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What is the authenticity of the saying attributed to Ali ibn Abi Talib: "Do not associate with a soul that has been sated after hunger, for the good in it is extraneous. Rather, associate with a soul that has hungered after satiety, for the good in it is intrinsic"?

1 min readAlso available in العربية

This statement has not been attributed to Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) in the sources we have consulted. However, some books of admonition contain poetry with a similar meaning, without attributing it to a specific author, such as the words of Abdul Aziz Al-Salman: "Avoid houses that were sated after their hunger… for the persistence of hunger within them is concealed. And seek refuge in houses that were hungry after their satiety… for the noble origin does not change." And another saying: "Beware, beware of hoping in a person whose conditions improved after a hardship he endured, for his soul weeps at what increased and what decreased, and that poverty is a poverty he has not forgotten."

Summarized from the full answer at Ftawy · reviewed Sep 2, 2026

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