Saadi was born in Shiraz, Iran around 1200 A.D. He was one of the greatest literary figures of Iran.  He was also a Sufi.

It is well-known that Sufis also retract their spiritual leadership to the Commander of the Faithful, Imam Ali (a.s.).

 He was credited with the masterpieces; Bostan-e-Saadi, and Golestan-e-Saadi. The original works were in Persian. It was translated in different languages. In English, one of the translations were done by Richard Francis Burton (1821-1892)

Saadi travelled to many countries. He had expressed his life time experience in the above-mentioned books.

The word Bostan in Persian means “The Orchard”. In Bostan, which is entirely in verse and consisting of stories aptly illustrating the Muslim culture; justice, modesty, contentment etc. The book has 10 chapters discussing benevolence, love, humility, resignation, contentment, education, gratitude, repentance, and prayer

The word Golestan means “The Rose Garden”. The Golestan is mainly in prose containing stories and personal anecdotes. It has 8 chapters dealing in manners of kings, morals of dervishes, excellence of contents, advantages of silence, love and youth, weakness and old age, effects of education, and rules for conduct in life.

In chapter 8, there are many maxims and admonitions.

Shaikh Saadi had detailed some 82 Maxims in the chapter “Rules for conduct in life” in “Golestan”; some of which are reproduced below:

                Knowledge is for the cherishing religion, not for amassing wealth.

                A learned man, who is not abstinent, resembles a torchbearer who guides others but does not guide himself.

                Everyone thinks himself as perfect in intellect and his child in beauty.

                Whatever takes place quickly is not permanent.

                Affairs succeed by patience and a hasty man fails.

                Whoever associates with bad people will see no good.

                Not everyone who is handsome in form possesses a good character.    

                Transgression by whosoever committed is blamable but more so in learned men.

                An envious man is avaricious with the wealth of God and hates the guiltless as foe.

Mendacity (Lying) resembles a violent blow, the scar of which remains, though the wound may be healed.

Two men died, bearing away their grief. One had possessed and did not enjoy it; the other possessed knowledge and did not practice it.

Bani Adam: Shaikh Saadi had used this proverb in his poetry. He preached for the breaking down the barriers in mankind. In one of such couplet, he says:

Humans (children of Adam) are inherent parts (or limbs) of one body, and are from               the same valuable essence in their creation. When the conditions of the time hurts one of these parts, other parts will be disturbed. If you are indifferent about the misery of others, it may not be appropriate to call you a human being.

Shaikh Saadi in the West: Andre du Ryer was the first European to present Saadi to the West, by means of a partial French translation of Golestan in 1634 A.D. Adam Olearius followed soon with the complete translation of The Bostan and The Golestan into German in 1654. Alexander Pushkin, one of Russia’s celebrated poets, quotes Saadi in his work “as Saadi sang in his earlier, ‘some are far distant, some are dead.”

Saadi died in 1291 or 1292 and was buried in Shiraz, Iran.