Part 55

Some of His Wise Sayings:

“Ali, may Allah be pleased with him, is reported to have said: “Stout-heartedness is akin to sound thought". He also said: "The close "relative" is the person who is brought closer to you in love, even though he may not be a real relative. And the distant "relative" is he who one distances himself from,

though enmity, even though he may have a blood relation with him. No part the body is closed to the hands than the body itself; but if the hand is unsound, it is cut and revered."

“Ali is also reported to have said: "Take five pieces of advice from me: No one should fear anything except punishment for his sins; he should not hope for anything from anyone, except from his Lord. He who is ignorant should not feel ashamed of seeking knowledge, and he who does not know the aiswer to a question should not he ashamed of saying: “Allaa knows best". Patience is part of faith, just as the head is part of the body; when patience vanishes, faith also vanishes, in the same may that the body cannot live without the head". These words are reported by Sa*eeid Ibn Mansoor in his Sunan.

The wise sayings of ~ Ali include: The best among men of Islamic knowledge is he who does not make people despair in attaining Allah's Mercy, does not give them the chance to sin against Allah, and does not make them feel safe from Allah's Punishment. The best Islamic scholar is also the person who does not abandon the Quran because of being attracted by another book. There is no good in worship which is devoid of knowledge, and knowledge without understanding is worthless. There is no value in reading without contemplating". These sayings of “Ali are reported by Ibn Al-Darces in his book Fadaa'il Al-Quran.

Ibn * Asaakir reports that * Ali said: "The best thing that gives me peace of mind when [ am asked about something I do not know is for me to say: Allah's knowledge about everything is the best".

Ibn ~Asaakir also reports that * Ali said: He who wants to be just towards people must like for them that he likes for himself.

“Ali is also quoted as saying: "These seven things are prompted by Satan: extreme anger, excessive yawing, excessive sneezing, vomiting, nose bleeding, secret conversation and sleeping while remembering Allah."

Some of ‘Ali's Wise Sayings, Sermons and Moral Values:

On the authority ~Abdullaah Ibn Razeen who says: "I went to “Ali Ibn Abi Taalib on the feast of sacrifice day, and some other people and I said: 'May Allah bless you, we wish you could make us eat of this duck, for Allah has granted us much goodness'. He replied: 'O Ibn Razeen, I heard the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, say: 'The Caliph is not permitted to have anything of Allah's Wealth (public property) except two bowls, one for him and his family to eat from, and another for his guests.'" (Reported by Ahmad.)

In his book At-Tagqwa, Ahmad reports on the authority of the freed-slave of Abu Ghascen who says: "I saw ~ Ali go out and return with a man from Al-Karabees, and said to him: "Do you have a "Sunbulan" shirt? The man showed hima shirt, which he (“Ali) wore; it went down to his calf. He looked at the right and left sides of * Ali and said: I think this shirt fits nicely; it costs four Dirhams, Leader of the faithful. * Ali took the money from his wraparound, gave it to the man, and departed.

*Abdullaah Ibn Al-Mubarak reports on the authority of Wahab Al-Juhanyy who says: "* Ali came to us one day while 329

he was wearing two garments (one of them an outer one). One side of his wraparound was loose while the other was held light with a piece of cloth. A Bedouin passed by and said to him: "Do you wear all these clothes, when you will die one day or be killed? Ali replied: "O you Bedouin, I wear these clothes so that will make me distant myself from self-pride, be good for e in performing Salaah, and as a means of following the path of believers.

Abu Al-Qasim Al-Baghawi reports on the authority of the grandmother of Saalih the Draper who said: 1 saw ~ Ali buy dates costing one dirham and carry them in his outer-garment. A man said to him: "Commander of the faithful, why not make me carry them for you?" * Ali replied: "The father's children has a better right to carry them."

Ibn Hishaam reports on the authority of Zadhaan who says: "“Ali used to walk in the market place alone, while he was the Caliph. He used to direct people who lost their way, assist the weak reciting to them the Qur'anic verse,

"That Home of the Hereafter we shall give to those who intend not high handedness or mischief on earth: and the End is (best) for the righteous." (Al-Qasas: 83) He would then comment: "This verse was revealed in connection with just and humble leaders, and those who generally have authority over people."

donkey while his feet were on one side of the animal, and said, (i.e. ~ Ali): "Iam the one who has demeaned the world".

Yahya Ibn Mu’ cen narrates on the authority of Al-Hasan Ibn Saalih who says: "Those who practiced abstinence were mentioned to “Umar Ibn ~Abdel-*Azeez, and some people said: "So and so practiced it much", while others suggested some other names. But ‘Umar Ibn * Abdel-> Azeez said: “The most abstemious person in the world is * Ali Ibn Abi Taalib.

Hisham Ibn Hasan narrates: "We were with Al-Hasan Al-Basri when a man from Al-Azaariqah came and asked: "Abu Saeed, what's your opinion about ~ Ali Ibn Abi Taalib? He (Hisham) said: "Al-Hasan Al-Basri's countenance changed, and said: "May Allah have mercy upon ~Ali, he was "Allah's arrow" that did not miss its target (Allah's enemies), the most honorable scholar, the closet person to Allah's Messenger, peace and blessings be upon him, and one of the most pious people of the Ummah. He used not to steal public money, nor was he neglectful of carrying out Allah's Commands. He gave all his attention to people. The Divine Book was like a beautiful garden to him in which he saw the secrets of the world and the Hereafter clarified.

To quote some of his wise words, Ibn Abi Dunya narrates on the authority of Abu Araakah who says: "I offered the Fajr prayer with ~Ali, and he leaned on right side of his body as if he felt bored. When the sun rose and shone on the wall of the mosque, he performed a two-Rak “ah prayer.

Then he opened his hands in astonishment and said: "By Allah, I saw the Companions of the Prophet who cannot be compared with anyone today. They used to wake up in the morning disheveled, with dust on them, and sorrowful eyes as if they were in a funeral procession. They used to spend the

night in performing Salaah and reciting the Quran; standing ind prostrating in Salaah gave them solace at night, and when they woke up in the morning they remembered Allah much. They used to shiver out of fear of Almighty Allah tike the unsteble state of trees on a windy day, and they shed tears profusely till their clothes got wet. But now, people pass their nights in forgetfulness. After the aforementioned account given by Ali, he was not seen laughing or joking till he was murdered by Allah's enemy Ibn Maljam."

Wakee> narrates on the authority of * Ali Ibn Abi Taalib who said: “Seek knowledge so that you will be regarded and recognized as scholars. There will come a time when the truth will be denied by nine tenths of people. None will gain salvation at that time except those who seek closeness to Almighty Allah. They will be the "leaders of guidance" and the “guiding lights" of knowledge.

The world is a passing one, and the Hereafter is approaching; both worlds have people who belong to them. I advise you to be "people of the Hereafter" not people of this passing world. Indeed, those who have turned their backs against this world regard it as a "mat", and the earth, bed coverings. They also regard water as a kind of perfume. He who longs for the Hereafter has less regard for his sensual pleasures, and he who fears the Hell-Fire refrains from doing what Allah forbids. A person whose goal is to enter Paradise hastens towards acts of worship, and he who abstains from worldly pleasure has less regard for tribulations. Indeed, there are some slaves of Allah who are in this world but appear to have seen the dwellers of Paradise living there forever, and the dwellers of Hell being punished therein. Such slaves of Allah make people feel safe when they are with them, their hearts are kind, they are chaste and their needs are few.

They have opted for being patient in suffering for a short time, so that they would get everlasting comfort. During the night they stand up in Salaah, tears flow on their cheeks and they seek the closeness of Almighty Allah. During the day they are seen as mild, righteous and pious people and one may look at them and say: "They are sick". But in actual fact they are not sick at all. They interact freely with people, but they had been engaged in a noble undertaking, i.e. worshipping Allah, Exalted be He.

Al-Asbagh Ibn Nabaatah narrates: ~Ali ascended the pulpit one day, thanked Allah, praised Him and spoke about death saying: "O Allah's slaves, no one can escape death. It will come to you whether you wait or flee from it, so seek salvation and be on your guard. There's something lying in wait for you, i.e. the grave, so beware of its pressure, darkness and the loneliness found therein. Indeed, the grave may be a pit of Hell-Fire of or a garden of Paradise. The grave "calls out" three times everyday: 'I am a "house" of darkness, a house of worms and a wilderness.’ There is also that awful day (the Day of Judgement) in which the young will become old men and grownups will be like drunkards (because of the horror of that day). Allah says:

"Every mother giving suck shall forget her suckling babe, and every pregnant female shall drop her load (unformed): thou shalt see mankind as in a drunken riot, yet not drunk: but dreadful will be the wrath of Allah." (Al-Hajj: 2)