Introduction

God is One and Only

Abandoning the Present to Attain the Promised

Oppressive Characteristics

Characteristics Rooted in Love for Religion

One Characteristic for Five Characteristics

A Characteristic for a Characteristic

A Saving Characteristic

The Loftiest Characteristic of the Religion

No Two Things Combined which are Better than the Combination of Two Characteristics

A Characteristic that is the Honor of This World and the Hereafter

The Most Knowledgeable Person Is One who Combines One Characteristic with Another One

There Is One True Prosperity And One True Misery

A Characteristic for Which the People Deserve to be Rewarded or Punished

A Characteristic that Is the Noblest Holy War

The Hardest Thing is One Characteristic that Cannot Be Avoided Unless We Abandon Another Characteristic

A Believer’s Honor Is in One Characteristic and His Glory Is In Another Characteristic

One Characteristic Is the Key to All Evil

A Characteristic Due to Justice

A Characteristic Due to Which We Are Interested in How Others Judge About Us

Seek Nearness to God with One Characteristic

God Has Not Tested the Servants with Anything Harder Than One Characteristic

A Characteristic that Is the Result of Being Kind

A Characteristic that Stabilizes One’s Faith and One that Makes Him Lose His Faith

A Characteristic that Destroys a Believer’s Dignity

A Good Characteristic Which No Other Characteristic Is Better Than, and a Bad Characteristic That No Other Characteristic Is Worse Than

A Characteristic That Guarantees Who Will Not Become Poor

The Form of Chivalry of the Members of the Holy Household

A Characteristic Due to One’s Chivalry

A Characteristic that Is Not Good for a Dignified Man

God Loves One Characteristic and Despises One Characteristic

One Who has This Characteristic Would Not Be Thankful for Blessings

A Characteristic Due to Humbleness

A Characteristic that Is Close to Blasphemy and A Characteristic that Might Change Destiny

A Characteristic that Destroyed Previous Nations

Martyrdom Is Expiation for Every Sin Except for One’s Debt

God the Almighty Has Sent Muhammad (sw) and His Nation a Gift That He Has Not Given to Any Other Nation

A Characteristic that One Should Have If He Wants to Increase Goodness in His House

God Will Look at Whom He Likes. Once He Looks at Him, He Shall Grant Him One of Three Gifts

The Hereafter is the Wedding of the Pious Ones

A Characteristic That is Like its Opposite

The Most Wicked People Are Those Who Are Respected for Possessing One Characteristic

A Characteristic in This World is Abstinence, and a Characteristic That is Gratitude for all Blessings

Nothing Deserves to Be Restrained More Than the Tongue

Whoever Raises his Aspirations Does Wrong

Good Deeds Are Recorded for a Muslim as Long as He Remains Quiet

A Characteristic Having Which Will Result in God Saving You From the Fear of the Hereafter

The Most Intelligent Characteristic

The Most Pious, the Best Worshipping, the Most Ascetic and the Most Hard-Working People

Becoming Sorry Is the Same as Repenting

Whoever Earns More Than His Meals fom This World

A Characteristic That Deserves to Be Willed

A Characteristic That Causes One to Be Thrown Out and a Characteristic That Causes One to Be Joined

Lofty Characteristics and Bad Characteristics for the People of the World

There Is No Honor Except Through One Characteristic. There Is No Nobility Except Through Another Characteristic

When God Loves a Servant He Will Make Him Suffer from a Great Calamity

A Characteristic That Leads to Hemorrhoids

A Hand on Which There Is an Iron Ring Is Not Clean

Do Not Respond to Whoever Talks Before He Greets You

A Characteristic That if Practiced Implies Despise for Muhammad’s Religion

Only One of the Proverbs of the Prophets Has Remained

When God Wishes a Servant Well, He Will Expedite His Punishment in This World, and When He Wishes Someone Bad, He Will Procrastinate His Punishment

Be Patient with the Enemies of the Blessings

The Prophet (sw) and Ali Ibn Abi Talib Were Created from the Same Root

A Characteristic That is Gratitude for All Blessings

Religion Is the Same as Love

When Two Believers Shake Hands They Shall Depart from Each Other Void of Any Sins

A Characteristic That Revives the Hearts

A Characteristic That Revives the Affairs of the Almighty God’s Proofs

God the Almighty Has Not Created Anything More Delightful Than This Characteristic

A Characteristic That Constitutes Nine-Tenths of Religion

Whoever is Pleased with His Destiny or is Displeased with it

A Characteristic for Which Even Red-Haired Camels Are Not Loved

A Characteristic That Increases the Daily Bread

A Characteristic That Leads to Hypocrisy and Poverty

The First Gift Given to a Believer Due to a Characteristic

A Characteristic for Which One Who Has No Good Deeds is Forgiven on the Resurrection Day

A Characteristic That is the Root of All Sins

How Awkward It Is If a Man Enters Heaven Having Lost His Honor

A Characteristic Doing Which Will Cause the Almighty God to Have Mercy Upon You

A Characteristic Doing Which Will Cause Increased Good for One’s House

On Him Whose Health Has Overcome His Illness but He Treats Himself and Dies

A Characteristic Which a Believer Avoids

Nothing Ruins Faith as Much as One Characteristic Does

One Who Lives to See his Successor Is Prosperous

A Believer’s Honor is More Than That of the Ka’ba

It Suffices for a Believer to See God’s Aid in the Form of His Enemies Engaged in the Almighty God’s Disobedience

A Gift Will Eliminate Animosities

Prosperous Be the One Who is Indifferent

A Characteristic That Will Make One Poor in the Hereafter

A Group of People Who Are the Masters of Heaven

God’s Prophet Made His Ablutions One Organ at a Time

The Characteristic That Is the Best Goodness

The Prophet Put off His Special Prayer for One Characteristic

A Characteristic That is the Best Form of Worshipping and a Characteristic That is the Noblest Form of Being Religious

What Is A Lot but Its Doers Are A Few

A Characteristic That Constitutes Half of the Religion

A Characteristic That is the Best Thing Given to a Muslim

The Prophet and Ali Ibn Abi Talib Were Created from One Light

A Servant’s Well-Being Depends Upon the Well-Being of One of His Organs

7-36 حدثنا أبي رصي الله عنه قال: حدثنا سعد بن عبدلله، عن أحمد بن محمد بن عيسى، عن الحسن بن محبوب، عن عمار بن أبي الاحوص، قال: قلت لابي عبدلله عليه السلام إن عندنا أقواما يقولون بأمير المؤمنين عليه السلام يفضلونه على الناس كلهم وليس يصفون من نصف من فضلكم أنتولاهم؟ فقالى لي: نعم في الجملة،أليس عند الله مالم يكن عند رسول الله، ولرسول الله عند الله ما ليس لنا، وعندنا ما ليس عندكم، وعندكم ماليس عند غيركم؟ إن الله تبارك وتعالى وضع الاسلام على سعبة أسهم: على الصبرو الصدق واليقين والرضا والوفاء والعلم والحلم، ثم قسم ذلك بين الناس فمن جعل فيه هذه السبعة الاسهم فهو كامل الايمان محتمل، ثم قسم لبعض الناس السهم وولبعض السهمين ولبعض الثلاثة الاسهم ولبعض الاربعة الاسهم ولبعض الخمسة الاسهم ولبعض الستة الاسهم ولعبض السبعة الاسهم فلا تحملوا على صاحب السهم سهمين، ولا على صاحب السهيمن ثلاثة أسهم، ولا على صاحب الصلاة أربعة أسهم، ولا على صاحب الاربعة خمسة أسهم، ولا على صاحب الخمسة ستة أسهم ولا على صاحب الستة سبعة أسهم، فتثقلوهم وتنفروهم ولكن ترفقوابهم وسهلوا لهم المدخل، وسأضرب لك مثلا تعتبر به: إنه كان رجل مسلم وكان له جار كافر، وكان الكافر يرافق المؤمن فأحب المؤمن للكافر الاسلام ولم يزل يزين الاسلام ويحببه إلى الكافر حتى أسلم فغدا عليه المؤمن فاستخرجه من منزله فذهب به إلى المسجد ليصلي معه الفجر في جماعة فلما صلى قال له: لوقعدنا نذكر الله عز وجل حتى تطلع الشمس فقعد، فقال له: لو تعلمت القرآن إلى أن تزول الشمس وصمت اليوم كان أفضل، فقعد معه وصام حتى صلى الظهر والعصر فقال: لو صبرت حتى تصلي المغرب والعشاء الآخرة كان أفضل فقعد معه حتى صلى المغرب والعشاء الآخرة ثم نهضا وقد بلغ مجهوده وحمل عليه ما لا يطيق فلما كان من الغد غدا عليه وهو يريد به مثل ما صنع بالامس فدق عليه بابه ثم قال له: اخرج حتى نذهب إلى المسجد فأجابه أن انصرف عني فإن هذا دين شديد لا اطيقه. فلا تخرقوا بهم أما علمت أن إمارة بنى امية كانت بالسيف والعسف والجور وإن إمارتنا بالرفق والتألف والوقار والتقية وحسن الخلطة والورع والاجتهاد، فرغبوا الناس في دينكم وفيما أنتم فيه

7-36 (The compiler of the book narrated) that his father - may God be pleased with him - narrated that Sa’ed ibn Abdullah quoted Ahmad ibn Muhammad ibn Isa, on the authority of Al-Hassan ibn Mahboob, on the authority of Am’mar ibn Abil Ahvas, “Aba Abdullah as-Sadiq (MGB) was asked, ‘There are people amongst us who believe in the Caliphate of the Commander of the Faithful (MGB), and consider him to be superior to all people, but do not believe in your nobility as we do. Should we be friends with them?’ Imam as-Sadiq (MGB) replied, ‘Yes, absolutely. Is it not true that God has things that the Prophet of God doesn’t have? Is it not true that the Prophet of God has things that we do not have? Is it not true thatwe have things that you do not have? Is it not true that you have things that others do not have? God the Blessed the Sublime has partitioned Islam into seven parts, and has distributed them amongst the people. These are perseverance, honesty, certitude, contentment, loyalty, knowledge, and patience. Whoever possesses all seven has perfect faith and is strong. He gave some people just one, some just two, some just three, some just four, some just five, some just six, and some all seven of these. Therefore, you should not expect one who has only been given one part of the faith to be responsible for two parts. You cannot burden one who has been granted only two parts of the faith with what you would ask from those who have three parts of faith. And so on. If you expect too much of them, they will be over-burdened and might turn away from the religion. Instead you should be patient and treat them with kindness, and make things easy for them. Now I will cite an example for you. There was a Muslim man with an infidel neighbor who was his friend. The man wished to help his friend become a Muslim. He kept trying to show him how nice Islam was, and insisted on his becoming a Muslim. Finally, he managed, and the man accepted Islam. The next morning the man went to his neighbor’s house, and asked him to accompany him to the morning congregation prayer. They went there and when the prayer ended he told the new Muslim man to sit down and recite the Quran until sunrise. They stayed there, and continued reciting until sunrise. Then he told him it was nice to fast that day and study the Quran until noon. The new Muslim agreed. After the noon and afternoon prayers, he suggested to the new Muslim man to stay there until dawn, to say their prayers in the mosque and then go home at night. He agreed. They did their night prayer, got up and went home. The next morning the man went to his neighbor’s house again and asked him to go to the mosque. The man said, ‘Leave me alone. This religion is too difficult. I cannot stand it.’ Therefore you should learn not to pressure the people. Do you know that the rule of the Umayyad clan was based upon force, the sword and oppression? However, we rule the people’s hearts with patience, kindness, concealing of faith, good association, piety, and struggling. Try to attract the people to your religion.’”

Al-Khiṣāl

Book 8, Chapter 26