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Shiavault - a Vault of Shia Islamic Books Imam ‘Ali’s First Treatise On The Islamic Ethics And Education Enliven Your Heart with Exhortation ====================================== احيي قلبك بالموعظة"" Exhortation is a discourse which gets people emotionally involved and guides man by warning him of the consequences of his evil–doing. By listening to preaching, one's heart softens so much that he automatically is led towards good deeds.

Ustadh Mutahhari, in his discussion of wisdom and exhortation, has defined exhortation clearly. He writes, "As it is written in the Qur’an,[^1] exhortation is one of the three ways of calling people to Islam (wisdom, exhortation, disputation): "ادْعُ إِلَى سَبِيلِ رَبِّكَ بِالْحِكْمَةِ وَالْمَوْعِظَةِ الْحَسَنَةِ وَجَادِلْهُمْ بِالَّتِي هِيَ أَحْسَنُ إِنَّ رَبَّكَ هُوَ أَعْلَمُ بِمَنْ ضَلَّ عَنْ سَبِيلِهِ وَهُوَ أَعْلَمُ بِالْمُهْتَدِينَ" The Best Preachers And The Most Excellent Sermons A wise and knowledgeable man takes advice from anything in the environment for there is a piece of advice in every thing.

Regarding this, Imam ‘Ali (as) has stated: "There is a piece of advice in everything for any learned and wise person."[^2] Abalkhayr is reported to have said, "I was crossing an alley where cleaners were cleaning a toilet–well. My companions covered their noses to avoid the stench and moved away. The cleaner addressed them, saying: This excrement tells you: We are the delicious food which you made efforts to acquire. We were in your body and were altered into excrement. Why do you flee from us?

We are the color and stench of your insides." Upon hearing this, the crowd shouted and started crying.[^3] But some preachers and certain sermons have a more subtle impact upon audience.

Among them are the following: a) The Qur’an Nobody can give us pieces of advice better than Allah, who is aware of every aspect of our existence: "إِنَّ اللَّهَ نِعِمَّا يَعِظُكُمْ بِهِ"197 "Surely Allah admonishes you with what is excellent." The Holy Qur’an, which is Allah's discourse, in many cases talks about admonishing. For this reason, the Great Prophet (S) calls the Holy Qur’an the most straightforward discourse and the sharpest admonishment and the best kind of stories.

Imam ‘Ali (as), as well, emphasizes that: "Allah has not admonished anybody with words like those that appear in the Qur’an"[^4] b) Death and a survey of the lives of the men in the past: Death and what happened to the men in the past are good preachers.

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