What follows is a part of the book Nahj al-Balagha, the most famous collection of sermons, letters, tafsirs and stories attributed to Imam Ali (A.S). It was collected by Al-Sharif al-Radi, the Shiite scholar of the tenth century.

Known for its eloquent content, it is considered as a masterpiece of literature in Shiite Islam, ranked third behind the Qur’an and prophetic narratives. This is the 73th Hadith of this book.

The necessity of self-organizing for leaders and directors, is the subject of Nahj al-Balagha Hadith number 73.

According to Shafaqna, in this Hadith, Amir al-mu’minin (peace be upon him) said: 

Whoever places himself as a leader of the people should commence with educating his own self before educating others; and his teaching should be by his own conduct before teaching by the tongue.

The person who teaches and instructs his own self is more entitled to esteem then he who teaches and instructs others.

Source: en.shafaqna.com