Imam Ali (as) Sayings from Nahjul Balagha

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.

When few blessings come your way, do not drive them away through thanklessness.

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.

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.

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.

If you get an opportunity and power over your enemy, then, in thankfulness to Allah for this: forgive him.

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).

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.

Whose deeds lower him, his pedigree cannot elevate.

Be generous but not extravagant, be frugal but not miserly.

To give up inordinate desires is the best kind of wealth and fortune.

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.)

Often your utterances and the expressions of your face reveal the secrets of your hidden thoughts.

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.

Adversities often bring your good qualities to the front.

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.

Hearts of people are like wild birds, they attach themselves to those who love and train them.

Only he can forgive who has power to punish.

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.

There is no greater wealth than wisdom, no greater poverty than ignorance, no greater heritage than culture and no greater helpmate than consultation.

Wealth converts every foreign country into your native place, and poverty turns your native place into a strange land.

Contentment is the capital which will never come to an end.

Wealth is the fountainhead of inordinate cravings.

Whoever warns you against sins and vices is like the one who is carrying news of salvation to you.

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.)

To lose friends is to become a stranger in one's own country.

Not to have a thing is less humiliating than to beg it of others.

Do not be ashamed if the amount of charity is small because to return the needy empty-handed is an act of greater shame.

If you cannot get things as much as you desire, then be contented with what you have.

An uneducated man or a savage will always overdo a thing or neglect to do it properly.

Every breath you take is a step forward towards death.

Anything which can be counted or reckoned is finite and will come to an end.

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.

The value of each man depends upon the art and skill which he has attained.

I appreciate an old man's cautious opinion more than the valor of young men.

How I wonder at a man who loses hope of salvation when the door of repentance is open for him.

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.

Like your body, your mind also gets tired and fagged; in such case find educational diversions for it.

That knowledge is very superficial which remains only on your tongue; the intrinsic merit and value of knowledge is that you act upon it.

Whenever a tradition of the holy Prophet (SAW) 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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

To lose or to waste an opportunity will result in grief and sorrow.

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.

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 (SAW) and who keeps himself away from innovation in religion.

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.

If you understand the majesty of the Lord then you will not attach any importance to the universe and its marvels.

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."

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.

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.

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.

If you want to pray to the Lord for better means of subsistence then first give something in charity.

Sorrow will make you half as decrepit as old age.

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.

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.

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.

One who does not realize his own value is condemned to utter failure. (Every kind of complex, superiority or inferiority is harmful to man.)

One who adopts patience will never be deprived of success though the success may take a long time to reach him.

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.

One who guards his secrets has complete control over his affairs.

Oppression and tyranny are the worst companions for hereafter.

There is enough light for one who wants to see.

Often the inordinate desire to secure a single gain acts as a hindrance for the quest of many profitable pursuits.

People often hate those things which they do not know or cannot understand.

One who seeks advices learns to recognize mistakes.

One who fights for the cause of Allah secures victory over his enemies.

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.

Your supremacy over others is in proportion to the extent of your knowledge and wisdom.

The best way to punish an evil-doer is to reward handsomely the good deeds of a good person.

Obstinacy and stubbornness will not allow you to arrive at a correct decision.

Deficiency will result in shame and sorrow, but caution and foresight will bring peace and security.

To keep silent when you can say something wise and useful is as bad as to keep on propagating foolish and unwise thoughts.

If two opposite theories are propagated, one will be wrong.

One who starts tyranny will repent soon.

One who cannot benefit by patience will die of grief and excitement.

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.

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.

The destitute is the messenger of Allah. Whoever denies him denies Allah and whoever gives him gives Allah.

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.

He who is greedy is disgraced; he who discloses his hardship will always be humiliated.

The sin that makes you sad and repentant is more liked by Allah than the good deed which turns you arrogant.

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Imam Ali (as) Sayings from Nahjul Balagha

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