محمد بن علي الباقر عليه السلام

“The two angels do not write anything other than what the servant speaks.”

“ʿAlī ibn al-Ḥusayn (a) saw a lady in one of the ceremonial precincts of Makkah and was impressed by her. He thus proposed to her and married her, and she stayed with him. He had a friend among the Anṣār who was distressed by his marriage to this woman, so he asked about her and was informed that she was from the family of Dhī al-Jaddayn from the Banī Shaybān in a prestigious household among her clan. So he went to ʿAlī ibn al-Ḥusayn (a) and said, ‘May Allah make me your ransom! Your marriage to this woman was continually occupying my thoughts, and I said to myself: ʿAlī ibn al- Ḥusayn has married an unknown woman, and this is something that people are also saying. So I kept asking about her until I found out who she was and came to know that she is from the clan of Shaybāniyyah.’ So ʿAlī ibn al-Ḥusayn (a) said to him, ‘I used to consider you to be someone with a better judgement than what I now see. Verily Allah sent Islam and through it He raised the lowly one, perfected the deficient one, and ennobled [the people] from rebuke [and false accusation]. Hence, there is no [undue criticism or] blame upon the Muslim; rather, the blame is only [for] ignorance.’”

“The Prophet (ṣ) once passed by a dark-skinned lady picking up manure or camel dung from the ground, so the Muslims [who were there] said, ‘Make way for the Messenger of Allah!’ The lady said, ‘The path is wide enough [for him to pass].’ So the Messenger of Allah (ṣ) said to them, ‘Leave her alone, for she is insolent.’”

“In the book of ʿAlī, Amīr al- Muʾminīn, (a) [we find the following]: There are three traits whose possessor never dies until he has seen their evil consequences: aggression, severing ties with near relatives, and giving false testimony under oath, by which He proceeds to fight against Allah. Indeed the act of obedience that brings the quickest reward is keeping ties with near relatives. A community may be sinners but they keep ties with each other and [as a result] their wealth grows and they thrive. Verily [giving] false oaths and severing ties with near relatives ruins abodes, turning them into wastelands for their inhabitants, and removes mercy – and verily in the removal of mercy lies the severance of one’s lineage.”[1]

“Allah, to Whom belong might and majesty, said, ‘By My might and My majesty, by My greatness and My power, by My grandeur and exaltedness, [I swear that] My servant does not prefer My desire over his own desire but that I place needlessness [and contentment] in his soul, make his [primary] concern for his Hereafter, prevent him from suffering loss, guarantee his sustenance from the skies and the earth, and stand behind him [to ensure his benefit] in the transaction of every trader.”

“The Messenger of Allah (ṣ) said, ‘Verily Allah is kind, He grants [abundant] reward [to the virtuous] and He loves every kind [and gentle] person. He grants for gentleness that which He does not grant for [anything which involves] harshness.’”[1]

“The Messenger of Allah (ṣ) said to ʿAlī (a), ‘O ʿAlī, I advise you to espouse certain qualities, so learn them from me. O Allah, help him [to do so]! As for the first one, it is truthfulness – never let any lie be spoken from your mouth. The second is piety – never act treacherously. The third is fearing Allah as though you see Him. The fourth is crying out of fear [and awe] of Allah – for each tear a mansion will be built for you in Paradise. The fifth is spending your wealth and blood for your religion. The sixth is adhering to my sunnah in my prayers, my fasting and my giving charity. As for my prayer, it is fifty-one [rakʿahs]; as for my fasting, it is three days in every month, in its beginning, middle, and end; as for my charity, it is to spare no effort [in assisting the needy] until it is said that you have been extravagant, while you have not been extravagant. I bid you to maintain the nightly prayer, maintain the nightly prayer, maintain the nightly prayer! And I bid you to maintain the midday prayer, maintain the midday prayer, maintain the midday prayer! I bid you to recite the Qurʾān in every condition. And I bid you to raise your hands in supplication and then turn them back [towards yourself]. I bid you to brush your teeth during every ablution and prayer. And I bid you to [espouse] beautiful moral traits so inculcate them [in yourself], and I warn you against evil traits so eschew them. Then if you do not act upon what I advise you [herewith], then do not blame anyone but yourself [for the consequences].’”

he heard saying, “Verily the good deed that brings the quickest reward is kindness, and the evil deed that brings the quickest punishment is unjust aggression. And it is sufficient as a flaw for a person to look at those faults in others which he turns a blind eye to in himself, and to censure the people for that which he is [himself] incapable of abandoning, and to disturb the one who sits with him by [discussing] that which does not concern him.”

“Verily there is an angel in the air called Ismāʿīl who leads three hundred thousand angels, each of whom leads another hundred thousand angels. They count [and record] the actions of the servants, and when a new year begins, Allah sends to them an angel called al-Sijill who gathers [all] that from them. This is what is referred to in the verse wherein Allah, the Blessed and Exalted, says: On the Day we will roll up the sky as al-Sijill rolls up his scrolls [of recorded deeds] (Q21:104).” [1]

“ʿAlī ibn al-Ḥusayn (a) used to say, ‘I would not like to have [even] the best of comforts [and wealth] if it entails humiliating myself, and I have not swallowed anything that I liked more than the suppressed rage for which I do not retaliate against the one who caused it.’”

“There was a worshipper among the Banī Isrāʾīl with whom [Prophet] Dāwūd (a) was impressed, so Allah, the Blessed and Exalted, revealed to him, ‘Do not be impressed by anything [you see] from him, for verily he is a hypocrite [who is only showing off].’ Then the man died, so they came to Dāwūd and said, ‘The man has died.’ He said to them, ‘Bury your companion.’ This caused some discontentment among the Banī Isrāʾīl and they said, ‘How could he not attend [this pious man’s funeral]?’ After the man had been washed, fifty men stood and bore witness, [swearing] by Allah, that they knew nothing but good [about him]. After they had prayed over him, another fifty men came forward and bore witness, [swearing] by Allah, that they knew of nothing but good [about him]. So Allah, the Almighty, revealed to Dāwūd (a), ‘What prevented you from testifying for so-and-so?’ He said, ‘[I was prevented by] what you had informed me of his affair.’ He said, ‘Though he was truly such, since a group of rabbis and monks have testified, swearing by Me, that they did not know anything but good [about him], I have accepted their testimony regarding him and forgiven him despite what I know about him.’”

he heard saying, “Prophet Dāwūd (a) was once in his prayer niche when a small red worm crept by until it came to the place of his prostration. Dāwūd looked at it and said to himself, ‘Why was this worm created?’ So Allah inspired it ‘Speak!’ So it said, ‘O Dāwūd, have you heard my sound as I move, or have you noticed my tracks on the smooth earth?’ Dāwūd replied, ‘No.’ So it said, ‘Verily Allah hears my crawl, my breathing, and my sound, and He sees the tracks of my movement [on the earth], so lower your voice [in humility].’”

“Verily Allah, the Almighty, revealed to Dāwūd (a), ‘Go to My servant Dānyāl and say to him: [My Lord says] you have disobeyed Me yet I forgave you, and you disobeyed Me [again] yet I forgave you, and you disobeyed Me [again] yet I forgave you. But if you disobey me a fourth time, I will not forgive you.’ So Dāwūd (a) went to him and said, ‘O Dānyāl, I am indeed a messenger of Allah to you; and He says to you: Verily you have disobeyed Me yet I forgave you, and you disobeyed Me [again] yet I forgave you, and you disobeyed Me [again] yet I forgave you. But if you disobey me a fourth time, I will not forgive you.’ So Dānyāl said to him, ‘You have conveyed [the message] O Prophet of Allah!’ Then, when the time of pre-dawn (saḥar) came, Dānyāl whispered to his Lord and said, ‘O Lord, verily Your Prophet, Dāwūd, informed me of Your message that I have disobeyed You and You forgave me, and I disobeyed You [again] yet You forgave me, and I disobeyed You [again] yet You forgave me, and he conveyed to me from You that if I disobey You a fourth time, You will not forgive me. But by Your might and Your majesty, if You do not protect me [from sin], I will surely disobey You, then I will disobey You [again], then I will disobey You [again].’”

“The Messenger of Allah (ṣ) said, ‘The servant will remain standing in front of Allah, the Mighty and Majestic, until He asks him about four aspects [of his life in the world]: “Your lifetime – what did you spend it on? Your body – what did you exhaust it for? Your wealth – where did you earn it from and where did you invest it?” And [he will be asked] about our love – the Ahl al-Bayt.’”

“Jibraʾīl (a) came to the Prophet (ṣ), took him by the hand and led him to al-Baqīʿ. They came to a grave, and he called out to its occupant saying, ‘Rise by the permission of Allah!’ So a man with a bright face came out from it. He wiped away the earth from his face saying, ‘All praise belongs to Allah, and Allah is the greatest!’ Jibraʾīl then said [to him], ‘Return [as you were] with the permission of Allah.’ Then he took him to another grave and called out to its occupant saying, ‘Rise by the permission of Allah!’ So a man with a dark face came out from it saying, ‘Alas, what regret! Alas, what ruin!’ Then Jibraʾīl told him, ‘Return to your previous state with the permission of Allah!’ Then he said, ‘O Muḥammad, this is how they will be resurrected on the Day of Judgment; the believers will utter this statement and these others will say what you see.’”

“When the following verse was revealed: Do not gaze longingly at what We have given some of them to enjoy, the [fleeting] finery of this worldly life… (Q20:131), the Messenger of Allah (ṣ) sat up straight and then said, ‘Whoever does not take solace with the consolation of Allah will overwhelm himself with [sorrow and] regret for [what he has lost of] this world; and whoever follows with his gaze that which is in the possession of others, his sadness will be prolonged and his anger will never subside; and whoever does not recognize the blessing of Allah upon him except in his food or drink, his action will fall short and his chastisement will be near.’”

“When the Day of Judgment comes, Paradise will call out to its Lord and say, ‘O Lord, You are the Just, and You have filled Hellwith its inmates as You promised it, yet You have not filed me as You promised me.’ So Allah will create a creation who shall not have seen the world and will fill Paradise with them – blessed shall they be.”

“Verily there is a valley in Hell which is called Ghassāq. In it are three hundred and thirty castles. Each castle has three hundred and thirty chambers and in each chamber, there are three hundred and thirty scorpions. Inside the stinger of each of these scorpions there are thirty-three sacs of venom. If a single one of those scorpions were to spray its venom on the inmates of Hell, it would [suffice to] cover them [all] with venom.”

“The Messenger of Allah (ṣ) said, ‘Be ashamed in front of Allah with true shame.’ Someone asked, ‘O Messenger of Allah, who is [considered to be] ashamed in front of Allah with true shame [and how can this be achieved]?’ He (ṣ) said, ‘Whoever wants to be ashamed in front of Allah with true shame, let him always keep his death before his eyes, be abstemious in this world and [uninterested in] its embellishments, protect the head and all that it perceives [of sight, sound, taste, and thought] as well as the stomach and all that it digests [from that which is forbidden], and [let him] never forget the graves and the decrepit ruins [which show that this world is evanescent].’”

‘Verily the inhabitants of Paradise will have table spreads placed for them upon which will be all that they desire of foods that are incomparable in terms of their deliciousness and goodness, then [once they have partaken of it,] they will be moved from that to another.’”