krmaazhama/Nehjul_Balagah_v1 · Datasets at Hugging Face

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60	QUOTES	QUOTE-153.txt	116. Amir al-mu'minin, peace be upon him, said: There are many people who are given time (by Allah) through good treatment towards them, and many who are deceived because their sinful activities are veiled (by Allah), and many who are enamoured by good talk about themselves. And Allah does not try anyone as seriously as He tries him whom He allows time (to remain sinful).
61	QUOTES	QUOTE-154.txt	117. Amir al-mu'minin, peace be upon him, said: Two categories of persons will face ruin on account of me: he who loves me with exaggeration, and he who hates me intensely.
62	QUOTES	QUOTE-155.txt	118. Amir al-mu'minin, peace be upon him, said: To miss an opportunity brings about grief.
63	QUOTES	QUOTE-156.txt	119. Amir al-mu'minin, peace be upon him, said: The example of the world is like a serpent. It is soft to the touch but its inside is full of venom. An ignorant person who has fallen into deceit is attracted towards it but a wise and intelligent man keeps on his guard against it.
64	QUOTES	QUOTE-157.txt	120. Amir al-mu'minin, peace be upon him, was asked about the Quraysh, when he replied: As for Banu Makhzum they are the blossoms of the Quraysh. It is delightful to talk to their men and to marry their women. As for Banu 'Abd Shams, they are farsighted and cautious about all that is hidden from them. As for ourselves (Banu Hashim) we spend whatever we get and are very generous in offering ourselves in death. Consequently, those people are more numerous, more contriving and more ugly while we are more eloquent, well-wishing and handsome.
65	QUOTES	QUOTE-158.txt	121. Amir al-mu'minin, peace be upon him, said: What a difference there is between two kinds of actions: an act whose pleasure passes away but its (ill) consequence remains, and. the act whose hardship passes away but its reward stays.
66	QUOTES	QUOTE-159.txt	122. Amir al-mu'minin, peace be upon him, was accompanying a funeral when he heard someone laugh. Then he said : Is it that death has been ordained only for others? Is it that right is obligatory only on others? Is it that those whom we see departing on their journey of death will come back to us? We lay them down in their graves and then enjoy their estate (as if we will live for good after them). We have ignored every preacher, man or woman, and have exposed ourselves to every catastrophe.
67	QUOTES	QUOTE-16.txt	15. Amir al-mu'minin, peace be upon him, said: Every mischief monger cannot even be reproved. 8
68	QUOTES	QUOTE-160.txt	123. Amir al-mu'minin, peace be upon him, said: Blessed be lie who humbles himself, whose livelihood is pure, whose heart is chaste, whose habits are virtuous, who spends his savings (in the name of Allah), who prevents his tongue from speaking nonsense, who keeps people safe from evil, who is pleased with the (Prophet's) sunnah, and who is unconnected with innovation (in religion).
69	QUOTES	QUOTE-161.txt	As-Sayyid ar-Radi Says: Some people attribute this and the previous saying to the Messenger of Allah (may Allah bless him and his descendants).
70	QUOTES	QUOTE-162.txt	124. Amir al-mu'minin, peace be upon him, said: The jealousy of a woman (with co-wives) is heresy, while the jealousy of a man is a part of belief.
71	QUOTES	QUOTE-163.txt	125. Amir al-mu'minin, peace be upon him, said: I am defining Islam as no one has defined before me: Islam is submission, submission is conviction, conviction is affirmation, affirmation is acknowledgement, acknowledgement is discharge (of obligations), and discharge of obligations is action.
72	QUOTES	QUOTE-164.txt	126. Amir al-mu'minin, peace be upon him, said: I wonder at the miser who is speeding towards the very destitution from which he wants to run away and misses the very ease of life which he covets. Consequently, he passes his life in this world like the destitute, but will have to render an account in the next world like the rich.
73	QUOTES	QUOTE-165.txt	I wonder at the proud man who was just a drop of semen the other day and will turn into a corpse tomorrow. I wonder at the man who doubts Allah although he sees His creations. I wonder at him who has forgotten death although he sees people dying. I wonder at him who denies the second life although he has seen the first life. I wonder at him who inhabits this transient abode but ignores the everlasting abode.
74	QUOTES	QUOTE-166.txt	127. Amir al-mu'minin, peace be upon him, said: Whoever falls short of actions falls into grief, and Allah has nothing to do with him who spares nothing from his wealth in the name of Allah.
75	QUOTES	QUOTE-167.txt	128. Amir al-mu'minin, peace be upon him, said: Guard against cold in its (seasonal) beginning and welcome it towards its end because it effects bodies in the same way as it effects plants. In the beginning, it destroys them but in the end it gives them fresh leaves. 32
76	QUOTES	QUOTE-168.txt	129. Amir al-mu'minin, peace be upon him, said: Greatness of the Creator appreciated by you would belittle the creatures in your view.
77	QUOTES	QUOTE-169.txt	130. When Amir al-mu'minin, peace be upon him, returned from (the battle of) Siffin and noticed the graves outside Kufah, he said: O residents of houses which give a sense of loneliness, of depopulated areas and gloomy graves. O people of the dust, O victims of strangeness, O people of loneliness and O people of desolateness! You have gone ahead and preceded us while we are following you and will meet you. The houses (you left) have been inhabited by others; the wives (you left) have been married by others; the properties have been distributed (among heirs). This is the news about those around us; what is the news about things around you?
78	QUOTES	QUOTE-17.txt	16. Amir al-mu'minin, peace be upon him, said: All matters are subject to destiny, so much so that sometimes death results from effort.
79	QUOTES	QUOTE-170.txt	Then Amir al-mu'minin, peace be upon him, turned to his companions and said: Beware If they were allowed to speak they would inform you that:
80	QUOTES	QUOTE-171.txt	Verily, the best provision is fear of Allah. (Qur'an, 2:197)
81	QUOTES	QUOTE-172.txt	131. Amir al-mu'minin, peace be upon him, heard a man abusing the world and said: O you who abuse the world, O you who have been deceived by its deceit and cheated by its wrongs. Do you covet the world and then abuse it? Do you accuse it or it should accuse you? When did it bewilder you or deceive you whether by the decay and fall of your forefathers, or by the sleeping places of your mothers under the ground? How much you looked after them in their illness and nursed them during sickness, desiring them to be cured and consulting physicians for them in the morning when your medicine did not avail them and your wailing for them did not benefit them. Your mourning over them did not prove useful to them and you could not achieve your aims. You could not ward off (death) from them with all your power. In fact, through the dying man the world presented an illustration for you and showed you by the example of his falling down how you would (also) fall.
82	QUOTES	QUOTE-173.txt	Certainly, this world is a house of truth for him who appreciates it; a place of safety for him who understands it; a house of riches for him who collects provision from it (for the next world); and a house of instructions for him who draws instruction from it. It is the place of worship for the lovers of Allah; the place of praying for the angels of Allah; the place where the revelation of Allah descends; and the marketing place for those devoted to Allah. Herein they earned mercy and herein they acquired Paradise by way of profit.
83	QUOTES	QUOTE-174.txt	Therefore, who can abuse it when it has announced its departure and called out that it would leave! It had given news of its own destruction and the death of its people. By its hardship it set an example of their hardships. By its pleasures it created eagerness for the pleasures (of the next world). It brings ease in the evening and grief in the morning by way of persuasion, dissuasion, alarm and warning. People abuse it on the morning of their repentance but there are others who will praise it on the Day of Judgement. The world recalled to them the next life and they bore it in mind. It related to them (things of the next life) and they acknowledged them. It preached to them and they took lesson therefrom. 33
84	QUOTES	QUOTE-175.txt	132. Amir al-mu'minin, peace be upon him, said: There is an angel of Allah who calls out every day, "Beget children for death, collect wealth for destruction, and raise construction for ruin."
85	QUOTES	QUOTE-176.txt	133. Amir al-mu'minin, peace be upon him, said: This world is a place for transit, not a place for stay. The people herein are of two categories. One is the man who sold away his self (to his passions) and thus ruined it, and the other is the man who purchased his self (by control against his passions) and freed it.
86	QUOTES	QUOTE-177.txt	134. Amir al-mu'minin, peace be upon him, said: A friend is not a friend unless he affords protection to his comrade on three occasions: in his adversity, in his absence and at his death.
87	QUOTES	QUOTE-178.txt	135. Amir al-mu'minin, peace be upon him, said: He who is bestowed four things is not disallowed four things: he who is allowed to pray is not deprived of the response to it; he who is allowed to offer repentance is not deprived of its acceptance; he who is allowed to seek forgiveness is not deprived of forgiveness; and he who is allowed to be grateful is not deprived of furtherance of favours.
88	QUOTES	QUOTE-179.txt	As-Sayyid ar-Radi says: This is confirmed by the Book of Allah. About praying, Allah says: "Call you to Me, I will answer you" (Qur'an, 4:60). About forgiveness Allah says: "And whoever does evil, or wrongs his own self and thereafter seeks pardon of Allah, shall find Allah Oft-forgiving, Merciful" (Qur'an, 4:110). About gratefulness He says: "If you be grateful I will increase (my favours) to you" (Qur'an, 14:7). About repentance He says: "Verily, repentance (acceptable) with Allah is only for those who do evil ignorantly and then turn (to Allah) soon (after); these (are those) Allah will turn (merciful) to them; and Allah is All-knowing, All-wise" (Qur'an, 4: 17).
89	QUOTES	QUOTE-18.txt	17. Amir al-mu'minin, peace be upon him, was asked to explain the saying of the Messenger of Allah: Banish your old age (by hair-dye) and do not acquire resemblance to the Jews.
90	QUOTES	QUOTE-180.txt	136. Amir al-mu'minin, peace be upon him, said: For the God-fearing prayers is a means of seeking nearness to Allah; and for the weak the hajj (pilgrimage to Mecca) is as good as jihad (fighting in the way of Allah). For every thing there is a levy; and the levy of the body is fasting. The jihad of a woman is to afford pleasant company to her husband.
91	QUOTES	QUOTE-181.txt	137. Amir al-mu'minin, peace be upon him, said: Seek livelihood by giving alms.
92	QUOTES	QUOTE-182.txt	138. Amir al-mu'minin, peace be upon him, said: He who is sure of a good return is generous in giving.
93	QUOTES	QUOTE-183.txt	139. Amir al-mu'minin, peace be upon him, said: Assistance is allowed according to need.
94	QUOTES	QUOTE-184.txt	140. Amir al-mu'minin, peace be upon him, said: He who is moderate does not become destitute.
95	QUOTES	QUOTE-185.txt	141. Amir al-mu'minin, peace be upon him, said: A small family is one of the ways of (securing) ease.
96	QUOTES	QUOTE-186.txt	142. Amir al-mu'minin, peace be upon him, said: Loving one another is half of wisdom
97	QUOTES	QUOTE-187.txt	143. Amir al-mu'minin, peace be upon him, said: Grief is half of old age.
98	QUOTES	QUOTE-188.txt	144. Amir al-mu'minin, peace be upon him, said: Endurance comes according to the affliction. He who beats his hand on the thigh in his affliction ruins all his good actions.
99	QUOTES	QUOTE-189.txt	145. Amir al-mu'minin, peace be upon him, said: There is many a person who fasts whose fast is nothing but just hunger and thirst, and many an offerer of prayers whose prayer is no better than wakefulness and hardship. The sleep as well as the eating and drinking of the intelligent (God-knowing) person is far better.
100	QUOTES	QUOTE-19.txt	Amir al-mu'minin replied:
101	QUOTES	QUOTE-190.txt	146. Amir al-mu'minin, peace be upon him, said: Protect your belief by charity; guard your wealth by paying Allah's share; and ward off the waves of calamity by praying.
102	QUOTES	QUOTE-191.txt	147. Kumayl ibn Ziyad An-Nakha'i 34 has related: Amir al-mu'minin, peace be upon him, caught hold of my hand and took me to the graveyard. When he had passed through the graveyard and left the city behind, he breathed a deep sigh and said:
103	QUOTES	QUOTE-192.txt	O Kumayl, these hearts are containers. The best of them is that which preserves (its contents). So, preserve what I say to you.
104	QUOTES	QUOTE-193.txt	People are of three types: One is the scholar and divine; then the seeker of knowledge who is also on the way to deliverance. Then (lastly) the common rot who run after every caller and bend in the direction of every wind. They seek no light from the effulgence of knowledge and do not take protection of any reliable support.
105	QUOTES	QUOTE-194.txt	O Kumayl, knowledge is better than wealth. Knowledge guards you, while you have to guard the wealth. Wealth decreases by spending, while knowledge multiplies by spending, and the results of wealth die as wealth decays.
106	QUOTES	QUOTE-195.txt	O Kumayl, knowledge is belief which is acted upon. With it man acquires obedience during his life and a good name after his death. Knowledge is the ruler while wealth is ruled upon.
107	QUOTES	QUOTE-196.txt	O Kumayl, those who amass wealth are dead even though they may be living while those endowed with knowledge will remain as long as the world lives. Their bodies are not available but their figures exist in the hearts. Look, here is a heap of knowledge (and Amir al-mu'minin pointed to his bosom). I wish I could get someone to bear it. Yes, I did find (such a one); but either he was one who could not be relied upon. He would exploit the religion for worldly gains, and by virtue of Allah's favours on him he would domineer over the people and through Allah's pleas he would lord over His devotees. Or he was one who was obedient to the hearers of truth but {here was no intelligence in his bosom. At the first appearance of doubt he would entertain misgivings in his heart.
108	QUOTES	QUOTE-197.txt	So, neither this nor that was good enough. Either the man is eager for pleasures, easily led away by passions, or is covetous for collecting and hoarding wealth. Neither of them has any regard for religion in any matter. The nearest example of these is the loose cattle. This is the way that knowledge dies away with the death of its bearers.
109	QUOTES	QUOTE-198.txt	O My God! Yes; but the earth is never devoid of those who maintain Allah's plea either openly and reputedly or, being afraid, as hidden in order that Allah's pleas and proofs should not be rebutted. How many are they and where are they? By Allah, they are few in number, but they are great in esteem before Allah. Through them Allah guards His pleas and proofs till they entrust them to others like themselves and sow the seeds thereof in the hearts of those who are similar to them.
110	QUOTES	QUOTE-199.txt	Knowledge has led them to real understanding and so they have associated themselves with the spirit of conviction. They take easy what the easygoing regard as hard. They endear what the ignorant take as strange. They live in this world with their bodies here but their spirits resting in the high above. They are the vicegerents of Allah on His earth and callers to His religion.
111	QUOTES	QUOTE-2.txt	2. Amir al-mu'minin, peace be upon him, said: He who adopts greed as a habit devalues himself; he who discloses his hardship agrees to humiliation; and he who allows his tongue to overpower his soul debases the soul.
112	QUOTES	QUOTE-20.txt	The Prophet (S) said this at a time when the religion was confined to a few, but now that its expanse has widened and it is firmly settled everyone is free in his action. 9
113	QUOTES	QUOTE-200.txt	Oh, oh, how I yearn to see them! Go away now, O Kumayl, wherever you wish!
114	QUOTES	QUOTE-201.txt	148. Amir al-mu'minin, peace be upon him, said: Man is hidden under his tongue. 35
115	QUOTES	QUOTE-202.txt	149. Amir al-mu'minin, peace be upon him, said: He who does not know his own worth is ruined.
116	QUOTES	QUOTE-203.txt	150. Amir al-mu'minin, peace be upon him, said to a man who had requested him to preach:
117	QUOTES	QUOTE-204.txt	Do not be like him who hopes for (bliss in) the next life without action, and delays repentance by lengthening desires, who utters words like ascetics in this world but acts like those who are eager for it; if he is allowed something from it he does not feel satisfied; if he is denied he is not content; he is not grateful for what he gets and covets for increase in whatever remains with him; he refrains others but not himself; he commands others for what he himself does not do; he loves the virtuous but does not behave like them; he hates the vicious but himself is one of them; he dislikes death because of the excess of his sins but adheres to that for which he is afraid of death.
118	QUOTES	QUOTE-205.txt	If he falls ill he is remorseful; if he is healthy he feels secure and indulges in amusements; when he recovers from illness he feels vain about himself; when he is afflicted he loses hope; if distress befalls him he prays like a bewildered man; when he finds ease of life he falls into deceit and turns his face away; his heart overpowers him by means of imaginary things while he cannot control his heart by his conviction; for others he is afraid of small sins, but for himself he expects more reward than his performance; if he becomes wealthy he becomes self-conceited and falls into vice; if he becomes poor he despairs and becomes weak; he falls short when doing a good thing but goes too far when he is begging; when passion overtakes him he is quick in committing sin but delays repentance; if hardship befalls him he goes beyond the cannons of the (Islamic) community; he describes instructive events but does not take instruction himself; he preaches at length but does not accept any preaching for himself; he is tall in speaking but short in action; he aspires for things that will perish and ignores things that will last for good; he regards profit as loss and loss as profit; he fears death but does nothing in its anticipation.
119	QUOTES	QUOTE-206.txt	He regards the sins of others as big but considers the same things for himself as small; if he does something in obedience to Allah he considers it much but if others do the same he considers it small; he therefore rebukes others but flatters himself; entertainment in the company of the wealthy is dearer to him than remembrance (of Allah) with the poor; he passes verdicts against others for his own interests and does not do so against himself for others' interests; he guides others but misguides himself; he is obeyed by others but he himself disobeys (Allah); he seeks fulfilment (of obligations towards himself) but does not fulfil his obligations (towards others); he fears the people (and acts) for other than his Lord (Allah) and does not fear his Lord in his dealings with the people.
120	QUOTES	QUOTE-207.txt	As-Sayyid ar-Radi says: If this book had contained nothing save this short utterance it would have sufficed as a successful piece of preaching, a specimen of high philosophy, an object of wisdom for the onlooker and a source of instruction for the meditative watcher.
121	QUOTES	QUOTE-208.txt	151. Amir al-mu'minin, peace be upon him, said: Every human being has to meet the end, sweet or bitter.
122	QUOTES	QUOTE-209.txt	152. Amir al-mu'minin, peace be upon him, said: Every comer has to return and after returning it is as though he never existed.
123	QUOTES	QUOTE-21.txt	18. Amir al-mu'minin, peace be upon him, said about those who avoided fighting on his side: They abandoned right but did not support wrong.10
124	QUOTES	QUOTE-210.txt	153. Amir al-mu'minin, peace be upon him, said: The endurer does not miss success although it may take a long time.
125	QUOTES	QUOTE-211.txt	154. Amir al-mu'minin, peace be upon him, said: He who agrees with the action of a group of persons is as though he joins them in that action. And every one who joins in wrong commits two sins; one sin for committing the wrong and the other for agreeing with it.
126	QUOTES	QUOTE-212.txt	155. Amir al-mu'minin, peace be upon him, said: Adhere to contracts and entrust their fulfilment to steadfast persons.
127	QUOTES	QUOTE-213.txt	156. Amir al-mu'minin, peace be upon him, said: On you lies (the obligation of) obedience to the person about whom you cannot plead the excuse of ignorance. 36
128	QUOTES	QUOTE-214.txt	157. Amir al-mu'minin, peace be upon him, said: Surely, you have been made to see if (only) you care to see; surely, you have been guided if (only) you care to take guidance; and surely, you have been made to hear if (only) you care to lend your ears.
129	QUOTES	QUOTE-215.txt	158. Amir al-mu'minin, peace be upon him, said: Admonish your brother (comrade) by good behaviour towards him, and ward off his evil by favouring him. 37
130	QUOTES	QUOTE-216.txt	159. Amir al-mu'minin, peace be upon him, said: He who puts himself in conditions of ill-repute should not blame those who entertain bad ideas about him.
131	QUOTES	QUOTE-217.txt	160. Amir al-mu'minin, peace be upon him, said: Whoever obtains authority (usually) adopts partiality.
132	QUOTES	QUOTE-218.txt	161. Amir al-mu'minin, peace be upon him, said: He who acts solely according to his own opinion gets ruined, and he who consults other people shares in their understanding.
133	QUOTES	QUOTE-219.txt	162. Amir al-mu'minin, peace be upon him, said: He who guards his secrets retains control in his own hands.
134	QUOTES	QUOTE-22.txt	19. Amir al-mu'minin, peace be upon him, said: He who gallops with loose rein collides with death.
135	QUOTES	QUOTE-220.txt	163. Amir al-mu'minin, peace be upon him, said: Destitution is the greatest death.
136	QUOTES	QUOTE-221.txt	164. Amir al-mu'minin, peace be upon him, said: He who fulfils the right of a man who does not fulfil his right, (is as though he) worships him.
137	QUOTES	QUOTE-222.txt	165. Amir al-mu'minin, peace be upon him, said: There should be no obeying anyone against Allah's commands.
138	QUOTES	QUOTE-223.txt	166. Amir al-mu'minin, peace be upon him, said: No person is to be blamed for delay in (securing) his own right but blame lies on him who takes what he is not entitled to.
139	QUOTES	QUOTE-224.txt	167. Amir al-mu'minin, peace be upon him, said: Vanity prevents progress. 38
140	QUOTES	QUOTE-225.txt	168. Amir al-mu'minin, peace be upon him, said: The Day of Judgement is near and our mutual company is short.
141	QUOTES	QUOTE-226.txt	169. Amir al-mu'minin, peace be upon him, said: For the man who has eyes the dawn has already appeared.
142	QUOTES	QUOTE-227.txt	170. Amir al-mu'minin, peace be upon him, said: Abstention from sin is easier than seeking forgiveness afterwards. 39
143	QUOTES	QUOTE-228.txt	171. Amir al-mu'minin, peace be upon him, said: Many a single eating prevents several eatings. 40
144	QUOTES	QUOTE-229.txt	172. Amir al-mu'minin, peace be upon him, said: People are enemies of what they do not know. 41
145	QUOTES	QUOTE-23.txt	20. Amir al-mu'minin, peace be upon him, said: Forgive the shortcomings of people of virtue and honor because when they fall into error Allah raises them up.
146	QUOTES	QUOTE-230.txt	173. Amir al-mu'minin, peace be upon him, said: He who has several opinions understands the pitfalls.
147	QUOTES	QUOTE-231.txt	174. Amir al-mu'minin, peace be upon him, said: He who sharpens the teeth of anger for the sake of Allah acquires the strength to kill the stalwarts of wrong. 42
148	QUOTES	QUOTE-232.txt	175. Amir al-mu'minin, peace be upon him, said: When you are afraid of something dive straight into it, because the intensity of abstaining from it is greater (worse) than what you are afraid of.
149	QUOTES	QUOTE-233.txt	176. Amir al-mu'minin, peace be upon him, said: The means to secure high authority is breadth of chest (i.e., generosity).
150	QUOTES	QUOTE-234.txt	177. Amir al-mu'minin, peace be upon him, said: Rebuke the evil-doer by rewarding the good-doer. 43
151	QUOTES	QUOTE-235.txt	178. Amir al-mu'minin, peace be upon him, said: Cut away evil from the chest of others by snatching (it) away from your own chest. 44
152	QUOTES	QUOTE-236.txt	179. Amir al-mu'minin, peace be upon him, said: Stubbornness destroys (good) advice.
153	QUOTES	QUOTE-237.txt	180. Amir al-mu'minin, peace be upon him said: Greed is a lasting slavery.
154	QUOTES	QUOTE-238.txt	181. Amir al-mu'minin, peace be upon him, said: The result of neglect is shame, while the result of far-sightedness is safety.
155	QUOTES	QUOTE-239.txt	182. Amir al-mu'minin, peace be upon him, said: There is no advantage ill keeping quiet about an issue of wisdom, just as there is no good in speaking out an unintelligent thing.
156	QUOTES	QUOTE-24.txt	21. Amir al-mu'minin, peace be upon him, said: The consequence of fear is disappointment and of bashfulness is frustration. Opportunity passes away like the cloud. Therefore, make use of good opportunities. 11
157	QUOTES	QUOTE-240.txt	183. Amir al-mu'minin, peace be upon him, said: If there are two different calls then one (of them) must be towards misguidance.
158	QUOTES	QUOTE-241.txt	184. Amir al-mu'minin, peace be upon him, said: I have never entertained doubt about right since I was shown it.
159	QUOTES	QUOTE-242.txt	185. Amir al-mu'minin, peace be upon him, said: I have neither spoken a lie nor have I been told a lie. I have neither deviated nor have I been made to deviate (others).

60

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QUOTE-153.txt

116. Amir al-mu'minin, peace be upon him, said: There are many people who are given time (by Allah) through good treatment towards them, and many who are deceived because their sinful activities are veiled (by Allah), and many who are enamoured by good talk about themselves. And Allah does not try anyone as seriously as He tries him whom He allows time (to remain sinful).

61

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QUOTE-154.txt

117. Amir al-mu'minin, peace be upon him, said: Two categories of persons will face ruin on account of me: he who loves me with exaggeration, and he who hates me intensely.

62

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QUOTE-155.txt

118. Amir al-mu'minin, peace be upon him, said: To miss an opportunity brings about grief.

63

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QUOTE-156.txt

119. Amir al-mu'minin, peace be upon him, said: The example of the world is like a serpent. It is soft to the touch but its inside is full of venom. An ignorant person who has fallen into deceit is attracted towards it but a wise and intelligent man keeps on his guard against it.

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QUOTE-157.txt

120. Amir al-mu'minin, peace be upon him, was asked about the Quraysh, when he replied: As for Banu Makhzum they are the blossoms of the Quraysh. It is delightful to talk to their men and to marry their women. As for Banu 'Abd Shams, they are farsighted and cautious about all that is hidden from them. As for ourselves (Banu Hashim) we spend whatever we get and are very generous in offering ourselves in death. Consequently, those people are more numerous, more contriving and more ugly while we are more eloquent, well-wishing and handsome.

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QUOTE-158.txt

121. Amir al-mu'minin, peace be upon him, said: What a difference there is between two kinds of actions: an act whose pleasure passes away but its (ill) consequence remains, and. the act whose hardship passes away but its reward stays.

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QUOTE-159.txt

122. Amir al-mu'minin, peace be upon him, was accompanying a funeral when he heard someone laugh. Then he said : Is it that death has been ordained only for others? Is it that right is obligatory only on others? Is it that those whom we see departing on their journey of death will come back to us? We lay them down in their graves and then enjoy their estate (as if we will live for good after them). We have ignored every preacher, man or woman, and have exposed ourselves to every catastrophe.

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QUOTE-16.txt

15. Amir al-mu'minin, peace be upon him, said: Every mischief monger cannot even be reproved. 8

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QUOTE-160.txt

123. Amir al-mu'minin, peace be upon him, said: Blessed be lie who humbles himself, whose livelihood is pure, whose heart is chaste, whose habits are virtuous, who spends his savings (in the name of Allah), who prevents his tongue from speaking nonsense, who keeps people safe from evil, who is pleased with the (Prophet's) sunnah, and who is unconnected with innovation (in religion).

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QUOTE-161.txt

As-Sayyid ar-Radi Says: Some people attribute this and the previous saying to the Messenger of Allah (may Allah bless him and his descendants).

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QUOTE-162.txt

124. Amir al-mu'minin, peace be upon him, said: The jealousy of a woman (with co-wives) is heresy, while the jealousy of a man is a part of belief.

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QUOTE-163.txt

125. Amir al-mu'minin, peace be upon him, said: I am defining Islam as no one has defined before me: Islam is submission, submission is conviction, conviction is affirmation, affirmation is acknowledgement, acknowledgement is discharge (of obligations), and discharge of obligations is action.

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QUOTE-164.txt

126. Amir al-mu'minin, peace be upon him, said: I wonder at the miser who is speeding towards the very destitution from which he wants to run away and misses the very ease of life which he covets. Consequently, he passes his life in this world like the destitute, but will have to render an account in the next world like the rich.

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QUOTE-165.txt

I wonder at the proud man who was just a drop of semen the other day and will turn into a corpse tomorrow. I wonder at the man who doubts Allah although he sees His creations. I wonder at him who has forgotten death although he sees people dying. I wonder at him who denies the second life although he has seen the first life. I wonder at him who inhabits this transient abode but ignores the everlasting abode.

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QUOTE-166.txt

127. Amir al-mu'minin, peace be upon him, said: Whoever falls short of actions falls into grief, and Allah has nothing to do with him who spares nothing from his wealth in the name of Allah.

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QUOTE-167.txt

128. Amir al-mu'minin, peace be upon him, said: Guard against cold in its (seasonal) beginning and welcome it towards its end because it effects bodies in the same way as it effects plants. In the beginning, it destroys them but in the end it gives them fresh leaves. 32

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QUOTE-168.txt

129. Amir al-mu'minin, peace be upon him, said: Greatness of the Creator appreciated by you would belittle the creatures in your view.

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QUOTE-169.txt

130. When Amir al-mu'minin, peace be upon him, returned from (the battle of) Siffin and noticed the graves outside Kufah, he said: O residents of houses which give a sense of loneliness, of depopulated areas and gloomy graves. O people of the dust, O victims of strangeness, O people of loneliness and O people of desolateness! You have gone ahead and preceded us while we are following you and will meet you. The houses (you left) have been inhabited by others; the wives (you left) have been married by others; the properties have been distributed (among heirs). This is the news about those around us; what is the news about things around you?

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QUOTE-17.txt

16. Amir al-mu'minin, peace be upon him, said: All matters are subject to destiny, so much so that sometimes death results from effort.

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QUOTE-170.txt

Then Amir al-mu'minin, peace be upon him, turned to his companions and said: Beware If they were allowed to speak they would inform you that:

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QUOTE-171.txt

Verily, the best provision is fear of Allah. (Qur'an, 2:197)

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QUOTE-172.txt

131. Amir al-mu'minin, peace be upon him, heard a man abusing the world and said: O you who abuse the world, O you who have been deceived by its deceit and cheated by its wrongs. Do you covet the world and then abuse it? Do you accuse it or it should accuse you? When did it bewilder you or deceive you whether by the decay and fall of your forefathers, or by the sleeping places of your mothers under the ground? How much you looked after them in their illness and nursed them during sickness, desiring them to be cured and consulting physicians for them in the morning when your medicine did not avail them and your wailing for them did not benefit them. Your mourning over them did not prove useful to them and you could not achieve your aims. You could not ward off (death) from them with all your power. In fact, through the dying man the world presented an illustration for you and showed you by the example of his falling down how you would (also) fall.

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QUOTE-173.txt

Certainly, this world is a house of truth for him who appreciates it; a place of safety for him who understands it; a house of riches for him who collects provision from it (for the next world); and a house of instructions for him who draws instruction from it. It is the place of worship for the lovers of Allah; the place of praying for the angels of Allah; the place where the revelation of Allah descends; and the marketing place for those devoted to Allah. Herein they earned mercy and herein they acquired Paradise by way of profit.

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QUOTE-174.txt

Therefore, who can abuse it when it has announced its departure and called out that it would leave! It had given news of its own destruction and the death of its people. By its hardship it set an example of their hardships. By its pleasures it created eagerness for the pleasures (of the next world). It brings ease in the evening and grief in the morning by way of persuasion, dissuasion, alarm and warning. People abuse it on the morning of their repentance but there are others who will praise it on the Day of Judgement. The world recalled to them the next life and they bore it in mind. It related to them (things of the next life) and they acknowledged them. It preached to them and they took lesson therefrom. 33

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QUOTE-175.txt

132. Amir al-mu'minin, peace be upon him, said: There is an angel of Allah who calls out every day, "Beget children for death, collect wealth for destruction, and raise construction for ruin."

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QUOTE-176.txt

133. Amir al-mu'minin, peace be upon him, said: This world is a place for transit, not a place for stay. The people herein are of two categories. One is the man who sold away his self (to his passions) and thus ruined it, and the other is the man who purchased his self (by control against his passions) and freed it.

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QUOTE-177.txt

134. Amir al-mu'minin, peace be upon him, said: A friend is not a friend unless he affords protection to his comrade on three occasions: in his adversity, in his absence and at his death.

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QUOTE-178.txt

135. Amir al-mu'minin, peace be upon him, said: He who is bestowed four things is not disallowed four things: he who is allowed to pray is not deprived of the response to it; he who is allowed to offer repentance is not deprived of its acceptance; he who is allowed to seek forgiveness is not deprived of forgiveness; and he who is allowed to be grateful is not deprived of furtherance of favours.

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QUOTE-179.txt

As-Sayyid ar-Radi says: This is confirmed by the Book of Allah. About praying, Allah says: "Call you to Me, I will answer you" (Qur'an, 4:60). About forgiveness Allah says: "And whoever does evil, or wrongs his own self and thereafter seeks pardon of Allah, shall find Allah Oft-forgiving, Merciful" (Qur'an, 4:110). About gratefulness He says: "If you be grateful I will increase (my favours) to you" (Qur'an, 14:7). About repentance He says: "Verily, repentance (acceptable) with Allah is only for those who do evil ignorantly and then turn (to Allah) soon (after); these (are those) Allah will turn (merciful) to them; and Allah is All-knowing, All-wise" (Qur'an, 4: 17).

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QUOTE-18.txt

17. Amir al-mu'minin, peace be upon him, was asked to explain the saying of the Messenger of Allah: Banish your old age (by hair-dye) and do not acquire resemblance to the Jews.

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QUOTE-180.txt

136. Amir al-mu'minin, peace be upon him, said: For the God-fearing prayers is a means of seeking nearness to Allah; and for the weak the hajj (pilgrimage to Mecca) is as good as jihad (fighting in the way of Allah). For every thing there is a levy; and the levy of the body is fasting. The jihad of a woman is to afford pleasant company to her husband.

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QUOTE-181.txt

137. Amir al-mu'minin, peace be upon him, said: Seek livelihood by giving alms.

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QUOTE-182.txt

138. Amir al-mu'minin, peace be upon him, said: He who is sure of a good return is generous in giving.

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QUOTE-183.txt

139. Amir al-mu'minin, peace be upon him, said: Assistance is allowed according to need.

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QUOTE-184.txt

140. Amir al-mu'minin, peace be upon him, said: He who is moderate does not become destitute.

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QUOTE-185.txt

141. Amir al-mu'minin, peace be upon him, said: A small family is one of the ways of (securing) ease.

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QUOTE-186.txt

142. Amir al-mu'minin, peace be upon him, said: Loving one another is half of wisdom

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QUOTE-187.txt

143. Amir al-mu'minin, peace be upon him, said: Grief is half of old age.

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QUOTE-188.txt

144. Amir al-mu'minin, peace be upon him, said: Endurance comes according to the affliction. He who beats his hand on the thigh in his affliction ruins all his good actions.

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QUOTE-189.txt

145. Amir al-mu'minin, peace be upon him, said: There is many a person who fasts whose fast is nothing but just hunger and thirst, and many an offerer of prayers whose prayer is no better than wakefulness and hardship. The sleep as well as the eating and drinking of the intelligent (God-knowing) person is far better.

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QUOTE-19.txt

Amir al-mu'minin replied:

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QUOTE-190.txt

146. Amir al-mu'minin, peace be upon him, said: Protect your belief by charity; guard your wealth by paying Allah's share; and ward off the waves of calamity by praying.

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QUOTE-191.txt

147. Kumayl ibn Ziyad An-Nakha'i 34 has related: Amir al-mu'minin, peace be upon him, caught hold of my hand and took me to the graveyard. When he had passed through the graveyard and left the city behind, he breathed a deep sigh and said:

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QUOTE-192.txt

O Kumayl, these hearts are containers. The best of them is that which preserves (its contents). So, preserve what I say to you.

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QUOTE-193.txt

People are of three types: One is the scholar and divine; then the seeker of knowledge who is also on the way to deliverance. Then (lastly) the common rot who run after every caller and bend in the direction of every wind. They seek no light from the effulgence of knowledge and do not take protection of any reliable support.

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QUOTE-194.txt

O Kumayl, knowledge is better than wealth. Knowledge guards you, while you have to guard the wealth. Wealth decreases by spending, while knowledge multiplies by spending, and the results of wealth die as wealth decays.

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QUOTE-195.txt

O Kumayl, knowledge is belief which is acted upon. With it man acquires obedience during his life and a good name after his death. Knowledge is the ruler while wealth is ruled upon.

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QUOTE-196.txt

O Kumayl, those who amass wealth are dead even though they may be living while those endowed with knowledge will remain as long as the world lives. Their bodies are not available but their figures exist in the hearts. Look, here is a heap of knowledge (and Amir al-mu'minin pointed to his bosom). I wish I could get someone to bear it. Yes, I did find (such a one); but either he was one who could not be relied upon. He would exploit the religion for worldly gains, and by virtue of Allah's favours on him he would domineer over the people and through Allah's pleas he would lord over His devotees. Or he was one who was obedient to the hearers of truth but {here was no intelligence in his bosom. At the first appearance of doubt he would entertain misgivings in his heart.

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QUOTE-197.txt

So, neither this nor that was good enough. Either the man is eager for pleasures, easily led away by passions, or is covetous for collecting and hoarding wealth. Neither of them has any regard for religion in any matter. The nearest example of these is the loose cattle. This is the way that knowledge dies away with the death of its bearers.

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QUOTE-198.txt

O My God! Yes; but the earth is never devoid of those who maintain Allah's plea either openly and reputedly or, being afraid, as hidden in order that Allah's pleas and proofs should not be rebutted. How many are they and where are they? By Allah, they are few in number, but they are great in esteem before Allah. Through them Allah guards His pleas and proofs till they entrust them to others like themselves and sow the seeds thereof in the hearts of those who are similar to them.

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QUOTE-199.txt

Knowledge has led them to real understanding and so they have associated themselves with the spirit of conviction. They take easy what the easygoing regard as hard. They endear what the ignorant take as strange. They live in this world with their bodies here but their spirits resting in the high above. They are the vicegerents of Allah on His earth and callers to His religion.

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QUOTE-2.txt

2. Amir al-mu'minin, peace be upon him, said: He who adopts greed as a habit devalues himself; he who discloses his hardship agrees to humiliation; and he who allows his tongue to overpower his soul debases the soul.

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QUOTE-20.txt

The Prophet (S) said this at a time when the religion was confined to a few, but now that its expanse has widened and it is firmly settled everyone is free in his action. 9

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QUOTE-200.txt

Oh, oh, how I yearn to see them! Go away now, O Kumayl, wherever you wish!

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QUOTE-201.txt

148. Amir al-mu'minin, peace be upon him, said: Man is hidden under his tongue. 35

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QUOTE-202.txt

149. Amir al-mu'minin, peace be upon him, said: He who does not know his own worth is ruined.

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QUOTE-203.txt

150. Amir al-mu'minin, peace be upon him, said to a man who had requested him to preach:

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QUOTE-204.txt

Do not be like him who hopes for (bliss in) the next life without action, and delays repentance by lengthening desires, who utters words like ascetics in this world but acts like those who are eager for it; if he is allowed something from it he does not feel satisfied; if he is denied he is not content; he is not grateful for what he gets and covets for increase in whatever remains with him; he refrains others but not himself; he commands others for what he himself does not do; he loves the virtuous but does not behave like them; he hates the vicious but himself is one of them; he dislikes death because of the excess of his sins but adheres to that for which he is afraid of death.

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QUOTE-205.txt

If he falls ill he is remorseful; if he is healthy he feels secure and indulges in amusements; when he recovers from illness he feels vain about himself; when he is afflicted he loses hope; if distress befalls him he prays like a bewildered man; when he finds ease of life he falls into deceit and turns his face away; his heart overpowers him by means of imaginary things while he cannot control his heart by his conviction; for others he is afraid of small sins, but for himself he expects more reward than his performance; if he becomes wealthy he becomes self-conceited and falls into vice; if he becomes poor he despairs and becomes weak; he falls short when doing a good thing but goes too far when he is begging; when passion overtakes him he is quick in committing sin but delays repentance; if hardship befalls him he goes beyond the cannons of the (Islamic) community; he describes instructive events but does not take instruction himself; he preaches at length but does not accept any preaching for himself; he is tall in speaking but short in action; he aspires for things that will perish and ignores things that will last for good; he regards profit as loss and loss as profit; he fears death but does nothing in its anticipation.

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QUOTE-206.txt

He regards the sins of others as big but considers the same things for himself as small; if he does something in obedience to Allah he considers it much but if others do the same he considers it small; he therefore rebukes others but flatters himself; entertainment in the company of the wealthy is dearer to him than remembrance (of Allah) with the poor; he passes verdicts against others for his own interests and does not do so against himself for others' interests; he guides others but misguides himself; he is obeyed by others but he himself disobeys (Allah); he seeks fulfilment (of obligations towards himself) but does not fulfil his obligations (towards others); he fears the people (and acts) for other than his Lord (Allah) and does not fear his Lord in his dealings with the people.

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QUOTE-207.txt

As-Sayyid ar-Radi says: If this book had contained nothing save this short utterance it would have sufficed as a successful piece of preaching, a specimen of high philosophy, an object of wisdom for the onlooker and a source of instruction for the meditative watcher.

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QUOTE-208.txt

151. Amir al-mu'minin, peace be upon him, said: Every human being has to meet the end, sweet or bitter.

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QUOTE-209.txt

152. Amir al-mu'minin, peace be upon him, said: Every comer has to return and after returning it is as though he never existed.

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QUOTE-21.txt

18. Amir al-mu'minin, peace be upon him, said about those who avoided fighting on his side: They abandoned right but did not support wrong.10

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QUOTE-210.txt

153. Amir al-mu'minin, peace be upon him, said: The endurer does not miss success although it may take a long time.

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QUOTE-211.txt

154. Amir al-mu'minin, peace be upon him, said: He who agrees with the action of a group of persons is as though he joins them in that action. And every one who joins in wrong commits two sins; one sin for committing the wrong and the other for agreeing with it.

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QUOTE-212.txt

155. Amir al-mu'minin, peace be upon him, said: Adhere to contracts and entrust their fulfilment to steadfast persons.

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QUOTE-213.txt

156. Amir al-mu'minin, peace be upon him, said: On you lies (the obligation of) obedience to the person about whom you cannot plead the excuse of ignorance. 36

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QUOTE-214.txt

157. Amir al-mu'minin, peace be upon him, said: Surely, you have been made to see if (only) you care to see; surely, you have been guided if (only) you care to take guidance; and surely, you have been made to hear if (only) you care to lend your ears.

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QUOTE-215.txt

158. Amir al-mu'minin, peace be upon him, said: Admonish your brother (comrade) by good behaviour towards him, and ward off his evil by favouring him. 37

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QUOTE-216.txt

159. Amir al-mu'minin, peace be upon him, said: He who puts himself in conditions of ill-repute should not blame those who entertain bad ideas about him.

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QUOTE-217.txt

160. Amir al-mu'minin, peace be upon him, said: Whoever obtains authority (usually) adopts partiality.

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QUOTE-218.txt

161. Amir al-mu'minin, peace be upon him, said: He who acts solely according to his own opinion gets ruined, and he who consults other people shares in their understanding.

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QUOTE-219.txt

162. Amir al-mu'minin, peace be upon him, said: He who guards his secrets retains control in his own hands.

134

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QUOTE-22.txt

19. Amir al-mu'minin, peace be upon him, said: He who gallops with loose rein collides with death.

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QUOTE-220.txt

163. Amir al-mu'minin, peace be upon him, said: Destitution is the greatest death.

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QUOTE-221.txt

164. Amir al-mu'minin, peace be upon him, said: He who fulfils the right of a man who does not fulfil his right, (is as though he) worships him.

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QUOTE-222.txt

165. Amir al-mu'minin, peace be upon him, said: There should be no obeying anyone against Allah's commands.

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QUOTE-223.txt

166. Amir al-mu'minin, peace be upon him, said: No person is to be blamed for delay in (securing) his own right but blame lies on him who takes what he is not entitled to.

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QUOTE-224.txt

167. Amir al-mu'minin, peace be upon him, said: Vanity prevents progress. 38

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QUOTE-225.txt

168. Amir al-mu'minin, peace be upon him, said: The Day of Judgement is near and our mutual company is short.

141

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QUOTE-226.txt

169. Amir al-mu'minin, peace be upon him, said: For the man who has eyes the dawn has already appeared.

142

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QUOTE-227.txt

170. Amir al-mu'minin, peace be upon him, said: Abstention from sin is easier than seeking forgiveness afterwards. 39

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QUOTE-228.txt

171. Amir al-mu'minin, peace be upon him, said: Many a single eating prevents several eatings. 40

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QUOTE-229.txt

172. Amir al-mu'minin, peace be upon him, said: People are enemies of what they do not know. 41

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QUOTE-23.txt

20. Amir al-mu'minin, peace be upon him, said: Forgive the shortcomings of people of virtue and honor because when they fall into error Allah raises them up.

146

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QUOTE-230.txt

173. Amir al-mu'minin, peace be upon him, said: He who has several opinions understands the pitfalls.

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QUOTE-231.txt

174. Amir al-mu'minin, peace be upon him, said: He who sharpens the teeth of anger for the sake of Allah acquires the strength to kill the stalwarts of wrong. 42

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QUOTE-232.txt

175. Amir al-mu'minin, peace be upon him, said: When you are afraid of something dive straight into it, because the intensity of abstaining from it is greater (worse) than what you are afraid of.

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QUOTE-233.txt

176. Amir al-mu'minin, peace be upon him, said: The means to secure high authority is breadth of chest (i.e., generosity).

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QUOTE-234.txt

177. Amir al-mu'minin, peace be upon him, said: Rebuke the evil-doer by rewarding the good-doer. 43

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QUOTE-235.txt

178. Amir al-mu'minin, peace be upon him, said: Cut away evil from the chest of others by snatching (it) away from your own chest. 44

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QUOTE-236.txt

179. Amir al-mu'minin, peace be upon him, said: Stubbornness destroys (good) advice.

153

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QUOTE-237.txt

180. Amir al-mu'minin, peace be upon him said: Greed is a lasting slavery.

154

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QUOTE-238.txt

181. Amir al-mu'minin, peace be upon him, said: The result of neglect is shame, while the result of far-sightedness is safety.

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QUOTE-239.txt

182. Amir al-mu'minin, peace be upon him, said: There is no advantage ill keeping quiet about an issue of wisdom, just as there is no good in speaking out an unintelligent thing.

156

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QUOTE-24.txt

21. Amir al-mu'minin, peace be upon him, said: The consequence of fear is disappointment and of bashfulness is frustration. Opportunity passes away like the cloud. Therefore, make use of good opportunities. 11

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QUOTE-240.txt

183. Amir al-mu'minin, peace be upon him, said: If there are two different calls then one (of them) must be towards misguidance.

158

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QUOTE-241.txt

184. Amir al-mu'minin, peace be upon him, said: I have never entertained doubt about right since I was shown it.

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QUOTE-242.txt

185. Amir al-mu'minin, peace be upon him, said: I have neither spoken a lie nor have I been told a lie. I have neither deviated nor have I been made to deviate (others).