Teachings of the Prophet to Ali bin abi Talib

Taken from Ibn al-Arabi's The Mysteries of Bearing Witness:

Teachings of the Prophet to Ali bin abi Talib

We were told that Ali bin abi Talib, may God be pleased with him, said, “the Messenger of Allah (swt) advised me:

“Ali! We are giving you advice, so accept it. You will remain in good as long as you follow my advice. Ali, there are three signs of the believer: obligatory prayer, fasting, and alms. The pretender has three signs: he flatters when someone is present, backbites when the person is absent, and curses affliction. The wrongdoer has three signs: he overpowers those under him, disobeys those above him, and abets injustice. The one who shows off has three signs: he is energetic when he is with people, lazy when he is alone, and wants to be praised in all matters. The hypocrite has three signs: when he speaks, he lies; when he promises, he breaks it; and when he is trusted, he betrays. Ali, the lazy person has three signs: he is slow until he neglects, neglects until he loses, and loses until he sins. The intelligent person should be intent only in three things: getting livelihood right, pleasure in what is not unlawful or a step he takes for the Next World.

“Ali, part of certainty is that you do not please anyone by angering God, you do not praise anyone for what God has given him, nor do you censure anyone for what God has given him. Provision is not procured by the greed of someone avaricious nor is it turned aside by the dislike of one who dislikes it. God-glory be to Him and Exalted is He-placed rest and joy in certainty and pleasure in the distribution of God. He placed sorrow and care and displeasure at God’s distribution.

“Ali, there is no poverty worse than ignorance and no wealth more generous than the intellect. There is no isolation more alienating than pride and no support more reliable than consultation. There is no faith like certainty and no scrupulousness like refraining. There is no beauty like beauty of character and no worship like reflection.

“Ali, when someone praises you to your face, say ‘O God, make me better than what they say; forgive me for what they do not know, and do not call me to account for what they say.’ Then you will be safe from whatever they say.

“Ali, when you are performing the obligatory fast, when you end the fast in the evening say, ‘O God, I have fasted for You and I end the fast with Your provision,’ and then the reward of those who fasted that day will be written for you without that decreasing their rewards. Know that every faster has a supplication which is answered. If anyone says with the first morsel he takes when he breaks his fast, ‘In the name of God, the All-Merciful, Ever Merciful. O Vast of forgiveness! Forgive me,’ he will be forgiven. Know that fasting is a veil against the Fire.

“Ali, recite Surah YaSin (chapter 36) often. The recitation of YaSin contains ten blessings. No one who is hungry recites it but he is filled. No one who is thirsty recites it but he is quenched. No one who is naked recites it but he is clothed. No one who is ill recites it but he is healed. No one who is fearful recites it but that he obtains security. No one in prison recites it but that he is released. No one who is unmarried recites it but that he marries. No one traveling recites it but that he is helped on his journey. No one with a lost animal recites it but that the animal is found. No one recites it in the presence of a dying person but that his death is eased for him. No one recites it in the morning but that he will be secure until evening. If someone recites in the evening, he will be secure until morning.

“Ali, recite Chapter The Smoke (Chapter 44) on Friday night and you will be forgiven in the morning.

“Ali, recite the Throne verse after every obligatory prayer and you will be given the hearts of the thankful, the reward of the prophets and the actions of the righteous.

“Ali, recite Chapter The Exile (Chapter 59) and you will b gathered safe from everything on the Day of Resurrection.

“Ali, recite Surah Tabarak (Chapter 67) and the Chapter Prostration (Chapter 32) and it will save you from the terrors of the Day of Resurrection.

“Ali, recite Surah Tabarak when you go to sleep and the punishment of the grave and questioning of Munkir and Nakir will be removed from you.

“Ali, recite Chapter The Sincerity (chapter 112) when you do ablution and you will be addressed on the Day of Resurrection: ‘O praiser of God, rise and enter the Garden!’

“Ali, recite Chapter The Cow (Chapter 2). Its recitation is a blessing and abandoning it will be regret. The vain are not able to do that, meaning sorcerers.

“Ali, do not sit in the sun for a long time. That produces a hidden illness, wears out clothes and changes one’s color.

“Ali, there is security for you from burning in saying, ‘Glory be to You, my Lord, There is no God but You. I have relied on You and You are the Lord of the Immense Throne.’

“Ali, there is security ofr you from Satan’s whispering in reciting. ‘When you recite the Quran, We place an obscuring veil between you and those who do not believe in the Next World… they turn their backs and run away.’ (17:45-46)

“Ali, there is security for you from the evil of everyone who possesses the evil eye in saying, ‘Whatever God wills will be and whatever He does not will will not be. I testify that God has power over all things and that God encompasses all things in knowledge and has numbered everything precisely. There is no power nor strength except by God.’

“Ali, when you see the new moon at the beginning of the month, say ‘God is greater’ three times and then say, ‘Praise belongs to God who created me and created you, and determined you in stages and made you a sign for the world.’ Then God will boast of you to the angels. He says, ‘O my angels, bear witness that I have freed this servant from the Fire.’

“Ali, when you look into a mirror, say, ‘O God, as You made my physique good, make my character good and provide for me.’

“Ali, when you leave the house for something you need, recite the Throne Verse and your need will be fulfilled, God willing.

“Ali, supplicate in the night, even in the amount of time it takes to milk a sheep. Pray to God-glory be to Him!-before dawn and your supplication will not be rejected. God-glory be to Him!-says, ‘Those who seek forgiveness before dawn’ (3:17).

“Ali, wash the dead. Anyone who washes the dead will receive seventy acts of forgiveness. If one act of forgiveness among them were distributed among all creation, it would have embraced them all.” I asked, “Messenger of God, what should someone who washes the dead say?” He (saw) replied, ‘He should say “Your forgiveness, O Merciful,” until he finishes the washing.’

“Ali, beware of argumentation: it cancels actions.

“Ali, hasten to give charity. Affliction does not outstrip charity.

“Ali, you must have good character. By that you will obtain the level of the one who stands in voluntary prayer all night, and fasts in the day.

“Ali, you must recite Chapter The Sincerity (Chapter 112) It wards off poverty. Beware of usury. It obtains six qualities: three in this world and three in the Next World. The three in this world are: hastening exhaustion, removing wealth and wiping out provision. Those in the Next World are: an evil account, the anger of the Lord Almighty, and eternity in the Fire (or isolation-the transmitter is unsure which).

“Ali, when you enter your house, greet the people of the house: there is much good in doing that.

“Ali, love the poor and the wretched and God will love you. Do not rebuff the poor and the wretched so that the angels rebuff you on the Day of Resurrection.

“Ali, do not be angry when you are told to ‘fear God’. That will be evil for you on the Day of Resurrection.

“Ali, God likes His servant to say, ‘O God, forgive me. Only You forgive wrong actions.’ God says, ‘My angels, this servant of Mine knows that none forgives wrong action but Me. Bear witness that I have forgiven him.’

“Ali, beware of lies. Lies blacken the face. A man continues to lie until he is called a liar with God and he continues to tell the truth until he is called truthful with God. Lying shuns faith.

“Ali, do not backbit anyone. Backbiting breaks the obligatory fast. The one who backbites people will eat his flesh on the Day of Resurrection. Ali, beware of scandalmongering. The scandalmongerer will not enter the Garden.

“Ali, do not swear by God, whether you are lying or telling the truth. Ali, do not, by your oaths, ‘make God a pretext’ (2:224). God will not show mercy and not purify anyone who swears by God to a lie.

“Ali, control your tongue and accustom it to good. On the Day of Rising, the servant will not fear anything more than he fears his tongue.

“Ali, woe unto his who lies to make people laugh. Woe to him. Woe to him.”

Ali, peace be upon him, asked, “Messenger of God, tell me about the words of God Almighty which Adam received from his Lord so that He turned to hi (cf 2:37). What are those words?”

The Prophet (saw) “Adam descended (as) in India, Eve in Jiddah, the serpent in Isfahan and Iblis in Baysan. In the Garden there was nothing more beautiful than the serpent and the peacock. The serpent had feet like those of a camel. When Iblis, may God curse him, entered inside of it and tempted and deceived Adam (as) then God Almighty was angry at the snake and removed its legs from it. He said, ‘I will place your provision in the earth and I will make you crawl on your belly. May God not show mercy to the one who shows mercy to you. God was angry at the peacock and scoured its feet because it guided Iblis to the tree.

“Adam remained for a hundred years without lifting his head to heaven, weeping over his error. He sat in sorrow and so God sent Gabriel (as) to him. He said, ‘Peace be upon you, Adam. God, the Almighty and Exalted, sends you peace and says to you, “Did I not create you with My hand and breathe into you of My Spirit? Did not the angels prostrate to you? Did I not marry you to Eve? So what is the reason for weeping?”’

“He replied, ‘Gabriel, what could keep me from weeping when I have left the vicinity of my Lord?’ Gabriel (as) said to him, ‘Adam, speak these words and God Almighty will forgive your wrong action and accept your repentance.’ He asked, ‘What are they?’ He said, ‘Say, “O God, I ask you by the right of Muhammad and the family of Muhammad. Glory be to You, o God and by you Praise. I have done evil and wronged myself. No one forgives wrong actions except You. Show mercy to me. You are the best of those who show mercy. Glory be to You and by you praise. There is no god but You. I have done evil and wronged myself. You are the Ever-Turning, Most Merciful. Glory be to You and by your praise. There is no god but You. I have done evil and wronged myself, so forgive me. You are the best of those who forgive.”’ Those are the words.

“Ali, when you pray at a funeral, say, ‘O God, this is Your servant and the son of Your servant and the son of Your female servant. Your judgment regarding him has occurred. Your created him when he was not a thing remembered and he has alighted with You. Be the best of hosts to him. O God, teach him his proof and join him to his prophet (saw) and support him with the firm statement. He needs You while you have no need of him. He used to testify that there is no god but God, so forgive him and show mercy on him. O God, if he is pure, then purify him. If he erred, then forgive him.’

“Ali, when you pray at a woman’s funeral, say, ‘O God, You created her and You gave her life and Your made her die. You know her mystery and what she makes public. We have come to you to intercede for her, so forgive her, show mercy to us, do not deprive us of her reward and do not tempt us after her.’ If you pray over a child, say, ‘O God, make him a forerunner for his parents. Make him a treasure for them, make him a guide for them, make him a light for them, and make him one who preceded them, and brings his parents into the Garden. Do not deprive them of this reward nor tempt them after him.’

“Ali, when the believing servant reaches the age of forty, God will grant him security from three afflictions: insanity, leprosy and white leprosy. When he reaches sixty years, he is advancing. After sixty he is retreating. God provides him with turning to what he loves. When he reaches seventy, the people of he heavens and the righteous people of the earth love him. When he reaches eighty, his good actions are recorded for him and his evil actions are removed from him. When he reaches ninety, God forgives his former and later wrong actions. When he reaches a hundred, God writes his name for him in the heaven, the captive of God in his earth. He is the prisoner of God Almighty.

“Ali, remember my advice. You are following the truth and the truth is with you.”