Moosa ibn Ja’far narrated from his great father from their great grandfather Ali ibn Hussain from his great father (PBUT) that: One day Amir al-Mu?minin (PBUH) was sitting in the mosque with some of his companions. Meanwhile Zaid ibn Suhaan ?Abdi asked Imam Ali (PBUH): O Amir al-Mu?minin! Which king is strongest among all? Amir al-Mu?minin (PBUH) replied: Death.
Zaid asked: What is the most abject act? He Replied: Gathering wealth greedily.
Zaid asked: Which poverty is hardest? He Replied: Atheism after belief.
Zaid asked: Which invitation is most misleading? He Replied: One who calls people to what he does not have himself.
Zaid asked: What is the best deed? He Replied: Piety.
Zaid asked: Which deed is best for salvation? He Replied: Requesting what is with Allah.
Zaid asked: Who is the worst friend? He Replied: One who presents sins as beautiful acts.
Zaid asked: Who is the most wretched among people? He Replied: One who sells his religion in return for the materialistic world of others
Zaid asked: Who is the strongest among people? He Replied: One whose patience is more.
Zaid asked: Who is the most miserly? He Replied: One who earns money from an unlawful way.
Zaid asked: Who is the wisest among all? He Replied: One who can find the path to guidance among all other paths and moves towards the right path.
Zaid asked: Who is best to be the judge among people? He Replied: One who does not get angry.
Zaid asked: Who is most consistent on his word? He Replied: One who is not deceived by other people because of himself and by the world by its wealth
Zaid asked: Who is the most stupid? He Replied: One who is deceived by this world while he notices the unstableness of it.
Zaid asked: Who is the most regretful? He Replied: One who banned everything for himself in this world and in the hereafter; indeed this is the biggest regret.
Zaid asked: Who is blind? He Replied: One who has done nothing for Allah, but expects rewards.
Zaid asked: Which satisfaction is best? He Replied: One who is satisfied with whatever Allah has given him.
Zaid asked: Which tragedy is hardest? He Replied: Tragedy in religious matters.
Zaid asked: Which deed is the most preferred by Allah? He Replied: Awaiting relief (Faraj).
Zaid asked: Who has a better status in the view of Allah? He Replied: One who fears Him most and is most pious and ascetic.
Zaid asked: In the view of Allah, which word is the best? He Replied: Remembrance of Allah and entreating from Him by prayer.
Zaid asked: Which word is the truest? He Replied: Testifying that Allah is the only God.
Zaid asked: Which deed is greatest in the view of Allah? He Replied: Submitting to him, piety, and fear of Allah.
Zaid asked: Who is the most truthful among people? He Replied: One who tells the truth in the battlefield.
(Selection taken from the book, ?Man La Yahdorohoo al-Faqih?, vol. 4, p. 381)