From the Sahifat al-Rida (AS), from him, from his fathers, from Ali (AS), who said: Perfume is a restorative, bathing is a restorative, looking upon greenery is a restorative, and riding is a restorative. (Makarim al-Akhlaq, vol. 1, p. 42)
The Commander of the Faithful (AS) said: Several things bring cheer: sweet fragrance, the ritual bath, green nature, and riding.
From al-Sadiq, from his father, from the Commander of the Faithful (AS), who said: Three things carry away phlegm and increase the memory: brushing the teeth, fasting, and reciting the Qur'an. (Makarim al-Akhlaq, vol. 1, p. 51)
The Commander of the Faithful (AS) said: Three things dispel sluggishness: brushing the teeth, fasting and restraint in eating, and reciting the Qur'an.
From Abu Abd Allah, from his fathers, from the Commander of the Faithful (AS), who said: When one of you strips bare, Satan looks at him and covets him — so gird yourselves with a waist-wrap. (Makarim al-Akhlaq, vol. 1, p. 51)
The Commander of the Faithful (AS) said: When you strip bare, Satan covets your body; so at the least, tie on a waist-wrap!
From Hanan ibn Sadir, from his father, who said: I entered the bathhouse of Medina together with my father, my grandfather, and my uncle. There was a man in the disrobing room; then we went in, and when we were in the hot chamber he turned to my grandfather and said: O elder, what keeps you from applying dye? My grandfather said to him: I lived in the days of one who was better than you and than me, and he did not dye. At that he grew so angry that we could see his anger, then he said: And who is this one better than you and than me? He said: I lived in the days of Ali ibn Abi Talib (AS), and he did not dye. At this he bowed his head and broke out in sweat, and said: You have spoken truly and done rightly. Then he said: O elder, if you dye — the Messenger of God (PBUH) dyed, and he is better than Ali; and if you leave it, then in Ali you have an example. When we came out of the bathhouse we asked about the old man, and behold, it was Ali ibn al-Husayn (AS), and with him his son Muhammad (AS). (Makarim al-Akhlaq, vol. 1, p. 83)
The narrator says: We traveled to Medina, and there several of us went to the bathhouse. A man there said to one of us who had a white beard: O old man! Why do you not dye your beard? He replied: I saw one who was better than me and you, and he did not dye it! The man grew upset and said: Who? The old man said: Ali ibn Abi Talib. The man lowered his head and then said: True! But the Messenger of God (PBUH), who was better than Ali, did dye his beard; so now you may follow his practice, or you may follow Ali's — both are fitting. The narrator says: When we left the bathhouse we asked who that man was. They said: He is Ali's (AS) grandson, Zayn al-Abidin (AS).
From Ali ibn Abi Talib (AS), who said: The Messenger of God (PBUH) forbade me — and I do not say he forbade you — from wearing a gold ring. (Makarim al-Akhlaq, vol. 1, p. 86)
The Commander of the Faithful (AS) said: The Messenger of God (PBUH) forbade me — not you — from wearing a gold ring.
We say: that is, this prohibition was not general and does not include you; or else it indicates reprehensibility, not unlawfulness.
From Sufyan al-Thawri, who said: I said to Abu Abdillah (AS): You relate that Ali ibn Abi Talib (AS) used to wear coarse clothing, yet you wear fine Quhi and Marvi garments! He said: Woe to you! Ali ibn Abi Talib lived in a time of hardship; when times grow prosperous, the righteous of the age are the most worthy of its bounty. (Makarim al-Akhlaq, vol. 1, p. 97)
Sufyan al-Thawri says: I said to Imam al-Sadiq (AS): While you relate that Ali (AS) wore coarse clothing, you yourself wear fine garments?! He said: Ali (AS) lived in a time when poverty was rampant; when it is a time of plenty, the righteous have the first claim to its blessings.
It is related from Abd al-A'la, the mawla of the family of Sam, who said: I said to Abu Abdillah (AS): People say that you have great wealth. He said: That does not trouble me. One day the Commander of the Faithful (AS) passed by various people of Quraysh while wearing a tattered shirt. They said: Ali has become a man without wealth! Ali (AS) heard this and ordered the one in charge of his charity to gather his dates, to send none of them to anyone, to store them up, then to sell them lot by lot and turn them into dirhams. He did so and brought the money to him, and he placed it where the dates were kept. Then he said to the one who tended it: When I call for dates, go up and strike the pile with your foot, as though you did not mean to touch the dirhams, so that you scatter them. Then he sent to invite a man from among them, and then called for dates. When no dates were to be seen, the attendant struck with his foot and the dirhams scattered. They said: What is this wealth, O Abu al-Hasan? He said: This is the wealth of the one who has no wealth. When they left, he gave orders concerning that money, saying: Look to every household to whom I used to send dates, and send them of this money in the same measure. Then Abu Abdillah (AS) said: I do not like them to relate anything other than that. (Makarim al-Akhlaq, vol. 1, p. 99)
The narrator says: I said to Imam al-Sadiq (AS): People say you possess great wealth! He said: So much the better! Then he said: One day the Commander of the Faithful (AS), wearing a torn shirt, passed by a group of Quraysh. They said: Ali is poor! When Ali (AS) heard this, he told the man in charge of his charities to gather his dates, to send none of them to anyone, to sell them in due order and turn them into cash. The man did so and brought the money to the Imam. The Imam then placed the money in the very place where the dates were kept. Then he said to the keeper of the dates: Whenever I ask for dates, go and kick the coins with your foot, as though you did not know they were dirhams, so that they scatter about. Then the Imam sent for that group of Quraysh and invited them. Then he asked for dates. The keeper of the dates, seeing no dates, struck the dirhams with his foot, and the dirhams scattered. They said: O Abu al-Hasan! What is this wealth? He said: This is the wealth of the one who, as you said, has no wealth. And when they left, he ordered that to every household to which he used to send dates, the same amount of this money be taken. Then Imam al-Sadiq (AS) said: I too like people to talk everywhere of my wealth.
And he (AS) also said: Fear God concerning what He has bestowed upon you, and concerning the speechless among your possessions. He was asked: What are the speechless among our possessions? He said: The sheep, the cat, the pigeon, and their like. (Makarim al-Akhlaq, vol. 1, p. 129)
The Commander of the Faithful (AS) said: Fear God and take care of what He has entrusted to you — especially the tongueless ones! They asked: Meaning whom? He said: Sheep, cats, pigeons, and the other animals.
The Commander of the Faithful (AS) said: The miser, in his miserliness, withholds zakat, charity, kindness to kin, hospitality to guests, spending in the way of God, and the gates of good; and it is forbidden to Paradise that any miser should enter it. (Makarim al-Akhlaq, vol. 1, p. 134)
The Commander of the Faithful (AS) said: The miser, by his miserliness, is held back from zakat, alms, kindness to kin, hospitality, charitable spending, and the other gates of goodness, and so loses Paradise. That is why Paradise is forbidden to the miser!
From the Commander of the Faithful (AS), who said: Follow the word of the Messenger of God (PBUH), for he said: Whoever opens upon himself a door of begging, God opens upon him a door of poverty. (Makarim al-Akhlaq, vol. 1, p. 137)
The Commander of the Faithful (AS) said: Take to heart this saying of the Prophet (PBUH): every request made of people causes God to open upon you a door of poverty and need.
From Ali (AS), who said: The Messenger of God (PBUH) said: Whoever fasts a single day voluntarily, God, the Mighty and Majestic, admits him into Paradise. (Makarim al-Akhlaq, vol. 1, p. 138)
The Commander of the Faithful (AS) said: Even a single day of fasting for God's sake makes a person worthy of Paradise.
It is related from the Commander of the Faithful, Ali ibn Abi Talib (AS), that he said: Remember God, the Mighty and Majestic, at mealtime, and do not indulge in idle talk during it. (Makarim al-Akhlaq, vol. 1, p. 140)
The Commander of the Faithful (AS) said: At the table, while eating, speak the remembrance of God and refrain from idle chatter!
Muhammad ibn Ja'far ibn al-Asim, from his father, from his grandfather, said: I went on hajj with a group of our companions and came to Medina. We were making for a place to lodge when a servant of Abu al-Hasan Musa ibn Ja'far (AS) met us on a green donkey of his, with food following behind him. We alighted among the palm trees, and he came and dismounted. A basin and water were brought; he began and washed his hands, and the basin was passed around to his right until it reached the last of us, then it was passed again from his left until it came to the last of us. Then the food was served, and he began with salt, then said: Eat — in the name of God, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful. Then he followed with vinegar. Then a roasted shoulder was brought, and he said: Eat — in the name of God, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful — for this is a food that delighted the Prophet (PBUH). Then vinegar and olive oil were brought, and he said: Eat — in the name of God, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful — for this is a food that delighted Fatima (AS). Then sikbaj was brought, and he said: Eat — in the name of God, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful — for this is a food that delighted the Commander of the Faithful (AS). (Makarim al-Akhlaq, vol. 1, p. 144)
The narrator says: On the hajj journey we arrived at Medina and were looking for lodging when we saw a servant of Musa ibn Ja'far (AS) carrying food on a donkey. We followed him and, in a palm grove, came into the presence of Imam al-Kazim (AS). When the meal began, everyone washed their hands in turn; then we said "In the name of God" and began with salt and after it vinegar. Then a roasted shoulder of lamb was brought, and the Imam (AS) said that this had been the favorite food of the Messenger of God (PBUH). Then vinegar and olives — or vinegar and olive oil — were brought, and he said: This was the favorite food of Fatima (AS). Then sikbaj was brought, and he said: This was the favorite food of the Commander of the Faithful (AS).
We say: Sikbaj is a kind of stew of carrot — or yellow carrot — and onion, usually cooked with beef; for its sourness grape vinegar is added, and for its sweetness honey or red sugar, and its spice is saffron. If its liquid is plentiful and its meat well softened, it is served as a thick soup.
And the Commander of the Faithful (AS) said: Whatever falls from the table is a cure for every ailment for the one who seeks healing by it. (Makarim al-Akhlaq, vol. 1, p. 146)
The Commander of the Faithful (AS) said: The leftovers and crumbs of food that ordinarily fall from the table are a cure — provided they are eaten with the intention of healing.
From Ali (AS), who said: Let hot food rest until it cools and becomes manageable, for the blessing is in what has cooled. (Makarim al-Akhlaq, vol. 1, p. 146)
The Commander of the Faithful (AS) used to say: Do not eat food piping hot; wait until it cools. And he used to say: The blessing is in food that has cooled.
And he (AS) said: Whoever licks the bowl clean, the angels bless him and pray for abundance in his provision, and multiplied good deeds are written for him. (Makarim al-Akhlaq, vol. 1, p. 146)
The Commander of the Faithful (AS) used to say: Chew your food well, so that good deeds may be written for you, and so that the angels, for your calm and patience, may send blessings upon you and pray for the increase of your provision.
And from him (AS), who said: Honor bread, for God, the Mighty and Majestic, has sent it down from the blessings of heaven. It was asked: And what is honoring it? He said: When it is present, nothing else is waited for. (Makarim al-Akhlaq, vol. 1, p. 154)
The Commander of the Faithful (AS) said: Honor bread! For God has made it a heavenly blessing for you. They asked: How should we honor it? He said: When bread is present, do not wait for another dish.
From the Commander of the Faithful (AS), who said: Honey is a cure for every ailment, and there is no ailment in it; it reduces phlegm and polishes the heart. (Makarim al-Akhlaq, vol. 1, p. 166)
The Commander of the Faithful (AS) said: Honey is the cure for every pain, and there is no harm in it; it dispels phlegm (sluggishness and listlessness) and gives luster to the heart.
From the Commander of the Faithful (AS), who said: Eat dates, for in them is a cure for ailments. (Makarim al-Akhlaq, vol. 1, p. 168)
The Commander of the Faithful (AS) said: Dates are a remedy for pains.
From the Commander of the Faithful (AS), who said: I heard the Messenger of God (PBUH) say: Whoever eats a pomegranate through to its end, God illumines his heart for forty nights. (Makarim al-Akhlaq, vol. 1, p. 171)
The Commander of the Faithful (AS) said: Eat a whole pomegranate through to the end; God will keep your heart luminous for forty nights.
The Commander of the Faithful (AS) said: The conditions most deserving of fulfillment are those by which you have made marital union lawful. And the Muhammadan sunnah concerning the dower is five hundred dirhams; whoever exceeds the sunnah is brought back to the sunnah. (Makarim al-Akhlaq, vol. 1, p. 207)
The Commander of the Faithful (AS) said: The most important financial obligation a man must observe is the payment of his wife's dower; and the dower in the Muhammadan sunnah is five hundred dirhams, and whatever exceeds it is of no effect.
We say: Five hundred dirhams equal fifty dinars, and each dinar is roughly equivalent to one half of today's common gold coin. That is, the mahr al-sunnah is roughly equivalent to twenty-five common gold coins.
And the Prophet (PBUH) said to Ali (AS) in his counsel to him: O Ali! Pray during the night, even if only for the span of milking a ewe, and supplicate in the hours before dawn — you have a supplication that is not turned back — for God, the Blessed and Exalted, says: "and those who seek forgiveness in the hours before dawn" [Qur'an 3:17]. (Makarim al-Akhlaq, vol. 1, p. 294)
The Commander of the Faithful (AS) said: The Messenger of God (PBUH) enjoined me to pray at night, even if only for the span of milking a ewe (that is, some three minutes), and to supplicate in the hours before dawn, for God has said: "those who seek forgiveness in the hours before dawn" [Qur'an 3:17].
From Ali (AS), who said: The Messenger of God (PBUH) said: Two light rak'ahs performed with reflection are better than standing a whole night in worship. (Makarim al-Akhlaq, vol. 1, p. 300)
The Commander of the Faithful (AS) said: Two simple rak'ahs of prayer with reflection are better than standing a whole night in worship.
We say: The expression "prayer with reflection" is a rare one; it seems to mean a prayer in which one knows why one is praying, before whom one stands, and what one is saying.
And the Commander of the Faithful (AS) said: The weeping of eyes and the awe of hearts are from the mercy of God Most High; so when you find them, seize the opportunity for supplication. (Makarim al-Akhlaq, vol. 1, p. 317)
The Commander of the Faithful (AS) said: The state of weeping and of the heart's awe in a servant is a sign of God's merciful regard; if these states come upon you, count them precious and supplicate at once.
And the Commander of the Faithful (AS) said: If a servant weeps within a community, God Most High shows mercy to that community for the weeping of that servant. (Makarim al-Akhlaq, vol. 1, p. 317)
The Commander of the Faithful (AS) said: If a worshipper weeps among a community in the worship of God, He casts His merciful regard upon that entire community.
From the Prophet (PBUH): that he said to Ali (AS): O Ali! When you see a lion and matters press hard upon you, say "Allahu Akbar" (God is Greater). (Makarim al-Akhlaq, vol. 1, p. 430)
The Commander of the Faithful (AS) said: The Messenger of God (PBUH) advised that when you come face to face with a predatory beast, or a sudden danger befalls you, you should keep saying "Allahu Akbar."
From Ja'far ibn Muhammad, from his father, from his grandfather, from Ali ibn Abi Talib (AS), from the Prophet (PBUH), that he said: O Ali! God, the Blessed and Exalted, revealed to the world: Serve the one who serves Me, and weary the one who serves you. (Makarim al-Akhlaq, vol. 1, p. 433)
The Messenger of God (PBUH) said to the Commander of the Faithful (AS): O Ali! God has sent revelation to the world, commanding it: Be at the service of the one who is My servant and the servant of My threshold, and cast into toil the one who runs after you and serves you.