Imam Al-Ridha (PBUH) said: May the Mercy of Allah be upon the servant who keeps alive our commandment. Then the person attending the Imam asked him how their commandment could be kept alive and he replied: He (can) learn our knowledge and teach it to people. In fact, if people knew (the merits and) the goodness of our statements, surely they would follow us.

When Hannibal crossed the Alps in 216 BC, he had mules with him as well as elephants. He may even have ridden a mule in the rough terrain, where elephants could not easily maneuver.

Mules have been known in the Holy Land since about 1040 BC, the time of David, when the mule replaced the donkey as the “Royal Beast”, the “riding animal of princes”.

The Holy Prophet (peace be upon him and his progeny) said: Verily, what will continue to reach a believer, after his death, from amongst his actions and good deeds are: the knowledge which he taught and spread, the righteous child whom he left behind, and the Holy script which he delivered as heritage (transcribed, and made available).

The Holy Prophet (Peace be upon him and his progeny) said: Someone who possesses knowledge on a subject but conceals it when he is asked will be bridled with reins of fire.

To keep the baggage trains from becoming too large, Marius had each man carry as much of his own equipment as he could, including his own armor, weapons and 15 days rations or about 50–60 pounds of load total. To make this easier, he issued each legionary a forked stick to carry his load on his shoulders. The soldiers became known as “Marius Mules”, (muli mariani in Latin) due to the amount of gear they had to carry themselves, a tribute to the mules physical stamina.]

In ancient Rome, mules were used for transport and their amazing strength and endurance was known to all. Roman soldiers were known to carry great quantities of equipment, armor, and rations over great distances on foot. When General Marius was called upon to defend Rome against the invading barbarians, he trained his soldiers to undertake amazing physical feats. Every legion had a baggage train of 500–550 mules, or about 1 mule for every 10 legionaries.

Imam Ali (PBUH) said: Surely, the completion of religion is due to the obtaining of knowledge and acting on it (accordingly), and beware that the obtaining of knowledge is more obligatory for you than earning wealth.

The mule was well known to Homer in 800 BC Greece. He reported in the Iliad, the arrival of mules from Henetia in Asia Minor, where breeding them was a local specialty. Mules were also bred in Greece in Homer’s time to be used as draft animals and in farming. Later on, mules were raised in Peloponnesus and Arcadia, and harness races for mules began in Olympia in 500 BC. Such races were run throughout a period of more than 80 years.

Imam al-Sadiq (PBUH) said: Safeguard your writings and books because soon the occasion will arise that you will be in need of them.

Imam Ali (PBUH) said: Acquiring knowledge is not possible while the body (person) is tranquil.