Muhammad ibn Sinan traced it back to the Commander of the Faithful (AS), who said: Be more concerned that your deeds be accepted than you are with the deeds themselves. (al-Khisal, vol. 1, p. 14)
The Commander of the Faithful (AS) said: Give greater attention to the acceptance of your deeds than to the deeds themselves.
It is reported from Ali ibn al-Husayn ibn Ribat, tracing it back: A man complained to the Commander of the Faithful (AS) of his need. He said to him: Know that whatever you obtain of this world beyond your sustenance, in it you are but a treasurer for someone else. (al-Khisal, vol. 1, p. 16)
Someone complained to the Commander of the Faithful (AS): I have a need that is not being met! The Commander of the Faithful (AS) said: Whatever you receive in this world beyond your sustenance is not yours, and you are only a treasurer for others. So do not take your needs so seriously.
It is reported from Abu Abdillah (AS), who said: I heard my father relate from his father (AS): A man rose before the Commander of the Faithful (AS) and said to him: O Commander of the Faithful, by what means did you come to know your Lord? He said: By the breaking of resolve and the undoing of intention. When I set my mind on something, He came between me and my purpose; and when I resolved upon something, the divine decree ran contrary to my resolve. So I knew that the One who directs affairs is other than myself. He said: And for what did you give thanks for His blessings? He said: I looked at an affliction He had turned away from me and with which He had tried another, and I knew that He had bestowed favour upon me, so I gave Him thanks. He said: And why did you come to love meeting Him? He said: When I saw that He had chosen for me the religion of His angels, His messengers and His prophets, I knew that the One who had honoured me with this would not forget me, and so I came to love meeting Him. (al-Khisal, vol. 1, p. 33)
In the presence of the Commander of the Faithful (AS) a man rose and said: O Commander of the Faithful, by what did you come to know your Lord? He said: By the collapse of resolve and the breaking of purpose. When I set my mind upon a matter, a distance fell between me and my aim, and when I made a decision, the divine decree ran contrary to my decision. Thus I knew that another management is at work. He said: For what reason do you give thanks to God? He said: I looked closely at the afflictions He has kept from me and with which He has tried others, and I knew that God has bestowed favour upon me; so I became grateful to Him. He said: For what reason do you love God? He said: For this reason, that He chose for me the religion of His angels, His messengers and His prophets. So I knew that One who honours me in this way will not forget me, and for that very reason I came to love meeting Him.
It is reported from Abu Abdillah (AS), who said: The Commander of the Faithful (AS) said: The nobility of travel lies in sharing one's provisions freely, in seldom disputing with one's companions, and in abundant remembrance of God, Mighty and Exalted, at every ascent and descent, at every halt, and while standing and sitting. (al-Khisal, vol. 1, p. 54)
The Commander of the Faithful (AS) said: What is right on a journey is to spend on one's fellow travellers, not to quarrel with them, and to remember God abundantly, especially while standing and sitting and while ascending and descending.
It is reported from al-Husayn ibn Ali (AS), who said: The Commander of the Faithful (AS) said: Two things have destroyed people: the fear of poverty and the pursuit of glory. (al-Khisal, vol. 1, p. 68)
The Commander of the Faithful (AS) said: Fear of poverty and the pursuit of worldly honours set a person on a road whose end is usually ruin.
Ahmad ibn Abi Abdillah al-Barqi reported from his father, with his chain of transmission traced back to the Commander of the Faithful (AS), that he said: Two men of this world have broken my back: a man of learned tongue who is corrupt, and a man of ignorant heart who is devout. The one shields his corruption with his tongue, and the other shields his ignorance with his devotion. So beware of the corrupt among scholars and the ignorant among the devout; they are the temptation of everyone who is tempted. For I heard the Messenger of God (PBUH) say: O Ali, the destruction of my community will come at the hands of every hypocrite with a learned tongue. (al-Khisal, vol. 1, p. 69)
The Commander of the Faithful (AS) said: Two kinds of men have broken my back: first, a corrupt scholar who hides his corruption behind his eloquence; and second, one who has not understood the truth of religion and hides his ignorance behind his devotions. So beware of the corrupt scholar and the ignorant devotee! For everyone who has come to ruin has been ruined by one of these two groups. The Messenger of God (PBUH) used to say: The destruction of my community will come at the hands of a hypocrite whose tongue no one can match.
Abu al-Fadl Muhammad ibn Ahmad al-Katib al-Naysaburi, with his chain of transmission traced back to the Commander of the Faithful Ali ibn Abi Talib (AS), reported that he said to his sons: O my sons, beware of enmity with men, for they are of no more than two kinds: an intelligent man who will plot against you, or an ignorant man who will act rashly against you. Speech is male and the reply is female, and when the two are joined, offspring must follow. (al-Khisal, vol. 1, p. 72)
The Commander of the Faithful (AS) counselled his sons and said: As far as you can, be at enmity with no one. For either the other party is intelligent, and in time you will fall victim to his scheming, or he is ignorant, and there and then he will abuse and revile you. A word you speak and the answer you receive are always like a male and a female pair, from which a child must inevitably be born, and it may not be a pleasing one. So be careful in what you say.
It is reported from Abu Abdillah, from his forefathers, from Ali (AS), who said: There are three who cannot obtain justice from three: a noble man from a base one, a forbearing man from a fool, and a righteous man from a wicked one. (al-Khisal, vol. 1, p. 86)
The Commander of the Faithful (AS) said: Three cannot claim their right from three: the noble from the base; the forbearing from the fool; the doer of good from the doer of evil.
It is reported from Ja'far ibn Muhammad, from his father, from his forefathers, from Ali (AS), who said: Good conduct toward those under one's authority subdues enemies. (al-Khisal, vol. 1, p. 91)
The Commander of the Faithful (AS) said: Goodwill and a pleasant manner leave enemies frustrated.
It is reported from Sa'd ibn Tarif, from al-Asbagh ibn Nubata, who said: The Commander of the Faithful (AS) said: Love of women is a trial and it is the sword of Satan; whoever is enamoured of women derives no benefit from his life. (al-Khisal, vol. 1, p. 113)
The Commander of the Faithful (AS) said: Lust for women is the sword of Satan and a trial for a man. Whoever is excessively attached to women sees no good in his life.
With this same chain of transmission, the Commander of the Faithful (AS) said: The intelligent man: religion is his law, forbearance is his nature, and sound judgement is his disposition. If he is asked, he answers; if he speaks, he speaks correctly; if he hears, he takes it in; if he relates something, he tells the truth; and if anyone places trust in him, he keeps faith. (al-Khisal, vol. 1, p. 116)
The Commander of the Faithful (AS) said: The intelligent man has several qualities: he is committed to religion and its law; forbearance is his character; he does not decide without reflection; he gives his opinion only when asked, and when he gives it he strikes the mark; he has a listening ear; he always speaks the truth; and if someone trusts him, he does not break faith or betray him.
It is reported from Abu Abdillah (AS), who said: The Commander of the Faithful (AS) said: Among the counsels Luqman gave his son was this: O my son, let him take heed whose certainty is deficient and whose resolve is weak in seeking sustenance. God, blessed and exalted, created him in three states of his affair and gave him his sustenance, and in none of them had he any earning or contrivance of his own; and God, blessed and exalted, will surely provide for him in the fourth state as well. The first of these was when he was in his mother's womb, where God provided for him in a secure lodging in which neither heat nor cold could harm him. Then He brought him out of it and made sustenance flow to him from his mother's milk, which sufficed him, nourished him and raised him up, without any power or strength of his own. Then he was weaned, and God made sustenance flow to him from the earnings of his parents, through the tenderness and mercy He placed in their hearts, so that they could do nothing else, and in many circumstances they preferred him to themselves. Then, when he grew up, gained understanding and earned for himself, his affairs seemed straitened to him: he thought ill of his Lord, denied the dues owed from his wealth, and was miserly toward himself and his dependants, out of fear that his sustenance would be cut short and out of poor certainty that God, blessed and exalted, would replace it, in this world and the next. What a wretched servant is this, O my son! (al-Khisal, vol. 1, p. 122)
The Commander of the Faithful (AS) said: Luqman counselled his son and said: My son! Let one who is in doubt about God's provision of sustenance and who despairs of God's aiding the one who seeks it consider that God has already managed his affairs for him in three situations and delivered his sustenance while he himself had not even the ability to seek it. Such a God will not forget him now that he has set out to seek his own sustenance, but will provide for him. First, in his mother's womb, where He preserved him from cold and heat and gave him sustenance. Second, He brought him out of there and provided for him from his mother's milk until he became strong and grew. Third, He weaned him and provided for him from the toil of his father and mother, and made their hearts tender toward him, so that in arranging affairs and sustenance they placed him before themselves. Now that such a person has grown up, become sensible, and gone out to work for his living and his provision, why does he fall short in his effort and think ill of his God concerning the granting of sustenance? And why, out of fear of straitened sustenance, does he stint himself and his wife? Such a thought is in no way fitting for a servant of God.
It is reported from al-Harith al-A'war, who said: The Commander of the Faithful (AS) said: There are three things by which a Muslim becomes complete: deep understanding of religion, moderation in managing his livelihood, and patience in misfortunes. (al-Khisal, vol. 1, p. 124)
The Commander of the Faithful (AS) said: A person is complete who possesses these three qualities together: that he be truly learned in religion; that he live his life with a plan; and that he be patient in hardships.
It is reported from Ja'far ibn Muhammad, from his father, from his forefathers, from the Commander of the Faithful (AS), who said: Whoever makes the Hereafter his concern, God will suffice him in his concerns of this world. (al-Khisal, vol. 1, p. 129)
The Commander of the Faithful (AS) said: Whoever's care and concern is the Hereafter, God will take care of his worldly affairs for him.
Sulaym ibn Qays al-Hilali said: I heard the Commander of the Faithful Ali (AS) say: Beware, for the sake of your religion, of three kinds of men. A man who recites the Qur'an until, when you see its radiance upon him, he draws his sword against his neighbour and accuses him of idolatry. I said: O Commander of the Faithful, which of the two is closer to idolatry? He said: The accuser. And a man whom reports have made frivolous, so that whenever a false tale is invented he stretches it out longer still. And a man to whom God, Mighty and Exalted, has given authority, and who claims that obedience to him is obedience to God and disobedience to him is disobedience to God, and he lies; for there is no obedience to a creature in disobedience to the Creator. It is not fitting for a creature that his love should be for disobedience to God; so there is no obedience in disobeying Him, and no obedience is owed to one who disobeys God. Obedience belongs only to God, to His Messenger, and to those charged with authority. God, Mighty and Exalted, commanded obedience to the Messenger only because he is infallible and pure and does not command disobedience to Him, and He commanded obedience to those charged with authority only because they are infallible and pure and do not command disobedience to Him. (al-Khisal, vol. 1, p. 139)
The Commander of the Faithful (AS) said: Fear for your religion from three sorts of men:
One who has learned the Qur'an and become versed in its sciences, and then, once cheerfulness and prosperity have settled upon his face and he has gained a social position, draws his sword against his own neighbour and accuses him of irreligion. The narrator asked: O Commander of the Faithful, which of the two is more deserving of the charge of irreligion? He said: The one who levels the accusation.
Second, a man who is swayed by the ideas of the day, so that whatever nonsense is fabricated, he follows after it and chases along behind it.
Third, a man to whom God has given some power, and who imagines that obedience to him is obedience to God and that disobedience to him is disobedience to God. But it is not so, for in sinning against God no creature may be obeyed, and no creature should be so cherished that one becomes attached to sin for his sake. Thus one must neither obey anyone in an act of disobedience to God, nor submit to the command of a sinner; obedience is due to God alone, to His Messenger, and to the Messenger's successors. That God commanded obedience to the Prophet is because the Prophet is infallible and does not command disobedience to God; and that obedience was commanded to the Prophet's successors is because they too are infallible and never command anything that displeases God.
From Isma'il al-Suddi, from 'Abd Khayr, who said: Ali (AS) had four rings which he used to wear: a ruby for its nobility, a turquoise for its aid in victory, Chinese steel for strength, and a carnelian as an amulet of protection. The engraving of the ruby was: 'There is no god but God, the Sovereign, the Manifest Truth'; the engraving of the turquoise: 'God, the Sovereign, the Truth'; the engraving of the Chinese steel: 'All might belongs to God'; and the engraving of the carnelian was in three lines: 'What God wills; there is no power save through God; I seek God's forgiveness.' (al-Khisal, vol. 1, p. 199)
The narrator says: Ali (AS) had four rings: a ruby for intellect and forbearance; a turquoise for victory; Chinese steel for strength; and a carnelian as an amulet for protection. The engraving of the ruby was 'La ilaha illa'llah al-Malik al-Haqq al-Mubin' (There is no god but God, the Sovereign, the Manifest Truth); the engraving of the turquoise, 'Allah al-Malik al-Haqq' (God, the Sovereign, the Truth); the engraving of the Chinese steel, 'al-'Izzatu li'llahi jami'an' (All might belongs to God); and the engraving of the carnelian, in three lines: 'Ma sha'a'llah' (What God wills), 'La quwwata illa bi'llah' (There is no power save through God), 'Astaghfiru'llah' (I seek God's forgiveness).
From al-Asbagh ibn Nubata, who said: The Commander of the Faithful, Ali ibn Abi Talib (AS), said to his son al-Hasan (AS): My son, shall I not teach you four traits by which you will have no need of medicine? He said: Yes indeed, O Commander of the Faithful. He said: Do not sit down to food unless you are hungry; do not rise from food while you still have an appetite for it; chew your food well; and when you are about to sleep, present yourself at the privy. If you practise this, you will have no need of medicine. (al-Khisal, vol. 1, p. 228)
The Commander of the Faithful (AS) said: Four things reduce the need for a physician: that you do not eat out of habit or for pleasure, but only when you are truly hungry; that you always restrain yourself from eating too much; that you eat calmly and chew unhurriedly; and that you go to the privy before sleeping.
From Ja'far ibn Muhammad, from his father, from his forefathers, from Ali (AS), who said: Jesus son of Mary (AS) said: Blessed is he whose own house is wide enough for him, and from whose hand and tongue people are safe. (al-Khisal, vol. 1, p. 295)
The Commander of the Faithful (AS) said: Jesus son of Mary (AS) has said: Happy is he for whom the seclusion of his own house is not too narrow, and by whose hand people are not tormented.
From Abu 'Abd Allah (AS), who said: al-Harith al-A'war said to the Commander of the Faithful (AS): O Commander of the Faithful, by God, I love you. He said to him: O Harith, since you love me, then do not quarrel with me, do not play with me, do not vie with me, do not jest with me, do not belittle me, and do not set yourself above me. (al-Khisal, vol. 1, p. 334)
Someone said to the Commander of the Faithful (AS): By God, I love you! The Commander of the Faithful (AS) said: Then, to preserve that friendship, do not quarrel with me, do not play with me, do not do business with me, do not jest with me, do not belittle me, and never vaunt yourself over me. (We say: the phrase 'la tujarini' has also been transmitted as 'la tujaribni' and 'la tuharibni', and its meaning has been disputed. It has been said to mean: do not bandy words with me; do not display your learning before me; do not become my neighbour; do not put me to the test; do not fight with me... We have translated it as 'la tatajirni', do not trade with me.)
Ali ibn al-Husayn narrated to me, saying: al-Husayn ibn Ali (AS) narrated to me, saying: The Commander of the Faithful (AS) said: Saturday is a day of guile and deceit; Sunday is a day for planting and building; Monday is a day for travel and for seeking one's needs; Tuesday is a day of war and bloodshed; Wednesday is an inauspicious day on which people take ill omens; Thursday is a day for going in to rulers and for the fulfilment of needs; and Friday is a day for betrothal and marriage. (al-Khisal, vol. 2, p. 384)
The Commander of the Faithful (AS) said: Saturday is a day of guile and deceit; Sunday is a day for weddings and building; Monday is a day for travelling and going about one's business; Tuesday is a day of war and bloodshed; Wednesday is an inauspicious day, on which people take ill omens; Thursday is a day for going to the governors and for the fulfilment of needs; and Friday is a day for betrothal and for concluding a marriage contract.
Ali ibn al-Husayn said: al-Husayn ibn Ali (AS) narrated to us, saying: A man rose before the Commander of the Faithful (AS) in the congregational mosque of Kufa and said: O Commander of the Faithful, tell me about Wednesday, and the ill omen taken from it, and its heaviness — and which Wednesday is meant? He (AS) said: The last Wednesday of the month, when the moon is in its waning darkness. (al-Khisal, vol. 2, p. 388)
The Commander of the Faithful (AS) was asked in the mosque of Kufa: Is it true that Wednesday is heavy and ill-omened? He said: Yes, and especially the last Wednesday of the month, when the moon is in its waning darkness.
From Abu 'Abd Allah, from his father, from his forefathers, from the Commander of the Faithful (AS), who said: Beware of cupping and of using depilatory on a Wednesday, for Wednesday is a day of continuous ill fortune, and on it Hell was created. (al-Khisal, vol. 2, p. 387)
The Commander of the Faithful (AS) said: On Wednesday avoid cupping and the use of depilatory, for Wednesday is a day of continuous ill fortune. It is the day on which Hell was created.
From 'Amir al-Sha'bi, who said: The Commander of the Faithful (AS) uttered nine sayings, extemporised on the spot, which put out the eyes of eloquence and orphaned the jewels of wisdom, and cut off all mankind from attaining to even one of them. Three of them concern intimate prayer to God, three concern wisdom, and three concern right conduct. As for those in intimate prayer, he said: My God, it is honour enough for me that I am Your servant, and pride enough that You are my Lord. You are as I love You to be; so make me as You love me to be. As for those in wisdom, he said: The worth of every man is what he does well; no man perishes who knows his own measure; and a man lies hidden beneath his tongue. As for those in right conduct, he said: Bestow favour on whomever you wish and you will be his commander; show need of whomever you wish and you will be his captive; be independent of whomever you wish and you will be his equal. (al-Khisal, vol. 2, p. 420)
The Commander of the Faithful (AS) said: My God, it is honour enough for me that I should be Your servant, and glory enough that You should be my Lord. You are as I love You to be; so make me as You love me to be. And he said: The worth of every man is that which he holds dear; whoever knows his own measure is saved from ruin; and a man lies hidden beneath his tongue. And he said: To whomever you do good, you will be his master; to whomever you show your need, you become his captive; and of whomever you are independent, you become his equal.
From 'Abd Allah ibn al-Hasan ibn al-Hasan ibn Ali ibn Abi Talib, from his father, from his grandfather, from Ali ibn Abi Talib (AS), who said: It is among the rights of the scholar that you should not press him with too many questions, nor forestall him in giving the answer, nor insist when he turns away, nor take hold of his garment when he is weary, nor point at him with your hand, nor signal to him with your eye, nor whisper to him in his gathering, nor seek out his faults, nor say 'So-and-so said the opposite of what you say', nor divulge a secret of his, nor backbite anyone in his presence; that you guard his honour whether he is present or absent; that you greet the whole company but single him out with your salutation; that you sit before him; that if he has a need, you should be the first of the people to serve him; and that you should not weary of long companionship with him, for he is like a palm tree: wait and see when some benefit may drop from it upon you. The scholar has the rank of one who fasts, keeps vigil in prayer, and strives in the way of God; and when a scholar dies, a breach is opened in Islam that will not be closed until the Day of Resurrection. Truly, the seeker of knowledge is escorted by seventy thousand angels of those brought near in heaven. (al-Khisal, vol. 2, p. 504)
The Commander of the Faithful (AS) said: Among the rights of the scholar is that you do not ply him with too many questions; that if he is unwilling to answer you do not insist; that when he is tired you do not cling to him; that you do not point at him with your hand; that you do not address him by signalling with your eye; that you do not converse with him privately in his gathering; that you do not go looking for his faults; that you do not say, 'So-and-so has said the opposite of what you say'; that you do not disclose his secret; that you backbite no one in his presence; that you protect his honour both to his face and behind his back; that if he is with a group, you greet them all but salute him in particular; that you sit facing him; that if he has a need, you attend upon him more than the rest of the people do; and that you do not grow weary of long conversation with him, for he is like a date palm — wait until some benefit from it falls into your lap. The scholar has the standing of one who fasts by day, stands in worship by night, and strives in the way of God; and when a scholar dies, a breach appears in Islam that is not closed until the Day of Resurrection. Truly, the seeker of knowledge is escorted by seventy thousand angels of those brought near in heaven.
From Sa'id ibn 'Ilaqa, who said: I heard the Commander of the Faithful, Ali ibn Abi Talib (AS), say: Leaving refuse in the house brings poverty; a false oath brings poverty; fornication brings poverty; displaying greed brings poverty; failing to keep measure in one's livelihood brings poverty; severing ties of kinship brings poverty; habitual lying brings poverty; listening much to singing brings poverty; and turning away the beggar brings poverty. Then he (AS) said: Shall I not tell you, after this, of what increases sustenance? They said: Yes indeed, O Commander of the Faithful. He said: Maintaining ties of kinship increases sustenance; sweeping the forecourt increases sustenance; sharing with one's brother for the sake of God, the Mighty and Exalted, increases sustenance; setting out early in search of sustenance increases sustenance; seeking forgiveness increases sustenance; keeping faith with what is entrusted to one increases sustenance; speaking the truth increases sustenance; answering the caller to prayer increases sustenance; refraining from speech in the privy increases sustenance; abandoning greed increases sustenance; giving thanks to the Bestower of blessings increases sustenance; shunning the false oath increases sustenance; and performing ablution and eating what falls from the table increase sustenance. And whoever glorifies God thirty times each day, God, the Mighty and Exalted, wards off from him seventy kinds of affliction, the least of which is poverty. (al-Khisal, vol. 2, p. 504)
The Commander of the Faithful (AS) said: These things bring poverty: an unclean house, a false oath, fornication, the display of greed, keeping no reckoning of income and expenditure, severing ties of kinship, the habit of lying, listening much to singing, turning away the beggar, a false oath, and talking to oneself in the privy.
Then he said: And these things increase sustenance: maintaining ties of kinship, cleanliness of the house, fairness towards one's friends, setting out early in the morning after one's needs, seeking forgiveness, keeping trusts faithfully, speaking the truth, praying at the first of its appointed time, curbing greed, thanking the Bestower of blessings and thanking people, constant ablution, and eating the crumbs of bread and food left on the table — that is, being grateful for even the smallest blessing.
Then he said: Whoever remembers God thirty times a day and glorifies Him, God removes from him seventy kinds of affliction, among them poverty.
From Humran ibn A'yan, from Abu Ja'far Muhammad ibn Ali al-Baqir (AS), who said: The Commander of the Faithful had five hundred palm trees, and he would pray two rak'as at each palm tree. He used to pray as one bidding farewell, seeing that he would never pray again after it. One day he was praying and his cloak slipped from one of his shoulders, yet he did not straighten it until he had finished his prayer. One of his companions asked him about that, and he said: Woe to you! Do you know before whom I was standing? Nothing of a servant's prayer is accepted save that part of it upon which he turned his heart. The man said: Then we are ruined! He said: By no means; God, the Mighty and Exalted, completes that with the supererogatory prayers. (al-Khisal, vol. 2, p. 517)
The narrator says: There were five hundred date palms in the garden of the Commander of the Faithful (AS), and on some days it was his practice to pray two rak'as at the foot of each tree. He would pray in such a way as though each prayer were his last prayer in this world and he were taking leave of prayer altogether. One day, in the middle of the prayer, his cloak slipped from one of his shoulders, yet he did not set it right. We said: Why did you not adjust the cloak? He said: Do you not realise before whom we stand in prayer? And he said: Of the prayer, only so much is accepted as the heart has turned to God within it. At this one of the companions said: In that case we are ruined, for not one of our prayers is accepted at the court of the Truth! The Commander of the Faithful (AS) said: Never; with the supererogatory prayers God makes good the deficiencies of your prayers.
From Abu 'Abd Allah, who said: A man said to the Commander of the Faithful (AS): O Commander of the Faithful, truly I love you for the sake of God with an intense love. He looked up at the sky, wept, and said: O God, I take refuge in You lest I be loved for Your sake while You are displeased with me. (al-Khisal, vol. 2, p. 520)
Imam al-Sadiq (AS) said: One day someone said to the Commander of the Faithful (AS): O Commander of the Faithful, for the sake of God I love you greatly. Then the Commander of the Faithful (AS) looked up at the sky and wept and said: O God, I take refuge in You lest people love me for Your sake while You do not love me!
From Muhammad ibn 'Isa ibn 'Ubayd al-Yaqtini, who said: A group of our companions narrated to us, tracing it back to the Commander of the Faithful (AS), who said: Learn knowledge, for the learning of it is a good deed, the study of it is glorification of God, and the teaching of it is charity. It is a companion in loneliness, a guide in ease and hardship, a weapon against enemies, and an adornment among friends. By it God raises up peoples and makes them leaders in goodness who are followed, whose deeds are watched and whose traces are taken as a light. The angels desire their friendship and stroke them with their wings during their prayers, and everything seeks forgiveness for them, even the fishes of the seas and the beasts of the land — for knowledge is the life of hearts and the light of eyes. By knowledge God is obeyed and worshipped, and by knowledge God is known. (al-Khisal, vol. 2, p. 522)
The Commander of the Faithful (AS) said: Pursue the knowledge of religion, for the learning of it is a good deed, occupying oneself with it is glorification of God, and teaching it is charity. Knowledge is the companion of solitude, a guide in hardship and in ease, a weapon against enemies, and an adornment in the company of friends. By knowledge God raises up a group of people and makes them leaders on His path, so that people may follow them, take them as models, and profit from what they leave behind. The angels grow fond of such people and are present in their solitude, and at the time of prayer they stroke them with their wings. For such people all things seek forgiveness, even the fishes of the sea and the beasts of the wilderness. Indeed, knowledge is the life of hearts and the light of eyes. It is by knowledge that God is known, obeyed and worshipped.
From Isma'il ibn Abi Ziyad, all of them from Ja'far ibn Muhammad, from the Commander of the Faithful: Seize the opportunity of doing good and showing honour to the believers; and whatever you would not be pleased to have done to yourself, do not do it to any of them; and never weary of doing good. (al-Khisal, vol. 2, p. 543)
The Commander of the Faithful (AS) said: Count as a prize the chance to do good and kindness to the believers; do not deem right for them what you would not accept for yourself; and never grow weary of doing good.
From Abu al-Ashhab al-Nakha'i, who said: Ali ibn Abi Talib (AS) said: Whoever enters Islam willingly and recites the Qur'an from memory has, each year, two hundred dinars in the treasury of the Muslims. If he is denied it in this world, he will receive it in full on the Day of Resurrection, at the moment when he is most in need of it. (al-Khisal, vol. 2, p. 602)
The Commander of the Faithful (AS) said: Whoever becomes a Muslim willingly and learns and recites the Qur'an has a share of two hundred gold coins a year from the treasury of the Muslims. If it does not reach him in this world, it will be given to him in the hereafter, when he is in greater need of it.
From Abu Basir and Muhammad ibn Muslim, from Abu 'Abd Allah (AS), who said: My father narrated to me, from my grandfather, from his forefathers (AS), that in a single gathering the Commander of the Faithful (AS) taught his companions four hundred chapters of what sets a Muslim right in his religion and his worldly life. Among them: Wear no ring but of silver. Washing clothes drives away worry and grief. Do not pluck out white hairs, for they are the light of the Muslim. Let no one blow upon his amulet. Blessing lies in what is cool. It is not for a servant of God to set out on a journey when the month of Ramadan has come, because of the word of God, the Mighty and Exalted: 'So whoever of you witnesses the month, let him fast it' [Qur'an 2:185]. Do not belittle the weak among your brethren, for whoever belittles a believer, God, the Mighty and Exalted, will not bring the two of them together in Paradise. Eat dates, for in them is healing. Whoever opens upon himself the door of begging, God opens upon him a door of poverty. Whoever has a need of his Lord, the Mighty and Exalted, let him seek it when the winds blow, when the birds cry out, and in the last hour of the night at the break of dawn. Seek sustenance at the graves of those whose right God has laid upon you. Remember death often, and the day of your coming forth from the graves and your standing before God, the Mighty and Exalted; that will make calamities light for you. Do good so far as you are able to do it, for it guards against evil downfalls. Bid your families speak well of your dead. Visit your dead, for they rejoice at your visiting them; and let a man ask his need at the grave of his father and mother after he has prayed for them. Whoever of you loses his way on a journey or fears for himself, let him call out: 'O Salih, come to my aid!' For among your brethren of the jinn is a jinni named Salih who roams the lands on your account, devoting himself to you for God's sake; when he hears the call, he answers. Fever is the harbinger of death and God's prison on earth, in which He confines whom He wills of His servants; and it strips away sins as the fur falls from a camel's hump. Let the Muslim not resort to treatment until his illness overcomes his health. Hasten to do good before you are kept from it by other things. The one who is worsted in a bargain is neither praised nor rewarded. To set about uprooting mountains is easier than to set about overthrowing a rule whose term has been appointed. In every man there is one of three things: the taking of ill omens, pride, and wishful craving. So when one of you takes an ill omen, let him go on despite it and remember God, the Mighty and Exalted; when he fears pride in himself, let him eat with his slave and his servant and milk the sheep; and when craving stirs in him, let him ask of God, the Mighty and Exalted, and beseech Him, and let him not let his soul drive him to sin. Do not hurry a man at his food until he has finished, nor at relieving himself until he is done. There is nothing in the body less grateful than the eye, so do not grant it what it asks, lest it distract you from the remembrance of God. Whatever sustenance is yours will come to you for all your weakness, and whatever is decreed against you, you will have no power to fend off by any contrivance. Shake hands with your enemy even if he is unwilling, for it is among the things that God, the Mighty and Exalted, has commanded His servants; He says: 'Repel with that which is better' [Qur'an 41:34]. You can requite your enemy with nothing harder upon him than that you should obey God concerning him. The world passes from hand to hand, so seek your portion of it in the fairest manner until your turn comes to you. Whoever is rusted over with sin becomes dim-sighted towards the remembrance of God, the Mighty and Exalted; and whoever abandons taking up God's command in obedience to Him, God assigns him a satan who becomes his constant companion. (al-Khisal, vol. 2, p. 610)
Imam al-Sadiq (AS) said: In a single gathering the Commander of the Faithful (AS) taught his companions four hundred chapters of knowledge for the setting right of this world and the hereafter. (Some of them, which are less often related and some of which are found nowhere else, are these:) Let the band of your ring be of nothing but silver; cleanliness of clothing dispels care and sorrow; do not pull out your white hairs, for they are your light; never blow upon anything by way of an amulet; hot food has no blessing in it; do not travel in the month of Ramadan, for God has said that when the month of Ramadan arrives you should fast, and fasting is incompatible with travel; never belittle a poor believer, for God will keep you from attaining his rank in Paradise; eat dates, for they are a cure; whoever opens upon himself the door of begging or of asking, God opens a door of poverty upon him; the hour before dawn, the time when the winds blow, and the time when the birds sing are times when prayer is answered; visit the graves of those who have a right upon you, and there ask God for sustenance; so that the calamities of this world may seem small in your eyes, remember death, the gathering, and the Resurrection; do good as much as you are able, for good deeds are a shield against afflictions; speak only good of your dead; visit the graves of your dead, for this gladdens them; pray at the grave of your father and mother and then ask God for your needs; if you lose your way somewhere or are afraid, call out, 'O Salih, come to my aid' — Salih is a believing jinni whose work is to help the believers; he hears the cry of the believers wherever they may be and comes to their aid; fever is a light death and God's prison on earth, in which He imprisons whom He wills so that his sins may fall away; do not set about treatment until illness has overcome you; keep busy with doing good as much as you can, for it is not certain that tomorrow you will have the leisure you have today; whoever suffers a loss in a transaction through carelessness has no reward at all; it is easier to uproot mountains than to bring down a government whose appointed term has not yet come; there is no one in whom there is not either superstition, or pride, or covetousness: when superstition comes upon you, remember God and pass on; if pride shows itself, sit with your slaves and servants and do the work of the house with your own hands; if covetousness appears, ask of God's bounty and take care not to force yourself into any and every course for the sake of your desire; do not hurry while eating or while relieving yourself, but be patient; among the members of the body there is none more ungrateful than the eye — do not let it do whatever it wishes, for it keeps you from the remembrance of God; what is your sustenance will reach you even in your weakness, and the affliction that is decreed will take hold of you however much you contrive; shake hands with your enemy even if he shows you no friendly face, for God has said, repel evil with good; the best manner in which you can deal with your enemy is to observe God's limits regarding him, for this is nearer to victory and triumph; the world passes from one to another — so long as your turn has not come, do not strive overmuch in seeking, but be patient until your turn arrives; the worst outcome of sin is that it takes away the grace of remembering God and makes a satan your close companion.
(The narration above, known as the Hadith of the Four Hundred, is the longest teaching session and formal lesson given by the Commander of the Faithful (AS), and in truth it is the richest of them. From it we have selected some thirty rare and remarkable items which are less often related elsewhere.)