O Ali, a faithful believer must enjoy three characteristics: they are fasting, offering prayers, and almsgiving. Likewise, the false believer enjoys three characteristics: he flatters slavishly when he witnesses (a situation), backbites, and rejoices over the others’ misfortunes.
The unjust people must enjoy three characteristics: they dominate him who is less powerful than they are by means of their powers, they dominate him who is more powerful than they are by means of acts of disobedience (to God), and they support the oppressors.
The showy has three characteristics: he activates among people, he becomes lazy when he is alone, and he desires to be praised in all states.
The hypocrite has three characteristics: he lies in speech, breaches his trusts, and breaks his promise.
The indolent has three characteristics: he slackens until he neglects, neglects until he wastes, and wastes until he commits a sin.
The intelligent ones should always be active except in three situations; in seeking the worldly earnings, stepping for a reward, and gaining a legal pleasure.
O Ali, no poverty is harsher than ignorance, no fortune is more useful than the mind, no loneliness is gloomier than self-esteem, no activity like moderation, no piety like abstinence, and no ancestry like good mannerism.
Untruth is the epidemic of speech, oblivion is the epidemic of knowledge, reminding (others of your favors) reproachfully is the epidemic of leniency.
O Ali, whenever your sight falls on the new moon, you should say ‘Allahu Akbar’1 three times, and say: ‘All praise be to God Who created you and me and made you in various stages and made you a sign for all peoples.’2
O Ali, whenever you look in a mirror, you should say ‘Allahu Akbar’ three times, and say: O Allah, better my morals in the same way You bettered my creation.
O Ali, whenever a matter frightens you, you should say: O Allah, (I implore to You) by the right of Muhammad and Muhammad’s family, relieve my fear.3
Ali (as) said: I asked, “O God’s messenger, what are the words that are intended in God’s saying:
Then Adam received (some) words from his Lord? (2:37).
The Rasulullah (SAW) answered:
O Ali, God brought down Adam (from Paradise) in India, Eve in Jeddah4, the snake in Isfahan5, and the Shaytan in Maysan.6 In Paradise, nothing was better than the snake, which had four legs like a camel, and the peacock. The Shaytan entered in the interior of the snake and could deceive Adam. Hence, God got angry at the snake. He amputated its legs and said: “I will make the dust as your earnings and will make you walk on your belly. I will not compassionate anyone who treats you kindly.” He also got angry at the peacock because it showed the Shaytan the tree. Hence, He took its sound and two legs. For one hundred years, Adam stayed -in India- unable to raise the head to the heavens. He used to put the hands on the head weeping for his guilt. Then, God sent Gabriel the angel to tell him that the Exalted Lord sends His greetings to him and say: “O Adam, have I not created you with My hand? Have I not blown you from My soul? Have I not made the angels bow before you? Have I not given My servant, Eve, to you in marriage? Have I not lodged you in My Paradise? What for are you weeping, then? You should utter these words and God will surely accept your repentance. Say: All praise is due to You. There is no god but You. I had done wrong and wronged myself. Accept my repentance. You are surely the Oft-returning, the Merciful.” (These were the words that Adam received from his Lord Who accepted his repentance.)
O Ali, if you feel a snake in your luggage, you should allow it three times.
In the fourth, you should kill it, because it, in this case, is atheist.
O Ali, you should kill any snake that you see in your way. I have taken a pledge on the jinn that they should never be in the appearance of a snake.
O Ali, four characters are signs of unhappiness: they are solidity of the eye, hardheartedness, long hope, and fondness of the worldly pleasures.
O Ali, whenever someone praises you face to face, you should say: “O Allah, make me better than what he thinks of me, forgive my sins that he does not know, and do not blame me for what he has said.”7
O Ali, whenever you copulate with your wife, you should say: “In the Name of Allah. O Allah, take the Shaytan away from us and from what you will grant.”8 If it is ordained that you will be given a baby, the Shaytan will never hurt it (if you say these words).
O Ali, begin (your meals) with the salt and end with it. Salt is surely the cure of seventy diseases the least of which is psychosis and leprosy.
O Ali, use the olive oil. The Shaytan will not approach those who use the olive oil for forty nights.
O Ali, do not copulate on the night before the fifteenth of every (lunar) month and the night before the first of every (lunar) month. Have you not noticed that the insane are often affected on these two nights?
O Ali, if you have a baby, you should recite azan, in his right ear and recite iqama9 in the left. Thus, the Shaytan will never affect him.
O Ali, may I inform you of the evilest people?
Ali (as): I said, “Yes, you may, God’s Messenger.” He (SAW) said:
They are those who never forgive and never overlook. May I inform of those who are worse than those people are?
Ali (as): I said, “Yes, you may, God’s Messenger.” He (SAW) said:
They are those whose evil is not secured and good is not expected from them.