Understand my testament and do not disregard it, for indeed the best speech is that which is is beneficial. "و تفهّم وصيّتي ولا تذهبنّ عنك صفحا فانّ خير القول ما نفع" Sometimes the act of implementing a will is ceremonial; in such cases it does not...

Understand my testament and do not disregard it, f...

"Istikhara" means to ask for good or to weigh the importance of an option and to select the best one.4 It also means to ask God to give him the best.5 But in the language of Shari’ah (or religion) it means to ask God for the best. We read in supplic...

"Istikhara" means to ask for good or to weigh the ...

"Sincerity in prayer" means that a believer should ask God only for his needs and in carrying the prayer out a believer should not be in doubt, neither should he employ hypocrisy. Regarding this, the Holy Qur’an says: وَادعُوهُ مُخْلِصِينَ لَهُ الد...

"Sincerity in prayer" means that a believer should...

19. Habituate yourself to patient endurance in afflictions; the best of moral traits is to constrain yourself to patience in the (path of) truth. وعود نفسك التصبّر على المكروه ونعم الخُلق التصبر في الحَقِّ The factor which protects man in confronti...

19. Habituate yourself to patient endurance in aff...

وتفقه في الدين" It is true that knowledge is light and ignorance is darkness; and it is also obvious that light is better than darkness, but lights are of different types. It is clear that knowledge is more important when it deals with excellent iss...

وتفقه في الدين" It is true that knowledge is ligh...

17. Bid others to do good and you will be one of them; reject evil with your hand and your tongue, and do your utmost to separate from one who does evil. ‘Strive in the way of God as is His due’ (ref.22:78) and do not let the reproach of any reproach...

17. Bid others to do good and you will be one of t...

“وَدَعِ القَولَ فِيمَا لا تَعرِف، وَالخِطَابَ فِيمَا لَم تُكَلَّف” In these sentences, Imam ‘Ali (as) emphasizes two ethical principles: 1. Do not talk on anything you lack information about. This is because your statements might turn out to be fal...

“وَدَعِ القَولَ فِيمَا لا تَعرِف، وَالخِطَابَ فِيم...

“فاصلح مثواك ولا تبع آخرتك بدنياك “ After the above 13 recommendations to his son, each of which is one stage of self-improvement, the Imam (as) comes to the following conclusion: My son, you should be aware that life does not include only these few...

“فاصلح مثواك ولا تبع آخرتك بدنياك “ After the abo...

“ وحذّره صولة الدهر وفحش تقلب الليالي والايام” Man is always confronted with unexpected and unfavorable events of the world: Sometimes disease, death, and misery of your beloved ones, and at other times, poverty, deprivation and depression, sometime...

“ وحذّره صولة الدهر وفحش تقلب الليالي والايام” Ma...

وبَصّره فجايع الدنيا"" Man selects a shelter for living which is safe from hazards and where the hardships will not threaten him; or else it is foolish to dwell in a place where you are not safe. Some, however, are involved in the life here and hav...

وبَصّره فجايع الدنيا"" Man selects a shelter for ...

وقرّره بالفناء"" Although a man may get involved in the remembrance of death, he may not be serious; neither may he be convinced. In this case, this remembrance will not be instructive. This is true in the case of those corrupted people who verbally...

وقرّره بالفناء"" Although a man may get involved ...

When a person is involved in his daily affairs and he neglects death and the eternal life, he gets ready for engaging in all sorts of sins and wrong-doing and surrenders to the temptations of Satan and to the whims and desires of his self. The most s...

When a person is involved in his daily affairs and...

g) My son! Be aware when you are stand before God tomorrow you will be asked about three things: About your youth and in what you wore it out; About your life, in what you spent it; About your wealth, how you earned it and in what you spent it. So...

g) My son! Be aware when you are stand before God ...

Although there are ample references to Luqman's wisdom in the books and in the poems of the past poets, we will present here some aspects of his wisdom as narrated in the books of traditions: a) “O my son! Do not let your heart be concerned with peo...

Although there are ample references to Luqman's wi...

The historians are not unanimous as to the status of Luqman. Was he a Prophet? When did he live? Nobody knows for sure. Most of the historians are of the belief that Luqman was a ugly-looking man from Nubia (in the Northern part of Sudan between Ethi...

The historians are not unanimous as to the status ...

Since wisdom is the most delicate and the greatest capital of life here and in the Hereafter, it is crucial that people in acquiring it put forth lots of attempt. It might be that acquiring wisdom could be hard or the person possessing it is not desc...

Since wisdom is the most delicate and the greatest...

Since the creation and Divine affairs are based on the principle of cause and effect, God's generosity is dependent on the capacity of the receiver. This is because God is "the most generous of the generous ones" and He is not jealous.27 Thus, some ...

Since the creation and Divine affairs are based on...

As we said, "hikmah is the realistic insight which in the theoretical and practical philosophy is a guide for man." Naturally, a person who has such great a capital enjoys the sublime human traits and is a perfect human being. But in the Qur’an and ...

As we said, "hikmah is the realistic insight which...

Hikmah or wisdom originally means "to arrive at rightousness by knowledge and reasoning." In the same way that a horse is made tame by giving it a bridle (hakamah), man, too, by acquiring wisdom and by arriving at the right through knowledge and reas...

Hikmah or wisdom originally means "to arrive at ri...

ونوره بالحكمة"" Wisdom is a truth which is taught by all Prophets.1 This is especially true in the case of our Prophet (S) who has put wisdom on his instructive agenda: "وَيُزَكِّيهِمْ وَيُعَلِّمُهُمْ الْكِتَابَ وَالْحِكْمَةَ"289 "… and tea...

ونوره بالحكمة"" Wisdom is a truth which is taught...

Anybody, who gets the elixir of certainty at his disposal and employs it in his belief and practical daily affairs, will have peculiar excellent spiritual moods and will perform extraordinary works, some of which are mentioned here: A) Godwariness ...

Anybody, who gets the elixir of certainty at his d...