Ali Ibn Talib Quotes

Do not let your difficulties fill you with anxiety, after all it is only in the darkest nights that stars shine more brightly.

Nothing hurts a good soul and a kind heart more than to live amongst people who cannot understand it.

Life consists of two days, one for you one against you. So when it's for you don't be proud or reckless, and when it's against you be patient, for both days are test for you.

When the world pushes you to your knees, you're in the perfect position to pray

The best deed of a great man is to forgive and forget.

A graceful refusal is better than a lengthy promise.

He who trusts the world, the world betrays him.

Courtesy costs nothing, but buys everything.

Patience ensures victory.

A brother is like gold and a friend is like diamond. If gold cracks you can melt it and make it just like it was before. If a diamond cracks, it can never be like it was before.

How strange is man that when he is afraid of something he runs away from it, but when he is afraid of Allah, he gets closer to Him.

Dislike in yourself what you dislike in others.

Backbiting is the attempt of one who is incapable of doing better himself.

A wise man always has something to say, whereas a fool always needs to say something.

Surely silence can sometimes be the most eloquent reply.

Take Care Of Your Tongue Like The Way You Take Care Of Gold & Silver.

Beware of speaking too much, for it increases mistakes and engenders boredom.

It’s never the value of water but thirst, it’s never the value of life but death and it’s never about the friendship but trust.

The nourishment of body is food, while the nourishment of the soul is feeding others.

Woman is a delicate creature with strong emotions who has been created by the Almighty God to shoulder responsibility for educating society and moving toward perfection. God created woman as symbol of His own beauty and to give solace to her partner and her family.

There is no rest for the person who has envy, and there is no love for the person who has bad manners.

You must be humble, as it is one of the greatest [forms of] worship.

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

You were ordered to obey to Allah, and you were create to perform good deeds.

You are master of what you say until you utter it, once you deliver it, you are its captive. Preserve your tongue as you do your gold and money. One word could bring disgrace and the termination of a bliss.

When you get ill do not get nervous about it and try as much as possible to be hopeful.

Honesty will guide you to goodness, and goodness will invite you to heaven.

You should have hope in God alone and should fear nothing but your sins.

Our enemies are not the Jews or the Christians, our enemy is our own ignorance.

He is the wisest and the most knowing man who advises people not to lose hope and faith in the Mercy of Allah and not to be too sure and over-confident of immunity from His Wrath and Punishment.

If the eyes of a female cry over a man that oppressed her, than the Angels will curse him with every step he walks.

Two kinds of greedy people never get satisfied; the seeker of knowledge and the seeker of this world

Our followers are like bees which live among birds. None of the birds recognize the bees because of their small size and weakness. They would not treat them this way if they realized that these very small bees can carry honey which is very valuable in their stomachs.

فَما أَكثَرَ الإِخوان حينَ تَعدّهُم, وَلَكِنَهُم في النائِباتِ قَليلُ

Tears only dry up as a result of hardness of the heart, and the hearts only harden as a result of frequent sinning.

Justice is putting everything in its proper place

لقد أضاء الصبح لذى عينين

Your friends are three and your enemies are three. Your friends are: your friend, the friend of your friend, and the enemy of your enemy. Your enemies are: your enemy, the enemy of your friend, and the friend of your enemy.

A moment of patience in a moment of anger saves a thousand moments of regret.

Work for this world as if you will live forever and work for the here-after as if you will die tomorrow.

You are as much able as you know

The real Muslim is the one who prefers speaking the truth even when it is ruinous to him over lying even when it benefits him, and who finds inner peace in doing so.

The learned man understands the ignorant for he was once ignorant himself. The ignorant man does not understand the learned for he has never been learned himself.

Imam Ali(as) said, " The body experinces six different states: health, sickness, death, life, sleep, and wakefulness, and so does the spirit. Its life is its knowledge and its death is ignorance; its sickness is doubt whereas its health is certainty; its sleep is negligence and its wakefulness is consiousness.

In all periods and times when there were no prophets, there were individuals to whom Allah spoke in whispers through their conscience and intellect.

The mind of a wise man is the safest custody of secrets; cheerfulness is the key to friendship; patience and forbearance will conceal many defects

Develop in your heart the feeling of love for your people and let it be the source of kindliness and blessing to them. Do not behave with them like a barbarian, and do not appropriate to yourself that which belongs to them. Remember that the citizens of the state are of two categories. They are either your brethren in religion or your brethren in kind. They are subject to infirmities and liable to commit mistakes.

The most complete gift of God is a life based on knowledge.

A man's measure is his will.

وَالدّهْر يَوْم لَك وَيوْم عَليك فإذا كان لَك فَلا تَبطر وَإذا كان عَليك فاصْبر فَبِكليهما تمْتَحَن.

If you want to test someone's character, give him respect. If he has good character, he will respect you more, if he has bad character, he will think is the best of all.

دل‌های مردان رمنده است، هرکس که آنها را رام خود کند، سر بر آستانش نهند و دل به او دهند.

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

A fool's mind is at the mercy of his tongue, and a wise man's tongue is under the control of his mind.

آنچه با سکوت از دست می دهی آسان تر از آن است که با سخن از دست برود

صبرت على مر الأمور كراهةً فهان علينا كل صعبٍ من الأمر

Beware! Abstain from shedding blood without a valid cause. There is nothing more harmful than this which brings about one’s ruin. The blood that is willfully shed shortens the life of a state. On the Day of Judgement it is this crime for which one will have to answer first. So, beware! Do not wish to build the strength of your state on blood for, it is this blood which ultimately weakens the state and passes it into other hands. Before me and my God no excuse for willful killing can be entertained.

If one night you see someone committing a sin, tomorrow do not look at him as a sinner. He may have repented during the night and you did not know.

المؤمن بِشرُهُ في وجهه وحزنه في قلبه

When my prayers are answered, I am happy because it was my wish. When my prayers are not answered, I am even more happy because that was gods wish.

Do not take someone's silence as his pride, perhaps he is busy fighting with his self.

If what you achieve today is equal to what you achieved yesterday, then you are at a loss. And if what you have achieved today is less than what you achieved yesterday, then you are deprived from the Almighty's blessings. Anyone who is not progressing, is in fact regressing, and if you are regressing, then you might as well be dead.

لا يصلح الواعظ قلبَ امرءٍ لَمْ يَعْزمِ اللَّهُ على رُشْدِهِ

ما قدر الله لي فليس له عني إلى سواي منصرف

I am amazed at the heart of man: It possesses the substance of wisdom as well as the opposites contrary to it ... for if hope arises in it, it is brought low by covetousness: and if covetousness is aroused in it, greed destroys it. If despair possesses it, self piety kills it: and if it is seized by anger, this is intensified by rage. If it is blessed with contentment, then it forgets to be careful; and if it is filled with fear, then it becomes preoccupied with being cautious. If it feels secure , then it is overcome by vain hopes; and if it is given wealth, then its independence makes it extravagant. If want strikes it, then it is smitten by anxiety. If it is weakened by hunger, then it gives way to exhaustion; and if it goes too far in satisfying its appetites, then its inner becomes clogged up. So all its shortcomings are harmful to it, and all its excesses corrupt it.

I am the guide and the guided. I am the father of the orphans and the destitute, and the guaridan of the widows. I am the refuge of the weak person and the haven of every fearful one. I am the leader of the believers to paradise. I am the strong rope of Allah(swt); I am Allah's firmest handle and the word of Godwariness. I am the eye of Allah(swt), His truthful tongue and His hand.

Do not look at who is talking, but look at what he is saying...

In this world, man is a target of death, an easy prey to calamities. Here,(in this world)every morsel and every draught is liable to choke one. Here, one never recieves a favor unless he loses another. Here, every additional day in one's life is a day reduced from the total span of his existance. When death is the natural outcome of life, how can one expect immortality?

Someone who can not find a good friend is weak. and someone who looses a good friend is even weaker.

زبان خردمند در پس دل اوست، و دل نادان در پشت زبانش می‌باشد.

The group with it's impurities is better than sectarianism with it's purity.

A man's measure is his will.

If someone's deeds lower his position, his pedigree cannot elevate it.

Do not force your children to behave like you, for surely they have been created for a time which is different to your time

People's hearts are like wild animals. They attach their selves to those that love and train them.

تحرز من الدنيا فإن فناءها محل فناء لا محل بقاء فصفوتها ممزوجة بكدرة و راحتها مقرونة بعناء

وقل من جد في أمر يطالبه واستصحب الصبر إلا فاز بالظفر

who accompany ignorants, lives in misery.

Hate no one, no matter how much they've wronged you. Live humbly, no matter how wealthy you become. Think positively, no matter how hard life is. Give much, even if you've been given little. Keep in touch with the ones who have forgotten you, and forgive who has wronged you, and do not stop praying for the best for those you love.

اتّقِ اللَّهَ بَعْضَ التُّقَى وَ إِنْ قَلَّ ، وَ اجْعَلْ بَيْنَكَ وَ بَيْنَ اللَّهِ سِتْراً وَ إِنْ رَق. قدری از خدا بترس و باتقوا باش، هرچند اندک ، و میان خود و خداوند پرده ای بیاویز، هرچند نازک.

There is no wealth like knowledge, no poverty like ignorance.

The emaan of a person cannot be true until he has more trust in that which is in Allah's Hands than that which is in his own hands.

As Ali meaningfully once remarked: ‘If you are not my brother in faith you are my equal in humanity.

A little Knowledge removes a lot of arrogance!

Body is purified by water. Ego by tears. Intellect is purified by knowledge. And soul is purified with love.

«لَوْ أَحَبَّنِي جَبَلٌ لَتَهَافَتَ» یک کوه اگر مرا دوست بدارد، متلاشی می‌شود

Do not follow the majority, follow the truth.

Wenn dem Geiste Gewalt geschieht, so erblindet er.

Two things define you: your patience when you have nothing and your attitude when you have everything.

زنهار! زنهار! سوگند به خدا، که خداوند آنچنان رسوایی او را پرده‌پوشی کرده، که گویی او را بخشیده و آمرزیده است.

Clarity in Thinking: If matters get mixed up then scrutinize the cause and you will know what the effects will be.

Do not be the slave of anyone when God has created you free.[23]

As a prophet and communal leader, Muhammad was entitled to special treatment, such as eating better while campaigning with his men. Yet he ate only what his warriors ate and suffered privations — intense heat, hunger and thirst, exhaustion and discomfort — equally with them. When he led a force of slightly over three hundred warriors to Badr in March 624, for example, they had only seventy camels between them. Three or four men therefore rode cramped on each camel. Muhammad asked for no preferential treatment, even though no one would have begrudged him the right to ride alone, and he uncomfortably shared his camel with ‘Ali ibn Abi Talib and Zayd ibn Harithah (some sources say Marthad ibn Abi Marthad al-Ghanawi).

From the very beginnings of Islam, the search for knowledge has been central to our cultures. I think of the words of Hazrat Ali ibn Abi Talib, the first hereditary Imam of the Shia Muslims, and the last of the four rightly-guided Caliphs after the passing away of the Prophet (may peace be upon him). In his teachings, Hazrat Ali emphasized that ‘No honour is like knowledge.’ And then he added that ‘No belief is like modesty and patience, no attainment is like humility, no power is like forbearance, and no support is more reliable than consultation.’ “Notice that the virtues endorsed by Hazrat Ali are qualities which subordinate the self and emphasize others - modesty, patience, humility, forbearance and consultation. What he thus is telling us is that we find knowledge best by admitting first what it is we do not know, and by opening our minds to what others can teach us.” — The Aga Khan IV at the Commencement Ceremony of the American University in Cairo, 25 June 2006

ِسْكِينٌ ابْنُ آدَمَ مَكْتُومُ الْأَجَلِ مَكْنُونُ الْعِلَلِ مَحْفُوظُ الْعَمَلِ تُؤْلِمُهُ الْبَقَّةُ وَ تَقْتُلُهُ الشَّرْقَةُ وَ تُنْتِنُهُ الْعَرْقَة بیچاره فرزند آدم که مرگش مکتوم است دردها ومرضهایش پنهان است عملش محفوظ است پشه او را آزار می دهد و از خودش دفاعی ندارد یک جرعه آب او را میکشد وعرق تنش او را بد بو میکند .

El desapego no es que no debas poseer nada, sino que nada te posea a ti

Failures are often the results of timidity and fears; disappointments are the results of bashfulness; hours of leisure pass away like summer-clouds, therefore, do not waste opportunity of doing good. Ali ibn Abi Talib (Peace be upon him)

هیچکس چیزی را در دل نهان نکرد، مگر آنکه آن را در لغزش‌های زبان و دگرگونی‌های رخسارش پدید آورد

Love and the Eyes A believer may come to know the reality of another person either through his or her face, or through his or her words. God says: And if We wish, We could show them to you, then you would recognise them by their mark. And you will certainly recognise them by [their] tone of speech, and God knows your deeds. (Muhammad, 47:30) And the Messenger of God (s.a.w.) said: ‘Beware the insight of the believer, for he [or she] sees by the light of God.’ [148] This is generally the case with the believers, but there is something special—a great mystery—about a person’s eyes which may: (1) express love; or (2) engender love in the beholder himself or herself [149] , or (3) engender love in the one who looks into their eyes. In other words, love may: (1) be seen by others in a person’s eyes; (2) ‘enter’ a person through his or her eyes into his or her soul and heart as they look at someone else, or (3) cause another person to love them as a result of a meeting of the eyes—of ‘eye-contact’. God alludes to all of this with His words: He knows the treachery of the eyes and what the breasts hide. (Ghafir, 40:19) Thus the eyes betray love in the soul and heart, and make it plain to see; and the eyes can also cause love to grow, when there is prolonged eye-contact. This allows us to understand the two Hadiths: Ibn Mas’ud and Hudhayfah both reported that the Messenger of God (s.a.w.) said: ‘The glance of the eye is a poison dart fired by Iblis [the Devil]; whosoever leaves it through fear of Me, I shall replace it for him with a faith whose sweetness he shall experience in his heart.’ [150] And ‘Ali bin Abi Talib (a.s.) reported that the Messenger of God (s.a.w.) said: ‘O ‘Ali, do not follow one glance with another, for you are permitted the first one but not the second.’ [151] Conversely, when Mughirah ibn Shu’bah wanted to ask for a woman’s hand in marriage, the Messenger of God (s.a.w.) said to him: ‘Look upon her, for it is more likely that you will bond with each other.’ [152] This explains the importance of lowering one’s gaze [153] , which God commands the believers to do, with His words: Tell believing men to lower their gaze and to guard their private parts. That is purer for them. Truly God is Aware of what they do. / And tell believing women to lower their gaze and to guard their private parts, and not to display their adornment except for what is apparent, and let them draw their veils over their bosoms and not reveal their adornment, except to their husbands or their fathers, or their husbands’ fathers, or their sons, or their husbands’ sons, or their brothers, or their brothers’ sons, or their sisters’ sons, or their women, or what their right hands own, or such men who are dependant, not possessing any sexual desire, or children who are not yet aware of women’s private parts. And do not let them thump with their feet to make known their hidden ornaments. And rally to God in repentance, O believers, so that you might be successful. (Al-Nur, 24:30-31) Similarly, God warns His Messenger (s.a.w.) as follows: And do not extend your glance toward what We have given to some pairs among them to enjoy, [as] the flower of the life of this world that We may try them thereby.

Tolerating incompetence can be very damaging and top leadership must be held responsible for any failure in this regard.