A Cure for Sins

One day our khalifah, Ali ibn Abu Talib, upon him be peace, was passing through the streets of Basra when he saw a large circle of men around a dignified hakim (a doctor), sitting on a chair, dispensing cures for the ills of the people who had gathered around him.

The Imam approached him and asked, "What is your cure for sin, because people have despaired of finding that cure?"

The young hakim looked down at the ground without an answer but Imam Ali asked a second time, and then a third time.

The hakim lifted his head and said, "May Allah bless you. Do you know of the cure for sins?"

The Imam said, "Yes. Here it is ..."

"Go to the Garden of Iman and extract from it...

the roots of intention,

the grains of repentance,

the leaves of reflection,

the seed of cautiousness,

the fruit of understanding,

the branches of certainty,

the kernels of sincerity,

the bark of diligence,

the roots of trustful dependence,

the calyx* of taking heed,

the stem of returning,

and the nectar of humility.

Take all these remedies with a knowledgeable heart and fingers of confirmation and palm of success.

Then put them all in a bowl of realization and wash them all with the waters of tears.

Next place them in the pot of hope and set it on the fire of yearning until you see the cream of wisdom float up.

Then pour the contents onto plates of contentment, and cool them with the fan of seeking forgiveness.

There you will have a perfect drink as a perfect gift from Allah, glory be to Him, which will remove all your sins."

(* outer protective leaves of flowers)