Pearls of Wisdom: A Selection of hadiths from the Holy Prophet Muhammad (SAWA)

The Prophet Muhammad (S) has spoken about various aspects of human life, both worldly and heavenly, and his words are curative prescriptions for the various illnesses of human beings. In addition to the sayings quoted in this paper, he has communicated many others on topics too numerous to mention, and on diverse topics such as women, children, orphans, justice, government, leisure and sport, entertainment, selflessness and sympathy, self-restraint, truthfulness, watchfulness, cheating, oppression, relatives, animals and the environment.

God and Man
“God's kindness towards His creatures is more than a mother's towards her baby.”1
“Remembrance of God is like polish for the heart.”2
“Serve God as you would if you could see Him because although you cannot see Him, He can see you.” 3
“God does not look at your appearance or your possessions, but He looks at your heart and your deeds.” 4

The Faithful
A man asked: “O Prophet of God! What is faith?” The Prophet said: “You are a person of faith when your good deed gives you pleasure and your evil deed grieves you.” 5
“A believer is like a mirror to another believer. A believer is a brother to another believer.” 6
“The most faithful of you are the best mannered.” 7
“Believers are like the different parts of a building, each one supporting the other.” 8
“You will observe that the believers are like parts of the body in relation to each other in matters of kindness, love and affection. When one part of the body is afflicted, the entire body feels it, there is loss of sleep and a fever develops.” 9

The True Muslim
“The perfect Muslim is not perfect if he eats until he is full and yet leaves his neighbours hungry.” 10
“A perfect Muslim is the one from whose tongue and hands his fellow brothers and sisters are safe.”11

Wisdom, Knowledge and Thought
“Fearing God is the peak (or source) of wisdom.” 12
“Ignorance is the worst kind of poverty, intellectuality is the greatest of riches, and thought is the best form of worship.” 13
“Seek knowledge even in China because acquiring knowledge is obligatory for every Muslim.”14
“Seek knowledge from the cradle to the grave.”15
“Retain knowledge by writing it down (recording it).”16

Society
“The best people are those who are the most useful to others.”17
“A moment of justice is better than a year of worship.”18
“Cursed be he who imposes his burden on people.”19
“The best struggle (jihad) is a just word before a tyrannical authority.”20

Friendship and Love
“It is better to sit alone than in the company of bad people and it is even better to sit with good people rather than alone. It is better to speak to a seeker of knowledge than to remain silent; but silence is better than idle words.”21
The Prophet of Islam said: “The Apostles said to Jesus: “O Spirit of Allah! With whom should we keep company?” He said: “The person the sight of whom reminds you of God, the speech of whom increases your knowledge and the deeds of whom make you desirous of the other world.”” 22
“Seven people shall be sheltered by God in the Shade of His Throne when there will be no shade except His Shade… and two people that love each other for the sake of God….”23

Family Ties
“The best person among you is the one who treats his family members the best and I am the person who treats his family in the best way.”24
A man once told the Prophet that he had many children but had not kissed any of them. The Prophet (S) replied: “Verily, God will only show mercy to those of His servants who show mercy to others.” 25
A person came to the Messenger of God (S) and asked, “Who among people is most deserving of my good treatment?”' He said, “Your mother, then your mother, then your mother, then your father, then those closest to you, then those closest to you”26
“A child’s affectionate look at their parents is a form of worship.”27
“Paradise is under the feet of mothers.”28

Equality of Human Beings
“The God of all people is the same and the father of all people is the same. All of you are children of Adam and Adam was made from earth. The most honourable of you in God’s estimation is the most pious.”29
“Be careful because you are not better than people who are a different color, unless you are better in piety.”30

Neighbours
“Gabriel (the Angel of Revelation) is always instructing me about neighbours, so much so that I think that neighbours may inherit from their neighbours.”31
“The person whose neighbour is not safe from his bad behaviour will not enter Heaven.”32

Peace
“Forgive him who wrongs you, re-unite with him who cuts you off, do good to him who does you harm and speak the truth although it may be to your disadvantage.”33
“Do you know what is better than charity, fasting, and prayer? It is keeping peace and good relations between people, as quarrels and bad feelings destroy mankind.”34

Good Conduct and Morality
“If you guarantee me six things on your part, I shall guarantee you Paradise: Speak the truth when you talk, keep a promise when you make it, when you are trusted with something fulfil your trust, avoid sexual immorality, lower your gaze (out of modesty) and prevent your hands and tongue from committing injustice.”35
“The best people are the best mannered.”36 &37
“On the Day of Resurrection nothing will weigh heavier in the scale of the believer than good manners.”38
“When you see flatterers, throw dust in their faces.”39
“Whoever is kind, God will be kind to him; therefore be kind to man on earth. He Who is in heaven will then show mercy to you.”40
If Prophet Muhammad (S) heard the crying of a child in the company of its mother during prayer, he would recite only a short chapter of the Holy Qur'an (in order to finish the prayer more quickly and let the mother comfort her child).41
“Love of this world (dunya) is the origin of every sin.”42

Control of Anger
“Anger is like the devil. The devil has been created from fire and fire is extinguished by water. Therefore, when any of you feels angry, you should perform ablution”.43
“Three things are part of the good morals of a believer. When he is overcome by anger, his anger should not drive him to falsehood. When he is happy, his happiness should not take him beyond the bounds of what is right. When he has power, he should not stake a claim to something which is not his.”44

Modesty
“Modesty (haya) does not bring anything except good.”45
“God has revealed to me that you must be humble. No one should boast over another, and no one should oppress another.”46
“If someone does not feel ashamed of anything, then he is likely to do whatever he likes.”47

Patience
“How wonderful is the situation of a believer. There is good for him in everything and this applies only to a believer. If prosperity comes to him, he expresses gratitude to God and that is good for him; and if adversity befalls him, he endures it patiently and that is better for him.” 48
“Understand that victory comes to the one who is patient.”49

The Golden Rule
“None of you (truly) believes until he wishes for his brother what he wishes for himself.”50

Harmfulness of Envy
“Truly, envy eats up and takes away good deeds as fire eats up and burns wood.”51

Bibliography
‘Amili, Sayyed Muhammad b. Muhammad b. Hasan, Ithna ‘Ashariyyah fi al-Mawa‘iz al-‘Adadiyyah, (Qum: Hekmah Publication, without date.)
Harrani, Abu Muhammed al-Hasan b. Ali (2001), Tuhaf al-‘Uqul, Trans. by Badr Shahin, (Qum: Ansariyan Publications)
Kulayni, Muhammad (1379 A.H), Al-Furu‘ Min al-Kafi, (Tehran: Dar al-Kutub al-Islamiyah)
Kulayni, Muhammad (1388 A.H), Usul al-Kafi (Tehran: Dar al- Kutub al-Islamiyah)
Majlisi, Muhammad Baqir (1983), Bihar al-Anwar (Beirut: Al-Wafa)
Nishaburi, Muhammad b. al-Fattal (1386), Rawdat al-Wa‘izin (Qum: al-Sharif al-Razi Publications)
Payande, Abulqasim (1337), Nahj al-Fasahah, (Tehran: al- Islamiyya Publication)
Waseti, Ali b. Muhammad al-Laysi (1376), ‘Uyun al-Hikam wa al-Mawa‘iz, (Qum: Dar al-Hadis)
1. Åä Çááå ÊÚÇáì ÃÑÍã ÈÚÈÏå ãä ÇáæÇáÏå ÇáãÔÝÞå ÈæáÏåÇ
Rawdat al-Wa‘izin, p. 503.
2. ÐßÑ Çááå ÌáÇÁ ÇáÏæÑ
‘Uyun al-Hikam wa al-Mawa‘iz, p. 256.
3. ÃÚÈÏ Çááå ßÃäß ÊÑÇå ÝÅä ßäÊ áÇ ÊÑÇå ÝÅäå íÑÇß
Nahj al-Fasahah, Tradition 335.
4. Åä Çááå ÊÚÇáì áÇ íäÙÑ Åáì æÑßã æÃãæÇáßã æáßä íäÙÑ Åáì ÞáæÈßã æÃÚãÇáßã
Nahj al-Fasahah, Tradition 719.
5. ÅÐÇ ÓÑÊß ÍÓäÊß æÓÃÊß ÓíÃÊß ÝÃäÊ ãÄãä
Nahj al-Fasahah, Tradition 215 and Ithna ‘Ashariyya fi al-Mawa‘iz al-‘Adadiyyah, p. 10.
6. ÇáãÄãä ãÑÂÊ ÇáãÄãä¡ ÇáãÄãä ÃÎ ÇáãÄãä
Ithna ‘Ashariyya fi al-Mawa‘iz al-‘Adadiyya, p. 8
7. ÇÝÖáßã ÅíãÇäÇ ÃÍÓäßã ÃÎáÇÞÇ
Nahj al-Fasahah, Tradition 420 and Tuhaf al-‘Uqul, Tradition 69.
8. ÇáãÄãä ááãÄãä ßÇáÈäÇÁ íÔÊÏ ÈÚÖå ÈÚÖÇ
Ithna ‘Ashariyyah fi al-Mawa‘iz al-‘Adadiyyah, p. 8
9. ãËá ÇáãÄãäíä Ýí ÊæÇÏåã æÊÑÇÍãåã ßãËá ÇáÌÓÏ ÅÐÇ ÃÔÊßì ÈÚÖåã ÊÏÇÚì ÓÇÆÑåã ÈÇáÓåÑ æÇáÍãì
Nahj al-Fasaha, Tradition 2712.
This tradition is narrated from Imam Sadiq in Usul al-Kafi, Vol. 2, p. 133 like this:
ÇáãÄãä ÃÎæ ÇáãÄãä ßÇáÌÓÏ ÇáæÇÍÏ¡ Ãä ÇÔÊßì ÔíÆÇ ãäå æÌÏ Ãáã Ðáß Ýí ÓÇÆÑ ÌÓÏå
10. ãÇ Ããä ÈÇááå æÇáíæã ÇáÇÎÑ ãä ÈÇÊ ÔÈÚÇä æÌÇÑå ÌÇÆÚ
Bihar al-Anwar, Vol. 75, p. 273
11. ÇáãÓáã ãä Óáã ÇáãÓáãæä ãä íÏå æáÓÇäå
Ithna‘Ashariyyah fi al-Mawa‘iz al-‘Adadiyyah, p. 8
12. ÑÃÓ ÇáÍßãÉ ãÎÇÝÉ Çááå
Ithna‘Ashariyyah fi al-Mawa‘iz al-‘Adadiyyah, p. 8
13. áÇ ÝÞÑ ÃÔÏ ãä ÇáÌåá æáÇ ãÇá ÃÚæÏ ãä ÇáÚÞá... æáÇ ÚÈÇÏÉ ãËá ÇáÊÝßÑ
Nahj al-Fasahah, Tradition 2505.
14. ÃØáÈæÇ ÇáÚáã æáæ ÈÇáíä ÝÅä ØáÈ ÇáÚáã ÝÑíÖÉ Úáì ßá ãÓáã
Nahj al-Fasahah, Tradition 324.
15. ÃØáÈæÇ ÇáÚáã ãä ÇáãåÏ Åáì ÇááÍÏ
Nahj al-Fasahah, Tradition 327.
16. ÝíÏæÇ ÇáÚáã ÈÇáßÊÇÈ
Tuhaf al-‘Uqul, Tradition 8 and Ithna ‘Ashariyyah, p. 14.
17. ÓÆá ÑÓæá Çááå áì Çááå Úáíå æÂáå ãä ÇÍÈ ÇáäÇÓ Åáì Çááå¿ ÞÇá: ÃäÝÚ ÇáäÇÓ ááäÇÓ .
Usul al-Kafi, Vol. 2, p. 131.
18. ÚÏá ÓÇÚÉ ÎíÑ ãä ÚÈÇÏÉ ÓäÉ
Nahj al-Fasahah, Tradition 1936.
19. ãáÚæä ãä ÃáÞí ßáå Úáì ÇáäÇÓ
Tuhaf al-‘Uqul, Tradition 19.
20. ÃÝÖá ÇáÌåÇÏ ßáãÉ ÍÞ ÚäÏ ÓáØÇä ÌÇÆÑ
Nahj al-Fasahah, Tradition 394.
21. ÇáæÍÏÉ ÎíÑ ãä ÌáíÓ ÇáÓæÁ æÇáÌáíÓ ÇáÇáÍ ÎíÑ ãä ÇáæÍÏÉ æÃãáÇÁ ÇáÎíÑ ÎíÑ ãä ÇáÓßæÊ æÇáÓßæÊ ÎíÑ ãä ÃãáÇÁ ÇáÔÑ
Nahj al-Fasahah, Tradition 3194.
22. ÞÇáæÇ: íÇ ÑæÍ Çááå Ýãä äÌÇáÓ ÅÐÇ¿ ÞÇá: ãä íÐßÑßã ÈÇááå ÑÄíÊå æíÒíÏ Ýí Úáãßã ãäØÞå æíÑÛÈßã Ýí ÇáÃÎÑÉ Úãáå
Tuhaf al-‘Uqul, Tradition 60.
23. ÓÈÚÉ íÙáåã Çááå ÊÍÊ Ùá ÚÑÔå íæã áÇ Ùá ÅáÇ Ùáå:... æÑÌáÇä ÊÍÇÈÇ Ýí Çááå...
Tradition 1731 & 1732.
The Prophet also said: "If a man loves his brother in faith, he should tell him that he loves him." (Nahj al-Fasahah, Tradition 1520).
24. ÎíÑßã ÎíÑßã áÃåáå æÃäÇ ÎíÑßã áÃåáí
Nahj al-Fasahah, Tradition 1520.
25. Ãä ÑÓæá Çááå ßÇä íÞÈá ÇáÍÓä Èä Úáí ÚáíåãÇ ÇáÓáÇã ÝÞÇá ÇáÇÞÑÚ Èä ÍÇÈÓ: Ãä áí ÚÔÑÉ ãä ÇáæáÏ ãÇ ÞÈáÊ ÃÍÏÇ ãäåã ÝÞÇá ÑÓæá Çááå )): ãä áÇ íÑÍã áÇ íÑÍã .
Rawdat al-Wa‘izin, p. 369.
26. Ããß Ããß Ëã Ããß Ëã ÃÈÇß Ëã ÇáÃÞÑÈ ÝÇáÃÞÑÈ
Nahj al-Fasahah, Tradition 546.
27. äÙÑ ÇáæáÏ Åáì æÇáÏíå ÍÈÇ áåã ÚÈÇÏÉ
Tuhaf al-‘Uqul, Tradition 79.
28. ÇáÌäÉ ÊÍÊ ÃÞÏÇã ÇáÃãåÇÊ
Ithna ‘Ashariyyah fi al-Mawa‘iz al-‘Adadiyyah, p. 8.
29. ÃíåÇ ÇáäÇÓ Åä ÑÈßã æÇÍÏ æÃä ÃÈÇßã æÇÍÏ¡ ßáßã áÂÏã æÂÏã ãä ÊÑÇÈ Åä ÃßÑãßã ÚäÏ Çááå ÃÊÞÇßã
Nahj al-Fasahah, Tradition 1044.
30. ÃäÙÑ ÝÅäß áÓÊ ÈÎíÑ ãä ÃÍãÑ æáÇ ÃÓæÏ ÅáÇ Ãä ÊÝÖáå ÈÊÞæì
Nahj al-Fasahah, Tradition 562.
31. ãÇ ÒÇá ÌÈÑíá íæíäí ÈÇáÌÇÑ ÍÊì ÙääÊ Ãäå ÓíæÑËå
Nahj al-Fasahah, Tradition 2640.
32. áÇ íÏÎá ÇáÌäÉ ÚÈÏ áÇ íÃãä ÌÇÑå ÈæÇÛíå .
Ithna ‘Ashariyyah, p. 15.
33. æÇÚÝ Úãä Ùáãß æá ãä ÞØÚß æÃÍÓä Åáì ãä ÃÓÇÁ Çáíß æÞá ÇáÍÞ æáæ Úáì äÝÓß .
Nahj al-Fasahah, Tradition 1842 and Usul al-Kafi, Vol. 2, p. 87.
34. ÃáÇ ÃÎÈÑßã ÈÃÝÖá ãä ÏÑÌÉ ÇáíÇã æÇááÇÉ æÇáÏÞÉ¿ áÇÍ ÐÇÊ ÇáÈíä ÝÅä ÝÓÇÏ ÐÇÊ ÇáÈíä åí ÇáÍÇáÞÉ
Nahj al-Fasahah, Tradition 458.
35. ÊÞÈáæÇ Åáì ÈÓÊ ÃÊÞÈá áßã ÈÇáÌäÉ ÅÐÇ ÊÍÏËÊã ÝáÇ ÊßÐÈæÇ æÅÐÇ æÚÏÊã ÝáÇ ÊÎáÝæÇ æÅÐÇ ÇÆÊãäÊã ÝáÇ ÊÎæäæÇ æÛÖæÇ ÃÈÇÑßã æÇÍÝÙæÇ ÝÑæÌßã æßÝæÇ ÃíÏíßã æÃáÓäÊßã
Ithna ‘Ashariyyah, p. 226.
36. See also No 7.
37. ÎíÑ ÇáäÇÓ ÃÍÓäåã ÎáÞÇ
Nahj al-Fasahah, Tradition 1498.
38. áíÓ ÔíÁ ÃËÞá Ýí ÇáãíÒÇä ãä ÇáÎáÞ ÇáÍÓä
Nahj al-Fasahah, Tradition 2397.
39. ÃÍËæÇ ÇáÊÑÇÈ Ýí æÌæå ÇáãÏÇÍíä
Nahj al-Fasahah, Tradition 91.
40. ÇáÑÇÍãæä íÑÍãåã ÇáÑÍãä ÊÈÇÑß æÊÚÇáì ÅÑÍãæÇ ãä Ýí ÇáÃÑÖ íÑÍãßã ãä Ýí ÇáÓãÇÁ
Nahj al-Fasahah, Tradition 1679 and Ithna ‘Ashariyyah, p. 14.
41. áì ÑÓæá Çááå )) ÈÇáäÇÓ ÇáÙåÑ ÝÎÝÝ Ýí ÇáÑßÚÊíä ÇáÃÎíÑÊíä . ÝáãÇ ÇäÑÝ ÞÇá áå ÇáäÇÓ: åá ÍÏË Ýí ÇááÇÉ ÍÏË¿... ÝÞÇá áåã: ÃãÇ ÓãÚÊã ÑÇÎ ÇáÈí¿
Al-Furu‘ Min al-Kafi, Vol. 6, p. 48
42. ÍÈ ÇáÏäíÇ ÑÃÓ ßá ÎØíÆÉ
Nahj al-Fasahah, Tradition 1342.
43. Ãä ÇáÛÖÈ ãä ÇáÔíØÇä æÃä ÇáÔíØÇä ÎáÞ ãä ÇáäÇÑ æÅäãÇ ÊØÝà ÇáäÇÑ ÈÇáãÇÁ ÝÅÐÇ ÛÖÈ ÃÍÏßã ÝáíÊæÖÃ
Nahj al-Fasahah, Tradition 660.
44. ËáÇË ãä ÇÎáÇÞ ÇáÅíãÇä: ãä ÅÐÇ ÛÖÈ áã íÏÎáå ÛÖÈå Ýí ÇáÈÇØá æãä ÅÐÇ ÑÖí áã íÎÑÌå ÑÖÇå ãä ÇáÍÞ æãä ÅÐÇ ÞÏÑ áã íÊÚÇØ ãÇ áíÓ áå .
Nahj al-Fasahah, Tradition 1267.
45. ÇáÍíÇÁ áÇ íÃÊí ÅáÇ ÈÎíÑ .
Nahj al-Fasahah, Tradition 1426 and Ithna ‘Ashariyyah, p. 8.
46. Åä Çááå ÃæÍì Åáí Ãä ÊæÇÖÚæÇ ÍÊì áÇ íÝÎÑ ÃÍÏ Úáì ÃÍÏ æáÇ íÈÛí ÃÍÏ Úáì ÃÍÏ
Nahj al-Fasahah, Tradition 678.
47. ÅÐÇ áã ÊÓÊÍíí ÝÇäÚ ãÇ ÔÆÊ
Nahj al-Fasahah, Tradition 238.
48. ÚÌÈÇ áÃãÑ ÇáãÄãä¡ Åä ÃãÑå ßáå ÎíÑ æáíÓ Ðáß áÃÍÏ ÅáÇ ÇáãÄãä Åä ÃÇÈÊå ÓÑÇÁ ÔßÑ æßÇä ÎíÑÇ áå æÅä ÃÇÈÊå ÖÑÇÁ ÈÑ æßÇä ÎíÑ áå
Nahj al-Fasahah, Tradition 1932.
49. ÅÚáã Ãä ÇáäÑ ãÚ ÇáÈÑ
Nahj al-Fasahah, Tradition 363.
50. áÇ íÄãä ÚÈÏ ÍÊì íÍÈ áÃÎíå ãÇ íÍÈ áäÝÓå ãä ÇáÎíÑ
Ithna ‘Ashariyyah, p. 15.
51. Ãä ÇáÍÓÏ áíÃßá ÇáÍÓäÇÊ ßãÇ ÊÃßá ÇáäÇÑ ÇáÍØÈ
Ithna ‘Ashariyyah, p. 17.