Mu'jam Kabir Tabarani 2675 — Sayyiduna Ali asked his son Sayyiduna

Al-Harith (may Allah have mercy on him) narrates that Sayyiduna Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) asked his son Sayyiduna Hasan bin Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) about some matters of muru'ah (noble character). He said: My son, what is sadad (rectitude)? He said: Father, sadad is to repel evil with good. He said: What is sharaf (honour)? He said: Doing good to one's kinsfolk, bearing the burden of their offences, being in harmony with one's brothers, and protecting one's neighbours. He said: What is muru'ah? He said: Chastity and setting one's wealth in order. He said: What is meanness (diqqah)? He said: Keeping an eye on every trifling thing and withholding even what is paltry. He said: What is base character (lu'm)? He said: A man protecting himself and sacrificing his wife. He said: What is generosity (samahah)? He said: Spending in both hardship and ease. He said: What is miserliness (shuhh)? He said: That you regard what you have spent as a loss. He said: What is brotherhood (ikha')? He said: Standing by one another in both hardship and prosperity. He said: What is cowardice (jubn)? He said: Being bold against a friend and shrinking back from the enemy. He said: What is booty (ghanimah)? He said: Desire for taqwa and detachment from the world; that is the booty gained without toil. He said: What is forbearance (hilm)? He said: Swallowing one's anger and keeping control of oneself. He said: What is richness (ghina)? He said: The heart being content with what Allah Almighty has allotted to it, even if it is little; true richness is the richness of the heart. He said: What is poverty (faqr)? He said: The greed of the self for everything. He said: What is might (mana'ah)? He said: Great strength and contending with the mighty among people. He said: What is humiliation (dhull)? He said: Being seized with fear when the moment of truth comes. He said: What is inarticulateness ('iyy)? He said: Playing with one's beard and spitting repeatedly while speaking. He said: What is boldness (jur'ah)? He said: Contending with one's peers. He said: What is affectation (kulfah)? He said: Speaking about what does not concern you. He said: What is glory (majd)? He said: Giving when there is a loss (a debt to be paid) and pardoning an offence. He said: What is intellect ('aql)? He said: Preserving in the heart whatever you gather in it. He said: What is clumsiness (khurq)? He said: Being obstinate with your imam and raising your voice in speech before him. He said: What is good praise? He said: Doing what is good and abandoning what is evil. He said: What is prudence (hazm)? He said: Long patience and gentleness with those in authority. He said: What is foolishness (safah)? He said: Following what is base and keeping the company of the misguided. He said: What is heedlessness (ghaflah)? He said: Abandoning the mosque and obeying the corrupter. He said: What is deprivation (hirman)? He said: Abandoning your share when it has been offered to you. He said: Who is the corrupter? He said: The one who is foolish with his wealth and careless about his honour. Then Sayyiduna Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) said: I heard the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) say: "There is no poverty worse than ignorance, no wealth more beneficial than intellect, no loneliness more desolate than self-admiration, no support more fitting than consultation, no intellect like foresight, no lineage like good character, no piety like self-restraint, no worship like reflection, and no faith like modesty and patience. The bane of speech is lying, the bane of knowledge is forgetfulness, the bane of forbearance is foolishness, the bane of worship is slackness, the bane of wit is boastfulness, the bane of bravery is transgression, the bane of generosity is reminding others of favours, the bane of beauty is arrogance, and the bane of lineage is pride." O my son, never look down on any man you see: if he is better than you, regard him as your father; if he is like you, he is your brother; and if he is younger than you, regard him as your son.

Imam Abu al-Qasim al-Tabarani (may Allah have mercy on him) said: No one narrated this hadith from Shu'bah except Muhammad bin Abdullah Abu Raja' al-Habati; only Uthman bin Sa'id al-Zayyat narrated it (from him), and it is narrated from Sayyiduna Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) only through this chain.