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LETTER 66

To `Abdullah ibn al-`Abbas 

(This letter has already been included with a different version)

And then sometimes a person feels joyful about a thing which he was not to miss in any case and feels grieved for a thing which was not to come to him at all. Therefore you should not regard the attainment of pleasure and the satisfaction of the desire for revenge as the best favour of this world but it should be the putting off of the (flame of) wrong and the revival of right. Your pleasure should be for what (good acts) you have sent forward; your grief should be for what you are leaving behind; and your worry should be about what is to befall after death. 

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LETTER 67

To Qutham ibn al-`Abbas his Governor of Mecca

Now make arrangements for hajj by the people remind them of the days (to be devoted to) Allah. Sit for giving them audience morning and evening. Explain the law to the seeker teach the ignorant and discuss with the learned. There should be no intermediary between you and the people except your tongue and no guard save your own face. Do not prevent any needy person from meeting you because if the needy is returned unsatisfied from your door in the first instance then even doing it thereafter will not bring you praise.

See what has been collected with you of the funds of Allah (in the public treasury) and spend it over the persons with families


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[ 66 ] ومن كتاب له عليه السلام

إلى عبدالله بن العباس وقد تقدّم ذكره بخلاف هذه الرواية

أَمَّا بَعْدُ، فإِنَّ الْمَرْءَ لَيَفْرَحُ بِالشَّيْءِ الَّذِي لَمْ يَكُنْ لِيَفُوتَهُ، وَيَحْزَنُ عَلَى الشَّيْءِ الَّذِي لَمْ يَكُنْ لِيُصِيبَهُ، فَلاَ يَكُنْ أَفْضَلَ مَا نِلْتَ في نَفْسِكَ مِنْ دُنْيَاكَ بُلُوغُ لَذَّةٍ أَوْ شِفَاءُ غَيْظٍ، وَلكِنْ إطْفَاءُ بِاطِلٍ أَوْ إِحْيَاءُ حَقٍّ. وَلْيَكُنْ سُرورُكَ بِمَا قَدَّمْتَ، وَأَسَفُكَ عَلَى مَا خَلَّفْتَ (1) ، وَهَمُّكَ فِيَما بَعْدَ الْموْتِ.

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[ 67 ] ومن كتاب كتبه عليه السلام

إلى قُثَمِ بن العباس وهو عامله على مكة

أَمَّا بَعْدُ، فَأَقِمْ لِلنَّاسِ الْحَجَّ، وَذَكِّرْهُمْ بِأَيَّامِ اللهِ (1) ، وَاجْلِسْ لَهُمُ الْعَصْرَيْنِ (2) ، فَأَفْتِ الْمُسْتَفْتِيَ، وَعَلِّمِ الْجَاهِلَ، وَذَاكِرِ الْعَالِمَ. وَلاَ يَكُنْ لَكَ إِلَى النَّاسِ سَفِيرٌ إِلاَّ لِسَانُكَ، وَلاَ حَاجِبٌ إِلاَّ وَجْهُكَ، وَلاَ تَحْجُبَنَّ ذَا حَاجَةٍ عَنْ لِقَائِكَ بِهَا، فَإِنَّهَا إِنْ ذِيدَتْ (3) عَنْ أَبْوَابِكَ في أَوَّلِ وِرْدِهَا (4) لَمْ تُحْمَدْ فيَِما بَعْدُ عَلَى قَضَائِهَا.

وَانْظُرْ إِلَى مَا اجْتَمَعَ عِنْدَكَ مِنْ مَالِ اللهِ فَاصْرِفْهُ إِلَى مَنْ قِبَلَكَ (5)


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the distressed the starving and the naked at your end. Then send the remaining to us for distribution to those who are on this side.

Ask the people of Mecca not to charge rent from lodgers because Allah the Glorified says that: "alike; for the dweller therein as well as the stranger" (Qur'an 22:25). "al-`akif" (the dweller) here means he who is living there while "al-badi" (the stranger) means he who is not among the people of Mecca comes for hajj from outside. May Allah grant us and you promptitude for seeking His love (by doing good acts); and that is an end to the matter.

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LETTER 68

To Salman al-Farisi before Amir al-mu'minin's caliphate

Now the example of the world is like that of a snake which is soft in touch but whose poison is fatal. Therefore keep yourself  aloof from whatever appears good to you because of its short stay with you. Do not worry for it because of your conviction that it will leave you and that its circumstances are vicissitudes. When you feel most attracted towards it shun it most because whenever someone is assured of happiness in it it throws him into danger; or when he feels secure in it the world alters his security into fear; and that is an end to the matter.

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مِنْ ذَوِي الْعِيَالِ وَالْمَجَاعَةِ، مُصِيباً بِهِ مَوَاضِعَ الْفَاقَةِ (6) وَالْخَلاَّتِ (7) ، وَمَا فَضَلَ عَنْ ذلِكَ فَاحْمِلْهُ إِلَيْنَا لِنَقْسِمَهُ فِيمَنْ قِبَلَنَا.

وَمُرْ أَهْلَ مَكَّةَ أَلاَّ يَأْخُذُوا مِنْ سَاكِنٍ أَجْراً، فَإِنَّ اللهَ سُبْحَانَهُ يَقُولُ: (سَوَاءً الْعَاكِفُ فِيهِ وَالْبَادِ) فَالْعَاكِفُ: الْمُقيِمُ بِهِ، وَالْبَادِي: الَّذِي يَحُجُّ إِلَيْهِ مِنْ غَيْرِ أَهْلِهِ. وَفَّقَنَا اللهُ وَإِيَّاكُمْ لَِمحَابِّهِ (8) ، وَالسَّلاَمُ .

[ 68 ] ومن كتاب له عليه السلام

إلى سلمان الفارسي رحمه الله قبل أيام خلافته

أَمَّا بَعْدُ، فإِنَّمَا مَثَلُ الدُّنْيَا مَثَلُ الْحَيَّةِ: لَيِّنٌ مَسُّهَا، قَاتِلٌ سُمُّهَا، فَأَعْرِضْ عَمَّا يُعْجِبُكَ فِيهَا، لِقِلَّةِ مَا يَصْحَبُكَ مِنْهَا، وَضَعْ عَنْكَ هُمُومَهَا، لِمَا أَيْقَنْتَ بِهِ مِنْ فِرَاقِهَا، وَ تَصَرَّفِ حَالَاتِها، وَكُنْ آنَسَ مَا تَكُونُ بِهَا (1) أَحْذَرَ مَا تَكُونَ مِنْهَا، فَإِنَّ صَاحِبَهَا كُلَّمَا اطْمَأَنَّ فِيهَا إِلَى سُرُورٍ أَشْخْصَتْهُ (2) عَنْهُ إِلىَ مَحْذُورٍ، أوْ إِلَى إِينَاسٍ أَزالَتْهُ عَنْهُ إِلَي إِيحَاش وَالسَّلَامُ.

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