الحُمق

FOOLISHNESS

---

2– Imam Ali (AS) said, ‘The greatest poverty is foolishness.’
[Ghurar al-Hikam, no. 2849]

3– Imam Ali (AS) said, ‘A person does not ruin his enemy worse than a fool ruins himself.’
[Nahj al-Sa’ada, v. 3, p. 225]

4– Prophet Jesus (AS) when asked about the traits of the fool said, ‘He is one who is proud of himself and his own opinion, who sees all good traits as coming from himself and sees no one better than himself, who has decided that all rights are his and others have no right over him, so this is the fool for whom there is no cure for his disease.’
[al-Ikhtisas, p. 221]

5– Imam Ali (AS) said, ‘The one who pries into the faults of people, rebukes them and then adopts those faults himself is truly a fool.’
[Nahj al-Balagha, Saying 349]

6– Imam Ali (AS) said, ‘The foolishness of a man is recognised by three things: idle talk, answering something he was not asked, and being careless in matters.’
[Ghurar al-Hikam, no. 4542]

7– Imam Ali (AS) said, ‘Among the signs of the fool is his profusely whimsical nature.’
[Ghurar al-Hikam, no. 9445]

8– Imam Ali (AS) said, ‘Do not refute everything that people say to you for that is enough to classify you as foolish.’
[Ghurar al-Hikam, no. 10251]

9– Imam Zayn al-Abidin (AS) in his counsel to his son al-Baqir (AS) said, ‘My son, beware of taking a fool as a companion or mingling with him; keep away from him and do not converse with him for verily the fool is a lowly person whether he is absent or present. When he talks he exposes his foolishness and when he is silent he displays his inability to express himself. If he acts he spoils and when he is given responsibility he fails it. His own knowledge does not suffice him and others’ knowledge is of no benefit to him, he does not follow the one who advises him, his associates do not find rest
[from him], his mother wishes to be bereaved of him, his wife wishes to lose him, his neighbour wishes to live far from him and the one who sits with him would rather be absent from his company. If he is the lowest
[in status] in the gathering he abases those above him and if he is the highest of them he denigrates the others.’
[Amali al-Tusi, p. 613, no. 1278]

10– Imam al-Sadiq (AS) said, ‘The one who does not refrain from the friendship of a fool will soon adopt his character.’
[Amali al-Saduq, p. 222, no. 1]

11– Imam Ali (AS) said, ‘The most foolish of people is the one who thinks that he is the most intelligent.’
[Ghurar al-Hikam, no. 3089]

12– Imam Ali (AS) said, ‘The most foolish of people is the one who prevents goodness but expects thanks, and he commits evil and expects the reward of good.’
[Ghurar al-Hikam, no. 3283]

13– Imam Ali (AS) said, ‘The most foolish of people is he who rebukes others for their vices while he possesses the same.’
[Ghurar al-Hikam, no. 3343]

14– Imam al-Sadiq (AS) said, ‘Maintaining silence with the fool is the best response.’
[Ghurar al-Hikam, no. 1160]