Allah (swt)
1. The one most worthy to pardon the transgressions of others is the one most capable of giving retribution. 'Ali (as)
2. Allah has placed obligations upon you do not cause them to go to waste. He has set boundaries for you do not exceed them. He has forbidden you from things do not violate them. He has remained silent concerning certain things but not through forgetfulness, do not burden yourselves with them. 'Ali (as)
3. One who sharpens the spearheads of rage for Allah is strengthened for the slaying of the strongest of the wrongdoers. 'Ali (as)
4. For Allah there exists a right in every bounty that He bestows, as for the one who discharges this right, he shall have an increase of it and as for the one who fails to discharge it risks losing it. 'Ali (as)
5. Loyalty to a traitor is betrayal in the sight of Allah while treachery to a traitor is loyalty in the sight of Allah. 'Ali (as)
6. Praise be to Allah, The First. There was nothing prior to Him. The Last. There is nothing after Him. The Apparent. There is nothing beyond Him. The Hidden. There is nothing other than Him. 'Ali (as)
7. Ash-Shaykh al-Kulayni reports in al-Kafi that Bishr ibn Bashshar al-Naysaburi as saying, "I wrote to the man (Imam al-Hadi as.) that people around us differ in respect to the Unity of God. Some of them attribute a body and some others a form to Allah. He wrote to me, "Glorified is He, Who cannot be defined nor qualified nor does anything resemble Him and like Him there is naught. He is all hearing, all Seeing."
Prophets
1. Musa (as) said,"Oh Lord! Show me the level that Muhammad and his nation have attained." The Lord (swt) replied, "Oh Musa, you will never comprehend it. However I will show you one of the stages from the great and lofty steps by which I have given excellence to him, you and all of My creations." Then He (swt) unveiled to Musa (as) the Kingdom of Heaven and Musa saw a stage and was about to perish from the Light and proximity to Allah (swt). Musa (as) said,"Oh Lord. By what have You made Muhammad (saw) reach this noble position?" Allah (swt) replied, "By his preferring others to himself which is amongst the morals that I favoured him with." Reported by al-Imam al-Sadiq (as), Mizan al-Hikmah.
2. Ahmad ibn Sulaman al-Qummi al-Kufi said, "I heard Abu Abdillah Ja'far ibn Muhammad as. say, 'Even a Prophet among the Prophets may be tested with thirst till he dies thirsty; even a Prophet among the Prophets may be tested at a deserted place till he dies naked; even a Prophet among the Prophets may be tested with diseases and illness till he dies; even a Prophet among the Prophets may come to his people, stay with them to enjoin upon them the obedience of Allah (swt), and call them to the absolute unity of Allah (swt), and yet he may not be spared for a night nor given an opportunity to complete his speech nor even be given patient listening before he is killed. Certainly, Allah, Most High, tests his servants according to His (swt) estimate of their station.'" Al-Amaali from al-Shaykh al-Mufid.
Imamate
1. There is no responsibility upon the Imam save discharging the obligations vested with him by his Lord. The giving of admonition and striving to guide the people, reviving the Sunnah, establishing the penal code upon the criminal and giving religious alms to the deserving. 'Ali (as).
2. O people I have indeed admonished you in accordance with what the Prophets have admonished their nations with and I have discharged the duties of the successors after them. 'Ali (as)
3. Indeed my example among you is like a lamp in utter darkness illuminating the path. Therefore listen and comprehend and lend me the ears of your hearts and understand. 'Ali (as)
4. Indeed our affair (Imamate) in severe and intense. It cannot be withstood save by a faithful believer whose heart has been tried by Allah. None can comprehend our talk except trustworthy hearts and men with serious temperament. 'Ali (as)
5. Al-Shaykh al-Mufid reported with an isnad that begins with Salman al-Farsi- The Messenger of Allah, pbuh, once appeared on the day of Arafah and said, "O, people, surely Allah glorified Himself because of you this day, so that He may pardon you generally and pardon 'Ali in particular." Then he said,"Come near me, O 'Ali." So 'Ali drew near and the Prophet took him by his hand and said,"Surely, the blessed, the completely and truly blessed is the one who obeys you and loves you after I have gone. And, surely the wretched, the completely and truly wretched is the one who disobeys you and shows his hostility after I have gone." Translation by Marhoom Mulla Asghar
Knowledge
1. No wealth is greater than intellect, no poverty worse than ignorance, no inheritance is better than good morals and no aid such as consultation. 'Ali (as)
2. As intellect becomes more complete words become fewer. 'Ali (as)
3. Retain a report through thorough comprehension of it not mere retention of transmitting it, for transmitters of knowledge are many while those who understand it are few. 'Ali (as)
4. Many a scholar has been destroyed through ignorance and has not benefited by his knowledge. 'Ali (as)
5. People are enemies to what they are ignorant of. 'Ali (as)
6. He said to his son al-Hasan (peace be with them both) 0 son, learn about four things and so long as you act in accordance with what you learn harm from these will not come to you. The richest wealth is intellect. The greatest poverty is foolishness. The biggest damnation is due to vanity. The noblest descent is through the excellence of morals. 0 son, be wary of befriending a foolish man for although wanting to give you benefit he will cause you harm. Refrain from befriending a miser for he will distance himself from you at the time of your need. Do not befriend a libertine for he will sell you for a petty sum. Do not befriend a liar for he is like a mirage that causes that which is distant to appear close and that which is near distant. 'Ali (as)
7. It is reported, in Bihar al-Anwar, that the Holy Prophet (saw) said, "One who develops his knowledge without growing in his detachment from the World, increases in nothing except his distance from Allah."
'Amr bi al-Maruf
1. The doer of good is better than it and the doer of evil is worse than it. 'Ali (as)
2. An evil deed, which causes repentance, is better in the sight of Allah than a noble deed that brings about conceit. 'Ali (as)
3. He who cautions you is like the one who gives good tidings. 'Ali (as)
4. One who places himself as a leader for people should begin with educating his own self before others and his training of others should be through his conduct before his tongue. A teacher and an instructor of his self is more worthy of exaltation than one who is a teacher and an instructor of others. 'Ali (as)
5. One who is in agreement with the actions of others is equally involved with them. The one who is involved in falsehood commits two crimes: the crime of committing falsehood and the crime of being satisfied with it. 'Ali (as)
6. Reprimand your brother [in faith] through showing him beneficence. Repel his evil by bestowing (gifts) upon him. 'Ali (as)
7. The Prophet, (saw) said, "He who initiates in Islam a good way gets his reward for it, as well as rewards similar to those who follow him into it, without reducing any of their rewards." (Muslim)