Ali:
Anecdotes and Sayings #2
By A.S. Hashim. MD
Sayings: Translation by Baaqir Al-Hassani
Ziyarah of Imams taken from:
http://www.ziaraat.org/
About this slide show:
This slide show follows a previous show of the
same subject that deals with:
Imam Ali’s Sayings
Various topics
Advice
Counsel
Ziyarah (Visitation) with its translation
Selections from Du’aas and Sayings
Sample Du’aa
Munajaat
Sayings
Counsel
Nahjul Balaaghah
In Imploring God
Advice to Al-Hasan
Select Sayings of Imam Ali
A true believer (Mu'min) divides his time into three portions:
One portion in which he prays and worships his Lord,
the second in which he strives for his livelihood, and
the third for venting his lawful desires by obtaining fair and permissible
pleasures.
There is no wealth greater than reason, no poverty like ignorance, and
no heritage better than noble manners.
Oh Allah! I do not worship Thee because I am afraid of hell or out of
greed for Thy paradise. I worship Thee because I find Thee exclusively
worthy-of-worship.
By his character:
Many a mighty man was ruined and
Many a humble one rose to honor and glory on account of it.
Select Sayings of Imam Ali
The most effective way of achieving Divine blessing is to harbor
universal love for humanity
For one who is possessed of conceit, do not look forward to his good
deeds.
He, whose humility has diminished, his piety has dwindled.
The ultimate wisdom for man is to know himself; and so, the one who
knows his own self attains wisdom and the one who disregards it is
lost.
Religion is a store, and knowledge is the route to it.
There is not greater worship than meditation on the handiwork of
Allah, the Great and Mighty.
Select Sayings of Imam Ali
To kiss a child is compassion; to kiss a woman is passion; to kiss
one's parent is like prayer and to kiss a brother Muslim is a
demonstration of faith.
Excessive censure and reproach open the door to obstinacy and
persistence.
Destroy the evil in others by eliminating it from yourself.
No Muslim being of service to brother Muslims (will go) without Allah
granting him in heaven an equal number of servants.
The servant of Allah will not enjoy belief until he abandons lying in his
serious talks or in his wit.
Nothing except true light can ever purify life.
I have never argued with an ignorant fool and won; nor have I argued
with a rational person and lost.
Select Sayings of Imam Ali
Forgiveness is at its best when you forgive while you have the upper hand
If you doubt the sincerity of a person, just ask your heart.
Work for your temporal world as if you will live forever; and work for the
Hereafter as if you will die tomorrow.
The oppressor and the oppressed will both suffer in the Hereafter; the
oppressor for his tyranny and the oppressed for accepting it.
Righteousness left me alone with no companions.
The weakest of people are those unable to make friends; even weaker are
those who lose the friends they have gained.
If you are running away and death is approaching, the encounter will be
soon.
Select Sayings of Imam Ali
Do not be too hard, lest you will be broken; Do not be too soft, lest
you will be squeezed.
The greatest wealth is in giving up sinful desires.
To prolong hope is ill-doing.
Beware the anger of a kind and generous person when in starvation;
and the wrath of a mean person when full.
Wealth in an alien country is a homeland; poverty in your homeland is
alienation.
Contentment is a perpetual treasure.
Your friends are many when you count them, but in hardships they
become few.
People are enemies of what they do not know.
Greed is eternal slavery.
Select Sayings of Imam Ali
Honesty is a Divine tongue. To fulfill promises is the highest form of
integrity. Truth means conformity of speech with the Divine mode of
working
O people! know that maturity in religion lies in the pursuit of knowledge
and putting it into practice. Indeed! The pursuit of knowledge is more
incumbent upon you than endeavor for livelihood; for, your livelihood has
been apportioned by Allah the Just One and will be provided to you.
Knowledge is stored with its possessors and you have been
commanded to acquire it from them."
Many quote knowledge and few note it in mind.
Allah's most complete gift is life based on knowledge.
The innumerable fools have made the learned very scarce.
The learned men are the living ones within the seas of ignorance.
Knowledge kills ignorance.
Knowledge gives life to the soul.
Select Sayings of Imam Ali
Little knowledge of Allah damages conduct.
To respect the learned is to respect Allah. Knowledge creates fear of
Allah.
Practice makes knowledge perfect.
To teach is to learn.
Had it been so, that we had not to hope for heaven or fear from hell,
and there had been no Divine reward or punishment, it would still
behoove us to strive for nobility of character, for it is that which
indicates the way to salvation.
Noble character is the best companion of man.
Verily, Allah singled out and chose his blessed Prophets for nobility of
their character.
In good manners is hidden the wealth of good fortune
Select Sayings of Imam Ali
The malady of lying is the ugliest of diseases.
Falsehood is not good—whether in earnest or in jest. It is not fit that
any of you makes a promise to his child and not fulfill his promise.
There is no evil greater than falsehood.
It is Allah's desire that every man should have goodwill toward the rest
of humanity.
Lack of forgiveness in a man is his greatest shortcoming, and
vindictiveness is the worst of transgressions.
Enhance your worthiness by overlooking matters of inconsequence.
A man's hypocrisy is due to degradation he experiences within
himself.
Vicious people take delight in publishing the vices of others, so that,
they might thereby extend the ground of excuses for their own.
Select Sayings of Imam Ali
Self-esteem exposes one's faults and failings.
To covet praise which one does not deserve is foolishness.
Breach of promise incurs the detestation of Allah and man.
The reasonable man is admonished politely and the beasts are
upbraided with blows.
The mettle of men is revealed in times of reverse.
Aspire not for something you do not deserve.
Every kind of excess in praise or blame is due to one's overindulgence
and this is folly.
The sense of shame dissuades one from disgraceful acts.
The one who is fond of pleasure and subdued by sensual delights, and
the other who is infatuated by gathering of wealth—none of these heed
their faith in any matter. That which comes closest to resemble them are
the grazing cattle.
Select Sayings of Imam Ali
Good manners are an evidence of noble descent.
When a man's origin is noble, both his exterior and interior are
honorable.
A man may conceal a matter in his heart but gives himself away in
slips of the tongue or expressions of the face.
The highest knowledge for man is the knowledge of his own self.
Be the Father of Wisdom even among those who are astray.
The greatest ignorance for man is his ignorance of his own self.
Knowledge is the compensation for mental exertion.
The chief aim of knowledge is virtue.
Fear of Allah is the ultimate epicenter of knowledge.
The sum of excellence is knowledge.
Select Sayings of Imam Ali
Who teaches me a letter binds me with a fetter.
The best knowledge is what benefits its possessor.
Knowledge is life and health.
Humility is the outcome of knowledge.
The learned man is alive even if he had died.
To be successful, obey knowledge and discard ignorance.
The wise man is the one who puts the right thing in its
right place.
It suffices that Wisdom is to distinguish the path of
guidance from the path of ignorance and sin.
Select Sayings of Imam Ali
A wise man relies on his efforts and the fool relies on his
hopes.
To flatter and to envy are not in the nature of a Mu'min (a
true believer), save, in the course of pursuit of knowledge.
The one who scrutinizes his own self is benefited thereby,
and the one who overlooks it is lost.
Kumayl ibn Ziyad, a Companion of the Imam, asked
"Inform me about myself." The Imam answered, "O
Kumayl, which self do you want to know about?' "Master,
is there more than one of them?" asked Kumayl in
surprise.
"O Kumayl," Imam Ali answered, "there are four: the
growing Vegetative self, the perceiving Animal self, the
venerable Rational self and the Angelic Divine self."
Select Sayings of Imam Ali
To be sure, the body has six states which are:
health and malady,
sleep and wakefulness, and
life and death; and
So does the self: since:
doubt is its malady and
conviction its health;
indifference is its slumber and
vigilance its wakefulness;
self-knowledge is its life and
self-ignorance its death.
Select Sayings of Imam Ali
Once, during his reign, when a quantity of honey was brought to the
public treasury, Imam Ali, the Prince of the Believers, asked for the
orphans to be brought to him; and
While he distributed it, he himself fed the honey to the orphans.
When people expressed wonder at his action, he told them, “The
Imam is the father of the orphans and so I feed them like a father
would have."
Good etiquette is the best form of inheritance that parents can leave
behind for their children.
One who does not learn in his early years will not lead in his later
ones.
None of you should ever feel embarrassed when asked about
something you do not know; just admit your ignorance.
Select Sayings of Imam Ali
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.
Submission to Allah's Will is the best companion; wisdom
is the noblest heritage; theoretical and practical
knowledge are the best signs of distinction; deep thinking
will present the clearest picture of every problem.
Select Sayings of Imam Ali
Live amongst people in such a manner that if you die
they weep over you and if you are alive they crave for
your company.
Unfortunate is he who cannot gain a few sincere friends
during his life and more unfortunate is the one who has
gained them and then lost them through his deeds.
When some blessings come to you, do not drive them
away through ingratitude.
Failures are often the results of fears and timidity;
Disappointments are the results of bashfulness;
Hours of leisure pass away like summer-clouds, therefore, do not
waste opportunity of doing good.
Select Sayings of Imam Ali
There are four causes of infidelity and loss of belief in
Allah: 1. hankering after whims, 2. a passion to dispute
every argument, 3. deviation from truth; 4. and
dissension, since:
Whoever hankers after whims does not incline towards Truth;
Whoever keeps disputing every argument due to his ignorance,
will always remain blind to the Truth,
Whoever deviates from the Truth because of ignorance, will
always take good for evil and evil for good and he will remain
intoxicated with misguidance.
And whoever makes a breach with Allah and His Messenger his
path becomes difficult, his affairs will become complicated and his
way to salvation will be uncertain.
Select Sayings of Imam Ali
One who has accustomed himself to
unreasonable discussions will not see the Light
of Truth and will live in the darkness of
ignorance.
One who is afraid to face facts (of life, death and
the life hereafter) will always turn away from
ultimate reality,
One who allows doubts in his faith will be under
the control of Satan and
One who surrenders himself to infidelity accepts
damnation in both this world as well as in the life
hereafter.
Select Sayings of Imam Ali
Similarly, doubt has also four aspects:
1. absurd reasoning;
2. fear;
3. hesitation;
4. and unreasonable surrender to infidelity,
because One who has accustomed himself to unreasonable
discussions will not see the Light of Truth and will live in the
darkness of ignorance.
One who is afraid to face facts (of life, death and the life hereafter)
will always turn away from ultimate reality,
One who allows doubts in his faith will be under the control of Satan
and
One who surrenders himself to infidelity accepts damnation in both
this world as well as in the life hereafter.
Part of Ali’s Last Will and Testament
Remain attached to the Quran. Nobody should surpass you in being
intent on it, or more sincere in implementing it.
Fear Allah in relation to your prayers. It is the pillar of your religion.
Fear Allah in relation to His House; do not abandon it as long as you
live. If you do that you would abandon your worth.
Persist in jihad in the cause of Allah, with your money, your souls, and
your tongue.
Maintain communication and exchange of opinion among yourselves.
Beware of disunity and enmity. Do not desist from promoting the good
deeds and cautioning against the bad ones, for, should you not do that,
the worst of men would be your leaders, and you will call upon Allah but
without response.
O Children of Abdul Mut'talib! Do not shed the blood of Muslims under
the banner: The Imam has been assassinated! Only the assassin
should in return be condemned to death.
Ali is buried
Ali was taken to Najaf for burial, many miles from
Kufa
Burial place remained secret, known to family
and few others
Years later Imam Al-Saadiq declared the
whereabouts of the burial site
A tomb was established then a town arose
around it
It became the center of visitation and learning
Burial place in Najaf
Imam Ali’s Shrine:
Multitudes of visitors
every year.
Inside it reflects
reverence that
uniquely affects the
heart.
Burial place in Najaf
The inside
‫‪Ziyarah of Imam Ali‬‬
‫ع ِّلي ِّ ب ِّْن أ َ ِّبي َ‬
‫ب أ َ ِّخي نَ ِّب ِّي َك َو َو ِّل ِّي ِّه‬
‫ير ْال ُمؤْ ِّم ِّن َ‬
‫طا ِّل ٍ‬
‫ين َ‬
‫ص ِّل َ‬
‫اَللَّ ُه َّم َ‬
‫علَى أ َ ِّم ِّ‬
‫ير ِّه‬
‫َو َ‬
‫ص ِّف ِّي ِّه َو َو ِّز ِّ‬
‫ق ِّب ُح َّجتِّ ِّه‬
‫ب ِّح ْك َمتِّ ِّه َوالنَّ ِّ‬
‫ض ِّع ِّس ِّر ِّه َوبَا ِّ‬
‫َو ُم ْست َ ْودَعِّ ِّع ْل ِّم ِّه َو َم ْو ِّ‬
‫اط ِّ‬
‫َوالدَّا ِّعي ِّإلَى ش َِّريعَتِّ ِّه َو َخ ِّليفَتِّ ِّه فِّي أ ُ َّمتِّ ِّه‬
‫اص ِّم ْال َكفَ َرةِّ َو ُم ْر ِّغ ِّم ْالفَ َج َرةِّ الَّ ِّذي َجعَ ْلتَهُ‬
‫ج ْال َك ْر ِّ‬
‫ب َ‬
‫ع ْن َو ْج ِّه ِّه قَ ِّ‬
‫َو ُمفَ ِّر ِّ‬
‫سى‬
‫ار َ‬
‫ِّم ْن نَبِّيِّ َك بِّ َم ْن ِّزلَ ِّة َه ُ‬
‫ون ِّم ْن ُمو َ‬
‫ص َرهُ َو ْ‬
‫اخذُ ْل َم ْن‬
‫ص ْر َم ْن نَ ْ‬
‫عادَاهُ َوا ْن ُ‬
‫عا ِّد َم ْن َ‬
‫اللَّ ُه َّم َوا ِّل َم ْن َواالَهُ َو َ‬
‫َخذَلَهُ‬
‫ين‬
‫ين َو ْاْ ِّخ ِّر َ‬
‫ب لَهُ ِّم َن ْاْل َ َّو ِّل َ‬
‫ص َ‬
‫َو ْالعَ ْن َم ْن نَ َ‬
‫ب‬
‫اء أ َ ْنبِّيَائِّ َك يَا َر َّ‬
‫صلَّي َ‬
‫صيَ ِّ‬
‫ْت َ‬
‫علَ ْي ِّه أ َ ْف َ‬
‫ص ِّل َ‬
‫علَى أ َ َح ٍد ِّم ْن أ َ ْو ِّ‬
‫ض َل َما َ‬
‫َو َ‬
‫ْالعَالَ ِّمين‬
Ziyarah of Imam Ali
O Allah bless Amir al-Mu'mineen, All ibn abi Talib, the brother of Thy prophet,
his successor, his supporter, his vicegerent,
The custodian of his knowledge, repository of his confidential and privileged
matters, gateway of his wisdom, who gave tongue to his arguments, invited
to his system, and took charge of the affairs of his followers after him,
He removed his worry and anguish, he tore apart the syndrome of infidelity
to pieces, and demeaned the nose of evil into the dust, whom Thou united
with Thy Prophet as Haroon was attached with Musa.
O Allah befriend those who make friends with him, discard those who show
hostility to him, help those who support him, abandon those who forsake
him,
damn those who set up and planted hostile opposition against him, whether
they were his contemporaries or came after in succeeding generations…..
and send blessings on him, much and more blessings than Thou bestowed
on any one from among the successors of Thy prophets, O the Lord of the
worlds!
‫‪Ziyarah of Imam Ali‬‬
‫ع ِّلي ِّ ب ِّْن أ َ ِّبي َ‬
‫ب أ َ ِّخي نَ ِّب ِّي َك َو َو ِّل ِّي ِّه‬
‫ير ْال ُمؤْ ِّم ِّن َ‬
‫طا ِّل ٍ‬
‫ين َ‬
‫ص ِّل َ‬
‫اَللَّ ُه َّم َ‬
‫علَى أ َ ِّم ِّ‬
‫ير ِّه‬
‫َو َ‬
‫ص ِّف ِّي ِّه َو َو ِّز ِّ‬
‫ق ِّب ُح َّجتِّ ِّه‬
‫ب ِّح ْك َمتِّ ِّه َوالنَّ ِّ‬
‫ض ِّع ِّس ِّر ِّه َوبَا ِّ‬
‫َو ُم ْست َ ْودَعِّ ِّع ْل ِّم ِّه َو َم ْو ِّ‬
‫اط ِّ‬
‫َوالدَّا ِّعي ِّإلَى ش َِّريعَتِّ ِّه َو َخ ِّليفَتِّ ِّه فِّي أ ُ َّمتِّ ِّه‬
‫اص ِّم ْال َكفَ َرةِّ َو ُم ْر ِّغ ِّم ْالفَ َج َرةِّ الَّ ِّذي َجعَ ْلتَهُ‬
‫ج ْال َك ْر ِّ‬
‫ب َ‬
‫ع ْن َو ْج ِّه ِّه قَ ِّ‬
‫َو ُمفَ ِّر ِّ‬
‫سى‬
‫ار َ‬
‫ِّم ْن نَبِّيِّ َك بِّ َم ْن ِّزلَ ِّة َه ُ‬
‫ون ِّم ْن ُمو َ‬
‫ص َرهُ َو ْ‬
‫اخذُ ْل َم ْن‬
‫ص ْر َم ْن نَ ْ‬
‫عادَاهُ َوا ْن ُ‬
‫عا ِّد َم ْن َ‬
‫اللَّ ُه َّم َوا ِّل َم ْن َواالَهُ َو َ‬
‫َخذَلَهُ‬
‫ين‬
‫ين َو ْاْ ِّخ ِّر َ‬
‫ب لَهُ ِّم َن ْاْل َ َّو ِّل َ‬
‫ص َ‬
‫َو ْالعَ ْن َم ْن نَ َ‬
‫ب‬
‫اء أ َ ْنبِّيَائِّ َك يَا َر َّ‬
‫صلَّي َ‬
‫صيَ ِّ‬
‫ْت َ‬
‫علَ ْي ِّه أ َ ْف َ‬
‫ص ِّل َ‬
‫علَى أ َ َح ٍد ِّم ْن أ َ ْو ِّ‬
‫ض َل َما َ‬
‫َو َ‬
‫ْالعَالَ ِّمين‬
Ziyarah of Imam Ali
O Allah bless Amir al-Mu'mineen, All ibn Abi Talib, the brother of Thy
Prophet who is:
His successor, supporter, and vicegerent,
The custodian of his knowledge, repository of his confidential and
privileged matters,
The gateway of his wisdom,
Who gave tongue to his arguments, invited to his system, and took
charge of the affairs of his followers after him,
Who removed his worry and anguish, who tore apart the syndrome of
infidelity to pieces, and who demeaned the nose of evil, whom Thou
united with Thy Prophet as Haroon was attached with Musa.
O Allah befriend those who befriends him, antagonize those who
antagonize him, help those who support him, and forsake those who
forsake him,
Be hostile to those who had set up and planted hostility against him, be
they his contemporaries or those in the future…..
‫‪Listen to Ziyarah of Imam Ali‬‬
‫السالم عليك يا أمير المؤمنين‬
‫السالم عليك يا حبيب هللا‬
‫السالم عليك يا صفوة هللا‬
‫السالم عليك يا ولي هللا‬
‫السالم عليك يا حجة هللا‬
‫السالم عليك يا إمام الهدى‬
‫السالم عليك يا علم التقى‬
‫السالم عليك أيها الوصي البر التقي النقي الوفي‬
‫السالم عليك يا أبا الحسن والحسين‬
‫السالم عليك يا عمود الدين السالم عليك يا سيد الوصيين وأمين رب‬
‫العالمين‬
In Conclusion
Ali is the very model after the Prophet (pbuh)
Lived in the house of the Prophet and raised by him
Along with the Prophet, he was the backbone of
Islam
His Khilaafah faced very troublesome people
Du’aas are very moving and the guiding Light to all
His sayings are remarkable and incredible, indicating
an acute mind dedicated to the Almighty
Be in Allah’s Care
Thank you and May God Bless you.
Dr. A.S. Hashim