Ali ibn Abi Talib (d. 40/661), the fourth caliph of Islam, is one of the most significant figures in the Islamic world. All relevant sources are in consensus that he holds an exceptional position due to his high human and moral qualities—primarily his heroism in all the battles he participated in, as well as his knowledge, piety, sincerity, devotion, self-sacrifice, compassion, and courage—and that he was one of those who best understood the Quran and the Sunnah. Hz. Ali was also a skilled orator with a powerful literary personality. Due to these and similar attributes, he influenced the Turkish intellectual world and, consequently, has held an important place in Turkish culture and literature throughout history. Both his prose and poetic words have clearly reflected into our written and oral literature. Indeed, his speeches on various subjects, sermons, wise sayings, advice, letters, prayers, and poems have been compiled in separate works and thus transmitted to the generations after him.

As in Arabic and Persian literatures, many works consisting of the wise sayings of Hz. Ali have been written in Turkish literature as well. These works have been translated into Turkish, either in verse or prose, and have been commented upon. One of these is the work compiled by Akşehirlizâde Ali Haydar Bey (1847-1915), which he titled Merâsıdu’l-Hikem. This work by Ali Haydar Bey consists of the translation and commentary of his compilation of the aphorisms of Hz. Ali. Written in 1881, this work was printed in Manisa in 1882 using Ottoman script. This copy was taken as the basis for the preparation of the book in your hands.

The author divided his work into sections according to the 29 letters of the Arabic alphabet and named each of these sections Mersad. The book contains 275 aphorisms of Hz. Ali. While commenting on the words of Hz. Ali, the author also included Arabic, Persian, and Turkish poems and proverbs.