SELECTED SAYINGS OF IMAM ALI IBN ABU TALIB ( )عFROM THE RECENTLY EDITED NAHJULBALAGHA (Bloomington, Indiana: Authorhouse, 2013) By Yasin T. al-Jibouri 302. Imam Ali ibn Abu Talib ( )عsaid the following at the grave of the Messenger of Allah ( )صat the time of his burial: “Certainly endurance is good except in your regard, O Messenger of Allah! Fretting is bad except over you. And the affliction about you is great while every other affliction before or after it is petty.” 303. Imam Ali ibn Abu Talib ( )عsaid: “Do not associate with a fool because he will beautify his actions for you and wish that you, too, will be like him.”
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304. Imam Ali ibn Abu Talib ( )عwas asked once about the distance between the East and the West. He replied as follows: “A day’s trip for the sun.” 305. Imam Ali ibn Abu Talib ( )عsaid: “Your friends are three and your enemies are (also) three: Your friends are: your friend, your friend’s 1
A fool considers his ways of action to be the most appropriate, and he wants his friend also to adopt the same ways, so that he should become as he himself is. This does not mean that he desires that his friend should become as foolish as he is. He cannot be thinking like this because he does not consider himself to be a fool. If he, in fact, considers himself to be foolish, then he will not have been as such! Rather, he considers his ways of action as being correct and desires his friend to be equally “wise”. That is why he presents his view before him in an embellished way, desiring him to act on it. It is possible that his friend may be influenced by his advice, so he treads the same path. Therefore, it is better to keep away from him.