Mu' meneen Brothers and Sisters,

As Salaam Aleikum wa Rahmatullahi wa Barakatuh.  (May Allah's Peace, Mercy and Blessings be upon all of you)

One of our brothers/sisters has asked this question:

Assalam-oAlaikum...

I heard a few sayings of Hazrat Ali...I wanted to ask you whether they are authentic or not..."Treat people in such a way and live amongst them in such a manner that if you die they weep over you, and if you are alive they crave for your company."

"Hearts of people are like wild birds, they attach themselves to those who love and train them."

"A friend cannot be considered as a friend unless he is tested on three occasions;in time of need;behind your back and after your death."

JazakAllah

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Answer:

Sayings of hadrat ali

In the name of Allah, We praise Him, seek His help and ask for His forgiveness. Whoever Allah guides none can misguide, and whoever He allows to fall astray, none can guide them aright. We bear witness that there is none worthy of worship but Allah Alone, and we bear witness that Muhammad (saws) is His slave-servant and the seal of His Messengers.

Allah Says in the Holy Quran Chapter 33 Surah Ahzab verse 21:

There is indeed the best example for you to follow in the Messenger of Allah, for every such person looks forward to Allah and the Last Day, and remembers Allah much.

Dear and beloved Sister, Allah has commanded the believers to follow the example of the Last and Final Messenger (saws) if indeed they look forward to Allah and the Last Day….thus throughout the annuls of muslim history, the eminent scholars and jurists have dedicated their time and their efforts to accurately record, document, verify and implement the Sunnah of the Messenger of Allah (saws).

Thus the maximum effort of the eminent recorders of ahaadeeths have gone into recording, verifying, and documenting the words and the deeds of the Messenger of Allah (saws) for the benefit of future generations. It is because of their untiring and selfless efforts in recording only the most authentic and verified traditions, that the absolute majority of the believers today are in consensus that the attribution of words and deeds to the Messenger of Allah (saws) recorded in the ‘sahih’ collections of especially Bukhari and Muslim are indeed accurate.

Some scholars did indeed strive to record and document the sayings or traditions of the Noble Companions of the Messenger of Allah (saws) and the early generation of muslims, but obviously these records did not go through the same science of verifications like the traditions of the Messenger of Allah (saws)…..thus it would be almost impossible for one to say with the same conviction that their record of the traditions of the Companions of the Prophet are as well maintained and as accurate as the record of traditions of the Prophet (saws)!

Beloved sister in Islam, because of the unfortunate schisms and sects that erupted amongst the muslims, many an unscrupulous people who had their own particular political or material agenda, invented a plethora of sayings and attributed their inventions to the noble companions of the Prophet… so that they might derive some authenticity and weight because of their attribution!

Thus sister, today it would be almost impossible for one to say with conviction whether a saying attributed to one of the Noble Companions is indeed accurate or not…..it is possible that the phrases that you have quoted for verification may indeed have been said by the noble companion Hadrat Ali ibn Abi Taalib (r.a.), or it may even be that someone has invented these sayings and attributed them to this noblest of souls. One can neither accept them with conviction, nor can one deny them with certainty. ….Allah Alone Knows Best.

Whatever written of Truth and benefit is only due to Allah’s Assistance and Guidance, and whatever of error is of me alone. Allah Alone Knows Best and He is the Only Source of Strength.

Your brother and well wisher in Islam,

Burhan