Ali ibn Abi Talib was a cousin and son-in-law of the Islamic prophet Muhammad, who ruled as the fourth caliph from 656 to 661, but is regarded as the rightful immediate successor to Muhammad as an Imam by Shia Muslims. Profoundly inspirational Imam Ali Ibn Abi-Talib A.S quotes on knowledge, loneliness, patience, marriage, friendship and education will help you live a meaningful life.
Famous Ali ibn Abi Talib Quotes Quotes
A calamity does not descend except due to a sin and it is not lifted except with repentance. – Imam Ali
The best deed of a great man is to forgive and forget. – Imam Ali
Do not be a slave to others when God has created you free. – Imam Ali
Hate no one, no matter how much they’ve wronged you. Live humbly, no matter how wealthy you become. Think positively, no matter how hard life is. Give much, even if you’ve been given little. Keep in touch with the ones who have forgotten you, and forgive who has wronged you, and do not stop praying for the best for those you love. – Imam Ali
There is no greater wealth than wisdom, no greater poverty than ignorance; no greater heritage than culture and no greater support than consultation. – Imam Ali
Man comes from a drop of semen and leaves as a piece of dust. He doesn’t know when he came and he doesn’t know when he’s leaving, yet he walks on the earth thinking he knows everything. – Imam Ali
Let me alone and go in search of someone else. – Imam Ali
The sin which makes you sad and repentant is more liked by Allah than the good deed which turns you arrogant. – Imam Ali
There are so many highly esteemed ones who became miserable and humiliated just because of their bad temper and morals; and humble people who have attained eminence and the highest honors because of good temper and morals. – Imam Ali
A moment of patience in a moment of anger prevents a thousand moments of regret. – Imam Ali
Vanity prevents improvement – Imam Ali
The best form of devotion to the service of Allah is not to make a show of it. – Imam Ali
Life consists of two days: one for you and one against you, so when it’s for you don’t be proud or reckless, and when it’s against you be patient, for both days are test for you – Imam Ali
Many a spoken word is more piercing than an attack. – Imam Ali
An accepted deed is never small in Taqwa (consciousness of Allah), how can what has been accepted be small? – Imam Ali
The one who has no control over his desires has no control over his mind. – Imam Ali
I was not created to be occupied by eating delicious foods like tied up cattle. – Imam Ali
A person of riyaa (showing off) has three characteristics: He is lazy when alone, energetic when with others, and increases in his actions when he is praised while decreasing in them when he is criticized. – Imam Ali
How strange and foolish is man. He loses his health in gaining wealth. Then to regain health he wastes his wealth. He ruins is present while worrying about his future – but weeps in the future by recalling his past. He lives as though death shall never come to him – but dies in a way as if he were never born. – Imam Ali
Do not raise your children the way your parents raised you; they were born for a different time. – Imam Ali
Riches without faith are the greatest poverty. – Imam Ali
He who understands humanity seeks solitude. – Imam Ali
Do not be misled by appearances for these are apt to be deceptive. – Imam Ali
An alert and learned man will take advice from any event. – Imam Ali
The disease of the heart is worse than the disease of the body. – Imam Ali
Hide the good you do and make known the good done to you. – Imam Ali
There are three signs of a knowledgeable person: knowledge, forbearance and silence. – Imam Ali
Authority, power, and wealth do not change a man; they only reveal him – Imam Ali
Happiness comes towards those which believe in him – Imam Ali
Had there not been five bad qualities, all the people would have been righteous. Contentment with ignorance; love for worldly life; miserliness in spite of much wealth; ostentation in (good) deeds; and pride in their own intelligence. – Imam Ali
The days of life pass away like clouds, so do good while you are alive. – Imam Ali
Blessed is he whose own faults keep him from seeing the faults of others. – Imam Ali
Do not let your difficulties fill you with anxiety, after all it is only in the darkest nights that stars shine more brightly. – Imam Ali
Inspirational Ali Ibn Abi Talib (RA) Quotes On Success
A man’s behavior is the index of the man, and his discourse is the index of his understanding. – Imam Ali
Everyone who is taken by death asks for more time, while everyone who still has time makes excuses for procrastination. – Imam Ali
A girl is a good deed and a boy is a bounty. Good deeds are rewarded while people are held accountable for bounties. – Imam Ali
Put aside your pride, Set down your arrogance, And remember your grave. – Imam Ali
Silence is the garden of thought. – Imam Ali
One who rushes madly after inordinate desire, runs the risk of encountering destruction and death. – Imam Ali
When wisdom reaches the acme of perfection, it will suppress the vicious instincts and injurious desires. – Imam Ali
The outcome of fear is disappointment and shyness is frustration. – Imam Ali
If you are greeted then return the greetings more warmly. If you are favored, then repay the obligation manifold; but he who takes the initiative will always excel in merit. – Imam Ali
Do not take someone’s silence as his pride, perhaps he is busy fighting with his self. – Imam Ali
People’s hearts are like wild animals. They attach their selves to those that love and train them. – Imam Ali
A man’s worth depends upon the nobility of his aspirations. – Imam Ali
Contentment is a wealth that is never exhausted – Imam Ali
One who thinks and reflects develops his foresight and vision. – Imam Ali
Two things cause people to be destroyed: fear of poverty and seeking superiority through pride. – Imam Ali
Beware of the flight of Blessings, For nothing that runs away is returned. – Imam Ali
Allah’s Generosity is connected to gratitude, and gratitude is linked to increase in His generosity. The generosity of Allah will not stop increasing unless the gratitude of the servant ceases – Imam Ali
Greed is permanent slavery. – Imam Ali
Be a good man to Allah and a bad man to yourself (desires); and be one of the commoners among the people – Imam Ali
Nothing hurts a good soul and kind heart more than to live amongst people who can’t understand it. – Imam Ali
During civil disturbance adopt such an attitude that people do not attach any importance to you – they neither burden you with complicated affairs, nor try to derive any advantage out of you. – Imam Ali
Whoever desires Paradise, proceeds towards goodness; whoever fears Hell, refrains from the impulses of passions; whoever believes firmly in death, detests worldly life; and whoever recognizes the worldly life, the trials and tribulations (of life) become slight for him. – Imam Ali
True friends are a single soul divided between different bodies. – Imam Ali
Patience to faith is like the head to the body. The person who has no patience has not faith. – Imam Ali
Not every man with a heart is understanding, nor every man with an ear a listener, and nor every man with eyes able to see. – Imam Ali
When proven wrong, the wise man will correct himself and the ignorant will keep arguing. – Imam Ali
The nourishment of body is food, while the nourishment of the soul is feeding others. – Imam Ali
Asceticism is not that you should not own anything, but that nothing should own you. – Imam Ali
Imam Ali Quotes About Life, Knowledge, Patience and Relationships
You should desire for others what you desire for yourself and hate for others what you hate for yourself. Do not oppress, just as you do not like to be oppressed. Do good to others just as you would like good to be done to you. Dislike in yourself what you dislike in others. Accept that treatment from others which you would like others to accept from you. Do not say to others what you do not like to be said to you. – Imam Ali
People are of two types; they are either your brothers in faith or your equals in humanity. – Imam Ali
He who is greedy is disgraced; he who discloses his hardship will always be humiliated; he who has no control over his tongue will often have to face discomfort. – Imam Ali
The highest person is he who is of most use to humankind. – Imam Ali
There is no knowledge and science like pondering and thought, and there is no prosperity and advancement like knowledge and science. – Imam Ali
No wealth like education and no poverty like ignorance – Imam Ali
The wiser a man is, the less talkative will he be. – Imam Ali
A man is hid under his tongue. – Imam Ali
Allah, the Exalted, gave the angels intellect without desires, He gave the animals desires without intellect, and He gave both to the sons of Adam. So a man whose intellect prevails over his desires is better than the angels, whilst a man whose desire prevails over his intellect is worse than the animals. – Imam Ali
Of all the follies the greatest is to love the world. – Imam Ali
A True friend is one who sees a fault, gives you advice and who defends you in your absence. – Imam Ali
There is no capital more useful than intellect and wisdom, and there is no indigence more injurious than ignorance and unawareness. – Imam Ali
Do not feel lonely on the road of righteousness Because of the fewness of the walkers on it. – Imam Ali
Lead such a life, that, when you die, the people may mourn you, and while you are alive, they long for your company. – Imam Ali
Do not hate what you do not know, for the greater part of knowledge consists of what you do not know. – Imam Ali
There is no nobility with bad manners. – Imam Ali
Associating with the wise and the knowledgeable people adds to the prestige of a person. – Imam Ali
Recitation of the Qur’an without contemplation and thought is futile. – Imam Ali
The vision of the eye is limited; the vision of the heart transcends all barriers of time and space. – Imam Ali
Do for this life as if you live forever, do for the afterlife as if you will die tomorrow. – Imam Ali
He who guards his secrets retains control in his own hands – Imam Ali
Do not share the knowledge with which you have been blessed with everyone in general, as you do with some people in particular; and know that there are some men in whom Allah, may He he glorified, has placed hidden secrets, which they are forbidden to reveal. – Imam Ali
Safety lies in silence. It is easier to rectify what you miss by silence, than to secure what you lose by speaking. – Imam Ali
Reciter and listener of the Qur’an are alike in prize and reward. – Imam Ali
Be afraid of a dignified man when he is hungry and a wicked man when his belly is full. – Imam Ali
Greed takes a person to the watering place but gets him back without letting him drink. It undertakes responsibility but does not fulfill it. Often the drinker gets choked before quenching his thirst. The greater the worth of a thing yearned for, the greater is the grief for its loss. Desires blind the eyes of understanding. The destined share would reach him who does not approach it. – Imam Ali
Your souls are precious and can only be equal to the price of Paradise, therefore sell them only at that price. – Imam Ali
Either you are just or unjust. If you are just, then you will not keep aloof from the people, but will listen to them and meet their requirements. But if you are unjust, the people themselves will keep away from you. – Imam Ali
Never explain yourself to anyone, because the one who likes you would not need it, and the one dislikes you wouldn’t believe it. – Imam Ali
Loving one another is half of wisdom. – Imam Ali
If you find that somebody is not grateful for all that you have done for him, then do not get disappointed because often you will find that someone else feels under your obligation though you have done nothing for him and thus your good deeds will be compensated, and Allah will reward you for your goodness. – Imam Ali
A hopeless man sees difficulties in every chance, but a hopeful person sees chances in every difficulty. – Imam Ali
Whoever educates himself and improves his own morals & character is superior to the man who tries to teach & train others. – Imam Ali
Do not be too hard, lest you be broken; do not be too soft, lest you be squeezed. – Imam Ali
Patience is of two kinds: patience over what pains you, and patience against what you covet. – Imam Ali
Fear the sins that you commit in secret, because the Witness of those sins is the Judge Himself! – Imam Ali
A friend cannot be considered a friend until he is tested in three occasions: in timeof need, behind your back, and after your death. – Imam Ali
Dislike in yourself what you dislike in others. – Imam Ali
Stubbornness destroys good advice. – Imam Ali
Do not use the sharpness of your speech on your mother who taught you how to speak. – Imam Ali
Knowledge is of two kinds: that which is absorbed and that which is heard. And that which is heard does not profit if it is not absorbed. – Imam Ali
Beautiful people are not always good, but good people are always beautiful. – Imam Ali
Silence is the best reply to a fool. – Imam Ali
Your Remedy is within you, but you do not sense it. Your Sickness is from you, but you do not perceive it. You Presume you are a small entity, But within you is enfolded the entire universe. You are indeed the evident book, By whose alphabet the hidden becomes the manifest. Therefore, you have no need to look beyond yourself, What you seek is within you, if only you reflect. – Imam Ali
The most helpless person is the one who is helpless in reforming himself. – Imam Ali
Awaken your heart to kindness and mercy for the people and love and tenderness for them. Never, never act with them like a predatory beast which seeks to be satiated by devouring them, for the people fall into two categories: they are either your brethren in faith or your kindred in creation. – Imam Ali
In this world, man is a target of death, an easy prey to calamities, here every morsel and every draught is liable to choke one, here one never receives a favour until he loses another instead, here every additional day in one’s life is a day reduced from the total span of his existence, when death is the natural outcome of life, how can we expect immortality. – Imam Ali
The world is darkness; knowledge is light; but knowledge without truth is a mere shadow. – Imam Ali
Be like a flower that gives its fragrance even to the hand that crushed it. – Imam Ali
Whoever wants to be a leader should educate himself before educating others. Before preaching to others he should first practice himself. Whoever educates himself and improves his own morals is superior to the man who tries to teach and train others. – Imam Ali
The word of God is the medicine of the heart. – Imam Ali
Surely silence can sometimes be the most eloquent reply. – Imam Ali
Fear only the will of God and you will have no cause to fear anyone else. – Imam Ali
To maintain nice relation with the people is half of intelligence, nice questioning is half of knowledge, and nice domestic arrangements is half of the management of livelihood. – Imam Ali
World, try to deceive someone else. Are you trying to tempt me or attract me? No way! I divorce you irrevocably. Your time is short and you are insignificant. Alas! The provision is little, the journey is long and the way is lonely. – Imam Ali
The best revenge is to improve yourself. – Imam Ali
A wise man first thinks and then speaks and a fool speaks first and then thinks. – Imam Ali
Bear sorrows and calamities patiently, otherwise you will never be happy. – Imam Ali
No one has ever suffered from his people as I have. – Imam Ali
To make one good action succeed another, is the perfection of goodness. – Imam Ali
Know you that Allah has made Islam the most sublime path for attainment of His supreme pleasure and the highest standards of his worship and obedience. He has favoured it with noble precepts, exalted principles, undoubtable arguments, unchallengeable supremacy and undeniable wisdom. It is up to you to maintain the eminence and dignity granted to it by the Lord, to follow it sincerely, to do justice to its articles of faith and belief, to obey implicitly its tenets and orders and to give it the proper place in your lives. – Imam Ali
One who is mild rather than forceful has greater capacity for outreach. – Imam Ali
He who busies himself with things other than improvement of his own self becomes perplexed in darkness and entangled in ruin. His evil spirits immerse him deep in vices and make his bad actions seem handsome. – Imam Ali
Thy lot or portion of life is seeking after thee; therefore be at rest from seeking after it. – Imam Ali
The best companion and helper is admirable morals. – Imam Ali
It is better to listen to a wise enemy than to seek counsel from a foolish friend. – Imam Ali
Never make a decision in anger and never make a promise in happiness. – Imam Ali
To fight against one’s desires is the greatest of all fights. – Imam Ali
Don’t engage your heart in grief over the past or you wont be ready for what is coming. – Imam Ali
Do not follow the majority, follow the truth. – Imam Ali
Perfecting one’s intellect causes one to speak less, and those words spoken will be adorned with wisdom. – Imam Ali
The weakest man is the one who is able to correct his moral defects, but doesn’t take action. – Imam Ali
Oh writer! An Angel watches over all you write. Make your writing meaningful for it will eventually return to you and you will be questioned about what you wrote. – Imam Ali
The relation of patience to iman is like the relation of the head to the body. If the head is chopped off, the body becomes useless. Then he raised his voice and said: Certainly, the one who has no patience has no iman, and patience is like a riding-beast that nevers gets tired – Imam Ali
If ALLAH guide you to remember Him, It’s a sign that ALLAH loves you. – Imam Ali
Glory is for none but the learned,Guided are they – and proofs for seekers of guidance.Every person is measured based on how much of it (knowledge) he mastered, The ignorant are to the learned their enemies,Succeed with knowledge and live energetically forever,Men are all dead, only the possessors of knowledge are truly alive – Imam Ali
There is no rest for the person who has envy, and there is no love for the person who has bad manners. – Imam Ali
The moment you start arguing with an ignorant fool, you have already lost. – Imam Ali
Nothing hurts a good soul and a kind heart more than to live amongst people who cannot understand it. – Imam Ali
Always consider your intellect to be lacking; otherwise too much faith in it surely leads to error. – Imam Ali
Often your utterances and expressions of your face leak out the secrets of your hidden thoughts. – Imam Ali
Anger is like a ball of fire, but if you swallow it, it’s sweeter than honey. – Imam Ali
What you hide in your heart appears in your eyes. – Imam Ali
Understanding the knowledge and wisdom of the Qur’an is by far, higher than memorizing. – Imam Ali
Do not be like those on whom advice has no effect and who require punishment to correct themselves. – Imam Ali
Know thyself, and thou shalt know God. – Imam Ali
Poverty is the worst form of death. – Imam Ali
Courtesy costs nothing, but buys everything. – Imam Ali
Honesty – O’ People! Try to be honest for Allah is’t he helper of honest people, Avoid telling lies since it will ruin your faith. Know that honest people are on the verge of nobility and honor, while liars area on the verge of collapse and destruction. – Imam Ali
To whatever extent a person’s knowledge increases, his attention will be turned more towards his soul. – Imam Ali
He who trusts the world, the world betrays him. – Imam Ali
Wealth tends to create enemies, whereas knowledge tends to warm hearts. – Imam Ali
Abstinence from sins is better than seeking help afterwards. – Imam Ali
Treat people the way you want to be treated. – Imam Ali
I wonder at a man who loses hope of salvation when the door of repentance is open for him. – Imam Ali
Body is purified by water. Ego by tears. Intellect is purified by knowledge. And soul is purified with love. – Imam Ali
I will be patient till even patience tires of my patience. – Imam Ali
If you succeed in misleading somebody, Do not think of him of being a big fool, Rather think about how he trusted you. – Imam Ali
Work for a better life as if you live forever, and work for a better end as if you die tomorrow. – Imam Ali
The worst of our faults is our interest in other people’s faults. – Imam Ali
How many lessons there are and how little they are taken. – Imam Ali
See the bad inside yourself, and see the good inside others. – Imam Ali
Do not feel ashamed if the amount of charity is small because to refuse the needy is an act of greater shame. – Imam Ali
The one from among the Muslims who recites the Qur’an but in the end finds his way to hell, is considerd to be among those that have taken the word of Allah in jest. – Imam Ali
Like your body your mind also gets tired so refresh it by wise sayings. – Imam Ali
