From the book al-Mahasin by Ahmad ibn Muhammad ibn Khalid al-Barqi (d. 274 AH).
The Section of Likenesses and Associates
The Chapter of Threes:
1- Ahmad ibn Abi ʿAbd Allah al-Barqi, from Muʿawiya ibn Wahb, from Abu ʿAbd Allah (a), who said: O Muʿawiya, whoever is given three is not deprived of three: whoever is given supplication is given the answer; whoever is given gratitude is given increase; and whoever is given reliance (tawakkul) is given sufficiency. Allah, Almighty, says: “And whoever puts his trust in Allah, He will suffice him. Indeed Allah carries through His commands.” (Qurʾan 65:3) And He, Almighty, said: “If you are grateful, I will surely enhance you [in blessing], but if you are ungrateful, My punishment is indeed severe.” (la-azīdannakum) (Qurʾan 14:7) And He said: “‘Call Me, and I will hear you!’ Indeed those who are disdainful of My worship will enter hell in utter humiliation.” (astajib lakum) (Qurʾan 40:60)
2- From him, from Hammad ibn ʿIsa, from ʿAbd al-Hamid al-Taʾi, from Abu ʿAbd Allah (a); he said: He wrote with me to ʿAbd Allah ibn Muʿawiya, while he was in Fars: Whoever is wary of Allah, He protects him; whoever thanks Him, He gives him more; and whoever lends to Him, He repays him.
3 - From him, from Ibn Abi ʿUmayr, from Mansur ibn Yunus, from Abu Hamza al-Thumali, from Abu ʿAbd Allah or ʿAli ibn al-Husayn (a), who said: The Messenger of Allah (s) said: Three things save and three things destroy. They said: O Messenger of Allah, what are the things that save? He (s) said: Fear of Allah in secret as though you see Him, for if you do not see Him, He sees you; justice in contentment and in anger; and moderation in wealth and in poverty. They said: O Messenger of Allah, then what are the things that destroy? He (s) said: Desire that is followed, avarice that is obeyed, and a man's admiration of himself.
3 - From him, from Harun ibn al-Jahm, from Abu Jamila Mufaddal ibn Salih, from Saʿd ibn Tarif, from Abu Jaʿfar (a), who said: Three are degrees, three are expiations, three are ruinous, and three save. As for the degrees: spreading the greeting of peace, giving food, and praying while people are asleep. As for the expiations: performing the ablution fully in the bitter cold, walking by night and by day to the prayers, and keeping to the congregations. As for the ruinous: avarice that is obeyed, desire that is followed, and a man's admiration of himself. As for the saving: fear of Allah in secret and in public, moderation in wealth and in poverty, and the word of justice in contentment and in displeasure.
5- From him, from al-Nawfali, from al-Sakuni, from Abu ʿAbd Allah, from his forefathers, from ʿAli (a), who said: Three save: that you restrain your tongue, that you weep over your sin, and that your house is wide enough for you.
6 - From him, tracing it back to Salman (r); he said: He said: Three things have made me laugh and three have made me weep. As for the three that made me weep: parting from the loved ones—the Messenger of Allah (s) and his party; the terror at the throes of death; and standing before the Lord of all the worlds on the day when the secret becomes public, not knowing whether I will end up in Paradise or in the Fire. As for the three that made me laugh: a heedless one who is not left unheeded, a seeker of the world while death is seeking him, and one laughing with his whole mouth who does not know whether his Master is pleased with him or angry with him.
7 - From him, from al-Hasan ibn ʿAli al-Yaqtini, from Muhammad ibn Sinan, from Abu al-Jarud, from Abu Harun al-ʿAbdi, who said: I heard him say: Three things have amazed me and three have saddened me. As for those that amazed me: a seeker of the world while death is seeking him, a heedless one who is not left unheeded, and one laughing with his whole mouth while Hell is behind his back, no assurance of his acquittal having come to him.
8 - From him, from Muhammad ibn Sinan, from Khadir, from one who heard Abu ʿAbd Allah (a) say: The Messenger of Allah (s) said: Three—whoever has them, or one of them, will be in the shade of the Throne of Allah on the day when there is no shade but His shade: a man who gives people from himself what he would ask of them for himself; a man who does not put a foot forward until he knows that it is pleasing to Allah, or he is held back [displeasure]; and a man who does not fault his Muslim brother with a fault until he removes that fault from himself, for no fault is removed from him but that another fault appears to him; and it is enough for a person to be occupied with himself rather than with people.
9- From him, from Ibn Sinan, from Abu al-Jarud, from Abu ʿUbayda, from Abu Jamila, who said: I heard ʿAli (a) on the pulpit of Kufa saying: O people, three have no religion: there is no religion for one who professes the denial of a verse of the Book of Allah; there is no religion for one who professes a false fabrication against Allah; and there is no religion for one who professes obedience to one who disobeys Allah, Blessed and Exalted is He. Then he said: O people, there is no good in a religion in which there is no understanding, no good in a worldly life in which there is no reflection, and no good in devotion in which there is no scrupulousness.
10- From him, from one whom he mentioned, who said: Abu ʿAbd Allah (a) said: All good lies in three traits: in looking, in silence and in speech. Every look in which there is no taking of lessons is inattention; every silence in which there is no reflection is heedlessness; and every speech in which there is no remembrance is idle talk. So blessed is he whose looking is taking lessons, whose silence is reflection and whose speech is remembrance, and who weeps over his sin, and from whose evil people are safe.
11- From him, from al-Hasan ibn Sayf, from his brother ʿAli, from Sulayman ibn ʿUmar, from Abu ʿAbd Allah, from his father (a), who said: A servant does not perfect the reality of faith until there are three traits in him: understanding in religion, good management in livelihood, and patience in calamities.
12- From him, from Ibn Faddal, from ʿAsim ibn Hamza, from ʿAbd Allah ibn al-Hasan, from his mother Fatimah daughter of al-Husayn, who said: The Messenger of Allah (s) said: Three traits—whoever has them perfects the traits of faith: the one who, when he is pleased, his pleasure does not lead him into falsehood; when he is angry, his anger does not bring him out of the truth; and when he has power, he does not take what is not his.
13- From him, from al-Nawfali, from al-Sakuni, from Abu ʿAbd Allah (a), from his forefathers (a), who said: The Messenger of Allah (s) said: Whoever does not have three in him, no deed of his stands: scrupulousness that restrains him from acts of disobedience to Allah, a character with which he treats people tactfully, and forbearance with which he repels the ignorance of the ignorant.
14- From him, from al-Nawfali, from al-Sakuni, from Abu ʿAbd Allah (a), who said: The Commander of the Faithful (a) said: Three are among the gates of righteousness: generosity of soul, goodness of speech, and patience in the face of harm.
15 - From him, tracing it back; he said: Abu ʿAbd Allah (a) said: Three—whoever has them, Allah will marry him to the houris (al-ḥūr al-ʿīn) however He wills: restraining anger, patience under swords for the sake of Allah, and a man who comes upon forbidden wealth and leaves it for the sake of Allah.
16 - From him, from Musa ibn al-Qasim, from al-Muharibi, from Abu ʿAbd Allah (a), who said: The Messenger of Allah (s) said: Three, if you do not wrong them, will wrong you: the base, your wife and your servant. And he said: Three do not obtain justice from three: a noble one from a lowly one, a forbearing one from a foolish one, and a righteous one from a wicked one.
17- From him, from ʿAbd al-Rahman ibn Hammad, from Abu ʿImran ʿUmar ibn Musʿab, from Abu Hamza al-Thumali, who said: I heard Abu ʿAbd Allah (a) say: The servant is between three: an affliction, a decree and a blessing. For the affliction from Allah, patience is incumbent upon him as an obligation; for the decree from Allah, submission is incumbent upon him as an obligation; and for the blessing from Allah, gratitude is incumbent upon him as an obligation.
18 - From him, tracing it back; he said: The Commander of the Faithful (a) ascended the pulpit in Kufa, praised Allah and extolled Him, then said: O people, sins are three. Then he held back. Habba al-ʿUrani said to him: O Commander of the Faithful, you said sins are three, then you held back. He said to him: I only mentioned them intending to explain them, but a breathlessness came upon me that came between me and speech. Yes, sins are three: a sin that is forgiven, a sin that is not forgiven, and a sin for whose doer we hope and for whom we fear. It was said: O Commander of the Faithful, then explain them to us. He said: Yes. As for the forgiven sin, it is a servant whom Allah has punished for his sin in this world; and Allah is too wise and too generous to punish His servant twice. As for the sin that is not forgiven, it is the wrongdoing of servants against one another. When Allah, Blessed and Exalted is He, appears to His creation, He swears an oath by Himself and says: By My might and My majesty, the wrongdoing of no wrongdoer will pass Me by, even a palm against a palm, even a stroke with a palm, and a butt between the horned ewe and the hornless ewe. So Allah will exact retribution for the servants from one another, until no one has any grievance left against anyone; then Allah will raise them for the reckoning. As for the third sin, it is a sin which Allah has concealed for His servant and has granted him repentance, so he has become humble because of his sin, hopeful of his Lord; so we are toward him as he is toward himself: we hope for mercy for him and fear punishment for him.
