Imam al-Ṣādiq (peace be upon him), through his noble forefathers, narrated from the Commander of the Faithful (peace be upon him) that the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him and his family) said to him: “O ʿAlī! I give you a counsel—guard it well. So long as you act upon my counsel, you will remain in goodness and felicity:
- O ʿAlī, whoever restrains his anger while having the power to take revenge, Allah will place him in a secure station on the Day of Resurrection and will let him taste the sweetness of pardon.
- O ʿAlī, the one from whose tongue people are not safe is among the inhabitants of the Fire.
- O ʿAlī, the worst of people is the one whom others respect out of fear, so that they may be safe from his harm.
- O ʿAlī, the one who brings no benefit to your religion or your worldly life—there is no good in keeping his company.
- O ʿAlī, it befits the believers to possess eight qualities: dignity in the face of great afflictions, patience in times of trial and hardship, gratitude in times of abundance, contentment with what Allah has granted him, refraining from oppressing his enemies, not burdening himself upon his friends, bearing hardship upon himself, and granting ease to the people from his hand.
- O ʿAlī, blessed is the one whose life is long and whose deeds are good.
- O ʿAlī, there are four deeds whose recompense a person receives swiftly: a man to whom you do good, yet he repays your goodness with evil; one with whom you have no enmity, yet he shows enmity toward you; one with whom you have made a pact and remained faithful to your covenant, yet he betrays you; and one who maintains ties with his relatives, yet they sever their ties with him.
- O ʿAlī, three things belong to the noble traits of character in this world and the Hereafter: that you forgive the one who has wronged you, that you maintain ties with the one who has severed ties with you, and that you show patience toward the one who has caused you distress out of ignorance.
- O ʿAlī, make use of four things before the coming of four: your youth before old age, your health before illness, your wealth before poverty, and your life before death.
- O ʿAlī, there are four qualities which, if a person possesses them, Allah will build for him a house in Paradise: that he shelters an orphan, shows mercy to the weak, treats his parents with goodness, and deals kindly with those under his authority.
- O ʿAlī, whoever meets Allah with three qualities will be among the best of people: one who acts upon what Allah has commanded—for he is among the most devout of worshippers; one who refrains from the prohibitions of Allah—for he is among the most Allah-fearing; and one who is content with what Allah has granted him—for he is among the richest of people.
- O ʿAlī, three things are among the truths of faith: giving in charity during hardship, being selfless toward people, and granting knowledge to the one who seeks it.
- O ʿAlī, whoever does not possess three qualities, his deeds will not be complete: fear that restrains him from disobedience to Allah, character through which he deals gently with people, and patience by which he repels the ignorance of the foolish from himself.
“Taken from the book Man Lā Yaḥḍuruhu al-Faqīh, authored by Shaykh al-Ṣadūq (may God have mercy on him), vol. 4, p. 352”
Tags: Attributes of the Believers – Counsels of the Noble Prophet (peace be upon him and his family) to the Commander of the Faithful (peace be upon him) – Making Use of Life and Opportunity