By God, He is vast in scope and exceedingly powerful; He speaks clearly and rules with perfect justice. Knowledge springs from His every side, and wisdom speaks from all His aspects. He grows weary of the world and its adornments, and finds solace in the night and its darkness. Truly, He wept copiously and pondered deeply, turning His palm and addressing His own soul. He was satisfied with garments so long as they were modest, and with food so long as it was nourishing. By God, He was among us, drawing close to anyone who approached Him and responding to anyone who called on Him. In our nearness, we did not dare address Him out of awe; when He smiled, it was like the stringing of pearls. He esteemed the people of religious learning and loved the poor. The powerful never dared hope to prevail with their falsehood, nor did the weak despair of His justice. I bear witness by God that I saw Him in certain positions when night had drawn its curtains and its stars had sunk. He would stand in His prayer niche (mihrab), clutching His beard, restless like a wounded camel, weeping with the sorrowful’s tears. It is as if I hear Him now saying, “O our Lord, O our Lord,” imploring Him. Then He would turn to the world and say, “Have you sought me out, or is it my nature that you desire? Far from you—go deceive another! You endure but three things: your life is short, your gathering insignificant, and your peril great—ah, ah, how scant the provisions, how long the journey, how lonely the road!” He said: Mu‘awiya’s tears streamed down his beard, unstoppable, and he wiped them away on his sleeve. The onlookers choked with weeping, and he said: “Such was Abu al-Hasan (may God have mercy on him). How did you find him, Dhirar?” He replied: “The anguish of one who slaughters—each piece as unyielding as iron; its tear will not flow nor its sorrow be stilled.” Then he rose and departed. [Reported in Mukhtaṣar Tārīkh Dimashq 11/158.] And ʿAlī said: “Three acts are the hardest: giving from your own self, remembering God in all circumstances, and comforting a brother in his wealth.” And ʿAlī said: “God is not pleased with the people of the Qurʾān showing servility and silence—by God, they still disobey.” Al-Thawrī narrated from ʿAmr ibn Qays that he said: “They asked ʿAlī, ‘O Commander of the Faithful, why do you not patch your shirt?’ He replied, ‘The heart is humbled, and the believer follows my example.’” And from Ziyād ibn Milḥ that ʿAlī was presented with some unleavened bread (khubays). He placed it before the people; they began to eat but could not swallow. He said: “Islam is not a lost virgin, but the Quraysh saw this loaf as rare and contended over it.” ʿAlī had a leather pouch (zubiyya) made from gazelle-hide in which he carried barley flour to mix with water in times of scarcity. It was his sole sustenance, and he sealed it to keep it pure. A man reproached him for his attire; he replied: “Why concern yourself with my clothes? My dress is far from pride and more worthy of a Muslim’s emulation.” Abd Allāh ibn Sharīk reported from his grandfather from ʿAlī that he was offered a fine pastry (falwadhj). He placed it before him and said: “You are sweet of fragrance, lovely in hue, pleasant in taste, yet I dislike forming a habit for what I do not need.” From Majmaʿ al-Taymī: ʿAlī would distribute the Bayt al-Māl’s funds, sweep its floor, and pray within it, making it his mosque in the hope that God would testify on his behalf on the Day of Judgment. And Imam … said: “Wahb ibn Saʿīd narrated to us, Muhammad ibn Qays narrated to us from ʿAlī ibn Rubayya al-Wālībī from ʿAlī ibn Abī Ṭālib that Ibn al-Nabbāj came to him and said, ‘O Commander of the Faithful, Bayt al-Māl is brimming with gold and silver.’ He said, ‘Allāh is the Greatest,’ rose leaning on Ibn al-Nabbāj until he stood over Bayt al-Māl, and declared: ‘This is my share, and the best of it is what remains with me…’ He entrusted his hand to it and said, ‘O son of al-Nabbāj, distribute to the clans of Kufa.’ An announcement was made, and he gave it all away saying, ‘O gold, O silver, entice another—look, not a dinar nor a dirham remains.’ Then he ordered the treasury cleansed and prayed two rakʿas in it.” Al-Ṭabarānī said: “Abū Muslim al-Kashī narrated to us, ʿAbd al-ʿAzīz ibn al-Khaṭṭāb narrated to us, Sahl ibn Shuʿayb narrated to us from Abū ʿAlī …”