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Back You are here: Home Eternal Words Nahj al-Balaghah Sayings saying - 481 to 489 (end)

saying - 481 to 489 (end)


481. Imam Ali ibn Aba Talib, peace be upon him said the following in his prayer for rain: “O Lord! Send us rain by submissive clouds, not by unruly ones.”

Sayyid ar-Razi says, “This is an expression of wonderful eloquence, because Imam Ali ibn Aba Talib (p.b.u.h.) has likened the cloud, which is accompanied by thunder, lightning, wind and flashes with unruly camels that throw away their saddles and throw down their riders, describing the clouds that are free from these terrible things to the submissive camels which are easy to milk and obedient to ride.”

482. It was said to Imam Ali ibn Aba Talib, peace be upon him: “We wish you had changed your gray hair, O Imam Ali ibn Aba Talib (p.b.u.h.)!” He said: “Dye is a way of adornment, whereas we are in a state of grief.”

Sayyid ar-Razi says, “Imam Ali ibn Aba Talib (p.b.u.h.) is referring to the death of the Messenger of Allah (p.b.u.h.).

483. Imam Ali ibn Aba Talib, peace be upon him said: The fighter in the way of Allah who gets martyred will not get a greater reward than whoever remains chaste despite means. It is possible that a chaste person may become one of the angels.

484. Imam Ali ibn Aba Talib, peace be upon him said: Contentment is a wealth that is not exhausted.

Sayyid ar-Razi says, “Some people have narrated saying that this is the statement of the Messenger of Allah (p.b.u.h.).”

485. When Imam Ali ibn Aba Talib, peace be upon him put Ziyad ibn Abih in place of ‘Abdullah ibn al-‘Abbas over Fars (in Persia) and its revenues, he had a long conversation with him in which he prohibited him from advance recovery of revenue. Therein he said: Act upon justice and stay away from violence and injustice because violence will lead them to forsake their abodes while injustice will prompt them to take up arms.

486. Imam Ali ibn Aba Talib, peace be upon him said: The worst sin is that which the one who commits it takes it lightly.

487. Imam Ali ibn Aba Talib, peace be upon him said: Allah has not made it obligatory on the ignorant to learn till He has made it obligatory on the learned to teach.

488. Imam Ali ibn Aba Talib, peace be upon him said: The worst comrade is he for whom formality has to be observed.

Sayyid ar-Razi says, “This is so because formality is inseparable from hardship, and it is an evil that is caused by a comrade for whom formality is observed. Consequently, he is the worst of all comrades.”

489. Imam Ali ibn Aba Talib, peace be upon him said: “If a believer enrages (ihtashama) his brother, it means that he will leave him.”

Sayyid ar-Razi says, “It is said that hashamahu or ahshamahu means: ‘He enraged him’. According to another view, it means ‘He humiliated him’, while ihtashamahu means ‘He sought these for him’, and that is most likely to cause him to separate.”


This is the end of our selection of the utterances of Imam Ali ibn Aba Talib, peace be upon him. We praise Allah, the Glorified One, for having enabled us to collect the scattered utterances from various sides and to bring together from different places the material that was lying far away. We intend, as we stipulated in the beginning, to leave some blank pages at the end of every chapter for the insertion of whatever we may get and the addition of whatever comes to us, for it is possible that some material which is not in our view at present or which is not available may become known to us and fall in our hands. We have no ability save through Allah. In Him we trust, and He is Sufficient for us. He is the best Supporter.

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