Prophet, peace be upon him, His counsel to the Commander of the Faithful:

 In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.

(Narrated from the Prophet, peace be upon him and his family, regarding these profound matters.)

His counsel to the Commander of the Faithful:

O Ali, true certainty (*yaqin*) entails that you do not seek to please anyone by incurring the wrath of Allah; that you do not praise anyone for what Allah has bestowed upon you; and that you do not blame anyone for what Allah has withheld from you. For provision (*rizq*) cannot be drawn by the intense craving of the covetous, nor can it be averted by the aversion of the reluctant—Allah has ordained it. Through His grace, He has placed contentment and joy within certainty and satisfaction, while He has placed worry and sorrow within doubt and discontent.

O Ali, there is no poverty more severe than ignorance, no wealth more beneficial than intellect, no solitude more desolate than vanity, no form of support better than consultation, no intellect like sound planning, no noble lineage (*hasab*) like good character, and no act of worship like reflection.

O Ali, the ruin of speech is falsehood, the ruin of knowledge is forgetfulness, the ruin of worship is fatigue, the ruin of generosity is reminding others of one’s favors, the ruin of courage is oppression, the ruin of beauty is arrogance, and the ruin of noble lineage is boasting.

O Ali, hold fast to truthfulness — never let a lie pass your lips — and never engage in any act of treachery. Fear Allah as though you see Him; sacrifice your wealth and your very self for the sake of your religion. Embrace virtuous character traits, and shun those that are base and ignoble.

O Ali, the deeds most beloved to Allah are three:
i. Whoever fulfills what Allah has made obligatory upon him is among the most devout of people;
ii. Whoever abstains from what Allah has forbidden is among the most God-fearing of people;
iii. Whoever is content with what Allah has provided for him is among the wealthiest of people.

O Ali, three things are among the noble traits of character:
i. Maintaining ties with those who have severed them.
ii. Giving to those who have withheld from you.
iii. Forgiving those who have wronged you.

O Ali, three things lead to salvation:
i. Restraining your tongue,
ii. Weeping over your sins,
iii. Finding contentment within your own self.

O Ali, the foremost of deeds are three:
i. Treating others as you would wish to be treated yourself,
ii. Showing equality toward your brother in faith,
iii. Remembering Allah in every state.

O Ali, there are three categories of people who are considered "guests" (or honored visitors) of Allah:
i. A person who visits his believing brother for the sake of Allah — he is a visitor of Allah, and it is incumbent upon Allah to honor His visitor and grant him what he asks;
ii. A person who, after finishing one prayer, awaits the next — he is a guest of Allah, and it is incumbent upon Allah to honor His guest;
iii. Those who perform Hajj or Umrah — they are the "delegation" (or honored arrivals) of Allah, and it is incumbent upon Allah to honor His delegation.

O Ali, there are three things that bring their rewards in both this world and the Hereafter:
i. The Hajj (pilgrimage) dispels poverty,
ii. Charity wards off misfortune,
iii. Maintaining ties of kinship increases one’s lifespan.

O Ali, there are three qualities — without which no deed can stand firm: piety that restrains one from committing sins against Allah (the Almighty and Majestic); knowledge with which one can counter the ignorance of the foolish; and intellect through which one can interact tactfully with people.

O Ali, there are three types of people who will be under the shade [of God’s protection] on the Day of Resurrection:
i. A person who desires for his brother what he desires for himself;
ii. A person who, when faced with a matter, neither proceeds nor retreats until he knows whether it meets with God’s pleasure or His displeasure;
iii. A person who does not criticize a flaw in his brother until he has corrected that same flaw within himself — for every time he corrects one flaw in his own self, another appears, and a person’s own faults are more than enough to keep him occupied.

O Ali, there are three aspects of righteousness: a generous soul, kind speech, and patience in the face of harm.

O Ali, the Torah contains four sets of teachings: Whoever wakes up in the morning consumed by greed for the world, wakes up in a state of displeasure with God. Whoever wakes up complaining about a misfortune that has befallen him is, in effect, complaining about God Himself. Whoever approaches a wealthy person and humbles himself before him loses two-thirds of his religion. And whoever from this [Muslim] nation enters the Fire is among those who treated the signs of God as a mockery and a game. Four things are coupled with four others: He who gains power often acts selfishly, and he who does not seek counsel will eventually regret it. As you treat others, so shall you be treated; and poverty is the "greater death." When asked if this referred to a lack of dinars or dirhams, he replied: "Poverty refers to a lack of religion."

O Ali, every eye shall weep on the Day of Resurrection, except for three types of eyes:
i. An eye that stayed awake in the path of God;
ii. An eye that averted its gaze from what God has forbidden;
iii. An eye that shed tears out of fear of God.

O Ali, blessed is the person upon whom God looks — one who weeps over a sin that no one else in the world knows about, save for God alone.

O Ali, there are three destructive traits and three saving traits. As for the destructive ones: following one’s base desires, being driven by greed, and self-admiration. As for the saving ones: acting justly whether pleased or angry, maintaining moderation in both wealth and poverty, and fearing God — both in private and in public — as if you see Him; for even if you do not see Him, He surely sees you.

O Ali, there are four things for which the punishment comes most swiftly: a man to whom you have shown kindness, yet he repays you with ingratitude; a man who acts unjustly toward you, even though you have committed no wrong against him; a man with whom you have made an agreement—where you fulfill your part, but he betrays his; and a man to whom you extend the bonds of kinship, yet he severs them. O Ali, whoever possesses these four qualities has perfected his Islam: truthfulness, gratitude, modesty, and good character.

O Ali, asking little of others is immediate relief, while being frequently in need of others is a form of humiliation — it is, in effect, present poverty.