WEBVTT 1 00:00:00.550 --> 00:00:07.805 There's a short passage in Tuhaf al-Uqool, a classic collection of hadith compiled by Ibn Shooba al-Harrani. 2 00:00:07.805 --> 00:00:14.563 It's the advice of the Prophet, peace be upon him and his family, to Imam Ali, peace be upon him. 3 00:00:14.563 --> 00:00:16.724 It's only about four pages long. 4 00:00:16.724 --> 00:00:21.893 But the way most of us read a text like this means we forget almost all of it within a week. 5 00:00:22.833 --> 00:00:26.091 So in this video, I'm not going to just read it to you. 6 00:00:26.091 --> 00:00:31.338 I'm going to show you how to actually learn it, so it stays with you, and changes how you act. 7 00:00:32.517 --> 00:00:33.925 Here's what we're dealing with. 8 00:00:33.925 --> 00:00:35.878 Twenty-two separate sayings. 9 00:00:35.878 --> 00:00:39.329 Every one of them starts with the same words: Ya Ali. 10 00:00:39.329 --> 00:00:40.266 O Ali. 11 00:00:40.266 --> 00:00:44.159 If you read them top to bottom, it feels like one long list. 12 00:00:45.100 --> 00:00:48.201 And a list is one of the worst ways to learn anything. 13 00:00:48.201 --> 00:00:50.844 Your brain doesn't store it as one thing. 14 00:00:50.844 --> 00:00:55.076 It stores twenty-two loose facts, and loose facts fade fast. 15 00:00:56.000 --> 00:00:58.307 Now, the text gives us one hint. 16 00:00:58.307 --> 00:00:59.570 Look at the numbers. 17 00:00:59.570 --> 00:01:01.158 Three things that save you. 18 00:01:01.158 --> 00:01:02.656 Three that destroy you. 19 00:01:02.656 --> 00:01:04.010 Four that go to waste. 20 00:01:04.010 --> 00:01:09.999 The Prophet is already grouping the ideas for Ali, because groups are easier to hold than lists. 21 00:01:09.999 --> 00:01:12.591 So we're going to take that idea one step further. 22 00:01:13.783 --> 00:01:15.205 We'll learn it in layers. 23 00:01:15.205 --> 00:01:17.015 First, the big picture. 24 00:01:17.015 --> 00:01:20.140 What is this whole passage about, in one sentence? 25 00:01:21.067 --> 00:01:22.905 Second, the concepts. 26 00:01:22.905 --> 00:01:27.670 The few big parts, and, more importantly, how they connect to each other. 27 00:01:28.600 --> 00:01:30.790 And only then, the details. 28 00:01:30.790 --> 00:01:32.365 The actual sayings. 29 00:01:32.365 --> 00:01:36.076 Each one gets hung on a concept, so it has somewhere to live. 30 00:01:36.076 --> 00:01:38.550 Details without a structure get forgotten. 31 00:01:38.550 --> 00:01:40.816 Details with a structure get remembered. 32 00:01:42.017 --> 00:01:43.724 Let's start with the big picture. 33 00:01:43.724 --> 00:01:47.670 And the text hands it to us right away, in the very first saying. 34 00:01:47.670 --> 00:01:54.011 God, by His wisdom and grace, placed ease and joy in certainty and contentment. 35 00:01:54.011 --> 00:01:57.748 And He placed worry and grief in doubt and discontent. 36 00:01:58.667 --> 00:01:59.893 That's the thesis. 37 00:01:59.893 --> 00:02:03.890 Almost everything else in the passage unpacks this one line. 38 00:02:03.890 --> 00:02:05.505 Here it is in plain words. 39 00:02:05.505 --> 00:02:13.552 What you are certain of on the inside shapes everything on the outside: how you see yourself, how you speak, and how you treat people. 40 00:02:13.552 --> 00:02:16.572 And the reward isn't only in the next life. 41 00:02:16.572 --> 00:02:18.421 It's a calm heart, right now. 42 00:02:19.617 --> 00:02:20.921 Now the concepts. 43 00:02:20.921 --> 00:02:23.212 I like to picture this passage as a tree. 44 00:02:23.213 --> 00:02:25.426 At the root, there are two things. 45 00:02:25.426 --> 00:02:29.137 Certainty, which is how you see who is really in control. 46 00:02:29.137 --> 00:02:31.507 And intellect, which is how you think. 47 00:02:32.433 --> 00:02:36.055 Growing out of the root is the trunk: awareness of God. 48 00:02:36.055 --> 00:02:39.141 The text says it twice, almost word for word. 49 00:02:39.141 --> 00:02:41.211 Fear God as if you see Him. 50 00:02:41.211 --> 00:02:43.178 Certainty is a belief. 51 00:02:43.178 --> 00:02:47.566 Awareness is that same belief, live, in every moment. 52 00:02:48.500 --> 00:02:50.781 From the trunk come three branches. 53 00:02:50.781 --> 00:02:52.838 The self, meaning your ego. 54 00:02:52.838 --> 00:02:54.856 The tongue, meaning what you say. 55 00:02:54.856 --> 00:02:57.200 And people, meaning how you treat them. 56 00:02:58.133 --> 00:03:00.974 And at the top, the fruit: contentment. 57 00:03:00.974 --> 00:03:04.867 A heart that feels rich, and doesn't need much from anyone. 58 00:03:05.800 --> 00:03:07.716 Take a second and look at this. 59 00:03:07.716 --> 00:03:12.312 Almost every one of the twenty-two sayings hangs on one of these six parts. 60 00:03:12.313 --> 00:03:15.060 Once you see that, it stops being a list. 61 00:03:15.060 --> 00:03:17.560 So let's walk up the tree, from the root. 62 00:03:18.750 --> 00:03:19.885 Start at the root. 63 00:03:19.885 --> 00:03:23.830 The first saying defines certainty in a very practical way. 64 00:03:23.830 --> 00:03:28.283 Part of certainty is that you don't please anyone by angering God. 65 00:03:28.283 --> 00:03:30.874 You don't praise anyone for what God gave you. 66 00:03:30.874 --> 00:03:34.052 And you don't blame anyone for what God didn't give you. 67 00:03:34.967 --> 00:03:36.206 And here's the reason. 68 00:03:36.206 --> 00:03:39.526 Provision is not dragged in by the greed of the greedy. 69 00:03:39.526 --> 00:03:42.820 And it's not pushed away by the hatred of someone who hates you. 70 00:03:43.767 --> 00:03:45.110 Pause, and ask why. 71 00:03:45.110 --> 00:03:47.792 Why would certainty stop me from pleasing people? 72 00:03:47.792 --> 00:03:51.568 Because if I believe people control my outcome, I'll flatter them. 73 00:03:51.568 --> 00:03:52.545 I'll fear them. 74 00:03:52.545 --> 00:03:55.240 And I'll resent them when I don't get what I want. 75 00:03:55.240 --> 00:03:59.511 If I'm certain the outcome is with God, I'm free from all three. 76 00:04:00.433 --> 00:04:03.873 The passage backs this up with lines it quotes from the Torah. 77 00:04:03.873 --> 00:04:07.974 Whoever wakes up greedy for this world wakes up angry at God. 78 00:04:07.974 --> 00:04:14.303 And whoever goes to a rich man and humbles himself before him loses two thirds of his religion. 79 00:04:14.303 --> 00:04:15.253 Same root. 80 00:04:15.253 --> 00:04:16.594 Different symptoms. 81 00:04:17.783 --> 00:04:20.168 The other half of the root is the mind. 82 00:04:20.168 --> 00:04:22.772 One saying gives us seven comparisons. 83 00:04:22.772 --> 00:04:25.507 No poverty is worse than ignorance. 84 00:04:25.507 --> 00:04:28.228 No wealth is more useful than intellect. 85 00:04:28.228 --> 00:04:31.457 No loneliness is worse than admiring yourself. 86 00:04:31.457 --> 00:04:34.009 No support is better than consultation. 87 00:04:34.009 --> 00:04:36.249 No intelligence like planning ahead. 88 00:04:36.249 --> 00:04:38.371 No nobility like good character. 89 00:04:38.371 --> 00:04:40.533 And no worship like reflection. 90 00:04:41.467 --> 00:04:42.771 Look at that last one. 91 00:04:42.771 --> 00:04:45.687 Reflection is ranked as the highest worship. 92 00:04:45.688 --> 00:04:52.667 So what we're doing right now, thinking about the text instead of just reading it, is exactly what the text asks for. 93 00:04:53.600 --> 00:04:56.766 And another saying shows why the mind sits at the root. 94 00:04:56.766 --> 00:05:00.751 Three things, and without them, none of your deeds stand. 95 00:05:00.751 --> 00:05:03.003 Piety that holds you back from sin. 96 00:05:03.003 --> 00:05:05.308 Knowledge to answer a fool's ignorance. 97 00:05:05.308 --> 00:05:08.967 And intellect, to deal wisely and gently with people. 98 00:05:08.967 --> 00:05:12.378 Notice, intellect here isn't about being clever. 99 00:05:12.378 --> 00:05:14.214 It's about handling people well. 100 00:05:14.214 --> 00:05:16.675 The root already points to the branches. 101 00:05:17.883 --> 00:05:18.901 Now the trunk. 102 00:05:18.901 --> 00:05:21.948 When a short text repeats something, pay attention. 103 00:05:21.948 --> 00:05:26.323 Twice, the Prophet tells Ali to fear God as if he sees Him. 104 00:05:26.323 --> 00:05:30.750 And the second time, he adds: if you don't see Him, He sees you. 105 00:05:31.700 --> 00:05:33.798 Then the passage makes it concrete. 106 00:05:33.798 --> 00:05:37.353 Every eye will weep on the Day of Judgment, except three. 107 00:05:37.353 --> 00:05:39.840 An eye that stayed awake in the way of God. 108 00:05:39.840 --> 00:05:42.509 An eye that looked away from what God forbade. 109 00:05:42.509 --> 00:05:46.351 And an eye that overflowed with tears, in awe of God. 110 00:05:47.267 --> 00:05:53.857 And: blessed is a face that God looks at, weeping over a sin that nobody but God knows about. 111 00:05:53.857 --> 00:05:55.211 See the common thread? 112 00:05:55.211 --> 00:05:56.995 All of these happen in private. 113 00:05:56.995 --> 00:05:59.339 Nobody is watching except God. 114 00:05:59.339 --> 00:06:00.758 That's what the trunk is. 115 00:06:00.758 --> 00:06:03.428 It's what holds you up when no one else is looking. 116 00:06:04.617 --> 00:06:05.856 Now the branches. 117 00:06:05.856 --> 00:06:07.288 First, the self. 118 00:06:07.288 --> 00:06:10.478 The passage names three things that destroy a person. 119 00:06:10.478 --> 00:06:12.041 Desire that is followed. 120 00:06:12.041 --> 00:06:13.473 Greed that is obeyed. 121 00:06:13.473 --> 00:06:15.921 And a person's admiration of himself. 122 00:06:16.867 --> 00:06:19.434 Then there's a beautiful saying about banes. 123 00:06:19.434 --> 00:06:21.673 Every good thing has its own disease. 124 00:06:21.673 --> 00:06:23.835 The bane of knowledge is forgetting. 125 00:06:23.835 --> 00:06:25.827 Of worship, slacking off. 126 00:06:25.827 --> 00:06:29.213 Of generosity, reminding people of what you gave. 127 00:06:29.213 --> 00:06:31.061 Of courage, aggression. 128 00:06:31.061 --> 00:06:32.806 Of beauty, vanity. 129 00:06:32.806 --> 00:06:35.189 And of a noble family, boasting. 130 00:06:36.100 --> 00:06:37.951 Here's the pattern worth noticing. 131 00:06:37.951 --> 00:06:40.724 These diseases don't attack your weak points. 132 00:06:40.724 --> 00:06:42.365 They attack your strengths. 133 00:06:42.365 --> 00:06:45.243 The generous person is tempted to remind. 134 00:06:45.243 --> 00:06:47.782 The brave person is tempted to bully. 135 00:06:47.782 --> 00:06:49.774 The ego feeds on what you're good at. 136 00:06:50.733 --> 00:06:51.894 So what's the cure? 137 00:06:51.894 --> 00:07:00.801 Among the three people under the shade of the Throne is a man who doesn't criticise his brother for a fault, until he has fixed that fault in himself. 138 00:07:00.801 --> 00:07:04.316 And every time he fixes one fault, he finds another. 139 00:07:04.316 --> 00:07:07.168 That's enough to keep anyone busy with himself. 140 00:07:08.350 --> 00:07:10.357 The second branch is the tongue. 141 00:07:10.357 --> 00:07:14.290 Hold on to truthfulness, and never let a lie leave your mouth. 142 00:07:14.290 --> 00:07:16.399 The bane of speech is lying. 143 00:07:16.399 --> 00:07:20.501 And the very first of the three things that save you is to hold your tongue. 144 00:07:21.433 --> 00:07:25.693 But then the text adds nuance, and this part is easy to misread. 145 00:07:25.693 --> 00:07:28.219 There are three cases where lying is allowed. 146 00:07:28.219 --> 00:07:29.769 A stratagem in war. 147 00:07:29.769 --> 00:07:31.279 A promise to your wife. 148 00:07:31.279 --> 00:07:33.232 And making peace between people. 149 00:07:33.232 --> 00:07:36.084 And three cases where telling the truth is ugly. 150 00:07:36.084 --> 00:07:38.037 Spreading tales between people. 151 00:07:38.037 --> 00:07:40.771 Telling a man something hurtful about his family. 152 00:07:40.771 --> 00:07:43.727 And calling a man a liar when he tells you something good. 153 00:07:44.667 --> 00:07:46.179 So what's the real principle? 154 00:07:46.179 --> 00:07:48.861 It isn't just: say true sentences. 155 00:07:48.861 --> 00:07:52.442 It's: use your words to build, and never to break. 156 00:07:52.442 --> 00:07:55.502 Truth that destroys a relationship is ugly. 157 00:07:55.502 --> 00:07:59.070 Words that bring two people back together are beautiful. 158 00:07:59.070 --> 00:08:01.179 And notice the link back to the root. 159 00:08:01.179 --> 00:08:04.135 You lie to people when you think they control your outcome. 160 00:08:05.317 --> 00:08:07.597 The third branch is how you treat people. 161 00:08:07.597 --> 00:08:11.569 The highest character, the Prophet says, is three things. 162 00:08:11.569 --> 00:08:14.017 Keep ties with the one who cuts you off. 163 00:08:14.017 --> 00:08:15.774 Give to the one who denied you. 164 00:08:15.774 --> 00:08:17.728 And forgive the one who wronged you. 165 00:08:18.667 --> 00:08:20.804 Now put that next to another saying. 166 00:08:20.804 --> 00:08:23.265 Four things whose punishment comes fastest. 167 00:08:23.265 --> 00:08:26.494 A man you were good to, who repaid you with harm. 168 00:08:26.494 --> 00:08:29.085 A man you didn't wrong, who wronged you. 169 00:08:29.085 --> 00:08:31.807 A man you made a pact with, who betrayed you. 170 00:08:31.807 --> 00:08:34.945 And a relative you kept ties with, who cut you off. 171 00:08:35.867 --> 00:08:37.457 Look at them side by side. 172 00:08:37.457 --> 00:08:40.752 They're the same situations, seen from both sides. 173 00:08:40.752 --> 00:08:42.171 Someone cuts ties. 174 00:08:42.171 --> 00:08:44.215 Someone repays good with harm. 175 00:08:44.215 --> 00:08:45.452 Someone wrongs you. 176 00:08:45.452 --> 00:08:47.653 The noble person answers with good. 177 00:08:47.653 --> 00:08:52.002 The other person is the one who started it, and his punishment comes fast. 178 00:08:52.002 --> 00:08:53.772 So you don't need revenge. 179 00:08:53.772 --> 00:08:56.728 That's certainty again, coming up from the root. 180 00:08:57.667 --> 00:08:59.205 And the standard is simple. 181 00:08:59.205 --> 00:09:01.744 Love for your brother what you love for yourself. 182 00:09:01.744 --> 00:09:07.799 The gates of righteousness are a generous soul, good words, and patience when people hurt you. 183 00:09:07.799 --> 00:09:09.127 Notice the middle one. 184 00:09:09.127 --> 00:09:10.130 Good words. 185 00:09:10.130 --> 00:09:12.682 That's the tongue branch, showing up again. 186 00:09:13.883 --> 00:09:15.435 Finally, the fruit. 187 00:09:15.435 --> 00:09:20.161 Whoever is content with what God has given him is among the richest of people. 188 00:09:20.161 --> 00:09:23.326 And asking little of people is wealth you have right now. 189 00:09:23.326 --> 00:09:27.427 Asking a lot of them is humiliation, and poverty, right now. 190 00:09:28.367 --> 00:09:30.035 And one exchange sums it up. 191 00:09:30.035 --> 00:09:33.629 Poverty is the greatest death, the Prophet says. 192 00:09:33.629 --> 00:09:37.106 Someone asks: poverty of dinars and dirhams? 193 00:09:37.106 --> 00:09:39.489 He answers: poverty of religion. 194 00:09:39.489 --> 00:09:43.134 Real wealth, and real poverty, are on the inside. 195 00:09:44.100 --> 00:09:46.485 And that brings us right back to where we started. 196 00:09:46.485 --> 00:09:49.922 Ease and joy are in certainty and contentment. 197 00:09:49.922 --> 00:09:54.688 The root and the fruit are the same idea, seen from the two ends of the tree. 198 00:09:55.883 --> 00:09:57.396 So here's the whole picture. 199 00:09:57.396 --> 00:10:00.104 Certainty and intellect at the root. 200 00:10:00.104 --> 00:10:02.526 Awareness of God as the trunk. 201 00:10:02.526 --> 00:10:06.276 Three branches: the self, the tongue, and people. 202 00:10:06.276 --> 00:10:08.281 And contentment as the fruit. 203 00:10:09.200 --> 00:10:11.845 But the real learning is in the connections. 204 00:10:11.845 --> 00:10:17.379 Fearing people, down at the root, is what makes you lie, up on the tongue branch. 205 00:10:17.379 --> 00:10:21.650 Certainty is why you don't need revenge, on the people branch. 206 00:10:21.650 --> 00:10:23.798 And good words tie the tongue to people. 207 00:10:23.798 --> 00:10:28.147 When you can explain these links in your own words, you've actually learned the text. 208 00:10:29.317 --> 00:10:31.376 Before you go, test yourself. 209 00:10:31.376 --> 00:10:32.691 Not by rereading. 210 00:10:32.691 --> 00:10:34.501 By trying to answer from memory. 211 00:10:34.501 --> 00:10:36.702 Pause the video, and try these. 212 00:10:36.702 --> 00:10:37.444 One. 213 00:10:37.444 --> 00:10:40.178 Why does certainty stop you from flattering people? 214 00:10:40.178 --> 00:10:40.855 Two. 215 00:10:40.855 --> 00:10:43.004 The ego attacks your strengths. 216 00:10:43.004 --> 00:10:45.087 Give two examples from the text. 217 00:10:45.087 --> 00:10:45.803 Three. 218 00:10:45.803 --> 00:10:51.077 How does keeping ties with someone who cuts you off link to the four fastest punishments? 219 00:10:56.033 --> 00:10:57.949 If you struggled, that's good. 220 00:10:57.949 --> 00:11:00.137 That struggle is what makes it stick. 221 00:11:00.137 --> 00:11:05.098 Then pick one branch, just one, and practise one line from it this week. 222 00:11:05.098 --> 00:11:09.824 Because, as the Prophet told Ali: the bane of knowledge is forgetting. 223 00:11:09.824 --> 00:11:12.871 And the best cure for forgetting is to act on it.