Some of the Shi’a name the following words of Imam As-Sadiq (‘as) as ‘dispersal of gems’:
1. Inconsiderate judgment causes discrepancy, criticism causes enmity, lack of tolerance causes scandal, divulgement of secrets causes meanness, generosity causes cleverness, and niggardliness is inadvertence.
2. To adhere to God, satisfy with His act, and trust Him—these three matters gather the good of this world and the world to come for him whoever holds fast to them.
3. He who neglects three characters will be deprived: they are to ask from the generous, associate with the scholars, and attract the attention of the powerful.
4. Religiousness, modesty, and generosity—these three matters bring about the affection of others.
5. He who disavows three will attain three: he who disavows evil will attain dignity; he who disavows arrogance will attain nobility; he who disavows niggardliness will attain honor.
6. Three characters bring about hatred: hypocrisy, oppression, and self-conceit.
7. He who does not have one of three characters is not regarded as noble: they are a mind that beautifies him, a fortune that dispenses him of people, or a clan that supports him.
8. Envy, talebearing, frivolity—these three matters cause degradation.
9. Three characters are not known only in three situations: the clement are known only in situations of rage, the courageous are known only in wars, and brothers are known only in situations of neediness.
10. He whoever enjoys three characters is certainly hypocrite even if he offers prayers and fasts: he who lies when he speaks, breaches his promises, and violates the trusts.
11. Beware of three categories of people: the traitor, the oppressor, and the talebearer. He who betrays others for your sake will surely betray you, he who oppresses others for your sake will surely oppress you, and he who bears others’ news to you will surely bear your news to others.
12. No one should be regarded as trustful before he keeps three things: funds, secrets, and honors. He who keeps two and betrays a third is not trustful.
13. Do not consult the foolish, seek the help of the liar, or trust in the affection of the weary. The liar brings near the remote and makes the near remote, the foolish does his best for you but cannot attain anything, and the weary disappoints you in your most reliable matter and breaks your most associated matter.
14. Four things do not have sufficiency with four matters: the land never has its sufficiency from rainfall, the eye never has its sufficiency from looking, the female never has its sufficiency from the male, and the scholar never has his sufficiency from knowledge.
15. Four conducts bring old age before its time: they are eating dried meat, sitting on wetlands, scaling the stairs, and copulating with old women.
16. Women are of three categories: one is for you, the other is for you and against you, and the third is against you. The one that is for you is the virgin. The one that is for you and against you is the non-virgin. The one that is against you is the mother of sons of another man.
17. He who enjoys three characters is surely a master: they are suppression of the rage, pardoning the wrongdoings, and regard (others) by means of soul and property.
18. Three things will inevitably suffer three matters: the horse will inevitably suffer a stumble, the sword will inevitably suffer a false strike, and the wise will inevitably suffer a slight fault.
19. Eloquence is in three matters: to approach the intended meaning, evade surplus wording, and explain big meanings with little words.
20. Safety lies in three matters: controlling the tongue, extent of the house, and feeling sorry for the faults.
21. Ignorance is in three matters; change of the friends, unproved seclusion, and spying on unconcerned affairs.
22. He who enjoys three characters will suffer from their bad turns: they are evil plots, breach, and rebellion. This is proved through God’s sayings:
Evil plots only affect the plotters. (35:43).
Consider the result of their plot. We destroyed them and their people altogether. (27:51).
As for those who disregard their pledge, they do so only against their own souls. (48:10).
People, your rebellion will only harm yourselves. You may enjoy the worldly life. (10:23).
23. Three matters stop man from seeking rise: they are lack of self-determination, lack of management, and lack of opinion.
24. Determination should be in three matters: they are serving the powerful, obeying the father, and submission to the master.
25. Amiability is found with three individuals: they are the compliant wife, the pious son, and the good friend.
26. He whom is given three characters will obtain three things: satisfaction with what is given, despair of what is in people’s possession, and avoidance of curiosity.
27. Generosity is worthless unless three characters are done: being openhanded in situations of prosperity and dearth, giving to the deservers, and believing that the thanks that he received from those whom he endowed is more valuable than what he had given to them.
28. Man is not excused in three matters: counseling with the well-wishers, treating the envious courteously, and showing affection to people.
29. Intelligence cannot be attained unless three matters are achieved: submission to the right whomever its party is, acceptance for people whatever is accepted for oneself, and treating the wrongdoer considerately.
30. Favors will not remain unless three characters are enjoyed: knowledge of matters that is incumbent for God the Praised in regard to the favors, showing gratitude for them, and avoidance of finding faults with them.
31. If you are inflicted with one of three matters, you will hope were you dead: ceaseless, scandalous indignity, and overcoming enemy.
32. He who refuses three will be inflicted with three: he who refuses safety will be inflicted with disappointment, he who refuses a favor will be inflicted with sorrow, and he who refuses having many friends will be inflicted with loss.
33. It is obligatory upon everyone to avoid three matters: associating with the evildoers, talking with women, and sitting to the heretic people.
34. Generosity is proved through three matters: well mannerism, suppression of anger, and turning the sight (from the forbidden views).
35. He who trusts three is cheated: he who believes the impossible, depends upon the distrustful, and acts greedily upon what he does not possess.
36. He who uses three characters is spoiling his religion and his world: he who mistrusts everything, believes every matter he hears, and accepts to be controlled by his wife.
37. The best kings are those who enjoy three characters: kindness, generosity, and justice.
38. Kings should never neglect three matters: protecting the borders, looking closely into the affairs of the subjects, and selecting the virtuous for the official jobs.
39. Three matters are obligatory upon the kings’ friends and subjects: the obedience to them, advising them in their presence and absence, and supplicating to God to give them victory and goodness.
40. Three matters are obligatory on the rulers for both the chiefs and the subjects: they must reward the doers of charity perfectly so that they will be urged doing charity increasingly, cover up the wrongdoers’ deeds so that they will repent and stop bad behavior, and combine all the subjects with fairness and justice.
41. Three kinds of people will surely worsen if the kings neglect them: a mischievous lazy individual who strays from the commons, a caller to a heresy whose slogan is enjoining good and forbidding evil, and people of a city who vote for a chief who prevents the king from applying the laws on them.
42. The intelligent should not underestimate anybody. The most people whom should never be underestimated are three: the scholars, the rulers, and the friends. He who underestimates the scholars will spoil his religion, he who underestimates the rulers will spoil his worldly pleasures, and he who underestimates his friends will spoil his personality.
43. The clique of the rulers is of three classes. One is charitable. It is the blessing of the ruler as well as the subjects. The second is caring for guarding what is in their hand only. They are neither praised nor dispraised. Yet, they are nearer to censure. The third is the vicious. They are doomed. The ruler is dispraised because of the existence of such a class.
44. All people require three things: security, justice, and fertility.
45. Three persons disturb the life: the unjust ruler, the bad neighbor, and the bad-tongued wife.
46. Residence is valueless without three things: gentle wind, profuse fresh water, and a productive land.
47. Three matters result in sorrow: boasting, pride, and competition in power.
48. Three characters are stuck to son of Adam: envy, acquisitiveness, and appetite.
49. If one of three characters is found in an individual, he will have them all in his excellence, solemnity, and beauty. They are piety, clemency, and bravery.
50. He whom is given three characters will be perfect: intelligence, beauty, and eloquence.
51. Safety will be the share of three categories until they attain their purpose. They are women until they give birth, kings until they die, and the absent until they return.
52. Three characters beget deprivation: insistence in beggary, backbiting, and mockery.
53. The end of three matters is bad: the heroes’ attack during wars in inappropriate opportunities even if they triumph, to have medicine while enjoying good health even safety is gained, and to ask the ruler even if they settle the needs.
54. Every man claims accuracy of three matters: his religion, his whim that overcomes him, and his policy of life.
55. People are of three classes: obeyed masters, equal individuals, and opposed people.
56. The pillars of this world are three: fire, salt, and water.
57. He who seeks three things wrongly will be deprived of three things fairly: he who seeks the worldly pleasures wrongly will be deprived of the world to come fairly, he who seeks leadership wrongly will be deprived of obedience fairly, and he who seeks fortunes wrongly will be deprived of having it permanently fairly.
58. Strong-minded individuals should not do three matters: they should not have poison as an experiment even if they will be saved, should not tell their envious kinsmen of their secrets even if they will not divulge, and should not work in seas even if their richness lies there.
59. People of any town should not dispense with three individuals for seeking their opinion regarding the affairs of their living and religion. If they lack the existence of such individuals, they will be regarded as uncivilized. Those are a pious knowledgeable jurist, an obeyed virtuous ruler, and a trustful erudite physician.
60. A friend is tested through three matters. If he does them then he is a true friend, otherwise he is false. You should ask him for some money, deposit some money with him, and cause him to participate in an unfavorable matter.
61. If people are saved from three things, they will be saved comprehensively: the obscene tongues, the bad hands, and the bad deeds.
62. A master will never feel quiet if his servant does not enjoy anyone of three characters: a religion that guides him (to the right), mannerism that makes him polite, and fear that precludes him (from committing evildoings).
63. Man needs three characters in order to live peacefully in his house with his dependents. He should stick himself to them even if they are not his nature: nice association, moderate affluence, and reasonable jealousy.
64. Every craftsman requires three characters without which he will not get earnings: skillfulness of his craft, fulfillment of the trusts, and attracting the customers.
65. The mind of him who suffers one of three misfortunes will surely be missing: a departing grace, an immoral wife, and a disaster in a dear person.
66. Courage depends upon three characters each of which has an advantage that the others do not have: generosity of souls, refusal of humility, and seeking fame. If a hero has these characters together, he will be the unbeatable champion and the most famous intrepid. If he enjoys them all in different degrees, he will be more courageous and more intrepid.
67. Three matters are obligatory upon sons regarding their parents: showing gratitude to them for any situation, obeying them in every matter they order or warn against except acts of disobedience to God, and advising them secretly and openly.
68. Three matters are obligatory upon the fathers regarding their sons: choosing good mother, choosing good name, and exaggerative discipline.
69. Brothers are in need of three characters so that their fraternity will endure lest, they will differ and hate each other: treating each other fairly, treating each other mercifully, and avoiding envy.
70. Relatives will surely suffer weakness and schadenfreude of their enemies if they ignore three matters: they should avoid envying each other so that they will not be various parties and, accordingly, lack unity, should exchange visits so that they will enjoy intimacy, and should cooperate so as to gain strength.
71. Husbands should never dispense with three matters in the course of their relations with their wives: they should use adaptability so as to gain the wives’ compliance, amiability, love, and morality, should use good demeanor as a means of gaining their love, and should improve their livelihood.
72. Wives should never dispense with three characters in the course of their relations with their good-natured husbands: they should guard themselves against any filth so that they win their husbands’ confidence in good and bad situations, should take care of them so that this will save them when they make a fault, and should show love to them through coquetry and good appearance.
73. Favor is not perfect without three matters: it is not perfect unless it is done as early as possible, regarded as little even if it is much, and not regarded as an obligation on the one to whom it is done.
74. Pleasure is in three matters only: in loyalty, fulfillment of rights, and offering help in misfortunes.
75. The evidence on judiciousness of views is three matters: good reception, good listening, and good response.
76. Men are three: intelligent, foolish, and wicked. The intelligent is that who replies when he is addressed, is right when he speaks, and understands when he listens. The foolish is that who rushes when he speaks, stuns when he talks, and does evil when he is incited. The wicked is that who betrays when he is entrusted and insults when he talks.
77. Brothers are on three categories: one is like food that you need every time. This is the intelligent. The other is like the malady. This is the foolish. The third is like remedy. This is the shrewd.
78. Three things confirm the status of their chooser: the messenger shows the status of his selector, the gift shows the status of its chooser, and the book refers to the status of its writer.
79. Knowledge is three: a decisive Verse, a fair duty, and a practiced tradition.
80. People are of three categories: an ignorant that refuses learning, a scholar whose knowledge weakened him, and an intelligent who works for this world as well as the world to come.
81. Strangeness is absent in three characters: good mannerism, abstinence of harm, and evasion of suspect.
82. Days are three: one is past and unattainable, another is present and should be used, and the third is not coming yet, and people have its hope only.
83. Faith will not promote those who do not enjoy three characters: clemency with which ignorance is refuted, piety prevents from seeking the prohibited things, and ethics with which people are treated courteously.
84. Faith of those who enjoy three characters is perfect: they are those whose rage does not take them out of the right, whose satisfaction does not take to the wrong, and who pardon when they are powerful.
85. People of this world need three characters: luxury without tiredness, abundance with satisfaction, and courage without laziness.
86. The intelligent should never forget three things: the expiry of this world, the change of conditions, and the unexpected disasters.
87. Faith, intelligence, and painstaking are three matters that are not perfect in anybody.
88. Brothers are of three kinds: one is that who offers his soul for you and the other offers his wealth for you. These two kinds of brothers are genuine. The third is that who takes from you what he wants and needs you for enjoyment. You should not reckon him with the trustful (friends).
89. The servants will not attain the reality of faith before they enjoy three characters: knowledge of religion, moderation of livelihood, and steadfastness against misfortunes.
All power belongs to God the High the Great.