From Abu Basir, from Abu Abd Allah (AS), who said: The Commander of the Faithful (AS) said in his sermon: I am the guide and I am the rightly guided; I am the father of the orphans and I am the father of the destitute and the protector of widows; I am the refuge of every weak one and the sanctuary of every fearful one; I am the leader of the believers to Paradise; I am the firm rope of God; I am the most trustworthy handhold of God and the word of God-consciousness; I am the eye of God, His truthful tongue and His hand; I am the side of God concerning which He says, 'lest a soul should say: Alas for me, for what I neglected regarding the side of God' [Qur'an 39:56]; I am the hand of God outstretched over His servants in mercy and forgiveness; I am the gate of remission: whoever knows me and knows my right has known his Lord, for I am the executor of His Prophet upon His earth and His proof over His creation. (Ma'ani al-Akhbar, vol. 1, p. 17)
The Commander of the Faithful (AS) said: I am the guide (hadi); I am the muhtadi (the one who has found the way and reached the goal); I am Abu al-Yatama (the father of the orphans); I am Abu al-Masakin (the father of the destitute); I am the protector of widows; I am the refuge of every weak one; I am the sanctuary of every fearful one; I am the leader, the caravan-master, of the believers on the road to Paradise; I am the firm rope of God (habl Allah al-matin); I am al-urwa al-wuthqa (the strongest handhold on the path of God); I am kalimat al-taqwa (the essence and meaning of God-consciousness); I am the ever-watchful eye of God; I am the truthful tongue of God; I am janb Allah (the side of God), of whom tomorrow they will say: 'Alas for me, for what I neglected regarding the side of God'; I am the hand of God outstretched over the servants in mercy and forgiveness; I am the gate of remission (bab hitta), and whoever knows me and recognizes my right has known his Lord; I am the executor of the Prophet of God upon the earth and His proof over creation.
From Anas ibn Malik, who said: I was with Ali ibn Abi Talib (AS) in the month in which he was struck down, and it was the month of Ramadan. He summoned his son al-Hasan (AS) and said: O Abu Muhammad, ascend the pulpit, praise God abundantly and extol Him, mention your grandfather the Messenger of God (PBUH) with the finest remembrance, and say: May God curse a child who is undutiful to his parents! May God curse a child who is undutiful to his parents! May God curse a child who is undutiful to his parents! May God curse a slave who flees from his masters! May God curse sheep that stray from the shepherd! Then come down. When he had finished his sermon and descended, the people gathered around him and said: O son of the Commander of the Faithful, O son of the daughter of the Messenger of God, tell us the answer. He said: The answer rests with the Commander of the Faithful (AS). So the Commander of the Faithful said: The Messenger of God (PBUH) said: I and you are the two fathers of this community, so may God curse whoever is undutiful to us. Then he said: I and you are the two masters of this community, so may God curse whoever flees from us. Then he said: I and you are the two shepherds of this community, so may God curse whoever strays from us. (Ma'ani al-Akhbar, vol. 1, p. 118)
The narrator said: I was in the service of the Commander of the Faithful (AS) during that month of Ramadan in which he was martyred. One day he said to his son al-Hasan (AS): Go up to the pulpit and, after the praise and glorification of God, say: God's curse upon anyone who is undutiful to his parents! God's curse upon a slave who has fled from his master! God's curse upon a sheep that has willingly strayed from its shepherd! Imam al-Mujtaba (AS) did so and came down from the pulpit. The people said: What did you mean? He said: Ask the Commander of the Faithful (AS)! The people gathered around Ali (AS). Ali (AS) said: I heard from the Messenger of God (PBUH) that he said: O Ali, you and I are the fathers of this community; God's curse upon whoever is undutiful to us! O Ali, you and I are the masters of this community; God's curse upon whoever flees from his master! O Ali, you and I are the shepherds of this community; woe to the sheep that strays from us!
From al-Asbagh, from the Commander of the Faithful (AS), that he said: Whoever wishes to leave this world purified of sins as gold is purified until there is no dross in it, and with no one holding a claim of wrong against him, let him recite after the five prayers the attribution of God, Mighty and Majestic, 'Say: He is God, One', twelve times. Then let him spread out his hands and say: O God, I ask You by Your hidden, treasured, pure, purifying, blessed Name; and I ask You by Your Mighty Name and Your eternal sovereignty. O Bestower of gifts, O Releaser of captives, O Liberator of necks from the Fire, send blessings upon Muhammad and the family of Muhammad, free my neck from the Fire, take me out of this world in safety, admit me to Paradise sound, and make my supplication, its beginning success, its middle attainment, and its end righteousness. Truly You are the Knower of all that is hidden. Then he (AS) said: This is one of the treasured secrets that the Messenger of God (PBUH) taught me and commanded me to teach to al-Hasan and al-Husayn. (Ma'ani al-Akhbar, vol. 1, p. 139)
The Commander of the Faithful (AS) said: Whoever wishes to be, at the time of death, pure of sins and like pure gold in which there is no alloy, and that no one should claim any right against him, let him recite after his obligatory prayers 'nisbat Allah', that is, Surat al-Tawhid, twelve times. Then let him open his hands and say: O God, I ask You by Your hidden, treasured, pure, purifying, blessed Name; and I ask You by Your Mighty Name and Your eternal sovereignty. O Bestower of gifts, O Releaser of captives, O Liberator of necks from the Fire, send blessings upon Muhammad and the family of Muhammad, free my neck from the Fire, take me out of this world in safety, admit me to Paradise sound, and make my supplication, its beginning success, its middle attainment, and its end righteousness. Truly You are the Knower of all that is hidden. Then he said: This is among the makhbiyyat that the Prophet of God (PBUH) taught me and commanded me to teach to al-Hasan and al-Husayn as well.
(We say: makhbiyyat, from the root khaba'a, means precious and saving things that are obtained only with difficulty and are usually kept hidden. Some have said that it means this act must be performed in secret, which is not correct. Among the notable features of this supplication is that it lifts from a person the rights owed to other people, like the prayer performed on the Sundays of Dhu al-Qa'da. Instructions with such an effect are rare in the traditions.)
Asim ibn Humayd, tracing it back, said: A man came to the Commander of the Faithful (AS), and he said: The Sunna is what the Messenger of God (PBUH) established, and innovation is what was introduced after him. The community is the people of truth, even if they are few, and the faction is the people of falsehood, even if they are many. (Ma'ani al-Akhbar, vol. 1, p. 154)
The Commander of the Faithful (AS) said: The Sunna is the way and practice that the Prophet (PBUH) laid down, and innovation is a practice that arose after him. The community are those who hold to the truth, even if they are few, and the faction are the followers of falsehood, even if they are many.
From Abu al-Tufayl, that he heard the Commander of the Faithful (AS) say: After me there will be trials, dark and blind and sowing doubt, in which none will remain but the nuwama. It was said: And what is the nuwama, O Commander of the Faithful? He said: The one whose inner thoughts people do not know. (Ma'ani al-Akhbar, vol. 1, p. 166)
The Commander of the Faithful (AS) said: After me there will be trials and turmoil, dark and blind and destructive of religion! None will be saved from them except the nuwama. They asked: And who is the nuwama? He said: The one who keeps his own counsel, whose heart people cannot read.
From Abu Abd Allah (AS), who said: A bedouin came to the Prophet (PBUH) and said to him: Are you not the best of us in father and mother, the noblest of us in lineage, and our chief in the Age of Ignorance and in Islam? The Prophet (PBUH) became angry and said: O bedouin, how many barriers stand before your tongue? He said: Two: the lips and the teeth. The Prophet (PBUH) said: Was there nothing in either of these two to hold back the sharpness of this tongue of yours from us? Truly, no one has been given anything in his worldly life more harmful to his Hereafter than a glib tongue. O Ali, rise and cut off his tongue! The people supposed that he would cut off his tongue, but he gave him some dirhams. (Ma'ani al-Akhbar, vol. 1, p. 171)
Imam al-Sadiq (AS) related that a bedouin Arab came to the Prophet (PBUH) and said: In respect of father and mother you were the best of us, in lineage the most excellent of us, and in the Age of Ignorance and in Islam our chief! The Prophet (PBUH) was displeased and said: O bedouin, how many veils are there before your tongue? He said: Two: the lips and the teeth. The Prophet (PBUH) said: Was there no benefit in these two veils to hold back the sharpness of your tongue from us? Then he said: No one in this world has been given anything more harmful to his Hereafter than a loose and unbridled tongue! Then he turned to Ali (AS) and said: O Ali, rise and cut off his tongue! The people thought that Ali (AS) would cut out the man's tongue; but contrary to their expectation, Ali (AS) gave him a few dirhams.
From al-Harith al-A'war, who said: While I was travelling with the Commander of the Faithful Ali ibn Abi Talib (AS) in al-Hira, we suddenly came upon a monk striking the bell. Ali ibn Abi Talib (AS) said: O Harith, do you know what this bell is saying? I said: God, and His Messenger, and the cousin of His Messenger know best. He said: It is striking out a parable of the world and its ruin, and it says: There is no god but God, truly, truly, in truth, in truth. Indeed the world has deceived us, occupied us, seduced us and led us astray. O son of the world, gently, gently! O son of the world, stroke by stroke! O son of the world, gathering, gathering! The world will pass away, generation by generation... (Ma'ani al-Akhbar, vol. 1, p. 230)
Al-Harith al-A'war said: We were travelling with the Commander of the Faithful (AS) in the region of al-Hira when we drew near a monastery. From inside the monastery came the sound of the church bell. The Commander of the Faithful (AS) said: Do you know what this bell is saying? I said: God knows, and His Messenger, and the executor of His Messenger. He said: It describes the world and its ruin; it says: There is no god but God, truly, truly, in truth, in truth. It says that the world has deceived everyone, occupied them, stolen their hearts and led them astray. It says: O people of the world, gently, gently; stroke by stroke; gathering, gathering; the world passes away, generation by generation...
(We say: al-Hira lies in the southern outskirts of present-day Najaf, and al-Harith al-A'war is Harith ibn Abd Allah al-Hamdani, a Kufan Successor, one of the companions of Imam Ali (AS) and among the first to pledge allegiance to him in Medina. Harith used to write down the traditions and sermons of the Commander of the Faithful (AS), and he was the first compiler of his sermons. In one report it is said that at the encouragement of the Commander of the Faithful (AS) Harith bought sheets of paper and thereafter wrote in them a great deal of that Imam's teachings and traditions. The Imam counted him among his ten trusted companions. Many traditions transmitted from Harith appear in both Shi'i and Sunni books. He transmitted hadith from Ali (AS), Abd Allah ibn Mas'ud and Zayd ibn Thabit, and many have transmitted from him. Al-Dhahabi refers to Harith by such titles as allama, faqih, imam and a man of vast learning. Harith became known as al-A'war because he had only one eye. Shaykh Baha'i traced his own lineage back to Harith. Al-Ya'qubi counted him among the learned companions of Ali (AS), and Ibn Sirin named him among the five well-known scholars and jurists of Kufa. Shaykh al-Tusi also lists Harith's name among the companions of Imam al-Hasan (AS). In Sunni sources it is said that Imam al-Hasan (AS) and Imam al-Husayn (AS) used to ask Harith about the traditions of their father. According to one report, Harith expressed his great love and devotion to Ali (AS), and the Imam replied: Any servant who loves me will see me at the moment of death in a manner he loves, and whoever hates me will see me at the moment of death in a manner he does not love. Sayyid Isma'il ibn Muhammad al-Himyari rendered this theme into verse. This tradition and al-Himyari's verses, which begin, 'O Harith of Hamdan, whoever dies shall see me...', are widespread among the Shi'a and are cited as evidence on the subject of the Shi'a meeting the Commander of the Faithful and the Ahl al-Bayt (AS) at the moment of death. The most important transmitter from Harith al-A'war is Abu Ishaq al-Sabi'i. According to Ahmad ibn Hanbal, after Harith's death Abu Ishaq married his widow and in this way gained possession of Harith's books and hadith writings.)
From al-Harith al-A'war, who said: Among the things that Ali ibn Abi Talib asked his son al-Hasan (AS) was when he said to him: What is poverty? He said: Greed and insatiable craving. (Ma'ani al-Akhbar, vol. 1, p. 244)
The Commander of the Faithful (AS) said: Greed and excessive attachment to a thing is poverty itself.
(We say: sharah is the intensity and dominance of greed, and never being satisfied with a thing.)
From Ibrahim ibn Mu'arrid, who said: I said to Abu Ja'far (AS): The people of Kufa relate from Ali (AS) that when he was in Kufa he performed the ablution and then wiped over his sandals. He said: Yes, he did that. (Ma'ani al-Akhbar, vol. 1, p. 248)
The narrator said: I said to Imam al-Baqir (AS) that it is related that when Ali (AS) was in Kufa he would sometimes, during the ablution, wipe over his footwear. The Imam (AS) said: Yes, that was so.
(We say: wiping over footwear is, according to the near-unanimous verdict of Shi'i jurists, invalid; the wiping must be upon the skin of the foot itself. Of course, in cases of prudential concealment and necessity they have deemed wiping over footwear permissible. Hence in their view, if there is fear of something such as cold, wiping over footwear is permissible. For the prohibition of wiping over footwear, Shi'i jurists have cited verse six of Surat al-Ma'ida: 'and wipe your heads and your feet up to the ankles' [Qur'an 5:6]. On the basis of this verse they hold that the wiping must be upon the foot itself, and footwear does not count as the foot. The Sunnis, by contrast, are agreed that wiping over footwear is permissible even under normal circumstances. The Sunnis hold that in the ablution either the feet must be washed or wiping must be performed over the footwear; that is, in either case wiping upon the foot itself is not valid. According to some traditions, the Commander of the Faithful (AS) held that the Prophet (PBUH) used to wipe over footwear before the revelation of Surat al-Ma'ida, but after the revelation of this verse he no longer wiped over footwear, and the permissibility of wiping over footwear was abrogated by the verse of ablution. The Sunnis, however, in support of their claim that wiping over footwear is permissible, hold that the Prophet (PBUH) continued to wipe over footwear even after the revelation of verse six of Surat al-Ma'ida. Concerning that verse (al-Ma'ida 6), it appears that the 'waw' in 'wa arjulakum' has the sense of 'with', meaning 'wipe your heads together with your feet'; but the general body of Sunnis construe 'arjulakum' as coordinated with 'your faces' and 'your hands', saying 'wash your faces and your hands and your feet', and so they wash their feet. The Shi'a, however, say that 'arjulakum' is mentioned after 'wipe', so it belongs to that 'wipe' and not to 'wash', and accordingly, contrary to the currently common orthography, 'arjulikum' must be read in the genitive. That is, if the present orthography were correct, 'their feet' would be coordinated with 'wash' and the whole foot would have to be washed. Setting the verse aside, the traditions concerning the permissibility or impermissibility of wiping over footwear are in conflict. Among the Shi'a there are traditions such as this one which indicate its permissibility, and many traditions which do not deem it permissible. The first group of traditions has been interpreted as issued under prudential concealment. Sunni traditions generally regard wiping over footwear as permissible and sufficient, and it is noteworthy that a large number of the Sunni traditions on this question are narrated from the Commander of the Faithful (AS). That is, in their view Ali (AS) both wiped over footwear himself and attributed this practice to the Prophet (PBUH). Because the principal Sunni chain of transmission in this matter goes back to the Commander of the Faithful (AS), I have cited this tradition and its explanations in this book.)
From Abu Abd Allah Ja'far ibn Muhammad, from his father, from his forefathers (peace be upon them), who said: The Commander of the Faithful (AS) said: Intoxication is of four kinds: the intoxication of drink, the intoxication of wealth, the intoxication of sleep, and the intoxication of power. (Ma'ani al-Akhbar, vol. 1, p. 365)
The Commander of the Faithful (AS) said: Besides wine, wealth too intoxicates a person; sleep too intoxicates a person; power too intoxicates a person.