الحمد لوليّه ومستحقّه, وأفضل الصلوة والسلام على أشرف خلقه محمّد خاتم الأنبياء والمرسلين العظام، وعلى بضعته الطاهرة وأوصيائه المعصومين الكرام. أما بعد، فهذه لآلي غوالٍ وجواهر زواهر، وصايا
خرجت من عمّان النبوّة ومعدن الرسالة، محلّ البركات الإلهيّة، ومنزل الرحمات الغير المتناهية بالأصالة صلى الله عليه وسلّم وعلى خلفائه الطاهرين، أكرم البرايا على الله، وإليه التقطا… حلّ المشكلات
وفيصل القضايا، سيدّنا ومولانا أمير المؤمنين، وإمام المسلمين، عليّ بن أبي طالب صلوات الله وتسليماته عليه، وعلى عترته المعصومين.
All praise is due to the true Master and Deserver of all praise. Honorable blessings and peace be upon the honorable being-Mohammed the seal of the great prophets and messengers of Allah
and his immaculate daughter and noble sinless successors. So then, these are dear pearls and bright jewels. They are commandments that were produced by the head of prophecy, the core of the
Divine Epistle, the zone of the divine blessings, and the revealer of the endless mercies; Allah bless him as well as his immaculate successors who are the honorable beings in the sight of Allah…
Then comes the solver of the problems and the arbitrator of the issues; our master and leader Amir ul-Mu'minin -commander of the faithful believers- and the Imam of the Muslims Ali bin Abi Talib,
all peace and blessings of Allah be upon him as well as his immaculate descendants.
( 58 )
فطوبى لمن وعاها وأوعاها خزانة قلبه، ومرحباً بمن سعى في حفظها بمقتضى سلامة عقله ولبّه. وصايا رسول الله (صلى الله عليه وآله) لأمير المؤمنين (عليه السلام) (1) روى حمّاد بن عمرو; وأنس بن محمّد،
عن أبيه جميعاً، عن جعفر بن محمّد، عن أبيه، عن جدّه، عن عليّ بن أبي طالب صلوات الله عليه، عن النبي صلّى الله عليه وآله أنّه قال له: يا عليُّ، اُوصيك بوصيّة فاحفظها فلا تزال بخير ما حفظت
وصيّتي.
Blessed are those who retain the coming commandments and store them in their hearts and welcome to those who will exert efforts for retaining them by means of their sound intellects and
minds.
THE PROPHET'S COMMANDMENTS FOR AMIR UL-MU'MININ
(1) Hemmad bin Amr and Anas bin Mohammed related from his father1 from Ja'far bin Mohammed from his father from his grandfather from Ali bin Abi Talib (a) that the Prophet (s) said to him:
O Ali, I will convey to you a commandment that you should retain. You will keep up yourself in goodness as long as you follow my commandment.
____________
1. Referring to the series of relaters of this commandment, Sheikh as-Saduq records the following in his Al-Mashyakha: (About the commandment of the Prophet (s) for Amir ul-Mu'minin (a)
that is narrated by Hemmad bin Amr and Anas bin Mohammed, I have narrated it from Mohammed bin Ali Shah in Marwalruth from Abu Hamid Ahmed bin Mohammed bin Ahmed bin al-Hussein from Abu Yazid
Ahmed bin Khalid at-Tamimi from Mohammed bin Ahmed bin Salih at-Tamimi from his father Ahmed bin Salih at-Tamimi from Mohamed Bihar ul-Anwar; Hatem al-Qattan from Hemmad bin Amr from Ja'far bin
Mohammed from his father from his grandfather from Ali bin Abi Talib, peace be upon him. I also narrated it from Mohammed bin Ali Shah from Abu Hamid from Abu Yazid from Mohammed bin Ahmed bin
Salih at-Tamimi from his father from Anas bin Mohammed Abu Malik from his father from Ja'far bin Mohammed from his father from his grandfather from Ali bin Abi Talib (a) that the Prophet (s)
said: O Ali, I command…)
( 59 )
يا عليّ، من كظم الغيظ وهو يقدر على إمضائه أعقبه الله يوم القيامة أمناً وإيماناً يجد طعمه.
يا عليُّ، مَن لم يُحسن وصيّته عند موته كان نقصاً في مروءته ولم يملك الشفاعة.
يا عليُّ، أفضل الجهاد من أصبح ولا يهتمّ بظلم أحد.
يا عليُّ، مَن خاف الناس لسانه فهو من أهل النار.
يا عليُّ، شرّ الناس من أكرمه الناس إتّقاء شرّه.
يا عليُّ، شرّ الناس من باع آخرته بدنياه.
O Ali, for those who suppress their anger while they are able to punish, Allah will endow them with security and tasteful faith on the Day of Resurrection.
O Ali, he who does not provide a proper will in his final hours is suffering a defect in his personality and will be deprived of the right of Intercession.2
O Ali, the best of jihad is to begin your day without intending to oppress anybody.
O Ali, he whose utterance is avoided by people will be an inhabitant of Hell.
O Ali, the evilest of my people are those whom people respect for avoiding their evildoings. 3
O Ali, the evilest people are those who sold their lives to come with their worldly lives.
____________
2. This means that such a person does not deserve to intercede for anybody or be interceded by anyone, for his omission of dedicating a one-third of his will to charity.
3. In other way of narration, the word 'obscene language' replaces the word 'evildoing'.
( 60 )
وشرّ من ذلك من باع آخرته بدنيا غيره.
يا عليُّ، مَن لم يقبل العذر من متنصّل صادقاً كان أو كاذباً، لم ينل شفاعتي.
يا عليُّ، إنّ الله عزّ وجلّ أحبّ الكذب في الصلاح، وأبغض الصدق في الفساد.
يا عليّ، مَن ترك الخمر لغير الله سقاه الله من الرحيق المختوم.
فقال عليّ عليه السلام: لغير الله؟
قال: نعم، والله صيانة لنفسه يشكره الله على ذلك.
Those who sold their lives to come with others' worldly lives are eviler than the previous. O Ali, he who rejects an apology, whether true or false, will be deprived of my Intercession (on
the Day of Resurrection). O Ali, Allah liked telling lies for the purpose of conciliation and disliked telling truths for the purpose of antagonism.4 O Ali, for those who give up drinking wines
for sake of something other than Allah, Allah will serve them with the sealed wine of Paradise. Ali (a) wondered: "Even if it is for sake of something other than Allah?"
The Prophet (s) answered: Yes, it is. Even if he gives it up for saving himself (from its disadvantages). Allah will thank him for so.5
____________
4. It is clearly evident that it is unlawful to tell untruths and that lying is reckoned as same as any other act of disobedience to God. In case it is either to tell untruth or commit a
matter that is more serious, it becomes obligatory to prefer the more serious matter, because reason judges the necessity of preferring the more serious matter in case of competition between two
matters one of which should be preferred. When the salvation of a drowned person requires the omission of an obligatory matter, it is rational to omit the obligatory matter for the purpose of
being able to live out the most important matter, which is saving a drowned person. Al-Kulayni related: Muawiya bin Yessar narrated that Imam As-Sadiq (a) said: The reformer is not
liar.
5. Except for drinking wines, the intention is conditional for gaining the reward of giving up any act of disobedience to God. Many narratives confirm this fact.
( 61 )
يا عليّ، شارب الخمر لا يقبل الله عزّ وجلّ صلواته أربعين يوماً، فإن مات في الأربعين مات كافراً.
يا عليّ، كلّ مسكر حرام، وما أسكر كثيره فالجرعة منه حرام.
يا عليّ، جُعلت الذنوب كلّها في بيت، وجُعل مفاتحها شرب الخمر.
يا عليّ، يأتي على شارب الخمر ساعة لا يعرف فيها ربّه عزّ وجلّ.
يا عليّ، إنّ إزالة الجبال الرّواسي أهون من إزالة ملك موكّل لم تنقص أيامه.
يا عليّ، مَن لم ينتفع بدينه ولا دنياه فلا خير في مجالسته.
O Ali, the drinker of wines is as same as the idolater.6
O Ali, for the drinkers of wine, Allah will not accept their prayers for forty days. If they die in this period, they will be regarded as the atheists.
O Ali, any intoxicating drink is haram -prohibited-. A single dose of a drink whose much amount causes intoxication is haram.
O Ali, all the sins are situated in a house whose key is drinking wines.
O Ali, an hour comes upon the drinkers of wines in which they do not acknowledge their Almighty Lord.
O Ali, the drinker of wines is as same as the idolater.
O Ali, for the drinkers of wines, Allah will not accept their prayers for forty days. If they die in this period, they will be regarded as the atheists.
O Ali, to move a mountain from its place is easier than trying to ruin a power in other than its deadline.
O Ali, it is worthless to sit with him who does not benefit by his religion and his worldly life.7
____________
6. This means that the drunken will suffer the same punishment that is decided for the idolaters. This is for the fact that the idolaters will be in Hell forever, while the drinkers of
wines are punished as same as the committers of one of the grand sins.
7. In al-Faqih and al-Bihar, this statement is recorded in the following form: "It is worthless to sit with him whom you do not benefit by his religion or world."
( 62 )
ومَن لم يوجب لك فلا توجب له ولا كرامة. يا عليّ، ينبغي أن يكون في المؤمن ثمان خصال: وقارُ عند الهزاهز، وصبر عند البلاء، وشكر عند الرخاء، وقنوع بما رزقه الله عزّ وجلّ، لا يظلم الأعداء، ولا
يتحامل على الأصدقاء، بدنه منه في تعب، والناس منه في راحة. يا عليّ، أربعة لا تردّ لهم دعوة: إمام عادل، ووالد لولده، والرجل يدعو لأخيه بظهر الغيب، والمظلوم. يقول الله عزّ وجلّ: وعزّتي وجلالي
لأنتصرنّ لك ولو بعد حين. يا عليّ، ثمانية إن اُهينوا فلا يلومنَّ إلاّ أنفسهم:
You should not respect or honor him who did not respect and honor you.
O Ali, the (faithful) believer should enjoy eight characters: he should be venerable in shaking situations, steadfast against misfortunes, thankful in luxury, satisfied with what Allah has
decided for him, avoid oppressing the enemies, avoid overtaxing the associates, should fatigue his body, and make people feel glad with him.
O Ali, the prayers of four classes of people are never refuted: the just rulers, fathers when they pray for their sons, people who pray for their brothers secretly, and the oppressed. Allah
says: By My glory and majesty I take the oath, I will give triumph to the oppressed even if a long period passes.
O Ali, eight classes of people should blame no one but themselves if they are insulted.
( 63 )
الذاهب إلى مائدة لم يدع إليها، والمتأمّر على ربّ البيت، وطالب الخير من أعدائه، وطالب الفضل من اللئام، والداخل بين اثنين في سرٍّ لم يُدخلاه فيه، والمستخفّ بالسلطان، والجالس في مجلس ليس له
بأهل، والمقبل بالحديث على من لا يسمع منه. يا عليّ، حرّم الله الجنّة على كلّ فحّاش بذيّ لا يبالي ما قال، ولا ما قيل له. يا عليّ، طوبى لمن طال عمره وحسن عمله. يا عليّ، لا تمزح، فيذهب بهاؤك، ولا
تكذب فيذهب نورك.
They are: he who attends a banquet without invitation, he who behaves imperiously upon the owner, he who seeks goodness from his enemies, he who seeks favors from the mean ones, he who
intrudes himself in a secret matter of two persons, he who mocks at the rulers, he who sits himself in an improper place, and he who speaks to him who does not listen to him. O Ali, for every
obscene, indecent, and shameless individual who does not care for his speech or for what is said to him, Allah has banned him from being in Paradise.
O Ali, blessed is he whose age is long and deeds are good.
O Ali, do not joke lest, you will lose respect, and do not tell untruths; lest, you will lose illumination.
( 64 )
وإيّاك وخصلتين: الضجر والكسل، فانّك إن ضجرت لم تصبر على حقّ، وإن كسلت لم تؤدِّه. يا عليّ، لكلّ ذنب توبة إلاّ سوء الخلق، فإنّ صاحبه كلّما خرج من ذنب، دخل في ذنب آخر. يا عليّ، أربعة أسرع شيء
عقوبة: رجل أحسنت إليه فكافأك بالإحسان إساءةً، ورجل لا تبغي عليه وهو يبغى عليك، ورجل عاهدته على أمر فوفيت له وغدر بك، ورجل وصل قرابته فقطعوه. يا عليّ، مَن استولى عليه الضجر رحلت عنه الراحة. يا
عليّ، اثني عشرة خصلة ينبغي للرجل المسلم أن يتعلّمها على المائدة: أربع منها فريضة، وأربع منها سنّة، وأربع منها أدب.
Beware of two characters: indolence and laziness, for if you are indolent, you will not stand the right and if you are lazy, you will not fulfill the right properly. O Ali, every sin can be
repented except bad mannerism. Whenever the ill-mannered quits a sin, he enters into another.
O Ali, four matters are the quickest in punishment: to recompense the favor with mistreatment, to trespass him who does not show hostility, to break the faith of the party who keeps up his
faith, and to rupture the relations with the relatives who regard you properly. O Ali, rest will depart him who is predominated by indolence. O Ali, a Muslim should enjoy twelve characters in
regard with sitting to the dining tables, four of which are obligatory, four are recommendable, and four are ethical.
( 65 )
فأمّا الفريضة: فالمعرفة بما يأكل، والتسمية، والشكر، والرضا. وأمّا السنّة: فالجلوس على الرجل اليسرى، والأكل بثلاث أصابع، وأن يأكل ممّا يليه، ومصّ الأصابع. وأمّا الأدب: فتصغير اللقمة، والمضغ
الشديد، وقلّة النظر في وجوه الناس، وغسل اليدين. يا عليّ، خلق الله عزّ وجلّ الجنّة من لبنتين، لبنة من ذهب ولبنة من فضّة، وجعل حيطانها الياقوت، وسقفها الزبرجد، وحصاها اللؤلؤ، وترابها الزعفران
والمسك الأذفر، ثم قال لها: تكلّمي، فقالت: لا إله إلاّ الله الحيّ القيّوم، قد سعد من يدخلني.
The four obligatory characters are to know what to eat, begin with bismillahirrahmanirraheem (In the Name of Allah, the Compassionate, the Merciful), thank, and satisfy (yourself with the
food). The four recommendable characters are to rely on the left leg, eat with three fingers, eat from only what is before you, and suck the fingers. The four ethical characters are to make the
bite as small as possible, chew the food properly, avoid looking in people's faces, and wash the hands.
O Ali, Allah created Paradise from two adobes: golden and silver. He created the walls from corundum, the ceiling from aquamarine, the pebbles from pearl, and the dust from saffron and
odorous musk. Then Allah ordered it to speak; hence, Paradise said: "No god but Allah the Everlasting the Eternal. He who enters me will be surely happy."
( 66 )
قال الله جلّ جلاله: وعزّتي وجلالي لا يدخلها مدمن خمر ولا نمّام ولا ديّوث ولا شرطيّ ولا مخنّث ولا نبّاش ولا عشّار ولا قاطع رحم ولا قدريّ. يا عليّ، كفر بالله العظيم من هذه الاُمّة عشرة:
القتّات، والساحر، والديّوث، وناكح المرأة حراماً في دبرها، وناكح البهيمة، ومَن نكح ذات محرم، والساعي في الفتنة، وبائع السلاح من أهل الحرب، ومانع الزكاة، ومن وجد سعة فمات ولم يحجّ. يا عليّ، لا
وليمة إلاّ في خمسة: في عرس، وخرس، وعذار، ووكار، وركاز; فالعرس التزويج، والخرس النفاس بالولد، والعذار الختان، والوكار في شراء الدار، والركاز يقدم من مكّة.
Allah, the Exalted, then said: "By My glory and majesty I swear, the alcoholic, the talebearers, the pimps, the detectives, the effeminate, the gravediggers, the tithers, the disregarders
(of their relatives), and the Qadarites8 -all these shall not enter Paradise." O Ali, ten people of this umma disbelieve in Almighty Allah. They are: the talebearer, the sorcerer, the pimp, he
who copulates with a lady annally illegally, he who copulates with an animal, he who copulates with married ladies, the agitator, he who sells weapons to the parties of war, he who refrains from
defraying the zakat, and he who dies before he performs the obligatory hajj while he was wealthy enough to do so.
O Ali, banquets should be served only in five situations: wedding parties, birth of male babies, circumcision, purchase of houses, and arrival from Mecca (after performing the
hajj).
____________
8. Qadariya, in Islam, are the adherents of the doctrine of free will.
( 67 )
يا عليّ، لا ينبغي للعاقل أن يكون ظاعناً إلاّ في ثلاث: مرمّة لمعاش، أو تزوّد لمعاد، أو لذّة في غير محرّم. يا عليّ، ثلاث من مكارم الأخلاق في الدنيا والآخرة: أن تعفو عمّن ظلمك، وتصل من قطعك،
وتحلم عمّن جهل عليك. يا عليّ، بادر بأربع قبل أربع: شبابك قبل هرمك، وصحّتك قبل سقمك، وغناك قبل فقرك، وحياتك قبل موتك. يا عليّ، كره الله عزّ وجلّ لاُمّتي العبث في الصلاة، والمنّ في الصدقة، وإتيان
المساجد جنباً، والضحك بين القبور، والتطلّع في الدور، والنظر إلى فرج النساء لأنّه يورث العمى.
O Ali, the intelligent should not travel except in three situations: in seeking the worldly earnings, getting supplies for the life to come, and gaining a legal pleasure.
O Ali, three manners are the charities of this world and the world to come: to pardon him who oppressed you, regard him who ruptured relations with you, and possess yourself when one's
ignorance inflicts you.
O Ali, employ four before the falling of four: employ your youth before old age comes upon you, employ your health before ailment comes upon you, employ your wealth before poverty comes
upon you, and employ your life before death comes upon you. O Ali, Allah disliked for my people to play during offering prayers, to remind those to whom alms are given of favors, to attend in
mosques while being ceremonially impure, to laugh among graves, to spy on houses, and to look in women's genitals, for this may cause blindness.
( 68 )
وكره الكلام عند الجماع لأنّه يورث الخرس.
وكره النوم بين العشائين، لأنّه يحرم الرزق.
وكره الغسل تحت السماء إلاّ بمئزر.
وكره دخول الأنهار إلاّ بمئزر، فإنّ فيها سكّاناً من الملائكة.
وكره دخول الحمّام إلاّ بمئزر.
وكره الكلام بين الأذان والإقامة في صلاة الغداة.
وكره ركوب البحر في وقت هيجانه.
وكره النوم في سطح ليس بمحجّر وقال:
Allah also disliked (for people) speaking while copulation, for this may cause deafness.
He disliked to sleep in the period between the Maghrib Prayer and the Esha' Prayer, for this may deprive of sustenance.
He disliked washing oneself (naked) outdoors unless an apron is put on.
He disliked being in rivers very naked, for they are inhabited by angels.
He disliked being in bathrooms very naked unless an apron is put on.
He disliked speaking between the azan and iqama of the Fajr Prayer.
He disliked embarking on a ship in seaways.
He disliked to sleep on a surface (of a house) without a fence and said:
