Concerning the value of the ideas and thoughts of the aged...

Concerning the value of the ideas and thoughts of the aged, Imam as-Sadiq (as) has said**:** "The existence of an elderly one in his family is like the Prophet among his people".[^6] And this is a fact.

On the one hand, there is a father like Imam ‘Ali (as), who is the gate of knowledge for the Prophet (S), and who is well-experienced, and on the other hand, there is a child from the Prophet's Household, who is going to guide the Islamic world in the near future, and be the substitute for his father in the guidance of the Muslim world.

Therefore, for these valid reasons it is necessary that, firstly, sufficient amount of advice be given him, and secondly, it was suitable for Imam ‘Ali (as) to employ his own experiences in the education of his son.

"وَاعْلَم يَا بُنَيَّ اِنَّه لَو كَانَ لِرَبِّكَ شَرِيكٌ لاَتَتكَ رُسُلُه وَلَرَأيتَ آثَارَ مُلكِهِ وَسُلطَانِهِ وَلَعَرَفتَ اَفعَالَهُ وَصِفَاتَه وَلكِنَّهُ اِلهٌ وَاحِدٌ كَمَا وَصَفَ نَفسَهُ لا يُضَادُهُ في مُلكِهِ اَحَدٌ وَلا يَزُولُ اَبداً وَلَم يَزَل اَوَّلٌ قَبلَ الاَشيَاءِ بِلا اَوَّلِيةٍ وَآخِرٌ بَعدَ الاَشْياَء بِلا نِهَايَة عَظُمَ عَن اَن تَثْبُتَ رُبُوبِيَتِه بِاحَاطَةِ قَلبٍ اَو بَصَرٍ فَاِذَا عَرَفتَ ذَلِكَ فَافعَل كَمَا يَنبَغِي لِمثلِكَ اَن يَفعَلَهُ في صِغَرِ خَطَرِهِ وَقِلَّةِ مَقدِرَتِهِ وَكَثْرَةِ عَجْزِهِ وَعِظَمِ حَاجَتِهِ اِلى رَبِّهِ في طَلَبِ طَاعَتِهِ وَالخَشْيَةِ مِن عُقُوبَتِهِ وَالشَفَقَةَ مِن سَخَطِهِ فَاِنَّهُ لَم يَامُركَ اِلا بِحُسْنٍ وَلَم يَنْهَكَ اِلا عَن قَبِيحٍ" “Know, my son!

If there were an associate for your Lord, his Prophets would have come to you and you would have observed the signs of his dominion and his rule and you would have recognized his acts and attributes. But He is One, as He has described Himself. None opposes Him in His sovereignty. He never ceases to be and He is eternal. He is the First before all things, without any beginning, and the Last after all things, without any end.

He is far greater than that His Divinity be proved through the comprehension of the heart or the eye. When you realize that, then act as it befits one such as you to act – one with his insignificance, his weakness, his incapacity and his tremendous need of his Lord in seeking His obedience, dreading His chastisement and fearing His anger, for He does not command you anything but good, and does not forbid you from anything but evil”. [^1]: .

“Muhammad is not the father of any of your men, but he is the Apostle of Allah and the last of the Prophets” [Qur’an 30:40]. [^2]: .

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