SHAFAQNA-
Compiled by: Shaykh Mohammad Ishtihardi
Third Infallible: Imam Ali (as)
Name: AIi (as)
Renowned Title: “Ameer Al Momineen”
Sub Title: Abul Hassan
Father and Mother: Abu Talib (as) and Fatima Bint e Asad (as)
Time & Place of birth: 13th of Rajab ten years before the raising of Prophet. Born inside kabah.
Duration of Caliphate: 30 years
Time & Place of martyrdom: Morning of 19th Ramadan-40th hijrah was injured by Abdul rehman Ibn muijim and passed away on the 21st of Ramadan at the age of 63 years. Tomb in Najaf Ashraf (Iraq)
Duration of age four stages:
I. Childhood, duration nearly ten years.
2. Duration in the service of prophet (S) Nearly 23 years.
3. Duration of avoiding the Government machinery approx. 25 years.
4. Duration of Apparent caliphate 4 years nine months.
I. note: He was forced & obliged to avoid the interference in the caliphate machine. Although he was nominated openly by Allah & the Prophet (S) on various occasions including the feast of Zul Ashira. * Upon the day of Ghadeer khumm in the presence of nearly one hundred thousand pilgrim companions of the Prophet (S), unfortunately after the sad demise of the Prophet (S), Muslims turned down the ordain of Allah (SWT)’s Prophet by rejecting his caliphate creating a split and Ideologkal difference with the true school of Islamic Ideology presumed by the holy Prophe (S).
Forty Traditions of Ameer Al Momineen (as)
اربعون حديثاً
عن اميرالمؤمنين علي عليه السلام
1. The one who recognized himself (self-cognition) has recognized his Allah. 1
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2. Indeed, Allah raised Muhammad (S) upon the righteousness so that he may move His servants out of the (state of) adoration of servants towards His own adoration, & from the commitment of His slaves towards His own commitment & from the obedience of His slaves towards His own obedience & from the guardian ship of his servants to His own guardian ship. 2
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3. There is nobody who sits with (acquires the company) of Quran except that when he stands up from it (move away) with addition or loss. Addition to his guidance & loss of his blindness. (Aberration)
And know it there is no Poverty & adversity for anyone after having’ Quran (with him) & nobody has any wealth & needlessness before having the Holy Quran (with him). 3
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4. The one who is pleased & satisfied with the deed of a nation (group) is like the one who has shared that with it. And for all those entering into a falsehood there are two sins; the sin of practice & the sin of being pleased with it.4
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5. Ali (as) was questioned about faith. So he replied: Faith rests upon four pillars.
1. Patience 2. Certitude 3. Justice 4. Jihad (holy war). And patience out of those, has four branches. Keenness & eagerness (2) fear (3) Piety (4) wait.
The one who is keen & eager for Heaven steps aside the passionate temptations & the one who has the fear of hell fire abstains & refrains from the forbidden deeds & the one who has asceticism in the world takes the calamities & anguishes (of life) easy & the person who is looking forward to & waiting for death makes haste & hurry towards the good deeds.
And Jihad (holy war) is based upon four branches. 1. The ordering of good deeds.
2. Stopping from the bad deeds.
3. & truthfulness on the battle front of struggle & combat. 4. & the enmity with transgressors.
So, the one who orders the good deeds strengthens the backs of faithful’s. And the one who stops people from bad deeds has rubbed the noses of the infidels upon dust (belittled & weakened them). And the one who truth fully stands up in the battle field has discharged an obligatory practice. And the one who gets enraged & furious with the transgressors & gets angry for Allah, Allah too becomes enraged & angry for his sake & will please him on the resurrection day. 5
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وَالجِهادُ مِنها عَلی َأَربَعِ شُعَبٍ: عَلَی الأَمرِ بِالمَعرُوفِ، وَالنَّهیِ عَنِ المُنکَرِ، وَالصِّدقِ فِي المَواطِنِ وَشَنآنِ الفاسِقينَ، فَمَن أَمَرَ بِالمَعرُوفِ شَدَّ ظُهُورَ المُؤمِنينَ، وَمَن نَهی عَنِ المُنکَرِأَرغَمَ أُتُوفَ الکافِرينَ،وَمَن صَدَقَ فِي المَواطِنِ قَضی ما عَليهِ،وَمَن شَنِی الفاسِقينَ وَغَضِبَ لِلّهِ غَضِبَ اللهُ لَهُ وَأَرضاهُ يَومَ القِيامَةِ
6. So indeed, Jihad (holy war) is a door out of the doors of Heaven. Allah has opened it upon His special friends (saints). And that (Jihad) is the dress of piety & the firm & securing armored Jacket of Allah & His dependable shield & the one who abandons it because of being uninclined to it, Allah makes him put on the dress of humility. 6
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7. Indeed, the erupting of sedition & iniquity is due to the following of lustful desires & the artificial laws & rules, those orders & laws which are against the book of Allah. And a group of men stands up to defend those as against the religion & constitution of Allah.
If falsehood had completely segregated from the righteousness, it would not have remained concealed & hidden from those who are in the search of truth.
And if the righteousness had been purified from the falsehood the tongues of the enemies & rivals would have shortened from it. But they fetch a piece of right & a piece & part of falsehood & mix them up. This is where Satan overwhelms his friends. And only those who are the object of the beneficence of Allah get salvation. 7
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8. Indeed the religion of Allah is not identified through persons, instead, it is recognized by the sign of Rights. Therefore, do identify the light so as to identify people of the right. 8
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9. Do not be the slave of another person, since, Allah has made you a free person. 9
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10. Verily, ordering the good deed & stopping from the evil doings do neither draw the death closer nor diminishes & decreases the sustenance.
Instead these increase the reward & turn it into a great one. And the superior of the two is uttering the word of justice before the tyrant & oppressive ruler. 10
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11. The one who is not rectified & corrected by soft & nice conduct is corrected by a good punishment. 11
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12. Two person broke my back in the world. 1. A glib tongued transgressor.
2. A bleak hearted ignorant adorer.
And the first one stops & constrains others from reaching for his transgression. While the other one blocks the way to the finishing of his ignorance, by his adoration. Thus be afraid of transgressor scholar & the ignorant adorer because these (two) are the test (ordeal) for all those who get enchanted.
I heard the Prophet of Allah saying, ‘the destruction & annihilation of (people of) my ummah is at the hands of all the glib tongued hypocrites (Allem ullisan means a person who knows how to exactly use his tongue to his benefit). 12
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13. Absolutely must never the good doer & the evil doer be equal in your eyes, since, this thing becomes the reason of the inclination of those performing good deeds in their performance of good deeds & the encouragement & incentive of the evil doer upon doing bad deeds. 13
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14. People do not abandon anything from the affair of their religion for the rectification (progress) of their world (life) except that Allah opens the (vistas of) more harmful thing for them (than that). 14
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15. Indeed world (matter) is the extreme end of the vision of a blind (hearted person). He does not see anything beyond that. But the one having vision looks at it with deep & profound (Penetrating) eye sight & knows that the (permanent) home is beyond that. So the visions is prepared to march off from it. But the blind hearted has pinned up & fixed his gaze upon it. The visions picks up his provision of journey from it But the blind one makes provision for it. 15
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16. Make your own self the standard in social conduct between yourself & the other person. Thus do like the same for other person which you love for your own self. And dislike for others what you dislike & hate for yourself. Do not commit excess upon anyone just as you like it that no one must commit aggression against your own self. And do favor others just as you like others doing favor to you. And what you regard bad for others do regard that bad for yourself as well.
It what you like to do with the people is done to you then do love it. (For yourself).
And do not say what you do not know, instead even do not say all that you know.
And do not utter a word which you dislike other’s saying it to you. 16
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17. Your friends are three, & your enemies are three. So your friends are: your (own) friend, & the friend of your friend & the enemy of your enemy. And your enemies are: your (own) enemy & the enemy of your friend & friend of your enemy. 17
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18. The one whose conversation & speech becomes large in quantity his faults become plenty in number. And the one whose faults become great in number his modesty, & shame decreases. And that one whose modesty lessens his piety decreases. And the person whose piety decreases his heart dies. And the one whose heart dies he enters the hell fire. 18
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19. Do not look at who speaks & look at what he speaks. 19
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20. All the beneficences have been gathered in three qualities: sighting 2. Silence 3. Speech. All the sighting & viewing which do not take place for learning lesson are forgetfulness & all the silences which are devoid of mediation are forgetfulness. And all the speeches & talks which lack the remembrance of Allah are null & void. So heaven you be for the one who’s sighting & viewing is for taking lesson & silence is meditation & conversation is the remembrance of Allah. And he weeps upon his sins (repenting) & people are safe & secure from his harm. 20
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21. Indeed the son has a right over his father & the father (too) certainly has a right upon his son so the right of father upon the son is this that he obeys him in all the things except the sins forbidden by Allah. And the son’s right upon his father is that he gives him a good name & good training & make him learn the Quran. 21
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22. The world is a house of truth for the one who deals it with truth & a house of safety for the one who understands (something) from it & a house of wealth for the one who wishes to take provision (for journey) from it. The world is the mosque & place of prostration of the Prophets & the descending place of Allah’s revelation And the service place of the angels. And the market of His friends, those who achieved & got the mercy (of Allah) & earned paradise in it. So who denounces it? Whereas it has announced its separation & called aloud (regarding) its departure & parting. And informed about its death. So it has made them attentive by its happiness toward felicities (joys & comforts) & by its anguishes & calamities toward the afflictions. Sometime it scares & sometime it warns. (And at times) it persuades & incites & terrifies. So oh you who mentions ill of the world, where as you are yourself fascinated & charmed by the deceptions of the world. When has it ever deceived you?
Was it when it handed over your fore fathers to perishing, annihilation & decay? Or when it made your mothers disappear under the dust? 22
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23. O, people, the most frightening things regarding which I am afraid about you are two things: The following of passions & desires, and the longevity of hopes & aspirations. So the following of passions constrains & stops one from reaching the way of righteousness (Allah’s path) & as for the longevity (abundance) of hopes & aspirations that makes one forget the Hereafter. 23
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24. The person who corrects & rectifies his interior, Allah rectifies his exterior (obvious & apparent affairs) and the person who practices for his religions, Allah suffices & completes his worldly affairs. And the one who rectifies & beautifies what is between him & Allah. Allah beautifies & improves what goes between him & the people (relations). 24
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25. Do not make the most of your work & business pertinent & associated to your wife & children’s (bread & butter) since, if they are the friends of Allah, Allah does not waste (destroy) His friends and if they be the enemies of Allah so then why do you spend all your energies for the sake of enemies of Allah. 25
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26. The worth of all the men is in the good deeds that they perform. 26
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27. The water of your face (your honor & respect) is solid, questioning & begging liquefies it. So see to it that before whom are you dropping & draining it. 27
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28. What has the son of Adam (as) got to do with pride (since) he begins as a semen & ends as a corpse? (Both being unclean dirt & contamination). 28
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29. Beware! Shall I not inform you about the jurisprudent the right & real jurisprudent? The real jurisprudent is the one who does not permit & allow the people to commit sins. And does not make the people be disappointed with the mercy of Allah & does neither make the people think they are safe from the plan of Allah. And does not abandon & leave aside the Quran for the inclination & attraction toward anything else than it.
The service which is devoid of religious understanding & insight has no beneficence in it. And there is no beneficence in the knowledge which lacks pondering & contemplation and no beneficence in recitation of Quran without meditation & thought. 29
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30. An ardent (honorable) one never at all commits adultery.30
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31. Verily, the pious ones take share from the swiftly passing world as well as the soon approaching here after. So they share the people of the world in their world (materials & resources) but they (sons of the world) do not take any share from their resurrection day. 31
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32. A servant (of Allah) does not taste the faith till such time that he abandons telling lie both seriously & as joke. 32
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33. If you made your religion (faith) follow & stay under hand of your world, you perished both your religion & the world. And you would be from the losers on the dooms day. And if you made your world (life) stay under the hand of religion then you achieved both your religion & world & would be among the successful ones in the Hereafter. 33
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اِن جَعَلتَ دُنياکَ تَبَعاً لِدِينِکَ اَحرَزتَ دينَکَ وَدُنياکَ وَکُنتَ في الاخِرَةِ مِنَ الفائِزينَ
34. The world’s example is that of a snake which is soft to touch but it has a perilous poison in its body cavity. The ignorant one forms an attachment with it but the sage & sane person guards himself from it. 34
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35. Oh Kumail the hearts are similar to utensils, taking things in. The best of them are those which take in more. So take in what I say to you.
People are of three categories:
1. The Godly scholars.
2. The students on the way to salvation.
3. The silly & stupid ones who run after every call, & move too & fro with each wind that blows. They are the same (people) who have not been illuminated by the light of knowledge, & have not taken refuge in a strong & firm pillar. 35
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36. I recommend you five things for obtaining which if you have to move around on the camel backs in the deserts even then it is worthwhile & befitting.
1. Do not have hope in anyone except Allah. 2. Do not be afraid of anything except your sins. 3. If one of you is questioned about something which he does not know. He must not be shy & must say I do not know.
4. When one of you does not know a thing he must not feel shame & shy in learning it.
5. Exercise patience & forbearance in every work, since, the patience does not have any example with regards to faith except that of body with the head. The body without head does not have any good & beneficence, (similarly) faith without patience does not have any beneficence in it. 36
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37. Mix up with the people (have such a social conduct) so that if you die with it they weep upon you & if you remain alive, they may love you. 37
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38. The person calling & inviting others without himself practicing is just like an arrow man with a bow without a string (cord). (An arrow cannot be thrown by the help of a string less or cord less bow) 38
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39. Paradise is gained by practice not by aspiration. 39
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40. How plenty in number are the lessons to be taken & how less in number are those who learn lesson. 40
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2. Farroo Al Kafi, Vol. 8, P 386
3. Al HayatVol2, P 101
4. Nahjul Balagha Le Sabeeh Al Saleh Qisar ul-Hikam. 154 P 499
5. Nahjul Balagha Le Sabeeh Al Saleh Qisar ul-Hikam 31. P 473
6. Nahjul Balagha Le Sabeeh Al Saleh Qisar ul-Hikam, sennan, 27, P 69
7. Nahjul Balagha Le Sabeeh Al Saleh Qisar ul-Hikam SERMON 50, P 88
8. A’lbihar Vol. 68. P 120
9. Ghurar Al Hikam Chapter 85, Hadith 219
10. Ghurar Al Hikam Chapter 8, Hadith 272
11. Ghurar Al Hikam Chapter 77, Hadith 547
12. Raoza tul waizeen, P 6 Alhayat Vol. 2, P 337
13. Nahjul Balagha Le Sabeeh Al Saleh Qisar ul-Hikam, chapter 35, P 430
14. Nahjul Balagha Le Sabeeh Al Saleh Qisar ul-Hikam 106, P 487
15. Nahjul Balagha Le Sabeeh Al Saleh Qisar ul-Hikam, Sermon 133, P 191
16. Tuhaf al-Uqul, P 74
17. Nahjul Balagha Le Sabeeh Al Saleh Qisar ul-Hikam, 295,P 527
18. Tuhaf al-Uqul, P 89
19. Ghurar ul-Hikam, chapter 85, Hadith 40
20. Tuhaf al-Uqul, P 215
21. Nahjul Balagha Le Sabeeh Al Saleh Qisar ul-Hikam 399, P 546
22. Bihar ul-Anwar Vol. 77, P 418
23. Nahjul Balagha Le Sabeeh Al Saleh Qisar ul-Hikam Sermon 42,P 82
24. Nahjul Balagha Le Sabeeh Al Saleh Qisar ul-Hikam 423, P 551
25. Nahjul Balagha Le Sabeeh Al Saleh Qisar ul-Hikam 325. P 536
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27. Nahjul Balagha Le Sabeeh Al Saleh Qisar ul-Hikam 346. P 535
28. Nahjul Balagha Le Sabeeh Al Saleh Qisar ul-Hikam 454, P535
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30. Nahjul Balagha Le Sabeeh Al Saleh Qisar ul-Hikam 305. P 529
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33. Ghurar ul-Hikam Alfasl 10, ALHadith 44-45
34. Nahjul Balagha Le Sabeeh Al Saleh Qisar ul-Hikam 119, P484
35. Nahjul Balagha Le Sabeeh Al Saleh Qisar ul-Hikam 47, P495
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37. Nahjul Balagha Le Sabeeh Al Saleh Qisar ul-Hikam B337 P534
38. Nahjul Balagha
39. Ghurar Al-Hikam, chapter IB, Hadith 119
40. Nahjul Balagha Le Sabeeh Al Saleh Qisar ul-Hikam 297, P 529