Religious Leaders

"The person who teaches one chapter of guidance to the people will have a reward similar to all those who would act upon it, and nothing would be lessened or subtracted from the reward of those who practise it; and the one who teaches a chapter of misguidance, he will have the burden similar to each one who acts upon it, and nothing will be lessened from their burden of sin."

"Knowledge and science is the fruit of paradise; in times of threat it is one's ally, in exile it keeps one company, and in solitude it is one's intimate friend and companion."

"On the Day of Judgement, God will interrogate people according to the wisdom he has granted them."

"Opposition of one's desires is the sign of the highest level of wisdom in a human being."

"There is no pain worse than ignorance and lack of intelligence."

"Learn knowledge and science from him who teaches it, even if he doesn't practice what he preaches."

"How beautiful it is when goodness succeeds badness; and how unappealing it is when evil succeeds goodness."

"There is no strength higher than overcoming carnal desire."

"Being sociable and affable with people brings kindness and friendship."

"The parable of a man greedy of this world is the parable of the silk worm: the more it winds the thread round itself the farther it becomes from salvation, until it dies of grief."

"Take the good speech from whoever said it even if his practice was not accordingly."

"I heard Layth ibn Saad say, "I went on pilgrimage in the year 113AH/731 CE. After I performed the afternoon prayer, I was reading some verses of the Holy Quran when I saw someone sitting beside me invoking God saying, "Ya Allah, Ya Allah..." repeatedly until he lost his breath. He then continued by saying, "Ya Hayy, Ya Hayy" until his breath was again lost. He then raised his hands and said, "O God, I have the desire to eat grapes, O God give me some. And my robe is becoming so old and tattered. Please, O God grant me a new one."

"Then I (al- Sadiq) asked him (the thief) about his act. He said: 'perhaps, you are Ja'far b. Mohammed?' 'Yes,' I said. He said to me:'What does your noble origin avail you while you are ignorant?' 'Which verse of the Quran am I ignorant at?' I asked. He said these Words of Allah, the Great and Almighty:Whoever brings a good deed, he shall have ten like it, and whoever brings and evil deed he shall be recompensed only with the like of it.(Quran, 6:160) 'When I stole the two loaves of bread, they were two evil deeds. And When I stole the two pomegranates, they were two evil deeds, too. So these are four evil deeds. When I gave each one of them as alms, Allah has subtracted 4 evil deeds from 40 good deeds. So, I have 36 good deeds.' I (al- Sâdiq) said: 'May your mother loses you! It is you who are ignorant at the Book of Allah. Have you not heard that Allah said: (Allah) accepts-(deeds) from the pious only.(Quran, 5:27) When you stole the two loaves of bread, they were two evil deeds. And when you stole the two pomegranates, they were two evil deeds, too. And when you gave them to other than their owner without the permission of their owner, you have added four evil deeds to the four evil deeds, and you have not added four evil deeds to forty good deeds. So, he began looking at me. Then I left him and went away."

"When a man asked him whether God coerced his bondsmen to sin. Al-Sadiq replied "Allah is more just than to make them commit misdeeds then chastise them for what they have done." The man further asked, "Has he empowered them with their actions?" al-Sadiq said, "If He had delegated it to them, He would have not confined them to enjoining good and forbidding evil." The man further asked, "Is there a station or a position between the two?" The Imam said, "Yes, wider than [the space] between the heaven and the earth.""

"O God, thine is the praise that I give thee, and to thee is the excuse if I sin against thee. There is no work of merit on my own behalf or on behalf of another, and in evil there is no excuse for me or for another."

"The one who visits the grave of Imām Husayn (a) knowing his right (of Imāmat), then it is as if he has done the Ziyārat of God on the ‘Arsh (throne)."

"Seventy thousand angels worship near the grave of Imām Husayn (a). The prayer (salah) of one of them, is equal to a thousand prayers of mankind. The reward of this prayer is for the visitors of Imām Husayn's (a) grave. The curse of God, His angels and all mankind is forever upon the killers of Imām Husayn (a)."

"God has appointed to the grave of Imām Husayn (a), four thousand anguished and grief-stricken angels, who weep over him (and shall continue to do so) up until the Day of Judgment."

"As for ‘Alī ibn Husayn (a), he cried over Husayn (a) for twenty years (after the tragedy of Karbalā); never would any food be placed before him except that he would begin to weep."

"Immorality and surliness makes the human's life miserable and bitter."

"Be careful to have truthful friends and try to obtain them, for they are your support when you are in welfare, and your advocator when you have misfortune."

"Everything has a foundation, and the foundation of Islām is our affection for the household of our Prophet."

"The basis of religion is our affection for the household of the holy Prophet."

"My words are the words of my father, and the words of my father are the words of my grandfather, and the words of my grandfather are the words of my great-grandfathers - Hasan and Husayn; and their words are the words of Ali, and the words of Ali are the words of the Prophet of Allah; and the words of the Prophet are the words of Allah."

"A sin that accelerates death and annihilation of man is breaking off paying visits to one's own relatives."

"The believers have four signs: good humor, tactfulness, kind heartedness and openhandedness"

"Seek Knowledge and adorn it with forbearance and dignity. Be humble to those whom you teach and to those from whom you learn. Don't be tyrannical in your teaching conduct, for you will forfeit that to which you are entitled to (the reward) on account of it."

"Precision, accuracy and pondering in wisdom and sciences, will nourish and develop a person's brain."

"There are two kinds of scholars: those who act on their knowledge, these are the saved ones; and those who do not put into practise what they know, these are led to their downfall."

"The person who associates with scholars, will have his reputation exalted."

"It makes no sense at all if people consider the one who lacks knowledge and science as a prosperous person."

"Being cheerful and affable with people is by itself half of wisdom."

"Everything has its tax and the tax of knowledge is to teach its people."

"Write knowledge since you can’t memorize unless with writing. Heart confides to the written."

"To acquire knowledge is neccessary at all times."

"A learned person among ignorant people, is like a live person among the dead."

"One who does not use his intelligence will not succeed and one who does not use his knowledge will have no intellect. One who understands will attain nobility and excellence, and one who is tolerant will triumph. Knowledge is a shield (against evil), truth begets honour and ignorance disgrace, understanding is distinction, generosity is salvation and good manners command love and respect."

"Having the foresight to plan to earn a living, is half of the peace and leisure in life."

"The person who is aware of the present situations of his time, will never get involved with falsifying and wrongdoing."

"Paying visits to ones own relatives prolongs the life of a person and prevents poverty and indigence."

"Whenever the mind of a person is rectified, he becomes strong and powerful in appearance."

"There are three things that signify the magnanimity of a person: good temper, patience, and to avoid aggressive gaze."

"The reconciliation, tolerance and unity already entrenched in the Bible is more than enough for us to do the only thing left for us to do - to be doers of the Word and not only hear it and deceive ourselves."

"Christians in this country should start taking another fresher look at their doctrinal content in trying to assume they know the mandate of God."

"This makes it morally unchristian for any human to legislate spiritual change since God himself does not force his people to do the same."

"After analysing the stand of the military and the Government, I have come to realise that so many things have happened in Fiji in the name of Fijian supremacy and that I cannot be manipulated by anybody else but myself."

"Even though the military is an establishment having 99 per cent of native Fijians by composition, they still stand true to their duty which they have sworn by Almighty God to perform without prejudice, favour, malice or ill will."

"Delirium tremens in a drunk alcoholic are an unmistakable symptom, but those intoxicated with theories are easily mistaken for geniuses."

"The teachings of the Zend Avesta are in accordance with the doctrinal principles contained in the Egyptian book of the dead, and contain the Christ-principle. The Illiad of Homer, the Hebrew Bible, the Germanic Edda and the Sibylline Books of the Romans contain the same Christ-principle. All these are sufficient in order to demonstrate that Christ is anterior to Jesus of Nazareth. Christ is not one individual alone. Christ is a cosmic principle that we must assimilate within our own physical, psychic, somatic and spiritual nature… Among the Persians, Christ is Ormuz, Ahura Mazda, terrible enemy of Ahriman (Satan), which we carry within us. Amongst the Hindus, Krishna is Christ; thus, the gospel of Krishna is very similar to that of Jesus of Nazareth. Among the Egyptians, Christ is Osiris and whosoever incarnated him was in fact an Osirified One. Amongst the Chinese, the Cosmic Christ is Fu Hi, who composed the I-Ching (The Book of Laws) and who nominated Dragon Ministers. Among the Greeks, Christ is called Zeus, Jupiter, the Father of the Gods. Among the Aztecs, Christ is Quetzalcoatl, the Mexican Christ. In the Germanic Edda, Baldur is the Christ who was assassinated by Hodur, God of War, with an arrow made from a twig of mistletoe, etc. In like manner, we can cite the Cosmic Christ within thousands of ancient texts and old traditions which hail from millions of years before Jesus. The whole of this invites us to embrace that Christ is a cosmic principle contained within the essential principles of all religions."

"What is the use of education if we do not become creative, conscious and truly intelligent? Real education does not mean knowing how to read and write. Any stupid person, any fool can know how to read and write. We need to have intelligence and it only awakens within us when the consciousness awakens."