Maulana Ali’s (‘AS) Brief Commandment For Kumayl Ibn Ziyad

O Kumayl, begin every day with mentioning God’s Name and saying, “All might and power belong to God.”34 Depend upon God. Mention us, utter our names, and seek God’s blessings for us. With the previous sayings, encircle yourself and whatever is under your custody so that you will be saved from the evil of that day.

O Kumayl, God educated the Rasulullah (SAW) ; he educated me and I educate the believers and leave behind me the good education to the honorable people.

O Kumayl, I am the originator of every aspect of knowledge and Al- Qa’im (‘as) will be the sealer. O Kumayl, we are the offspring of one another. God is All-hearing and All-seeing. O Kumayl, follow no one but us, and you will be one of us.

O Kumayl, you need knowledge in every movement.

O Kumayl, before you have food, mention the Name of Him whose Name bans every malady and presents remedy for any ailment.

O Kumayl, share others with you on dining tables generously, because you will never endow anything to people. If you do so, God will reward you widely. When others sit with you for a meal, use good traits, relieve your sitter, and do not blame your servant.

O Kumayl, when you are on a dining table, take as long as possible time so that your companion will have his sufficiency and others will be bestowed from your food.

O Kumayl, when you have enough food, praise God for His provisions to you raising your voice, so that others will imitate you and your reward will be doubled.

O Kumayl, do not fill in your stomach with food, and leave a place for water and flatus. Do not leave a meal unless you still covet it. This will bring you health, since the source of physical health is few food and water.

O Kumayl, blessing is in the wealth of him who defrays zakat, offers to the believers what they need, and regards the relatives.

O Kumayl, give your faithful relatives more than what you give to the other faithful believers. In addition, treat them more compassionately and kindlier. Give alms to the poor.

O Kumayl, never disappoint a beggar. Give him even a grain of grapes or a half single date. With God, the almsgiving are growing.

O Kumayl, modesty is the best dress of the believers, chastity is his best beauty, learning is his honor, and negligence of gossips is his dignity.

O Kumayl, there is a degree of superiority with every people. Beware of discussing with the lowly even if they invite you to a discussion. Be tolerant and be one of those whom God describes in His saying:

When addressed by the ignorant ones, their only response is, ‘Peace be with you.’ (25:63).

O Kumayl, say the truth in every situation. Cherish the God-fearing ones, desert the sinful ones, avoid the hypocrites, and dissociate with the traitors.

O Kumayl, do not knock the doors of the unjust for associating with them and earning from them. Beware of respecting them or attend their sessions for God’s wrath will befall you. If you have to attend there, you should mention God uninterruptedly, depend upon Him, and seek His guard against them. Turn the head down, deny their deeds secretly, and glorify God openly so that you will be supported and saved against their evils.

Chastity, tolerance, and patience are the most favorable characters that the servants offer to God after their faith in Him and His vicegerents.

O Kumayl, do not show your poverty to people. Forbear it for God’s sake dignifiedly and secretly.

O Kumayl, you can inform your brotherly friend of your secret. Who is your true brotherly friend? He is that who does not disappoint you in misfortunes, does not leave you alone in troubles and sins, does not wait until you ask him for help, and does not let you inform him of your problem. You may lead him to straightforwardness when he is leaning.

O Kumayl, the believers should be the mirrors of each other; when they look at others, they should meet the needs and settle the problems.

O Kumayl, the believers are brothers. Brothers should never prefer anything to each other.

O Kumayl, if you do not like your brother, then you are not his brother. The true believer is he who follows our sayings. He who fails to reach him is acting imperfectly to us. He whoever acts imperfectly to us will not catch up with us. He whoever is not with us will be in the lowest class of Hell.

O Kumayl, every concealed matter should be divulged in some way. If we divulge one of our secrets to you and order you to keep it, you should never show it to others. If you do so, then no repentance will promote you. When no repentance will promote you, your fate will be Laza (a class of Hell).

O Kumayl, the divulgement of the secrets of Muhammad’s family (peace be upon them) is un-forgivable and intolerable. Except the faithful believers, do not narrate their sayings to anyone.

O Kumayl, in problems, say:

“All might and power belong to God,”35 so that they will be solved. In graces, say: “All praise is due to God,”36 so that they will be doubled for you. If your sustenance is slowed, you should seek God’s forgiveness so that it will be increased to you.

O Kumayl, by being loyal to us, save yourself from letting the Shaytan have a share in your wealth and sons.

O Kumayl, faith is either steady or shaky. Beware of having shaky faith. You will have steady faith only if you fit tightly to the patent path that will not lead you to a bend and will not take you away from the course.

O Kumayl, in obligatory acts, there is no permission. In recommendable acts, there is no force.

O Kumayl, your sins are more than your good deeds. Your oblivion is more than you reference to God. God’s graces to you are more than your deeds.

O Kumayl, there is no single piece in you empty of God’s graces and bestowment of good health. You should never neglect commending, glorifying, praising, thanking, and mentioning Him in every situation.

O Kumayl, do not be one from them about whom God says:

They forget about God. He will make them forget themselves. (59:19).

Hence, He ascribes sinfulness to them. He says:

These are the sinful people. (59:19).

O Kumayl, the high ranks will not be obtained through offering the prayers, fasting, and giving alms. The most important is to offer the prayer with pure intendment, acceptable act, and sound submission. You should regard when and what for you are offering the prayer. If it is not offered correctly and legally, it will not be accepted.

O Kumayl, the tongue receives from the heart, and the heart supplies the soul. Consider that with which you feed your heart and body. If the source is illegal, God will not accept your praising and thanking Him.

O Kumayl, you should realize and know that we do not permit anybody to breach the trust of anybody. He whoever relates that I have permitted anybody to breach the trust is surely wrong and sinful and his result will be Hell. I swear I heard the Rasulullah (SAW) say to me frequently just one hour before his death: “O Abul Hasan, give back what you are entrusted to its owner, whether he is pious or sinful, in big and small things even if it is a thread or a needle.” He repeated this thrice each time he said it.

O Kumayl, jihad should be only under the leadership of the just imam and spoils are legal only if a virtuous imam gives.

O Kumayl, without the advent of a prophet, the advocacy to God of any person including the pious believers will be either right or wrong. Moreover, it will be surely wrong unless God selects him for such an advocacy.

O Kumayl, the religion is God’s; therefore, He does not accept for anyone to call for it except the apostles, prophets, and successors of prophets.

O Kumayl, God is certainly generous, clement, great, and merciful. He attracts our attentions to His traits and orders us to follow them and invite people to adopt them. We did perform without slackness, put them into practice without hypocrisy, believe in them without disloyalty, and accept them without doubt.

O Kumayl, by God I am not slavish flatterer so as to be obeyed, I am not awakener of desires so as not to be disobeyed, and I am not coveting the food of the Bedouins, money of zakat so as to be called and given the name of ‘Amir al-Mu’minin’ (Leader of the believers).

O Kumayl, the seekers of the worldly pleasures will gain a vanishing and ending life, while we will gain a steady and continuous life.

O Kumayl, the all will be to the next life. We only hope for God’s assent and the high ranks of Paradise that He gives to the God-fearing only.

O Kumayl, he who will not live in Paradise will surely suffer a painful agony and permanent shame.

O Kumayl, thank God for His giving you success and for everything.

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