Abdullah ibn al-Hasan reported: Ali ibn Abi Talib said: “People do not abandon something from their religion, intending to benefit their worldly affairs, except that Allah will expose them to what is even more harmful and more evil for them.”
Ponder This Quote
Ali’s advice here is clear: hold on to every part of your religion and do not let go of any of it, even if you perceive some worldly benefit in doing so — because Allah will expose you to something far more harmful in return.
In modern Ismaili thought, practices from the Quran and Sunnah — such as praying five times a day or fasting in Ramadan — are often dismissed as “impractical” for modern times. The reasoning goes that one cannot work and function normally in the world while observing these teachings, and that it is better to “adjust to the times” and be more “practical.”
This is precisely the mindset Ali is warning against. He is telling us that when people abandon parts of their religion for the sake of worldly convenience, Allah does not reward them with ease — He exposes them to what is even worse. And this is a direct quote from the very man Ismailis claim to follow. If they truly followed Ali (رضي الله عنه), they would cling to the Shariah, not abandon it in the name of practicality.