IMAM ALI (as)• Name – Ali Ibn Abi Talib• Title - Al-Murtaza, Al-Amir-ul-Mo'mineen, Abu-Turab,

Asad ullah• Cousin of Prophet Muhammad(saw)• Born - Friday 13th of Rajab, in the Holy Ka‘aba• Father's Name - Abu Talib• Mother's Name - Fatima bint-e-Asad• Died - at the age of 63 years, at Kufa, on Monday, the

21st Ramadan 40 AH, murdered by an assassin who mortally wounded him with a poisoned sword in the Mosque at Kufa during morning prayers on the 19th of Ramadan.

• Buried - Najaf, near Kufa.

His birthHazrat Fatima binte Asad, the wife of Hazrat Abu Talibentered the precincts of the Kaaba and prayed to Allah

saying“O’my protector ease my pain.”

All of a sudden the wall of the Kaaba opened up and she, and as if by some unseen force went inside the Kaaba

and the wall closed.Ali (as) the youngest son of Abu Talib was born inside the

Holy Kaaba. She stayed inside for three days. On the 3rd day she came

out through the door and Prophet Muhammad was waiting outside.

The proof is still visible

Despite attempts made to cover up the crack where Imam Ali’s mother entered the holy Kaaba, the signs of where the walls of the holy place opened up are

very much visible today!

Nobody before or after Ali (as) has ever been born in the House of God, the Most High. (It was a mark) of him being honored by God, the Most High, may His

name be exalted, and of his position being dignified in its greatness

Birthplace of Ali(as)

His name

• His mother Fatima wanted to name her child "Asad" and Abu Talib wanted to name him “Zaid”. However, when the holy Prophet took the child in his lap, then he opened his eyes. So the first person that Ali (as)saw after his birth was the holy Prophet. When the holy Prophet was asked ,he said that since the child was born in the House of God, he should be named Ali (the word Ali being a derivative of Allah).

• Ali (as)had thus had the distinction of being named after Allah. No one before him had ever been so named.

Muhammad (saw) adopts Ali (as)

Muhammad asked his uncle Abu Talib that he wished to adopt the baby

Ali entered the house of Muhammad from the very first day of his birth. ‘Ali’s mother Fatima binte Assad Also lived there who looked after his own son as well as Muhammad (saw) so much so that later the Holy Prophet used to say that she was like his own mother.

Ali grows up under Muhammad

• Wherever Muhammad (saw) went Ali (as) was with him all the time.

• Even in the Mountain of Hira when Muhammad (saw)went for meditation Ali (as) went with him most of the time. Sometimes they stayed on the mountain for 3 or 4 days.

• Sometimes Ali (as) took his food there.• In Nahjul Balagha Ali (as) said :• “ I used to go along with the Holy Prophet like the

baby camel goes with his mother.”

The first male to accept Islam

• When Pr. Muhammad (saw)declared his prophet hood Ali (as) was the first male to obey to the declaration without hesitation, Pr. Muhammad’s wife Khadija, being the first female

• The three persons always seen in prayers in the Kaaba were Muhammad (saw), Khadija (as) and Ali (as)before even anyone else accepted Islam.

The first declaration -Zulasheera

• The first open announcement came when the verse tells the Prophet to;

• "And warn, [O Muhammad], your closest relatives“(Quran 26:214)

• Invitations were sent to leaders of the clan to come to the house of Muhammad (saw )for Dinner.

• Forty of them came, ate food and then heard Muhammad (saw)about his mission of No god but Allah and Muhammad (saw) as the messenger of Allah and whoever offers his help to propagate this religion will be his deputy and successor.

The Successor declared

• No one stood up except ‘Ali (as) . After announcing this 3 times Muhammad (S) declared that ‘Ali (as) will be his deputy to his mission and will be his successor after him.

• People thought it as a joke that a 13 year old boy was to be a deputy of this prophetic mission.

• Ali (as) promised to help Muhammad (saw) in his mission and kept this promise all his life.

Ali-The protector of Prophet hood

• ‘Ali (as) protected prophet Muhammad (saw) from the abuses of the enemies of Islam. When Muhammad (saw)went to Taif ,a nearby town to preach Islam, the children of Taif, instigated by their elders, hurled stones at him.

• It was ‘Ali (as) who protected the Prophet and drove the stone throwing children away from the Prophet.

• As a youth Ali (as) was strongly built with strong arms. Children of his age and even older to him were frightened of him and dared not to mock the Prophet, when they saw Ali (as) standing by for protection.

Ready to lay his life for the Prophet

• As time passed, the hostility of the enemies increased so much so that Muhammad (saw) was ordered by Allah to leave Mecca.

• As the enemies hatched a plan to kill Muhammad(saw) while he slept, Ali (as) slept on Muhammad’s bed without hesitation and when the enemies entered the house of Muhammad (saw) to kill, they found ‘Ali (as) who was not afraid at all at the site of the 40 swordsmen.

The Verse of the Quran praising ALI(as)

• Ali(as) was highly praised by ALLAH (swt) on account of his act of protecting the life of the Prophet. The Holy Qur’an says:

• And among men is one who sells himself to seek the pleasure of Allah and Allah is affectionate to the servants

• Quran 2:207.

Ali (as) leaves Mecca

• 3 days after Muhammad’s (saw) departure ‘Ali returned all the goods that were entrusted to Muhammad, back to their owners, and he set out to leave Makka for Madina with the rest of the family.

• Ali (as) had with him his mother Fatima binte Asad, His aunt, the wife of Hamza, and Fatima(as), the daughter of Muhammad (saw) and many other ladies.

The bond of brother hood

• The Holy Prophet created a bond of brotherhood between the Muslims, making ‘Ali (as) as his Muslim brother saying O ’Ali, you are my brother in this world as well as in the next.

Ali’s(as)marriage to Fatima(as)

• Ali (as) married Fatima (as)the daughter of the Prophet (saw).

• They blended so well with each other that they never quarreled and complained of one another and led a happy and most contended life.

• Materially the couple did not possess much, spiritually they were at the highest level of assent. They had no worries if they go hungry or their clothes had patches. They would be more concerned if an orphan goes away from their door without receiving any food.

Ali(as) in madina

• Ali’s (as) life in Madina with the Holy Prophet for the next ten years was the busiest in defending Islam against the attackers from Mecca. But Ali quotes in Nahjul Balagha;

• ‘Life with my brother was a life of ease and happiness.’

• Ali (as) was always the standard bearer of the Flag of Islam in all such battles and his bravery became legendary.

Brave but kind

• Ali (as) was the bravest man that history could cite and such brave men are always hard hearted, cruel and eager to shed blood.

• On the contrary ‘Ali was kind, sympathetic, responsive and warmhearted person, qualities quite contrary to the other phase of his character and more suited to pious and God fearing persons.

• Ali’s bravery and piety both became legendry.

The Battle of Badr 2nd year AH (after migration)

• Ali (a.s.) was the Hero of the first battle the Muslims faced.

• The Meccan idol worshippers, fearing the growing influence of Muhammad(saw),marched towards Madina with 1000 soldiers. Their leader Abu Sufyan

• When Muhammad (saw) found out, he assembled an army of 313 men and came out of Madina.

• The two armies met at Badr.

• Ali (as) fought like a lion and and killed and wounded many.The Prophet’s uncle Hamza too played a major role in the victory of the Muslims

• During the battle, Ali (as) used to go back from time to time to make sure that the Prophet (saw.) was still secure and found him praying and prostrating to Allah(saw).

The Battle of Ohud-3rd Hijra(3rd year after migration)

• The Defeated Meccans ,eager for revenge, came back to fight the Muslims, this

time with 3000 men.

• As the battle began, the Muslims were seen to be winning, However some of the

Muslim soldier’s abandoned their position, which was exploited by the

Meccans, who attacked the Muslims from behind.

• The Meccan’s wanted to kill the holy Prophet . As they moved in for the kill,

Ali (as) and his uncle Hamza with a couple of companions stood their ground

to protect Pr. Muhammad(saw). As the rest of the companions fled.

• Hamza was killed in the battle, Ali (as) with multiple wounds fought back

bravely and rescued the injured Prophet and brought him to safety

• The Prophet declared three days of mourning for his uncle Hamza. The Holy

Prophet said afterwards that ‘Ali’s bravery was applauded by Angel Gabriel

who said that there is no braver youth than ‘Ali and no better sword than

Zulfiqar

The Battle of Khandaq(4th AH)

• After the battle of Ohud, Abu Sufyan vowed revenge-and he did a year later, but this time had the help of the Jews of Madina.

• The meccan’s most feared warriors named Amr Ibne Abde Wudchallenged the Muslims to fight with him. When The Prophet (saw)

asked his companions to go and fight Amr none of them was eager to come out, except Ali (as).

• Ali (as) was eager as ever to fight this man and he came out with the blessings of the Holy Prophet who said:

• ‘Today the whole faith has come out to fight the whole infidelity. ”

• Ali was able to kill the enemy soon and when the Prophet saw Ali (as) Victorious he uttered the words

• “Indeed one blow of Ali’s sword on the day of Khandaq is superior to the worship of all beings until the Day of Judgement.”

The battle of Khyber (7 AH)

• The Jews of Madina built forts, called Khyber, from where they harassed Muslims.

• The Prophet(saw) proceeded to stop this menace and assembled an army near the forts.

• Abu Bakr took the banner and went to fight but returned unsuccessful and then Umar took the banner and fought even harder but he also was not successfull.

Prophet brings in Ali• Prophet Muhammad(saw) declared that “Tomorrow

I will bring in a man who loves Allah (swt) and his Prophet(saw) and Allah(swt) and his Prophet(saw) love him. He is the one who attacks forcefully and does not run away from the battlefield and he will not return until Allah(swt) grants victory on his hand”.

• The next day Prophet Mohammad(saw) called for Imam Ali(a.s.). Ali(a.s.) was suffering from a disease in his eyes but the Prophet(saw) applied his saliva on the eyes of Imam Ali(a.s.) which cured him instantly and then he prayed to Allah(swt) and awarded him the standard of Islam.

ALI goes forward• Imam Ali(a.s.) led the Islamic forces to the strongest fort of

Khyber named QAMOOS. One of the enemy warriors called Haris, attacked and martyred two Muslims after which Imam Ali(a.s.) took on Haris and killed him instantly.

• Haris was followed by Marhab. Marhab faced the same fate. His body was equally divided into two parts by the zulfiqar(sword) of Imam Ali(a.s.).

• After this, general battle started. The Muslim forces fought with a lot of courage under the leadership of Imam Ali(a.s.).

Upon realizing that they were losing the battle, the enemy started running towards the fort and closed the huge iron gate of the fort from inside. This was the gate which used to be opened and closed by 40 strong men. Imam Ali(a.s.) alone lifted and broke the gate in one strong jolt. He then used the same gate to make a bridge on a trench so that the Islamic forces could enter the fort and conquer it.

Imam Ali(as) in the Holy Quran

• The christians of Najran came to meet the prophet but refused to accept Islam and wanted to debate with Prophet Muhammad (saw).The Prophet (saw) agreed after ALLAH swt sent a revelation;

• “If you are not prepared to accept the truth after the fact that you have failed in your arguments, Say, Come now, let us call our sons and your sons, our women and your women, our Selves and Your Selves, then let us humbly pray and so lay God’s curse upon the ones who lie.” (Quran 3:61)

The Holy 5• Next morning the Holy Prophet emerged from his house with his closest family. He

held the hand of Imam Hasan (as) walking beside him, held Imam Husayn (as) in his arms, followed by his daughter Fatimah (S). She was followed by ‘Ali (as).

• He came and stood with this family in front of the Christian Bishops who also came forward. The chief of the Christians was Bishop Abul Harris.

• When the Bishop saw this small family of the Prophet he turned towards his fellow Christians and told them, “Do not indulge in Mubahela (debate) with this family, for I am observing such pious faces that if they would order the mountain to come to them the mountain shall move towards them.

• In the above verse (3:61), according to what Jabir Ibn Abdillah al-Ansari (the great companion of the Prophet) said, the word "sons”refers to al-Hasan (as) and al-Husayn,(as) the word "women”refers to Fatima (as), and the word "our selves”referto the Prophet (saw)and ‘Ali (as). Thus ‘Ali (as) is referred as "the self”of the Prophet (Nafs of the Prophet).

The Verse of Proclamation• “0 Prophet proclaim what has been revealed to you from your Lord,

for if you do it not you have not conveyed His message, and Allah will protect you from the (evil designs of) people... Holy Our'an(5:67) (21) .

• This verse was revealed on the day of Ghadir Khum. In this historical day, the Prophet announced the Successor ship of Imam Ali (as), thus completing his prophet-hood and making the Imam his successor.

• today have I perfected unto you your religion and completed upon you My blessings and approved for you Islam as your religion..." Holy Qur'an (5:3)

The Verse of Guardianship (Wilaya):• “Only Allah is your Guardian and His Apostle and those who believe, those

who keep up prayers and pay the poor-rate while bowing (Ruku'). And whoever takes Allah and His Apostle and those who believe as his guardian, then surely the party of Allah are they that shall be triumphant." Holy Qur'an (5:55-56)

• Abu Dhar Al-Ghifari narrates that, “One day while I was saying my prayers in the company of the Prophet (saw), a beggar came to the Mosque asking for alms, but nobody gave him anything. The beggar raised his hands and complained to ALLAH (swt). Then Imam Ali (as), while in a state of Ruku(bowing) in the prayer, pointed out his ring-finger to the beggar. The beggar approached Ali(as) and removed the ring from his finger.

• At this occasion, the Holy Prophet prayed to Allah to delight his heart and make his task less arduous by appointing from among his kinsmen, Ali, as his Wali (representative and helper).

• It is known that no one except Ali (as) paid alms while bowing (in prayer).

The Verse of Purity (Tathir).

• "...Allah desires to keep away uncleanness from you people of the House and make you pure as pure can be. Holy Our'an (33:33)

• Umm Salama The wife of the Prophet (saw) narrates that the Prophet visited his beloved daughter Fatima(as) and then covered himself, his daughter Fatima(as),her husband Ali (as) and their two sons Hasan(as) and Husain(As) with a cloak. He raised his hands and prayed;: "0 Allah! this is my family and the nearest of my kin, keep away from them uncleanness and keep them pure as pure can be'.

The Verse of Affection (Mawadda)

• say (0' Muhammad unto mankind): I do not ask of you any reward for it (preaching the message), but love for my near relatives Ahlul-Bait'; and whoever earns good, we give him more of good therein;... Holy Qur'an (42:23)

• The Prophet (s.a.w.) explicitly told the Muslims that this verse refers to his Ahlul-Bait that is Ali, Fatima, Hasan, and Husain and urged them to obey and follow these illustrious personalities after him.

The passing away of the holy Prophet

• The year 11th A.H was the saddest year for ‘Ali. (as) He lost two of his best friends. One of whom he loved and venerated like a father, master and a dearest friend. the Holy Prophet(S) who died on 28th Safar 11th Hijri exactly 70 days after the event of Ghadeer.

• The Prophet’s death followed by the death of his dearest companion his wife Fatima, the Lady of Light.

• As Imam Ali (as) with the help of his uncle Abbas and the family of Bani Hashim, buried the holy Prophet, some Muslims went to a place called Saqeefa and elected Abubakr as the first Caliph.

After The Prophet

• Imam Ali’s love for Islam was so intense, he could not, for the sake of worldly rule, endanger Islam. He knew fully well that a civil war at this stage would give chances to the local enemies one side, the Byzantine armies in the north and the hypocrites on the third side to simply take advantage of the situation and destroy Islam.

Ali compiles The exegis of the Quran• What Ali (as) did in the next six months after the

demise of the Holy Prophet was to collect all the explanations of the various verses, reasons behind their revelation and their full context. Unfortunately this was ignored by the ruling caliphs.

• During the time of the three caliphs, although Ali (as)

did not take part in any of the battles, but he hewas always available when they sought his advice on religious matters.

ALI’S HUMBLENESS

• Ali(as)was humble and hated pomp and arrogance. Even as Caliph he used to sweep the floor of his own house, chop wood for fuel, carry water on his shoulders, mend his own shoes, wash his own clothes and milk his goat. Ali’s wife Fatima(as) did similar domestic jobs with her own hands, grinding wheat in the hand-mill, baking bread, lighting the oven, washing the dishes and tending to her children.

Ali’s Justice• When he was the Caliph, there was an incident where

Imam Ali (as) was working recording all the revenue and the expenses of the public treasury. Just then Talhaand Zubair appeared. They wanted some favors from the Imam. Imam Ali's (A.S.) knew of this.Just as they sat down, Imam Ali's (A.S.) puts out the candle and lit another one. Talha and Zubair exchanged a glance of surprise and then one of them said: "O Ali, we have come on some important business. But why did you extinguish the first candle?" Imam Ali's (A.S.) replied: "That was a candle bought of Treasury funds. As long as I worked for the Treasury, I used it. Now you have come for some personal work, so I use the candle bought of my personal fund." Talha and Zubair left without saying another word.

Ali’s knowledge• ALLAH (swt) had bestowed on Imam Ali(as) divine knowledge, just

like Prophet Muhammad(saw)

• The Holy Prophet has said:• "I am the city of knowledge, and Ali (a.s.) is its gate and the one

who wants to enter this city must pass through its gate.“

• One day a person came to Imam Ali (AS).

•He asked, "Imam Ali you say you know everything in the world, then tell me which animals lay eggs and which animals give birth to their young ones."Imam Ali (AS) looked back at him smiled and said, "The animals who have their 'EARS' outside their body give birth to their young ones and the animals who have their 'EARS' inside their body lay eggs."

•

Imam Ali and Orphans

Imam `Ali (A.S.) was very kind to children, especially to orphans. If he ever saw an orphan crying, he would stop whatever he was doing. bend down,wipe away the child's tears, put his hand on the child's shoulder and say, "My child, why are you crying? Has someone hurt you? Come, let me take you to my house." `Ali (A.S.) would take the child home and treat him better than any father.He would bring the child sweets.`Ali used to tell his followers to love and be kind to orphans, especially the orphans of martyrs killed in the path of Allah. "They have lost their loving fathers," he used to say. "So cheer them up and look after them just like a father.

The WidowTired and exhausted with the water-skin on her back, she was gasping and going towards her house where innocent children, their eyes fixed at the door, were eagerly waiting for the arrival of their mother.On her way, an unknown man approached her. He took the water-skin from her and placed it on his back. The door opened and the children saw their mother entering the house with a stranger. He placed the water-skin on the ground and said: "Well, it seems you don't have anyone to fetch water for you; how come you are so forlorn?""My husband was a soldier; Ali sent him to the frontier where he was killed. Now I am alone with these small children." The stranger said no more. Bowing down his head he went away. But the thought of the helpless window and orphans remained in his mind. He could hardly sleep in the night. Early in the morning he picked up a basket; put some meat, flour and dates in it; went straight to her house and knocked at the door.

Who are you?" the Widow asked?"I am the man who brought your water yesterday. Now I have brought some food for the children." She opened the door. Entering the house he said: "I wish to

do some good acts. The Widow was thankful"Very well. You take care of the children till I finish cooking".

The Stranger played with the children and fed them, saying to each child while putting morsel in his mouth: "My son, forgive Ali if he has failed in his duty towards you“By chance, a woman from the neighboring house came in. Recognizing the stranger, she cried: "Woe, don't you recognize the man who is helping you?He is Amir-ul Momineen (commander of the faithful) Ali Ibn

Abi-Talib.“ The shocked Widow, apologized But Imam Ali said"No,I beg your pardon for I failed in my duty towards you."

IMAM ALI’S JUSTICE WITH A CHRISTIAN

The old man, a Christian by religion, had worked all his life; but had not been able to save anything for his old age.Old age, poor and blind, he had no other way except begging. One day Imam Ali (AS), passed through the lane and saw the beggar in that condition. Imam Ali (AS), out of his concern for others, enquired about the old man. The people who knew the old man came forward and informed Imam Ali (AS) that he was a Christian Imam Ali (AS) said, “Strange! Till he had strength, you extracted work from him and now you have left him on his own?” Imam ordered the old man be given full pension from the public treasury

IMAM ALI –THE ONE WHO SOLVED PROBLEMS

• A person wrote a Will which went as follows ..."I have 17 Camels, and I have three sons. Divide my Camels in such a way that My eldest son gets half of them, the second one gets 1/3rd of the total and my youngest son gets 1/9th of the total number of Camels"After his death when the relatives read his will they got extremely perplexed and said to each other that how can we divide 17 camels like this

So after a long hard thought they decided that there was only one man in Arabia who could help them: "Ali Ibn Abi Taalib." So they all came to the door of Ali (saw) and put forward their problem.

Hazrat Ali (saw) said, "Ok. I will divide the camels as per the man's will."

He said, "I will lend one of my camels to the total which makes it 18 (17+1=18), now lets divide as per his will"The Eldest gets 1/2 of 18 = 9The second one gets 1/3 of 18 = 6and The Youngest gets 1/9 of 18 = 2Now the total number of camels = 9+6+2= 17

Then Hazrat Ali (saw) said, "Now I will take my Camel back."

Ali the Leader• After the death of Osman the 3rd Caliph ‘Ali (as) The

Muslims, fed up with corruption and favoritism, literally forced Imam Ali(as) to be their next leader.

• The path of ‘Ali (as) was full of thorns and as soon as he tried to establish the path of the Messenger of God, he created many enemies. The first and foremost was the Governor of Syria Moawa The son of Abu Sufyan, The same Abu Sufyan who was the leader of the Quraish, a sworn enemy who had led many battles against the Prophet

The battle of Jamal• Moawiya, the son of Abu Sufyan instigated former companions of

the Prophet-Talha and Zubair, to start a revolt against Ali (as) they persuaded Ayesha the widow of the Prophet to start a fight against Ali (as) . Ali(as) warned them of the dangers of war, but promises from Moawiya of Governorship of various provinces was so strong that they would not hear any advice. Ali (as) finally left Madina in pursuit of these deviants and two Muslim armies faced each other near Basra.

• The battle of Jamal was fought, Ali’s (as) army was victorious, both Talha and Zubair were killed by their own men and Ayesha was sent back to Madina under the escort of her brother Muhammad ibnAbubakr. She always repented this venture and asked forgiveness from God. Moawiya in revenge had her brother Muhammad ibneabubakr killed and his body was put into the body of a dead camel and burnt . Ayesha cursed Moawiya five times a day after every prayer, throughout her life..

The Battles of Siffin and Nahrwan

• The Battle of Siffin was also fought due to the deviant action of Moawiya against the Islamic State. Some companions of Ali’s army deserted him by accepting bribes from Moawiya and due to this deceitful action the battle of Siffin remained indecisive, no one won and no one lost.

• In the meantime this deviant group which was later named as “Khawarij” meaning deviant, began to spread trouble within the Islamic State by looting and burning villages and killing women and children Ali (as) fought against them in the battle of Nahrwan.

Ali’s leadership

The four years and ten months of the Khilafat of Ali (as) has been regarded by many historians as the best example of Islamic State after the Prophet of Islam’s death, in spite of the fact that the family of Abu Sufyan tried their best to destroy it.The famous historian Carlyle writes in his Heroes and Hero worship that

“Ali had such a personality that he was liked, loved and adored by everybody. He was a man of excellent character loving and lovable, so intensely brave that if anything stood against his bravery it was consumed as if by fire, yet he was so gentle and kind that he represented the model of a Christian Knight.”

The Martyrdom of Imam Ali (as)

• It was 19th of Ramadan 41 Hijri while ‘Ali (as) was leading the morning prayers and was in the second Sajdah of the 2nd Rakaat that Ibn Muljim’s sword fell on Ali (as)

• ‘Ali (as) injured with the wound from the poisonous sword lived for two days. In these two days he dictated his Will and last testament to his son Hasan(as) which is again a brilliant part of literary history

Ali’s Letters and sermons-Nahjul Balagha

• Ali's (as) sermons, collected by Sayyid Razi in the 4th century (AH) are the examples of the most brilliant piece of Arabic literature that after the Holy Qur’an and the authentic Hadith of the Prophet of Islam, ever produced.

• The United Nations has advised Arab countries to take Imam Ali bin Abi Talib (AS) as an example in establishing a regime based on justice and democracy and encouraging knowledge.

• The UNDP in its 2002 Arab Human Development Report, distributed around the world, listed six sayings of Imam Ali (AS) about ideal governance.

1. "He who has appointed himself an Imam (ruler) of the people must begin by teaching himself before teaching others. His teaching of others must be first by setting an example rather than with his words, for he who begins by teaching and educating himself is more worthy of respect than he who teaches and educates others."

2. "Your concern with developing the land should be greater than your concern for collecting taxes, for the latter can only be obtained by developing; whereas he who seeks revenue without development destroys the country and the people."

3. "Seek the company of the learned and the wise in search of solving the problems of your country and the righteousness of your people."

4. "No good can come out in keeping silent to the government or in speaking out of ignorance."

5. "The righteous are men of virtue, whose logic is straightforward, whose dress is not extravagant, whose path is modest, whose actions are many and who are undeterred by difficulties."

6. "Choose the best among your people to administer justice among them. Choose someone who does not easily give up, who is unruffled by enmities, someone who will not persist in wrong doings, who will not hesitate to pursue right once he knows it, someone whose heart knows no greed, who will not be satisfied with a minimum of explanation without seeking the maximum of understanding, who will be the most steadfast when doubt is cast, who will be the least impatient in correcting the opponent, the most patient in pursuing the truth, the most stern in meting out judgment, someone who is unaffected by flattery and not swayed by temptation and these are but few."