- When Imam came to Basrah he sent Anas ibn Malik to Talha and Zubair to make them recall what he (Anas) himself had heard the Messenger of Allah, (pbuh), say concerning them both, but he avoided doing so and when he -came back to Imam, he said that he had forgotten that matter. Thereupon, Ameerul Momineen (pbuh) , said: If you are speaking a lie Allah may afflict you with white spots (leucoderma) which even the turban may not cover.
- Sometimes hearts move forward and sometimes they move backward. When they move forward get them to perform optionals (as well), but when they move backward keep them confined to obligatories only.
- The Quran contains news about the past, foretellings about the future and commandments for the present.
- Throw a stone in return from where one comes to you because evil can be met only with evil.
- Imam said to his secretary ‘Ubaydullah ibn Abi Rafi’: Put cotton flake in the inkpot,the nib of your pen long, leave space between lines and close up the letters because this is good for the beauty of the writing.
- I am the ya’sub (leader) of the believers, while wealth is the leader of the wicked.
- Some Jews said to Imam; You had not buried your Prophet when you picked up differences about him, when Imam replied: We did not differ about him but we differed after him (about his succession); whereas you had not dried up your feet after coming out of the river (Nile) when you began asking your Prophet: Make you for us a god as they have gods of their own. Said he; ‘Verily you are a people behaving ignorantly. ‘ (Quran, 7:138)
- Imam was asked: With what did you overpower your adversaries? He answered: WheneverI confronted a person he helped me against himself.
- Imam (A.S.) aid to his son Muhammad ibn al-Hanafiyyah: O’ my son, I fear lest destitution overtakes you. So, you should seek Allah’s protection from it, because destitution is deficiency of religious belief, perplexity of intelligence, and it is conducive to hatred of obstinate people.
- Imam (A.S.) replied to a man who had asked him a difficult question: Ask me for understanding but do not ask me for confusion, because the ignorant person who tries to learn is like the learned man, but the learned man who tries to create confusion is like the ignorant.
