Imam Imam Ali ibn Abi Talib

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And then do not forget to set apart the best of your time for communion with God, although every moment of yours is for Him only, provided it is spent sincerely in the service of your people. The special time that you give to prayer in the strict religions sense is to be devoted to the performance of the prescribed daily prayers. Keep yourself engaged in these prayers both in the day and in the might, and to gain perfect communion, do not, as far as possible, make your prayers grow tiresome.And when you lead in congregational prayer, do not let your prayer be soRead More →

Imam Imam Ali ibn Abi Talib

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Alongside of the observance of all that I have said above, bear one thing in mind. Never for any length of time keep yourself aloof from the people, for to do so is to keep oneself ignorant of their affairs. It develops in the ruler a wrong perspective and render him unable to distinguish between what is important and what is not, between right and wrong, and between truth and falsehood. The ruler is after all human; and he cannot form a correct view of anything which is out of sight.There is no distinctive sign attached to truth which may enable one to distinguish betweenRead More →

Imam Imam Ali ibn Abi Talib

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Bear in mind that you do not throw away the offer of peace which your enemy may himself make. Accept it, for, that will please God. Peace is a source of comfort to the army; it reduces your worries and promotes order in the State. But Beware! Be on your guard when the peace is signed; for, certain types of enemies propose terms of peace just to lull you into a sense of security only to attack you again when you are off your guard. So you should exercise the utmost vigilance on your part, and place no undue faith in their protestations. But, ifRead More →

Imam Imam Ali ibn Abi Talib

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Never take counsel of a miser, for, he will vitiate your magnanimity and frighten you of poverty. Do not take counsel of a coward also, for, he will cheat you of your resolves. Do not take counsel of the greedy too, for he will instill greed in you and turn you into a tyrant. Miserliness, cowardice, and greed deprive man of the trust in God.The worst of counselors is he who has served as a counselor to unjust rulers and shared their crimes. So, never let men who have been companions of tyrants or shared their crimes he your counselors. You can get better menRead More →

Imam Imam Ali ibn Abi Talib

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Maintain justice in administration and impose it on your own self and seek the consent of the people, for, the discontent of the masses sterilizes the contentment of the privileged few and the discontent of the few looses itself in the contentment of the many. Remember, the privileged few will not rally round you in moments of difficulty:they will try to sidetrack justice, they will ask for more than what they deserve and will show no gratitude for favors done to them. They will feel restive in the face of trials and will offer no regret for their shortcomings. It is the common man whoRead More →

Imam Imam Ali ibn Abi Talib

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The Epistle In the Name of God, the All-merciful, the Ever-merciful Be it known to you, O, Maalik that I am sending you as Governor to a country, which in the past (1) According to Nahj al-Balaghah (Al-Sharif al-Radi’s compilation of Imam Ali’s words, letters, and sermons), the epistle begins with the following statements:Document of instruction written by Imam Ali for Malik al-Ashtar al-Nakhai when he appointed him as the governor of Egypt and the surrounding areas after the position of Muhammad ibn Abi Bakr, had become precarious:This is the longest document and contains the greatest number of beautiful sayings. In the Name of Allah,Read More →