Sayings of Al ibn Abi Tlib

The actions of people in their present life will be before their eyes in the next life.

The best of riches is the abandonment of desires.

The heart of a fool is in his mouth while the tongue of the wise man is in his heart.

Contentment is wealth that does not diminish.

You will not find an ignorant person but at one extreme or the other.

As intelligence increases, speech decreases.


The breath of a man is a step towards his death.

A wise saying is a lost article of the believer.

The worth of every man is in his attainments.

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Whoever abandons saying I do not know meets his destruction.

I wonder about the man who loses hope despite the possibility of seeking forgiveness.

If a man behaves properly in matters between himself and God, then God keeps proper the matters
between him and other people; and if a man keeps proper the affairs of his next life, then God keeps
proper for him the affairs of this world.


Whoever is a preacher for himself is protected by God.

This world is a place for transit, not a place for stay.

He who does not know his own worth is ruined.

Surely, you have been made to see if only you care to see; surely, you have been guided if only you care
to take guidance; and surely, you have been made to hear if only you care to lend your ears.

Vanity prevents progress.

For the man who has eyes the dawn has already appeared.

People are enemies of what they do not know.
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The result of neglect is shame, while the result of far-sightedness is safety.

The hearts become tired as the bodies become tired.
You should therefore search for beautiful sayings for them.

A mans vanity for himself is one of the enemies of his intelligence.

Through change of circumstances the mettle of men is known.

Most of the deficiency of intelligence occurs due to the flash of greed.

A group of people worshipped God out of desire for reward, this is the worship of traders.
Another group worshipped God out of fear, this is the worship of slaves. Still another group
worshipped God out of gratefulness, this is the worship of free men.
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Surely in every blessing there is a responsibility towards God. If one discharges that responsibility God
increases the blessing, and if one falls short of doing so one stands in danger of losing the blessing.

If a person has a good idea about you make his idea be true.

I came to know God, the Glorified, through the breaking of determinations,
change of intentions and losing of courage.

The sourness of this world is the sweetness of the next world while the sweetness of this world is the
sourness of the next one.

When the utterance of the wise is to the point it serves as a cure, but if it is wrong it is a disease.

Whoever keeps in view the distance of the journey remains prepared.
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For every thing to which people say How good! there is an evil hidden in this world.

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The belief of a person cannot be regarded as true unless his trust in what is with God
is more than his trust in what he himself has.

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If a man happens to see the end of his life and his final fate,
he will begin hating desires and their deception.

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Knowledge is of two kinds that which is absorbed and that which is just heard.
The one that is heard does not give benefit unless it is absorbed.

The beauty of destitution is chastity and the beauty of riches is gratefulness.

He who sees his own shortcomings abstains from looking into others shortcomings.
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The greatest defect is to regard that defect in others which is present in yourself.

Do not regard an expression uttered by any person as evil if you find it capable of bearing some good.

To make haste before the proper time or to delay after a proper opportunity, in either case is folly.

A time will come when nothing will remain of the Quran except its writing,
and nothing of Islam except its name.

Miserliness contains all other evil vices and is the rein with which one can be led to every evil.

Whoever wrestles with the Truth would be floored by it.


The heart is the book of the eye.

Godwariness is the chief trait of human character.

It is enough if your wisdom distinguishes for you the ways of going astray from those of guidance.

Whoever sets right his inner self, God sets right his outer self.

The lovers of God are those who look at the inward side of the world while the other people
look at its outward side, they busy themselves with its remoter benefits while the other people
busy themselves in the immediate benefits.

Remember that pleasures will pass away while the consequences will stay.

Is there no free man who can leave this chewed morsel (of the world) to those who like it?
Surely, the only price for you selves is Paradise. Therefore, do not sell yourself except for Paradise.

Belief means that you should prefer truth even when it harms you rather than falsehood
even when it benefits you.

This world has been created for other than itself and has not been created for itself.

Oneness means that you do not subject Him to the limitations of your imagination,
and justice means that you do not lay any blame on Him.