Tuhaf Al-uqul ( the Masterpieces of the Mind )

Another Brief Commandment of the Prophet For Imam Ali

O Ali, a faithful believer must enjoy three characteristics: they are fasting, offering prayers, and almsgiving. Likewise, the false believer enjoys three characteristics: he flatters slavishly when he witnesses (a situation), backbites, and rejoices over the others' misfortunes. The unjust people must enjoy three characteristics: they dominate him who is less powerful than they are by means of their powers, they dominate him who is more powerful than they are by means of acts of disobedience (to God), and they support the oppressors. The showy has three characteristics: he activates among people, he becomes lazy when he is alone, and he desires to be praised in all states. The hypocrite has three characteristics: he lies in speech, breaches his trusts, and breaks his promise.

The indolent has three characteristics: he slackens until he neglects, neglects until he wastes, and wastes until he commits a sin. The intelligent ones should always be active except in three situations; in seeking the worldly earnings, stepping for a reward, and gaining a legal pleasure.

O Ali, no poverty is harsher than ignorance, no fortune is more useful than the mind, no loneliness is gloomier than self-esteem, no activity like moderation, no piety like abstinence, and no ancestry like good mannerism. Untruth is the epidemic of speech, oblivion is the epidemic of knowledge, reminding (others of your favors) reproachfully is the epidemic of leniency.

O Ali, whenever your sight falls on the new moon, you should say 'Allahu Akbar' three times, and say: 'All praise be to God Who created you and me and made you on various stages and made you a sign for all peoples.' O Ali, whenever you look in a mirror, you should say 'Allahu Akbar' three times, and say: O Allah, Better my morals in the same way You bettered my creation.

O Ali, whenever you a matter frightens you, you should say: O Allah, (I implore to You) by the right of Mohammed and Mohammed's family, relieve my fear.

Ali (peace be upon him) said: I asked, "O God's messenger, what are the words that are intended in God's saying: Then Adam received (some) words from his Lord? The Prophet (peace be upon him and his family) answered:

O Ali, God brought down Adam (from Paradise) in India, Eve in Jeddah , the snake in Isfahan , and the Shaitan in Maysan. In Paradise, nothing was better than the snake, which had four legs like a camel, and the peacock. The Shaitan entered in the interior of the snake and could deceive Adam. Hence, God got angry at the snake. He amputated its legs and said: "I will make the dust as your earnings and will make you walk on your belly. I will not compassionate anyone who treats you kindly." He also got angry at the peacock because it showed the Shaitan the tree. Hence, He took its sound and two legs. For one hundred years, Adam stayed -in India- unable to raise the head to the heavens. He used to put the hands on the head weeping for his guilt. Then, God sent Gabriel the angel to tell him that the Exalted Lord sends His greetings to him and say: "O Adam, have I not created you with My hand? Have I not blown you from My soul? Have I not made the angels bow before you? Have I not given My servant, Eve, to you in marriage? Have I not lodged you in My Paradise? What for are you weeping, then? You should utter these words and God will surely accept your repentance. Say: All praise is due to You. There is no god but You. I had done wrong and wronged myself. Accept my repentance. You are surely the Oft-returning, the Merciful." (These were the words that Adam received from his Lord Who accepted his repentance.)

O Ali, if you feel a snake in your luggage, you should allow it three times. In the fourth, you should kill it, because it, in this case, is atheist.

O Ali, you should kill any snake that you see in your way. I have taken a pledge on the jinn that they should never be in the appearance of a snake.

O Ali, four characters are signs of unhappiness: they are solidity of the eye, hardheartedness, long hope, and fondness of the worldly pleasures.

O Ali, whenever someone praises you face to face, you should say: "O Allah, make me better than what he thinks of me, forgive my sins that he does not know, and do not blame me for what he has said."

O Ali, whenever you copulate with your wife, you should say: "In the Name of Allah. O Allah, take the Shaitan away from us and from what you will grant." If it is ordained that you will be given a baby, the Shaitan will never hurt it (if you say these words). O Ali, begin (your meals) with the salt and end with it. Salt is surely the cure of seventy diseases the least of which is psychosis and leprosy. O Ali, use the olive oil. The Shaitan will not approach those who use the olive oil for forty nights.

O Ali, do not copulate on the night before the fifteenth of every -lunar- month and the night before the first of every -lunar- month. Have you not noticed that the insane are often affected on these two nights? O Ali, if you have a baby, you should recite azan, in his right ear and recite iqama in the left. Thus, the Shaitan will never affect him. O Ali, may I inform you of the evilest people?

Ali (peace be upon him): I said, "Yes, you may, God's Messenger." He (peace be upon him and his family) said: They are those who never forgive and never overlook. May I inform of those who are worse than those people are? Ali (peace be upon him): I said, "Yes, you may, God's Messenger." He (peace be upon him and his family) said: They are those whose evil is not secured and good is not expected from them.

O Ali, do not go to the bathroom naked. Damn are those who go to the bathroom naked and those who look at them.

O Ali, do not wear a ring in the forefinger or the middle finger. People of Lot the prophet (peace be upon him) used to wear their rings in those two fingers. You should never disrobe the pinkie (A ring should always be in your pinkie). O Ali, God surely likes the servant who says, "O Lord, forgive me. Except You, no one forgives the sins." In this case, the Lord says: "O My angels, My servant has known that except Me, no one forgives the sins. Be the witnesses, I have forgiven him." O Ali, beware of telling untruths, for it blackens the face then the teller of lies will be recorded with God as liar. Honesty whitens the face and the honest will be recorded with God as truthful. You should know that honesty is blessed and lie is ill-omened.

O Ali, beware of backbiting and talebearing. Backbiting breaks the -ritual- fasting and talebearing causes the burial punishment.

O Ali, do not swear by God whether you say the truth or not except in cases of emergency. Do not make God the subject of your oath, for God will never keep or compassionate him who swears by His Name falsely.

O Ali, do not care for tomorrow's livelihood. Every tomorrow comes with its livelihood.

O Ali, beware of disputation, for begins with ignorance and ends with regret.

O Ali, persist in using the toothbrush, for it purifies the mouth, satisfies the Lord, and betters the sight. Cleaning the teeth (with a special stick called khilal) makes the angels approach you, for they dislike the malodor of those who do not clean their mouths after eating. O Ali, do not be angry (under any circumstances). If you are enraged, you should sit down and think of the Lord's power over His servants; yet, He treats them leniently. If someone says to you, "Fear God," you should try to relinquish your rage and cling to your (feeling of) clemency. O Ali, whatever you spend for yourself, you will surely find it saved (for you) with God.

O Ali, show good mannerism to your folks, neighbors, associates, and friends, so that God will record the highest grades for you. O Ali, you should dislike for others whatever you dislike for yourself and like for them whatever you like for yourself. This will make you a just arbitrator and a fair judge. Furthermore, the inhabitants of the heavens will favor you and the inhabitants of the earth will love you. You should keep my commandments, inshallah .