The Commander of the Faithful (AS) said: In what I have come to see of the world's turning away from me, of time's unruliness toward me, and of the hereafter's approach toward me, there is enough to restrain me from remembering anyone but myself and from concern with what I leave behind — except that, apart from the cares of the people, the care for my own soul has taken hold of me alone. (Tuhaf al-Uqul, vol. 1, p. 68)
The Commander of the Faithful (AS) said: From the passage of time, the world's turning away, the contrariness of the age, and the approach of the hereafter, I have learned that I must cease thinking about this one and that one, turn my attention away from all but myself, and, instead of grieving over others, consider my own end.
The Commander of the Faithful (AS) said in his letter to his son al-Hasan (AS): Whether I remain for you or pass away, I counsel you to be mindful of God, my son, and to hold fast to His command, to cultivate your heart with His remembrance, and to cling to His rope. (Tuhaf al-Uqul, vol. 1, p. 69)
The Commander of the Faithful (AS) said in his letter to Imam al-Mujtaba (AS): Whether I am alive or dead, my counsel to you is one thing: God-consciousness. Occupy yourself with God's command, cultivate your heart with His remembrance, and cling fast to His rope.
The Commander of the Faithful (AS) said: Refrain from speaking about what you do not know, and from addressing what you have not been charged with; and hold back from a road whose straying you fear. (Tuhaf al-Uqul, vol. 1, p. 68)
The Commander of the Faithful (AS) said: Do not speak about what you do not fully know, do not enter into what has not been asked of you, and leave aside a road whose end is unknown to you.
The Commander of the Faithful (AS) said: In all affairs take refuge with your God, for you would be taking refuge in a well-guarded shelter and a mighty protector. (Tuhaf al-Uqul, vol. 1, p. 68)
The Commander of the Faithful (AS) said: In all affairs, in the end bring yourself to your Lord and take refuge in Him, so that you may have a secure sanctuary and an invincible defender.
The Commander of the Faithful (AS) said: Be sincere in asking of your Lord, for in His hand are both giving and withholding; and seek from Him what is best (istikhara) often. (Tuhaf al-Uqul, vol. 1, p. 68)
The Commander of the Faithful (AS) said: Always ask of God alone and of none but Him, for giving and withholding are in His hand alone. And continually seek from Him what is good.
The Commander of the Faithful (AS) said: O my son, the dearest part of my counsel for you to take hold of is God-consciousness, limiting yourself to what He has made obligatory upon you, and abstaining from what people have not been charged with. (Tuhaf al-Uqul, vol. 1, p. 68)
The Commander of the Faithful (AS) said in his testament to his son Imam al-Mujtaba (AS): My son! My most important counsel to you is to observe God-consciousness, to confine yourself to the divine obligations, and to abandon those matters that have not been asked of you.
The Commander of the Faithful (AS) said: Do not say what you would not like to have said to you. (Tuhaf al-Uqul, vol. 1, p. 68)
The Commander of the Faithful (AS) said: Do not speak to people in a way you would not like them to speak to you. Do not say to people what you would not like said to you.
The Commander of the Faithful (AS) said: Know that before you lies a road of long hardship and severe terrors, and that on it you cannot do without careful searching and provision enough to reach your destination, together with a light back. So do not load upon your back more than will carry you through, lest it become a burden and a bane upon you. And if you find among the needy someone who will carry your provision for you and deliver it to you where you need it, seize the opportunity; and seize the opportunity of one who asks a loan of you while you are rich, and set the time of its repayment on the day of your own hardship. And know that before you lies a steep and arduous pass, and that the lightly burdened fare better upon it than the heavily laden. (Tuhaf al-Uqul, vol. 1, p. 68)
The Commander of the Faithful (AS) said: Before you lies a hereafter full of hardship and filled with terror, and what you need in order to traverse its stages is a provision that will serve you and yet not weigh heavily upon your back; for whatever weighs a person down is, on the road to the hereafter, a burden and a bane. So if you find a needy person who will carry this load for you and bring it to the hereafter, to the place where you need it, count it a treasure gained. Lend while you are wealthy, so that in the hereafter, when you need it, you may be repaid. Know that before you lies a fearsome mountain pass, and that the lightly burdened traverse it more easily than one whose load is heavy.
The Commander of the Faithful (AS) said: Know that He in whose hand is the dominion over the treasuries of this world and the hereafter has given you leave to call upon Him and has taken upon Himself to answer you, and has commanded you to ask of Him so that He may give to you. He is Merciful: He has placed no interpreter between you and Himself, has not veiled Himself from you, and has not made you dependent on anyone to intercede with Him on your behalf. So whenever you wish, He hears your call and your whispered plea, and you may lay your need before Him. (Tuhaf al-Uqul, vol. 1, p. 68)
The Commander of the Faithful (AS) said: The God in whose hand is the dominion over the treasuries of this world and the hereafter has given you permission to supplicate and has taken it upon Himself to answer, and has commanded you to ask of Him so that He may give. He is compassionate: He has placed no intermediary between you and Himself, has not veiled Himself from you, and has not made you dependent upon bringing an intercessor to His court. Whenever you open your mouth, He hears your call and your whisper and fulfills your need.
The Commander of the Faithful (AS) said: God has placed the keys of His treasuries in your hand; so be insistent in asking, and He will open to you the door of mercy. And do not let it drive you to despair if the answer is delayed, for the gift is in proportion to the asking. Sometimes the answer is postponed so that the asking may be longer and the gift more abundant. Sometimes you ask for a thing and are not given it, yet you are given something better than it, sooner or later; or it is turned away from you because of what is better for you. For many a thing you have sought would have meant the ruin of your religion had you been given it. Let your asking be for what truly concerns you, whose beauty will endure for you or whose bane will be kept from you. Wealth will not remain for you, nor will you remain for it. (Tuhaf al-Uqul, vol. 1, p. 68)
The Commander of the Faithful (AS) said: God has placed the key to His treasuries — which is supplication — in your hand. So be insistent in asking of Him, that the door of His mercy may be opened to you. Do not let the delay of the answer make you despair, for God's gift is in proportion to your asking. Sometimes God delays the answer so that you may ask more and better. Sometimes you ask for something and He gives you not that thing but something better than it, in this world and the next; or He turns something away from you because that is in your interest. Sometimes what you ask for would be the ruin of your religion. Strive always to ask for what will truly serve you, something that endures and is without bane. Wealth does not last for you, nor do you last for it.
The Commander of the Faithful (AS) said: Moderate your seeking and be measured in your earning; not everyone who is measured is thereby in need, for many a seeking has led to ruin. And if you are able to have no bestower of favor between yourself and God, then do so, for you will attain your portion and receive your share; and a little from God, Blessed and Exalted, is greater and more abundant than much from His creatures, even though all of it is from Him. (Tuhaf al-Uqul, vol. 1, p. 68)
The Commander of the Faithful (AS) said: Lessen your wanting and run less after your desires. It is not the case that those without wants are the needy ones; and often the wanting of a thing brings evil in its train. If you can arrange that there be no bestower of favor between you and God, do so — that is, seek your sustenance directly from God. In any case you will receive your portion and obtain your share. The little that God Himself gives is more and better than the much that another gives, even though all of it is from God.
The Commander of the Faithful (AS) said: Take from this world what comes to you, and leave what turns away from you; and if you do not do so, then at least be moderate in seeking. (Tuhaf al-Uqul, vol. 1, p. 68)
The Commander of the Faithful (AS) said: Take from this world that which comes to you of its own accord, and leave aside that which turns its back on you. If you are not granted the success to do this, then at least be less greedy in seeking the world!
The Commander of the Faithful (AS) said: Let the wrong of one who wrongs you not loom large upon you, for he is only striving toward his own harm and your benefit. (Tuhaf al-Uqul, vol. 1, p. 68)
The Commander of the Faithful (AS) said: Do not make the wrong done to you out to be so great and unbearable! For in the end the wrongdoer has acted to his own detriment and to your benefit.
The Commander of the Faithful (AS) said: Part of being a good neighbor is looking after your neighbor. (Tuhaf al-Uqul, vol. 1, p. 68)
The Commander of the Faithful (AS) said: Caring for one's neighbor is a moral virtue and the mark of a good neighbor.
The Commander of the Faithful (AS) said: If one of them deserves blame for a fault, then reproach him well, for reproach together with pardon is harder to bear than a beating for one who has an intellect; but do not restrain one who has no intellect. (Tuhaf al-Uqul, vol. 1, p. 68)
The Commander of the Faithful (AS) said: With one who has done wrong, to reproach him and then forgive him is better than to raise your hand against him — unless the wrongdoer is not of sound reason, in which case it is better to make excuses for him.
The Commander of the Faithful (AS) said: O my son, I counsel you to be mindful of God in wealth and in poverty, to speak the word of truth in contentment and in anger, to be moderate in wealth and in poverty, to act with justice toward friend and enemy, to work in vigor and in weariness, and to be content with God in hardship and in ease. (Tuhaf al-Uqul, vol. 1, p. 88)
The Commander of the Faithful (AS) said in his testament to his son Imam al-Husayn (AS): My son! I counsel you to observe the sacred law in poverty and in wealth; to speak the truth in contentment and in anger; to be moderate in wealth and in poverty; to observe justice with friend and enemy; to act in vigor and in listlessness; and to be content with God in hardship and in ease.
The Commander of the Faithful (AS) said: Well-being consists of ten parts: nine of them lie in silence, except for the remembrance of God, and one lies in forsaking the company of the foolish. (Tuhaf al-Uqul, vol. 1, p. 88)
The Commander of the Faithful (AS) said: Nine parts of well-being lie in silence, save for the remembrance of God, and the remaining part in forsaking the company of people without conscience.
(I say: what is meant by safih (the foolish) is a person to whom it does not matter what others say about him or what he says about others. Harming others is an easy thing for such a person. The best rendering of safih, or of "base," is "without conscience.")
The Commander of the Faithful (AS) said: Visiting too often breeds weariness. (Tuhaf al-Uqul, vol. 1, p. 88)
The Commander of the Faithful (AS) said: Meeting with someone too often gives rise to reproach.
The Commander of the Faithful (AS) said: There is no wealth more effective in driving away destitution than contentment and satisfaction with little; whoever confines himself to what suffices has secured ease; and craving is the key to toil. (Tuhaf al-Uqul, vol. 1, p. 92)
The Commander of the Faithful (AS) said: What stops up inner poverty is contentment and satisfaction with little, and whoever suffices himself with enough finds peace. Wanting is the key to hardship.
The Commander of the Faithful (AS) said: Greed is a summoner to plunging headlong into sins, and it is a summoner to deprivation. (Tuhaf al-Uqul, vol. 1, p. 92)
The Commander of the Faithful (AS) said: Greed both drags one into sin and in the end leaves a person deprived.
The Commander of the Faithful (AS) said: There is no fouler foulness than lying, and no better keeper than silence; and there is no forbearance like patience and silence. (Tuhaf al-Uqul, vol. 1, p. 92)
The Commander of the Faithful (AS) said: The worst of evils is lying, and the best of guardians is silence. Forbearance is nothing but patience and silence.
The Commander of the Faithful (AS) said: Whoever does not give up while he is praised will give up while he is blamed; and whoever is not given while sitting will be denied while standing. (Tuhaf al-Uqul, vol. 1, p. 92)
The Commander of the Faithful (AS) said: Whoever does not let go while he is praised will have it taken from him while he is also blamed.
The Commander of the Faithful (AS) said: Whoever is not given while sitting will be denied while standing. (Tuhaf al-Uqul, vol. 1, p. 92)
The Commander of the Faithful (AS) said: Whoever does not attain a thing while seated and making no effort will not attain it even if he rises and strives!
The Commander of the Faithful (AS) said: Time is two days: a day for you and a day against you; so be patient, for by both you are tested. (Tuhaf al-Uqul, vol. 1, p. 92)
The Commander of the Faithful (AS) said: Time is two days: a day that is in your favor and a day when everything is against you. Be patient on both days, for it is a test.
The Commander of the Faithful (AS) said: In breadth of character lie the treasures of sustenance. (Tuhaf al-Uqul, vol. 1, p. 92)
The Commander of the Faithful (AS) said: The key to the treasure of sustenance lies in good character.
The Commander of the Faithful (AS) said: With every draught there is a choking, and in every morsel a gagging; no blessing is attained except by the passing away of another. (Tuhaf al-Uqul, vol. 1, p. 92)
The Commander of the Faithful (AS) said: In this world every draught sticks in the throat and every morsel has grief on its heels; no blessing comes except with the departure of another blessing.
The Commander of the Faithful (AS) said: Reflection bequeaths light, and heedlessness is darkness. (Tuhaf al-Uqul, vol. 1, p. 92)
The Commander of the Faithful (AS) said: Reflection brings light, and heedlessness brings darkness.
The Commander of the Faithful (AS) said: Nothing is more apt to bring about the change of a blessing than persisting in wrongdoing. For God hears the cry of the wronged, and He lies in wait for the wrongdoers; and whoever is such is held in pledge for destruction in this world and the next. (Tuhaf al-Uqul, vol. 1, p. 126)
The Commander of the Faithful (AS) said: For the vanishing of a blessing there is nothing worse or more powerful than wrongdoing. God hears the voice of the wronged and lies in wait for the one who has wronged; and such a one is held in pledge for destruction in this world and the next.
The Commander of the Faithful (AS) said: The righteous are known only by what God causes to flow concerning them upon the tongues of His servants. (Tuhaf al-Uqul, vol. 1, p. 126)
The Commander of the Faithful (AS) said: The measure of conduct for the righteous is that which God causes to flow on the tongues of His servants concerning them.
(We say: that is, they do not pass lightly over what flows upon the tongues of those around them, but take it as a message addressed to themselves.)
The Commander of the Faithful (AS) said: Clothe your heart with mercy toward the people, with love for them and with kindness in doing good to them. For they are of two kinds: either a brother to you in religion, or your like in creation. So grant them of your pardon and your forbearance the like of what you would love God to grant you of His pardon. (Tuhaf al-Uqul, vol. 1, p. 126)
The Commander of the Faithful (AS) said: Fill your heart with mercy toward creation, with love for people, and with kindness and beneficence toward them. For they are either your brothers in religion, or human beings of the same substance of creation as yourself. So forgive them and overlook their faults, just as you would love God to encompass you with His pardon and forbearance.
The Commander of the Faithful (AS) said: Never say, "I have been given authority, I command and am obeyed." For that is a corruption entering the heart, a wasting away of religion, and a drawing near to seditions. So seek refuge with God from falling into wretchedness. (Tuhaf al-Uqul, vol. 1, p. 126)
The Commander of the Faithful (AS) said: Never say, "I give the orders and I must be obeyed!" Such a thought darkens your heart, casts your religion to the winds, and plunges you into sedition. Refuge with God from such wretchedness!
The Commander of the Faithful (AS) said: Cover people's faults as much as you can, and God will cover of yours what you love to have covered. (Tuhaf al-Uqul, vol. 1, p. 126)
The Commander of the Faithful (AS) said: As far as you are able, be one who covers the faults of others, so that God may cover what you wish to have covered.
The Commander of the Faithful (AS) said: Do not hasten to believe a talebearer, for the talebearer is a deceiver even if he takes on the semblance of sincere counselors. (Tuhaf al-Uqul, vol. 1, p. 126)
The Commander of the Faithful (AS) said: Do not be hasty in believing one who speaks ill of another. The slanderer usually deceives as well, even though he presents himself in the guise of a sincere adviser.
The Commander of the Faithful (AS) said: Beware of haste in matters before their proper time, and of letting them fall when their time has come; of obstinacy in them when they are obscure, and of feebleness in them when they have become clear. So put every matter in its place and set every deed in its proper occasion. (Tuhaf al-Uqul, vol. 1, p. 126)
The Commander of the Faithful (AS) said: While the time for a task has not yet come, do not be impatient for it; and when its time arrives, do not leave the work lying. When affairs do not yield to you, do not be obstinate; and when they become tractable, do not be slack. Do each task in its time and each deed in its proper moment.
The Commander of the Faithful (AS) said: Desire of God well-being, for the greatest blessing is well-being; so seize it as a prize for this world and the next, and desire of Him success in what is right. (Tuhaf al-Uqul, vol. 1, p. 149)
The Commander of the Faithful (AS) said: In well-being, turn with desire toward God. Truly the greatest blessing is well-being; so count it a prize for this world and the next, and while success is your companion, travel the road toward God.
The Commander of the Faithful (AS) said: Much conversing with women invites tribulation and turns hearts aside, and gazing upon them snatches away the light of the eyes of the heart. (Tuhaf al-Uqul, vol. 1, p. 149)
The Commander of the Faithful (AS) said: Excessive mingling with women brings tribulation and constriction of heart; and to become a follower in the train of women extinguishes the inner light of a person.
The Commander of the Faithful (AS) said: O people, know with the knowledge of certainty that God has not appointed for a servant — however intense his striving, however great his contriving, however many his stratagems — more than what He has decreed for him in the Wise Remembrance; and that He has placed no barrier between a man, for all his weakness and want of contrivance, and what has been written for him in the Wise Remembrance. O people, no man will ever increase by so much as the speck on a date-stone through his shrewdness, nor be diminished by so much as a speck through his foolishness. He who knows this and acts by it is of all people the most at rest, and in profit; and he who abandons it is of all people the most preoccupied, and in loss. (Tuhaf al-Uqul, vol. 1, p. 154)
The Commander of the Faithful (AS) said: O people! Know with certainty that God will not give His servant — however much he strives, contrives, and endures hardship — any more sustenance than what He has decreed for him in His Wise Remembrance; and that between His servant, even in the utmost weakness and want of resource, and the provision decreed for him in the Wise Remembrance, He places no obstacle. O people! A man's cleverness will not add one particle to his provision, nor will his foolishness diminish it by a particle. Whoever understands this matter and conducts himself accordingly lives in the utmost ease; and whoever does not grasp this truth wearies himself greatly and only brings harm upon himself.
The Commander of the Faithful (AS) said: Many a one upon whom favor is bestowed in himself is being led on step by step by the kindness shown him; and many a one afflicted in the eyes of people is being wrought upon for good. So come to your senses, O you who take your pleasure, out of your intoxication; awake from your heedlessness; and cut short your haste. (Tuhaf al-Uqul, vol. 1, p. 154)
The Commander of the Faithful (AS) said: How many a one whose affairs seem outwardly to be in order has in fact fallen under the law of being led on by degrees; and how many a one who seems outwardly afflicted stands in honor before God. So, O listener, come out of your drunkenness, awake from your heedlessness, and slacken a little of your haste in this world!
The Commander of the Faithful (AS) said: The concern of beasts is their bellies; the concern of predators is aggression and oppression; the concern of women is the adornment of this world and corruption in it; and the believers are tender-hearted, humble, and fearful. (Tuhaf al-Uqul, vol. 1, p. 154)
The Commander of the Faithful (AS) said: The concern of beasts is eating; the concern of predators is tearing apart; the concern of women is adornment and corruption. It is the believer alone who is tender-hearted, broken in heart, and fearful of the morrow.
The Commander of the Faithful (AS) said: Whoever renounces the world, calamities become light upon him. (Tuhaf al-Uqul, vol. 1, p. 162)
The Commander of the Faithful (AS) said: Whoever practices renunciation in this world finds the world's calamities and hardships made easy for him.
The Commander of the Faithful (AS) said: Whoever is forbearing does not squander his affair, and lives thereby among the people praised. (Tuhaf al-Uqul, vol. 1, p. 162)
The Commander of the Faithful (AS) said: Whoever possesses forbearance falls into fewer failings and lives more comfortably among people.
The Commander of the Faithful (AS) said: Whoever detests the transgressors has been angry for God's sake; and whoever is angry for God's sake, God is angry on his behalf. (Tuhaf al-Uqul, vol. 1, p. 162)
The Commander of the Faithful (AS) said: Whoever finds the transgressors detestable has been angry for God's sake; and whoever is angry for God's sake, God is angry on his behalf.
The Commander of the Faithful (AS) said: Whoever delves too deep does not arrive at the truth, and it only increases him in drowning in the depths. No sedition draws back from him but another envelops him, and so he plunges into a confused affair. (Tuhaf al-Uqul, vol. 1, p. 162)
The Commander of the Faithful (AS) said: Whoever delves deep where he ought not becomes distant from the truth, drowns in ignorance, falls from one sedition into another, and is continually astray.
The Commander of the Faithful (AS) said: Obstinacy is an affliction, and arrogance is diversion, play, and preoccupation. (Tuhaf al-Uqul, vol. 1, p. 162)
The Commander of the Faithful (AS) said: Obstinacy is an affliction, and arrogance little by little turns into a person's occupation and pastime.
The Commander of the Faithful (AS) said: O Kumayl, begin every day in the Name of God, and say: There is no power and no strength save by God; and put your trust in God; and remember us, and name us by our names, and invoke blessings upon us; and pass all this over yourself and over whatever your care encompasses — and you will be shielded from the evil of that day, if God wills. (Tuhaf al-Uqul, vol. 1, p. 171)
The Commander of the Faithful (AS) said: Kumayl! Every day remember God and say: There is no power and no strength save by Him; and put your trust in Him; and be mindful of us, and utter our names upon your tongue, and send blessings upon us. And set these blessings flowing over your own being and over everything whose safeguarding you have at heart, so that you may remain — if God wills — secure from the evil of that day.
The Commander of the Faithful (AS) said: O Kumayl, God disciplined the Messenger of God (may God bless him and his family), and he (peace be upon him) disciplined me, and I discipline the believers. (Tuhaf al-Uqul, vol. 1, p. 171)
The Commander of the Faithful (AS) said: Kumayl! God gave the Messenger of God his discipline, and he in turn disciplined me; and I am the one who disciplines the believers.
The Commander of the Faithful (AS) said: O Kumayl, take from none but us, and you will be of us. (Tuhaf al-Uqul, vol. 1, p. 171)
The Commander of the Faithful (AS) said: Kumayl! Take your knowledge from us alone, so that you may be of us.
The Commander of the Faithful (AS) said: O Kumayl, eat your food and do not be miserly with it, for you will never be the one who provides people with anything; and God will make your reward abundant for that. (Tuhaf al-Uqul, vol. 1, p. 171)
The Commander of the Faithful (AS) said: Kumayl! When you eat, do not be miserly with your food; let others share in it. It is not you who provides others with sustenance, but God. Yet do share in the reward of this deed.
The Commander of the Faithful (AS) said: O Kumayl, the fairest ornament of the believer is humility, and his honor is in abandoning idle chatter. (Tuhaf al-Uqul, vol. 1, p. 171)
The Commander of the Faithful (AS) said: Kumayl! The best adornment of the believer is humility, and the believer's honor lies in leaving aside idle talk.
The Commander of the Faithful (AS) said: O Kumayl, do not knock at the doors of the wrongdoers to mix with them or to gain wealth in their company. Beware of magnifying them, and of being present in their gatherings where things occur that bring God's wrath upon you. And if you are compelled to attend upon them, then persist in the remembrance of God and in trust in Him; seek refuge with God from their evils; lower your gaze from them; reject their deeds in your heart; and proclaim aloud the magnification of God so that they hear it. For by this you will be strengthened and shielded from their harm. (Tuhaf al-Uqul, vol. 1, p. 171)
The Commander of the Faithful (AS) said: Kumayl! Do not frequent the houses of the wrongdoers, do not enter into partnership with them, do not honor them, and do not attend their gatherings — for God's wrath will fall upon you. If you are compelled to do so, then remember God much, put your trust in Him, and take refuge with God from the evils of the wrongdoers. Reject the deeds of the wrongdoers in your heart, and in their presence magnify God openly; thus you will be strengthened and preserved from their harm.
The Commander of the Faithful (AS) said: O Kumayl, the most beloved of the things the servants may do before God, after acknowledging Him and His friends, is abstinence, endurance, and steadfast patience. (Tuhaf al-Uqul, vol. 1, p. 171)
The Commander of the Faithful (AS) said: Kumayl! The finest means of drawing near to God, after acknowledging His divinity and the walaya of His friends, is to keep oneself unsullied, to bear with things, and to be patient.
The Commander of the Faithful (AS) said: O Kumayl, do not show people your straitened means; be patient with it, seeking the reward of God, with dignity and concealment. (Tuhaf al-Uqul, vol. 1, p. 171)
The Commander of the Faithful (AS) said: Kumayl! Never let people see your poverty; be patient with poverty in dignity and concealment, and reckon that patience to God's account.
The Commander of the Faithful (AS) said: O Kumayl, say at every hardship, "There is no power and no strength save by God," and you will be shielded from it. Say at every blessing, "Praise be to God," and you will be increased in it. And when provision is slow in coming to you, ask God's forgiveness and He will widen it for you. (Tuhaf al-Uqul, vol. 1, p. 171)
The Commander of the Faithful (AS) said: Kumayl! In times of hardship say, "La hawla wa la quwwata illa billah" (there is no power and no strength save by God), and you will be sufficed. In times of blessing praise God, and blessings will increase. When provision grows scant, ask forgiveness, and the page will turn.
The Commander of the Faithful (AS) said: O Kumayl, save yourself by our walaya from Satan's becoming your partner in your wealth and your children. (Tuhaf al-Uqul, vol. 1, p. 171)
The Commander of the Faithful (AS) said: Kumayl! By our walaya, save yourself from Satan becoming your partner in your wealth and your children.
The Commander of the Faithful (AS) said: O Kumayl, there is no dispensation in an obligatory act, and no compulsion in a supererogatory one. (Tuhaf al-Uqul, vol. 1, p. 171)
The Commander of the Faithful (AS) said: Kumayl! In what is obligatory there is no dispensation, and in what is recommended there is no compulsion or severity.
The Commander of the Faithful (AS) said: O Kumayl, your sins are more than your good deeds, your heedlessness is more than your remembrance, and God's blessings upon you and His granting you well-being are more than your works. So never be without praising Him, glorifying Him, declaring His transcendence and His holiness, thanking Him, and remembering Him in every state. (Tuhaf al-Uqul, vol. 1, p. 171)
The Commander of the Faithful (AS) said: Kumayl! Your sins are always more than your good deeds, and your moments of heedlessness more than your remembrance; and God's blessings and the well-being He has granted you are more than your works. So never cease from praise, glorification, exaltation, sanctification, thanksgiving, and the remembrance of God.
The Commander of the Faithful (AS) said: Let the righteous and the pious be your brothers, and the depraved and the treacherous your enemies. For the dearest of my brothers to me are those most abundant in the remembrance of God and most intense in fear of Him; and I hope that you will be among them, if God wills. (Tuhaf al-Uqul, vol. 1, p. 176)
The Commander of the Faithful (AS) said: The righteous doers of good should be your brothers in religion, and the treacherous transgressors should be your enemies. The best of my friends are those who remember God most, those who fear God most; and I hope that I may be among them.
The Commander of the Faithful (AS) said: Know, servants of God, that the God-fearing have carried off the good of this world and of the next. They shared with the people of this world in their world, while the people of this world did not share with them in their hereafter. They dwelt in this world in the best manner it has been dwelt in, and ate of it in the best manner it has been eaten. (Tuhaf al-Uqul, vol. 1, p. 176)
The Commander of the Faithful (AS) said: O people! Know that the God-fearing attained the good of this world and did not let slip the good of the hereafter. They shared with the people of this world in this world, while the people of this world have no share with them in the hereafter. They lived in this world in the finest manner and took their portion of the finest blessings.
The Commander of the Faithful (AS) said: If two matters present themselves to you, one of them for the hereafter and the other for this world, begin with the matter of the hereafter. And if you are able to make your desire for good great and to make your intention in it excellent, then do so; for God gives to the servant according to the measure of his intention. (Tuhaf al-Uqul, vol. 1, p. 176)
The Commander of the Faithful (AS) said: If two tasks are set before you, one for your hereafter and the other for your world, undertake first the task of the hereafter. As far as you are able, be eager for the good deed and set right your intention in it — for God's gift to His servant is according to the measure of his intention.
The Commander of the Faithful (AS) said: I warn you against this world, for it is sweet and green, abundant and harmful, devouring. It rises in the morning as a helper and comes at evening as a stranger who denies you. (Tuhaf al-Uqul, vol. 1, p. 180)
The Commander of the Faithful (AS) said: Beware of this world; for though it appears sweet and beautiful, it deceives, it strikes, and it crushes. Today it is your helper, and tomorrow it is as though it does not know you at all!
The Commander of the Faithful (AS) said: Whoever comes into wealth, let him maintain with it the bonds of kinship, let him be generous with it in hospitality, let him ransom with it the hard-pressed and the captive, let him assist with it the debt-ridden, the wayfarer, the poor, and the emigrants, and let him make himself patient in seeking reward and in rendering what is due. For by these qualities he attains honor in this world and reaches the excellences of the hereafter. (Tuhaf al-Uqul, vol. 1, p. 185)
The Commander of the Faithful (AS) said: Whoever comes into wealth, let him use it to keep the bonds of kinship with his relatives, to give hospitality, to free the debtor and the prisoner, and to aid with it the bankrupt, the displaced, and those who have sought refuge; and let him earn reward with it, and render the rights that must be observed — so that by such deeds he may attain honor in this world and reach the excellences of the hereafter.
The Commander of the Faithful (AS) said: This world is an abode of well-being for whoever understands it, and a house of riches for whoever takes provision from it. It is the place of worship of God's prophets, the prayer-place of His angels, the dwelling of His beloved ones, and the trading-house of His friends. In it they earned mercy and gained Paradise as their profit. (Tuhaf al-Uqul, vol. 1, p. 186)
The Commander of the Faithful (AS) said: Not only is this world not evil; it is a place of settlement and a refuge of well-being for whoever learns from it. It is a house of wealth for whoever takes provision from it. It is the place of worship of the prophets and the prayer-place of God's angels. This world is the abode of rest and settlement for God's friends and the trading-place of His saints. In this world seek mercy everywhere, and from the heart of this world acquire the hereafter.
The Commander of the Faithful (AS) said: God created creation in three classes: the Companions of the Right — and what are the Companions of the Right? — and the Companions of the Left — and what are the Companions of the Left? — and the Foremost, the Foremost: those are the ones brought near. God placed in the Foremost five spirits: the Spirit of Holiness, the spirit of faith, the spirit of strength, the spirit of appetite, and the spirit of the body. These are forgiven, and their sins are pardoned. As for the Companions of the Right, who are the believers in truth, He placed in them four spirits: the spirit of faith, the spirit of strength, the spirit of appetite, and the spirit of the body. The servant continues perfecting these four spirits until he is returned to the most abject age, and all the spirits are diminished in him. Yet he is not thereby one who goes out of faith, for it is God who does this to him and returns him to the most abject age. So he no longer knows the time of prayer, is unable to keep vigil by night or to fast by day. This is a diminution of the spirit of faith, yet it does him no harm; he goes on creeping and moving forward with it until death comes to him. This is a state of good, and it is God who does this to him. (Tuhaf al-Uqul, vol. 1, p. 188)
The Commander of the Faithful (AS) said: People are of three classes: the Foremost, who are those brought near; the Companions of the Right, who are the believers; and the Companions of the Left, who are the people of punishment. The Foremost possess five spirits: the spirit of the body, the spirit of appetite, the spirit of strength, the spirit of faith, and the Spirit of Holiness. The Foremost are forgiven, and their sins are pardoned. The Companions of the Right do not have the Spirit of Holiness; they possess the other four spirits. These four spirits increase in them until they reach old age. At that point all four spirits begin to decline in them, yet nothing is diminished of their faith, for it is God who diminishes the four spirits. Thus, for example, a man forgets the times of the prayers, has no strength for night vigil, and cannot fast. These are a diminution of the spirit of faith, but they do him no harm. In the same way his powers keep decreasing until he dies. And all of this is to his benefit, and the agent in these matters is God.
The Commander of the Faithful (AS) said, concerning the blame of this world: Whoever grows rich in it is tried, and whoever grows poor in it is grieved. Whoever runs after it, it escapes him; and whoever sits back from it, it comes to him. Whoever looks at it, it blinds him; and whoever looks by means of it, it gives him sight. (Tuhaf al-Uqul, vol. 1, p. 201)
The Commander of the Faithful (AS) said concerning this world: Its rich man is forever beset, and its poor man is sorrowful. Whoever strives to obtain this world does not reach it, and whoever lets it go, the world turns toward him. Whoever fixes his eyes upon this world goes blind, and whoever uses it in seeking the truth attains insight.
The Commander of the Faithful (AS) said: Had the bearers of knowledge borne it as it deserves, God would have loved them, and His angels, and those of His creation who obey Him. But they bore it in pursuit of this world, so God detested them and they became contemptible in people's eyes. (Tuhaf al-Uqul, vol. 1, p. 201)
The Commander of the Faithful (AS) said: If someone seeks knowledge for the sake of acting upon it, he becomes beloved of God, of the angels, and of the believers. But many pursue knowledge in order to acquire this world; God detests such people, and they become base in the eyes of people too.
The Commander of the Faithful (AS) said: Misfortunes have appointed ends at which they must inevitably arrive. So when one of you has been decreed such a thing, let him bow his head before it and be patient until it passes. For to employ stratagems against it while it is advancing only increases what is hateful in it. (Tuhaf al-Uqul, vol. 1, p. 201)
The Commander of the Faithful (AS) said: Misfortunes have their appointed ends, at which they must terminate before they are complete. So if you are struck by misfortune, do not struggle in vain; be patient until it comes and passes. Employing stratagems while misfortune is advancing only makes the matter harder and increases the suffering.
(We say: this hadith is among the choicest of the Alawi traditions.)
The Commander of the Faithful (AS) said: O Malik, preserve this saying from me: He has consented to abasement who lays bare his distress; and he has made himself contemptible who discloses his secret. (Tuhaf al-Uqul, vol. 1, p. 201)
The Commander of the Faithful (AS) said to Malik al-Ashtar: Malik! Keep this word of mine as a legacy: Whoever makes known the hardship of his condition has consented to humiliation; and whoever gives away his secret to another has made himself abject.
The Commander of the Faithful (AS) said: Truly, among the trials is destitution; and harder than destitution is sickness of the body; and harder than sickness of the body is sickness of the heart. And truly, among the blessings is ampleness of wealth; and better than ampleness of wealth is soundness of the body; and better than soundness of the body is the God-fearing of the heart. (Tuhaf al-Uqul, vol. 1, p. 203)
The Commander of the Faithful (AS) said: Destitution is an affliction; but worse than it is sickness. And worse than sickness is sickness of the heart — that is, a blight upon faith. Wealth is a blessing; but a better blessing than it is health, and better than that is the God-fearing of the heart.
The Commander of the Faithful (AS) said: Do not be angered, and do not anger others. (Tuhaf al-Uqul, vol. 1, p. 204)
The Commander of the Faithful (AS) said: Neither become angry, nor deliberately make anyone angry.
The Commander of the Faithful (AS) said: The noble man softens when kindness is sought of him, and the base man hardens when he is treated with kindness. (Tuhaf al-Uqul, vol. 1, p. 204)
The Commander of the Faithful (AS) said: The good man, when he is shown goodness, becomes gentle; but the bad man, when he is shown kindness, grows more obstinate.
The Commander of the Faithful (AS) said: If you wish to know the good, then do good and you will know its people; and if you wish to know evil, then do evil and you will know its people. (Tuhaf al-Uqul, vol. 1, p. 204)
The Commander of the Faithful (AS) said: Until you have done a good deed with your own hand, you do not know goodness nor recognize its people; and until you have done an evil deed with your own hand, you do not perceive evil nor recognize the evil-doers.
The Commander of the Faithful (AS) said: Brethren are of two kinds: brethren of trust and brethren of pleasant company. As for the brother of trust, spend for him your wealth and your hand; be sincere with whoever is sincere with him, and be hostile to whoever is hostile to him. Such men are rarer than red brimstone. As for the brethren of pleasant company, from them you gain your enjoyment, so do not cut off your enjoyment of them; but do not seek what lies beyond that in their hearts, and give them what they give you of a cheerful face and sweetness of tongue. (Tuhaf al-Uqul, vol. 1, p. 204)
The Commander of the Faithful (AS) said: Friends are of two kinds: friends of trust, and friends of pleasant company (mere sociability). From the first sort withhold neither your wealth nor your help; be a friend to their friends and an enemy to their enemies. But the second sort are only for good company! So enjoy their company and expect no more of them than that, and give them exactly what they give you — that is, pleasant speech and an open face.
The Commander of the Faithful (AS) said: There is no harm in your keeping company with a man of intellect even if you do not find his generosity praiseworthy; benefit from his intellect and guard yourself against his bad character. And do not abandon the company of the generous man even if you do not benefit from his intellect; rather benefit from his generosity by means of your own intellect. But flee with all your fleeing from the base fool. (Tuhaf al-Uqul, vol. 1, p. 206)
The Commander of the Faithful (AS) said: Keep company with the man who is intelligent, even if he has no liberality or generosity, so that you may profit from his intellect; and keep company with the man who is generous, even if he is of little intellect, so that you may benefit from his gifts. But from the one who is both foolish and base, keep strictly away.
The Commander of the Faithful (AS) said: Whoever is able to keep himself from four things is fit never to have anything hateful befall him. It was asked: And what are they? He said: Haste, obstinacy, self-admiration, and slothfulness. (Tuhaf al-Uqul, vol. 1, p. 206)
The Commander of the Faithful (AS) said: Whoever can guard himself against these four things will meet with no unpleasantness in this world: haste, obstinacy, self-admiration, and laziness.
The Commander of the Faithful (AS) said: Whoever is straitened in his means and does not suppose that this is a good regard from God toward him has wasted a thing hoped for; and whoever is given ampleness in his means and does not suppose that this is a being led on by degrees from God has felt safe from something to be feared. (Tuhaf al-Uqul, vol. 1, p. 206)
The Commander of the Faithful (AS) said: Whoever does not regard straitened means as a mark of God's good regard has lost an opportunity; and whoever, in ample means, does not suspect that he is being led on by degrees has felt secure without cause.
The Commander of the Faithful (AS) said: Patience is the key to attainment, and success is the outcome for the one who is patient; and for every seeker of a need there is a time which destiny sets in motion. (Tuhaf al-Uqul, vol. 1, p. 207)
The Commander of the Faithful (AS) said: Patience is the key to arriving, victory is the end of the patient one, and every need has its time, which the hand of destiny brings about.
The Commander of the Faithful (AS) said: Lands are made to flourish through love of one's homeland. (Tuhaf al-Uqul, vol. 1, p. 207)
The Commander of the Faithful (AS) said: Through love of one's homeland, the land is made to flourish.
The Commander of the Faithful (AS) said: God's right upon you in hardship is contentment and patience, and His right upon you in ease is praise and thanksgiving. (Tuhaf al-Uqul, vol. 1, p. 208)
The Commander of the Faithful (AS) said: God's right in hardship is contentment and patience, and in ease it is praise and thanksgiving.
The Commander of the Faithful (AS) said: O people, know that he is not intelligent who is disturbed by a false word spoken about him, or who is pleased by the praise of an ignorant man. (Tuhaf al-Uqul, vol. 1, p. 208)
The Commander of the Faithful (AS) said: He is not intelligent who becomes upset when baseless things are said about him, or who is delighted when he is praised without cause.
The Commander of the Faithful (AS) said: Do not tell yourself of poverty or of a long life. (Tuhaf al-Uqul, vol. 1, p. 211)
The Commander of the Faithful (AS) said: Do not instill in yourselves the thought of poverty and want, and do not promise yourselves a long life.
The Commander of the Faithful (AS) said: Give your brother your blood and your wealth; your enemy your justice and your fairness; and the generality of people your cheerfulness and your beneficence. (Tuhaf al-Uqul, vol. 1, p. 212)
The Commander of the Faithful (AS) said: For your brother give your life and your wealth; toward your enemy set forth your justice and fairness; and toward people in general, your smile and your beneficence.
The Commander of the Faithful (AS) said: Things are of two kinds: a thing that belongs to another, which I was not granted in the past and do not hope for in what remains; and a thing which I shall not obtain before its time, even if I were to bring against it the power of the heavens and the earth. So for which of these two should I spend away my life? (Tuhaf al-Uqul, vol. 1, p. 212)
The Commander of the Faithful (AS) said: Some things are not mine at all; I have neither possessed them in the past nor do I hope to obtain them in the future. And some things are indeed mine, only they are given to me at their appointed time — and before that, even if I were to stitch heaven and earth together, it would avail nothing. Neither of these two things is worth grieving over!
The Commander of the Faithful (AS) said: The believer's resolve does not attain to the reach of his intention in good. He intends much good, acts upon a portion of it, and grieves over the good that escaped him — how did he not do it? (Tuhaf al-Uqul, vol. 1, p. 212)
The Commander of the Faithful (AS) said: The believer's intention toward good is always so laden that his resolve falls short of it. He intends many good deeds, performs some of them, and regrets those that slipped away: how did it come about that it did not come about?
The Commander of the Faithful (AS) said: I shall relate to you a hadith which every Muslim ought to take to heart. Then he turned to us and said (peace be upon him): God has never punished a believing servant in this world without being too generous and too magnanimous to return to punishing him on the Day of Resurrection; and God has never covered a believing servant in this world and pardoned him without being too magnanimous, too generous, and too noble to return to His pardon of it on the Day of Resurrection. Then he said (peace be upon him): God may indeed try the believer with affliction in his body, or his wealth, or his child, or his family. And he recited this verse: "Whatever misfortune befalls you is because of what your own hands have earned, and He pardons much" [Qur'an 42:30]. And he closed his hand three times, saying: "and He pardons much." (Tuhaf al-Uqul, vol. 1, p. 213)
The Commander of the Faithful (AS) said: I shall say something that it is fitting you all grasp well. Then he said: When God afflicts His believing servant in this world, He is too noble and too magnanimous to call him to account for it again at the Resurrection. And what God has covered over for a servant in this world and pardoned, He is too magnanimous and too noble to bring up against him again at the Resurrection. Then he said: God afflicts the believer with trial in his body, in his wealth, in his child, or in his family. God has said: No misfortune befalls you except because of what you have done, and much have We pardoned.
The Commander of the Faithful (AS) said: The beginning of estrangement is turning away; and do not grieve over anyone if he is given to weariness. (Tuhaf al-Uqul, vol. 1, p. 214)
The Commander of the Faithful (AS) said: The beginning of severance is the turning away of the face; but do not be distressed at the breaking off of ties by one who is easily offended — for sooner or later he will part from you.
The Commander of the Faithful (AS) said: Thanksgiving is a protection against sedition, and the intercessor for the sinner is his humility. (Tuhaf al-Uqul, vol. 1, p. 214)
The Commander of the Faithful (AS) said: Thanksgiving holds back the seditions of life, and the best intercessor for the wrongdoer is his humility.
The Commander of the Faithful (AS) said: The root of prudence is halting at what is doubtful. (Tuhaf al-Uqul, vol. 1, p. 214)
The Commander of the Faithful (AS) said: The key to remaining preserved is to halt before doubtful matters.
The Commander of the Faithful (AS) said: Calamities are apportioned equally among mankind. (Tuhaf al-Uqul, vol. 1, p. 214)
The Commander of the Faithful (AS) said: Calamities are divided equally among human beings!
The Commander of the Faithful (AS) said: Fewness of dependents is one of the two forms of ease, and it is half of livelihood. (Tuhaf al-Uqul, vol. 1, p. 214)
The Commander of the Faithful (AS) said: Half of the ease of life lies in having few dependents.
The Commander of the Faithful (AS) said: Leave off what does not concern you, and the foolish will keep away from you. (Tuhaf al-Uqul, vol. 1, p. 215)
The Commander of the Faithful (AS) said: Leave aside the affairs that do not concern you, so that foolish people may keep their distance from you!
The Commander of the Faithful (AS) said: Find your repose in solitude, that your honor may endure. (Tuhaf al-Uqul, vol. 1, p. 215)
The Commander of the Faithful (AS) said: To preserve your honor, learn to be content even in solitude!
The Commander of the Faithful (AS) said: Put seeking God's choice before your affairs, seek blessing in taking things easily, and adorn yourselves with forbearance. (Tuhaf al-Uqul, vol. 1, p. 216)
The Commander of the Faithful (AS) said: Before undertaking a task, ask God for what is best; seek blessing in taking matters easily; and join forbearance to whatever you do.
The Commander of the Faithful (AS) said: Blessed is he who is intimate with people and with whom people are intimate, upon obedience to God. (Tuhaf al-Uqul, vol. 1, p. 217)
The Commander of the Faithful (AS) said: In the way of God, be intimate with people and let them be intimate with you.
The Commander of the Faithful (AS) said: Truly, lowliness in obedience to God is nearer to honor than mutual support in disobedience to God. (Tuhaf al-Uqul, vol. 1, p. 217)
The Commander of the Faithful (AS) said: To be lowly in obedience to God is in the end nearer to honor than pomp and splendor in disobedience to God.
The Commander of the Faithful (AS) said: Whoever rises in the morning grieving over this world has risen discontented with God's decree. And whoever among the believers rises in the morning complaining of a misfortune that has befallen him to one who opposes him in his religion has but complained of his Lord to His enemy. And whoever humbles himself before a rich man in quest of what he has, two-thirds of his religion is gone. (Tuhaf al-Uqul, vol. 1, p. 217)
The Commander of the Faithful (AS) said: One who rises in the morning grieving on account of this world is discontented with God's decree. A believer who takes his complaint about a misfortune to an opponent has taken a complaint against God to God's enemy. One who humbles himself before a wealthy man on account of his wealth has cast two-thirds of his religion to the winds.
The Commander of the Faithful (AS) said: Gently — do not make yourself famous. Conceal your person, and you will not be spoken of. Be silent, and you will be safe. It matters nothing to you, once He has made His religion known to you, that you do not know people and they do not know you. Had God willed good for the ant, He would not have made a wing grow for it. (Tuhaf al-Uqul, vol. 1, p. 217)
The Commander of the Faithful (AS) said to Kumayl: Be calm, and do not make yourself renowned! Keep yourself hidden, so that your name is not mentioned. Be silent, so that you may come through safely. When God has made His religion known to you, what harm is there if you do not know people, or they do not know you! So long as God wills good for the ant, He does not give it wings.
The Commander of the Faithful (AS) said: He is not wise who does not treat gently the one whose gentle handling he cannot avoid. (Tuhaf al-Uqul, vol. 1, p. 218)
The Commander of the Faithful (AS) said: The one who is wise behaves with forbearance toward the person whose company he cannot avoid.
The Commander of the Faithful (AS) said: For in leaving what does not concern you lies the attainment of what does concern you. (Tuhaf al-Uqul, vol. 1, p. 218)
The Commander of the Faithful (AS) said: When you let go of what does not concern you, you succeed in attending to those things that do concern you.
The Commander of the Faithful (AS) said: Among the ways most beloved to God are two draughts: a draught of rage that you swallow down with forbearance, and a draught of sorrow that you swallow down with patience. And among the ways most beloved to God are two drops: a drop of tears in the depth of the night, and a drop of blood in the way of God. And among the ways most beloved to God are two steps: the step of a Muslim by which he strengthens a rank in the way of God, and a step taken in maintaining the bonds of kinship — and this last is better than a step by which he strengthens a rank in the way of God. (Tuhaf al-Uqul, vol. 1, p. 219)
The Commander of the Faithful (AS) said: The best way of reaching God is two draughts: the draught of rage swallowed down with forbearance, and the draught of grief swallowed down with patience; and two drops: a drop of tears in the worship of God in the depth of the night, and a drop of blood in striving in the way of God; and two steps: a step taken to strengthen the religion of God, and a step taken to maintain the bonds of kinship — and this second is the more excellent of the two.
The Commander of the Faithful (AS) said: In whomever one of the traits of goodness is firmly established, I overlook whatever else there may be; but I do not overlook the lack of intellect or of religion. (Tuhaf al-Uqul, vol. 1, p. 219)
The Commander of the Faithful (AS) said: If a person has some of the good qualities, one may overlook the absence of certain others. But he must without fail possess intellect and religion. These two admit of no overlooking.
The Commander of the Faithful (AS) said: One who supplicates without action is like an archer without a bowstring. (Tuhaf al-Uqul, vol. 1, p. 221)
The Commander of the Faithful (AS) said: One who prays but makes no effort in the direction of his prayer is like an archer whose bow has no string.
The Commander of the Faithful (AS) said: Affairs are so subject to what has been decreed that planning itself becomes the instrument of the decree. (Tuhaf al-Uqul, vol. 1, p. 223)
The Commander of the Faithful (AS) said: Affairs are so abased before destiny that planning itself becomes an instrument of destiny.
The Commander of the Faithful (AS) said: A man's chivalry is not complete until he finds sweet the bitterness of his brethren. (Tuhaf al-Uqul, vol. 1, p. 223)
The Commander of the Faithful (AS) said: Until you are able to bear the bitterness of your friends, your chivalry is not complete.
The Commander of the Faithful (AS) said: He who makes his religion a means of eating, his share of his religion is what he eats. (Tuhaf al-Uqul, vol. 1, p. 223)
The Commander of the Faithful (AS) said: One who makes religion a means of livelihood — his share of religion is just what he eats.
The Commander of the Faithful (AS) said: Faith rests upon four pillars: trust in God, committing affairs to God, submission to God's command, and contentment. (Tuhaf al-Uqul, vol. 1, p. 223)
The Commander of the Faithful (AS) said: Faith has four pillars: to trust in God, to commit one's affairs to Him, to submit to what He has commanded, and to be content with what He has decreed.
The Commander of the Faithful (AS) said: Whoever renounces this world, does not despair at its abasement, and does not vie for its honor — God guides him without the guidance of any creature, teaches him without teaching, establishes wisdom in his breast, and makes it flow upon his tongue. (Tuhaf al-Uqul, vol. 1, p. 223)
The Commander of the Faithful (AS) said: Whoever takes up renunciation in this world, does not lament its humiliations, and does not compete for its honors — God Himself guides him without need of any creature, Himself teaches him without a teacher, fixes wisdom firmly in his heart, and causes it to flow from his tongue.
(We say: this hadith is among the choicest of the Alawi traditions.)
The Commander of the Faithful (AS) said: God has servants who dealt with Him out of the purity of their inmost secret, so He thanked them out of the purity of His thanks. On the Day of Resurrection their scrolls pass by empty; but when they are made to stand before Him, He fills them for them with the secret of what they confided to Him. (Tuhaf al-Uqul, vol. 1, p. 224)
The Commander of the Faithful (AS) said: God has servants so sincere that they confide their secrets to God alone. And so God in turn is sincerely grateful to them. On the Day of Resurrection, when the record of their deeds is opened, it is seen to be pure and full of the things they told to God alone.
The Commander of the Faithful (AS) said: Do not deal with people by exact weight against weight. Magnify your own worth by turning a blind eye to petty matters. Do not be searchers after what is hidden from you, lest those who find fault with you become many. Be noble by feigning blindness toward exhaustive scrutiny — and it is also related: by feigning weak-sightedness toward exhaustive scrutiny. (Tuhaf al-Uqul, vol. 1, p. 224)
The Commander of the Faithful (AS) said: Do not scrutinize people needlessly; raise your own worth by deliberately overlooking trivial matters. Do not debate about what does not concern you, for by doing so you only multiply those who find fault with you. Be magnanimous, and refrain from fault-finding and from pursuing worthless matters.
The Commander of the Faithful (AS) said: If you are able not to go out of your house, then do so. For when you go out, it is incumbent upon you not to backbite, not to lie, not to envy, not to show off, not to put on appearances, and not to flatter. The monastic cell of the Muslim is his house, in which he restrains his soul, his eye, his tongue, and his private parts. Be a tail, and do not be a head. (Tuhaf al-Uqul, vol. 1, p. 365)
The Commander of the Faithful (AS) said: If you can stay in your house, then stay! For when you go out, you must not backbite, not lie, not envy, not act for show, not put on a false front, not flatter. The Muslim's house is his hermitage; in it he restrains his soul, his eye, his tongue, and his private parts. In this world always be at the tail, and never make yourself the head of the pack!