A good collection of short maxims has been transmitted from the Prophet (a.s.) that are of wonderful eloquence, literature, and wisdom. Though brief, they show the top of eloquence and expressiveness, and they include the high Islamic morals and manners. The following are some of them:
1. “The farthest of you in being like to me (not like me) is the stingy, the obscene, the indecent.”
2. “The most hateful of men to Allah is a quarrelsome hostile.”
3. “Be kind to the weak, because you are endowed with sustenance and are supported for your weak.”
4. Do you like to be good hearted and to obtain what you want? Be kind to the orphan, pat their heads, and feed them from your food, and you shall obtain what you want.”
5. “Fear Allah and treat all your children fairly as you like them to be dutiful to you.”
6. “Beware of the believer’s insight because he sees by the light of Allah, glory be to Him.”
7. “Avoid anger.”
8. “Avoid wine because it is the key to every evil.”
9. “Avoid every intoxicant.”
10. “The most beloved deed to Allah is the most continuous one of them.”
11. “The most beloved deeds to Allah are the feeding of a hungry person, the paying of some(needy)one’s debt, or the relieving of someone’s distress.”
12. “The most beloved deed to Allah is the keeping (withholding) of one’s tongue.”
13. “The most beloved speech to me is the most truthful.”
14. “The most beloved food to me is that which hands are many at it (more people participate in eating it).”
15. “The most beloved one of your houses to Allah is the house that an orphan is treated kindly in.”
16. “The most beloved one of Allah’s servants to Allah is the most helpful one of them to His servants and the best of them in fulfilling His rights, who endears to them benevolence and the doing of it.”
17. “Beware of mistrusting people.”
18. “Throw earth on the praisers’ faces.”
19. “The most determined one of people is the best of them in suppressing his anger.”
20. “Be good neighbors to the blessings of Allah and do not make them run away, because it is seldom that they (blessings) leave a people and come back to them again.”
21. “Keep your tongue.”
22. “Pay the trust back to him who has entrusted you with it, and do not betray whoever has betrayed you.”
23. “Repel penalties by (avoiding) ambiguities (when hesitating whether lawful or unlawful), and pardon the slips of the notables except the penalties of Allah.”
24. “Invoke Allah while you are certain of His response, and know that Allah does not respond to an invocation from a neglectful, inadvertent heart.”
25. “If Allah gives you wealth, let the result of Allah’s blessing and honor to you appear on you.”
26. “If Allah wants goodness for a servant, He makes people be in need of him.”
27. “If Allah wants goodness for a servant, He makes him aware of the religion, abstinent in this life, and makes him see his defects.”
28. “If Allah wants goodness for a household, he endows them with leniency.”
29. “If Allah wants growth for a people, He endows them with generosity and chastity, and if He wants perishment for a people, He opens to them the door of betrayal.”
30. “When a ruler becomes enraged, Satan prevails.”
31. “When Allah gives one of you goodness, let him begin with himself and his family.”
32. “If you see an evil omen, let you keep on (action), if you guess, let you not judge, and if you envy, let you not be oppressive.”
33. “If you judge, be just, and if you speak, speak of goodness, because Allah is Beneficent and He loves the beneficent.”
34. “If you find that a man is careless of what he says or what is said about him, then he is either an adulterer or a devil.”
35. “When you see unsound people, pray Allah for good health.”
36. “When the worst of people prevails over them, and the meanest of people is the leader over them, and the sinful are honored, then let disasters be waited for.”
37. “If one of you does something, let him perfect it.”
38. “If you are powerful over your enemy, then make pardon as the gratefulness for the powerfulness over him.”
39. “If someone of you comes from a travel, let him bring with him a present, even if he puts in his bag a stone.”
40. “If two persons are talking with each other, let you not interfere between them.”
41. “If your leaders are the best of you, your wealthy people are the most generous of you, and your affairs are decided after consultation between you, then the surface of the earth is better to you than its interior (to live better than to die). But, if your leaders are the worst of you, your wealthy people are the stingiest of you, your affairs are decided by your women, then the interior of the earth is better to you than its surface.”
42. “If you have what suffices you, then do not ask for what may make you haughty.”
43. “When there shall be the Day of Resurrection, a servant’s legs shall not slip until he shall be asked about four things; his age how he has spent it, his youth how he has worn it out, his gains wherefrom he has gained and on what he has spent them, and about the love to us, we the Ahlul Bayt.”
44. “If man dies, his deeds stop except three; a continuous charity, knowledge that is benefited by, and a good child that prays Allah for him.”
45. “Remember Allah, because He is a supporter to you in what you seek.”
46. “The lowest of people is he who insults people.”
47. “There are four things that are from the signs of misery; inactivity of the eye (not cry), severity of the heart, far greed for the pleasures of this life, and the insisting on sins.”
48. “There are four things that whoever has had he shall be in the greatest light of Allah; he that the protection of his affairs is the witness that ‘there is no god but Allah and that I am the messenger of Allah’, he that when an affliction afflicts him, says ‘we are Allah’s and to Him we shall return’, he that when obtains good, says: ‘praise be to Allah’, and he that when commits a sin, says: ‘I pray Allah to forgive me and I repent to Him’.”
49. “There are four things that are required by every one of reason and intelligence from my nation; listening to knowledge, memorizing, spreading, and acting according to it.”
50. “There are four things whose littleness is much; poverty, pain, enmity, and fire.”
51. “Be merciful to a notable that becomes low, a wealthy one that becomes poor, and a knowledgeable one that is lost among ignorant people.”
52. “Be abstinent in this life and Allah will love you, and be abstinent to what there is in people’s hands, and people will love you.”
53. “Resort to secrecy in (many of) your affairs, because every owner of a blessing is envied.”
54. “Allah’s wrath is so great on adulterers.”
55. “From the most tortured people on the Day of Resurrection is one who shows people that he is good while there is no good in him.”
56. “From the most tortured people on the Day of Resurrection is a knowledgeable one whose knowledge does not benefit him (in the life).”
57. “The strongest of you is he who controls himself at anger, and the most forbearing one of you is he who pardons after having prevalence.”
58. “The most wretched one of the wretched is he on whom the poverty of this life and the torment of the afterlife gather together.”
59. “The most righteous one of people is the best of them to people.”
60. “Seek good health for others, and you shall be granted it for yourself.”
61. “Seek favor near the merciful ones of my nation that you shall live under their protection, and do not seek it near the hard-hearted ones.”
62. “Regard a friend due to his friend.”
63. “The most just one of people is he who accepts for people what he accepts for himself, and dislikes for them what he dislikes for himself.”
64. “The bitterest of your enemies is your soul that is inside you.”
65. “Give to a beggar even if he comes to you on a good horse, and give the employee his fee before his sweat shall dry.”
66. “The most important one of people in this life is he who regards no importance of this life to him.”
67. “The most reasonable one of people is the most of them in humoring people.”
68. “Deeds are (regarded) but by intentions and results.”
69. “Deeds are (regarded) by intention.”
70. “The taking of a present by a leader is ill-gotten, and the accepting of a bribe by a judge is disbelief.”
71. “The most inattentive one of people is he who does not take a lesson from the change of this life from a condition into another.”
72. “The wealthiest of people is he who is not a captive of greed.”
73. “Spread greeting, offer food, maintain kinship, and pray in the night while people are sleeping, and thus you shall enter the Paradise.”
74. “The best of friends is he who when you remember supports you and when you forget reminds you.”
75. “The best of deeds is the gaining in lawful ways.”
76. “The best of deeds is to cause delight for your believing brother, or pay his debt (instead of him).”
77. “The best of faith is patience and generosity.”
78. “The best of jihad is that when one does not intend to wrong anyone.”
79. “The best of good deeds is the honoring of companions.”
80. “The best of charity is reconciliation.”
81. “The best of charity is that a Muslim person learns knowledge and then he teaches it to his Muslim brother.”
82. “The best of charity is the keeping of the tongue (not to offend others).”
83. “The best of deeds is a truthful intention.”
84. “The best of virtues is to maintain relationship with one who has cut his relationship with you, to give one who has deprived you, and to pardon one who has done you wrong.”
85. “The best of people is he who is humble though he is lofty, is abstinent though he is wealthy, is fair though he is powerful, and is meek though prevalent.”
86. “The best of my nation’s jihad is the waiting for deliverance.”
87. “The best of you in faith are the best of you in morals.”
88. “The plague of speaking is lying.”
89. “Accept honoring (gift), and the best of honoring is perfume; the lightest in being carried, and the best in scent.”
90. “The nearest of you to me tomorrow in the Standing (before Allah), is the most truthful of you in speaking, the best of you in giving back trusts, the most loyal of you to covenants, the best of you in morals, and the nearest of you to people.”
91. “The least comfortable people are the stingy.”
92. “The least delighted people are the envious.”
93. “The least things available at the end of time are a trustworthy brother or a well-gotten dirham.”
94. “Pardon the slips of the people of mistakes.”
95. “The greatest of major sins is the mistrusting of Allah.”
96. “The greatest of major sins are the association (of others) with Allah, the killing of a human being, the undutifulness to parents, and false testimony.”
97. “The most satiate people in this life are the hungriest of them on the Day of Resurrection.”
98. “The most appreciated people are the most knowledgeable.”
99. “The most honorable people are the most pious.”
100. “Honor your children and educate them well.”
101. “Honor the knowledgeable because they are the heirs of the prophets. Whoever honors them honors Allah and His messenger.”
102. “Accept from me six things and I will assure to you the paradise; if one of you speaks, let him not tell lies, if he promises, let him not break his promise, and if he is entrusted, let him not betray. Lower your sights (do not look at what is unlawful to look at), hold back your hands (from harming others or obtaining what is unlawful), and keep your honors (private parts).”
103. “Eating in the markets is lowness.”
104. “Shall I guide you to the best morals of this life and the afterlife? Maintain relationship with one who has cut relations with you, give to one who has deprived you, and pardon one who has wronged you.”
105. “There may be a lust of a moment that causes a long sorrow.”
106. “Let no man be alone with a woman, for Satan shall be the third of them.”
107. “Put on new clothes and live as honorable.”
108. “Seek the neighbor before buying a house, and the companion (of travel) before the way.”
109. “Fidelity brings sustenance, and betrayal brings poverty.”
110. “I have been ordered to humor people as I have been to carry out the mission.”
111. “Hope is but a mercy from Allah to my nation. Without hope a mother shall not suckle a child, nor shall a planter plant a tree.”
112. “The most beloved servant to Allah is he to whom Allah has endeared benevolence and to whom He has endeared the doings of it.”
113. “The thing that I most fear for my nation from is every cunning hypocrite.”
114. “The most regretful one on the Day of Resurrection is a man that has sold his afterlife for the life of other than himself.”
115. “The most sinful one on the Day of Resurrection is the most involved one in falsehood.”
116. “The greatest sin to Allah is that when a man neglects those whom he is responsible of maintaining.”
117. “The things that mostly take people to the Fire are the two hollow things; the mouth and the private parts.
118. “Happiness and all happiness is in one’s long life that is spent in the obedience of Allah.”
119. “A reasonable one is he who believes in the oneness of Allah and obeys Him.”
120. “When a servant commits a sin, it shall be made in his heart as a black spot. If he gives up, repents, and seeks forgiveness, his heart shall be cleared, but if he returns to commit the sin, it (the black spot) shall be increased until it shall overcome his heart, and this is the rust that Allah has mentioned in this verse, (Nay! But, what they used to do has become like rust upon their hearts). Qur'an, 83:14
121. “Allah is not obeyed by force, nor is He disobeyed out of defeat, and He does not neglect the people in the kingdom, but He is powerful over what He has made them powerful over, and He is the possessor of what He has made them posses, then if the people follow the obedience of Allah, there shall be no preventer or repeller, and if they disobeys Him, and He wills to prevent them from it (disobedience), He will do…
122. “Allah, glory be to Him, likes lying in (making) righteousness, and hates truthfulness in (making) corruption.”
123. “Allah has revealed to me: be humble lest anyone should pride on another or anyone should oppress another.”
124. “Allah has natured the hearts of His people to love whoever does good to them, and to hate whoever does bad to them.”
125. “Allah the Almighty does not expose the honor of a servant who has inasmuch as the weight of an atom of goodness.”
126. “Allah repels by charity seventy bad deaths.”
127. “Allah, the Exalted, takes pride in a worshipping young man before the angels and says: look at My servant; he gave up his lust for the sake of Me.”
128. “Allah the Almighty hates the obscene, the indecent.”
129. “Allah the Almighty loves the assisting of the terribly needy.”
130. “Allah the Almighty loves leniency in all affairs.”
131. “Allah the Almighty loves from His people the jealous.”
132. “Allah the Almighty recommends you to be kind to women, because they are your mothers, daughters, and aunts.”
133. “Allah hates the adulterate old men, the oppressive wealthy, the proud poor, the importunate beggars, and He frustrates the reward of a reminding giver, and He hates the indecent, daring liars.”
134. “Allah loves when He endows His servant with a blessing that the sign of His blessing should be seen on him, and He hates misery and the pretending of misery.”
135. “Those, who love each other for the sake of Allah, shall be in the shade of the Throne.”
136. “A believer follows the manners of Allah; if Allah gives him much, he includes it, and if He stops giving him, he shall be abstinent.”
137. “Know that success is with patience, deliverance is with distress, and ease is with hardship.”
138. “We, the prophets, have been ordered to talk to people according to their own reasons.”
139. “The firmest ties of Islam is that you love for the sake of Allah and hate for the sake of Allah.”
140. “Deliberateness is from Allah and hastiness is from Satan.”
141. “You and your properties are to your father.”
142. “Keeping to one’s promise is from faith.”
143. “The best servants of Allah are the loyal, the good.”
144. “In the paradise there are a house called the House of Joy that no one shall enter into it except those who have delighted the believers’ orphans.”
145. “In wealth there is a due other than the zakat.”
146. “You can not include people by your properties, so include them by your morals.”
147. “These hearts become rusty as iron becomes rusty.” He was asked, “Then, how are they clarified?” He said, “By remembering death and reciting the Qur'an.”
148. “Allah has servants that He has created for (the carrying out of) the needs of people.”
149. “Allah has servants that He has chosen for the needs of people. People resort to them at need; they are the safe from the torment of Allah.”
150. “I but fear for my nation from three: obeyed stinginess, followed desires, and a deviant leader.”
151. “What has remained from this life is affliction and temptation.”
152. “Surely all goodness is obtained by reason. There is no religion for one who has no reason.”
153. “There is in poetry wisdom, and in eloquence charm.”
154. “From the rights of a child on his father is to name him with a good name, teach him writing and reading, and marry him when he is adult.”
155. “From the causes of forgiveness are the offering of greetings and the well speaking.”
156. “The firmest weapon of Iblis is women.”
157. “My Lord has recommended me with nine things; loyalty in secrecy and openness, justice at satisfaction and anger, moderation in poverty and wealth, to pardon one who has wronged me, give to one who has deprived me, maintain relationship with one who has cut his relation with me, and that my silence should be thinking, my logic remembering, and my looking (taking of) lessons.”
158. “I recommend you to feel shy of Allah as you feel shy of a good man from your people.”
159. “I recommend you of (being kind to your) neighbors.”
160. “The first thing that shall be weighed in the Scales (on the Day of Judgment) is good morals.”
161. “The people of oppression and their assistants shall be in the Fire.”
162. “Beware of greed, because it is the present poverty.”
163. “Beware of excessiveness in the religion, because those before you had perished because of the excessiveness in religion.”
164. “Beware of false reverence, that is when the body is seen as reverent whereas the heart is not.”
165. “Beware of the plant of dunghills.” He was asked what the plant of dunghills was and he said, “A beautiful woman in a bad origin (family).”
166. “Beware of two features; boredom and laziness. If you are bored, you shall be not patient with a right, and if you are lazy, you shall not carry out a right.”
167. “Beware of a bad companion, because you are known through him.”
168. “Beware of any thing which is apologized for.”
169. “Hands are three; begging, spending, and withholding (stingy). The best of hands is the spending one.”
170. “Whatever guardian that is not merciful to his subjects, Allah will deny the Paradise to him.”
171. “The believing in the fate removes grief and sorrow.”
172. “Faith is two halves; a half in patience, and a half in gratefulness.”
173. “O people, what has been transmitted to you from me that agrees with the Book of Allah, then surely I have said it, and what has come to you that disagrees with the Book of Allah, then surely I have not said it.”
174. “Pay charity in the early morning, because affliction does not exceed the charity.”
175. “The dutifulness to parents prolongs one’s life. Telling lies decreases one’s sustenance. Invocation repels the decree of fate.”
176. “Satiety hardens the heart.”
177. “Between the servant and disbelief is the giving up of prayer.”
178. “Before the Hour (the Day of Resurrection) there shall be seditions like parts of night (dark and ambiguous).”
179. “A merchant waits for sustenance and a monopolist waits for curse.”
180. “Talking about the blessings of Allah is gratefulness, and neglecting it (the talking) is disbelief. He, who is not grateful to the little, shall not be grateful to the much. He, who does not thank people, does not thank Allah. Unity is goodness and separation is torment.”
181. “The prize of a believer is death.”
182. “Giving up evil is a charity.”
183. “Shake hands with each other, and hatred shall disappear from your hearts!”
184. “Pay charities, because charity is your release from the Fire!”
185. “Learn knowledge, and learn calmness and gravity for knowledge. Be humble to those from whom you learn.”
186. “Be free from the griefs of this life as possible as you can, because whoever the (pleasures of) life is his greatest interest Allah will frustrate his skill and make his poverty between his two eyes, and whoever the afterlife is his greatest interest, Allah will manage to him his affairs and make his richness in his heart.”
187. “Think deeply about the signs of Allah and do not think about Allah (Himself).’
188. “Think deeply about the creation of Allah and do not think about Allah lest you perish.”
189. “Be humble to whom you learn from, and be humble to whom you teach, and do not be tyrant scholars.”
190. “Offer presents to each other that you shall be more beloved (to each other), emigrate (for the sake of Allah) that you shall bequeath glory to your children, and pardon the notables their slips.”
191. “There are three things that are from piety; generosity, good speaking, and the patience with harms.”
192. “There are three ones that the associating with them deadens the heart; the association with villains, the (often) talking with women, and the association with the wealthy.”
193. “There are three fatal things and three rescuing things; as for the fatal things, they are: obeyed stinginess, followed desires, and self-deceit, and as for the rescuing things, they are: the fear of Allah secretly and openly, the moderation in wealth and in poverty, and justice at anger and satisfaction.”
194. “Struggle against your desires and you shall possess yourselves.”
195. “The companions of Allah tomorrow shall be the people of piety and abstinence in this life.”
196. “Unity is mercy and separation is torment.”
197. “The beauty of a man is in the eloquence of his tongue.”
198. “The beauty of a man is in the tongue.”
199. “Beauty is in the tongue.”
200. “The love of (receiving) praise from people makes one blind and deaf.”
201. “Your love to some thing blinds and deafens (you).”
202. “War is trick.”
203. “The inviolabilities that every believer should regard and be loyal to are the inviolability of the religion, the inviolability of good manners, and the inviolability of food.”
204. “Allah has prohibited wine, and every intoxicant is unlawful.”
205. “Happy miens remove spite.”
206. “Good morals take their owner high to the degree of a fasting worshipper.” It was said to the Prophet (a.s.), “What is the best of that which is given to a servant?” He said, “Good morals.”
207. “Trusting is from the good worshipping.”
208. “Being loyal to covenant is from faith.”
209. “A good question is the half of knowing, and leniency is the half of living.”
210. “Better your clothes, and repair your saddles (mounts), until you become as a mole among people (noticeable).”
211. “Guard your monies by zakat, cure your patients by charity, and prepare invocation for affliction.”
212. “A lawful thing is what Allah has made lawful in His Book, and an unlawful thing is what Allah has prohibited in His Book, and what He has said nothing about is from what has been left optional.”
213. “The praise (of Allah) for a blessing is a safety from its disappearance.’
214. “Modesty is two; the modesty of reason and the modesty of foolishness. The modesty of reason is knowledge, and the modesty of foolishness is ignorance.”
215. “Modesty, all of it, is good.”
216. “Modesty is from faith.”
217. “Modesty is the whole religion.”
218. “Your service to your wife is charity.”
219. “The fear of Allah is the head of every wisdom, and piety is the master of deeds.”
220. “There are two features that do not exist in a believer; stinginess and bad morals.”
221. “There are two features that nothing of piety may be above them: the faith in Allah and to benefit the people of Allah.”
222. “There are two things that many people are deceived by; good health and leisure.”
223. “All the creatures are the household of Allah, and the most beloved of them to Allah is the most useful of them to His household.”
224. “The best of the believers is the satisfied one, and the worst of them is the greedy one.”
225. “The best of you is he the seeing of whom reminds you of Allah, whose logic increases your knowledge, and whose deeds make you wish for the afterlife.’
226. “Betrayal brings poverty.”
227. “The best door of piety is charity.”
228. “The best of affairs is the moderate one of them.”
229. “The goodness of this life and the afterlife is with knowledge, and the evil of this life and the afterlife is with ignorance.’
230. “The best of remembrance is that which is secret, and the best of sustenance is that which suffices (the need).”
231. “The best of charity is that which keeps richness, the upper (giving) hand is better than the lower (begging) hand, and you begin (in charity) with those whom you maintain.”
232. “The best of deeds is that you leave this life while your tongue is wet with the remembrance of Allah.”
233. “The best of gaining is the gaining of the worker’s hand when he is sincere.”
234. “The best of meetings is the biggest of them.”
235. “The best of people is the most useful one to people.”
236. “The best of people is he whose life is long and his deeds are good, and the worst of people is he whose life is long and his deeds are bad.’
237. “The best thing of religion is piety.”
238. “The best of your youths is he who imitates old men, and the worst of your old men is he who imitates your youths.”
239. “Goodness is too much, but those who do it are few.”
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