Muhammad ibn al-Hasan ibn al-Walid related it, from Muhammad ibn al-Hasan al-Saffar, from Ahmad ibn Muhammad ibn Isa, from Ja'far ibn Muhammad, from his father, from Ali (AS), who said: The most beloved of deeds to God, glorified be He, upon the earth is supplication; and the most excellent worship is chastity. (Falah al-Sa'il, vol. 1, p. 27)
The Commander of the Faithful (AS) said: The deed that God loves most upon the earth is supplication, and the most excellent of acts of worship is chastity.
From al-Husayn ibn Sa'id, from Ibn Bukayr, from Muhammad ibn Muslim, who said: Abu Abd Allah (AS) said: In the book of Ali (AS) it is written that praise comes before the request; so when you call upon God, glorify Him. He said: I said: How shall we glorify Him? He said: You say: O You who are nearer to me than the jugular vein! O You who come between a man and his heart! O You who are in the highest station! O You like whom there is nothing! (Falah al-Sa'il, vol. 1, p. 35)
Imam al-Sadiq (AS) said: In the writings of Ali (AS) I saw that before the request there should be praise, and before supplication one should glorify God. Say: O You who are nearer to me than the jugular vein! O You who stand between me and my heart! O You who are in the highest station! O You who have no like! Then make your supplication.
Abu Ja'far Muhammad ibn Babawayh related, in his book on the asceticism of our master Ali ibn Abi Talib (AS), with his chain to Abu Abd Allah (AS): When Ali rose to prayer and said, 'I have turned my face towards Him who created the heavens and the earth' [Qur'an 6:79], his colour would change, so that it could be seen in his face. (Falah al-Sa'il, vol. 1, p. 101)
Imam al-Sadiq (AS) said: When Ali (AS) was about to begin the prayer, he would recite this verse: 'Truly I have turned my face towards Him who created the heavens and the earth...' [Qur'an 6:79] — and his colour would change.
From Ibn Abi Umayr, from Bakr ibn Muhammad al-Azdi, from Abu Abd Allah (AS), who said: The Commander of the Faithful Ali ibn Abi Talib (AS) used to say to his companions: Whoever prostrates between the call to prayer and the summons to stand, and says in his prostration, 'My Lord, to You I have prostrated, submissive, humble and lowly' — God Almighty says: My angels, by My might and My majesty, I shall surely place love of him in the hearts of My believing servants, and awe of him in the hearts of the hypocrites. (Falah al-Sa'il, vol. 1, p. 152)
Imam al-Sadiq (AS) said: Ali (AS) had enjoined upon his companions that between the call to prayer and the summons to stand they should prostrate and say: 'My Lord, to You I have prostrated, submissive, humble and lowly.' And he used to say: When God sees this, He glories in that servant before His angels and says: By My might and My majesty, I shall place love of this servant in the hearts of the believers, and awe of him in the hearts of the hypocrites.
Ibn Abi Umayr related it, from Bakr ibn Muhammad al-Azdi, from Abu Abd Allah (AS), in a hadith of which this is the substance. He said: The Commander of the Faithful (AS) used to say to his companions: Whoever rises for the prayer and says, before entering the sacred state and pronouncing the takbir, 'O Benefactor, the evildoer has come to You; You have commanded the benefactor to overlook the evildoer; You are the Benefactor and I am the evildoer; so by the right of Muhammad and the family of Muhammad, bless Muhammad and the family of Muhammad and overlook the ugly deeds You know of me' — God Almighty says: My angels, bear witness that I have pardoned him and have satisfied on his behalf those who have claims against him. (Falah al-Sa'il, vol. 1, p. 155)
Imam al-Sadiq (AS) said: Ali (AS) had enjoined upon his companions that before the opening takbir of the prayer they should say: 'O Benefactor, the evildoer has come to You; You have commanded the benefactor to overlook the evildoer; You are the Benefactor and I am the evildoer; so by the right of Muhammad and the family of Muhammad, bless Muhammad and the family of Muhammad and overlook the ugly deeds You know of me.' That is: O God of all goodness! I, the evildoer, have come to Your court, and You Yourself have commanded that the good should overlook the evil of the bad! You are good and I am bad; so by the right of Muhammad and the family of Muhammad, overlook my evil deeds! And he used to say: When a servant does this, God says to the angels: Bear witness that I have pardoned this servant and have obtained satisfaction on his behalf from those he has wronged.
From Sa'd ibn Tarif al-Iskaf, from al-Asbagh ibn Nubata, from the Commander of the Faithful Ali ibn Abi Talib (AS), that he said: Whoever wishes to leave this world purified of sins as gold is purified, with no dross in it, and with no one claiming any wrong against him, let him recite after the five prayers the ascription of the Lord, blessed and exalted — 'Say: He is God, One' — and let him spread out his hands and say: 'O God, I ask You by Your name, the hidden, the treasured, the pure, the purifying, the blessed; and I ask You by Your mighty name and Your ancient sovereignty. O Bestower of gifts, O Releaser of captives, O Deliverer of necks from the Fire! I ask You to bless Muhammad and the family of Muhammad, and to free my neck from the Fire, and to take me out of this world in safety, and to admit me into the Garden in security; and make the beginning of my day success, its middle prosperity and its end righteousness — for You are the Knower of all hidden things.' Then the Commander of the Faithful (AS) said: This is among the supplications that are answered, which the Messenger of God (PBUH) taught me and commanded me to teach to al-Hasan and al-Husayn (AS). (Falah al-Sa'il, vol. 1, p. 166)
The Commander of the Faithful (AS) used to say: Whoever wishes to depart this world purified of sins and made wholly clean, let him recite the sura of divine unity after the obligatory prayers, then raise his hands towards heaven and say: 'O God, I ask You by Your name, the hidden, the treasured, the pure, the purifying, the blessed; and I ask You by Your mighty name and Your ancient sovereignty. O Bestower of gifts, O Releaser of captives, O Deliverer of necks from the Fire! I ask You to bless Muhammad and the family of Muhammad, and to free my neck from the Fire, and to take me out of this world in safety, and to admit me into the Garden in security; and make the beginning of my day success, its middle prosperity and its end righteousness — for You are the Knower of all hidden things.' And he used to say: This supplication is among the supplications that are answered, which the Messenger of God (PBUH) taught me and enjoined upon me to teach to my sons.
Muhammad ibn Ya'qub al-Kulayni related, with his chain, in the book al-Kafi, saying: When evening came, Ali (AS) would say: Welcome to the new night and to the recording witness! Write: In the name of God. Then he would make remembrance of God, mighty and majestic. (Falah al-Sa'il, vol. 1, p. 227)
The narrator says: When evening fell, the Commander of the Faithful (AS) would say: Peace be upon the new night! And peace be upon the angel who records my deeds! Write! Then he would remember God abundantly.
Sa'id, from Isma'il ibn Hammam, from Abu'l-Hasan — that is, al-Rida (AS) — who said: The Commander of the Faithful (AS) said: Whoever says, 'In the name of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful; there is no power and no strength save in God, the High, the Mighty', seven times while his leg is still folded beneath him after the sunset prayer, before he speaks, and after the dawn prayer, before he speaks — God Almighty will turn away from him seventy kinds of affliction, the least of which are leprosy, vitiligo, the ruler and Satan. (Falah al-Sa'il, vol. 1, p. 230)
Imam al-Rida (AS) said: My grandfather the Commander of the Faithful (AS) used to say: Whoever, after the dawn or the sunset prayer, without rising from his place or speaking with anyone, says seven times: 'In the name of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful; there is no power and no strength save in God, the High, the Mighty' — God will avert from him seventy kinds of affliction, among them many diseases, and the tyranny of rulers, and the domination of satans.
From Amr ibn Abi'l-Miqdam, from his father, from Habba al-Urani, from the Commander of the Faithful (AS): There is no man of greater rank with God than a man who weeps out of awe of God; and there is no tear that falls from the eye of a man out of awe of God but it extinguishes seas of fire. (Falah al-Sa'il, vol. 1, p. 266)
The Commander of the Faithful (AS) said: The one of highest rank with God is he who weeps out of awe of Him. A single tear of weeping out of awe of God extinguishes seas of fire.