And I heard — that is, Zayd ibn Ali, from his father Ali ibn al-Husayn, from his father al-Husayn ibn Ali, from his father Ali ibn Abi Talib, from the Messenger of God (PBUH) — saying: If a believer were to leave this world bearing sins like the sins of all the people of the earth, death would be an expiation for those sins. Then they mount noble steeds which fly with them to Paradise. (Jami' al-Akhbar, vol. 1, p. 34)
The Commander of the Faithful (AS) relates from the Messenger of God (PBUH) that if a believer bore the sins of all the people of the earth, death would be the expiation of those sins, and after death he enters Paradise.
And by the same chain, he said: The Commander of the Faithful (AS) said: Test my Shia by two traits, and if these are found in them, they are my Shia: their care over the times of the prayers, and their sharing of their wealth with their believing brothers. And if these two are not in them, then keep away, and again keep away, and again keep away! (Jami' al-Akhbar, vol. 1, p. 35)
The Commander of the Faithful (AS) said: Measure my Shia by two qualities: keeping the prayer at its first hour, and giving material help to their believing brothers. If these two qualities are absent in someone, keep your distance from him.
The Commander of the Faithful (AS) said to his son al-Hasan (AS): What is faith and what is certainty? He said: Faith is what we have heard with our ears and believed; and certainty is what we have seen with our eyes and accepted. (Jami' al-Akhbar, vol. 1, p. 36)
The Commander of the Faithful (AS) said: Faith is affirming what is heard, and certainty is seeing plainly and accepting.
From Ali ibn Abi Talib (AS), who said: The Messenger of God (PBUH) said: Sitting for an hour in the discussion of knowledge is dearer to God than a thousand nights of vigil, a thousand campaigns, and the recitation of the whole Qur'an. Devote yourselves to the discussion of knowledge: the seeker of knowledge is loved by God, loved by the angels, loved by the prophets; and none loves knowledge except the felicitous. Sitting an hour in the discussion of knowledge is better than a year of worship, and looking upon the face of a learned man is better for you than freeing a thousand slaves. Whoever leaves his house to seek out a chapter of knowledge, God records for him with every step the reward of a thousand martyrs of the martyrs of Badr. The seeker of knowledge is the beloved of God; whoever loves knowledge, Paradise becomes his due, and he passes morning and evening in God's good pleasure, and he does not leave this world until he drinks of al-Kawthar and eats of the fruit of Paradise. And all of this stands beneath this verse — God the Exalted said: 'God raises those of you who believe, and those who have been given knowledge, in degrees' [Qur'an 58:11]. (Jami' al-Akhbar, vol. 1, p. 37)
The Commander of the Faithful (AS) relates from the Messenger of God (PBUH) that a single hour spent acquiring knowledge is, before God, superior to a thousand nights of worship and a thousand campaigns in the way of God, and better than reading the whole Qur'an through. Be seekers of knowledge, for the seeker of knowledge is beloved of God, the angels, and the prophets. Whoever yearns for knowledge is felicitous and blessed in his final end. An hour spent in study is superior to a year of worship, and looking upon a learned man is superior to freeing many slaves in the way of God. Whoever leaves his house in search of knowledge has, for every step, the reward of the martyrs of Badr. The seeker of knowledge is God's beloved. He who yearns for knowledge is destined for Paradise and passes morning and evening in God's good pleasure. Upon his death he enters Paradise at once and drinks of al-Kawthar. Then he said: All of this lies hidden within the verse 'God raises those of you who believe, and those who have been given knowledge, in degrees' [Qur'an 58:11].
It is related from Ali (AS), who said: The Messenger of God (PBUH) said: Reciting the Qur'an in prayer is superior to reciting the Qur'an outside of prayer; reciting the Qur'an outside of prayer is superior to the remembrance of God the Exalted; the remembrance of God the Exalted is superior to almsgiving; almsgiving is superior to fasting; and fasting is a shield against the Fire. (Jami' al-Akhbar, vol. 1, p. 41)
The Commander of the Faithful (AS) relates from the Messenger of God (PBUH) that reciting the Qur'an is superior to uttering remembrances, and the best form of Qur'an recitation is reciting it in prayer. Remembrance in turn takes precedence over almsgiving, and almsgiving over fasting — even though fasting is a shield against the Fire.
He (AS) said: Whoever commits the Qur'an to memory and preserves it, holding lawful what it makes lawful and unlawful what it makes unlawful, God the Exalted will admit him by it into Paradise and accept his intercession for ten of his household, every one of whom had deserved the Fire. (Jami' al-Akhbar, vol. 1, p. 41)
The Commander of the Faithful (AS) said: Whoever lives with the Qur'an and acts upon it, God grants him Paradise and accepts his intercession on behalf of ten members of his family who deserved punishment.
Ali (AS) said: Whoever recites every day a hundred verses from the Book with measured recitation, humility, and calm, God records for him a reward equal to the deeds of all the people of the earth. (Jami' al-Akhbar, vol. 1, p. 41)
Whoever recites a hundred verses daily, unhurriedly and with humility and calm, God credits him with the reward of the deeds of all the people of the earth on that day.
From Isa ibn Abd Allah, from his father, from his grandfather, from Ali (AS), who said: The Messenger of God (PBUH) said: Whoever recites 'Say: He is God, the One' [Qur'an 112] a hundred times when he takes to his bed, God forgives him the sins of fifty years. (Jami' al-Akhbar, vol. 1, p. 44)
The Commander of the Faithful (AS) relates from the Messenger of God (PBUH) that reciting the Sura of Divine Unity a hundred times in bed at night before sleep is equivalent to fifty years of worship.
From Abd Allah ibn Hujr, who said: I heard the Commander of the Faithful (AS) say: Whoever recites 'Say: He is God, the One' eleven times after the dawn prayer, no sin will pursue him that day, though Satan's nose be rubbed in the dust. (Jami' al-Akhbar, vol. 1, p. 44)
The Commander of the Faithful (AS) said: Reciting the Sura of Divine Unity eleven times after the morning prayer grants a person protection from sin for that day.
The Commander of the Faithful (AS) said: Whoever enters Islam willingly and recites the Qur'an openly has a claim each year to two hundred dinars from the treasury of the Muslims. If he is denied it in this world, he shall receive it in full on the Day of Resurrection, when his need of it is greatest. (Jami' al-Akhbar, vol. 1, p. 48)
The Commander of the Faithful (AS) said: Whoever becomes a Muslim of his own free will and eagerness and learns the Qur'an has a yearly share of two hundred gold dinars from the public treasury. If it is not given to him in this world, he will receive this blessing in the Hereafter, where his need is greater.
And the Commander of the Faithful (AS) used to say: Gross turning-away of one's attention cuts off the prayer. (Jami' al-Akhbar, vol. 1, p. 74)
The Commander of the Faithful (AS) held that prolonged distraction during prayer renders it void.
And he (AS) said: The vilest of people in theft is he who steals from his own prayer — he who does not complete its bowing and its prostration. He is a thief of his own prayer, and his religion is effaced before God. (Jami' al-Akhbar, vol. 1, p. 74)
The Commander of the Faithful (AS) used to say: The worst theft is theft from the prayer — that is, cutting short its bowing and prostration and performing it without composure. Such a person's religion is on a downward slope before God.
My father, God's mercy be upon him, related to us, saying: Sa'd ibn Abd Allah related, from Salama ibn al-Khattab al-Barawistani, from Muhammad ibn al-Layth, from Jabir ibn Ismail, from al-Sadiq, from his father (AS), who said: A man came and asked Ali ibn Abi Talib (AS) about the night vigil with the Qur'an. He said to him: Rejoice! Whoever prays during a tenth of the night, sincerely for God and seeking the good pleasure of God the Exalted, God the Exalted says: O My angels, record for this servant of Mine good deeds as many as the grains and leaves He has caused to grow upon every ear of corn. (Jami' al-Akhbar, vol. 1, p. 74)
The Commander of the Faithful (AS) was asked about the night vigil and keeping watch with the Qur'an. He said: Strive to stay awake one tenth of the night for God and His good pleasure, that you may reap boundless grace.
The Commander of the Faithful (AS) said: God has made obligatory, within the wealth of the rich, the sustenance of the poor. And God the Exalted says: Wealth is My wealth, the poor are My dependents, and the rich are My stewards; whoever is miserly with My wealth toward My dependents, I shall make him enter the Fire and shall not care. (Jami' al-Akhbar, vol. 1, p. 80)
The Commander of the Faithful (AS) said: God has appointed the sustenance of the poor within the wealth of the rich, and He says: Wealth is My wealth, the poor are My dependents, and the rich are My stewards. Whoever is miserly with My wealth toward My dependents, let him make himself ready for My punishment.
It is related from the Commander of the Faithful (AS) that he said: The believer is watchful over his heart and sound of heart, steadfast in forbearance, gentle of tongue, much given to smiling and little to laughter. He loves the guest, is tender toward the young and considerate toward the old. He communes intimately with his Lord; his conduct is marked by courtesy and his admonition by gentleness. He fears none but God and places his hope in none but Him, and occupies himself only with praise and thanksgiving. Prayer is the delight of his eye, truthfulness his habit, gratitude his mount; night and day are his capital, the Qur'an his discourse, and God his intimate companion. (Jami' al-Akhbar, vol. 1, p. 84)
The Commander of the Faithful (AS) said: The believer is constantly vigilant and sound of heart; he is steadfast in forbearance; his tongue is soft, his smile constant, and his laughter sparing; he loves the guest; he is gentle with children and companionable with elders; he is ever in intimate converse with God; his deeds are joined with courtesy and his admonition with kindness; he fears none but God, sets his heart on none but God, and is ever occupied with the praise and glorification of God; he is devoted to the prayer, never strays beyond the bounds of truthfulness, and never dismounts from the steed of gratitude; he knows the worth of time, and the Qur'an never leaves his hand; the believer's constant companion is God.
The Commander of the Faithful (AS) said: Whoever brings joy to his believing brother has gladdened God, and whoever gladdens God, it is due upon God to gladden him. Whoever visits his believing brother at his home, seeking nothing from him but for God's sake, is recorded among the visitors of God, and it is due upon God the Exalted to honor him. And he said: Smiling in the face of the believing stranger is among the expiations of sins. (Jami' al-Akhbar, vol. 1, p. 86)
The Commander of the Faithful (AS) said: To make a believer glad is to make God glad, and God assuredly repays it. To go to a believer's house and visit him without any want of one's own is to visit God, and God honors His visitors. A cheerful face shown to a believing stranger is an expiation for sins.
He (AS) said: Whoever honors a stranger in his estrangement, or relieves his sorrow, or feeds him, or gives him a drink, or smiles in his face — his is Paradise. (Jami' al-Akhbar, vol. 1, p. 86)
The Commander of the Faithful (AS) said: Taking in a stranger, sharing his sorrow, and even feeding him and treating him kindly, makes a person worthy of Paradise.
From al-Musayyab, who said: One day the Commander of the Faithful (AS) came out of the house and Salman met him. He said to him: How have you risen this morning, O Abu Abd Allah? He said: I have risen amid four sorrows. He said: And what are they? He said: My family, who demand bread and their wants; the Creator, exalted is He, who demands obedience; Satan, who commands sin; and the Angel of Death, who demands my soul. He said to him: Rejoice, O Abu Abd Allah, for by each of these things you gain degrees. Indeed, I went in to the Messenger of God (PBUH) one day, and he (PBUH) said: How have you risen, O Ali? I said: I have risen with nothing in my hand but water, and I am grieved over the state of my two chicks, al-Hasan and al-Husayn (AS). He said to me: O Ali, grief over one's family is a screen from the Fire; patience in poverty is jihad, and superior to sixty years of worship. And know, O Ali, that the provision of the servants rests with God, glorified is He; your grieving for them neither harms nor avails, save that you are rewarded for it. And truly the heaviest of griefs is grief over one's family. (Jami' al-Akhbar, vol. 1, p. 91)
One day the Commander of the Faithful (AS) came upon Salman and asked after his condition. Salman said: Four sorrows give me no rest: on one side my family, who want food and look to me to satisfy their desires; on another, God, who demands obedience; third, Satan, who is after my disobedience; and fourth, the Angel of Death, who constantly pursues me, awaiting the moment to seize my soul. The Commander of the Faithful (AS) said: All of these bring you degrees of rank. Then he said: One day I came to the Messenger of God (PBUH), and he asked how I was. I said: There is no food in the house, and I grieve over the sustenance of Hasan and Husayn. The Messenger of God (PBUH) said: Grief over one's family is a barrier against the Fire of the Hereafter, and patience in poverty is jihad and equal to a lifetime of worship. Then he said: O Ali, the provision of the servants is in God's charge, and your sorrowing has no effect upon it; nevertheless, for your grief you earn reward with God — and I know that no grief burns the soul like grief over one's family!
And the Commander of the Faithful (AS) said: Whoever lets his gaze roam free wearies his mind; whoever lets glance follow upon glance, his regrets endure. (Jami' al-Akhbar, vol. 1, p. 93)
The Commander of the Faithful (AS) said: Whoever leaves his eye unbridled, his roving gaze will fill his mind with desire, and that preoccupation of mind will cause his time to waste away in regret over what he does not possess.
From Ali (AS), from the Messenger of God (PBUH): Whoever does not disdain serving his family enters Paradise without reckoning. Serving one's family is an expiation for the major sins and extinguishes the wrath of the Lord; and none serves his family but a man for whom God desires the good of this world and the Hereafter. (Jami' al-Akhbar, vol. 1, p. 102)
The Commander of the Faithful (AS) relates from the Messenger of God (PBUH): Whoever does not hold back from serving his family enters Paradise without reckoning. And he said: Serving one's family is an expiation for sins and quenches God's wrath. And he said: Whoever is granted success in serving his family, God has willed for him the good of this world and the next.
And the Commander of the Faithful (AS) said: Whoever guarantees me one trait, I guarantee him four. Whoever guarantees me the maintaining of kinship-ties, I guarantee him the love of his family, abundance of wealth, length of life, and entry into the Paradise of his Lord. (Jami' al-Akhbar, vol. 1, p. 106)
The Commander of the Faithful (AS) said: Whoever keeps the ties of kinship, I guarantee him four things: he will be loved; his wealth will increase; his life will be lengthened; and his end will be blessed.
And by his chain, from Ali (AS), from the Prophet (PBUH): If a man knew what awaits him through good character, he would know that it is he who stands in need of good character; for good character melts away sins as water melts salt. (Jami' al-Akhbar, vol. 1, p. 107)
The Commander of the Faithful (AS) said: If people knew the importance of good character, they would understand that they are in constant need of it: good character melts sins away and washes them off.
And the Commander of the Faithful (AS) was asked: Who among people is most lastingly sorrowful? He said: The worst of them in character. (Jami' al-Akhbar, vol. 1, p. 107)
The Commander of the Faithful (AS) said: Bad character brings sorrow, and ill-natured people are forever sad.
And he (AS) said: The title-page of the believer's record is his good character. (Jami' al-Akhbar, vol. 1, p. 107)
The Commander of the Faithful (AS) said: The most striking mark of the believer is his good character.
The Commander of the Faithful said to al-Hasan (AS): Do not blame a man who seeks his daily bread; for whoever lacks his sustenance, his errors multiply. (Jami' al-Akhbar, vol. 1, p. 110)
The Commander of the Faithful (AS) said: Never judge or reproach one who is in want of his evening bread! A hungry man errs and stumbles often.
Ali (AS) said: Poverty is stored up with God, holding the rank of martyrdom; God grants it to whom He wills. (Jami' al-Akhbar, vol. 1, p. 110)
The Commander of the Faithful (AS) said: Poverty is one of God's special trials, which, like martyrdom, He does not give to just anyone.
He (AS) said: There will come a time when rule will hold firm for them only by killing and tyranny, riches only by miserliness, and companionship only by following their desires and departing from religion. Whoever reaches that time and is patient in poverty though able to gain riches, patient in abasement though able to gain honor, and patient under people's hatred though able to win their love — God the Exalted will grant him the reward of fifty champions of truth. (Jami' al-Akhbar, vol. 1, p. 110)
The Commander of the Faithful (AS) said: A time will come when holding power will be impossible except by killing people and oppressing them; wealth unattainable except by miserliness; and friendship with people impossible except by yielding to their desires and denying religion. Whoever meets such an age and is patient — choosing weakness over power, poverty over wealth, and solitude over misplaced friendships — will grow like fifty champions of truth and earn their reward with God.
The Commander of the Faithful (AS) said: Whoever trusts in God, He shelters him in gladness; and whoever relies upon Him, He suffices him in his affairs. (Jami' al-Akhbar, vol. 1, p. 117)
The Commander of the Faithful (AS) said: Whoever puts his trust in God in this life, God fills his inner being with gladness; and whoever leans upon God, God takes care of his affairs.
The Commander of the Faithful (AS) said: I sought rank and station and found them only in knowledge — learn, that your worth may be great in both abodes. I sought honor and found it only in piety — be God-fearing, that you may be honored. I sought riches and found them only in contentment — hold to contentment, and you will be free of need. I sought ease and found it only in leaving off mingling with people, save for what sustains life in this world — leave the world and the mingling with people, and you will find rest in both abodes and be safe from punishment. And I sought a pleasant life and found it only in abandoning desire — abandon desire, that your life may be sweet. (Jami' al-Akhbar, vol. 1, p. 123)
The Commander of the Faithful (AS) said: I went in search of rank and station, and saw that it always accompanies knowledge; so I counsel you to learn, that you may gain station in this world and the next.
I went in pursuit of being the best, and saw that it is attainable only through piety; so hear me and take up the fear of God, that you may be the best before God.
I went in pursuit of riches, and saw that they are found only in contentment; so practice contentment, that you may reach inward wealth.
I sought tranquility, and saw that it comes only by withdrawing from people; yet for life to hold together, some measure of social dealings cannot be avoided. So abandon both the excesses of living and needless mingling with people, that you may find peace.
I sought an easy life, and saw that it is possible only by abandoning desire; so abandon desire, that you may live at ease.
The Commander of the Faithful (AS) said: The deed most beloved to God the Exalted on earth is supplication. (Jami' al-Akhbar, vol. 1, p. 131)
The Commander of the Faithful (AS) said: The deed most beloved to God under this sky is supplication.
The Commander of the Faithful (AS) said: Offer your supplications before affliction descends. (Jami' al-Akhbar, vol. 1, p. 132)
The Commander of the Faithful (AS) said: Supplicate before affliction arrives! For that is better.
The Commander of the Faithful (AS) said: The gates of heaven are opened at five times: at the falling of rain, at the advance of armies, at the call to prayer, at the recitation of the Qur'an, at midday, and at sunrise. (Jami' al-Akhbar, vol. 1, p. 132)
The Commander of the Faithful (AS) said: The gates of heaven stand open for the answering of supplication at five times: when rain falls, on the battlefield, at the moment of the call to prayer, during the recitation of the Qur'an, at midday, and at sunrise.
And from the Commander of the Faithful (AS), who said: No believer hears the soft footfall of a guest and rejoices at it but that his sins are forgiven, even if they were heaped up between heaven and earth. (Jami' al-Akhbar, vol. 1, p. 136)
The Commander of the Faithful (AS) said: A believer who hears the sound of a guest arriving and is glad of it — his faults, however many they may be, are forgiven.
And from Asim ibn Dumayra, from the Commander of the Faithful (AS), who said: No believer loves the guest but that he will rise from his grave with his face like the moon on the night of its fullness. The assembled throng will look and say: This can be none but a prophet sent forth! But an angel will say: This is a believer who loved the guest and honored the guest, and there is no way for him but to enter Paradise. (Jami' al-Akhbar, vol. 1, p. 136)
The Commander of the Faithful (AS) said: A believer who loves the guest will be raised on the Day of Resurrection so radiant that people will suppose he is a prophet. But the angels will say: He is not a prophet; rather, he is a believer who loved to receive guests and honored his guest — and such a one is assuredly destined for Paradise.
When Uthman ibn Affan died, the Commander of the Faithful (AS) sat in his place. A bedouin came and said: O Commander of the Faithful, I am beset by three ailments: an ailment of the body, an ailment of poverty, and an ailment of ignorance. The Commander of the Faithful (AS) answered him and said: O brother of the Arabs, the ailment of the body is brought before the physician, the ailment of ignorance before the learned, and the ailment of poverty before the generous. The bedouin said: O Commander of the Faithful, you are the generous, you are the learned, and you are the physician! So the Commander of the Faithful (AS) ordered that he be given three thousand dirhams from the treasury, and said: Spend a thousand on the ailment of the body, a thousand on the ailment of ignorance, and a thousand on the ailment of poverty. (Jami' al-Akhbar, vol. 1, p. 138)
In the early days of the rule of the Commander of the Faithful (AS), a bedouin came and said: O Commander of the Faithful, I have three troubles: a bodily ailment, a money problem, and third, that I lack sufficient learning. The Commander of the Faithful (AS) said: The trouble of the body must be told to the physician, the trouble of money to the generous, and the lack of learning must be remedied with the learned. The bedouin said: O Ali, you are at once the physician, the generous one, and the learned! On hearing this, the Commander of the Faithful (AS) ordered that he be given three thousand dirhams, and said: Spend one third on medicine and treatment, set one third as capital for earning a livelihood, and devote one third to the pursuit of knowledge.
And from him (PBUH): O Ali, whoever gives up wine for other than God's sake, God will give him to drink of the sealed nectar. Ali (AS) said: For other than God's sake? He said: Yes, by God — to safeguard himself; and God thanks him for that. (Jami' al-Akhbar, vol. 1, p. 151)
The Messenger of God (PBUH) said: O Ali! Whoever gives up wine, even if not for God's sake, God will still give him to drink of the sealed nectar, a spring of Paradise. Ali (AS) asked: What does it mean, 'not for God's sake'?! The Messenger of God (PBUH) said: It means for his own protection — that is, for his health and the preservation of his honor. Then he said: So great is God's gratitude!
From Ali (AS), who said: A child's illness is an expiation for its parents. (Jami' al-Akhbar, vol. 1, p. 164)
The Commander of the Faithful (AS) said: A child's illness is an expiation for the sins of its parents.
And he (AS) said: In whatever state the believer dies, on whatever day and at whatever hour his soul is taken, he is a champion of truth and a martyr. (Jami' al-Akhbar, vol. 1, p. 165)
The Commander of the Faithful (AS) said: However and whenever a believer dies, he dies a champion of truth — and a martyr!
And the Commander of the Faithful (AS) said: The Prophet (PBUH) said: In Paradise there is a market in which there is no buying or selling, but only forms of men and women; whoever desires a form enters into it. (Jami' al-Akhbar, vol. 1, p. 173)
The Commander of the Faithful (AS) said: I heard from the Messenger of God (PBUH) that in Paradise there is a market where, instead of buying and selling, a multitude of forms is on display. Whoever fancies a form takes it, enters into it, and assumes that form.
And the Commander of the Faithful (AS) said: I shall be with the Messenger of God (PBUH), together with my kin, at the Pond. Whoever desires us, let him take up our word and act as we acted; for ours is the intercession, and the people of our love have intercession too — so intercede! Whoever meets us [holding fast to us] will meet us at the Pond: there I shall drive our enemies away from it and give our friends to drink of it; and whoever drinks one draught of it will never thirst again. (Jami' al-Akhbar, vol. 1, p. 174)
The Commander of the Faithful (AS) said: On the Day of Resurrection, I shall be with my master the Messenger of God (PBUH) and with my kin beside the Pond of Kawthar.
Whoever wishes to keep tryst with us there, let him heed our word and act as we acted!
Then he said: Not only we, but our Shia too have leave to intercede. So, O Shia! Intercede for others!
Whoever seeks a meeting with us on the Day of Resurrection — our tryst is at the Pond of Kawthar! On that day I shall drive our enemies from the Pond's edge and give our friends their fill; and whoever receives a portion of that Pond is quenched forever.
Ali (AS) was asked, and said: Servitude to God is five things: an empty stomach, recitation of the Qur'an, the night vigil, humble entreaty at daybreak, and weeping from the fear of God. (Jami' al-Akhbar, vol. 1, p. 178)
The Commander of the Faithful (AS) was asked about servitude to God; he said: It has five valleys: eating little; intimacy with the Qur'an; worship by night; humble entreaty at dawn; and weeping from the awe of God.
A man asked the Commander of the Faithful (AS) for counsel as he set out on a journey. He (AS) said: If you want a companion, God suffices you; if you want an associate, the Noble Scribes suffice you; if you want an intimate, the Qur'an suffices you; if you want a lesson, this world suffices you; if you want work, worship suffices you; if you want an admonisher, death suffices you; and if what I have mentioned does not suffice you, then the Fire on the Day of Resurrection will suffice you. (Jami' al-Akhbar, vol. 1, p. 181)
A man, at his last meeting with the Commander of the Faithful (AS), asked for counsel; so the Master (AS) said: Do you want a companion? God! Do you want an associate? The two angels who go with you! Do you want an intimate? The Qur'an! Do you want a lesson? This world! Are you after a deed? Worship! After an admonition? Death! Then he said: And if all I have said does not suffice you, the cure for your ailment is the Fire of the Day of Resurrection!
A learned man of the Sufis wrote down forty hadiths, then chose from them four sayings spoken by the Commander of the Faithful (AS) and cast the rest into the sea. They are: Obey God in the measure of your need of Him; disobey God in the measure of your capacity to bear His punishment; work for your world in the measure of your stay in it; and work for your Hereafter in the measure of your abiding in it. (Jami' al-Akhbar, vol. 1, p. 181)
A learned man among the Sufis gathered forty hadiths. Then he sifted them, set apart four sayings that were from the Commander of the Faithful (AS), and cast the rest into the sea. As for those four sayings: Obey God in the measure of your need of Him!
Disobey Him in the measure of your endurance of His punishment!
Concern yourself with this world in the measure of your stay in it!
Work for the Hereafter in the measure of your abiding there!
And the Commander of the Faithful said: I read the Torah, the Gospel, the Psalms, and the Furqan, and from each book I chose one saying. From the Torah: whoever keeps silent is saved. From the Gospel: whoever is content is filled. From the Psalms: whoever forsakes desires is safe from harm. From the Furqan: whoever relies upon God, He is sufficient for him. (Jami' al-Akhbar, vol. 1, p. 183)
The Commander of the Faithful (AS) said: I read the Torah, the Gospel, the Psalms, and the Qur'an, and from each I chose one sentence;
From the Torah: whoever kept silent was saved!
From the Gospel: whoever was content was filled!
From the Psalms: whoever shunned desire escaped all harm!
From the Qur'an: whoever trusted in God, God sufficed him!
And the Commander of the Faithful (AS) said: Three things diminish the soul: poverty, fear, and grief; and three things give it life: the words of the learned, meeting with friends, and the passing of days with little affliction. (Jami' al-Akhbar, vol. 1, p. 184)
The Commander of the Faithful (AS) said: Three things consume and wear away a person's being: poverty, fear, and grief; and three things bring it to life: the words of the learned, meeting friends, and lasting well-being.