Ali (AS) was asked: Is it more pleasing to you that one perform the ablution from the water left over from the ablution of the community of Muslims, or that one perform it from a white, covered vessel? He said: No, rather from the water left over from the ablution of the community of Muslims; for the dearest of your religion to God is the upright, generous, easy way. (Man La Yahduruhu al-Faqih, vol. 1, p. 12)
The Commander of the Faithful (AS) was asked: Is it better in your view to perform the ablution from the water of a basin that the Muslims use for their ablutions and washing, or from a small, spotlessly clean, covered (untouched) vessel? He said: No, rather it is better from the very basin from which the Muslims perform their ablutions. For the best and most beloved religion in God's sight is the upright creed (hanif), which is both free of excess and deficiency and also easy.
The Commander of the Faithful (AS) said: The opening of the prayer is the ablution; what makes it inviolable is the takbir; and what releases from it is the salutation of peace. (Man La Yahduruhu al-Faqih, vol. 1, p. 33)
The Commander of the Faithful (AS) said: The opening of the prayer is the ablution, and what renders it inviolable is the takbir (which is therefore called takbirat al-ihram, meaning that until the takbirat al-ihram has been pronounced any action is permissible), and what releases from it is the salutation of peace (after which the actions previously forbidden become permissible again).
The Commander of the Faithful (AS) said: Had I not seen the Messenger of God (PBUH) wipe the tops of his feet, I would have thought that their undersides were more deserving of wiping than their tops. (Man La Yahduruhu al-Faqih, vol. 1, p. 47)
The Commander of the Faithful (AS) said: Had I not seen that the Messenger of God (PBUH) wiped the tops of his feet in his ablution, I would have said that the soles of the feet (which are dirtier) ought to be wiped and washed.
The Commander of the Faithful (AS) said: Your mouths are pathways of the Qur'an, so purify them with the toothstick. (Man La Yahduruhu al-Faqih, vol. 1, p. 53)
The Commander of the Faithful (AS) said: Your mouth is the pathway of the Qur'an; keep it clean with the toothstick.
The Commander of the Faithful (AS) said: I do not mind whether it was urine or water that touched me, so long as I do not know. (Man La Yahduruhu al-Faqih, vol. 1, p. 72)
The Commander of the Faithful (AS) said: Unless I know for certain, it makes no difference to me whether it was urine or water that was splashed on me. (That is, I take purity as the governing presumption until I know with certainty that something has been rendered impure.)
Salman the Persian, God's mercy be upon him, asked the Commander of the Faithful (AS) about the sustenance of a child in its mother's womb. He said: God, Blessed and Exalted, withholds the menstrual blood from her and makes it the child's sustenance in its mother's womb. (Man La Yahduruhu al-Faqih, vol. 1, p. 91)
Salman the Persian — God's mercy be upon him — asked the Commander of the Faithful (AS) about the sustenance of a child in its mother's womb. He said: The very menstrual blood that God withholds during the days of pregnancy is the child's sustenance.
The Commander of the Faithful (AS) said: What an excellent house is the bathhouse: in it the Fire is called to mind, and it removes filth. (Man La Yahduruhu al-Faqih, vol. 1, p. 115)
The Commander of the Faithful (AS) said: What a good thing the bathhouse is; it brings Hell to mind and also scours away a person's grime.
The Commander of the Faithful (AS) said: When death comes to the believer, the Angel of Death holds him firm; were it not for that, he would not be still. (Man La Yahduruhu al-Faqih, vol. 1, p. 135)
The Commander of the Faithful (AS) said: When the believer's hour of death arrives, he is stilled and made calm by the Angel of Death. Were the Angel of Death not to do this, the dying person would never be at rest.
The Commander of the Faithful (AS) said: I guarantee Paradise for six: a man who goes out with alms and dies — Paradise is his; a man who goes out to visit a sick person and dies — Paradise is his; a man who goes out as a fighter in the way of God and dies — Paradise is his; a man who goes out on pilgrimage and dies — Paradise is his; a man who goes out to the Friday prayer and dies — Paradise is his; and a man who goes out in the funeral procession of a Muslim and dies — Paradise is his. (Man La Yahduruhu al-Faqih, vol. 1, p. 140)
The Commander of the Faithful (AS) said: For six persons I guarantee Paradise: a man who takes out an obligatory or voluntary alms to deliver it to those entitled to it and dies in that state — he shall enter Paradise. Next, one who leaves his house to visit a sick person and dies on the way — Paradise is likewise due to him. Next, one who leaves his house for struggle in the way of God and passes away. Next, one who sets out with the intention of the pilgrimage to the House of God and dies. And one who leaves his house to perform the Friday prayer and passes away — he too shall enter Paradise. And finally, one who leaves his house to accompany a funeral procession and attend the burial of a Muslim, and dies in that state.
The Commander of the Faithful (AS) said: Whoever frequents the mosques will attain one of eight things: a brother gained for the sake of God, Mighty and Majestic; or some rare knowledge; or a firmly established verse; or an awaited mercy; or a word that turns him back from ruin; or he hears a word that guides him to right guidance; or he abandons a sin out of fear or out of shame. (Man La Yahduruhu al-Faqih, vol. 1, p. 237)
The Commander of the Faithful (AS) said: Whoever makes a habit of going to the mosque in his life will gain one of these eight things: a worthy brother for the sake of God; or some remarkable knowledge; or a firmly established verse that will make him steadfast on the path of truth; or a mercy from God that was awaiting him; or a word or saying that keeps him from evil; or hearing a sentence that guides him to the way of good and salvation; or abandoning a sin out of fear of God or out of shame.
The Commander of the Faithful (AS) said: Do not wear black, for it is the garb of Pharaoh. (Man La Yahduruhu al-Faqih, vol. 1, p. 251)
The Commander of the Faithful (AS) said: Do not wear black, for it was the garment of Pharaoh.
The Messenger of God (PBUH) said: The caller to prayer has, for what lies between the adhan and the iqama, a reward like that of the martyr who is weltering in his blood in the way of God, Mighty and Majestic. So Ali (AS) said: Then people will come to blows over the call to prayer. He said: By no means. A time will come upon people when they will cast the call to prayer upon their weak ones; and that is flesh which God has forbidden to the Fire. (Man La Yahduruhu al-Faqih, vol. 1, p. 283)
The Messenger of God (PBUH) said: The caller to prayer has, in the interval between the adhan and the iqama, a reward like that of a martyr who has rolled in his own blood in the way of God, Mighty and Majestic. Then the Commander of the Faithful (AS) said: With so immense a reward as you describe, surely people will come to blows and quarrel with one another over the call to prayer? The Prophet (PBUH) said: No, that will never be so; rather a time will come upon people when they will make light of the call to prayer and, out of disdain, cast its duty upon the destitute and the weak — and it is precisely these weak ones who will be the people of Paradise.
The Commander of the Faithful (AS) said: The last thing upon which I parted from the beloved of my heart (PBUH) was that he said: O Ali, when you lead the prayer, pray the prayer of the weakest of those behind you; and never appoint a caller to prayer who takes a wage for his call. (Man La Yahduruhu al-Faqih, vol. 1, p. 283)
The Commander of the Faithful (AS) said: The last words after which I parted from the beloved of my heart, the Messenger of God (PBUH), were these: O Ali, when you lead the prayer, pray in a manner suited to the condition of the weakest of those praying behind you; and never choose a caller to prayer who will demand a wage for pronouncing the call.
The Commander of the Faithful (AS) said: Whoever prays with both the adhan and the iqama, two rows of angels pray behind him whose two ends cannot be seen; and whoever prays with the iqama alone, one angel prays behind him. (Man La Yahduruhu al-Faqih, vol. 1, p. 287)
The Commander of the Faithful (AS) said: Whoever performs the prayer with both the adhan and the iqama, two rows of angels stand in prayer behind him, so long that the two ends of the rows cannot be seen; and whoever prays with the iqama alone has only a single angel praying behind him.
The Commander of the Faithful (AS) said: When one of you has finished the prayer, let him raise his hands toward heaven and devote himself earnestly to supplication. (Man La Yahduruhu al-Faqih, vol. 1, p. 325)
The Commander of the Faithful (AS) said: When you finish the prayer, raise your hands toward heaven and supplicate.
The Commander of the Faithful (AS) said: The eve of Friday is a radiant night and its day is a luminous day. Whoever dies on the eve of Friday, God writes for him a release from the pressure of the grave; and whoever dies on Friday, God writes for him a release from the Fire. (Man La Yahduruhu al-Faqih, vol. 1, p. 423)
The Commander of the Faithful (AS) said: The eve of Friday is a luminous night and Friday is a radiant, shining day. Whoever passes away on the eve of Friday, [God] writes for him acquittal and release from the pressure of the grave; and whoever departs this world on Friday, God Most High records and decrees for him distance and acquittal from the Fire and from Hell.
The Commander of the Faithful (AS) said: When you board a ship and it is under way, then pray while seated. (Man La Yahduruhu al-Faqih, vol. 1, p. 459)
The Commander of the Faithful (AS) said: When you travel by ship (in our own day, by aeroplane, or even by train or bus), perform your prayer seated right where you are.
And al-Sadiq (AS) said: On the day of Siffin the people missed, along with Ali (AS), the noon, afternoon, sunset, and night prayers; so he commanded them, and they pronounced the takbir, the tahlil, and the tasbih, whether on foot or mounted. (Man La Yahduruhu al-Faqih, vol. 1, p. 467)
Imam al-Sadiq (AS) said: At the Battle of Siffin, when the fighting grew fierce, the noon, afternoon, sunset, and night prayers of the companions of the Commander of the Faithful (AS) were missed. So, by his command, they pronounced the takbir, the tahlil, and the tasbih, whether on foot or mounted (and he did not order them to make up their prayers; rather these invocations were recited in place of the prayer).
The Commander of the Faithful (AS) said: When God, Blessed and Exalted, intends to strike the people of the earth with a punishment, He says: Were it not for those who love one another through My majesty, who keep My mosques flourishing, and who seek forgiveness in the hours before dawn — were it not for them, I would have sent down My punishment. (Man La Yahduruhu al-Faqih, vol. 1, p. 473)
The Commander of the Faithful (AS) said: Indeed, whenever God, Blessed and Exalted, wishes to punish the people of the earth, He addresses them saying: Were it not for those who love one another through My majesty, who keep My mosques flourishing and thriving, and who seek forgiveness and pardon in the hours before dawn, I would certainly have sent down My punishment upon the people of the earth.
The Commander of the Faithful (AS) said: Whoever prays a tenth of the night for God, sincerely seeking God's reward, God, Blessed and Exalted, says to His angels: Write down for this servant of Mine good deeds equal in number to all the seeds, leaves, and trees that grew during that night. (Man La Yahduruhu al-Faqih, vol. 1, p. 475)
The Commander of the Faithful (AS) said: Whoever spends a tenth of the night awake in worship, God says to the angels: Record for him a reward equal in number to everything that has grown of the plants during that night.
The Commander of the Faithful (AS) said: Whoever sets out on a journey having with him a staff of bitter almond wood and recites this verse — "And when he turned his face toward Midian, he said: It may be that my Lord will guide me to the even path" — up to the words of God, Mighty and Majestic: "And God is Guardian over what we say" — God, Mighty and Majestic, will keep him safe from every ravening beast, every transgressing thief, and every venomous creature until he returns to his family and his home; and seventy-seven of the guardian angels will accompany him, seeking forgiveness for him until he returns and sets the staff down. (Man La Yahduruhu al-Faqih, vol. 2, p. 270)
The Commander of the Faithful (AS) said: Whoever sets out on a journey with a staff of bitter almond wood in his hand and recites this verse — "And when he turned his face toward Midian, he said: It may be that my Lord will guide me to the even path" [Qur'an 28:22], up to the words of God, Mighty and Majestic: "And God is Guardian over what we say" [Qur'an 28:28] — God, Mighty and Majestic, keeps him safe from every man-eating beast of prey, every transgressing thief, and every venomous creature, until he returns to his family. And seventy-seven angels from among the angels appointed in turn to guard him accompany him, seeking forgiveness for him, until he returns from his journey and lays the staff down.
From al-Asbagh ibn Nubata, who said: I held the stirrup for the Commander of the Faithful (AS) as he was about to mount, and he raised his head and then smiled. I said: O Commander of the Faithful, I saw you raise your head and smile. He said: Yes, O Asbagh. I once held the stirrup for the Messenger of God (PBUH) just as you have held it for me, and he raised his head toward heaven and smiled. I asked him just as you have asked me, and I shall tell you as he told me. I held the grey mare for the Messenger of God (PBUH), and he raised his head toward heaven and smiled. I said: O Messenger of God, you raised your head toward heaven and smiled. He said: O Ali, there is no one who mounts what God has bestowed upon him, then recites the Verse of Subjection, then says: "I seek forgiveness of God, other than whom there is no god, the Living, the Self-Subsisting, and I turn to Him in repentance. O God, forgive me my sins, for none forgives sins but You" — but that the Generous Lord says: O My angels, My servant knows that none forgives sins but Me; bear witness that I have forgiven him his sins. (Man La Yahduruhu al-Faqih, vol. 2, p. 272)
It is related from al-Asbagh ibn Nubata that he said: I held the stirrup for the Commander of the Faithful (AS) as he was about to mount. He raised his head and a smile came to his lips. So I said: O Commander of the Faithful, I saw you raise your head and smile! He said: Yes, O Asbagh. Just as you have held the stirrup for me, so I once held it for the Messenger of God (PBUH); and he raised his head toward heaven and smiled, and I asked him the secret of this just as you have, and now I shall tell you just as he told me: I held the reins of the grey mare for the Messenger of God. He raised his head toward heaven and smiled. I said: How is it that you raised your head toward heaven and smiled? He said: O Ali, there is no one who mounts a steed that God has granted him, then recites the Verse of Subjection, and then says: "I seek forgiveness of the God besides whom there is no deity: the Living, the Sustainer of life and of the living. And I turn to Him in repentance. O God, forgive me my sins, for none but You forgives sins" — but that the Great and Generous God says: O angels, bear witness that I have this very moment forgiven him his sins.
The Commander of the Faithful (AS) said, concerning riding animals: Do not strike their faces and do not curse them, for God, Mighty and Majestic, has cursed the one who curses them. (Man La Yahduruhu al-Faqih, vol. 2, p. 287)
The Commander of the Faithful (AS) said: Never strike animals on the face, and do not hurl abuse at them, for God has cursed the one who curses them.
The Commander of the Faithful (AS) said, concerning a woman who had vowed to circumambulate on all fours: Let her circumambulate one round of seven for her hands and one round of seven for her feet. (Man La Yahduruhu al-Faqih, vol. 2, p. 521)
Concerning a woman who had vowed to perform the circumambulation on all fours, the Commander of the Faithful (AS) said: Let her circumambulate once (seven circuits) with the intention of her hands, and once with the intention of her feet.
Amir al-Mu'minin (AS) said: A man of my descendants will be killed unjustly with poison in the land of Khurasan. His name is my name, and his father's name is the name of the son of Imran, Musa (AS). Behold, whoever visits him in his exile, God, Mighty and Majestic, will forgive him his sins, those that came before and those that came after, even were they as many as the number of the stars, the drops of rain, and the leaves of the trees. (Man la Yahduruhu al-Faqih, vol. 2, p. 584)
Amir al-Mu'minin (AS) said: A man of my descendants, whose name is my name and whose father's name is the name of the son of Imran, Musa (AS), will be killed unjustly with poison in the land of Khurasan. Know that whoever visits him in his exile, God, Mighty and Majestic, will forgive him his sins, both the old and the recent, even if those sins were as many as the number of the stars, the drops of rain, and the leaves of the trees.
Amir al-Mu'minin (AS) said: The Messenger of God (PBUH) said to me: When two men bring a dispute before you, do not judge in favour of the first until you have heard the other; for when you do this, the right judgement will become clear to you. Ever after that I was a judge. And the Prophet (PBUH) prayed for me: O God, grant him understanding of judgement. (Man la Yahduruhu al-Faqih, vol. 3, p. 13)
Amir al-Mu'minin (AS) said: The Messenger of God (PBUH) instructed me that whenever two men ask you to judge between them, do not hasten to give judgement until you have heard the case of the second one as well. For when you do so, the matter becomes clear to you and you know what ruling you must give. Amir al-Mu'minin (AS) said: After this instruction, the work of judging became very easy for me, and no case in this field ever appeared difficult to me. The Messenger of God (PBUH) also prayed for me: O God, grant him understanding of judgement.
Amir al-Mu'minin (AS) said to Shurayh: O Shurayh, do not whisper with anyone in your court session, and when you become angry, rise from your seat, and never give judgement while you are angry. (Man la Yahduruhu al-Faqih, vol. 3, p. 14)
Amir al-Mu'minin (AS) said to Shurayh the judge: O Shurayh, in the court session do not speak to anyone in a whisper; and whenever something upsets you and you become angry, rise from your place, and do not judge while in a state of anger and wrath.
Amir al-Mu'minin (AS) said: When the father embraces Islam, he draws the child along to Islam. (Man la Yahduruhu al-Faqih, vol. 3, p. 152)
Amir al-Mu'minin (AS) said: A father who is a Muslim ordinarily draws his children toward Islam.
Amir al-Mu'minin (AS) said: Indeed God, Blessed and Exalted, loves the trustworthy craftsman. (Man la Yahduruhu al-Faqih, vol. 3, p. 158)
Amir al-Mu'minin (AS) said: One who has a trade, if he is honest in it, is beloved of God.
I saw Abu al-Hasan (AS) working on a piece of land of his, and his feet were soaked in sweat. I said to him: May I be your ransom, where are the workmen? He said: O Ali, one who was better than I and better than my father worked with his own hand on his land. I asked him: Who was he? He said: The Messenger of God (PBUH), and Amir al-Mu'minin, and all my forefathers (AS) worked with their own hands; and this is the work of the prophets, the messengers, and the righteous. (Man la Yahduruhu al-Faqih, vol. 3, p. 162)
The narrator said: I saw Musa ibn Ja'far (AS) working in a field, with sweat pouring from his legs. I said: May I be your ransom, where then are the labourers, that you should toil like this? He said: O so-and-so, one who was higher in rank than I and than my father used to work on his land with his own hand. I asked: Whom do you mean? He said: The Messenger of God (PBUH), and Amir al-Mu'minin (AS), and all my forefathers (AS) worked with their own hands; and this is the work of all the prophets, the messengers, and the righteous servants of God.
It is related from them (AS): Amir al-Mu'minin (AS) would go out in the midday heat to attend to a need that had already been taken care of for him, wishing that God, the Exalted, should see him wearying himself in the pursuit of lawful earnings. (Man la Yahduruhu al-Faqih, vol. 3, p. 163)
The Infallible said: Amir al-Mu'minin (AS) would go out in the severest heat to attend to a need that others could have taken care of; but his purpose in doing it himself and not leaving it to another was that God should witness that he wearied himself and laboured for his lawful sustenance.
Amir al-Mu'minin (AS) said: Have more hope in that for which you do not hope than in that for which you do hope. For Musa ibn Imran (AS) went out to fetch a firebrand for his family, and God, Mighty and Majestic, spoke with him and he returned a prophet. And the Queen of Sheba went out and embraced Islam with Sulayman (AS). And the sorcerers of Pharaoh went out seeking glory for Pharaoh, and returned as believers. (Man la Yahduruhu al-Faqih, vol. 3, p. 165)
Amir al-Mu'minin (AS) said: Have more hope in what you do not hope for than in what you do hope for. Musa ibn Imran went out to fetch fire so that his family might be warm, yet God spoke with him and he returned a prophet. The Queen of Sheba set out to contend with Sulayman, and she became a Muslim. The sorcerers of Pharaoh sought glory for Pharaoh, yet they all became believers and sought instead his abasement.
Amir al-Mu'minin (AS) said: Whoever is brought a provision by God, Mighty and Majestic, without his having stepped toward it with his foot, or stretched out his hand for it, or spoken of it with his tongue, or girded his garments for it, or exposed himself to it in any way, is among those whom God, Mighty and Majestic, mentioned in His Book: And whoever fears God, He will make for him a way out, and will provide for him from where he does not reckon. (Man la Yahduruhu al-Faqih, vol. 3, p. 166)
Amir al-Mu'minin (AS) said: Whoever receives a portion from God without having stepped toward it with his foot, or stretched out a hand toward it, or uttered a word concerning it, or contrived any scheme for it, or exposed himself to it in any way at all, this is one of the cases of which God has said: And whoever fears God, He will make for him a way out, and will provide for him from where he does not reckon [Qur'an 65:2]. That is, whoever observes the right of God and His commands, God grants him relief and provides for him from where he does not expect.
A man came to Amir al-Mu'minin (AS) and said: O Amir al-Mu'minin, by God, I love you. He said to him: But I dislike you. The man said: And why? He said: Because you seek gain from the call to prayer, and take a wage for teaching the Qur'an. (Man la Yahduruhu al-Faqih, vol. 3, p. 178)
A man came to Amir al-Mu'minin (AS) and declared: O Amir al-Mu'minin, by God, I love you. His Eminence said: But I hold you in dislike. The man asked: Why is that? He said: Because you demand a fee for the call to prayer and take payment for teaching the Qur'an.
Amir al-Mu'minin (AS) said: Beware of debt, for it is grief by night and humiliation by day. (Man la Yahduruhu al-Faqih, vol. 3, p. 182)
Amir al-Mu'minin (AS) said: Beware of borrowing, for it brings sorrow at night and abasement by day.
Amir al-Mu'minin (AS) said: Engage in trade, may God bless you; for I heard the Messenger of God (PBUH) say: Sustenance is ten parts: nine of them are in trade and one in other than it. (Man la Yahduruhu al-Faqih, vol. 3, p. 192)
Amir al-Mu'minin (AS) said: Occupy yourselves with buying and selling, that God may grant you blessing. I heard the Messenger of God (PBUH) say: Sustenance is ten parts; nine parts of it are in trade and one part in other than it.
Amir al-Mu'minin (AS) said: Apply yourselves to trade, for in it is independence for you from what is in the hands of others. (Man la Yahduruhu al-Faqih, vol. 3, p. 193)
Amir al-Mu'minin (AS) said: Do not shun buying and selling, for it is through it that you become independent of other people.
Amir al-Mu'minin (AS) said: I heard the Messenger of God (PBUH) say: Generosity is one of the faces of profit. (Man la Yahduruhu al-Faqih, vol. 3, p. 196)
Amir al-Mu'minin (AS) said: I heard the Messenger of God (PBUH) say: Magnanimity and open-handedness bring profit in dealings.
Amir al-Mu'minin (AS) said: The Prophet (PBUH) passed by a man who had goods with him that he wished to sell, and he said to him: Keep to the first of the market. (Man la Yahduruhu al-Faqih, vol. 3, p. 196)
Amir al-Mu'minin (AS) said: The Messenger of God (PBUH) came upon someone who had brought something to the market to sell, and he said to him: The first of the market!
We say: Perhaps what is meant is taking the first customer; or that the front of the market is, in terms of place, the more thriving part; or perhaps the time of the opening of trading is what is intended.
Amir al-Mu'minin (AS) said: Hoarding in times of plenty is forty days, and in times of hardship and affliction three days. Whoever exceeds forty days in a time of plenty is accursed, and whoever exceeds three days in a time of scarcity is accursed. (Man la Yahduruhu al-Faqih, vol. 3, p. 267)
Amir al-Mu'minin (AS) said: Keeping people's foodstuff in storage for more than forty days in a year of plenty, and for more than three days in a year of drought, is hoarding; and whoever exceeds forty days in a year of plenty or three days in a famine, the one who stores it will be accursed.
Amir al-Mu'minin (AS) said: Whoever sells foodstuff has mercy stripped away from him. (Man la Yahduruhu al-Faqih, vol. 3, p. 267)
Amir al-Mu'minin (AS) said: One who sells food to the poor has mercy departing from his heart.
Amir al-Mu'minin (AS) entered the market of the date-sellers, and there was a woman weeping and disputing with a date-seller. He said to her: What is the matter with you? She said: O Amir al-Mu'minin, I bought dates from this man for a dirham, and the bottom of it turned out to be poor, not like what I saw. He said to the man: Give her back her money. The man refused, until he had told him three times, and still he refused; so he struck him with the lash until he returned it to her. And he (AS) disliked that dates should be covered over. (Man la Yahduruhu al-Faqih, vol. 3, p. 270)
Amir al-Mu'minin (AS) went to the market of the date-sellers and saw a woman weeping and quarrelling with a date-seller. He asked: What has happened to you? The woman said: O Amir al-Mu'minin, I bought a bundle of dates from this man for one dirham, and now poor dates have turned up beneath, and what I saw was other than this. His Eminence asked the date-seller to take it back; the man would not accept, until the Imam had repeated it three times and still he refused. The Imam raised the lash, and then the man agreed to return the price of the dates to the woman. His Eminence (AS) disliked such packaging [that is, mixing fine and poor dates together].
From Salama, from Abu Abd Allah, from his father (AS): Ali (AS) clothed the people in Iraq, and among the garments was a fine robe. Al-Husayn (AS) asked him for it, but he refused. Al-Husayn (AS) said: I will give you two robes in its place. He refused. And he kept offering more until he reached five; then he took them from him and gave him the robe, and placed the robes in his lap and said: I shall certainly take five for one. (Man la Yahduruhu al-Faqih, vol. 3, p. 280)
Salama related from Imam al-Sadiq, from his father (AS), that Amir al-Mu'minin (AS) in Iraq gave each of the soldiers a garment, and among the garments there was a very beautiful robe. Al-Husayn ibn Ali (AS) asked for it, but Amir al-Mu'minin did not agree. Al-Husayn ibn Ali (AS) said: In its place I will give two robes. He did not accept, and Imam al-Husayn kept adding robe upon robe until it reached five robes. Then Amir al-Mu'minin (AS) accepted, and gave the robe to al-Husayn (AS) and placed the others in his lap and said: Yes, I shall take five in place of one.
Amir al-Mu'minin (AS) said: Beware of found property, for it is the lost property of a believer, and it is a flame from the flames of Hell. (Man la Yahduruhu al-Faqih, vol. 3, p. 292)
Amir al-Mu'minin (AS) said: Beware of property that has been found and whose owner is unknown, for it is a tongue of flame from the flames of Hell.
A Nawruz gift was brought to Ali (AS), and he (AS) said: What is this? They said: O Amir al-Mu'minin, today is Nawruz. He (AS) said: Make every day a Nawruz for us. And it is narrated that he (AS) said: Our Nawruz is every day. (Man la Yahduruhu al-Faqih, vol. 3, p. 300)
A gift was brought to Amir al-Mu'minin (AS). He asked: On what occasion is this? They said: On the occasion of Nawruz. He said: Would that every day were Nawruz! And it is narrated that one day he said: Every day is like Nawruz for us.
Amir al-Mu'minin (AS) said: Visit the one who does not visit you, and give a gift to the one who gives no gift to you. (Man la Yahduruhu al-Faqih, vol. 3, p. 300)
Amir al-Mu'minin (AS) said: Go to visit one who has not come to visit you, and give a gift to one who has given you no gift.
Amir al-Mu'minin (AS) forbade the hunting of pigeons in the towns. (Man la Yahduruhu al-Faqih, vol. 3, p. 321)
Amir al-Mu'minin (AS) forbade the hunting of the pigeons of the town.
Amir al-Mu'minin (AS) said: Fear God with regard to what He has bestowed upon you, and with regard to the mute creatures among your possessions. It was said to him: And what are the mute ones? He said: The sheep, the cow, the pigeon, and their like. (Man la Yahduruhu al-Faqih, vol. 3, p. 349)
Amir al-Mu'minin (AS) said: Observe what is due to God in what He has granted you, and especially with regard to the tongueless blessings. They asked: What are these tongueless blessings? He said: The domestic animals that live with you, such as the sheep, the cow, the pigeon, and the like.
Amir al-Mu'minin (AS) said: The rustling of the pigeons' wings truly drives away the satans. (Man la Yahduruhu al-Faqih, vol. 3, p. 350)
Amir al-Mu'minin (AS) said: The sound of the beating of a pigeon's wings puts the satans to flight.
Amir al-Mu'minin (AS) said: I guarantee for whoever pronounces the name of God over his food that he will not suffer harm from it. Ibn al-Kawwa said: O Amir al-Mu'minin, last night I ate food and pronounced the name of God over it, and then it hurt me. Amir al-Mu'minin (AS) said: You ate various kinds, and you pronounced the name over some of them and did not pronounce it over others, you fool. (Man la Yahduruhu al-Faqih, vol. 3, p. 355)
Amir al-Mu'minin (AS) said: I guarantee for anyone who says Bismillah when he eats his food that the food will bring him no harm or injury. Ibn al-Kawwa (who was the chief of the pietists among the Kharijites of Nahrawan and always objected to Amir al-Mu'minin (AS)) said: O Ali, last night I ate food and said Bismillah, and it caused me pain. Amir al-Mu'minin (AS) said: You ate various foods, and over some you said Bismillah and over some you did not. You dolt!
Amir al-Mu'minin (AS) said: Swear by God falsely, and save your brother from being killed. (Man la Yahduruhu al-Faqih, vol. 3, p. 374)
Amir al-Mu'minin (AS) said: Swear by God falsely, if need be, so as to save your innocent brother from death.
Amir al-Mu'minin (AS) said: There will appear at the end of time, as the Hour draws near, and it is the worst of times, women unveiled and stripped bare, flaunting their adornment, departing from religion, plunging into discords, inclining to lusts, hastening to pleasures, deeming forbidden things lawful, abiding forever in Hell. (Man la Yahduruhu al-Faqih, vol. 3, p. 390)
Amir al-Mu'minin (AS) said: At the end of time, near the Resurrection, there will appear women who are unveiled and bare, who adorn themselves for other than their husbands, who abandon religion, who plunge into turmoils, who are given over to lusts and sexual matters, who rush toward pleasures and indulgence, who deem lawful what God has forbidden, and who enter into the Fire.
Amir al-Mu'minin (AS) said: Every man who is governed by a woman is accursed. (Man la Yahduruhu al-Faqih, vol. 3, p. 468)
Amir al-Mu'minin (AS) said: Any man over whom a woman rides is accursed.
Amir al-Mu'minin (AS) said: In opposing them is blessing. (Man la Yahduruhu al-Faqih, vol. 3, p. 468)
Amir al-Mu'minin (AS) said: In going against a woman there is blessing.
In the narration of al-Sakuni: Ali (AS) passed by an animal with a male mounting it in the middle of the road, and he turned his face away from it. (Man la Yahduruhu al-Faqih, vol. 3, p. 473)
In the narration of al-Sakuni it is related that Amir al-Mu'minin (AS) was passing a place where a male animal had mounted a female, and His Eminence turned his face away out of modesty.
Amir al-Mu'minin (AS) said, concerning the illness that befalls a child: It is an expiation for its parents. (Man la Yahduruhu al-Faqih, vol. 3, p. 482)
Amir al-Mu'minin (AS) said: A child's illness is an expiation for the deeds of its father and mother. (We say: that is, it becomes a means of purifying them from sins and heedlessness.)
A man among the companions of Amir al-Mu'minin (AS) complained about his womenfolk, so he (AS) rose to address the people and said: O assembly of people, do not obey women under any circumstance, and do not entrust them with property, and do not leave them to manage the affairs of the household; for if they are left to what they wish, they lead into ruin and transgress the command of the Master. Indeed, we have found them to have no restraint at the time of their need and no patience at the time of their desire. Extravagance clings to them even when they grow old, and self-admiration attaches to them even when they are frail. They are not grateful for much when they are denied a little. They forget good and remember evil. They fall headlong into slander, they persist in insolence, and they lay themselves open to Satan. So bear with them in every circumstance, and speak well to them, that perhaps they may act well. (Man la Yahduruhu al-Faqih, vol. 3, p. 554)
A man among the companions of Amir al-Mu'minin (AS) had a complaint about his wives. The Commander (AS) rose and addressed the people, saying: O company of people, do not in any way follow your wives, do not entrust property to them, and do not give them charge over the affairs of life so that they take the management of the family into their hands. For if you leave them free to their own desires, they will bring themselves and their households to ruin and transgress the command of God. Indeed, we have found them without restraint when they need something, and lacking patience and steadfastness when desire stirs in them. Pride and self-importance are their disposition, even to old age. Self-satisfaction and self-love are their way, however weak they may be. If they are denied some small thing, they will show no gratitude for the great deal they have not been denied. They forget acts of kindness and store up wrongs in memory. They debase themselves by casting slander, and in corruption and injustice they are rebellious and unrestrained. They place themselves at the disposal of Satan on account of the caprices they conceive. So you, O husbands, always deal gently with them, and speak to them with a soft tongue, that perhaps they may be set right and perform their tasks well and carefully.
Amir al-Mu'minin (AS) said: If you are able not to give a woman authority over any affair beyond her own person, then do so; for that is more lasting for her beauty, more restful for her mind, and better for her condition. For a woman is a sweet basil and not a steward, so bear with her in every circumstance, and keep good company with her, that your life may be pure. (Man la Yahduruhu al-Faqih, vol. 3, p. 556)
Amir al-Mu'minin (AS) said: If you are able not to give your wife authority except in matters that concern her own self, then do just that. For this is better for her beauty and dignity, and for her peace of mind, and for the ease of her condition; because a woman resembles a sprig of sweet basil, very delicate and easily hurt, and she is not a champion or a warrior. Always treat her with gentleness and forbearance, and keep company with her with a pleasant tongue and an open face, so that your life together may pass in calm and serenity.
Amir al-Mu'minin (AS) said: Whoever walks to a person of innovation and honours him has striven for the demolition of Islam. (Man la Yahduruhu al-Faqih, vol. 3, p. 572)
Amir al-Mu'minin (AS) said: Whoever goes to a man of innovation, that is, one who introduces innovations into religion, and shows him honour, has as it were laboured for the destruction of Islam.
Amir al-Mu'minin (AS) went out with Shurahah al-Hamdaniyya, and the people, from the crush of the crowd, were nearly killing one another. When he saw this, he ordered that she be taken back until the throng thinned out; then she was brought out and the door was shut. He said: They stoned her until she died. Then he ordered the door to be opened, and it was opened. He said: Everyone who came in began to curse her. When he saw this, his herald called out: O people, hold your tongues from her, for no prescribed penalty is carried out but that it is an expiation for that sin, just as a debt is settled by the payment of the debt. (Man la Yahduruhu al-Faqih, vol. 4, p. 25)
Amir al-Mu'minin (AS) came out for the stoning of Shurahah al-Hamdaniyya. A great many people had gathered, and the crush was such that some were on the point of crushing others to death. When His Eminence saw this, he commanded that she be taken back into the house until the crowd had dispersed and the crush had subsided. Then she was brought out into the courtyard of the house, and the door of the house was shut, and she was stoned until she gave up her life. Afterwards he said: The door was opened and the people came in, and everyone who arrived loosed his tongue in cursing the one who had been stoned. When His Eminence saw this, he ordered the herald to proclaim: O company of people, restrain your evil tongues from this person. For whoever has God's prescribed penalty carried out upon him, that penalty is itself the expiation of his sin in this world, just as a debt is settled against a debt.
In the narration of al-Sakuni: Three men testified against a man that he had committed fornication. Ali (AS) said: Where is the fourth? They said: He is coming now. He (AS) said: Apply the penalty to them, for in the prescribed penalties there is no waiting even an hour. (Man la Yahduruhu al-Faqih, vol. 4, p. 34)
In the narration of al-Sakuni from Imam al-Sadiq (AS) it is related that three men testified before Amir al-Mu'minin (AS) against a certain person, accusing him of fornication. His Eminence said: Where is the fourth? They said: He is coming now. His Eminence ordered that the three witnesses be given the penalty for false accusation, and said: In a prescribed penalty there is no delay.
In the narration of al-Sakuni: A man was brought to Ali (AS) who had incurred a prescribed penalty, and there were many sores on his body. Ali (AS) said: Leave him be until he recovers; do not reopen his wounds and so kill him. (Man la Yahduruhu al-Faqih, vol. 4, p. 38)
In the narration of al-Sakuni from Imam al-Sadiq (AS), from his forefathers (AS), it is related thus: A man who had committed an offence incurring a prescribed penalty was brought before Amir al-Mu'minin (AS), while his body bore wounds from pox. The Imam (AS) said: Detain him until the wounds of his body heal, and meanwhile do not tear open his wounds with the strokes of the lash, so that you kill him.
From Jabir, tracing it back: Al-Najashi al-Harithi the poet was brought to Amir al-Mu'minin (AS), having drunk wine during the month of Ramadan. He gave him eighty lashes, then imprisoned him for a night, then summoned him the next day and gave him twenty lashes. He said: O Amir al-Mu'minin, you gave me eighty lashes for drinking wine; what are these twenty? He said: This is for your audacity in drinking wine during the month of Ramadan. (Man la Yahduruhu al-Faqih, vol. 4, p. 55)
In a narration, Jabir al-Ju'fi related that a poet named al-Najashi al-Harithi was brought before Amir al-Mu'minin (AS), and he had drunk wine in the month of Ramadan. His Eminence gave him eighty lashes and detained him for one night, and the next morning summoned him and gave him twenty more lashes. The man said: O Amir al-Mu'minin, last night you gave me eighty lashes for drinking wine; what were these other twenty lashes for? He said: For this insolence, that you committed this forbidden and unseemly act in the month of Ramadan.
A man came to Amir al-Mu'minin (AS) and confessed to theft. Amir al-Mu'minin (AS) said to him: Do you recite anything of the Book of God, Mighty and Majestic? He said: Yes, Surat al-Baqara. He said: I have granted your hand to Surat al-Baqara. Al-Ash'ath said: Do you suspend one of the prescribed penalties of God, the Exalted? He said: And what do you know of this? When the proof is established, the Imam has no right to pardon; but when a man confesses against himself, that rests with the Imam: if he wishes he pardons, and if he wishes he amputates. (Man la Yahduruhu al-Faqih, vol. 4, p. 62)
A man came before Amir al-Mu'minin (AS) and confessed that he had committed theft. His Eminence asked him: Can you recite anything of the Qur'an? He said: Yes, I recite Surat al-Baqara from memory. He said: I have forgiven you for the sake of that sura. Al-Ash'ath ibn Qays asked: Do you leave one of God's prescribed penalties unenforced? He said: What do you know of it? Whenever the proof is established that he has stolen, that is, when the crime is proved by the testimony of witnesses, the Imam has no right of pardon; but if the man himself confesses, that depends on the Imam's judgement: if he wishes, he pardons, and if he does not wish, he does not.
Amir al-Mu'minin (AS) said: Indeed God, Blessed and Exalted, has set limits, so do not transgress them; and He has ordained obligations, so do not fall short of them; and He has kept silent about certain things, and He did not keep silent about them out of forgetfulness, so do not burden yourselves with them: it is a mercy from God to you, so accept it. (Man la Yahduruhu al-Faqih, vol. 4, p. 75)
Amir al-Mu'minin (AS) said: Truly God, Blessed and Exalted, has ordained the limits; do not transgress them. And He has made certain acts obligatory; do not leave them deficient and incomplete. And He has left certain matters without a ruling, and this is not out of forgetfulness but out of wisdom, so do not put yourselves to trouble over them. He has left them without a ruling out of mercy and kindness toward you, so receive His mercy with open arms.
From Abu Abd Allah (AS), who said: In the time of Amir al-Mu'minin (AS) there was a truthful woman called Umm Fattan. A man from among the companions of Ali (AS) came to her and greeted her, and found her distressed. He said to her: Why do I see you distressed? She said: A woman of mine whom I buried, the earth cast her out twice. He said: So I went in to Amir al-Mu'minin (AS) and told him. He said: The earth accepts the Jew and the Christian; what can be the matter with her, unless she is being punished with the punishment of God, Mighty and Majestic? Then he said: Yet if some earth were taken from the grave of a Muslim man and cast upon her grave, it would settle. He said: So I came to Umm Fattan and told her, and she took earth from the grave of a Muslim man and it was cast upon her grave, and it settled. I asked about her, what she used to do, and they said: She was excessively fond of men, and she would continually give birth and cast her child into the oven. (Man la Yahduruhu al-Faqih, vol. 4, p. 98)
Imam al-Sadiq (AS) said: In the time of Amir al-Mu'minin (AS) there was a woman whom they called Umm Fattan. A man among the companions of the Commander (AS) came to her and greeted her, and found her deeply troubled. He said to her: Why do I see you troubled and grieved? The woman said: I had a maidservant, or a friend, who passed away; I buried her twice, and the earth cast her body out. He said: So I went in to Amir al-Mu'minin (AS) and reported it to him. The Imam said: The earth accepts the body of the Jew and the Christian; what has befallen her, that she is seized by such a punishment from God? Then he said: If earth is taken from the grave of a Muslim man and poured upon her grave, the earth will settle and will not thrust her away. He said: I returned to Umm Fattan and informed her. She took a handful of earth from the grave of a Muslim and poured it upon her grave, and the earth did not cast her out. He said: I asked her: What did this woman do that she came to such a state? She said: This woman was greatly fond of men, and she became pregnant again and again, and after giving birth would throw the child into the oven.
Amir al-Mu'minin (AS) said: Eyesight is not to be tested on a cloudy day. (Man la Yahduruhu al-Faqih, vol. 4, p. 134)
Amir al-Mu'minin (AS) said: In a fog, one does not measure a person's power of sight!
Amir al-Mu'minin (AS) said: A bequest should be of a fifth, because God, Mighty and Majestic, was content with a fifth for Himself. And he said: A fifth is moderation, a quarter is strain, and a third is excess. (Man la Yahduruhu al-Faqih, vol. 4, p. 185)
Amir al-Mu'minin (AS) said: A good bequest concerns a fifth of one's property, for God, Mighty and Majestic, was satisfied with a fifth for Himself. And he said: A fifth is moderation and the middle course; a quarter is the utmost exertion; and a bequest of a third is wrongdoing.
Amir al-Mu'minin (AS) said: A woman is not to be appointed as executor, because God, Mighty and Majestic, says: And do not give your property to the feeble-minded. (Man la Yahduruhu al-Faqih, vol. 4, p. 226)
Amir al-Mu'minin (AS) said: A woman is not chosen as executor of a bequest, because God, Mighty and Majestic, says: And do not give your property to the feeble-minded [Qur'an 4:5].
Amir al-Mu'minin (AS) passed by a man who was speaking idle words. He stopped over him and then said: O you, you are dictating to your two recording angels a letter to your Lord; so speak of what concerns you and leave what does not concern you. (Man la Yahduruhu al-Faqih, vol. 4, p. 396)
Amir al-Mu'minin (AS) passed by a man who was uttering fruitless words. He halted, and then said: O man, you are dictating a letter to your Lord by means of the two angels who record your speech. So let your tongue utter words that will profit you, and leave aside words that will not profit you.
Amir al-Mu'minin (AS) said: When the jurists and the sages used to write to one another, they would write three things and no fourth with them: Whoever makes the Hereafter his concern, God suffices him his concern regarding this world; whoever sets right his inner self, God sets right his outward state; and whoever sets right what is between him and God, God sets right what is between him and the people. (Man la Yahduruhu al-Faqih, vol. 3, p. 396)
Amir al-Mu'minin (AS) said: When the jurists and the sages corresponded with one another, they used to write three things, which had no fourth: One whose thought is directed toward the Hereafter, God relieves him of the need to worry over the affairs of this world. One who sets right his inward being, God sets right his outward being. And one who sets right his relationship with God, God sets right his relationship with people.
Amir al-Mu'minin (AS) said: No one afflicted, however great his affliction, is more entitled to supplication than the one in good health who is not safe from affliction. (Man la Yahduruhu al-Faqih, vol. 4, p. 399)
Amir al-Mu'minin (AS) said: No afflicted person, however great his affliction, is more deserving of supplication than one who is at present in good health. For the one who enjoys well-being today is likewise not immune from tomorrow's affliction. (That is, everyone must pray constantly, and supplication made in times of well-being is the capital one draws upon in the day of affliction.)