The Book of Characteristics · Hadith 1231 (#Ḥadīth #8)
Chapter 1 | In One Meeting, Imam Ali Taught Four-hundred Things Each of Which is Very Useful for a Muslim’s Life and Religion
27-8 مضغ اللبان يذيب البلغموابدؤوا بالملح في أول طعامكم، فلو يعلم الناس ما في الملح لاختاروه على الترياق المجرب. من ابتدأ طعامه بالملح ذهب عنه سبعون داء وما لا يعلمه إلا الله عز وجلصبوا على المحموم الماء البارد في الصيف فإنه يسكن حرهاصوموا ثلاثة أيام في كل شهر، فهي تعدل صوم الدهر، ونحن نصوم خميسين بينهما أربعاء، لان الله عز وجل خلق جهنم يوم الاربعاءإذا أراد أحدكم حاجة فليبكر في طلبها يوم الخميس، فإن رسول الله صلى الله عليه وآله قال: "اللهم بارك لامتي في بكورها يوم الخميس." وليقرأ إذا خرج من بيته الآيات من آخر آل عمران، وآية الكرسي، وإنا أنزلناه، وأم الكتاب، فإن فيها قضاء لحوائج الدنيا والآخرةعليكم بالصفيق من الثياب، فإنه من رق ثوبه رق دينهلا يقومن أحدكم بين يدي الرب جل جلاله وعليه ثوب يشفتوبوا إلى الله عز وجل وادخلوا في محبته، فان الله عز وجل يحب التوابين ويحب المتطهرين، والمؤمن توابإذا قال المؤمن لاخيه: "اف" انقطع ما بينهما، فاذا قال له: "أنت كافر: كفر أحدهماوإذا اتهمه انماث الاسلام في قلبه كما ينماث الملح في الماءباب التوبة مفتوح لمن أرادها، فتوبوا إلى الله توبة نصوحا عسى ربكم أن يكفر عنكم سيئاتكموأوفوا بالعهد إذا عاهدتم، فما زالت نعمة ولا نضارة عيش إلا بذنوب اجترحوهاإن الله ليس بظلام للعبيد. ولو أنهم استقبلوا ذلك بالدعاء والانابة لم تزل. ولو أنهم إذا نزلت بهم النقم وزالت عنهم النعم فزعوا إلى الله عز وجل بصدق من نياتهم ولم يهنوا ولم يسرفوا لاصلح الله لهم كل فاسد ولرد عليهم كل صالحوإذا ضاق المسلم فلا يشكون ربه عز وجل، وليشتك إلى ربه الذي بيده مقاليد الامور وتدبيرهافي كل امرئ واحدة من ثلاث: الطيرة والكبر والتمني، فاذا تطير أحدكم فليمض على طيرته وليذكر الله عز وجل. وإذا خشى الكبر فليأكل مع عبده وخادمه وليحلب الشاة، وإذا تمنى فليسأل الله عز وجل ويبتهل إليه ولا ينازعه نفسه إلى الاثمخالطوا الناس بما يعرفون، ودعوهم مما ينكرون، ولا تحملوهم على أنفسكم وعليناإن أمرنا صعب مستصعب لا يحتمله إلا ملك مقرب أو نبي مرسل أو عبد قد امتحن الله قلبه للايمانإذا وسوس الشيطان إلى أحدكم فليتعوذ بالله وليقل: "آمنت بالله وبرسوله مخلصا له الدين ."إذا كسى الله عز وجل مؤمنا ثوبا جديدا فليتوضأ وليصل ركعتين يقرأ فيهما أم الكتاب وآية الكرسي وقُلْ هُوَ اللهُ أَحَدٌ، وإِنَّا أَنْزَلْنَاهُ فِي لَيْلَةِ الْقَدْرِ، ثم ليحمد الله الذي ستر عورته وزينه في الناس وليكثر من قول "لا حول ولا قوة إلا بالله العلي العظيم." فإنه لا يعصي الله فيه، وله بكل سلك فيه ملك يقدس له ويستغفر له ويترحم عليه
27-8 Chewing gum could reduce the phlegm.Start your meals with a little bit of salt. If you only knew the benefits of salt, you would prefer it to any antidotes. Seventy pains plus what no one but the Honorable the Exalted God knows of would be fended off of anyone who starts his meals by taking a little bit of salt.Pour some cool water on a head with fever in the summer in order to reduce the fever.You should fast three days each month. The reward would equal that of fasting your whole life. You should fast on two Thursdays in between which there is a Wednesday on which to fast. The Honorable the Exalted God created Hell on a Wednesday.Whenever you need something you should go out after it at the dawn of a Thursday since God’s Prophet (MGB) said, ‘O God! Please bless the dawn of Thursdays for my people.’ When you leave the house you should recite the end of the Chapter Al-Imran and the verse of the Throne (Ayat al-Kursi) and Inna Anzalnahu and the Opening Chapter (Al-Fatiha ) with the hope that his worldly needs and those of the Hereafter be fulfilled.You should wear thick clothing since those who wear thin clothing have a weak faith. You should not stand to pray in front of God - may His Majesty be Exalted - wearing thin clothing.Repent to the Honorable the Exalted God and enter His circle of Love since the Honorable the Exalted God loves those who repent, those who are clean and the believers who repent.Whenever a believer insults his believing brother their relationship will be hurt. If one calls another one an unbeliever, then one of them would become an unbeliever. Once one accuses another Muslim, the faith in Islam melts in his heart as salt would dissolve in water.The doors of repentance are open to anybody who wants to repent. Repent to God sincerely. Maybe your Lord would cover up your sins.You should honor your covenants. Blessings and happiness would not be destroyed except by the sins which you commit.God would not oppress his servants. The people would not have faced any calamities if they supplicated. Blessings will depart when calamities befall. Cry at the Threshold of the Honorable the Exalted God with good intentions and then God will amend things and give back the good things.Whenever things become hard to do, a Muslim should ask the Honorable the Exalted God for help since the key to everything is in His hands.There are three characteristics in every man. They are evil omen; pride or haughtiness; and high aspirations. Whenever you feel an evil omen, you should ignore it and mention the Honorable the Exalted God. Whenever you fear that you are becoming haughty, you should eat along with your servants, and milk the calf . When you feel that high aspirations are driving you crazy, you should ask the Honorable the Exalted God not to leave you alone with your disobedient self to be led to sins.Associate with people based on what are generally accepted norms, not on what they do not believe in. Do not force anything upon us or yourselves. Indeed our affairs are difficult and no one but the nearby-stationed angels and persons whose wholehearted faith God has tested can withstand it.When Satan tempts you, you should take refuge in God and say, ‘I believe in Allah and in His Messenger, with pure sincerity in the religion.’Whenever the Honorable the Exalted God grants a believer some new clothes, he should perform the ritual ablutions (wuzu) and say two units of prayers in which he recites the Mother of the Book (i.e. the first Chapter of the Holy Quran), the verse of the Throne (Ayat al-Kursi) , Qul Hoallahu Ahad (Al-Ikhlas ), and Inna Anzalnaho fi laylatul Qadr (Al-Qadr) . Then he should praise God who has covered up his private parts and adorned him amongst the people and say the following many times, ‘There is no power nor any strength save in God the Sublime the Great.’He should not commit any sins wearing those clothes. There are as many angels as there are yarns in those clothes who ask God for his forgiveness and God’s Mercy.
Gradings are classical jarḥ-wa-taʿdīl, name-matched to a rijāl index (not individually re-verified).