عثمان بن جبلة

People are (of) three (types): An Arab, a convert [1] and a disbeliever [2]. As for the Arabs, they are us. As for the convert, it is the one who befriends us. As for the disbeliever, it is the one who dissociates from us and is hostile to us.

“As if I can see the Sufyani or a representative of Sufyani camped outside Kufa and his statements are being announced to the people: Anyone who brings a severed head of a Shia of Ali (a.s) would be rewarded a thousand Dirhams. Then a neighbor would attack his neighbor and say: ‘he is from them’, and he would cut off his head and collect a thousand Dirhams. And indeed the rulership and kingdom at that time would not be in the control of anyone, except the illegitimate born. As if I can see the veiled one. I asked: ‘Who is the veiled one?’ He replied: ‘He is a man from you who would be talking just like you. He would be veiled and he would identify each of you so that you may be captured, he is not, but a bastard.”

“The Messenger of Allah has said, ‘Whoever has three things, or even one of them, will have a place under the shadow of the Throne of Allah on the Day when nothing will have any shadows (protective shelter). A man who gives to others what he asks from them, one who does not prevent another man from a forward position or move backward except after knowing that his own moving forward is what Allah wants. A Muslim does not blame his Muslim brethren for a shortcoming until he removes such shortcoming from his own self; as soon one removes one defect from his soul another shortcoming and defect emerges. To be occupied with correcting one’s own self is a full time occupation (to deal with before getting involved in people).”’

There are three qualities having each of which would cause one to be under the Shade of the Honorable the Exalted God (on the Resurrection Day) on the day in which there is no shade but God’s Shade. The first characteristic is to grant to people what you expect of them. The second characteristic is to only do what pleases God, and not do what would raise God’s Wrath. The third characteristic is not to express the faults of one’s Muslim brothers in their absence, unless one first removes such faults from himself. It is better to attend to the improvement of one’s own faults than to seek out other people’s faults.”