And one who lives in a town with ten thousand inhabitants...

And one who lives in a town with ten thousand inhabitants, and one of them is greater in righteousness than he, then that man is not one of our followers. -Truly, a follower of Ja'far is one who does not listen to his stomach or to his carnal desires, who endeavours in the path of Islam, who acts for the sake of Allah, hoping only for His reward and fearing His chastisement. Yes, indeed, such are the followers of Ja'far. **38.

The Avoidance of Oppression ** In the opinion of the Imams, one of the worst sins among men is enmity and iniquity between themselves.

Just as it is said in the Qur'an: Deem not that Allah is heedless of what the iniquitous do; He is only deferring them to a day when eves shall stare.(14:42) Likewise, 'Ali, Amir al-Mu'minin (A.S.) had a strong aversion to iniquity, and he told the truth when he said: I swear by Allah that if all the continents of the earth and all that is under the sun were offered to me in exchange for sinning towards Allah even by stealing a grain of barley from an ant, truly 1 should never do such a thing.

And this shows how much a person can be aware of the evil of iniquity and hold himself back from doing it. 'Ali would not do wrong even to an ant by stealing a grain of barley from it, even though all the lands of the earth were offered to him. How then does one stand who sheds the blood of Muslims, plunders their property, and pours scorn on their reputation and honour? How should he be compared with 'Ali? Where does he stand compared to the wisdom of 'Ali?

Truly, 'Ali's behaviour is a shining example of the excellent religious education which Islam seeks to instill in humanity. Iniquity is, then, one of the greatest of the sins Allah has prohibited, and this is why the Household of the Prophet have cautioned their followers against it above all else, through their words and prayers.

Thus was their policy and behaviour, and they acted justly not only towards their friends, but also towards those who showed disrespect for them and treated them with rudeness. The story of the forebearance of Imam Hasan (A.S.) with the man of Sham (Damascus) who insulted him[^9] is well known. On that occasion, the Imam spoke gently with him and treated him kindly, letting him understand that he had done wrong.

Even as the fourth Imam, Sayyid as-Sajadin asked for forgiveness for iniquitous persons in hisad'iyah. This is the utmost generosity and nobility of mind that a perfect man can reach.