Sulayman al-A'mash, from his father, who said: Ali (AS) said: No verse has been sent down but that I know concerning whom it was sent down, and where it was sent down, and upon whom it was sent down. My Lord has granted me an understanding heart and a fluent tongue. (Tafsir al-'Ayyashi, vol. 1, p. 17)
The Commander of the Faithful (AS) said: No verse has been sent down but that I know concerning what it was sent down and where it was sent down. God has given me an understanding heart and an eloquent tongue!
Al-Sakuni, from Ja'far ibn Muhammad, from his father, from Ali (AS), who said: Whoever at his death makes no bequest to those of his relatives who do not inherit from him has sealed his deeds with an act of disobedience. (Tafsir al-'Ayyashi, vol. 1, p. 76)
The Commander of the Faithful (AS) said: One who at the time of his death makes no bequest for those close relatives who do not inherit has sealed the record of his deeds with an act of disobedience.
'Amr ibn Jumay', tracing it back to the Commander of the Faithful (AS), who said: It is written in the Torah: Whoever rises in the morning grieving over this world has risen discontented with the decree of God; and whoever rises in the morning complaining of a misfortune that has befallen him has risen complaining of God. (Tafsir al-'Ayyashi, vol. 1, p. 120)
The Commander of the Faithful (AS) said: It is written in the Torah: If someone is aggrieved over something, he is in truth discontented with the divine decree; and if someone complains of a misfortune, he is in truth complaining of God.
Muhammad ibn Khalid al-Dabbi, from Ibrahim al-Nakha'i, from Umm Bakr, who said: I heard Ali ibn Abi Talib, the Commander of the Faithful (AS), say: The spindle is among the wholesome means of earning. (Tafsir al-'Ayyashi, vol. 1, p. 150)
The Commander of the Faithful (AS) said: Spinning and weaving (and sewing) are among the wholesome ways of earning a living.
From Sayf, from Najm, from Abu Ja'far (AS), who said: Fatima (AS) took upon herself, on Ali's behalf (AS), the work of the house: the kneading, the baking, and the sweeping of the house; and Ali (AS) took upon himself on her behalf whatever lay beyond the door: the carrying of firewood and the bringing of food. She said: The Messenger of God (PBUH) forbade me to ask you for anything, and said: Do not ask your cousin for anything; if he brings you something freely, well and good; otherwise do not ask him. (Tafsir al-'Ayyashi, vol. 1, p. 171)
Imam al-Baqir (AS) said: Fatima (AS) did the work of the house and cooked the food, and Ali (AS) did the work outside the house; for example, he would bring the firewood and provide the needs of the household. Fatima (AS) used to say: The Messenger of God (PBUH) forbade me to ask anything of Ali, and said: If your cousin gives you something of his own accord, take it; otherwise do not ask him for anything.
'Abd Allah ibn al-Qaddah, from Abu 'Abd Allah (AS), from his father, who said: A man came to the Commander of the Faithful (AS) and said: O Commander of the Faithful, I have a pain in my belly. The Commander of the Faithful (AS) said to him: Have you a wife? He said: Yes. He said: Ask her to give you, willingly and with a glad heart, something of her own property; then buy honey with it, then pour rainwater over it, then drink it. For I hear [I have heard] God say in His Book: “And We sent down from the sky blessed water”; and He said: “From their bellies comes forth a drink of diverse colours, in which there is healing for people”; and He said: “But if they willingly give up to you any part of it, then consume it in ease and enjoyment.” You will be healed, God willing. He said: So the man did that, and he was healed. (Tafsir al-'Ayyashi, vol. 1, p. 218)
Al-Sakuni, from Ja'far ibn Muhammad, from his father, from Ali (AS), who said: Drunkenness is among the major sins, and injustice in a bequest is among the major sins. (Tafsir al-'Ayyashi, vol. 1, p. 238)
The Commander of the Faithful (AS) said: Just as the drinking of wine is among the major sins, so injustice (hayf) in a bequest is among the major sins.
(Injustice in a bequest means bequeathing excessively to some person or for some purpose, such that the harm inflicted upon the heirs outweighs the benefit gained from the bequest.)
'Abd Allah al-'Alawi, from his father, from his forefathers, from Ali (AS), who said: The son of Adam who killed his brother was Cain (Qabil), who was born in Paradise. (Tafsir al-'Ayyashi, vol. 1, p. 311)
The Commander of the Faithful (AS) said: Cain was born in Paradise and then descended together with his father and mother.
From Abu al-Hasan Ali ibn Muhammad: Qanbar, the freedman of the Commander of the Faithful, was brought before al-Hajjaj ibn Yusuf, who said to him: What service did you use to perform in the affairs of Ali ibn Abi Talib (AS)? He said: I used to help him perform his ablution. He said to him: What did he say when he had finished his ablution? He said: He used to recite this verse: “So when they forgot what they had been reminded of, We opened to them the gates of all things, until, when they rejoiced in what they had been given, We seized them suddenly, and behold, they were struck with despair. So the last remnant of the people who did wrong was cut off; and praise be to God, the Lord of the worlds.” Al-Hajjaj said: Did he use to apply it to us? He said: Yes. He said: What will you do if I strike off your head? He said: Then I shall be made happy, and you shall be made wretched. So he gave the order concerning him [and killed him]. (Tafsir al-'Ayyashi, vol. 1, p. 359)
Al-Hajjaj ibn Yusuf al-Thaqafi got hold of Qanbar, the servant of the Commander of the Faithful (AS). He said to him: What did you use to do for Ali? Qanbar said: I used to pour water for him so that he could perform his ablution. Al-Hajjaj said: And what did he say after the ablution? Qanbar said: He used to recite this verse: Then, when they forgot the reminders that would have brought them to their senses, We opened before them the gates of every kind of blessing, until they became wholly heedless. And when they had grown giddy with all those blessings, We suddenly seized them with punishment, and they were struck dumb on the spot. Cut off be the root of such an evildoing people, and praised be God, the Lord of the worlds! [Qur'an 6:45]. Al-Hajjaj said: His purpose was that this verse should be recited to me from your tongue! Qanbar said: Very likely. Al-Hajjaj said: What will you do if I order you to be killed? Qanbar said: My end will be a good one, and your wretchedness will only increase. So al-Hajjaj gave the order, and they killed Qanbar.
From al-Asbagh ibn Nubata, who said: While Ali (AS) was delivering the Friday sermon on the pulpit, al-Ash'ath ibn Qays came stepping over the necks of the people and said: O Commander of the Faithful, the recitation of al-Hamd has come between me and your face. He said: So Ali (AS) said: What have I to do with these overbearing men? Shall I drive away a people who go out at the beginning of the day seeking the provision of God, and at the end of the day remember God? Shall I drive them away and so be among the wrongdoers? (Tafsir al-'Ayyashi, vol. 1, p. 360)
The narrator said: Ali (AS) was delivering the Friday sermon when al-Ash'ath ibn Qays, who was the chief of the tribe of Thaqif, finding no place to sit, was clambering over people's heads and shoulders and making his way toward the pulpit; and by way of protest that the common folk had filled the places in the mosque first and left no room for him, a man of the nobility, he said: O Ali, I was praying, and so I ended up far from the pulpit and cannot see your face! The Commander of the Faithful (AS) said: What have I to do with those who think themselves superior? Shall I drive away poor believers who in the morning are in search of their livelihood and at night in search of God? If I did so, I would surely have done wrong.
Al-Husayn ibn Sa'id, tracing it back to the Commander of the Faithful (AS), who said: Fasting the month of patience and three days in every month drives away the anxieties of the breast; and fasting three days in every month is the fasting of a lifetime: “Whoever comes with a good deed shall have ten the like of it.” (Tafsir al-'Ayyashi, vol. 1, p. 386)
The Commander of the Faithful (AS) said: The fast of the month of Ramadan, together with three days of fasting in the other months, drives away the whisperings of the heart. Whoever fasts three days of every month has thirty days reckoned for him, and it is as though he were fasting always — for God has said: Whoever does a good deed receives tenfold its recompense.
Yazid ibn Thabit said: A man asked the Commander of the Faithful (AS) about approaching women in their rear. He said: You have debased yourself — may God debase you! Have you not heard God say: “Do you commit the abomination that no one in all the worlds has committed before you?” (Tafsir al-'Ayyashi, vol. 2, p. 22)
Someone said to the Commander of the Faithful (AS): I couple with women from behind. Ali (AS) said: You are doing a base thing; God will make you base! Then he recited a verse: “Do you commit the abomination that no one in all the worlds has committed before you?”
Husayn ibn Salih said: I heard Abu 'Abd Allah (AS) say: Ali, may the blessings of God be upon him, used to say: Whoever flees from two men in combat has fled from the battle line; and whoever flees from three men in combat has not fled from the battle line. (Tafsir al-'Ayyashi, vol. 2, p. 68)
The Commander of the Faithful (AS) said: It is not permissible for a believer to flee from two men on the field of combat; but there is no fault in fleeing from an encounter with three.
Abu 'Uthman, the freedman of Banu Qusayy, said: I was in the company of Ali, may the blessings of God be upon him, for a whole year, and I never heard from him either a declaration of loyalty or a declaration of disavowal; but I did hear him say: God has excused me in the matter of Talha and al-Zubayr. They pledged allegiance to me willingly, not under compulsion; then they broke their pledge to me without any offence on my part. By God, the people of this verse were never fought from the time it was sent down until I fought them: “And if they break their oaths after their covenant and revile your religion...” — to the end of the verse. (Tafsir al-'Ayyashi, vol. 2, p. 79)
The narrator said: For a whole year I was constantly with Ali (AS). I never saw him praise anyone or speak ill of anyone. Except that one day he said: In fighting Talha and al-Zubayr I had the proof of God on my side. They pledged allegiance to me without being compelled, and they broke their pledge to me without my having done anything. And God has said: If they break their covenant and revile your religion, then they are to be counted the leaders of unbelief; so fight them [Qur'an 9:12].
From Abu al-A'azz al-Tamimi, who said: I was standing on the day of Siffin when I looked at al-'Abbas ibn Rabi'a ibn al-Harith ibn 'Abd al-Muttalib, fully armed, a helmet upon his head and a Yemeni blade in his hand, upon a jet-black horse of his, and his eyes were like the eyes of a viper. While he was exercising his horse and softening its temper, a man of the people of Syria called out to him, one called 'Arar ibn Adham: O 'Abbas, come out to single combat! He said: Then let it be on foot, for that leaves no hope of turning back. So the Syrian dismounted and set to, saying: If you ride, then the riding of horses is our custom; and if you dismount on foot, then we are a people who fight on foot. And al-'Abbas swung his leg over, saying: I shall turn back from you the arrogance of the broad-shouldered man, with a wound laying bare the bone, with a blade that spills blood, and the deep wound is as the most dreadful of wounds. Then he tucked the loose ends of his coat of mail into his belt and handed his horse [his bow] to a slave of his called Aslam — it is as though I can still see the braids of his hair — and each of them advanced upon the other. He said: I recalled then the words of Abu Dhu'ayb: “So the two came down to fight and their horses stood still, and both were champions of the encounter, cunning in battle.” He said: Then they struck at one another with their swords for a good part of the day, neither of them able to reach his adversary because of the completeness of their armour, until al-'Abbas noticed a weak point in the Syrian's coat of mail. He reached for it with his hand and tore it open down to his breast, then returned to fighting him, the rent in the mail now laid bare; and al-'Abbas struck him with the sword and it ran through the ribs of his chest, and the Syrian fell dead upon his cheek. A stir passed through the people, and the people cried out “God is greatest” with a cry that made the earth shake. Then I heard someone behind me saying: “Fight them; God will punish them at your hands and disgrace them, and give you victory over them, and heal the breasts of a believing people, and remove the rage of their hearts; and God turns in mercy to whom He wills.” I turned, and behold, it was the Commander of the Faithful, Ali (AS). He said: O Abu al-A'azz, who is it that duels with our enemy? I said: This is the son of your elder, al-'Abbas ibn Rabi'a. He said: O 'Abbas! He said: Here I am. He said: Did I not forbid you, and al-Hasan and al-Husayn and 'Abd Allah ibn Ja'far, to leave your post or to embark upon any rash undertaking? He said: It is indeed so. He said: Then what made you overstep? He said: Am I called out to single combat, O Commander of the Faithful, and not answer? May God make me your ransom! He said: Yes; obedience to your Imam has a greater claim upon you than answering your enemy. Mu'awiya would love that there remain of the Banu Hashim not one who can blow upon a fire without his life-vein being pierced, so as to extinguish the light of God — “but God refuses aught but that He should perfect His light, though the polytheists be averse.” By God, men of us — men indeed — shall rule over them and shall make them taste humiliation, until they beg with outstretched hands and dig wells. If they call you out again, tell me. He said: The news reached Mu'awiya, and he said: By God, the blood of 'Arar! Is there no man who will seek vengeance for the blood of 'Arar? He said: Two men of Lakhm answered him and said: We will deal with him. He said: Go, and whichever of you kills al-'Abbas in single combat shall have such and such. So they came to him and called him out to combat, and he said: I have a master whom I must consult. He said: So he came to the Commander of the Faithful (AS) and told him, and he said: Exchange your weapons for mine. So he exchanged with him. He said: And the Commander of the Faithful (AS) mounted al-'Abbas's horse and gave his own horse to al-'Abbas, and went out against the two Syrians. They had no doubt that he was al-'Abbas, and said to him: Has your master given you permission? He was on the point of saying yes, but instead he said: “Permission is given to those who are fought because they have been wronged; and God is indeed able to give them victory.” He said: Then one of them came out against him, and it was as though he snatched him away; then the second came out against him, and he sent him after the first. Then he turned back, saying: “The sacred month for the sacred month, and for sacred things there is retaliation; so whoever transgresses against you, transgress against him in the like manner as he transgressed against you.” Then he said: O 'Abbas, take your weapons and give me back mine. He said: The news reached Mu'awiya, and he said: May God shame obstinacy! It is a mount I have never ridden but that I was left to defeat. 'Amr ibn al-'As said: By God, it is the two Lakhmis who were left to defeat, not you. He said: Be silent, old man; this is not one of your moments. He said: Well then, if it is not so, may God have mercy on the two Lakhmis — though I do not think He will do so! He said: That, by God, is what narrows your burrow and makes your bargain the more losing. He said: Indeed; and were it not for Egypt, there would have been an escape from all this. He said: It is Egypt, by God, that has blinded you; were it not for her, you would have been found a man of sight. (Tafsir al-'Ayyashi, vol. 2, p. 79)
The narrator said: One day at Siffin, al-'Abbas, the grandson of al-Harith ibn 'Abd al-Muttalib, was ranging over the field clad from head to foot in armour. A champion of the Syrians challenged him to single combat. The two engaged one another, and after much effort al-'Abbas defeated his adversary. At that moment the army of Iraq cried out “God is greatest,” and someone recited aloud: “Fight them; God will punish them at your hands and disgrace them and give you victory over them.” We saw that it was the Commander of the Faithful (AS). He addressed al-'Abbas and said: Did I not tell you and al-Hasan and al-Husayn and 'Abd Allah ibn Ja'far not to go out alone to the field and not to call for single combat? Mu'awiya wants to kill the Banu Hashim one by one and, as he imagines, to extinguish the light of God. Al-'Abbas said: But the enemy challenged me to combat. Ali (AS) said: Are you to answer your Imam, or your enemy? This defeat weighed heavily upon the army of Syria, and Mu'awiya sent two champions and told them to kill al-'Abbas at any cost. They came and called for al-'Abbas. Ali (AS) put on al-'Abbas's coat of mail, took al-'Abbas's sword in his hand, mounted al-'Abbas's horse, and went out to fight them. Like a straw he plucked each of them from the ground, one after the other, and dispatched them to perdition, and returned to the heart of the army of Iraq.
Jabir al-Ju'fi, from Abu Ja'far (AS), said: The Commander of the Faithful (AS) said: One day I gave a dinar in charity, and the Messenger of God (PBUH) said to me: Do you not know that the believer's charity does not leave his hand until it has pried him loose from the jaws of seventy devils, and it does not fall into the hand of the beggar until it has fallen into the hand of the Lord, blessed and exalted? Did He not speak this verse: «Do they not know that it is God who accepts repentance from His servants and takes the charities» — to the end of the verse. (Tafsir al-Ayyashi, vol. 2, p. 107)
The Commander of the Faithful (AS) said: One day I gave a dinar in charity. When I came to the Messenger of God (PBUH), he said: The charity that leaves the believer's hand delivers him from the clutches of seventy devils, and when it reaches the hand of the beggar it comes to rest in the hand of God. As God has said: Do they not know that it is God Himself who accepts repentance from His servants and takes the charities [Qur'an 9:104].
Abu Ubayda, from Abu Ja'far (AS), said: Ali ibn Abi Talib (AS) passed by a group of people and greeted them. They replied: And upon you be peace and the mercy of God and His blessings and His forgiveness and His good pleasure. The Commander of the Faithful (AS) said to them: Do not go beyond, on our account, what the prophets said to our father Abraham. They said only: The mercy of God and His blessings be upon you, O People of the House; indeed He is Praiseworthy, Glorious. (Tafsir al-Ayyashi, vol. 2, p. 154)
Imam al-Baqir (AS) said: The Commander of the Faithful (AS) passed by a group of people and greeted them. They answered: And upon you be peace and the mercy of God and His blessings and His forgiveness and His good pleasure. He said: Do not go beyond what the Qur'an has related from the tongues of the prophets. It says: The mercy of God and His blessings be upon you, O People of the House.
Abu Hamza al-Thumali said: I heard one of the two [Imams] say: Ali (AS) turned toward the people and said: Which verse in the Book of God is the most hope-giving in your view? Some of them said: «Indeed God does not forgive that any partner be ascribed to Him, but He forgives what is less than that for whom He wills.» He said: A fine verse, but it is not the one. Some of them said: «O My servants who have transgressed against themselves, do not despair of the mercy of God.» He said: A fine verse, but it is not the one. And some of them said: «Those who, when they commit an indecency or wrong themselves, remember God and seek forgiveness for their sins.» He said: A fine verse, but it is not the one. Then the people held back, and he said: What is the matter with you, O company of Muslims? They said: No, by God, we have nothing further. He said: I heard the Messenger of God (PBUH) say: The most hope-giving verse in the Book of God is «And establish the prayer at the two ends of the day and in the early hours of the night» — and he recited the whole verse — and he said: O Ali, by Him who sent me «with the truth as a bearer of glad tidings and a warner», when one of you rises to his ablution, the sins fall away from his limbs; and when he turns his face and his heart toward [God], he does not finish his prayer with any of his sins remaining upon him, but is as the day his mother bore him. And if he falls into something between the two prayers, the like of that happens for him again — such is the standing of the five prayers for my community: like a flowing river at the door of one of you. What do you suppose: if a man had filth on his body and then bathed in that river five times a day, would any filth remain on his body? So too, by God, are the five prayers for my community. (Tafsir al-Ayyashi, vol. 2, p. 161)
The narrator says: One day the Commander of the Faithful (AS) asked: Which verse of the Qur'an is the most hope-giving? Some said: «Indeed God does not forgive that any partner be ascribed to Him, but He forgives what is less than that for whom He wills.» He said: It is a fine verse, but it is not the most hope-giving. They said: «O My servants who have transgressed against themselves, do not despair of the mercy of God.» He said: Not this one either. They said: «Those who, when they commit an indecency or wrong themselves, remember God and seek forgiveness for their sins.» He said: Nor is it this one. The people were at a loss and said: We no longer know. The Commander of the Faithful (AS) said: The Messenger of God (PBUH) used to say that the most hope-giving verse in the Book of God is this verse: «And establish the prayer at the two ends of the day and in the early hours of the night; indeed good deeds drive away evil deeds; that is a reminder for those who remember» [Qur'an 11:114]. And he used to say: O Ali, by the God who sent me, when a servant performs his ablution his sins fall away from him; and when he turns his heart toward God and stands in prayer, before his prayer is finished he becomes as sinless as a child newly born of its mother. Then whatever sin he commits in the interval between two prayers, the next prayer purifies him of it. The five daily prayers are for my community like a river running through their houses, in which they continually wash themselves and are made pure.
Mas'ada ibn Sadaqa, from Ja'far ibn Muhammad, from his father, from his grandfather, said: The Commander of the Faithful (AS) said: This verse was revealed concerning us: «You are only a warner, and for every people there is a guide.» So the Messenger of God (PBUH) said: I am the warner, and you, O Ali, are the guide. (Tafsir al-Ayyashi, vol. 2, p. 203)
The Commander of the Faithful (AS) said: Concerning the verse "You are only a warner, and for every people there is a guide," the Messenger of God (PBUH) used to say: The warner is I, and you, O Ali, are the guide of the community.
Al-Asbagh ibn Nubata said: The Commander of the Faithful (may God's blessings be upon him) said concerning the word of God, «Have you not seen those who exchanged the favour of God for ingratitude?»: He said: We are the favour of God with which God has favoured His servants. (Tafsir al-Ayyashi, vol. 2, p. 229)
The Commander of the Faithful (AS) said: What is meant by "favour" in the verse "Have you not seen those who exchanged the favour of God for ingratitude?" is us. We are God's favour upon the people, yet they show ingratitude toward us.
Amr ibn Uthman said: Ali (AS) came out to his companions while they were discussing manliness (muruwwa), and he said: Where are you? Have you forgotten what is in the Book of God, when it has mentioned this? They said: O Commander of the Faithful, in what place? He said: In His words, «Indeed God commands justice, kindness, and giving to kinsfolk, and forbids indecency and wrong.» Justice is fairness, and kindness is generosity beyond what is due. (Tafsir al-Ayyashi, vol. 2, p. 267)
The Commander of the Faithful (AS) came upon his companions while they were talking about humanity and chivalry. He said: It is defined precisely in the Book of God: «Indeed God commands justice, kindness, and giving to kinsfolk, and forbids indecency and wrong.» What is meant by justice is fairness, and what is meant by kindness is bounty.
Abdullah ibn Maymun, from Abu Abdillah (AS), from his father Ali ibn Abi Talib (may God's blessings be upon him), said: When a man swears by God, he may make the exception [saying "if God wills"] up to forty days. That is because a group of the Jews asked the Prophet (PBUH) about something, and he said, "Come to me tomorrow and I will inform you," and he did not make the exception. So Gabriel (AS) was withheld from him for forty days; then he came to him and said: «And never say of anything, "I shall do that tomorrow," without [adding], "if God wills." And remember your Lord when you forget.» (Tafsir al-Ayyashi, vol. 2, p. 324)
The Commander of the Faithful (AS) said: If someone speaks in absolute terms, then for up to forty days, if he remembers, he may say "if God wills" and it will be accepted from him. A group of the Jews put a question to the Prophet (PBUH) and he said: Come to us tomorrow for the answer — and he did not say "if God wills." Therefore Gabriel did not come to him for forty days; then he came and said: And never say, "I shall do such a thing tomorrow," unless you say "if God wills"; and remember your Lord whenever you recall [Qur'an 18:24]. That is, the period allowed for saying "if God wills" extends up to forty days.
The Commander of the Faithful (AS) said: A man's self-admiration is proof of the weakness of his intellect. (al-Kafi, vol. 1, p. 27)
The Commander of the Faithful (AS) said: A man's conceit is proof of his feeble understanding.