أحمد بن محمد بن خالد البرقي

Abu Abdillah peace be upon him, said: "Be it known to you that Allah hates a person who is unsteady and fickle. Never slip away from the truth and its partisans. Whoever, rules and oppresses with the aid of untruth, and his people shall perish, and shall lose (all that he may have gained from) this world, and leave the world low and humbled."

Among that which Luqman advised his son Natan is that he said to him: O son! Arm yourself against your opponent with kind words and voicing your acceptance of him. Do not abandon him out of fear, or he will prepare to fight you. O son! Fear Allah in such a way that if you had the goodness of the two heavyweights (humans and Jinn), you would still fear Allah’s punishment. Put your hope in Allah in such a way that if you had the sins of the two heavyweights, you would still hope for Allah’s forgiveness. O son! I have carried boulders, iron, and every heavy thing, but I have not borne anything heavier than an evil neighbour. I have tasted every bitterness, but I have not tasted anything more bitter than poverty.

Captives were brought to the Prophet (s), and he ordered that they be killed, except for one man among them. So, the man said: May my mother and my father be your sacrifice, Muhammad. Why did you exempt me from them? So, he said: Gabriel informed me from Allah that you have five characteristics that Allah and His Messenger love: (1) jealousy over your women, (2) generosity, (3) beautiful character, (4) a truthful tongue, and (5) courage. When the man heard this, he converted to Islam and beautified his Islam. He fought intensely alongside the Messenger of Allah (s) until he was martyred.

“Abu ‘Abd Allah (a.s.), has said, ‘If one says, “Allah knows”, when he does not know something, the Throne of Allah vibrates as a sign of expressing His greatness.”’

Abu Abdullah (asws) said: ‘There is nothing from the falsehood which can stand up to the truth, but the truth will overcome the falsehood, and this is the Statement of the Mighty and Majestic; “[21:18] Nay! We cast the truth against the falsehood, so that it breaks its head, and lo! it vanishes”.

“I once said to abu ‘Abd Allah (a.s.), that I bear a testimony for one of our brothers but all of the judges around us do not grant it. He (the Imam) said, ‘If you know that it is right then you can correct it as such that can prove his right.’”

say what you know and if you do not know then say: “Allāh is more knowing”, a man selectively picks out a verse from the Qur’an and falls in it (misinterpreting it) a farther distance than what is between the earth and the sky.

say what you know and if you do not know then say: “Allāh is more knowing”, a man selectively picks out a verse from the Qur’an and falls in it (misinterpreting it) a farther distance than what is between the earth and the sky.

“Ali ibn al-Husayn (a.s.) would say to his children, ‘Be on your guard against lies, the small lies and the bigger lies in all the serious and trivial matters. If a man lies in a small matter, he grows bold to lie in a bigger one. Have you not noted that the Messenger of Allah has said, ‘As long as a servant (of Allah) speaks the truth Allah writes him down as the truthful one and, if one continues speaking lies Allah writes him down as a liar?

“Whoever in his dealing with people does not do injustice to them, in his speaking does not lie to them and in his promise does not fail to keep it is among those whose backbiting is unlawful, whose kindness is complete, whose justice has become public and it is necessary to establish brotherly relations with him.”

“Abu ‘Abd Allah (a.s.) once said, ‘Convey from me to so and so, in a few matters that he commanded me to do.’ I said, ‘Therefore I convey from you to them and say from myself only what you have told me to say and other things that you said.’ The Imam said, ‘Yes, an arbitrator cannot lie. He is the councilor, not a liar. ’”

“Abu ‘Abd Allah (a.s.) has said, ‘A reformer (a peace maker) is not a liar.’”

if a man from among you is asked about that which he does not know – he should say: “I do not know” and should not say: “Allāh is more knowing”, because that will cast doubt in the heart of the questioner, and if the questioned says: “I do not know” then the questioner should not blame him.

Do not be a flunky who says: «I am with the people» or «I am like (any) one of the people».

I heard Amir al-Mu’minin `Ali b. Abi Talib (as) say: I asked the Messenger of Allah (s) about the characteristics of the believer. So, he (s) lowered his head, then raised it and said: In the believer there are twenty characteristics. Whoever does not have them in him, his faith has not been perfected. O `Ali! Surely, the believers are those who (1) attend prayers, (2) hasten to zakat, (3) go on Hajj to the Sacred House of Allah, (4) fast in the month of Ramadan, (5) feed the needy, (6) feel the heads of orphans, (7) cleanse their nails, (8) cautiously cover their privates, (9) when they speak, they do not lie, (10) when they promise, they do not break it, (11) when they are entrusted, they do not betray, (12) when they speak, they are honest, (13) are monks at night, (14) are lions in the day, (15) fast during the day, (16) stand in prayer during the night, (17) do not harm a neighbour, (18) no neighbour is harmed through him, (19) walk gently on the earth, (20) walk to the houses of widows and follow funeral processions. May Allah make us and you from the Godfearing.

“When you would narrate Hadith you must say who its narrator is. If it would be true it will be for you and if it would be false it will be his responsibility.

A Muslim is one whom people are at safety from his hand and tongue, and a believer is the one whom people trust (as a guardian) upon their property and (upon) themselves.

“Amir al-Mu’minin, Ali ibn abu Talib (a.s.) has said, ‘A servant (of Allah) does not sense the taste of belief until he stays away from lies, serious ones as well as trivial ones.’”