1. He, peace be on him, said: A man from the people of Basrah rose and said to Ima`m (`Ali), the Commander of the Faithful, peace be on him:
“O Commander of the Faithful, tell us about the brothers (i. e. friends).
The Ima`m, peace be on him, answered him.
The brothers are of two kinds: the reliable brothers and the laughing brothers. As for the reliable brothers, they are the hand, the wing, the family, and the property. If you have a reliable brother, then sacrifice for him your property and your body, be sincere to those who are sincere to him, make an enemy of those who make an enemy of him, conceal his secret and defect, and show his good (deeds).
O Questioner, know that they are less than red sulfur. As for laughing brothers, you obtain your pleasure from them. Do not stop that from them. Do not request what is beyond that from the most lowly of them. Give them what they give you such as cheerfulness and sweet words.(Al-Khisal, p. 49).
As for the laughing brothers at this time, they are the overwhelming majority. Ambitions, interests, and desires move them. As for the aspects of their friendship, they are cheerfulness and smooth words, as Ima`m `Ali said.
2. He, peace be on him, said: The Commander of the Faithful, peace be on him, said: “The temptations are three (kinds): the love of women- it is the sword of the Satan, drinking wine- it is the brain of the Satan, the love of the dirham and the dinar- it is the arrow of the Satan. Whoever loves women does not make use of his livelihood. Whoever likes drinking (wine) is deprived of Paradise. However loves the dirham and the dinar is the slave of the dinar.
He, peace be on him, added: Jesus, son of Marry, said: The ailment of religion is in the dinar. The (religious) scholar is the doctor of religion. When you see the doctor perform the ailment against himself, then accuse him. Know that he is not loyal to other than him.(Al-Khisal, p.109)
3. He, peace be on him, in `Ali`s letter there are three qualities: Their owner will never die till he sees their evil results: oppression, estranging blood relatives, and false oath through which (the person) fights with Allah. Linking blood relatives is the quickest obedience in reward.
Perhaps the people are sinners. However, they link each other. Thus, their properties grow. They treat each other with kindness. So, their lives increase. False oath and estranging blood relatives make houses empty of their people. They disturb blood relatives. Disturbing blood relatives stops birth.(Al-Khisal, p. 119)
This paragraph of the letter of Ima`m `Ali, the Commander of the Faithful, peace be on him, is full of commandments on kindness, religious devotion, and what does general good for man in this life.
4. He, peace be on him, said: The Commander of the Faithful, peace be on him, said: “Religion depends on four (persons): The scholar who proclaims and uses it. The rich one who does not refrain from granting his favor to the people of the religion of Allah. The poor one who does not sell his life in the hereafter for his life in this world. The ignorant one who does not abstain from seeking knowledge.
If the scholar conceals his knowledge, the rich one refrains from granting his money, the poor one sells his life in the hereafter for his life in this world, and the ignorant one abstains from seeking knowledge, then the world moves backward. So, many mosques and the different bodies of a certain group of people should not tempt you. It was said: How will (we) live at that time?
He, peace be on him said: Associate with them apparently and oppose them internally. The person will have what he earns. He will be with those whom he loves. Nevertheless, wait for the ease from Allah, the Great and Almighty.
(Al-Khisal, p.180)
Indeed such kinds of people are able to reform the world when they shoulder their responsibilities and carry out their religious duties. However, if they deviate from that, life will move backward and all the high values in it decline.
5. He, peace be on him, said: The Commander of the Faithful, peace be on him, was questioned: “How much is between truth and falsehood.”He, peace be on him, replied: “Four fingers.”He put his hand on his eyes and ears, and then he said: “What your eyes see is true. Most of what your ears hear is false.(Al-Khisal, p. 215)
6. He, peace be on him, reported on the authority of his grandfathers on the authority of the Commander of the Faithful, peace be on him, who said: “The Apostle of Allah, may Allah bless him and his family, mentioned ten qualities concerning me. Each is more lovable for me than what the sun rises over. He said to me:
You are my brother here and in the hereafter. You are the closest of all the creatures to me in the standing. You are my helper and successor and inheritor about my family and property. You are the carrier of my standard here and in the hereafter. Your friend is mine. My friend is Allah`s. Your enemy is mine. My enemy is Allah`s.”(Al-Khisal, p. 398)
Allah, singled out Ima`m (`Ali), the Commander of the Faithful, peace be on him, with many outstanding merits. He granted him many favors. The Prophet, may Allah bless him and his family, mentioned some of them in this tradition.
7. He, peace be on him, said: [The Commander of the Faithful, peace be on him, said:] “The pious have signs. They are known with them: truthful talk, paying the deposit, fulfilling the promise, little pride, miserliness, consideration for blood relatives, having pity on the weak, little sleeping with women, doing favors, good manners, vast clemency, adopting knowledge that bring (them) closer to Allah, the Great and Almighty. `A good final state and a goodly return shall be theirs” (Al-Khisal, p. 454)
8. He, peace be on him said: [The Commander of the Faithful, peace be on him said:] “Indeed ambitions control the hearts of the ignorant. Desires take them as security. Tricks cling to them.(Usul al-Kafi, vol. 1, p. 23)
This tradition pictures the condition of the ignorant. It includes their qualities of which are: ambitions control their feelings and sentiments. Desires take their hearts as security. Tricks convince them easily, for they have little experience and knowledge.
9. He, peace be on him, said: [The Commander of the Faithful, peace be on him said:] “All good has been gathered in three qualities: thinking, silence, and speech. So, every thinking that has no viewpoint is inattention. Every silence that has no idea is heedlessness.
Every speech that has no praise (of Allah) is nonsense. Therefore, a good final state shall be for him whose thinking is a viewpoint, silence is an idea, and speech is praise (of Allah), who weeps over his sin, of whose evil people are safe.(Al-Khisal, p. 95)
These are the qualities of those who know their Lord and turn to Him in repentance. They are appropriate for the members of the House (ahl al-Bayt), peace be on them, and those who follow them.
10. He, peace be on him, said: The Commander of the Faithful, peace be on him, said: “We, the members of the House (ahl al-Bayt), are the tree of the Prophet, staying place of (Divine) Message, descending place of angels, sources of knowledge.(Usul al-Kafi, vol. 1, p. 220)
11. He, peace be on him, said: [The Commander, peace be on him, said:] “The one who acts with oppression, the one who supports him, and the one who is satisfied with him are three partners.(Al-Khisal, p. 103)
His Narration from Imam Husayn(A.S.)
He (Ima`m al-Ba`qir), peace be on him, reported on the authority of his father on the authority of his grandfather Ima`m Husayn, peace be on him, who said: [I heard my grandfather Allah`s Apostle, may Allah bless him and his family, say:]
“Act according to Allah`s obligations to be the most pious of all people. Be satisfied with Allah`s apportionment to be the richest of all people. Refrain from what Allah has forbidden to be a believer. Be a good friend of him who makes friends with you to be a Moslem.(Al-Saduq, al-Amali, p. 178)
His Narration from his Father
He reported on the authority of his father `Ali b. al-Husayn, peace be on him, who said: “He whose eyes shed tears for the murder of al-Husayn, Allah will settle him at the highest place in the garden. The believer whose eyes are filled with tears for the persecution our enemy practiced against us, Allah will settle him in the seat of honor. The believer who suffers from persecution for us and then his eyes shed tears for us, Allah will not punish him on the Day of Judgment and make will him safe from the wrath of the Fire.
His Narration from Ja`bir al-Ansa`ri
He, peace be on him, reported a group of traditions and events on the authority of Ja`bir b. `Abd Allah. Among them are:
1. He, peace be on him, reported on the authority of Ja`bir, who said: “Indeed, when Allah`s Apostle, may Allah bless him and his family, stopped at al-Safa (a hill in Mecca near the Kaaba), he exclaimed three times:`Allah is Great`, and then he said: `There is no god but Allah. He is One. There is no partner with Him. Supreme power and praise belong to Him. He has power over all things.` He (the Prophet) did that three time. He did the like of that at al-Marwah (a hill near the Kaaba).(Tarikh Dimashq, vol. 51, pp, 37-38)
2. He, peace be on him, reported on the authority of Ja`bir, who said: “Indeed, the Prophet, may Allah bless him and his family, wore a ring on his right finger.(`Illal al-Sharai`, p. 158)
like the touchstone 3. He, peace be on him, asked Ja`bir about what had happened between `Ali and `A`isha. So, Ja`bir said: “One day I went to `A`isha and asked her about her opinion concerning `Ali. She bowed her head. Then she raised it and composed:
like the touchstone When gold is rubbed against a touchstone
like the touchstone its adulteration appears without doubt.
like the touchstone Corruption is in us, and `Ali, the purified gold,
like the touchstone is like the touchstone among us. (Al-Sirat al-Sawi, p. 119)
His Narration from `Umar
He, peace be on him, reported on the authority of `Umar b. al-Khatta`b, who said: [I heard the Prophet, may Allah bless him and his family, say:] “Every means and lineage will break on the Day of Judgment except my means and lineage. (Ibn Sa`d al-Tabaqat, vol. 8, p. 463)
His Narration from b. `Abba`s
He, peace be on him, reported on the authority of `Abd Allah b. `Abba`s, who said: [`Ali looked at the faces of the people, and then he said:] “Indeed I am the brother of Allah`s Apostle, may Allah bless him and his family, and his helper. You know that I was the first to believe in Allah and his Apostle. Then you entered Islam one by one after me. I am the cousin of Allah`s Apostle may Allah bless him and his family, his brother, and his partner in his lineage. (I am) the father of his (grand)sons, and his son-in-law (being married to his) daughter, the mistress of his children and of the women of the garden.
You know that when we went out with Allah`s Apostle and came back, he
loved and trusted me more than you. I was the most intense of you in defeating the enemy and affecting the equipment. You know when he sent me to Bara“a. He made the Moslems associate with each other as brothers. He chose nobody other than me.
Then he said to me: `You are my brother and I am your brother in this life and the hereafter.` He took the people out of the mosque and left me. Then he said to me: `Your position to me is as Aaron with Moses, except that there will be no prophet after me.`(Al-Khawarizmi, al-Manaqib, p.226)
His Narration from Zayd b. Arqam
He, peace be on him, reported on the authority of Zayd b. Arqam, who said: [We were sitting before the Prophet, may Allah bless him and his family. He, peace be on him, said:] “Shall I show you him whom if you ask for advice you will not go astray nor will you perish?” “Yes, O Allah`s Apostle,”they said. He said: “This.” He pointed to `Ali b. Abi Ta`lib. Then he said: “Associate with him as brothers, help him, believe him, and be loyal to him. Indeed Gabriel has told me about what I have said to you.(Al-Maghazili, p. 245)
His Narration From Abi Dharr
He, peace be on him, reported a group of sayings of the great reformer, Companion (of the Prophet), Abi Dharr. Among them are the following:
O you who seek knowledge, do not let your family and your money divert you from your soul.
On the day when you leave them, you will be like the guest. (You will) spend the night among them, then you will leave them to other than them. Here and hereafter are like the house from which you move to other than it. There is nothing between death and raising from the dead except a short sleep, then you will wake up. O You who seek knowledge, indeed, the heart without knowledge is like the ruined house.(Nasikh al-Tawarikh, vol. 2, p. 204)
These are some of the traditions which have been reported on his authority. They concern the rules of conduct, morals, and the outstanding merits of the pure family that is equal to the Holy Book.
