It is related that the Commander of the Faithful, Ali (AS), was sitting in the mosque when two men came in and brought their dispute before him; one of the two was of the Kharijites. The judgment turned out against the Kharijite, and the Commander of the Faithful (AS) ruled against him. The Kharijite said to him: "By God, you have not judged evenly, nor have you been just in the case, and your judgment is not pleasing to God Almighty!" The Commander of the Faithful (AS) said to him, gesturing toward him: "Be gone, enemy of God!" — and he was transformed into a black dog. Those present said: By God, we saw his clothes fly off him into the air, and he began to fawn before the Commander of the Faithful (AS), the tears streaming down his face. And we saw the Commander of the Faithful (AS) moved to pity: he glanced toward heaven and moved his lips with words we did not hear. Then, by God, we saw him restored to his human state, and his clothes came back down from the air until they settled upon his shoulders, and we saw him leave the mosque with his legs trembling. We stared in astonishment at the Commander of the Faithful (AS), and he said to us: "Why do you stare and marvel?" We said: "O Commander of the Faithful, how should we not marvel, when you have done what you have done?" He (AS) said: "The successor of Solomon (AS) possessed but a single letter of the Greatest Name of God; he petitioned God — majestic is His name — and the earth was sunk for him between himself and the throne of Bilqis, so that he took hold of it in less than the twinkling of an eye. But with us there are seventy-two letters of the Greatest Name, while one letter is with God Almighty, which He has reserved for Himself apart from His creation." They said to him: "O Commander of the Faithful, if this is with you, what need have you of helpers to fight Mu'awiya and others, and of summoning the people a second time to war against him?" He said: "Rather, 'honored servants who do not precede Him in speech, and who act by His command' [Qur'an 21:26-27]. I call these people to fight him only so that the proof may be established and the trial brought to completion. Had I been given leave to destroy him, it would not have been delayed; but God Almighty tests His creation with whatever He wills." They said: So we rose from around him, magnifying what he (AS) had wrought. (Khasa'is al-A'imma, vol. 1, p. 46)
The narrator says: The Commander of the Faithful (AS) was sitting in the mosque of Kufa when two men came before him to settle a dispute. One of the two was of the Kharijites. As it happened, the Commander of the Faithful ruled against the Kharijite. Seeing this, the man said: "By God, you have not judged justly between us, and this judgment is not pleasing to God!" The Commander of the Faithful (AS) was displeased; he gestured at him with his hand and said: "Silence, enemy of God!" Suddenly the man was turned into a black dog, in full view of everyone. People gradually gathered; the dog ran about, dragging this way and that the clothes that hung from it. At last it came before the Commander of the Faithful (AS) and, with tears flowing from its eyes, rubbed its head upon the ground. The Commander of the Faithful (AS) took pity on him, raised his head toward heaven, and murmured something under his breath which we could not make out. In an instant the dog turned back into a man, and the clothes that had hung from him settled crookedly upon his shoulders. The man, restored to human form, left the mosque in agitation and departed. We gazed at the Commander of the Faithful (AS) in bewilderment. He said to us: "What is the matter? Why do you watch me so? What are you marveling at?" We said: "Should one not marvel?!" The Commander of the Faithful (AS) said: "The successor of Solomon possessed one letter of the Greatest Name, and by means of it he brought the throne of Bilqis before Solomon. With us there are seventy-two letters of the Greatest Name, and only one name is there which God has given to none of His creatures." We said: "O Commander of the Faithful, if you possess such power, why then do you seek an army to fight Mu'awiya?" He recited: "Rather, honored servants who do not precede Him in speech, and who act by His command" [Qur'an 21:26-27] — that is, the servants of God do not forestall God, and they act by God's command. Then he said: "I summon you to fight this people so that the proof may be completed and the trial brought to perfection. God must test His creation." The narrator says: Little by little we all dispersed, finding it hard to digest what we had seen.
From al-Asbagh ibn Nubata, from Abdullah ibn Abbas, who said: In the days of Umar ibn al-Khattab there was a man who had a herd in the region of Azerbaijan; the animals had turned unruly against him and kept him at bay. He complained to him (Umar) of what had befallen him, and that his livelihood came from them. Umar said to him: "Go and implore the help of God, Mighty and Majestic." The man said: "I have never ceased praying and beseeching Him, yet every time I draw near them they charge at me." He said: So Umar wrote him a note reading: "From Umar, Commander of the Faithful, to the rebels among the jinn and the devils: subdue these animals for him." The man took the note and departed. I was deeply grieved by this, so I met the Commander of the Faithful, Ali (AS), and told him what had happened. He said: "By Him who split the seed and created the soul, he shall surely return in failure." My distress subsided, but the year dragged on for me, and I kept watching everyone who came from the highland country. Then, behold, the man arrived, with a gash in his forehead so deep the hand could almost enter it. When I saw him I hurried to him and said: "What news?" He said: "I went to the place and threw down the note, whereupon a number of them charged at me; their onset terrified me and I had no strength against them, so I sat down, and one of them kicked me in the face. I said: 'O God, spare me from them!' — for all of them were pressing hard upon me, seeking to kill me. Then they turned away from me, and I collapsed. A brother of mine came and carried me away, senseless as I was, and I remained under treatment until I recovered — and here is the mark upon my face. I have come to inform him," meaning Umar. I said to him: "Go to him, then, and tell him." When he went to him, a group being present with him, he told him what had happened; but Umar rebuffed him and said: "You lie! You never took my letter!" The man swore by God, besides whom there is no god, and by the right of the master of this grave, that he had done as he was ordered in delivering the letter, and he showed him what he had suffered from them, as could be seen. But Umar rebuffed him and turned him out. So I went with him to the Commander of the Faithful (AS), who smiled and said: "Did I not tell you?" Then he turned to the man and said to him: "When you go back, go to the place where they are and say: 'O God, I turn to You through Your Prophet, the Prophet of Mercy, and his Household, whom You have chosen, with knowledge, above the worlds. O God, subdue for me their unruliness and their intractability, and spare me their evil, for You are the Sufficer, the Granter of well-being, the Prevailing, the Subduer.'" The man set off homeward. When the next year came, the man arrived bringing a sum he had carried from their proceeds to the Commander of the Faithful (AS). He came to him, and I was with him. He (AS) said: "Will you tell me, or shall I tell you?" The man said: "Rather, you tell me, O Commander of the Faithful." He said: "It is as though you went to them, and they came to you and clung to you, submissive and docile, and you took hold of their forelocks one after another." The man said: "You have spoken truly, O Commander of the Faithful; it is as though you had been with me. So it was — now graciously accept what I have brought you." He said: "Go your way rightly guided; may God bless you in it." The news reached Umar and it grieved him, until the grief showed plainly on his face. The man departed; he made the pilgrimage every year, and God made his wealth grow. He said: And the Commander of the Faithful (AS) said: "Whoever finds anything unruly against him — of his property, or family, or child, or the affair of some pharaoh among the pharaohs — let him beseech God with this supplication, and it will suffice him against what he fears, God Almighty willing; and in Him is all strength." (Khasa'is al-A'imma, vol. 1, p. 48)
Asbagh ibn Nubata relates from Abdullah ibn Abbas: In the time of Umar, a man came from Azerbaijan and complained to him: "I have a herd of cattle there, but they have all gone wild and drive me away from them — and that herd is my only means of livelihood." Umar said to him: "Implore God for help!" The man said: "I have prayed and beseeched Him much, but to no avail." The narrator says: When he came to Umar again, Umar gave him a note to this effect: "From Umar, Commander of the Faithful, to the rebellious jinn and devils: tame this man's livestock for him!" The man took the note and set out for Azerbaijan. I was troubled by this, so I went to Ali (AS) and told him the story. He said: "He will soon return from Azerbaijan in despair." A year passed, and I kept awaiting the man's return, asking after him of everyone who came from the highland region. After a year I saw a man on whose forehead a deep wound was etched. I saw that it was he. I said: "What happened?" He said: "When I reached my homeland, I threw the note toward the place where I supposed the jinn to be. Suddenly they all attacked me, hurled me about, and beat me severely. One of them struck me on the forehead so hard that I lost consciousness. One of my brothers found me and treated me for a time until I recovered from the madness. This wound is the mark of that blow. I have come to show the wound to Umar." The man went to Umar and informed him of what had befallen him. Umar drove him away and said: "You lie! You never delivered my letter to them!" The man swore that he had delivered the letter and that this was what had come of it. In the end Umar ordered that the man no longer be admitted. When matters reached this point, I took the man to Ali, the Commander of the Faithful (AS). Ali (AS) smiled and said: "Did I not say it would be so?" Then he took the man in hand and said to him: "Go to the place where the jinn have claimed your herd, and say:"
"O God, I turn to You through Your Prophet, the Prophet of Mercy, and his Household, whom You have chosen, with knowledge, above the worlds. O God, subdue for me their unruliness and their intractability, and spare me their evil, for You are the Sufficer, the Granter of well-being, the Prevailing, the Subduer."
The man went, and the following year, when he came for the hajj, he called upon the Commander of the Faithful (AS) and brought him a quantity of ghee as a gift. The Commander of the Faithful (AS) said: "Will you tell what happened, or shall I?" He said: "You tell it." Ali (AS) said: "When you reached that place and spoke those words, the cattle of the herd came to you one by one of their own accord and bowed their heads for you to stroke their necks." He said: "Yes — it is as though you had been with me." This news reached Umar and grieved him. The man came on pilgrimage every year, and day by day his wealth increased. Ibn Abbas says: The Commander of the Faithful (AS) said to me: "Whoever is vexed by his property, his family, or his child, or fears some tyrant, let him beseech God with this supplication. God will suffice him against what he fears and dislikes — God willing."
With a chain of transmission traced back to Jundab ibn Abdullah al-Bajali, who said: On the day of Nahrawan a doubt entered me, and I withdrew — for I saw that those people wore hermits' hoods and their banners were the codices of the Qur'an — until I was minded to go over to them. While I sat there bewildered, the Commander of the Faithful (AS) approached and sat down beside me. As we were thus, a horseman came galloping and said: "O Commander of the Faithful, what keeps you seated? The people have crossed!" He said: "Did you see them yourself?" He said: "Yes." He said: "By God, they have not crossed, and they never will cross!" I said to myself: God is greatest! A man's own words are witness enough against him. By God, if they have crossed, I shall fight him with a fight in which I spare no effort; and if they have not crossed, I shall fight the people of Nahrawan with a fight by which God will know that I was angered for his sake. Before long another horseman came galloping, brandishing his whip, and when he reached him he said: "O Commander of the Faithful, I did not come until they had all crossed — there are the forelocks of their horses advancing!" The Commander of the Faithful (AS) said: "God and His Messenger have spoken truly, and you have lied. They have not crossed, and they shall not cross." Then he called out among the cavalry; they mounted, and his companions mounted, and he rode toward them. I rode too, my hand upon the hilt of my sword, saying to myself: the moment I see a horseman of theirs appear, I will fall upon Ali with my sword, because of the rage against him that had entered me. But when he reached the river, behold, the people were all still beyond the river; not one of them had crossed. He turned to me, then laid his hand upon my chest and said: "O Jundab, did you doubt? How do you see it now?" I said: "O Commander of the Faithful, I take refuge in God from doubt, and I take refuge in God from the wrath of God, the wrath of His Messenger, and the wrath of the Commander of the Faithful!" He said: "O Jundab, I act only by the knowledge of God and the knowledge of His Messenger." On that day Jundab received twelve wounds from the blows of the Kharijites. (Khasa'is al-A'imma, vol. 1, p. 60)
Jundab ibn Abdullah says: On the day of the battle of Nahrawan a doubt about the rightfulness of Ali crept into my heart, so I withdrew from everyone and sank into thought. I saw that the Kharijites were all ascetics and reciters of the Qur'an, and I was on the verge of leaving Ali's army and joining them. In the midst of this perplexity, the Commander of the Faithful (AS) came toward me and sat down at my side. A few others joined us. Suddenly someone arrived, breathless, with the news that the Kharijites had crossed the river and were coming toward us. The Commander of the Faithful (AS) said: "It is not so at all!" A little later another came and brought the same report. Again the Commander of the Faithful (AS) said: "They will not cross the river! It is decreed that they shall all be slain on the far side of the river." I said to myself: The best witness against any man is himself. If the people of Nahrawan have crossed the river, then Ali is a liar and one must fight Ali; and if they have not crossed, then Ali has spoken from the unseen, and at his side one must fight them. Some time later a third courier came, whirling his sword in the air, and cried: "O Commander of the Faithful, do you sit here while the Kharijites have crossed the river and are coming against us?!" Again the Commander of the Faithful (AS) said: "They have not crossed the river and they will not cross it." Then he said: "Make ready for battle!" We all put on armor, took up our swords, and went to the river — and saw that not one of them had crossed it. At that moment the Commander of the Faithful (AS) drew near me, laid his hand upon my chest, and said: "Jundab, did you doubt me?!" I said: "I take refuge in God from doubt, and from the wrath of God and His Messenger, and from your wrath, O Commander of the Faithful!" Then he said to me: "Jundab, whatever I do, I do by the knowledge of God and of His Messenger." Jundab says: That day I fought the Kharijites at Ali's side and received twelve wounds.
(We note: Jundab ibn Abdullah al-Bajali was a companion of the Prophet (PBUH) and of Imam Ali (AS), and transmitted narrations from both. In the lifetime of the Prophet of Islam (PBUH) he devoted himself to teaching the doctrines of Islam and instructing new Muslims in the Qur'an. He was also a narrator of events such as Saqifa and the election of Uthman to the caliphate. Jundab was in Imam Ali's (AS) army at the battles of Siffin and Nahrawan. Jundab ibn Abdullah died four years after the rising of Abdullah ibn al-Zubayr. There is also another man, named Jundab ibn Ka'b ibn Abdullah al-Azdi, among the companions of Ali (AS). From him a hadith of the Prophet (PBUH) concerning the punishment of the sorcerer has been preserved, and a narration from the Messenger of God (PBUH) has also been transmitted honoring him as one who separates truth from falsehood. In the time of Uthman he killed a sorcerer and became famous as "the slayer of the sorcerer" (qatil al-sahir). For this killing Jundab was imprisoned and then exiled to Syria. There are reports of his presence in the three wars of Imam Ali. He died around the year 50 AH.)
In another hadith it is said: When the Commander of the Faithful (AS) had slain the people of Nahrawan, he said to his companions: "Search out for me a man with a stunted hand, who on the side of his sound hand has a breast like a woman's breast — when pulled it stretches out, and when released it shrinks back — covered with reddish hairs. He is the bearer of their banner on the Day of Resurrection; he will lead them down to the Fire — and wretched is the watering-place to which they are led!" They searched for him but did not find him, and said: "We have not found him." He said: "By Him who split the seed and created the soul and raised up the Ka'ba, I have not lied, nor have I been lied to; truly I stand upon a clear proof from my Lord." When they did not find him, he rose — the sweat running down his brow — and came to a hollow in the ground in which lay some thirty slain men. He said: "Lift these off for me." We began lifting them until, beneath them, we saw the man of that very description, and we drew him out. The Commander of the Faithful set his foot upon the breast that was like a woman's breast, then pressed it against the ground; then he took it in his hand, and with his other hand took the man's sound hand and stretched it until the two were of equal length. Then he turned to a man who had come to him in doubt and said: "Here is a sign for you." Then he said: "The other side, which has no hand, has no breast either." They tore open that side of his shirt, and behold, in place of the hand there was something the thickness of a thumb, and on that side there was no breast. So he said to the doubting man: "And here is another sign for you." (Khasa'is al-A'imma, vol. 1, p. 61)
The narrator says: After the battle of Nahrawan ended and the Kharijites were defeated, the Commander of the Faithful (AS) commanded: "Search among the slain and find the body of a man one of whose hands is crippled, and on whose sound hand is a breast like the breast of a woman, covered with red hairs." They searched and said: "O Commander of the Faithful, we have not found him!" He said: "By God, I do not lie, nor have I been lied to! Such a man must be here!" They searched again and did not find him. The Commander of the Faithful (AS) rose himself and, with the sweat dripping from his head and face, set out across the field among the slain. He came to a place where thirty bodies lay heaped upon one another. He said: "Lift these off!" We lifted them, and beneath them we came upon a body. The Commander of the Faithful (AS) said: "This is he." Then he came and with his foot touched the breast that was upon the hand of that corpse, and turning to one of us who harbored doubt, he pointed out the breast and said: "That is one sign!" Then he said: "Cut open the corpse's garment" — and we all saw that his second hand was crippled and as small as a finger, and that on the side joined to the crippled hand there was no breast. Then he said to the one who had doubted: "And that is the second sign!"
With a chain of transmission traced back to al-Hasan ibn Abi al-Hasan al-Basri, who said: Ali (AS) stayed awake through the night in whose morning he was struck, and he said: "I shall be slain when morning comes." Then his muezzin came to summon him to prayer, and he walked a little way. His daughter Zaynab said: "O Commander of the Faithful, order Ja'da to lead the people in prayer." He said: "There is no escaping the appointed hour," and he went out. And when Ibn Muljam — may God curse him — struck him, he said: "I have triumphed, by the Lord of the Ka'ba!" (Khasa'is al-A'imma, vol. 1, p. 63)
The narrator says: The Commander of the Faithful (AS) was awake throughout the night on whose morning he was struck. He said: "Tonight I shall be slain!" When the muezzin sounded the call to prayer, the Commander of the Faithful set out for the mosque. His daughter Zaynab said: "O Commander of the Faithful, send Ja'da in your place today to lead the prayer." Ali (AS) said: "There is no escape from the appointed hour," and he left the house. When the accursed Ibn Muljam struck him, he said: "By the God of the Ka'ba, I have attained salvation!"
(We note: Ja'da ibn Hubayra al-Makhzumi was the nephew of Imam Ali (AS) — his sister's son — and one of his special and trusted companions. He has been called one of the earliest standard-bearers of the Shia. He was the son of Umm Hani, a narrator and companion of the Prophet (PBUH) and sister of Imam Ali (AS). He took part in all the wars of Imam Ali (AS). Ja'da's debate with Utba ibn Abi Sufyan during the battle of Siffin concerning the rightfulness of Imam Ali (AS) moved al-Najashi and al-A'war al-Shanni (d. 50 AH) to compose verses in Ja'da's praise. After the battle of Siffin, Imam Ali (AS) made Ja'da governor of Khorasan. He remained in Khorasan for a year, and on account of his good conduct the people of the region became Muslims and grew devoted to Imam Ali (AS). Ja'da was a devoted friend of Imam Husayn (AS). After the martyrdom of Imam Hasan (AS), Ja'da, together with other Shia, invited Imam Husayn (AS) to rise up, but the Imam (AS) declined because of his pact with Mu'awiya. Ja'da married Umm al-Hasan, a daughter of Imam Ali (AS), and died during the caliphate of Mu'awiya.)
From a client (mawla) of the family of al-Ashtar al-Nakha'i, who said: When I was a boy I saw the Commander of the Faithful, Ali (AS), come to the market in Kufa. He said to one of the clothes-sellers: "Do you know me?" He said: "Yes, you are the Commander of the Faithful." So he passed him by and asked another, who answered likewise, until he asked one who said: "I do not know you." So he bought a shirt from him and put it on, then said: "Praise be to God, who has clothed Ali ibn Abi Talib." He (AS) bought only from one who did not know him, for fear of favoritism in the lowering of the price of what he bought. (Khasa'is al-A'imma, vol. 1, p. 80)
The narrator says: I was a youth when I saw Ali (AS) come to the market of Kufa. He went to a clothes-seller and said: "Do you know me?" The seller said: "Yes — you are the Commander of the Faithful!" So he bought nothing from him and went to another shop, and when he saw that this man too recognized him, he went on to a third shop. There a young lad was at work who did not know the Commander of the Faithful by sight. He bought from him the garment he wanted and said: "Praise be to God, who has clothed Ali ibn Abi Talib!" Ali (AS) did not wish to buy clothing from anyone who knew him, lest the seller give a discount out of awe of him or regard for his station.
And he (AS) said: The fulfilling of people's needs goes rightly only by three things: by regarding them as small, that they may become great; by keeping them concealed, that they may be made known; and by hastening them, that they may be sweet. (Khasa'is al-A'imma, vol. 1, p. 96)
The Commander of the Faithful (AS) said: For a need to be met with ease, do three things: regard it as small, so that it may be accomplished; keep it hidden, so that it may be made known in due time; and act on it quickly, so that it may be pleasant and blessed.
(We note: the second clause has also been transmitted in the forms li-tunsa ("that it may be forgotten") and li-tazhara ("that it may become manifest"). By "regarding it as small" is meant taking the matter easily, not magnifying it, and not deeming it far-fetched. This hadith is also related elsewhere in this same book thus: "A good deed is complete only with three things: hastening it, making little of it, and concealing it. When you hasten it, you make it sweet; when you make little of it, you make it great; and when you conceal it, you bring it to completion.")
From him (AS): People never abandon any part of their religion for the sake of setting their worldly life aright, but that God opens upon them something more harmful than what they gave up. (Khasa'is al-A'imma, vol. 1, p. 97)
The Commander of the Faithful (AS) said: People have never abandoned a matter of religion for the sake of their worldly life without falling into a greater trouble.
He (AS) used to say: Faithfulness is the twin of truthfulness, and I know of no deliverance, nor any shield, more protective than it. (Khasa'is al-A'imma, vol. 1, p. 98)
The Commander of the Faithful (AS) used to say: Faithfulness is part of truthfulness, and for man there is no deliverance better, and no shield more impenetrable, than truthfulness.
One day he (AS) related a hadith from the Messenger of God (PBUH), and the people looked at one another. So he (AS) said: "Ever since the Messenger of God (PBUH) was taken, I have remained wronged; and along with that, word has reached me that you say I lie about him. Woe to you! Do you suppose I would lie? About whom would I lie? About God — when I was the first to believe in Him? Or about the Messenger of God — when I was the first to affirm him? No; rather, it is a manner of speech from which you were absent and of which you were not worthy, and a knowledge you were too weak to carry, of which you were not worthy — a measure given without price, if only there were a vessel for it. 'And you shall surely know its tidings after a time' [Qur'an 38:88]." (Khasa'is al-A'imma, vol. 1, p. 99)
One day the Commander of the Faithful (AS) was relating something from the Messenger of God (PBUH) when he saw that some of those around him were exchanging glances in token of disbelief. So he said: "From the time the Messenger of God (PBUH) passed away, I have been wronged. Word has reached me that some of you say in secret that Ali lies about the Prophet. Woe to you! About whom would I lie? About the God in whom I was the first to believe, or about the Messenger whom I was the first to affirm? It is not so; my word is true. But some sayings you never heard from the Messenger of God, for you were not worthy of them, and you are too weak to bear their knowledge — things beyond all price, if only the capacity for them existed." Then he recited: "And you shall surely know its tidings after a time" [Qur'an 38:88] — that is: later you will understand what I have said!
Ali (AS) was accompanying a funeral procession when he heard a man laugh. So he (AS) said: "As though death in this world were decreed for others than us; as though the duty here were binding upon others than us; and as though these dead we see were travelers who will shortly return to us! We lodge them in their graves and consume their inheritance, as if we shall abide forever after them. We have forgotten every admonisher, and have been struck by every calamity." (Khasa'is al-A'imma, vol. 1, p. 99)
The Commander of the Faithful (AS) was attending a funeral when he saw someone laughing. He was displeased and said: "It is as though death has been written only for others, as though observing the truth were incumbent only on others, and as though death were a pleasure trip! It is not so — we too shall soon die!"
He (AS) said: Whoever desires honor without a clan, awe without authority, wealth without riches, and obedience without largesse, let him move from the abasement of disobeying God to the honor of obeying Him — and he will find all of that. (Khasa'is al-A'imma, vol. 1, p. 99)
The Commander of the Faithful (AS) said: Whoever seeks honor without a clan, seeks awe without holding any office, seeks riches without need of wealth, and seeks people's obedience without giving and bestowing — let him bestir himself and carry himself from the abasement of disobedience to God to the honor of obedience to Him. All of these are found there.
He (AS) said: The jealousy of a woman is unbelief, while the jealousy of a man is faith. (Khasa'is al-A'imma, vol. 1, p. 100)
The Commander of the Faithful (AS) said: A woman's jealousy — her demand that her husband go to no other wife — is unbelief; while a man's protective jealousy, by which he guards his wife from strange men, is the very essence of faith.
He (AS) said: Whoever falls short in works is afflicted with grief. (Khasa'is al-A'imma, vol. 1, p. 101)
The Commander of the Faithful (AS) said: The cause of being afflicted with brooding thoughts and anxieties is a shortfall in good works.
He (AS) said: God has no need of one in whose self and wealth God has no share. (Khasa'is al-A'imma, vol. 1, p. 101)
The Commander of the Faithful (AS) said: Unbroken ease in body and wealth is a sign that the person has fallen from God's regard!
He (AS) said: Patience in rendering others their due is bitter, and not everyone can bear it. (Khasa'is al-A'imma, vol. 1, p. 106)
The Commander of the Faithful (AS) said: Patience in giving others their due is hard, and not everyone has the strength for it.
He (AS) said: The patient man never fails of victory, though it be long in coming; and whomever patience does not save, impatience destroys. (Khasa'is al-A'imma, vol. 1, p. 106)
The Commander of the Faithful (AS) said: The patient one wins in the end, though much time may pass; and if a man does not avail himself of the deliverance patience brings, impatience will destroy him.
He (AS) said: Reprove your brother by doing good to him, and repel his evil by conferring favors upon him. (Khasa'is al-A'imma, vol. 1, p. 108)
The Commander of the Faithful (AS) said: Discipline your brother through kindness, and ward off his evil through generosity.
He (AS) said: When you dread a thing, plunge into it; for the intensity of guarding against it is worse than the thing you fear. (Khasa'is al-A'imma, vol. 1, p. 110)
The Commander of the Faithful (AS) said: If you fear a task, throw yourself into it! For fear is always greater than the reality, and it is dispelled by action.
He (AS) said: Harvest evil from the breast of another by uprooting it from your own breast. (Khasa'is al-A'imma, vol. 1, p. 110)
The Commander of the Faithful (AS) said: The way to remove evil from the hearts of others is first to tear it out of your own heart.
He (AS) said: O son of Adam, whatever you earn beyond your sustenance, you are but its treasurer for someone else. (Khasa'is al-A'imma, vol. 1, p. 112)
The Commander of the Faithful (AS) said: O son of Adam, whatever you gather beyond your sustenance, you have gathered for another.
He (AS) said: Truly hearts have desire, and turning toward, and turning away; so approach them by way of their desire and their turning toward — for the heart, when forced, goes blind. (Khasa'is al-A'imma, vol. 1, p. 112)
The Commander of the Faithful (AS) said: The heart has its times of advancing and its times of retreating. Seize its time of advancing for good works and count it precious; and never force the heart into a task, for then it goes blind.
He (AS) said: People are asleep; when they die, they awaken. (Khasa'is al-A'imma, vol. 1, p. 112)
The Commander of the Faithful (AS) said: People are asleep, and only when they die do they awaken!
From a discourse of his (AS) in praise of Kufa: Ah, Kufa! How goodly you are, and how sweet your breeze! The world shall not pass away until every believer yearns for you and every unbeliever departs from you. (Khasa'is al-A'imma, vol. 1, p. 114)
The Commander of the Faithful (AS) said in praise of Kufa: Kufa — how pure you are, and how sweet your fragrance! A day will come when the believers turn toward you and the unbelievers flee from you.
He (AS) said: O son of Adam, do not load the worry of the day that has not yet come upon the day you are in; for if it remains part of your allotted term, God will bring you your provision in it. (Khasa'is al-A'imma, vol. 1, p. 114)
The Commander of the Faithful (AS) said: O son of Adam, do not grieve today over a tomorrow that has not yet come; for when tomorrow comes, it will come with its own provision.
He (AS) said: The first recompense the forbearing man receives for his forbearance is that the people become his helpers against the ignorant. (Khasa'is al-A'imma, vol. 1, p. 114)
The Commander of the Faithful (AS) said: The first fruit the forbearing man reaps from his forbearance is that people take his side against the ignorant.
He (AS) said: How ugly is fawning in time of need, and harshness in time of wealth! (Khasa'is al-A'imma, vol. 1, p. 116)
The Commander of the Faithful (AS) said: How ugly it is for a man to grovel when in need, and to be harsh when he has grown rich!
He (AS) said: When the ruler changes, the times change. (Khasa'is al-A'imma, vol. 1, p. 116)
The Commander of the Faithful (AS) said: When the ruler changes, the age itself changes.