Nahjul Balagha as well.

21. Deficiencies in women.
O people! Women are deficient in faith (worship of God) and deficient in their shares and deficient in their intelligence; their deficiency in worship is evident from their exemption from salaat and fasting during the period of menses. Their deficiency in sagacity and intelligence is obvious from the fact that witness of two women is equal to that of one man. Regarding deficiency in shares they inherit only half the share of men (i.e. a son inherits twice the share of a daughter.
Note: a) God has compensated deficiency of wisdom and intelligence of women by making them richer in feelings and emotions. (Example love of mothers for their children).
Since women lack intelligence their witness is likely to be diverted by feelings and emotions, so witness of two women is equal to witness of one man. Moreover women are not entrusted with the position of a judge by Islamic law. A minority of women who are wise should not be hurt by the truth of this general statement. There were exceptionally good women like Fatima Zahra (S.A) Mary, the mother of Jesus (S.A) Aasiah, the wife of Pharaoh who nourished Moses (A.S) and Khadija (S.A), the first woman who embraced Islam and was the mother of Orphans and she had saved her sister’s daughters from being buried alive and adopted them in such a way that they considered her as their own mother.

22. Chastity of the poor.
Chasteness is ornament of the poor and thankfulness is ornament of the rich.

23. Instructions for good administration.
Imam Ali (A.S) has given instructions to rulers for good administration of a country. A summary of these rules is as follows:
a) There should be a permanent leader as a representative of God He should be strictly just and pious and implement the laws from the book of God ,the holy Quran; he should be valiant, wise and well aware of all conditions of his time. Vali e Faqih is a permanent leader as representative of Imam e Asr (A.F)
b) Rulers should be kind and loving towards their subjects & not wrathful. Anger and vengeance do not assist good administration. Rulers and officers should win confidence as friends and benefactors of their subjects or subordinates. Rulers should be tolerant of mistakes of their subjects.
c) Muslims should be treated as brothers, and non-muslims as human beings with due justice
d) The best persons should be selected as secretaries for civil, judicial and military services irrespective of age and period of service.
e) At first, appointments should be made on probation, to assess the ability and potentialities of the employees
f) Confidential and reliable staff should report the activities and behavior of officers.
g) Officers should be well paid to prevent bribery and corruption.
h) Persons who committed atrocities and torture in service of oppressive rulers should not be employed in service. Advisors of rulers should be kind- hearted, truthful and honest.
i) Ones duties towards God and mankind should not be waived off; lest favoritism should make one unjust (e.g. the third khalifa Osman was killed because of favoritism for Bani Omayyads). All officers should exercise their power and experience in matters related to them and should not be dictated by their favorite subordinates.
j) Merchants and traders should be well patronized but they should be prevented from black marketing, hoarding and making excessive profits.
k) Farmers make a country wealthy (by production of cereals, fruits, grains, vegetables, sugar, etc and also by production of eggs & poultry and lambs and cattle & so on) Farmers should be provided with all facilities.
l) Handicrafts should be encouraged to eliminate poverty. Industries should be established.
m) The poor, disabled, and orphans should never be humiliated or treated with contempt .They should be given easy access and all help.
n) Avoid bloodshed; no one should be killed unless prescribed in the Islamic law by God.
o) Promises and terms of a treaty should always be respected.
Ali (A.S) ruled the Muslim nation only for five years, because of satanic plots and intrigues against him. Civil wars, mutiny and false accusation of murder of Osman, Ali (A.S) was not allowed to establish the universal ideal government of perfect justice. (gist from Nahjol Balagha)

24. Monotheism.
Monotheism enlivens the soul. (Ghorarol hikam Vol.1 P.145)
Note: please see Surahe Towheed in the holy Quran

25. Minority.
Do not be afraid of the fact that the followers of truth are in minority. (Nahjol Balagha Semon 201)
Note: The followers of God are few, but followers of Satan are always in majority.

26. Amiralmomineen.
• How can I be content with the title of Amiralmomineen without sharing the difficulties of believers or without being a model for them in the ups and downs of life? (Nahjol Balagha words of wisdom 209)
• Indeed God has made it compulsory for the just leaders and Imams that they should equalize their standard of life with the poor, lest poverty of the poor should infuriate them. (Nahjol Balagha letter No 45)

27. Egotism.
• Egotism is a disease for nobleness. (Ghorarol hikam Vol.1 P.233)
• Egotism goads a person to deviate from the right path. (Ghorarol hikam Vol.1 P.124)

28. Gluttony.
Overeating (gluttony) ruins reason and wisdom. (Ghorarol hikam Vol1 P.172)

29. Resurrection.
• Everyone will be resurrected with the group he befriends with, so abstain from befriending enemies of God or loving those who are not God’s friends.
Note: a) The Messenger of God (S.A) has said: Be well aware that one, who dies with love of Ahle Bayt (A.S) in his heart, dies as a martyr.
Be well aware that one who dies with love of Ahle Bayt (A.S) in his heart is forgiven.
Be well aware that one who dies with love of Ahle Bayt (A.S)in his heart dies like one who has turned to God with repentance.
Be well aware that one who dies with love of Ahle Bayt (A.S) in his heart dies with perfection of faith.
Be well aware that one who dies with love of Ahle Bayt (A.S) in his heart is given good tidings of paradise by Ezraiel(A.S) and also by the two angels Munkir and Nakeer.
• Ali (A.S) has quoted from the holy Quran: We do not delay the Day of Resurrection but for a determined term (Hud11:A104) (Nahjul Balagah sermon 189)
Note: Faith in Resurrection is of two kinds 1.Sincere 2.False (as seen in hypocrites & usurpers)
No matter how distant the day of Resurrection, every person has time (respite) up to his death for provision of good deeds for the hereafter, therefore, the holy Messenger (S.A) has said:”I & Resurrection are as near as two fingers in the hand.

30. Piety.
Ali (A.S) has quoted Aayat 23 from sura e Hadeed of the holy Quran regarding piety: So do not WORRY about what has past, & do not EXULT for what (God) gives you (in future), &God does not like any selfish & conceited person.

31. The Will of Ali (A.S)
Every divine guide, ie, messenger or Imam is a spiritual father of the nation. The holy messenger has said: “I and Ali are father of this ummah” .It is a matter of pride that we are regarded as posterity of Mohammad (S.A) and Ali (A.S) This will is addressed to Imam Hasan (A.S) but it is really meant for all the nation. It will be extremely usefull for our success in this life and in the Hereafter and should be borne in mind throughout our life.
A few abstracts from the will are as follows:
Father’s love:
• “I consider you as a part of myself, rather you are my entire self, so much so, that if anything befalls you, it has befallen me, and if death approaches you, it has approached me”
Note: a) This statement teaches us how much we should love and care for our children
b) Moses (A.S) had promised to patiently observe Hazrat e Khidr (A.S) without questioning him, but when a young boy was killed by Khidr (A.S),Moses (AS) criticized him .Khidr (A.S) explained to him that if the boy was alive he would be a disgrace for his parents and God will compensate the loss of that boy. (and Imam Sadegh (A.S)has explained that God granted them a daughter in whose progeny there were seventy prophets of God)
Children’s mind.
• The heart of young children is like fertile land, Whatever seed is sown therein it will grow”
It is the duty of parents not to neglect their children, otherwise their fertile. Hearts & minds will accept evil seeds in bad company.”
Keys of Treasuries.
• God has given the keys of His treasuries in your hands, so whenever you like you can open the doors of His blessings & favours with your prayers and supplications; pray to Him for continuous drizzling of His Mercy. His gift equals your sincerity & steadfastness in your intention.”
Note: a) Imam Sajjad( A.S)has advised not to let your mind become a pasture ground for Satan to graze on, otherwise one should ask God to bless him with death, so that his life does not become worse than animals .Mind! You have power to think and make your life sublime.
Suicide is a sin, the wise never commit this sin .Imams (A.S) know their time of death from the All knowing God and they are pleased to return to God, so they do not take any step against the Will of God.
b) Your mental and physical diseases are cured by prayers. Good health is God’s blessing. No medicine can match physical exercises in fresh & unpolluted air for good health. Remember! Prevention is better than cure .Do not drink wine, and be not like swine to prevent crime.
c) Gluttony is an enemy of longevity. Light diet with empty stomach is good for studies before dawn, especially after sleeping well. Balanced food, pure water & sunshine are also necessary for good health. Thankfulness to God for all of His blessings increases His blessings bountifully.

Prayers not answered, why?
• “Sometimes you ask for something from God and it is not given to you, instead a better thing is given to you here or in the Hereafter.
• Sometimes you ask for something, which if given to you, your faith will be ruined.”
Note: a) you may ask God for wealth which if given to you it may make you faithless or a gambler e.g. gambling in horse racing, may make you bankrupt. You may ask for power to rule, which if given to you may make you a tyrant & fuel for hell. You may ask God for a beautiful wife if given to you she may not be chaste or ruin your life and end in a divorce.

Supplication to God.
• You should implore sincerely to God only, because granting & depriving is in His Hands Calamities.
• Repel the calamities that inflict you by strong resolution, with patience & firm conviction (in God) Aim of life.
• Be aware that you are created for the Hereafter & not for this world; for extinction not for living perpetually here; for death, not for eternal existence. You are on the way to the Hereafter.

The Creator.
• The Creator is the Destroyer,& the Destroyer is the Reviver
Note: The holy Quran states: Has not He, Who created the heavens & the earth, power to create similar to them (again)? Yes, indeed! He is the Originator, the All- Knowing’ (Yaseen36:81)

Death & Hereafter.
• Always remember death and remember the incidents that will take place suddenly after death (so provide yourself with provisions for the Hereafter).
Note: a) A person may live up to 120 years in good hygienic environment, but because of sins, crimes, addiction, gluttony, grief and other factors his age is reduced. All angels Gabriel, Michael, I’zrael, Israfiel, and Satan, jinns, and everyone in the entire universe will perish by command of God, God alone never dies.
• Therefore be on guard against it(death)lest it approaches you at a time when you are in a sinful state, thinking to seek forgiveness and repentance later; but death obstructs between you and repentance; in such a case, you have ruined yourself.

Knowledge.
• Be aware there is no excellence in the knowledge that does not benefit, & no benefit can be derived from knowledge which is not worthy of learning.
Note: a) Magic & witchcraft & all things against the commandments of God should not be learnt.
b) If all human knowledge from Adam to this day in different fields of knowledge is accumulated together, it will be meager, as compared to what man does not know. When the promised savior Imam Mahdi (A.S) appears, man will acquire beneficial knowledge which will be fourteen times the present knowledge.

Good & Evil.
• There is no excellence in good deeds, which are based on evil.
Note: a. If a person acquires wealth or power by theft, murder, usury, gambling bribery, hypocrisy & so on, & spends this ill-gotten wealth for hajj, charity, & for building mosques, schools , orphanages, & other welfare activities, he cannot expect reward from God.
b. Acquisition of power by murder of Imams & divine guides is condemned by every wise person. Imam Hussain (A.S) Zacharia (A.S) &Yahya (A.S) were murdered by secular rulers. Similarly Joseph (A.S) & Imam Moosa Kazim (A.S) were imprisoned for a long time. Does it mean God’s intention & God’s party is defeated? It means God is patient & He is putting rulers & people to test & trial and on the Day of Judgment punishment is certain.

The Messenger (S.A)
• Be aware , no one has ever given news about God like the news given by the holy Messenger (S.A) hence regard him as your benefactor & leader for rescue (from calamities & punishment)
Note: .There is no compulsion in religion .All people are born monotheist ,they gladly welcome news about God and about continuation of life of all souls for recompense in Paradise by obeying God’s commandments with their freewill & not obeying God’s enemies like Satan, hypocrites, & self seeking and tyrant rulers.

The Blind guided.
• Sometimes a person with eyes strays from his right destination & the blind finds the right way.
 

God.
• He (God) is far from being encompassed by heart or eye for believing in His Lordship.
• Which link is stronger than the link between you &God if you clasp it firmly?
• Be aware, if there was a partner for God, his messengers too would have come to guide you &you could have seen the effect of his sovereignty & you would have recognized his conduct & attributes; but God is One & Unique as He has described Himself in the holy Quran: Your God is the One God, so whoever expects to encounter his Lord should act righteously, & not associate anyone with the worship of his Lord. (Kahf 18:110)
No one opposes Him in His Sovereignty & He can never be destroyed .He exists from eternity and he shall exist for ever.
Note: a). Arabs became idol worshipers & built a number of idols in Ka’ba although Abraham (A.S) had destroyed all the idols. Similarly Mohammad (S.A) &Ali (A.S) destroyed all the idols, therefore all Arab tribes became their enemies especially Bani Umayyah ie Abu Sufyan, Moaviyah & Yazid(L.A),who are described as shajarahe malo’ona in the holy Quran .(S17:A61)
b) Greeks were polytheists .Hindus are also polytheists, Some people consider every attribute of God as a separate god and are therefore misguided.
• I advise you fear of God & obedience to His commandments & prohibitions & to sustain your heart with His remembrance & to hold His Cord strongly.
 

Friends & Foes.
• Whoever is indifferent to your loss or gain is your enemy.
• A stranger is one who has no friends.
• A friendly companion is harmonious like your relatives (so treat him like a relative)
• A friend is one who is true at heart and befriends you, even in your absence.(otherwise he is a hypocrite and pretends to be a friend)
When asked whether a brother is better or a friend? The Imam replied, that a brother is better if he is a friend, otherwise a friend is better than a brother.
The distant & the near
• Many a time the distant one is much nearer to you than the near one, and the near one is more distant from you than the distant.
Note: Salmane Farsi although from a distant place like Persia was nearer to the Holy Messenger (S.A) than many of his Arab companions, so the Holy Messenger (S.A) announced that Salman was his Ahle Bayt. The Arabs close to the Messenger (S.A) could not attain this privileged position, so they were jealous of him.
Sincerity in advice.
• Let your advice for your brother be sincere (to please God) no matter whether your brother likes it or not. (The above Hadith No 31 was abstracted from the Will of Ali (A.S) in Nahjol balagha, Letter No 31)

32. Humbleness & honor.
• Humbleness is the ladder that leads to honor and dignity. (Nahjol balagha, words of wisdom 396)
• Accept death but not contempt & dishonor (in the sight of God). (Nahjol balagha, words of wisdom396)
• Magnanimity is to shun & avoid dishonor and contempt. (Ghorarol Hikam V: 1 P.239)
Note: It is not proper for a believer (momin) to make himself contemptible.

33. Independence & political freedom
God has created you free so do not enslave yourself to others. (Nahjol Balagha Rasa’el 31)
Note: this statement of Ali (A.S) covers political, social, economical and religious freedom. Regarding political freedom we shall briefly consider Palestine, Iran, Kashmir and other countries.
a) In Palestine freedom of people i.e. Muslims, Christians, Jews and Zionist is in danger if they do not come to an agreement and form a government to satisfy all. Aqsa Mosque is a bone of contention which Zionist like to occupy on pretext that king Solomon is buried there. It is the advice of Ali (A.S) that whenever a tyrant enslaves the free people, it is their duty to disobey the tyrants and obey God alone & implement the divine laws of God as explained by His divine guide. Many International Organizations have so far failed to solve the problem of Palestine. so it is necessary to overhaul international organizations in the interest of justice and God is the Super most Judge.
b) Iran & Iraq. There was a war between them for eight years and it destroyed both the countries economically, because petroleum was devalued to less than $5 per barrel; several thousand of Iranians were martyred by weapons & poisonous gasses which is an international crime. The neighboring Arab countries & super powers were happy to support Sadaam & also to sell their weapons to him but God helped Iran in this imposed battle. Saddam and all enemies of Iran were badly disappointed when they could not enslave Iran nor oust Imam Khomeini (R.A). Eventually those Iranians who had fled to Iraq and other countries and were propagating against Iran will meet the same fate as Saddam. Therefore it is necessary for all to maintain unity and peace without occupying other countries except for reforming and developing them by bringing them under one flag of Imam Mahdi (A.S).
c) Kashmir and Hyderabad were a problem at the time of division of India into Pakistan & Bangladesh, because oil and water cannot be mixed. Hindus who had accepted Islam by impact of Muslim domination and culture had demanded Pakistan so as not to suffer as minorities. The best Solution for Kashmir was presented by Sheikh Abdullah to prevent war between India & Pakistan i.e.to make Kashmir an independent state.
The problem of Hyderabad was that Muslims were ruling it for more than fourteen generations of kings. Hindus and Muslims lived like friends and the chief minister was a Hindu. The king built a beautiful university, hospitals, and Azakhana’e Zahra for commemoration of martyrdom of Imam Husain (A.S) and appointed a Persian scholar Shah Abbas Mansuri for preaching. This preacher had migrated from Mashhad because hundreds of preachers were massacred by the tyrannical king of that time. Migration was recommended by God for the holy Messenger (S.A) and it is the origin of Muslim calendar year in lunar months. Problem of Kashmir is somewhat similar to Palestine and should be solved soon so as the majority of Muslims there should not suffer as a minority.

34. Quran.
One who reads Quran and then dies and then enters hell, he is the one of those who had ridiculed the Aayaat of Quran scornfully.
Note: In western countries Quran is the best selling heavenly Book now, because someone had ridiculed it and taken it as an ordinary book, and not the book of God. Many Christians and Jews have embraced Islam after reading the holy Quran, which is a revelation from God and a lasting miracle, and There is a challenge in the holy Quran that no one can bring the like of it up to Dooms Day regarding its context and fluency in Arabic, and as the last book for human guidance all over the globe.

35. Imam Mahdi (A.S).
You will wait for a period of time until He (God) manifests a person (Imam Mahdi A.S) who brings about unity amongst you and relieves you from divisions into sects. So do not covet for the present Imam(Ali (A.S) who does not care for this world and has divorced her thrice) and do not lose hope about the Imam of the age in concealment.(Imam Mahdi (A.S).Verily the likeness of the posterity of Mohammad (S.A)is like heavenly stars; whenever a star vanishes a star appears(i.e. the world is never devoid of an Imam)in this manner blessings of God may be culminated on you and what you desire will be granted on you. i.e. you shall see that divine personality & definitely realize your aspiration for seeing the promised kingdom of justice of God on earth. (Sermon No.99 Faizol Islam .Nahjol Balagha)

36. Desires.
Desires are the root of all afflictions & grief. (Ghorarol Hikam V: 1 P.262)

37. Loan.
When you are rich seize the opportunity to give loan to a person who likes to pay you back when you direly need it.
Note: Loan without interest is called Qarzul Hasanah .God has prohibited interest on loan for any borrower. Loan sans interest is like giving loan to God. Who has Himself made you rich to test you? Banks can make you a partner and pay you any amount of profit (not interest) as your legitimate share in profitable investments of the bank. Interest is prohibited because it makes a man lazy & without activity. Usury makes a lender rich while the borrower becomes poor.

38. Physical and mental health.
a) Ali (A.S) has quoted from the holy messenger (S.A): “Treat your sick ones with ‘ Sadaqah’ charity.
b) Implore God to give you from the treasures of His Mercy that which no one else has the power to bestow.viz. lengthy lives, healthy bodies, abundance of sustenance (both material & spiritual)
c) Often medicines bring illness,* and often illness serves as medicine*.
(*.because of side effects and by weakening immunity i.e. resistance against disease.
*.cough safeguards you against paralysis, coryza prevents you from becoming mad.)
Illness and disease makes you pray to God sincerely and thus cleans you from sins.
d) For physical health lack of jealousy is vitally important.
e) Whoever is lacking in good deeds falls into grief & grief is half the cause of oldness.
f) One of the calamities is poverty beware of it.
What is worse than poverty is physical illness, and worse than physical illness is an evil heart. Remember that piety of heart ensures a healthy body. (Nahjol Balagha)
(If wealth is lost, nothing is lost.
If health is lost something is lost
If character is lost everything is lost.
(because a person becomes fuel for hell)
Quince increases a man’s strength and removes his weakness of heart (Isfahan is famous for its Quince; its preserve is red in color and very tasty.)
• Pomegranate: Eat pomegranate with its pulp(peah)It is good for abdomen and digestion of food and has a tanning effect for stomach, it is good for heart and illuminate the soul .It is among the fruits of paradise (Rahmaan :61)
• Pears: Eat pears because they burnish the heart.
• Figs: relax obstructions (sadad) and is beneficial for colic. Do not eat many figs at night but at day time.
• Brown Raisins (Maweez):Twenty one maweez before breakfast repel every disease and illness (i.e. a person’s immunity against diseases is strengthened) (Islamic Medical Wisdom translated by batool Ispahani)

39) Justice and benevolence
Ali (A.S) has explained the Aayat in the holy Quran: Indeed God commands you justice and benevolence (Nahl: 90)
Justice is to be equitable and to see everything is in its proper place whereas benevolence is boundless i.e. without limit and the Imam said: “justice (Adl) is superior to benevolence (Ehsaan), because justice is administrator (saais) in general and benevolence is only for special cases. (words of wisdom 237)

40. A supplication of Ali (A.S).
A comprehensive supplication was taught by Imam Ali (A.S) to a person who was reciting a lengthy supplication in a tiresome state: In The Name Of Allah The Compassionate The Merciful.
Praise Be to God for All His Blessings.
And I beseech God for all virtues.
And I seek God’s refuge from all vices.
And I beg forgiveness from God for all sins.
O My God bless Mohammad and the descendants of Mohammad.

Source: www.alhassanain.org/english