Sayings of Imams

--

# Hadith of 12th Imam

Sayings of 12th Imam Muhammad al Mahdi

Because of me God removes the calamities from my Progeny and my Shias.

I am the Mahdi. I am the Qaem [life] of the time.

I am the one who will fill the earth with justice.

I am the reminder of God in his earth. I am the avenger from his enemies.

I am the seal of successors.

Through me shall God the mighty and glorious, drives away the calamities from my progeny and my shias.

Surely, I am indeed the security for the inhabitant of the earth.

When God permits us to speak, truth will prevail and falsehood will vanish.

They should know that the truth is with us and in us.

Surely, we do not neglect your conditions nor are we forgetful of your remembrance.

Then each of you should do those deeds which brings you closer to our love.

God has denied the truth anything except perfection, and falsehood except destruction.

If you seek guidance you will be guided, and if search you will find.

Do not ask questions which do not hold any meaning for you.

Do not put yourself into trouble in gaining knowledge in which you have sufficed yourself.

(God) sent Mohammad as a mercy unto the world and completed his bounties through him.

--

# Hadith of 11th Imam

Sayings of 11th Imam Hasan al Askari

For those who accept to sit in a place other than the first row of a session, Allah and His angels will bless them until they leave that session.

Polytheism of people is more hidden than the creeping of ants on a black piece of cloth on a gloomy night.

“Bismillahir Rahmanir Rahim” is as near to the Great Name (of Allah) as the iris to the white of the eye.

To greet everyone you pass by, and to sit in a place other than the first class of a session, are signs of modesty.

Very much offering of prayers and fasting is not the worship; worship is the very much pondering over the affairs of Allah.

The worst servants of Allah are those who are two-faced and two tongued; they praise their present friends and backbite the absent; they envy them for obtaining graces and disappoint them whey they suffer a misfortune.

Anger is the key to every evil.

The least comfortable of people is the spiteful.

The faithful believer is a blessing for the believers and a claim against the disbelievers.

The heart of the foolish is in his mouth and the mouth of the wise is in his heart.

To show happiness before the grieved is not a sign of good mannerism.

[Source: The book, Tuhaf-Al-Uqoul, The Masterpieces of the Intellects.]

--

# Hadith of 10th Imam

Sayings of 10th Imam Ali al Naqi al Hadi

When God intends goodness for somebody, He makes him accept the blame of the friends.

Others will fear him who fears God. He who obeys God will be obeyed. He who obeys God will not care for the dissatisfaction of the creatures. He who enrages the Creator should be sure of encountering the dissatisfaction of the creatures.

No one can describe God with attributes other than these with which He describes Himself. How can anyone describe Him when senses are too short to perceive Him, illusions are too short to comprehend Him, ideas are too short to mark Him, and sights are too short to appreciate Him? He is remote in His nearness and near in His remoteness. He created the how without being asked "How?" and founded the where without being asked "where?" He is out of how and where. He is the One and Only. Exalted be His Majesty and sacred be His Names.

The thankful of a grace should be happy for thankfulness more than it is for the grace.

God has made this world for testing while He has made the life to come for receiving the result. He has also made the misfortunes of this world the cause of gaining the rewards of the life to come and made the rewards of the life to come as the compensation for the misfortunes of this world.

The clement oppressor is about to be acquitted for his clemency, while the foolish one is about to extinguish the illumination of his right with the blows of his foolishness.

You should present thorough obedience to those who present for you their thorough love and advice.

Do not feel secure from those who disgraced their personalities.

This world is like a market in which some profited and others lost.

Do not expect honesty and purity of intention from someone who has suffered from your malice; do not expect loyalty from one to whom you have been disloyal; do not expect goodwill from someone whom you regard with ill will: his heart towards you is the same as your heart towards him.

You should present thorough obedience to those who present for you their thorough love and advice.

He who feels secure from God's unexpected retribution and painful penalty will feel arrogant until God's act and inevitable decree (death) will befall him. He whomever receives evidence from his Lord will belittle the worldly misfortunes even if he is cut into pieces.

There are definite places in which God likes the servants to supplicate to Him. One of these places is the tomb of Al-Hussein: Master of the Martyrs.

--

# Hadith of 9th Imam

Sayings of Ninth Imam, Mohammed al Taqi, al Jawad [died 835 A.D.]

1. As a man asked him for an advice, Imam al-Jawad said: Put your head on steadfastness, embrace poverty, reject the lusts, oppose your passions, and know that you cannot be out of God's sight. Consider how you should behave, then.
2. God revealed to one of His prophets: Your asceticism will give you comfort. Your devotion to Me will endear you to Me. But, did you antagonize My enemies and cherish My disciples?
3. It was related that highway robbers stole the large amounts of cloth that belonged to Imam al-Jawad. The head of the caravan sent the Imam a message in which he informed him of that news. The Holy Imam answered him: Our souls and riches are within the pleasant gifts and the deposited loans of God Who makes us enjoy some of them pleasantly and delightedly and seizes whatever He wills with rewards and merits. He whosever intolerance overcomes his steadfastness will waste his rewards. God protect us against so.
4. He who detested a matter that he witnessed is as same as those who were absent from it, and he who was absent from a matter that he loved is, as same as those who witnessed it.
5. He whoever listens to a caller is serving him. If the caller was God's representative, he is then serving God. If the caller was the Satan's representative, he is then serving the Satan.
6. Dawud-bin-al-Qasim related: I asked Imam al-Jawad about the meaning of 'Samad'. He said: Everything that lacks navel is 'Samad'. I said that people claim that 'Samad' is everything that lacks interior. Imam al-Jawad commented: Everything that lacks interior lacks navel.
7. Abu-Hashim al-Ja'fari related: On the wedding day of Imam al-Jawad and Ummul-Fadhl, daughter of Al-Mamun. I said: O master, the blessing of this day is clearly great for us. The Holy Imam replied: O Abu-Hashim, God's blessings in this day have been great for us. "Yes, master," I said, "What should I say about the day?" Imam al-Jawad answered: Say only good things about the day so that you will be given from these good things. "Master," I said, "I will follow this instruction completely." Imam al-Jawad said: You will be guided to the right and you will see only the good if you adhere to this instruction.
8. Imam al-Jawad wrote to one of his disciples: We are only ladling from this world. He whose belief and religion are the same as his acquaintance will surely accompany the acquaintance everywhere. The life to come is surely the remaining abode.
9. A cameleer who took Imam al-Jawad from Medina to Al-Kufa asked for more money after the Imam had given him four hundred dinars. The Holy Imam said: How strange this is! Do you not know that God's increasing gifts will be stopped when the servants stop showing Him gratitude?
10. "Forgiveness" depends upon four things: sincere regrets, verbal "request", deeds and determination never to repeat the sin.
11. Don't pretend to be God's servant and be His enemy in privacy.
12. Don't be God's friend in appearance and his enemy in secret.
13. Sincerity is the best of all worships.
14. Relying on God is the price of every valuable thing and the ladder to every treasured thing.
15. To show a matter before preparing for it properly is spoiling it.
16. Love is attracted due to three traits: being just in social dealings, assisting others in hardships and having a pure heart.
17. Four things are required to do anything: health, independence, knowledge and divine assistance.
18. Three deeds are performed by the believers: following the necessary, abstaining from sins, and not neglecting the religion.
19. Whoever had three thing, will never regret: Refraining from haste; Consulting; and depending upon God when decision making.
20. Our wealth and soul are of God's pleasant gifts (to us) and deposited trusts, they cause happiness and pleasure as long as we enjoy them, and reward is for whatever is taken (from us), so whose grief overcome his patience his reward is lost, and we seek refuge to God from that.
21. Refrain from association with the evil person, because he is as the bare having a beautiful appearance (but) an ugly effect.
22. Delay in performing works always (cause) perplexity.
23. Increase of blessing is not interrupted by God, unless thanksgiving is interrupted by slaves.
24. Disclosing something before its firmness causes its destruction.
25. Dependence upon God is the price for any valuable thing and is the ladder for any eminent matter.
26. The one, who doesn't know the way in, has a problem finding the way out.
27. If move calmly, get to the aim or close to it.
28. The one who leaves compromise with the people faces discomfort.
29. Whoever worked without knowledge, his destruction is more than his rectification.
30. Have precaution according to the fear.
31. Four things aid the human in his work: soundness, not needing, knowledge, and success.
32. The one aware of oppression, the aid to it, and the pleased with it, all three are partners.
33. Human's death due to sins is more than death by fate, and his living due to benevolence is more than living due to natural life time.
34. Love and friendship is attained by three characters: fairness, accompaniment and sympathy when hardship, pure heartedness and benevolence to others.

--

# Hadith of 8th Imam

Sayings of Imam Ali Rida [died 818 A.D.]


1. The best and most respected virtue of a man is to do good and to fulfil the desires of the needy.
2. The honest man has not betrayed you, but you consider the betrayer as the honest one.
3. You had better avoid the munificence that results in the greater loss to you than the benefits received by your brethren.
4. He who is sure about the divine rewards will be more generous.
5. He who adopts someone as a brother in order to provide God's consent will be given a chamber in paradise.
6. Giving alms is the most valuable savings.
7. To be patient in the face of hard-ships is a virtue but to refrain from forbidden deeds is a greater one.
8. Patience and resignation are considered as the worthiest devotions.
9. True devotion not only means excessive sayings of prayers and keeping fasts. One ought to meditate on the divinity profoundly.
10. Be modest before your friends and be prudent while encountering an enemy. Be pleasant with everyone.
11. I wonder at one who purchases the slaves and releases them. Why doesn't he try to make the free people indebted by his good conduct?
12. It is much better to be uninterested in other's properties than to be munificent.
13. To help the disabled is much better than to give alms.
14. Beast wealth is that which provides a good name for its owner.
15. There is no better milk for the baby's nourishment than its mother's.
16. He who exposes himself to an open accusation should not blame those who may suspect him.
17. The oppressors will finally be punished.
18. He who wishes to be the most needless, should put his full trust in God.
19. He who shows patience in providing God's consent will no doubt get more than what he has lost.
20. He who desires to postpone the time of his decease and wishes to have his sustenance increased should observe ties of kinship.
21. God will make happy on the Day of Judgment the person who has removed the grief from the heart of a believer.
22. Be good companions of blessings because they are fleeting: once gone away, will not return.
23. To use scent is a manner of the holy Prophet. Cleanliness is characteristic of prophets.
24. One who breaks his promise will not be left safe and sound in the unpleasant events.
25. Do not get angry when you are informed of the truth.
26. True faith means the accomplishment of the religious obligations along with the avoidance of the forbidden acts.
27. He who causes God's wrath in order to provide a king's consent is an apostate.
28. Nothing is more worthy than good temper.
29. You who cannot satisfy people with your riches had better try to make them happy with a king-like face and good manners.
30. Silence is one of the gates to wisdom.
31. Man's intellect is his friend and his ignorance, his enemy.
32. Almightiness is reserved for God the One. God will perish him who claims the possession of this status.
33. If a person holds a negative thought towards another believer, then God will not accept his religious deeds.
34. Keep aloof from avarice and envy. These two qualities have already destroyed the peoples gone by.
35. He who does not offer his thanks to his benefactor has not actually praised God the Greatest and the Glorious.
36. A generous man will eat other's food so that they might partake of his food. A miser refuses to eat the food of others in order to deprive them of his own food.
37. He who blames time should spend a long time blaming.
38. The generous are the masters of the people in this world, while the pious are their chiefs on doomsday.
39. Your mouth is one of the channels through which you make contact with God. You had better keep it clean by brushing your teeth.
40. Pure piety is not but avoidance of mortal sins and abstinence from persecuting the faithful.
41. He who assesses himself carefully will finally benefit: the negligent will lose out.
42. He who acts with no insight looks like a pedestrian who travels on a wrong path. The faster he walks, the more deviated he becomes from the straight path.
43. The forgiving warriors will enjoy divine victory in the battlefield.
44. He who wishes to be the dearest to the people must be virtuous both in public and in secret.
45. Human intellect is a divine blessing but politeness is acquired through endeavouring.
46. Prudence keeps repentance away.
47. Reflection is the mirror into which you can look and see your virtues and your evils.
48. Magnanimity is unstable. Trust in God will give it stability.
49. Gifts cast out hatred from the heart.
50. Humbleness means treating others the same way as you expect them to treat you.
51. He who tries to keep himself immaculate for forty days, God will let the waves of wisdom flow from his heart to his tongue.
52. Giving alms repels the certain catastrophe.
53. He who wishes to be the strongest of all should rely on God.
54. The believer who is endowed with a good temper will have the strongest faith.
55. Perfection in intellect is primarily to have faith in God and secondly to behave well towards others.
56. Penalty for ingratitude occurs instantly.
57. Remission is good when not accompanied by blame.
58. Treasures of beneficence include concealment of your good deeds, tolerance in hardships and reticence in disasters.
59. A faithful Muslim never exceeds his legitimate right when he is in power.
60. The believer's fury will not deviate him from the right path.
61. He who begins his day without being concerned about improving the Muslim's affairs should not be called a Muslim.
62. The true Muslim never teases others with his hand or tongue.
63. He who recognizes his merit will not easily perish.
64. He who chooses his path properly will not slip down. He will never confront a deadlock in case he falls.
65. A generous man is close to God, close to paradise, and close to everyone.
66. Keeping other's secrets, patience in hardships and tolerance towards others are all signs of faith.
67. Tolerance, knowledge and silence are the signs found in a jurisprudent.
68. To bear enmity towards the people is the worst provision for the journey to the hereafter.
69. He, who betrays his brethren, causes them losses and deceives them, is not one of us.
70. One who torments his neighbour is not one of us.
71. Never become angry with others and do not ask anything from them. Wish for the people whatever you wish for yourself.
72. Wine and other intoxicating beverages are strictly prohibited by the religious legislation. One sip of such drinks is as illegitimate as a whole barrel is.
73. To be friendly with others denotes one half of wisdom.
74. A wealthy person ought to be generous to his family.
75. A Muslim should not frighten his brethren.
76. He who reveals his poverty before others will disgrace himself.
77. To be in the company of villains will result in suspecting the good.
78. Resignation, beneficence and certitude are the most precious blessings descended by Heaven.
79. Worship does not lie in copious prayer and fasting, but in the amount of contemplation in the works of God.

--

# Hadith of 7th Imam

Sayings of 7th Imam Musa Al Kazim

Asking for financial help is acceptable only in blood money that is imposed on an insolvent, heavy debts, and extreme poverty.

The best kind of almsgiving is to help the weak.

The astonishment of the ignorant at the intelligent is greater than the astonishment of the intelligent at the ignorant.

For the steadfast, the misfortune is one, while it is two for the impatient.

Only the sufferers of injustice can realize its intensity

Anyone who acknowledges God should not complain when his earnings are delayed and should not accuse God of His acts.

The conviction is to depend upon God, submit to Him, consent to His acts, and entrust Him with the affairs.

Fear God and say the truth even if it will cause you to perish, for your salvation lies in telling the truth. Fear God and leave the wrong even if it will save you, for your perdition lies in telling the wrong.

Beware of depriving anyone in fields of obedience to God lest, you will lose two folds in fields of disobedience to God.

The believer is like the two pans of a balance — the more faith he enjoys the more misfortunes he faces.

He who speaks in the Essence of God will perish, he who seeks power will perish, and he who feels self-conceited will perish.

The supplies of this world and the religion are difficult. Whenever you extend your hand towards any source of the worldly supplies, you will found out that a sinful has preceded you there. When you intend to obtain a source of the religious supplies, you will not find anyone helping you.

Four deeds are originated from extreme solicitude. They are eating soil, crumbling the clay, clipping the nails with the teeth, and biting the hair of the beard. Looking at three things improves the sight. They are verdure, flowing water, and handsome faces.

Good neighborhood is not abstinence from harm. It is to tolerate the harm (of the neighbors).

Do not take liberties with your friend. You should keep any quantity of respect among you lest you will lose pudency.

O son, let not God see you committing an act of disobedience against which He warned you, and let Him not miss you in an act of obedience to Him of which He ordered you. Keep serious and do not convince yourself that you are worshipping and obeying God perfectly, because no one can achieve perfection in the fields of worshipping God. Beware of joking because it extinguishes the illumination of your faith and disgraces you personality. Beware of indolence and laziness because they both prevent you from receiving your shares of the pleasures of this world and the world to come.

When injustice predominates over the right, it is unacceptable to expect good from anybody before investigation.

Kissing on the mouth is not acceptable except from the wife and the little child.

Try to divide your time into four parts. The first part should be dedicated to (secret) supplication to God, the second to seeking earnings, the third to associating with the friends and the trusty people who show you your defects and treat you sincerely, and the fourth to your legal pleasures. Through this part, you can manage the other three parts. Do not think of poverty and long age. He who thinks of poverty will be stingy and he who thinks of long age will be acquisitive. Offer a share of the worldly pleasures to yourselves by enjoying moderately the legal pleasures that do not injure your personality. Make such pleasures help you fulfill your religious duties perfectly. It is said that, “As for those who neglect the legal worldly pleasures completely and adhere to the religious duties or neglect the religious duties and adhere to the worldly affairs, they are not from us.

Learn the religious question, for jurisprudence is the key of intelligence, the perfection of worship, and the means to the high standings and the respectful positions in this world and the world to come. The priority of the knowledgeable over the worshipper is as same as the priority of the sun over the stars. God will not accept the deeds of those who avoid learning the religious questions.

The expiation of working with the (unjust) rulers is to treat the friends with kindness.

Whenever people perpetrate unprecedented sins, God will inflict upon them unexpected misfortunes.

In the time of the just ruler, you should thank and he will gain rewards. In the time of the unjust ruler, you should tolerate and he will burden the punishment of the sin.

The source of any sin is unquestionably one of three: either the God, the God and the servant, or the servant. If God is the source of sins –yet He is not-, then it is improper for Him to punish the servants for what they did not commit. If God and the servants are together the source of sin –yet this is not accurate-, then it is improper for the stronger partner to wrong the weak partner. If the servant is the source of the sins –and this is quite accurate-, then the Lord may pardon out of His generosity and liberty or punish for the commitment of such a sin.

Atheism preceded polytheism. The foremost atheist was Eblis about whom God says: He refused and he was proud, and he was one of the unbelievers – atheists. Atheism is one thing while polytheism is not. Polytheism is to believe in one (god) and associate others with him.

The first person to revile is the more wrongful. He should burden –the inconvenience- of his sin as well as the sin of the other unless the other was the aggressor.

On the Day of Resurrection, a caller will summon those whose rewards should be presented by God individually. Except those who forgave and reformed themselves, no one will attend.

The liberal well-mannered ones are in the shelter of God Who will not abandon them until they reside in Paradise. Prophets of God are all liberal. My father incessantly commanded me to hold on liberality and noble manners until he departed.

--

# Hadith of 6th Imam

Sayings of Imam Jafar al Sadiq [died 765 A.D.]


1. The person moving to help his believing brothers is like the person who is walking between holy Safa and Marwa.

2. He who treats people kindly will be accepted as arbiter.

3. To trust everybody in times of injustice and cheating is disability.

4. To recognize the actuality of your friend, you should enrage him. If he keeps up his friendship, he is true friend lest, he is false.

5. Do not appreciate one's affection before you enrage him three times.

6. Do not trust your friend perfectly, because the knockdown of the trustful is incurable.

7. Islam is a definite rank. Faith is one rank higher than Islam. Conviction is one rank higher than faith. People have been given a rank lower than conviction.

8. The desire for the worldly pleasures causes grief and sadness. Abstinence from the worldly pleasures brings about the rest of both heart and body.

9. He who gains oppression is not gaining welfare. He who mistreats people should not complain when people mistreat him.

10. In homelands, exchanging visits is the means of association. In travel, correspondence is the means of association.

11. Shaking hands is the perfect greeting of the resident and embracement is the perfect greeting of the traveller.

12. A Muslim always has three characteristics: knowledge about the religion, good management of life, and perseverance in the faces of calamities.

13. An actual believer is that whose sexual appetite does not overcome him and whose stomach does not shame him.

14. A twenty-year friendship is kinship.

15. Favors should be done only to the highborn or the religious. Those who show gratitude are very few.

16. Enjoining good and forbidding evil should be practiced with a faithful believer that he would learn a lesson, or an ignorant that he would earn. Enjoining good and forbidding evil become surely worthless when they are applied to the powerful tyrants.


17. As some people showed ingratitude for God's graces, He changed the graces into crises. As other people showed steadfastness against the misfortunes that inflicted them, God changed the misfortunes into graces.

18. Imam Jafar was asked about personality, he answered: Personality stands for that God should not see you in situations against which He warned, and miss you in situations of which He ordered.

19. Thank him who did you favor, and confer upon him who thanked you. Graces that are shown gratitude will not be removed while those that are shown ingratitude will not persist. Thanks increase the graces and saves against poverty.

20. To miss a need is better than asking it from other than its people. Bad mannerism in a misfortune is more catastrophic than the misfortune itself.

21. As a man asked him a short item of instruction that collects the welfare of this world and the world to come, the Holy Imam Jafar said: Never tell untruths.

22. Imam Jafar was asked about eloquence. He answered: Eloquence is to express the idea in as few as possible words. The eloquent is that who attains his demand in the least effort.

23. Debt is grief at night and humility in day.

24. If your worldly demands are attainable, you should check your religion.

25. Treat your fathers piously so that your sons will treat you piously. Keep yourselves away from the strange women so that your harem will be chaste.

26. Salutation is voluntary while responding is obligatory.

27. Do not answer those who speak before they greet you.

28. Shake hands, because this will confiscate malice.

29. Fear God even if to some extent. Construct a screen between Him and you even if transparent.

30. As for those who control themselves in rage, desire, fear, and lust, God will prevent Hell from burning their bodies.

31. Everything has limits. The limit of conviction is not to fear anything besides God.

32. The (Faithful) believer should enjoy eight characters; he should be venerable in shaking situations, steadfast against misfortunes, thankful in luxury, satisfied with what God has decided to him, avoid oppressing the enemies, avoid over tasking the associates, should fatigue his body, and make people feel glad with him.

33. Knowledge is the comrade of the faithful believer, clemency is his supporter, patience is the commander of his army, lenience is his brother, and charity is his father.

34. As for those who practice without guidance, they are like him who walks without choosing a definite path. The more he walks, the remoter he becomes.

35. He who recognizes God accurately will fear Him. He who fears God accurately will disregard the worldly pleasures.

36. The actual fearful is that who cannot speak due to the intensity of fear.

37. We love those who are intelligent. Knowledgeable, perceptive, expert, clement, courteous, patient, veracious, and loyal. God gave the noble characters exclusively to the prophets. He who enjoys such characters should thank God for them. He who does not enjoy them should supplicate to God for them. As he was asked about these noble characters, Imam Jafar said: The noble characters are piety, satisfaction, patience, gratefulness, clemency, pudency, generosity, bravery, enthusiasm, veracity, charity, fulfilment of the trusts, conviction, good mannerism, and chivalry.

38. The firmest handle of faith is to love, hate, give, and deprive-all for God's sake.

39. The Divine Throne will be shaken when one makes God the witness of a false matter.

40. He whose conducts are bad is tormenting himself.

41. Favor is well-known. Except its reward, nothing is better than doing favor.

42. The most effective soldiers of Satan are women and rage.

43. The world is the believer's jail, patience is his fortress, and Paradise is his abode. The world is the disbeliever's paradise, grave is his jail, and Hell is his abode.

44. Whenever you see a servant (of God) pursuing people's flaws and neglecting his own flaws, you should then realize that he has been trapped (by the Devil).

45. The server of food who thanks (God for so) will be rewarded as same as those who fast just for gaining the rewards of God, and the individual who is cured and thanks (God for curing him) will be rewarded as same as the diseased one who is steadfast against that disease (for the sake of God).

46. You should not trust the betrayer after you had tested him and you should not accuse him whom you trusted.

47. Fear of God is sufficient knowledge and deceit is sufficient ignorance.

48. The best adoration is to know God and behave humbly with Him.

49. Everything has its tax and the tax of knowledge is to teach its people.

50. Beware of associating with the lowly, because the association with them will never lead to welfare.

51. To wear rings on the fingers is a prophetic tradition.

52. The most favorable friend to me is that who shows me my flaws.

53. Friendship is nil unless its limits are kept. He who does not keep these limits should not be regarded as friend. The first limit is that the inner self and the appearance should be identical. The second limit is that the friend should regard your goodness as his goodness and your evil as his evil. The third limit of friendship is that a position or fortunes should not change the friend's relation with his friends. The fourth limit is that the friend should not deprive his friend of anything that he is capable of doing. The fifth limit which is the most comprehensive is that the friend should never leave his friend alone in calamities.

54. There is no difference between depositing a trust with a betrayer or a negligent.

55. Imam Jafar said to his companion Mufaddal: I instruct you to stick on six characters and relate them to my adherents - Shia. You should fulfil the trust of him who entrusts you with anything. You should like for your brother whatever you like for yourself. You should know that every matter has an end; therefore, you should beware of the outcomes of matters. Similarly, every matter has a sudden event; hence, beware of the sudden events. Beware of climbing an easy mountain if its slope is uneven. Never promise your brother of a matter that you cannot fulfil.

56. People are equal like the teeth of a comb. With the support of his brothers, a man can be regarded as great. No goodness is expected in the friendship of those who do not like for their friends whatever they like for themselves.

57. You should regard him who became angry with you three times without addressing any bad saying to you as a true friend.

58. If a man is more than thirty year old, he is middle-aged. If he is more than forty year old, he is old man.

59. Whenever God opens a door to the worldly pleasures, He will open to acquisitiveness.

60. The believer is strange in this world. He should not feel worry of its humility and should not compete with its people for gaining its honor.

61. Hasty walking removes the believer's brightness and extinguishes their illumination.

62. God surely hates the oppressive wealthy man.

63. Rage eliminates the intelligence of the wise. He who cannot control his rage will not be able to control his mind.

64. The niggardly is that who gains wealth illegally and spends it unsuitably.
65. Good mannerism is a part of the religion. It increases the earnings.

66. Morals are of two forms: one is intent while the other is nature. Imam Jafar was asked, "Which of them is better than the other?" He answered: The intentional morals are better than the natural, because the owner of natural morals cannot change them, while the owner of the intentional morals is preserving the acts of obedience (to God).

67. The actual generous charitable individual is that who spends his wealth for fulfilling the rights of God.

68. You should know that I will fulfil the trust of even the killer of Imam Ali if he deposits something with me or seeks my advice of consultation.

69. Sufian said: I asked Imam Jafar whether it is acceptable to praise oneself or not. He answered: It is acceptable to praise oneself in cases of necessity. Joseph the prophet said: Put me in charge of the treasuries of the land. I know how to manage them. The virtuous servant (of God) also said: I am a trustworthy advisor for you. (7:68).

70. Mohammed bin Qays said: I asked Imam Jafar whether it is acceptable to sell weapon to the two parties both of whom are wrong. Holy Imam said: Sell to them only defensive weapons: armors, shields, helmets, and the like.

71. God gives the worldly pleasures to those whom He loves as well as those whom He dislikes, while He gives the faith only to whom He selects among the creatures.

72. Abu Baseer related: I asked Imam Jafar about faith and Islam. He answered: Faith is the avoidance of acts of disobedience to God. Islam is to practice our rites and slaughter animals as we do.

73. Bad-temperedness, bad humour, envy, obduracy, fabrication and oppression these six characters should never be in the believers behavior.

74. The believer should live between two fears the past sin that he does not know what God will do about it and the remaining days that he does not know what misfortunes he will encounter during them. Thus, the believer begins his day fearfully and ends his day fearfully. Except fear, nothing mends the believer.

75. You will not be regarded as (true) believers before you see the misfortunes as graces and the luxury as disaster.

76. The possession of four thousand dirhams is fortune. The possession of twelve thousand dirhams is treasuring up. Twenty thousand dirhams cannot be amassed by legal ways. The possessor of thirty thousand dirhams will surely be suffering perdition. The possessors of one hundred thousand dirhams are definitely not reckoned with our adherents - Shia.

77. The best deeds of the servants are three: they are to treat the believers fairly, to console the friends, and to mention God in every situation. Some asked: "What is the meaning of mentioning God in every situation?" The Imam answered: This means to mention God when you want to commit a sin so that He will prevent you from committing it.

78. Younus related: Before Imam Jafar I said: My loyalty to you - the Holy Prophet's family - and recognition of your rights are most favorable to me than this world with all of its insides." I noticed the Holy Imam was enraged. After a while, he said: O Younus, you have evaluated us in an improper measurement. What is the world and what are its insides? It is no more than relief of a trouble or screening of a defect. By loyalty to us, you are gaining the endless life.

79. In misfortunes, Imam Jafar used to say: All praise is due to God Who did not make my misfortune in my religious affairs. All praise is due to God Who could, if He willed, make my misfortune more catastrophic than what it is now. All praise is due to God for the matter that He willed to be, and it was as He willed.

80. If the world advances to some people, it will garb them with the others' charms. If it leaves some people, it usurps their own charms.

81. Daughters are advantages and sons are graces. You will be rewarded for the advantages and asked about the graces.

82. If a believer leaves behind a sheet of paper on which some knowledge is written, this very sheet of paper will serve as a wall between him and the Hell and against each letter written on it, God will give him a city in a paradise seven times this world.

83. If the sins of a believer were as much as the sand in the desert of the froth of the sea, God would forgive them all; but do not become bold (in sinning, mistaking His mercy for weakness).

--

# Hadith of 5th Imam

Sayings of Imam Muhammad al Baqir

· Remember your previous sins with severe repentance and more seeking forgiveness.

· One who disobeys God has no knowledge of him.

· Seize the opportunity in praying on five occasions: After reciting the Quran. At the time of azan. When an oppressed invokes assistance. When two armies are facing each other seeking martyrdom. At the time of raining."

· Whoever recites the Quran while standing in prayer, God Almighty will bestow a hundred blessings for every letter; whoever recites it while sitting in prayer, God will reward with fifty blessings for every letter; whoever recites the Quran outside of prayer, God will grant ten blessings for each letter.

· The height of perfection is excellence in the understanding of the religion, endurance in hardships and administration of the affairs of life according to one's means, in the right measure.

· O Jabir it is not enough that a person says; I am a Shia and I love the Prophet and the Prophet's family and the Imams. By God, a Shia is the one who is perfectly pious and obedient to God's commands. Anyone else is not a Shia no matter how much they say they love Ali and no matter what they call themselves. O Jabir. our Shias are known by these signs: They are truthful, trustworthy and loyal. They always remember God. They offer their prayers and observe fasts and read the Quran. They help their neighbours and take care of orphans and say nothing but good of people. They behave well towards their parents. They are worthy of people’s trust and confidence.

· Our followers are of three kinds, one who follows us but depends on others, one who is like a glass involved in his own reflections, but the best are those who are like gold, the more they suffer the more they shine.

· O Jabir, if I had expounded for you our belief and tenets we would have destroyed ourselves. In any case, we are relating for you traditions that we collected from the Prophet, just as people collect gold and silver.

· I admonish you regarding five things; if you are wronged, do not commit wrong doing to others, if you are betrayed, do not betray anyone, if you are called a liar, do not be furious, if you are praised, do not be jubilant, if you are criticized do not fret and think of what is said in criticism, if you find in yourself what is criticized about you, then you are falling down in the eyes of God; when you are furious about the truth, it is much greater calamity then your falling down in the eyes of the people. And if you are opposite of what is said (in criticism) about you, then it is a merit you acquired without having to tire yourself in obtaining it.

· Imam Ali once said: There were two things in this world, which softened the Wrath of God and prevented its descent upon man: One has been taken away from you; hold the other steadfastly. The one which has been taken away from men is the Holy Prophet and the one which is still left with them and which they must hold steadfastly is repentance and atonement for sins because God at one place in the Book addressed the Prophet and said ‘God would not punish them while you were among them nor while they were asking for forgiveness’. (8:33)

· The scholar who derives benefit from his knowledge is better than 70,000 devotees.

· "Indeed if you are good in teaching the people and do not show pride towards them, then God will increase you from His favour. However if you prevent them from learning your knowledge, then it is incumbent upon God, the Great and Almighty, to deprive you of knowledge and its splendour and to drop your position from the hearts of people."

· "I hate the person who is jobless and who merely lies on his back and says, 'O God! Give me sustenance! He asks God to do him a favour while the small ant comes out of its ant colony to seek its livelihood!"

--

The Science of Tradition (Hadith) Discussed by Imam al-Baqir(A.S.)

The Imam discussed several sciences, and then he taught them to the scholars in the Mosque of the Prophet or in the yard of his house. Among these traditions are the following:


The Tradition
Imam Abu` Ja'far (al-Ba`qir), peace be no him, took great care of the traditions which were reported on the authority of his grandfather, the Apostle of Allah, may Allah bless him and his family, and on the authority of his pure grandfathers, peace be on them.
That is because the tradition is the second source of the Islamic law after the Holy Koran. It is of great importance in the Islamic law, for it specifies the general (verses) of the Book, limits its absolute (verses), it distinguishes its abrogated (verses) from its abrogating (ones), and its vague (verses) from its clear (ones).
The tradition also denotes the jurisprudential rules concerning worships and dealings. It gives the general rules which the jurists use to conclude the religious opinion. It has bright rules for individual and social behavior. It has rules for organizing the family and preserving it from committing sins.
Moreover, it has all what people need for their individual and social life. For this reason, Imam Abu` Ja'far (al-Ba`qir), peace be on him, took care of tradition and adopted it positively. Ja`bir b. Yazid al-Ju'fi reported seventy thousand traditions on the authority of the Imam. Aba`n b. Taghlub reported a large group of them on his authority. Great figures from the Companions reported a large group of traditions on his authority.
The important thing is that Imam Abu` Ja'far (al-Ba`qir), peace be on him, took care of understanding the meanings of the tradition. He regarded understanding the meanings of the tradition as a criterion for preferring the narration. Yazid al-Razza`z reported on the authority of his father on the authority of Abu` Abd Allah on the authority of his father, who said:
Know the positions of the Shi'ites according to their narration and their knowledge. Indeed knowledge is understanding the narration. Through understanding the narration, the believer reaches the maximum degree of belief. I looked at a letter that belonged to Ali. I found in the letter that the value and importance of the person depend on that he should know that Allah will reckon people according to the reason He has given to them in the world.
(Nasikh al-Tawarikh, vol. 2, p. 219)
That the narrator understands the meanings of the narration indicates his high scientific rank.
(131)
As the Imam took great care of the tradition, he put certain rules to distinguish the correct tradition from the incorrect one when they contradict each other. We will mention that when we talk about the science of the fundamentals which the Imam treated.


The Reports of the Imams
As for the traditions which were reported on the authority of the pure Imams, peace be on them, they do not denote the personal ideas of the Imams. Rather, they denote the words of the Prophet, may Allah bless him and his family, and his ideas. Thus, the Shi'ites have added the Imams' traditions to the sunna (practices of the Prophet). Imam Abu` Ja'far (al-Ba`qir), peace be on him, referred to that in two traditions he told Ja`bir b. Yazid al-Ju'fi.
1. He, peace be on him, said to Ja`bir: "If we speak to you according to our idea, we will be from the perished. However, we speak to you according to the traditions we gather on the authority of the Apostle of Allah, may Allah bless him and his family, as they gather their gold and silver.(Nasikh al-Tawarikh, vol. 2, p. 217)
2. He, peace be on him, said to Ja`bir: "By Allah, Ja`bir, if we speak to the people according to our opinion, then we will be from the perished. However, we speak to them according to the traditions we report on the authority of the Apostle of Allah, may Allah bless him and his family. We inherit the traditions successively. We gather them as they gather their gold and silver.
(Nasikh al-Tawarikh, vol. 2, p. 217)
Therefore, the Imams of the members of the House (ahl al-Bayt), peace be on them, did not ascribe the traditions to themselves. Rather they ascribed them to their grandfather, the Apostle, may Allah bless him and his family. Thus, it is they who preserved the Prophet's scientific heritage. In other words they gathered it as the people gathered their gold and silver.


The Traditions of Imam al-Ba`qir
As for the traditions which Imam Abu` Ja'far (al-Ba`qir), peace be on him, reported on the authority of his grandfather, Allah's Apostle, may Allah bless him and his family, and on the authority of Imam (Ali), the Commander of the Faithful, peace be on him, they are of two kinds:
1. (Aha`dith) mursala; they are the traditions which the Imam recorded without mentioning the chain of the narrators. The Imam attributed the tradition directly to the Prophet, may Allah bless him and his family, or Imam (Ali), the Commander of the Faithful, peace be on him. The Imam, peace be on him, was asked about the chain (of the narrators), he said:
"When I report a tradition, I do not mention the chain (of the reporters), for I report it on the authority of my father, Zayn al-'Abidin, on the authority of his father al-Husayn, the martyr, on the authority of his father, Ali b. Abu` Ta`lib, on the authority of the Apostle of Allah, may Allah bless him and his family, on the authority of Gabriel, on the authority of Allah, the Great and Almighty.1
2. (Aha`dith) musnada; they are the traditions which the Imam recorded on the authority of his pure grandfathers on the authority of the Apostle of Allah, may Allah bless him and his family.
Whether the Imam's traditions are mursala or musnada, they are proof with the Shi'ites without difference. That is if the chain (of the narrators who reported) on his authority is correct; otherwise they are treated like the other traditions that may be weak or reliable or acceptable.

--

# Hadith of 4th Imam

Sayings of 4th Imam Ali Zainulabideen

1. Who honors himself dishonors worldly things.
2. The company of the righteous invites you to goodness.
3. Beware of keeping company with the sinful and helping the unjust.
4. The right of your child is that you know that he has come from you to this world and his right and wrong are attributed to you. You are responsible for teaching and training him, guiding him to his Lord, Almighty and Glorious, and assisting him to obey Him. Therefore, be sure that if you do a favor to your child, you will obtain it and if you act viciously against him, it will come back to you, too.
5. There are no drops which are dearer to Allah than two kinds of drops: Drops of blood shed in Allah's cause (Jehad) and the tears dropped in the darkness of night for which a servant does not want any thing except pleasure of Allah.
6. Do not make anyone your enemy even though you consider him harmless and do not turn down a person's friendship even if you think he will not benefit you.
7. Beware of keeping company with a liar for he is like a mirage (deceptive). He shows you the near one as distant and the distant thing as nearby.
8. Abstain from lies both small and big and in all conditions whether joking or serious.
9. A person said to Imam Sajjad (A.S.)" Oh Son of the Prophet (saw) how did you start your morning?" He replied, "I commenced the morning with eight things being demanded of me. Allah demands the obligatory, Prophet (saw) demands (his) sunnah, the family asks for sustenance, the soul demands lust (desires), satan demands (me to commit) sin, the protectors (two angels who write down both good and bad deeds of man while they also protect and defend him against mishaps) demand the sincerity of practice, the angel of death demands the soul and the grave demands (my) body. I am stationed among such affairs being demanded of me."
10. Sins which terminate the blessings are: oppression against people, abandoning piety, not commanding good deeds, ingratitude for blessings and favors, and not giving thanks.
11. The right of your mother is that you know she has carried you (in her womb) in a manner that nobody has carried the other. And fed you from the fruit of her heart in a way that nobody has fed the other. She protected you happily with her ears, eyes, hands, feet, hair, skin and all of her body parts while bearing all the pains, agonies, discomforts and burdens till the time Allah's hand detached you from her to the earth. Then she was contented that she remained hungry and fed you and dressed you up remaining nude herself and quenched your thirst while she was thirsty, she put you in the shade while she herself remained under the sun and brought you up with the extreme comforts while herself (remaining) in hardship. She makes you enjoy the sweet sleep while she is awake. Her womb was a soothing and comforting place for you. Her breasts were a means of quenching your thirst. And her existence was a shield for protecting you. She endured the hot and cold of the world for your sake.
There fore, you must also thank her in the same manner and you do not have the capability and power of doing it but with the assistance of Allah and His grace.
12. A Mujahid who is martyred for Allah's cause does not deserve as much reward as a person who chooses not to sin despite having the power to do so. Such a person may even become one of the chaste angels.

--

# Hadith of 3rd Imam

Sayings of 3rd Imam Husain Ibn Ali

1. O Allah what did he finds who lost you, and what did he loose who found you.
2. On his way to Karbala, Imam Hussain(A.S.) said: This world has changed, snubbed, and its good has turned tail. Nothing has remained from it except a thing that is as scanty as the leftover of a cup and a mean life that is like a noxious grazing. Have you not noticed that the right is ignored and the evil is not forbidden? This is sufficient for making the believer's desire for meeting Allah rightfully. I consider death as happiness and life with the wrongdoers as boredom. People are certainly the slaves of this world. The religion is only a slaver on their tongues. They turn it wherever their livelihood demands. If they are examined by misfortunes, the religious will be very little.
3. Imam Hussain(A.S.) said to a man who backbit another before him. O you, stop backbiting, for it is the daily meal of the dogs of Hell.
4. Before Imam Hussain(A.S.), a man said that favors are worthless if they are done to other than its people. The Imam Hussain(A.S.) commented: No, this is in accurate. Favors should be like the heavy rain that covers the pious and the sinful.
5. Whenever Allah seizes the power of somebody, He will surely free him from acts of obedience to Him, and whenever He seizes the ability of somebody, He will surely save his from the burdens.
6. Some people worshipped Allah for the purpose of gaining His gifts. This is the worship of the merchants. Some worshipped Him for the purpose of avoiding His punishment. This is the worship of the slaves. Some worshipped Him as showing gratitude to Him. This is the worship of the genuine ones. It is the best worship.
7. A man received Imam Hussain(A.S.) saying, "How are you? Allah may grant you good health." The Imam Hussain(A.S.) instructed him: Salaam-greeting-should precede wording. Allah may grant you good health. Do not permit anybody before he says salaam.
8. There are seventy advantages for the greeting. Sixty-nine are given to the one who greets first and one is given to the one who responds to the greeting.
9. When Allah wills to lead a servant to destruction gradually, He bestows upon him with graces and does not favor him with showing gratitude for these graces.
10. Imam Hussain(A.S.) said to a man who begged him: Asking for financial help is acceptable only in big loss, extreme poverty, or horrible guarantee. The man said: Because of one of these I came. Hence, the Imam Hussain(A.S.) ordered to be given one hundred dinars.
11. Imam Hussain(A.S.) said to his son Ali(A.S.): O son, beware of wronging him who does not have a supporter except Allah the Majestic.
12. A man from Ansar wanted to ask Imam Hussain(A.S.) for financial help, but the Imam Hussain(A.S.) said: O brother of Ansar, protect your face from the humility of seeking others help. You may write your need in a paper and I will respond to it pleasantly, God willing. The man wrote to the Imam (A.S.) that he owed a certain individual five hundred dinars and that man insisted on receiving his money soon. He also asked the Imam Hussain(A.S.) to speak to persuade that man to grant him a respite until he becomes able to defray the sum. As Imam Hussain(A.S.) read the paper, he entered his house to take out a bale containing one thousand dinars. He handed them to the man and said: You may defray the debt and use the other five hundred dinars for settling your financial problems. "Do not say your need to anybody except three, a religious, a chivalrous, or a highborn individual. The religious will try to keep his religion pure, the chivalrous will be embarrassed by his chivalry, and the highborn will feel that you have not kept your face from asking for your need; therefore, he will protect your face against disappointing you."
13. Sitting with the intelligent is a sign of successfulness. Disputation with other than the disbelievers is a sign of ignorance. A sign of a scholar is his self-criticism of his sayings and his acquaintance with the various hypotheses.
14. Beware of things for which you apologize. The true believer should not make mistakes and should not apologize. The hypocrite makes mistakes and apologizes everyday.
15. The true stingy is that who refrains from greeting.
16. He who tries to achieve something through acting disobediently to Allah will miss what he expects and fall in what he fears.

--

# Hadith of 2nd Imam

Sayings of 2nd Imam Hassan Ibn Ali

1. Be prepared for your traveling (for Akhira), and keep ready your necessity before your death comes.
2. O' Son of Adam! Since the day you left your mother's womb you life has been on the decrease. Therefore, avail yourself of that between your hands for the hereafter, because the believer takes provisions (from this world) and the disbeliever only takes his leisure (from this world).
3. If you fail to obtain something of worldly benefit, take it as if the thought of it had never crossed your mind at all.
4. Never did a nation resort to mutual counsel except that they were guided by it towards maturity.
5. It is love which brings closer those who are remote by ancestry, and it is (the absence of) love which causes dissociation between those who are related by ancestry.
6. Opportunity is something which is quick to vanish and late to return.
7. I wonder about the person who contemplates about his nutrition but he does not consider (the food of) his intellect. Thus, he avoids of what hurts him in his stomach but he lets his mind to be filled with what destroys him.
8. Associate with and treat the people in way as you like to get associated and treated by them.
9. When the desirable and commendable services damage and harm the obligatory services, abandon them.
10. And know it that indeed whoever fears Allah (adopts piety). Allah paves his way of salvation out of the inequities. And makes him firm in his matter. And provides him (the path of) guidance. And makes his proof and arguments successful and enlightens his face and grants him what he desires. He is with those upon whom Allah has bestowed His beneficences and boons from among the Prophets, the truthful, the martyrs and pious ones.
11. The greatest forgiveness and pardon of Allah comes when the sinner is not able to make a pretext for his wrong doing.
12. Allah provides everything to one who worships Allah.
13. Piety is the gateway to all repentance, and the principal of all wisdom, and the distinction of all deeds.
14. Whoever relies on the excellence of Allah's choices, doesn't wish to be in other than the situation that Allah has chosen for him.
15. The height of intelligence is associating with people amicably.
16. One who lacks intelligence has no decorum, and one who lacks determination has no magnanimity, and one who has no modesty has no religion.
17. Do not be hasty in punishing (someone's) sin, and leave (room) between the two (fault and punishment) for apology.
18. The most preferable adornment is graceful manners.
19. The best wealth is contentment and the worst poverty is humility.
20. Clemency is suppression of anger and self-restraint.
21. Generosity is giving in prosperity and adversity.
22. The annihilation of people lies in three things: Arrogance, Greed and envy. Arrogance causes destruction of the religion and because of it Satan was cursed, and Greed is the enemy of one's soul, and because of it Adam was expelled from Paradise, and envy is the guide to wickedness, and because of it Qabil killed Habil.
23. Teach others your knowledge and learn knowledge of others so you will bring your knowledge to perfection and learn something which you do not know.
24. One is ignorant of blessing as long as they are present, but when they pass, one becomes aware (of the value) of them.
25. The one who continues his visits (going and coming) to the mosque does lay his hands upon one of eight benefits: Learning one of the decisive verses; finding a beneficial brother; fresh knowledge; a mercy waiting for him; a word leading to the guidance; an admonition averting from sin; not committing sin out of scheme; and, not committing sin for the fear of Allah.

--

# Hadith of 1st Imam

Sayings of 1st Imam Ali Ibn Abi Talib

1. One who develops the trait of greediness and avarice invites degradation; one who keeps on advertising his poverty and ill-luck will always be humiliated; one who has no control over his tongue will often have to face embarrassment and discomfort.
2. When few blessings come your way, do not drive them away through thanklessness.
3. Surrender and acceptance to the Will of Allah are the best companions; wisdom is the noblest heritage; theoretical and practical knowledge are the best marks of distinction; deep thinking will present the clearest picture of every problem.
4. One who takes account of his shortcomings will always gain by it; one who is unmindful of them will always suffer. One who is afraid of the Day of Judgment is safe from the wrath of Allah; one who takes lessons from the happenings of life obtains vision, one who acquires vision becomes wise, and one who attains wisdom achieves knowledge.
5. Treat people in such a way and live amongst them in such a manner that if you die they weep over you, and if you are alive they crave your company.
6. If you get an opportunity and power over your enemy, then, in thankfulness to Allah for this: forgive him.
7. He is very unfortunate who cannot in his lifetime gain even a few sincere friends and sympathizers and even more unfortunate is the one who has gained them and lost them (through his deeds).
8. Failures are often results of timidity and fears; disappointments are the results of uncalled for modesty; hours of leisure pass away like summer clouds, therefore, do not waste the opportunity to do good.
9. Whose deeds lower him, his pedigree cannot elevate.
10. Be generous but not extravagant, be frugal but not miserly.
11. To give up inordinate desires is the best kind of wealth and fortune.
12. O son of Adam! When you see that in spite of Allah's constant favors your life is a continuous sin, and then take warning (His Wrath may not turn those very blessings into misfortunes.)
13. Often your utterances and the expressions of your face reveal the secrets of your hidden thoughts.
14. Happy is the man who always kept the afterlife in his view, who remembers the Day of Reckoning through his deeds, who led a contented life and who was happy with the lot that Allah hath destined for him.
15. Adversities often bring your good qualities to the front.
16. Success is the result of foresight and resolution, foresight depends upon deep thinking and planning, and the most important factor of planning is to keep your secrets to yourself.
17. Hearts of people are like wild birds, they attach themselves to those who love and train them.
18. Only he can forgive who has power to punish.
19. If you help a deserving person without his request then it is generosity and if you help him after his request then mostly it is due to shyness to your refusal or fear of reproach.
20. There is no greater wealth than wisdom, no greater poverty than ignorance, no greater heritage than culture and no greater helpmate than consultation.
21. Wealth converts every foreign country into your native place, and poverty turns your native place into a strange land.
22. Contentment is the capital which will never come to an end.
23. Wealth is the fountainhead of inordinate cravings.
24. Whoever warns you against sins and vices is like the one who is carrying news of salvation to you.
25. People in this world are like travelers whose journey is going on as though they are asleep. (Life's journey is going on though men may not feel it.)
26. To lose friends is to become a stranger in one's own country.
27. Not to have a thing is less humiliating than to beg it of others.
28. Do not be ashamed if the amount of charity is small because to return the needy empty-handed is an act of greater shame.
29. If you cannot get things as much as you desire, then be contented with what you have.
30. An uneducated man or a savage will always overdo a thing or neglect to do it properly.
31. Every breath you take is a step forward towards death.
32. Anything which can be counted or reckoned is finite and will come to an end.
33. If you are confused about good or bad effects of an action, then study carefully the cause and you will know what the effects will be.
34. The value of each man depends upon the art and skill which he has attained.
35. I appreciate an old man's cautious opinion more than the valor of young men.
36. How I wonder at a man who loses hope of salvation when the door of repentance is open for him.
37. He is the wisest and the most knowing man who advises people not to lose hope and confidence in the Mercy of Allah and not to be too sure and over-confident of immunity from His wrath and punishment.
38. Like your body, your mind also gets tired and fagged; in such case find educational diversions for it.
39. That knowledge is very superficial which remains only on your tongue; the intrinsic merit and value of knowledge is that you act upon it.
40. Whenever a tradition of the holy Prophet is related to you, examine it carefully and think over it deeply, do not be satisfied with mere verbatim repetition of the same, because there are many people who repeat the words containing knowledge, but there are few who ponder over them and try to fully grasp the meaning they convey.
41. Those who give up religion to better their circumstances in life seldom succeed. The wrath of Allah makes them go through more calamities and losses than the gains they gather for themselves.
42. There are many educated people who have ruined their future on account of their ignorance of religion. Their knowledge did not prove of any avail to them.
43. Only such a person can establish the Divine Rule, who, where justice and equity are required, will neither feel deficient nor weak and who is not greedy and avaricious.
44. When a community is composed of really honest, sober and virtuous people then your forming a bad opinion about any one of its members when nothing wicked has been seen of him is a great injustice to him; on the contrary, in a corrupt society, to form a good opinion of anyone out of those people and to trust him is doing harm to yourself.
45. To lose or to waste an opportunity will result in grief and sorrow.
46. What difference is there between a deed whose pleasure passes away leaving behind it the pangs of pain and punishment and the deed whose cruel severity or oppressive harshness comes to an end leaving behind it heavenly rewards and blessings.
47. Blessings are the man who humbles himself before Allah, whose sources of income are honest, whose intentions are always honorable, whose character is noble, whose habits are sober, who gives away in the name and in the cause of Allah the wealth which is lying surplus with him, who controls his tongue from vicious and useless talk, who abstains from oppression and tyranny, who cheerfully and faithfully follows the traditions of the Holy Prophet and who keeps himself away from innovation in religion.
48. Whoever is not diligent in his work will suffer sorrow and loss; whoever has no share of Allah in his wealth and in his life then there is no place for him in the realm of Allah.
49. If you understand the majesty of the Lord then you will not attach any importance to the universe and its marvels.
50. An angel announces daily: "The birth of more human beings means so many more will die; the collection of more wealth means so much more will be destroyed; the erection of more buildings means so many more ruins in time to come."
51. A friend cannot be considered as a friend unless he is tested on three occasions: in time of need, behind your back, and after your death.
52. This world is not a place of permanent settlement, it is a passage, a road on which you are passing; there are two kinds of people here, one is the kinds who have sold their souls to eternal damnation. The other is of those who have purchased their souls and freed them from damnation.
53. Daily prayers are the best medium to advance oneself in favor of the Lord. Haj is a Jehad (Holy War) for every weak person. For everything that you own, there is Zakaat, a tax paid to the Lord, and the tax of your health is that you keep fast. The best Jehad of a woman against men is to render his home life-pleasing and congenial.
54. If you want to pray to the Lord for better means of subsistence then first give something in charity.
55. Sorrow will make you half as decrepit as old age.
56. Many persons get nothing out of their fasts but hunger and thirst; many more get nothing out of their night prayers but exertions and sleepless nights. Wise and sagacious persons are praiseworthy even if they do not fast and sleep during the nights.
57. Remember that there are three kinds of people, one kind is of those learned people who are highly versed in the ethics of truth and philosophy of religion, second is the kind of those who are acquiring the above knowledge, and the third is that class of people who are uneducated. They follow every pretender and accept every slogan, they have neither acquired any knowledge nor have they secured the support of firm and rational convictions.
58. Remember Kumail, Knowledge is better than and superior to wealth because it protects you and you have to guard wealth because wealth decreases if you keep on spending it and knowledge increases the more you make use of it; and because what you get through wealth disappears as soon as wealth disappears.
59. One who does not realize his own value is condemned to utter failure. (Every kind of complex, superiority or inferiority is harmful to man.)
60. One who adopts patience will never be deprived of success though the success may take a long time to reach him.
61. One who assents or subscribes to the actions of a group or a party is as good as if he has committed the deed himself. A man who joins a sinful deed makes himself responsible for two-fold punishments; one for doing the deed and the other for assenting and subscribing to it.
62. One who guards his secrets has complete control over his affairs.
63. Oppression and tyranny are the worst companions for hereafter.
64. There is enough light for one who wants to see.
65. Often the inordinate desire to secure a single gain acts as a hindrance for the quest of many profitable pursuits.
66. People often hate those things which they do not know or cannot understand.
67. One who seeks advices learns to recognize mistakes.
68. One who fights for the cause of Allah secures victory over his enemies.
69. When you feel afraid or nervous to do a thing then do it, because the real harm which you may thus receive is less poignant than its expectation and fear.
70. Your supremacy over others is in proportion to the extent of your knowledge and wisdom.
71. The best way to punish an evil-doer is to reward handsomely the good deeds of a good person.
72. Obstinacy and stubbornness will not allow you to arrive at a correct decision.
73. Deficiency will result in shame and sorrow, but caution and foresight will bring peace and security.
74. To keep silent when you can say something wise and useful is as bad as to keep on propagating foolish and unwise thoughts.
75. If two opposite theories are propagated, one will be wrong.
76. One who starts tyranny will repent soon.
77. One who cannot benefit by patience will die of grief and excitement.
78. If you find that somebody is not grateful for all that you have done for him then do not get disappointed because often you will find that someone else feels under your obligation though you have done nothing for him and thus your good deeds will be compensated, and Allah will reward you for your goodness.
79. Hearts (minds) have the tendencies of likes and dislikes, and are liable to be energetic and lethargic, therefore, make them work when they are energetic and on subjects which they like.
80. The destitute is the messenger of Allah. Whoever denies him denies Allah and whoever gives him gives Allah.
81. Avarice is disgrace; cowardice is a defect; poverty often disables an intelligent man from arguing his case; a poor man is a stranger in his own town; misfortune and helplessness are calamities; patience is a kind of bravery; to sever attachments with the wicked world is the greatest wealth; piety is the best weapon of defense.
82. He who is greedy is disgraced; he who discloses his hardship will always be humiliated.
83. The sin that makes you sad and repentant is more liked by Allah than the good deed which turns you arrogant.

84. Allah sent the Prophet when the mission of other Prophets had stopped and the peoples were in slumber for a long time. Evil was raising its head, all matters were under disruption and in flames of wars, while the world was devoid of brightness, and full of open deceitfulness. Allah deputed Muhammad with Truth so that he may take out His people from the worship of idols towards His worship and from obeying Satan towards obeying Him and sent him with the Quran which He explained and made strong, in order that the people may know their sustainer since they were ignorant of Him, may acknowledge Him since they were denying Him, and accept Him since they were denying Him. Because He, the Glorified, revealed Himself to them through His Book without their having seen Him, by means of what He showed them out of His might and made them fear His sway. How He destroyed those whom He wished to destroy through His chastisement and ruined those whom He wished to ruin through His retribution! Then Allah deputized Muhammad as a witness, giver of good tidings and warner, the best in the universe as a child and most chaste as a grown up man, the purest of the purified in conduct, the most generous of those who are approached for generosity. Allah deputized him as a caller towards Truth and a witness over the creatures. The Prophet conveyed the messages of Allah without being lazy and without any short-coming, and he fought His enemies in the cause of Allah without being languid and without pleading excuses. He is the foremost of all who practice piety and the power of perception of all those who achieve guidance.


85. O creatures of Allah! The most beloved of Allah is he whom Allah has given power against his passions, so that his inside is full of grief and outside is covered with fear. The lamp of guidance is burning in his heart. He has provided entertainment for the day that is to befall him. He regards what is distant to be near him and takes the hard to be light. He looks at and perceives; he remembers (God) and enhances (the tempo of his) actions. He drinks sweet water to whose source his way has been made easy. So he drinks to satisfaction and takes the level path. He has put off the clothes of desires and got rid of worries except one worry peculiar to him. He is safe from misguidance and the company of people who follow their passions. He has become the key to the doors of guidance, and the lock for the doors of destruction. He has seen his way and is walking on it. He knows his pillar and has crossed over his deep water. He has caught hold of the most reliable supports and the strongest ropes. He is on that level of conviction, which is like the brightness of the sun. He has set himself for Allah, the Glorified, for performance of the most sublime acts of facing all that befalls him and taking every step needed for it. He is the lamp in darkness. He is the dispeller of all blindness, key to the obscure, remover of complexities, and a guide in vast deserts. When he speaks he makes you understand whereas when he remains silent then it is safe to do so. He did everything only for Allah and so Allah also made him His own. Consequently, he is like the mines of His faith and as a stump in His earth. He has enjoined upon himself justice. The first step of his justice is the rejection of desires from his heart. He describes right and acts according to it. There is no good, which he has not aimed at, nor any likely place of the Quran. Therefore the Quran is his guide and leader. He gets down when the Quran puts down his weight and he settles where the Quran settles him down.
While the other man is he who calls himself learned but he is not so. He has gleaned ignorance from the ignorant and misguidance from the misguided. He has set for the people a trap (made) of the ropes of deceit and untrue speech. He takes the Quran according to his own views and right after his passions. He makes people feel safe from big sins and takes light the serious crimes. He says that he is waiting for (to clear) doubts but he remains plunged therein, and that he keeps aloof from innovations but actually he is immersed in them. His shape is that of a man, but his heart is that of a beast. He does not know the door of guidance to follow or the door of misguidance to keep aloof there from. These are living dead bodies.


--