1. Muhammad ibn Ja’far has narrated from Muhammad ibn Isma’il from ‘Abd Allah ibn Dahir from al-Hassan ibn Yahya from Qathm abu Qatadah al-Harrani from ‘Abd Allah ibn Yunus from Abu ‘Abdillah who has said the following: “Once a man called Hammam, an assiduous worshipper practicing religious rules and a hardworking man came to Amir al-Mu’minin (Ali ibn abu Talib) during his speech and said, ‘O Amir al-Mu’minin, describe for us the qualities of the believer as if we see him before our eyes.’ “Amir al-Mu’minin (Ali ibn abu Talib) said, ‘O Hammam, a believer is a smart, intelligent one whose delight is on his face and whose sadness is in his heart, his chest is vastly open, his soul is most humble, he criticizes one’s leaning to every mortal, exhorts to go for everything good. He is not hateful, quarrelsome, scandalous, faultfinding or backbiting. He dislikes high positions (of negative nature) and is an enemy of fame and publicity. His sadness remains for a long time, his ambition is far reaching. He very often remains silent, dignified, ever remembering (the Lord), exercising patience, grateful, sad due to his thoughts, happy with his poverty, easy in his nature, kindhearted, of strong loyalty, of very little trouble, not a liar or insulting. “When laughing, he does not burst. When angry he does not msh. His laughing is smiles, his question is to learn, his review is to understand, his knowledge is plentiful, his forbearance is great and his blessing is a great deal. He is not stingy, he does not hasten, irritate or act as an extremist, is not unjust in his judgment, or unfair due to his knowledge. His soul is more solid than a rock, his labor is more sweet than honey. He is not greedy, intolerant, violent, conceited, pretending or exaggerating. He is graceful in disputed matters, of honorable visitation, a man of justice when angry, a friend when asked. He is not adventurous, or insulting and coercive. His love is pure, he is of solid promise, of fulfilling commitment, affectionate, a keeper of good relations, forbearing, calm, of very little that is extraneous, happy with Allah, the Most Majestic, the Most Holy, and opposes his own desires. He is not rough toward his inferiors and does not indulge in what is not his business. He is a supporter of religion, a defender of believers, a stronghold for Muslims, and admiration does not affect him negatively, greed does not hurt his heart, playfulness does not change his judgment and ignorant ones cannot find the limits of his knowledge. “His words are many and he is a determined scholar. He is not abusive or furious. He reaches out without harshness, is generous not a spendthrift, is not deceitful or treacherous, is not a faultfinder or unjust to a human being. He is a friend of the creatures, effortful on earth, assistant of the weak and a helper of the helpless. He does not violate what is hidden or uncover secrets, his trials are a great deal and his complaints very little. He remembers the good that he had seen, covers up the evil that he may observe, hides the defects, safeguards the unseen, corrects slips and forgives mistakes. He does not walk away from an advice that he can give, and he does not give up reforming an unjust instance. He is trustworthy, steadfast, pious, clean, purified and consenting. He accepts excuses, speaks of someone with grace and he is good and expects good from people. “He accuses his soul of defects, loves for the sake of Allah with understanding and knowledge, cuts off relations for the sake of Allah with firmness and determination. Happiness does not trespass upon him and intense happiness does not make him excited. He is a reminder for the scholar and a teacher for the ignorant. He is not expected to cause a calamity. He is not feared for causing a tragedy, every effort to him is more sincere than his own and every soul is more correct than his own. He knows his defects. He is busy with his own sadness. He does not trust anyone except his Lord. He feels a stranger, lonely, dispossessed and sad. He loves for the sake of Allah, strives for the sake of Allah to follow His happiness. He does not revenge by himself for his own self. He does not make friends to make his Lord angry. He sits with the poor, is a friend of the truthful ones, a supporter of the people of truth and an assistant for those near to him. He is like a father for the orphans, like a husband for the widows, the first hope for the destitute, expected to remove every resentful matter and to relieve every difficulty. “He is light and happy, is not frowning or sly, is strong, controlling of anger, smiling, sharp-sighted and greatly cautious. He does not ignore, and if ignored, he is forbearing. He is not stingy and if stinginess, is used against him he exercises patience. He understands, thus he is bashful, is content, independent and is self-sufficient. His bashfulness is higher than his lust, his love is higher than his jealousy and his forgiveness is higher than his hate. He does not speak without correctness and does not dress unless it is economical. He walks humbly, is submissive before his Lord in obedience and is happy with Him in all conditions. His intention is pure and sincere. His deeds are free of fraud and deceit. His observations are good lessons, his silence is thoughtful and his words are wisdom. He is advising, charitable and brotherly. He gives good advice in public and in private. He does not abandon his brother, does not backbite him and does not plot against him. He does not regret what he has missed, and does not become sad for whatever befalls him. He does not hope for what is not lawful. He does not fail in hardships and does not perpetrate in comfort. He mixes forbearance with knowledge and reason with patience. He is not lazy but is always active, of very short longing and of very few slips. (Good) is expected through him, his heart is fearful, he always speaks of his Lord, his soul is content, his ignorance is negative, his affairs are easy, he is sad for his sins, his lust is dead, his anger is controlled and his moral behaviors are lucent. “His neighbors live safely with him, his pride is weak, he is content with whatever is determined for him, his patience is strong, his affair is well established and his remembering (the Lord) is a great deal. He meets people to learn and remains silent for safety, he asks questions to understand, and he trades to earn. He does not remain silent for good to be subjected to injustice, and does not speak to be used in doing injustice to others. His soul is tired of him and people are comfortable with him. He has tired his soul for the gains of the next life and has provided comfort to others by means of his soul. If rebellion is committed against him he exercises patience until Allah finds support for him. His distancing when distancing is needed comes in overlooking and in graceful disregard, and his closeness when closeness is needed comes as kindness and blessings. His distancing is not out of boastfulness or greatness and his closeness is not a plot or deceit. It is because he follows the footsteps of those before him, the people of goodness. Thus, he is the leader for those after him. “The narrator has said that Hammam breathed very deeply and fell down unconscious. Amir al-Mu’minin (Ali ibn abu Talib) said, ‘By Allah I was afraid of its effect for him. This is how effective advice works on people deserving such advice. Someone said, ‘Why does it not apply to you, O Amir al-Mu’minin?’ The Imam said, ‘For everything there is an appointed time that is not surpassed and a cause that does not fail. Wait, and do not transgress. It was a blow that Satan made to flow through your tongue.’”