The Book of Characteristics · Hadith 1239 (#Ḥadīth #16)
Chapter 1 | In One Meeting, Imam Ali Taught Four-hundred Things Each of Which is Very Useful for a Muslim’s Life and Religion
27-16 أقلوا من أكل الحيتان فانها تذيب البدن وتكثر البلغم، وتغلظ النفس حسو اللبن شفاء من كل داء إلا الموت كلوا الرمان بشحمه فانه دباغ للمعدة، وفي كل حبة من الرمان إذا استقرت في المعدة حياة للقلب وإنارة للنفس، وتمرض وسواس الشيطان أربعين ليلة نعم الآدام الخل يكسر المرة ويحيي القلب كلوا الهندباء فما من صباح إلا وعليه قطرة من قطر[ات] الجنة اشربوا ماء السماء فانه يطهر البدن، ويدفع الاسقام. قال الله تبارك وتعالى: "وَيُنَزِّلُ عَلَيْكُمْ مِنْ السَّمَاءِ مَاءً لِيُطَهِّرَكُمْ بِهِ وَيُذْهِبَ عَنكُمْ رِجْزَ الشَّيْطَانِ وَلِيَرْبِطَ عَلَى قُلُوبِكُمْ وَيُثَبِّتَ بِهِ الأَقْدَامَ ." ما من داء إلا وفي الحبة السوداء منه شفاء إلا السام لحوم البقر داء وألبانها دواء وأسمانها شفاء ما تأكل الحامل من شيء ولا تتداوي به أفضل من الرطب. قال الله عز وجل لمريم عليها السلام: "وَهُزِّي إِلَيْكِ بِجِذْعِ النَّخْلَةِ تُسَاقِطْ عَلَيْكِ رُطَبًا جَنِيًّا فَكُلِي وَاشْرَبِي وَقَرِّي عَيْنًا ." حنكوا أولادكم بالتمر، فهكذا فعل رسول الله صلى الله عليه وآله بالحسن والحسين إذا أراد أحدكم أن يأتي زوجته فلا يعجلها، فان للنساء حوائج إذا رأى أحدكم امرأة تعجبه فليأت أهله، فان عند أهله مثل ما رأى. ولا يجعلن للشيطان إلى قلبه سبيلا وليصرف بصره عنها فان لم تكن له زوجة فليصل ركعتين ويحمد الله كثيرا ويصلي على النبي وآله صلى الله عليه وآله ثم ليسأل الله من فضله فانه يبيح له برأفته ما يغنيه إذا أتى أحدكم زوجته فليقل الكلام فان الكلام عند ذلك يورث الخرس لا ينظرن أحدكم إلى باطن فرج امرأته فلعله يرى ما يكره، ويورث العمى إذا أراد أحدكم مجامعة زوجته فليقل: "اللهم إني استحللت فرجها بأمرك، وقبلتها بأمانتك، فإن قضيت لي منها ولدا فاجعله ذكرا سويا ولا تجعل للشيطان فيه نصيبا ولا شريكا ." الحقنة من الاربع: قال رسول الله صلى الله عليه وآله: إن أفضل ما تداويتم به الحقنة، وهي تعظم البطن وتنقي داء الجوف وتقوي البدن استعطوا بالبنفسج وعليكم بالحجامة إذا أراد أحدكم أن يأتي أهله فليتوق أول الاهلة وأنصاف الشهور، فان الشيطان يطلب الولد في هذين الوقتين، والشياطين يطلبون الشرك فيهما فيجيئون ويحبلون توقوا الحجامة والنورة يوم الاربعاء، فان يوم الاربعاء يوم نحس مستمر، وفيه خلقت جهنم وفي يوم الجمعة ساعة لا يحتجم فيها أحد إلا مات
27-16 Eat less fish because it liquefies the body’s flesh, increases the phlegm and makes it harder to breathe. Whey is a remedy for every illness except for death. Eat pomegranates with the pulp since it would clean the stomach. Each pomegranate seed that enters the stomach will revive the heart, cleanse the soul and force Satan’s temptations out of it for forty nights. Vinegar is very useful since it decreases the bile. Use white succory every dawn as it has heavenly drops in it. Drink rain water since it cleans the body and takes away illnesses. God the Blessed the Sublime said, ‘…and he caused rain to descend on you from heaven, to clean you therewith, to remove from you the stain of Satan, to strengthen your hearts, and to plant your feet firmly therewith.’ Nigella seeds are a cure for everything except for being poisoned. Beef can cause illnesses. Cow’s milk is like a drug. Cow’s oil is a cure. There is no better food or cure for a pregnant woman than fresh dates. The Honorable the Exalted God told Mary (MGB), ‘And shake towards thyself the trunk of the palm-tree, It will let fall fresh ripe dates upon thee. So eat and drink and cool (thine) eye.’Feed the baby dates the first time you feed him as God’s Prophet (MGB) did with Al-Hassan (MGB) and Al-Hussein (MGB). When you want to sleep with your wife, you should not rush her into bed. You should give her some time to prepare herself for bed. Women need certain preparations before they can sleep with their husbands. When you see an unfamiliar woman and are attracted to her, you should sleep with your own wife. She also has the same beauties which you see in that unfamiliar woman. Do not let Satan enter your hearts. Do not look at an unfamiliar woman. If one wants to get married, he should say two units of prayer, praise God very much, send blessings upon the Prophet (MGB) and his Household. Then he should ask God to grant him a wife out of His Nobility and Kindness. When you sleep with your wife you should speak as little as possible in that state. Speaking while sleeping with one’s spouse might cause the child to be dumb. You should not look into your wife’s vagina, since then you might see something that you dislike. It may also result in blindness. When you wants to make love with your wife, you should say, ‘O my God! I have legitimized her love for me according to your decrees. I have accepted her as You entrusted her to me. If You destine a child for me from her, please let it be a perfectly healthy child and do not let any involvement or partnership of Satan in it.” Hypodermic injections can heal four ailments. God’s Prophet (MGB) said, “Indeed hypodermic injection is one of the best forms of treatment.” Hypodermic injections can fatten the stomach, take away inner pains and strengthen the body. Use viola. Blood-letting is recommended for you. It is not recommended to have sexual intercourse with your wife on the first night of the (lunar) month or the middle of the (lunar) month, since Satan seeks a child at these times and the other devils are his associates and come after the child. Do not have blood-letting performed or applied on Wednesdays since Wednesday is an eternally sinister day on which Hell was created. There is an hour on Fridays during which anyone who performs blood-letting would die.
Gradings are classical jarḥ-wa-taʿdīl, name-matched to a rijāl index (not individually re-verified).