Tradition

لاتُدْخِلَنَّ فِى مَشْوَرَتِكَ بَخِيلاً يَعْدِلُ عَنِ الْفَضْلِ وَ يَعِدُكَ الْفَقْرَ وَ لاجَبَاناً يُضْعِفُكَ عن الأُمُورِ وَ لا حَرِيصاً يُزَّيِّنُ لَكَ الشّرَة بِالْجَوْرِ

Imam ‘Ali (‘a) is narrated to have said: “Do not consult with miserly people for they will restrain you from serving God’s creation and they will make you fearful of poverty. Do not consult with cowardly people for they will weaken your will towards doing important things, and (similarly) do not consult with greedy people for they will present oppression as something (positive and) beautiful.”1

Brief Commentary

To consult with others is an important concept that is greatly encouraged in Islam. At the same time, consultation requires certain prerequisites for it to be beneficial. For example, consulting with people who have clear defects in certain respects will result in receiving defective advice. Such advice will actually end up harming you instead of helping. It is for this reason that Imam ‘Ali (‘a) has emphasized that one should not select any of these three categories of people for advice and consultation. The emphasis on this increases as the issue being consulted upon grows in importance.

The aforementioned tradition mentions that the miserly, the cowardly, and the greedy are among those who are not to be consulted with and the reasoning is that they all impart their own particular worldview to the advice that they give. Since their worldview is twisted and incorrect, their advice will similarly be twisted and incorrect as well. Such people will transform generosity into miserliness, courage into cowardice, and a sense of satisfaction into greed and the willingness to oppress others in order to reach one’s goals.

• 1. Nahj al-Balaghah, Letter 53.