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
- 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