Bequest of the Prophet (PBUH) to Ali (R)

Bequest of the Prophet (PBUH) to Ali (R)
Main: Risalatu Imam As-Suyuti
Author: Jalal al-Din al-Suyuti (1445–1505 CE)
Translation: Manzur Ashraf

Bismillahir Rahmanir Rahim

The Bequest of the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wasallam to his cousin Ali Ibn Aru Talib (ra):

Khalid Ibn Jafar Ibn Muhammad (ra) narrated from Ali Ibn Abu Talib (ra),

Ali (R.A.) said, “I was told by the Messenger of Allah (S.A.W.)

said:

1. ‘Ali! As Harun (A) is respected by Musa (A), so is your status with me. But there is no prophet after me.’ I bequeath you something. If you accept it, you will live a happy and fortunate life, and you will die as a martyr. On the doomsday, your Lord will raise you as a Faqih and Alim.

2. Ali! The signs of a believer are three:
a. Salat, b. Wake up the night in worship c. Giving charity.

3. Ali! There are three signs of a hypocrite:
a. He becomes very attentive when he prays in front of people b. If he prays alone, he is heedless and hastily prays, c. He remembers Allah in assembly but forgets his Lord in private.

4. Ali! The Oppressor or tyrant’s signs are three:
a. Dominating the weak with strength, b. Take away people’s wealth by force and c. He does not distinguish between Halal and Haram food items.

5. Ali. There are three signs of Jealousy:
a. Flattering in front, b. Slander at the back and c. Rejoicing in times of sorrow of others.

6. Ali! There are three signs of a hypocrite:
a. He lies, b. He breaks the promise, c. Betrays the deposit, And d. advice is of no use to him.

7. Ali! There are several signs of laziness:
a. He is lazy in worshiping Allah, b. He performs the prayer so late that its appointed time has passed, c. He wastes and make errors.

8. Ali! There are three signs of repentance:
a. Abstaining from what is forbidden, b. Patience in the pursuit of knowledge, c. He never turns back to sin, as milk that has been milked does not enter the udder again.

9. Ali! There are three signs of wise people:
a. to despise the world, b. Being tolerant, and c. Patience in danger.

10. Ali! There are three signs of those who are patient:
a. He keeps the relationship with the one who breaks the relationship, b. He gives to the one who deprives him. and c. He does not curse him who wrongs him.

11. Ali. There are three signs of idiots:
a. Neglecting the obligatory worship of Allah, b. Talking excessively without the remembrance of Allah, and c. Finding out the faults of God’s servants.

12. Ali! There are three signs of a fortunate person:
a. Eating halal sustenance, b. Sitting with the wise, and c. Performing the five times prayer with the imam.
13. There are three signs of unfortunate people:
a. Eating halal sustenance, b. Staying away from knowledge, and c. Praying alone.

14. Ali! There are three signs of a devoted person:
a. He pioneers in worshipping Allah. b. Abstains from actions and things forbidden by Allah, and c. He treats well to the person who even mistreated him.

15. Ali! There are three signs of evil people:
a. He forgets obedience to Allah, b. He hurts the servants of Allah, and c. He does harm to the person who benefits him

16. Ali! There are three signs of a good person:
a. One who improves the relationship between him and the people through good deeds, b. One is saved from sin through piety, and c. He likes for others what he likes for himself.

17. Ali! There are three signs of God-fearing person (Muttaki):
a. He shuns evil company, b. Does not lie, and c. May also abandon some of the halal to avoid the haram.

18. Ali! There are three signs of a wicked person:
a. Predominance over the weak, b. Not being satisfied with little, and c. Not benefiting from advice.

19. Ali! There are three signs of a truthful person (Siddiq):
a. Not revealing personal worship (to Allah) to others, b. Giving charity secretly, and
c. Not revealing the problems to anyone.

20. Ali! There are three signs of wicked people:
a. Prefers to corruption, b. Afflicts to the servants of God, and c. Stays away from righteous deeds and the right path.

21. Ali! There are three signs of a lowly person:
a. To disobey God, b. Harassing neighbors, and c. Likes arrogance and brashness.

22. Ali! There are three signs of insulted people:
a. Abundance of lies, b. Excessive false oaths, and c. Expressing the needs to people.

23. Ali! The signs of Abiding person are three
a. Being obedient to God’s will, b. Suppressing one’s instincts (Nafs) for the sake of Allah, and c. Standing in front of Allah for a long time in worship.

24, Ali! The signs of the devotees are three:
a. Dislike wealth, b. Dislike praise and c. Dislike the haram.
25. Ali! There are three signs of a wise person:
a. Speaking the truth, b. Abstaining from haram, and c. Being polite in front of people.

26. Ali! There are three signs of a charitable person:
a. Forgives even though he is powerful, b. Giving Zakat, and c. Love to do charity.

27. Ali! There are three signs of miserliness:
a. Fearing the grave, b. Fear of beggars, and c. Not giving zakat.

28. Ali! There are three signs of patience: a. Patience in the worship of Allah b. Patience to refrain from disobeying God and c. To obey God’s orders
29. Ali. There are three signs of wicked people: a. Being safe from Allah’s trick and punishment, b. Despair from God’s mercy and c. Being afraid to accept Allah’s instructions.

30. Ali! On the Day of Resurrection, Allah will command a group of people to go to Paradise. After they reach the gates of Paradise, they will be taken back to Hell. When the Fire of Hell surrounds them from all sides, they will say, Our Lord! Wish we would enter hell before the sight of paradise! Then Almighty Allah will say, I have intended to do this to you. Because, you have spent your life in Haram, you have died in a state of sin, you have opposed me by the poets.

31. Ali! You greet any Muslim you meet. In this, Allah Ta’ala will write twenty good deeds for you, when you give charity, you will give what is better than what you have. Because what you donate in your lifetime, it will be more beneficial for you to donate after your death.

32. Ali! Do not pride yourself, Allah does not like the arrogant. You have pain in your heart because Allah loves the one whose heart is pained.

34. Ali! He who takes it back by giving, let him vomit and swallow it again.
35. Ali! You will be cheerful, and do not be sad.

36. Ali. If you take it for yourself, then working on other religion’s work with a people-showing mind is like burning the stored up.

37. Ali! You should act for the sake of Allah. Because Allah loves the deeds that are done for the sake of Allah, the act of deen on my Ummah is more subtle and secretive than the movement of ants on a smooth stone in a dark night. Riya is a small Kufri. Allah Ta’ala said, “So whoever desires to meet his Lord, let him do righteous deeds and not associate anyone in the worship of his Lord.”

38, Ali. Each new day says, O Bani Adam! I am the new day, I am your witness. So watch your words and actions. The night is similar. So you will do good deeds day and night.

39. Ali! You will never backbite anyone even if there is some fault in them. Because, all meat has blood. Atonement for slander is to seek forgiveness for the one who has been slandered.
40. Ali. If Allah Ta’ala honors you with four virtues, you have nothing to regret even if you get nothing else in the world. The four qualities are: a. Speaking the truth, b. Protecting deposits of others, c. Being free from needs and misery d. Protecting from haram foods.

41. Ali! By the grace of Allah you will seek Halal Rizk (sustenance), because seeking Halal sustenance is obligatory upon every Muslim man and woman.

42. Ali! Do not sit with the dead, because they only remember the dead. Ali (R) asked, O Messenger of Allah! Who are the dead? He said, “The rich and the worldly are those who lean towards the accumulation of the world as a mother leans towards her child.” They are the ones affected.

43. Ali! Be kind to the neighbor even if he is an infidel. Give good treatments to the guests even if he is a disbeliever. Be obedient to the parents even if they are disbelievers. Do not deprive a beggar even if he is a disbeliever.

44. Ali! The greatest thief is the one from which Satan takes part. Ali (saw) asked, O Messenger of Allah, In what form? He said, If someone gives less than a measure, even if it is a handful amount, his companion Shaytaan will snatch it from him. This is how devils gather their sustenance. And whoever travels in search of the Haram, Satan becomes his companion and accomplice. When he rides, Satan rides with him. And if one saves Haram sustenance, Shaytaan partakes of it. And if one does not recite Bismillah during intercourse with his wife, Shaytaan associates with his child. Allah Ta’ala says:

And incite [to senselessness] whoever you can among them with your voice and assault them with your horses and foot soldiers and become a partner in their wealth and their children and promise them.” But Satan does not promise them except delusion. (17: 64)

45. Ali! He who eats halal sustenance keeps his deen (religion) clear, his heart becomes soft, his eyes become tearful in the fear of Allah, and there is no obstacle to his supplications being accepted.

46. Ali! He who eats doubtful food, his religion becomes doubtful and his heart becomes dark.
47. Ali! He who eats haram, his heart dies, his deen becomes flawed; His heart becomes darkened, his faith becomes weakened, his du’a becomes hindered, and his worship decreases.
48. Ali! If Allah Ta’ala is displeased with His servant, he is given Haram sustenance. if Allah’s displeasure with that person increases, Satan becomes associated with him. It keeps him busy in worldly affairs, and keeps him away from Deen. To indulge in sin, Shaytaan tells him ‘Allah is Forgiving and Merciful’.

49. Ali! If Allah loves any of His servants, He delays in answering his supplications. The angels interceded for him and said, O Allah! Accept the dua of your servant. Allah Almighty says, Leave My servant on My mercy. You are not more kind to my servant than I am. I love the supplications and cries of My servants, I am well aware of everything.

50. Ali! He who calls people to the path of truth and people follow him, then he too will receive the reward of the deeds of the followers, but the reward of the deeds of the followers will not be diminished.

51. Ali! If someone calls people to something forbidden by Allah and someone does something forbidden in response to his words, then the caller will also bear the share of the sin, but the punishment of those who sinned by his call will not be reduced.
52. Ali. Allah does not accept any prayer without attaining purity, and Allah never accepts it if charity is given from any haram wealth.
53. Ali. No one’s repentance is accepted unless he stays away from the Haram sustenance and haram income.
54; Ali! Give charity for the dead, because Allah has appointed a number of angels to convey the reward of charity to the dead on behalf of the living. When they carry the alms-carriage to dead relatives and friends, they are extremely happy. After that they regret and felt sad remembering all the wealth they had left in Duiya. They say, O Allah. Forgive those who have given us charity and give them good news of Paradise. As you have given us the good news of paradise. We regret for all the wealth we left behind.

55. Ali! Be content with what you get from Allah. Because there is nothing more bitter than poverty.

56. Ali! Modesty is the religion. Modesty is the protection of the head and all that is connected with it, being careful what you consume (eat). The root of worship is engaging to the remembrance of Allah and being silent about other things.

57. Ali! Six things are influenced by Satan: a. yawn, b. vomiting c. Ejection of food or drink from the stomach to the mouth, d. bleeding from nose, e. All other sneezes except the first one, f. drowsiness.

58. Ali! You will pray at night atleast for the duration it takes to milk the goat. Because it is better to pray two rak’ahs at night than to go to the mosque and pray a thousand rak’ahs during the day. Those who pray at night are brighter (in face) than those who pray during the day.

59. Ali! For those who repent, reciting more and more Istigfaar is a strong fortress.

60. Ali! When a criminal makes a dua, and Allah knows that if this dua is accepted, there is inevitable destruction for them, then Allah says to the angels: ‘Give him what this person wants. Take measures so that his voice does not reach me’.

61. Ali! A person who shows gratitude when Allah rewards him and becomes patient when he is in danger, and asks forgiveness when he commits a sin, he can enter Paradise through any door he wishes.
62. Ali! Too much sleep deadens the heart and produces forgetfulness. The heart also dies with excessive laughter. Sin hardens the heart and produces more sleep.
63. Ali! If you need someone to ask for, ask someone with a radiant face. Because such a person’s heart is generous. And you will ask from shy people. Because all goodness lies in shyness.

64. Ali! A person who earns halal means to save honour and life, will cross the Bridge (on the day of judgement) with the speed of lightning. And Allah will be pleased with him. On the other hand, the person who earns the world by acquiring wealth in unlawful means, Allah will be angry at him when he shall face Him.

65. Ali! Whoever feeds a Muslim from lawful earnings, he shall record 1 millions of good deeds for him and shall atone for similar sins.
66. Ali! Allah Ta’ala decides what He wills about His servants. Allah is pleased with him who is satisfied with it. And whoever is displeased, Allah’s displeasure is for him.

67. Ali! When you say Takbeer in Salat, spread your fingers apart and raise both your hands up to your shoulders. And when you go into Ruku, place both your hands on your knees. And there is no gap between the fingers. And while prostrating, keep both your hands along your shoulders, then keep them together. Keep your right hand down on your left hand while saying Takbeer. I saw the angels of heaven to lay hands like. In it there is humility towards Allah.

68. Ali! Fulfill the need of your believing brother quickly. Because Allah will fulfill your needs quickly for it.

69. Ali! If someone comes to you with a need, you will think that the arrival is a special mercy of Allah to you. Allah Ta’ala probably has wished to forgive your sins and fulfill your needs.

70. Ali! When a guest comes to you, you will respect him. Because when a guest comes to someone, he brings his Rizq (sustenance) with him. And when he left, he took with him the sins of the family of the Host and threw them into the sea.
71. Ali. You will look at the people below you in wealth. And you will notice people of higher level than you in worship and piety. This will increase your ‘Yaqeen’ and ‘faith’.

72. Ali! You shall refrain from false oaths. Because you may sell the goods but the blessings of Rijk (sustenance) reduces.
73. Ali! You will fear the du’a of the oppressed. Because Allah accepts the supplication of the oppressed, even if he is a disbeliever.

74. Ali! He whose heart does not melt in the fear of Allah, has no religion. And he who does not abstain from sin has no knowledge. He who has no knowledge has no worship. He who does not have piety does not have knowledge. He who has no truthfulness has no sense of courtesy. He who does not maintain privacy of others, does not have the quality of being a depositor. He who does not have ability (Tawfeek), does not have repentance. He who has no shame, has no mercy.

75. Ali! Do not sleep at the beginning and end of the day. And do not sleep lying down, and do not sleep even before Maghrib and Isha prayers. And you will not sleep in a dark house, and will not sleep in some sun and some in the shade. Do not use the door frame as a pillow. Do not sit on the platform, do not eat and drink with the left hand. Do not place hands under chin in sitting position. Do not knock the teeth with anything. Do not feed on sickle. Do not eat on the back of the pot. Do not wear shoes on the left foot before the right foot. And while opening the shoe, the right foot should not be opened before the left foot. Don’t tear the bread with your teeth and eat it, don’t eat the soil. Don’t look at the mirror at night. Do not look at water during prayer. Do not spit on urine. Do not take ‘Kulup’ with dung, coal, gourds and bones. Do not wear dress upside down. Do not undress your private parts in the face the moon and the sun. Do not cut nails with teeth. Do not sleep with food-fat left on hand (without properly cleaning hands). Do not walk through two mountains that have cracks in them. Do not blow on hot food and hot water. Do not blow in the place of prostration. You will not see other people’s private parts, and no other people will see your private parts. Do not talk during the time between Adhan and Iqamat. Do not look at what comes out of you (i.e. excrement). Do not touch the pubic area unnecessarily. Don’t look back again and again. Don’t hurt your friend. Don’t hurt your neighbors. Do not slander those who mix with you. Don’t walk fast. Do not argue with your friends / colleagues, shorten your speech if praised and shorten your speech if condemned. Put hands over your mouth while yawning. Do not smell the food. Keep your eyes away from the forbidden. If you are spoken to, you will try to understand it. Even if someone invites you a meatless pie (bare bones) you will accept it. Don’t eat in the dark. Do not eat in large amounts. Do not eat on full.

Do not be preoccupied with livelihood. Do not follow the enemy. Don’t reveal your secrets. Don’t talk too much. Do not be proud of wearing clothes. Return others’ deposits. Be courteous to guests. Take care of the neighbour. Be patient in adversity. Spend on good deeds. There are two classes of people who will be saved (on the day of judgement): the charitable rich and the cheerful poor.

76. Ali! You will be a scholar or a student or a listener or a doer. If you are the fourth, you will perish. Ali (RA) said, O Messenger of Allah! Who is the fourth? Rasulullah (SAW) said, He who does not possess knowledge himself and does not learn from anyone. He does not go to the scholars and inquire about the rulings of the Shariah. He acts like a fool. Surely, he is doomed, surely, he is doomed, surely, he is doomed.

77. Ali! That friend is very evil, who makes you suffer and exposes your secrets.

That friend is also evil, who is jealous of his friend. You will not like a servant who exposes your faults, and you will not like a wife who wants divorce. And do not be satisfied with a neighbour who conceals your good deeds and propagates your faults.

78. Ali! Do ablution completely. Because this is half of faith. Do not waste water in ablution. 79. Ali! After completing ablution wash both feet, recite Surah Innaanjal Nahu Filailatil Qadr’ (Sura Qadr) once. If you do that, you will get fifty years of reward.

80. Ali! After completing ablution, wash both feet and pray ten times to the Prophet (PBUH). If you do this, Allah Ta’ala will remove your troubles. And he will accept your dua.

81. Ali! After completing ablution, take fresh water and wipe your head and neck with both hands and recite this Dua:
‘Ya Allah! I pronounce Your holiness and praises; I bear witness that there is no god but You. You are One, You have no partner, I seek Your forgiveness and repent’.

Then look at the ground and recite:

‘I bear witness that Muhammad is Your servant and Messenger’.

Whoever does this, Allah Ta’ala will forgive all his sins.
82. Ali! A person who recites seventy thousand times before sunrise and after sunset, even if his sin is equal to the number of stars in the sky, Allah will be ashamed to punish him in hell.

83. Ali! After Fajr prayer you will sit in that place till sunrise. Whoever sits in his place after the Fajr prayer, Allah will grant him the reward of completing one Hajj and one Umrah, freeing a slave and in the path of Allah, the reward of giving a thousand dinars in charity.
84. Ali! Whether you are on a journey or at home, you must pray ‘Salatuz Joha’. Because, on the Day of Judgment, an announcer from the highest place of Paradise will announce that, where are those who used to pray ‘Salatu Joha’.

85. Ali! You must pray in congregation. Because going to pray in congregation is like going to Allah for Hajj and Umrah.

86. Ali! A believer whom Allah Ta’ala loves, tries to pray in congregation. And the hypocrite and whom Allah dislikes stays away from performing congregational prayers.

87. Ali! Praying in congregation is equivalent to Allah praying the angels in the second heaven. You try to join the first queue.

88. Ali! Whoever destroys ‘taharat’ (attainment of holiness), Allah destroys that person’s deen, and whoever destroys his prayer and performs it in haste, Allah will cast him into the last level of Hell.
89. Ali! If one who takes a bath for Jumu’ar Salat, Allah will forgive his sins until next Friday. And Allah will enlighten his grave and make his scales heavy.

90. Ali! The most beloved servant to Allah is the servant who prostrates. He who recites after Sijdah (prostration):

‘O my Lord! I have wronged myself, forgive me. There is no one to forgive sins except You.’
91. Ali! Do not befriend a drunkard, for he is cursed. And do not mix with someone who does not pay Zakat, because he is called the enemy of Allah in heaven. And do not associate with the usurer either – because he is an adversary of Allah. Allah Ta’ala said:

If you don’t leave it (i.e. interest) then know that it is war with Allah and His Messenger. (2 : 179).

92. Ali! Whoever observes the fast of Ramadan and abstains from the forbidden, Allah will be be pleased with him. And for him Paradise is destined.
93. Ali. Whoever observes six fasts in the month of Shawwal after Ramadan, Allah Ta’ala will record for him the reward of fasting for a whole year.

94. Ali! Where the worshipers were praying, do not recite qiraat and dua loudly. Because it will cause disorder in their prayers.

95. Ali! When it is time for prayer, you will be ready for prayer. Be careful, lest Shaytaan turn you away from prayer.
96. Ali! Jibraeel (A.S.) wished for seven qualities within Bani Adam.

a. Performing Jumu’ar Salat with the Imam, b. Sitting in the gatherings of the knowledgeable, c. Inquiring about the sick people, d. To accompany the funeral, e. Drink others water, f. To settle the dispute between two people, g. Show compassion to the orphan.
Ali! Be interested to acquire these qualities.

97. Ali! Whoever employs a laborer and does not fully pay his wages, Allah will destroy his deeds. And I will be the complainant on his behalf

98. Ali! When an orphan cries, Allah’s Throne shakes, then Allah says,

‘Jibrail! You widen hell for the one who makes the orphan cry. And the one who makes the orphan smile, you widen the paradise for him’.
99. Ali! Allah has not created a better organ than the tongue in man, because of the tongue people will go to paradise. And because of the tongue people will go to hell. So you will keep the tongue captive. Because it is like an attacking dog.

100. Ali! You shall observe the fast of three middle days in every month (The White Days): Thirteen, fourteen and fifteen. Whoever observes it, it is as if he observed the fast for a whole year. And the face of the one who observes this fast becomes bright.

101. Ali! Ask to Allah:
‘O Allah, Forgive me and my parents and all the believers and the believers and the Muslims and the Muslims living among them and the dead’.

Whoever asks for forgiveness like this twenty one times a day, Allah Ta’ala will include him among the righteous servants. Ali! All the angels in the sky will intercede for him one million times.

102. Ali! Ask to Allah:
‘O Allah! Bless me in death and bless me in life after death!’

A person who recites these two verses twenty-one times a day will not take any account of what Allah has rewarded him with in this worldly life.

103. Ali. Whoever recites Allahu Akbar twenty-one times before sunset, Allah will write for him the reward of one hundred righteous persons and one hundred people in the way of Allah.

104. Ali!

‘Praise be to Allah first of all, praise be to Allah after all, our Lord shall abide and all shall perish. Praise be to Allah in all situations.’
Whoever recites this dua ten times a day, Allah will forgive him even if he is among the major sinners.

105. Ali! Whoever does not sit in the gatherings of the scholars for forty days, his heart dies, he becomes a hard-hearted person—he may commit murder, he may commit adultery, and he may commit theft.

106. Ali! two units prayer of a scholar is better than are two hundred units of prayer of the ignorant.
107. Ali! The example of a devout without knowledge is like a salt distributor or measurer of the sea water. He does not know about any increase or decrease.

108. Ali! You will attain knowledge even if it is in China. Because the teacher and the Students are very dear to Allah.

109. Ali! Salam will spread. And when you pray at night People are sleepy. If you do that, Allah Almighty will look at you seventy times, and whoever God looks at, He will not punish him in hell.

110. Ali. Be kind to the neighbor even if he is a disbeliever. Because Allah reduces the wealth of a person who is jealous of his neighbor. His life is spent in the way of falsehood.

111, Ali! Do not envy, envy leads to hell.
112. Ali! Stay away from backbiting. Because backbiting is worse than drinking wine.

113. Ali! Do not pay attention to the secrets of the Muslim, for by doing so Allah removes from his heart the fear of the Hereafter and faith from his heart and chest. And Allah fills the heart and mind with sorrow, poverty and misery.

114. Ali! You should keep yourself away from lying, because this is the character of the hypocrites.

115. Ali! Protect yourself from gossiping and backbiting. Because Allah Ta’ala has forbidden Jannah for these people: stingy, hypocrites, rumour-monger. The child who disobeys his parents, who does not pay Zakat and hinders it, the usurer, who consume forbidden things, the gambler, the one who ties artificial hair, the one who sex with animals and the one who troubles his neighbour.

116, Ali! A person who does not prevent his neighbor from committing a sin, he will also be considered a partner in his neighbor’s sin.
117. Ali! Whoever does not order his family to pray and does not forbid them from eating haram, he will bear the responsibility of all sins.

118. Ali! Respect the elderly, love children. Be like a kind brother for the traveller. Be like a loving husband to widows.

If you do so, Allah Almighty will write for you: One hundred good deeds per breath and every good deed is rewarded with a palace in heaven.
119. Ali! Sit with the poor, for he who respects the rich and despises the poor, is called the enemy of Allah in the heaven.
120. Ali! Allah Ta’ala sent revelation to Ibrahim (A) that you shall honour my guest as you honour your guest.

Ibrahim (A) said, O my Lord! Who is your guest?

Allah replied, My guests are those who are insignificant to the eyes of the people.

121. Ali. Three categories of people are deprived of Allah’s remembrance: a. who laughs for no reason, b. who sleeps without praying at night, c. Those who eat to their full.
122 Ali! Three classes of people are deprived of Allah’s mercy: a. Those who eat to their full while knowing that their neighbors are starving. b. those who torture slaves and c. Those who reject the gift of close friends.

123. Ali! You will not be flatterer and you will not sit with the flatterers. Don’t be stingy and don’t associate with stingy people.
124. Ali! Be generous. Be satisfied with the little in the world, because, if someone does it, Allah Ta’ala will raise them with the prophets on the Day of Resurrection.

125. Ali! Cut your nails at least once a month. Because when the nails grow, Satan takes shelter under them.