It is related from the Commander of the Faithful, Ali (AS), that he said: There is a trait which, if one acts upon it, he will be among the strongest of people. It was asked: And what is it, O Commander of the Faithful? He said: Reliance upon God, the Mighty and Majestic. (Ma'dan al-Jawahir, vol. 1, p. 22)
The Commander of the Faithful (AS) said: There is a trait which, if a person acts upon it, makes him the strongest of people. They asked: What is it? He said: Reliance upon God!
The Commander of the Faithful (AS) said: People in this world are two kinds of men: a man who buys his own soul and sets it free, and a man who sells his soul and puts it in bondage. (Ma'dan al-Jawahir, vol. 1, p. 26)
The Commander of the Faithful (AS) said: In this world there are only two ways to be: either a person buys himself and sets himself free, or he sells himself and puts himself in chains.
He (AS) said: Two men have broken my back: a learned man who flaunts his sins, and an ignorant man who makes a show of devotion. The one drives people away from his knowledge by his shamelessness, and the other calls them to his ignorance by his display of piety. (Ma'dan al-Jawahir, vol. 1, p. 26)
The Commander of the Faithful (AS) said: Two men have broken my back: first, the wicked scholar, whose misconduct drives people away from the knowledge of religion; and second, the sanctimonious ignoramus who, because of his pious appearance, draws people to himself, and they turn out ignorant.
He (AS) said: Excessive turning of one's attention in every direction is a mark of foolishness. (Ma'dan al-Jawahir, vol. 1, p. 26)
The Commander of the Faithful (AS) said: Being overly scattered (poking into everything, looking at everything, and giving attention to everything) is a mark of foolishness.
It is related from the Commander of the Faithful (AS) that he said: O seeker of knowledge! Knowledge is the recognition of God, the Mighty and Majestic, and of what He loves and what He detests. (Ma'dan al-Jawahir, vol. 1, p. 33)
The Commander of the Faithful (AS) said: O you who seek knowledge! True knowledge is knowing God and knowing what pleases and what angers Him.
It is related from him (AS) that he said: A good deed is only sound with three qualities: hastening it, regarding it as small, and concealing it. For when you hasten it, you give it its due; when you regard it as small, you make it great; and when you conceal it, you bring it to completion. (Ma'dan al-Jawahir, vol. 1, p. 22)
The Commander of the Faithful (AS) said: To do a good deed well, one must hasten to it so that it is not lost; one must regard it as easy so that it becomes doable; and one must keep it hidden so that nothing mars its accomplishment.
He (AS) said: The successful believer is he who does three things: he leaves the world before it leaves him, builds his grave before he enters it, and pleases his Lord before he meets Him. (Ma'dan al-Jawahir, vol. 1, p. 33)
The Commander of the Faithful (AS) said: That believer is successful who, before death and before standing in God's presence: detaches his heart from the world; builds up his Hereafter; and makes his God pleased with him.
He (AS) said: There are three things without which one will not taste the flavor of faith: a forbearance with which he repels the ignorance of every ignorant person; a piety that restrains him from what is forbidden; and a character with which he deals gently with people. (Ma'dan al-Jawahir, vol. 1, p. 34)
The Commander of the Faithful (AS) said: Whoever lacks these three qualities will gain no benefit from his faith: a forbearance that guards him against the ignorance of the ignorant; a piety that holds him back from what God has forbidden; and a gentle character with which he deals kindly with people.
He (AS) had forbidden the people in Kufa from sitting by the roadside. They spoke to him about it, and he let them be, after stipulating three conditions upon them: lowering their eyes, returning the greeting of peace, and guiding whoever has lost his way. (Ma'dan al-Jawahir, vol. 1, p. 34)
The narrator says: In Kufa, the Commander of the Faithful (AS) forbade the people from sitting idly by the roadside. But the people would not accept it, and it weighed heavily upon them. So he let them be, but on the condition that they observe three things: that they not stare at passersby; that they return the greeting of those who pass; and that they show the way to anyone who asks them for directions.
Mu'awiya ibn Abi Sufyan said to Khalid ibn al-Mu'tamir: For what do you love Ali ibn Abi Talib? He replied: I love him for three things: his forbearance when he is angry, his truthfulness when he speaks, and his faithfulness when he makes a promise. (Ma'dan al-Jawahir, vol. 1, p. 35)
Mu'awiya asked someone: Why do you love Ali so much? He said: Because of his forbearance in the moment of anger; his truthfulness in speech; and his faithfulness to every promise he made.
He (AS) said: There are four qualities which, if found in a person, cause God to change his evil deeds into good deeds: truthfulness, modesty, gratitude, and good character. (Ma'dan al-Jawahir, vol. 1, p. 41)
The Commander of the Faithful (AS) said: If four qualities are present in someone, his evil deeds are continually turned into good deeds: truthfulness, modesty, gratitude, and good character.
He (AS) said: How fitting it is for the intelligent person to have four hours in his day: an hour in which he takes account of himself and considers what he has earned for and against his soul in his night and his day; an hour in which he raises his needs to his Lord; an hour in which he opens himself to his brothers and trusted friends, those who keep him from his faults; and an hour in which he lets his soul enjoy such pleasure as is praiseworthy and lawful. Indeed, this last hour is to be preferred over the others, for the refreshment and repose of hearts adds to their strength. (Ma'dan al-Jawahir, vol. 1, p. 42)
The Commander of the Faithful (AS) said: The wise person includes these four times in his daily schedule: a time for settling accounts with himself, about what he has done and left undone and which of his deeds had worth; a time for speaking with God, praying, and asking for his needs; a time for keeping company with those from whom he learns and who tell him his faults; and a time for recreation and rest — and this last one is very important, for it produces ease, readiness, and strength.
He (AS) said: A man's nobility lies in five traits: his mastery over his tongue; his attending to his own affairs; his weeping over his time gone by; his holding fast to his old friends; and his yearning for his homeland. (Ma'dan al-Jawahir, vol. 1, p. 50)
The Commander of the Faithful (AS) said: It is a sign of a person's nobility that he is master of his own tongue; that he is occupied with his own affairs; that he recognizes his past mistakes; that he keeps his old friends; and that he loves his homeland.
It is related from him (AS) that he said: There is no good in the companionship of one in whom six traits are combined: if he speaks to you, he lies; if you speak to him, he calls you a liar; if you entrust him with something, he betrays you; if he entrusts you with something, he accuses you; if you do him a favor, he shows you ingratitude; and if he does you a favor, he holds it over you. (Ma'dan al-Jawahir, vol. 1, p. 54)
The Commander of the Faithful (AS) said: Keep away from anyone who has these traits: one who lies; one who constantly contradicts you; one who cannot be trusted with a trust; one who is excessively suspicious about whatever he entrusts to you; one who gives no thanks; and one who, when he does a kindness, holds it over you and expects something in return.
He (AS) said: There are eight who, if they are treated with contempt, should blame none but themselves: one who sits at a table to which he was not invited; one who gives orders to the master of the house; one who seeks good from his enemies; one who seeks favor from the base; one who intrudes into a conversation between two people without their bidding; one who treats the ruler with disdain; one who sits in a place of which he is not worthy; and one who addresses his talk to someone who will not listen to him. (Ma'dan al-Jawahir, vol. 1, p. 63)
The Commander of the Faithful (AS) said: He is humiliated, and has only himself to blame: whoever appears at a table uninvited; whoever gives orders to the host; whoever expects good from his enemies; whoever awaits kindness from a wicked person; whoever enters into a conversation between two people without permission; whoever fails to respect the ruler; whoever goes to a place that does not befit his station; and whoever gives counsel where there is no listening ear.