Be With Us, the Ahlul Bayt, By…: “O Kumayl [ibne Ziyad al-Nakha’i], do not take [anything from this religion] except from us [our teachings - the Ahlul Bayt] so that through this, you may be considered as being from us!”

The Worst of Friends: “The worst of your brothers [friends] is the one who [continuously] flatters you and hides your defects from you.”

The Gravest of Sins: “A person’s intentional unfamiliarity with his own short-comings and defects is the greatest of his sins.”

The Best Struggle [Jihad]: “There is nothing more admirable than struggle [jihad] and the greatest of all struggles is the struggle against the passions and lower desires.”

The Best Relationship & the Greatest Honour: “Reciprocating love is the strongest of relationships; and sound knowledge is the noblest of relations.”

What is a ‘Religious Innovation’ and Who are the People of ‘Innovation’: “As for the people of religious innovation, these are individuals who go against the commands of Allah, and His Book, and His Messenger – they are people who act based on their own personal whims and ambitions – [and this is what the people of innovation are] – even if they are in large numbers [within the Muslim community].”

Who Should we Seek Advice from: “Do not accept the advice of misers in your decision-making process as they will try to keep you away from doing good to others and threaten you with poverty; and do not allow cowards [to act as your advisers] because they will try and make you timid in enforcing orders; and do not allow the greedy [to act as your advisors] as they will make oppression to be something beautiful to you…”

Faith and Action – Two Enduring Partners: “True faith and [the performance of good] actions are close friends of one another and are associates of one another which will never separate from one another.”

The Importance of Fortitude and Endurance: “I advise you to have fortitude as indeed fortitude is to faith just as the head is to the [rest of the] body; there is no benefit with a body without a head and [similarly], there is no goodness in faith without fortitude.”

Think about Yourself First … Then Others: “The one who places himself as a leader for society must start by refining himself before [cultivating] others and must train others through his own [good] conduct before training others through his speaking.”