Ali ibn Abi Talib Quotations

Do not share the knowledge with which you have been blessed with everyone in general, as you do with some people in particular; and know that there are some men in whom Allah, may He he glorified, has placed hidden secrets, which they are forbidden to reveal.

He who busies himself with things other than improvement of his own self becomes perplexed in darkness and entangled in ruin. His evil spirits immerse him deep in vices and make his bad actions seem handsome.

People's hearts are like wild animals. They attach their selves to those that love and train them.

A poor man is like a foreigner in his own country.

Abstinence from sins is better than seeking help afterwards.

Do for this life as if you live forever, do for the afterlife as if you die tomorrow.

Let me alone, and go in search of someone else.

I was not created to be occupied by eating delicious foods like tied up cattle.

Do not be too hard, lest you be broken; do not be too soft, lest you be squeezed.

To make one good action succeed another, is the perfection of goodness.

No one has ever suffered from his people as I have.

If poverty were a man, I would have slain him.

Happiness comes towards those which believe in him

Whoever wants to be a leader should educate himself before educating others. Before preaching to others he should first practice himself. Whoever educates himself and improves his own morals is superior to the man who tries to teach and train others.

Bear sorrows and calamities patiently, otherwise you will never be happy.

Reciter and listener of the Qur'an are alike in prize and reward.

In this world, man is a target of death, an easy prey to calamities, here every morsel and every draught is liable to choke one, here one never receives a favour until he loses another instead, here every additional day in one's life is a day reduced from the total span of his existence, when death is the natural outcome of life, how can we expect immortality.

During civil disturbance adopt such an attitude that people do not attach any importance to you - they neither burden you with complicated affairs, nor try to derive any advantage out of you.

Be afraid of a dignified man when he is hungry and a wicked man when his belly is full.

Be a good man to Allah and a bad man to yourself (desires); and be one of the commoners among the people

True friends are a single soul divided between different bodies.

Do not be like those on whom advice has no effect and who require punishment to correct themselves.

He who is greedy is disgraced; he who discloses his hardship will always be humiliated; he who has no control over his tongue will often have to face discomfort.

Do not be misled by appearances for these are apt to be deceptive.

The one from among the Muslims who recites the Qur'an but in the end finds his way to hell, is considerd to be among those that have taken the word of Allah in jest.

An accepted deed is never small in Taqwa (consciousness of Allah), how can what has been accepted be small?

Understanding the knowledge and wisdom of the Qur'an is by far, higher than memorizing.

One who rushes madly after inordinate desire, runs the risk of encountering destruction and death.

Had there not been five bad qualities, all the people would have been righteous. Contentment with ignorance; love for worldly life; miserliness inspite of much wealth; ostentation in (good) deeds; and pride in their own intelligence.

Glory is for none but the learned, Guided are they - and proofs for seekers of guidance. Every person is measured based on how much of it (knowledge) he mastered, The ignorant are to the learned their enemies, Succeed with knowledge and live energetically forever, Men are all dead, only the possessors of knowledge are truly alive

Thy lot or portion of life is seeking after thee; therefore be at rest from seeking after it.

Knowledge is of two kinds: that which is absorbed and that which is heard. And that which is heard does not profit if it is not absorbed.

Riches without faith are the greatest poverty.

An alert and learned man will take advice from any event.

Recitation of the Qur'an without contemplation and thought is futile.

One who is mild rather than forceful has greater capacity for outreach.

He who guards his secrets retains control in his own hands

Beware of the flight of Blessings, For nothing that runs away is returned.

Like your body your mind also gets tired so refresh it by wise sayings.

Allah's Generosity is connected to gratitude, and gratitude is linked to increase in His generosity. The generosity of Allah will not stop increasing unless the gratitude of the servant ceases

To whatever extent a person's knowledge increases, his attention will be turned more towards his soul.

There are so many highly esteemed ones who became miserable and humiliated just because of their bad temper and morals; and humble people who have attained eminence and the highest honors because of good temper and morals.

Contentment is a wealth that is never exhausted

Often your utterances and expressions of your face leak out the secrets of your hidden thoughts.

Perfecting one's intellect causes one to speak less, and those words spoken will be adorned with wisdom.

The relation of patience to iman is like the relation of the head to the body. If the head is chopped off, the body becomes useless. Then he raised his voice and said: Certainly, the one who has no patience has no iman, and patience is like a riding-beast that nevers gets tired

"The best form of devotion to the service of Allah is not to make a show of it."

One who thinks and reflects develops his foresight and vision.

Oh writer! An Angel watches over all you write. Make your writing meaningful for it will eventually return to you and you will be questioned about what you wrote.

Know thyself, and thou shalt know God.

The nourishment of body is food, while the nourishment of the soul is feeding others.

Whoever educates himself and improves his own morals & character is superior to the man who tries to teach & train others.

Patience to faith is like the head to the body. The person who has no patience has not faith.

A man's behavior is the index of the man, and his discourse is the index of his understanding.

Of all the follies the greatest is to love the world.

Not every man with a heart is understanding, nor every man with an ear a listener, and nor every man with eyes able to see.

To fight against one's desires is the greatest of all fights.

Two things cause people to be destroyed: fear of poverty and seeking superiority through pride.

When wisdom reaches the acme of perfection, it will suppress the vicious instincts and injurious desires.

Associating with the wise and the knowledgeable people adds to the prestige of a person.

He who understands humanity seeks solitude

Silence is the best reply to a fool.

Greed takes a person to the watering place but gets him back without letting him drink. It undertakes responsibility but does not fulfill it. Often the drinker gets choked before quenching his thirst. The greater the worth of a thing yearned for, the greater is the grief for its loss. Desires blind the eyes of understanding. The destined share would reach him who does not approach it.

Greed is permanent slavery

The vision of the eye is limited; the vision of the heart transcends all barriers of time and space.

To maintain nice relation with the people is half of intelligence, nice questioning is half of knowledge, and nice domestic arrangements is half of the management of livelihood.

Poverty is the worst form of death.

Whoever desires Paradise, proceeds towards goodness; whoever fears Hell, refrains from the impulses of passions; whoever believes firmly in death, detests wordly life; and whoever recognises the worldly life, the trials and tribulations (of life) become slight for him.

Know you that Allah has made Islam the most sublime path for attainment of His supreme pleasure and the highest standards of his worship and obedience. He has favoured it with noble precepts, exalted principles, undoubtable arguments, unchallengeable supremacy and undeniable wisdom. It is up to you to maintain the eminence and dignity granted to it by the Lord, to follow it sincerely, to do justice to its articles of faith and belief, to obey implicitly its tenets and orders and to give it the proper place in your lives.

Your souls are precious and can only be equal to the price of Paradise, therefore sell them only at that price

Do not feel lonely on the road of righteousness Because of the fewness of the walkers on it.

Vanity prevents improvement

Nothing hurts a good soul and kind heart more than to live amongst people who can't understand it.

O World, try to deceive someone else. Are you trying to tempt me or attract me? No way! I divorce you irrevocably. Your time is short and you are insignificant. Alas! The provision is little, the journey is long and the way is lonely.

The disease of the heart is worse than the disease of the body.

There is no nobility with bad manners.

There is no rest for the person who has envy, and there is no love for the person who has bad manners.

He who trusts the world, the world betrays him.

No wealth like education and no poverty like ignorance

The highest person is he who is of most use to humankind.

Silence is the garden of thought.

The sin which makes you sad and repentant is more liked by Allah than the good deed which turns you arrogant.

Blessed is he whose own faults keep him from seeing the faults of others.

The worst of our faults is our interest in other people's faults.

The best companion and helper is admirable morals.

Patience is of two kinds: patience over what pains you, and patience against what you covet.

Do for this life as if you live forever, do for the afterlife as if you will die tomorrow.

A man's worth depends upon the nobility of his aspirations.

Either you are just or unjust. If you are just, then you will not keep aloof from the people, but will listen to them and meet their requirements. But if you are unjust, the people themselves will keep away from you.

Wealth tends to create enemies, whereas knowledge tends to warm hearts.

The weakest man is the one who is able to correct his moral defects, but doesn't take action.

The world is darkness; knowledge is light; but knowledge without truth is a mere shadow.

If you are greeted then return the greetings more warmly. If you are favored, then repay the obligation manifold; but he who takes the initiative will always excel in merit.

Don't engage your heart in grief over the past or you wont be ready for what is coming.

Lead such a life, that, when you die, the people may mourn you, and while you are alive they long for your company.

How many lessons there are and how little they are taken

Fear only the will of God and you will have no cause to fear anyone else.

A man is hid under his tongue.

A friend cannot be considered a friend until he is tested in three occasions: in timeof need, behind your back, and after your death.

I wonder at a man who loses hope of salvation when the door of repentance is open for him.