A Treasury of Virtues

Sayings, Sermons, and Teachings of 'Ali, with the One Hundred Proverbs, attributed to al-Jahiz

al-Qadi al-Quda'i, Tahera Qutbuddin

• Publisher: NYU Press
• Year: 2016
• ISBN:
  9781479888429
• Topic: Literature
• Subtopic: Middle Eastern Literary Collections
• Index: Literature

ATreasury of Virtues is a collection of sayings, sermons, and teachings attributed to 'Ali ibn Abi Talib (d. 40 H/661 AD), the cousin and son-in-law of the Prophet Muhammad, the first Shia Imam and the fourth Sunni Caliph. An acknowledged master of Arabic eloquence and a sage of Islamic wisdom, 'Ali was renowned for his eloquence: his words were collected, quoted, and studied over the centuries, and extensively anthologized, excerpted, and interpreted.
Of the many compilations of 'Ali’s words, A Treasury of Virtues, compiled by the Fatimid Shafi'i judge al-Quda'i (d. 454 H/1062 AD),arguably possesses the broadest compass of genres and the largest variety of themes.Included are aphorisms, proverbs, sermons, speeches, homilies, prayers, letters, dialogues, and verse, all of which provide instruction on how to be a morally upstanding human being.The shorter compilation included here, One Hundred Proverbs, is attributed to the eminent writer al-Jahiz (d. 255 H/869 AD). This volume presentsthe first English translation of both of these important collections.

A TREASURY OF VIRTUES

Sayings, Sermons, and Teachings of ʿAlī

IN THE NAME OF GOD, THE COMPASSIONATE, THE MERCIFUL

0.1

God be praised! His knowledge encompasses all things, his judgment and rule direct every creature, and his forgiveness and forbearance envelop all his servants. He grants wisdom to whomsoever he wishes among his elect, and he chooses for that wisdom the sincere among his select, as a grace from him and a great favor—for «whosoever is granted wisdom is granted much good.»¹ God is most high, wise, knowing, «there is none like him, he is the listener, the perceiver.»²

May God bless the one favored with the most eloquent tongue of wisdom, its clearest proof and exposition, its plainest evidence and authority: Muḥammad, the prophet of mercy, divinely aided by right-guidance and infallibility, who removed the veils of blindness and obscurity, so that the laws of belief shone forth, the banners of the Qurʾan became elevated, tongues declared God’s oneness, and the falsehoods of error and calumny disintegrated. May he bless Muḥammad’s progeny, whom he selected as legatees for his book, and to whom he gifted the largest share of his reward; he made them guides for the community, and judges and upholders of the laws of his religion. May he bestow well-being upon him and upon them.

I collected into a book twelve hundred testaments, maxims, counsels, and directions for refined behavior from the Traditions of the messenger of God, calling it Light in the Heavens (Kitāb al-Shihāb). Upon its completion, one of my brothers asked me to collect approximately the same number of sayings from the words of the commander of the faithful, ʿAlī ibn Abī Ṭālib. He asked me to rely on texts that I have myself transmitted and those in books written by people I trust, asking that I present them uninterruptedly, omitting the chains of transmission, just as I did in Light in the Heavens. I accordingly sought God’s guidance, and collected materials from ʿAlī’s words, eloquent sayings, wise maxims, counsels, directions for refined behavior, answers to questions, prayers, supplications, preserved verse, and allegories. I produced nine chapters divided by genre, as follows:

1 The first chapter on valuable sayings transmitted from him.

2 The second chapter on censure of this world and exhortations to reject worldliness transmitted from him.

3 The third chapter on counsels transmitted from him.

4 The fourth chapter on prescriptions and proscriptions transmitted from him.

5 The fifth chapter on questions and answers to questions transmitted from him.

6 The sixth chapter on sayings with unusual words transmitted from him.

7 The seventh chapter on unique sayings and pithy words transmitted from him.

8 The eighth chapter on his prayers and supplications.

9 The ninth chapter on verse composed by him that I have come across.

I have placed next to every text that I transmit a mark indicating its narrator, which I shall explain at the end of the book. I have included the chains of transmission for the long reports, and indicated by the letter J those I have found in texts without continuous aural transmission.³

I ask God Most High for direction so that I may do what pleases him, and for aid to undertake this task, a task whose undertaking will bring me closer to him. He is my sufficiency, and he is the best guardian.

CHAPTER 1

WISE SAYINGS

1.1

The best experience gives good counsel.

1.2

The best kinsman suffices in times of need.

1.3

The best words are backed by deeds.

1.4

The best country is one that sustains you.

1.5

The best affairs are those in the middle.

1.6

Every affair has a consequence.

1.7

Every life has an appointed end.

1.8

Everything that moves forward turns back.

1.9

Everything has its fodder; you are Death’s.

1.10

A trader takes risks.

1.11

Constancy is a sign of character.

1.12

Friends are like kin.

1.13

Poverty humiliates.

1.14

Justice comforts.

1.15

The quarrelsome have no shame.

1.16

Delay causes waste.

1.17

Greed debases.

1.18

Fornication begets poverty.

1.19

Generosity attracts affection.

1.20

Depravity isolates.

1.21

Dishonor bankrupts.

1.22

Incapacity is a form of wretchedness.

1.23

Incapacity is a calamity.

1.24

To hasten is to fall.

1.25

Tardiness wearies.

1.26

Forbearance is a form of courage.

1.27

Cowardice is a defect.

1.28

Stinginess is a vice.

1.29

Falsehood is a disgrace.

1.30

Prudence is smart.

1.31

Refinement elevates.

1.32

Wantonness is like its name.⁴

1.33

Obstruction is a sign of hatred.

1.34

Too many excuses are a sign of stinginess.

1.35

False accusations cause discord.

1.36

Waiting on God’s succor is a form of worship.

1.37

Thought is a polished mirror.

1.38

Cheerfulness is the marrow of friendship.

1.39

Patience is a shield against destitution.

1.40

Greed is a sign of impoverishment.

1.41

To shirk is to wear humiliation’s robes.

1.42

Affection is a valuable form of kinship.

1.43

Conceit is the enemy of good judgment.

1.44

A lesson learned counsels best.

1.45

A lesson learned guides you aright.

1.46

Avarice disgusts.

1.47

A friend is true in your absence.

1.48

Desire blinds.

1.49

Falsehoods beget blame.

1.50

Teasing bequeaths malice.

1.51

Effort is the most profitable commodity.

1.52

Frugality increases what little you have.

1.53

Discord destroys prosperity.

1.54

A wise man’s heart is a vault for his secrets.

1.55

The real exile is the person who has no-one to love.

1.56

A pauper is an exile in his hometown.

1.57

Forbearance is a tomb for shortcomings.

1.58

Conviction is the pinnacle of religion.

1.59

Compassion is the pinnacle of knowledge; harshness is its scourge.

1.60

Religion is a body; its head is knowledge of God, its spine obedience to him.

1.61

Well-being comes from uprightness.

1.62

Haste will be followed by a fall.

1.63

Supplication is the key which unlocks God’s mercy.

1.64

Almsgiving is powerful medicine.

1.65

Repentance is complete when you cease to sin.

1.66

Right guidance banishes blindness.

1.67

The one who carries your message is your intellect’s interpreter.

1.68

The one who sets right what you have done wrong is a friend indeed.

1.69

An intelligent man is counseled by experience.

1.70

A feared man is feared for his evil.

1.71

You protect your own secret best.

1.72

Oppressing the weak is the worst oppression.

1.73

Learning from experience is smart.

1.74

Decency adorns poverty.

1.75

Gratitude adorns affluence.

1.76

Gratitude and self-restraint are a shield.

1.77

Rejecting worldliness means desiring little.

1.78

Reject worldliness and you will draw closer to God.

1.79

Forbearance is an illustrious trait.

1.80

Knowledge is a noble legacy.

1.81

Thought is radiance, heedlessness is error.

1.82

Righteousness is exemplary, iniquity unsound.

1.83

Righteousness saves, iniquity destroys.

1.84

The cure for every illness is in its concealment.

1.85

Refined behavior is like new clothing.

1.86

Good character is your best companion.

1.87

Direction from God steers you best.

1.88

Refined behavior is the best legacy.

1.89

A just leader is better than abundant rainfall.

1.90

Better the companionship of the poor than the friendship of those who are wealthy but harsh.

1.91

Better a ravenous, devouring wild animal than a violent, tyrannical governor; and better a violent, tyrannical governor than lasting sedition.

1.92

An elder’s advice is worth more than a youth’s martyrdom.

1.93

Better turbidity in unison than purity in dissension.

1.94

Self-restraint combined with an occupation is better for you than gratification paired with dissoluteness.

1.95

The timid will falter and the meek lose their share.

1.96

Better to accept privation with grace than to solicit others.

1.97

Better good planning coupled with simple fare than plenty coupled with waste.

1.98

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