A Treasury of Virtues is a collection of sayings sermons and teachings attributed to Ali ibn Abi Talib d. 40661 the cousin and soninlaw of the Prophet Muhammad the first Shia Imam and the fourth Sunni Caliph An acknowledged master of Arabic eloquence and a sage of Islamic wisdom Ali was renowned for his eloquence his words were collected quoted and studied over the centuries and extensively anthologized excerpted and interpreted.Of the many compilations of Alis words A Treasury of Virtues compiled by the Fatimid Shafii judge alQudai d. 4541062 arguably possesses the broadest compass of genres and the largest variety of themes. Included are aphorisms proverbs sermons speeches homilies prayers letters dialogues and verse all of which provide instruction on how to be a morally upstanding human being. The shorter compilation included here One Hundred Proverbs is attributed to the eminent writer alJahiz d. 255869. This volume presents the first English translation of both of these important collections.An Englishonly edition.