
This book presents the view of Imam ‘Ali (a) on ethics as derived from a lengthy treatise that he composed, comparing the view of ethics of various philosophers and schools of thought on it, showing the defects on these philosophies and demonstrating that Imam ‘Ali’s (a) position is the most comprehensive view that adheres to the natural inclinations of human beings
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The Ahlul Bayt DILP Team
- Imam ‘Ali’s First Treatise On The Islamic Ethics And Education
- Preface
- What Is Ethics?
- The Need For Ethics In Life
- Good Actions And Noble Moral Traits
- The Role Of Education
- Education Is the Bringing Up Of Capabilities
- Animals Have Limited Potential For Education:
- Education Versus Training
- Ethics Versus Education
- The Wrong-Doer Wisdom Needs An Infallible Instructor:
- Education Or Training, Which One Should Precede?
- The Four Qur’anic Verses
- The Bases And Philosophy Of Ethics.
- 1-The School Of Personal Sensuality:
- 2- Epicurism Or Personal Expedience
- 3- The Powermonger School Of Nietzsche
- 4- Affection Towards Others
- 5- The Provision Of Prosperity From The View-Point Of Wisdom
- 6- Ethical Conscience:
- 7- Keeping One's interests with regards to keeping others' interests
- 8- The philosophy of Ethics in the viewpoint of Freud:
- 9- The communist View on the Philosophy of Ethics.
- 10.1- The Relativity of Ethics in Hegel's view
- 10.2- Sartre's View
- A Summary of the 10 views: A conclusion:
- The Bases and Principles of Ethics and Education In Islam
- A historic and life-giving letter from a unique father for his progressing son:
- The principles and issues of this treatise:
- Documents for this treatise
- Translations and commentaries Used in this Book
- How the Present Book was Published:
- A Commentary On Imam ‘Ali's Will To His Son Imam Hasan (as)
- The Fourteen Attributes of Imam ‘Ali's Son
- To a son who hopes for what is unattainable
- 2. The Follower of the path of those who have perished
- 3. Prey to Illnesses
- 4. A pawn in the hands of time
- 5. The target of misfortunes
- 6. A Slave of the world
- 7. A Trader in vanities
- 8. A Debtor of Divine Decrees
- 9. A Captive of Death
- 10. An Ally of anxieties
- 11. A Companion of sorrows
- 12. The Aim of calamities
- 13. Prostrated by desires
- 14. A Successor of the dead
- Commentary
- Commentary
- 1) My Son, I recommend you to God-wariness
- 2) Fulfilment of God's Commands
- 3) Inhabit your Heart with God's Remembrance
- 4) Adherence to His Cord
- 5) Enliven Your Heart with Exhortation
- 6) Cause your heart to die through asceticism
- 7) Strengthen Your Heart With Certainty
- The Importance And Value Of Certainty
- Types Of Certainty
- ‘Ilm Al-Yaqin (Certain Knowledge)
- ‘Ayn Al-Yaqin [To See With The Eye Of Certainty]
- Haqq Al-Yaqin [Certain Truth]
- The Effects and Signs of certainty
- The Young Man Of Certainty Who Knew The Secrets
- Some Other Examples Of The Signs Of The Effects Of Certainty
- 8) Illuminate your heart with Wisdom
- 9) Make your heart submissive with the remembrance of Death
- 10) Make your heart acknowledge its mortality
- 11) Cause your heart to perceive the calamities of this world
- 12) Warn your heart of the assault of time and the evil inconstancy of the nights and days
- 13) Present to your heart the reports of the past ones, and remember that you will soon become one of them
- 14) Therefore, set right your place of rest and do not sell your Hereafter for your world.
- 15) Do not talk about what you do not know or speak about what is not required of you.
- 16) Keep away from a path if you fear it will lead you astray, for holding back from the perplexity of misguidance is better than encountering terrifying events
- 17. Bid Others to do Good and Reject Evil
- 18) Become Learned in Religion
- 19) Habituate yourself to patient endurance in afflictions
- 20) Commit your self in all your affairs to your God, for you will thus be committing it to a secure Cave and a mighty Protector.
- 21. Be sincere in your asking from your Lord, for in His hand is the bestowal and refusal, and ask God frequently for the best.
- 22) Understand my testament and do not disregard it, for indeed the best speech is that which is is beneficial.
- 23) Know that there is no good in knowledge that is not beneficial, and knowledge that is not worthy of acquisition is not beneficial
- 24) Contemplation of Past Nations and Their Actions
- 25) God Wariness And Knowledge
- 26) Everything is From Allah And Allah Will Return
- 27) Take the Prophet as your Guide and Islam as your Religion
- 28) The Perilous Road to Doomsday
- Commentary
- A. Sufficient Provisions And Light-Load Of Possessions
- B. Be Aware Of The Significance Of Those Who Carry Your Provisions On The Way Or Pay You Back What They Owe You On Difficult Days
- C. In Hard To Cross Roads, The Light – Loaded Travelers Are More At Ease
- D. The End Point For Everyone Is Either Paradise Or Hell
- Commentary
- 29) Supplication and Its Importance
- Commentary
- The Role Of Supplication And The Conditions For Its Fulfillment
- Persuasion Towards Supplication And Worship
- God Will Not Need Anything, Nor Does He Need Any Recommender
- The Conditions For The Acceptance Of Supplication And Prayers:
- The Hindrances On The Way Of Accepting Supplication
- The Reasons Of Delaying Responding To Supplication
- The Access To Repentance And Its Role In Correcting The Sinner
- The Conditions For The Perfect Repentance
- 30) This World is only the path for the Hereafter, so remember Death frequently
- 31) Preserve Yourself from the Greedness of this World and remain Free
- 32) Silence and Moderation
- Commentary
- 1. Silence And Speech
- 2. Be Moderate, Do Not Squander, Do Not Be Jealous, Do Not Dissipate
- 3. The Bitterness Of Cutting Short One’s Hopes Is Better Than Asking People For Help
- 4. Little Fortune Plus Chastity Is Better Than Big Fortune Which Is Gained Through Dishonesty
- 5. It Is Better For A Man To Keep His Secrets:
- 6. There Are Many Who Strive For What Is Harmful For Themselves!
- 7. He Who Speaks Much Speaks Nonsense
- 8. Contemplation Is The Basis Of Insight
- 9. The Effects And Role Of Companionship
- 10. The Worst Food Is The Illegally Gained Food
- 11. Injustice To The Weak Is The Worst Of Injustice
- 12. Sometimes Showing Severity Is Better Than Being Lenient
- 13. Sometimes The Remedy Is The Disease And The Disease Is The Remedy
- 14. Be Aware Of The Intention Of Those Who Give Advice
- 15. Reliance On Wishes Is Foolishness
- 16. Intellect Is The Safeguarding Of Experiences
- 17. The Best Experiences
- 18. Taking Advantage Of Opportunities
- 19. Not Every Seeker Attains (His Desire) Nor Does Every Absent One Return
- 20. Destroying the Provisions For The Hereafter And The Resurrection Day Is A Great Loss
- 21. Every Affair Has An Outcome
- 22. What Is Destined For You Will Soon Come To You
- 23. Often the Little (Wealth) Becomes More Abundant Than What Is Much
- 24. There Is No Good In An Ignoble Helper Or A Friend Who Is Suspect (Whose Sincerity Is Suspect)
- 25. Patiently Benefit From Your Time
- 26. Do Not Put Anything At Risk Hoping For Something More Than It.
- 27. Do Not Be Stubborn
- Commentary
- 33) The Delicate Tasks of a Man towards His Friend
- Commentary
- The Role Of Friendship And The Tasks Imposed By It
- The Rights And Limits Of Friendship In Imam ‘Ali’s Words
- The Guidelines Of The Leaders Of Religion In This Respect
- How To Control And Cure Anger
- The Emphasis Of Leaders Of Religion
- 13. A Close Friendship Should Not Result In The Deprivation Of Rights Of The Friend
- 14. Do Favors To Your Household And Tribe
- 15. Do Not Show Affection To One Who Does Not Wish To Be Your Friend
- 16. Be Stronger In Establishing Relations And Doing Good Than Others Are In Cutting Relations And Doing Wrong
- 17. An Unjust Person Does Himself Wrong
- 18. You Should Not Mistreat One Who Has Made You Happy
- 34) Kinds of Sustenance
- Commentary
- 1. All Kinds Of Sustenance:
- 2. How Improper It Is To Be Humble When In Need And Be Indifferent When In Free Of Need:
- 3. What In This World Which Could Rebuild Our Hereafter Would Be Worth Of Noting:
- 4. Base Your Reasoning For Future Actions On The Events Of The Past:
- 5. The Wise Listen To Advice Through Good Manners, But The Beasts Do So Through Punishment:
- 6. Avoid Worries And Sorrows Through Patience And Real Conviction:
- 7. Putting Aside Moderation Is Injustice And Deviation From Rightousness:
- 8. Your Companion Is Like Your Relative:
- 9. A True Friend Is The One Who Respects You In Your Absence:
- 10. Sensuality Is Like Blindness:
- 11. Close Strangers And Strange Relatives:
- 12. A Stranger Is One Who Has No Friends:
- 13. An Aggressor To The Truth Will Meet Several Hurdles:
- 14. Appreciation And Demanding In Accordance With One's Capabilities Are Two Potent Agents Of Success And Eternity:
- 15. The Safest Means Between God And God's Servant:
- 16. One Who Betrays You When You Are In Need Is Your Enemy
- 17. Where Greed Leads To One's Destruction, It Is Better To Give Up Hope (Of What One Desires):
- 18. Not Every Hidden Defect Becomes Apparent Nor Is Every Opportunity Seized:
- 19. Sometimes a person possessing sight misses his objective, while a blind person attains the right path.
- 20. Hurry In Carrying Out Good; Do Not Hasten To Perform Evil Since There Is Plenty Of Time For That:
- 21. Cutting Off Relations With An Ignorant Person Equals Establishing Relations With The Wise
- 22. Do Not Disregard The Deception Of Time:
- 23. One Who Magnifies The Times, Will Be Humiliated By It
- 24. An Archer Does Not Always Hit The Target:
- 25. The Disturbances In Governments May Affect The Times:
- 26. Attention To Fellow-Voyagers And Neighbors
- 27. Avoid Telling Jokes
- Commentary
- 35) Beware of who you consult with
- 36) The Last Three Advices of Imam ‘Ali’s Letter
- Preface