AMIR AL-MU'MININ'S CONVERSATION WITH KUMAYL IBN ZIYAD AN-NAKHA'I (1)People are of three types147. Kumayl ibn Ziyad has related: Amir al-mu'minin, peace be upon him, caught hold of my hand and took me to the graveyard. When he had passed through the graveyard and left the city behind, he breathed a deep sigh and said: O' Kumayl these hearts are containers. The best of them is that which preserves (its contents). So, preserve what I say to you. People are of three types: One is the scholar and divine. Then, the seeker of knowledge who is also on the way to deliverance. Then (lastly) the common rot who run after every caller and bend in the direction of every wind. They seek no light from the effulgence of knowledge and do not take protection of any reliable support. O' Kumayl, knowledge is better than wealth. Knowledge guards you, while you have to guard the wealth. Wealth decreases by spending, while knowledge multiplies by spending, and the results of wealth die as wealth decays. O' Kumayl, knowledge is belief which is acted upon. With it man acquires obedience during his life and a good name after his death. Knowledge is the ruler while wealth is ruled upon.
(1). Kumayl ibn Ziyad an-Nakha`i was the holder of the
secrets of the Imamate and one of the chief companions of Amir al-mu'minin. He
held a great position in knowledge and attainment and a chief place in
abstinence and Godliness. lie was Amir al-mu'minin's Governor of Hit for
sometime. lie was killed by al-Hajjaj ibn Yusuf ath-Thaqafi in the year 83 A.H.
at the age of ninety years and was buried outside Kufah.
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147. ومن كلام له عليه السلاملكُمَيْل بن زياد النخعي:قال كُمَيْل بن زياد: أخذ بيدي أميرالمؤمنين علي بن أبي طالب عليه السلام، فأخرجني إلى الجبّان (4626) فلمّا أصحر (4627) تنفّس الصّعَدَاء (4628) ثمّ قال: يَا كُمَيْل بْن زِيَادٍ، إِنَّ هَذِهِ الْقُلُوبَ أَوْعِيَةٌ (4629) فَخَيْرُهَا أَوْعَاهَا (4630) فَاحْفَظْ عَنِّي مَا أَقُولُ لَكَ: النَّاسُ ثَلاَثَةٌ: فَعَالِمٌ رَبَّانِيٌّ (4631) وَمُتَعَلِّمٌ عَلَى سَبِيلِ نَجَاةٍ، وَهَمَجٌ (4632) رَعَاعٌ (4633) أَتْبَاعُ كُلِّ نَاعِقٍ (4634) يَمِيلُونَ مَعَ كُلِّ رِيحٍ، لَمْ يَسْتَضِيئُوا بِنُورِ الْعِلْمِ، وَلَمْ يَلْجَؤُوا إِلَى رُكْنٍ وَثِيقٍ. يَا كُمَيْلُ، الْعِلْمُ خَيْرٌ مِنَ الْمَالِ, الْعِلْمُ يَحْرُسُكَ وَأَنْتَ تَحْرُسُ المَالَ. وَالْمَالُ تَنْقُصُهُ النَّفَقَةُ، وَالْعِلْمُ يَزْكُو (4635) عَلَى الْإِنْفَاقِ، وَصَنِيعُ الْمَالِ يَزُولُ بِزَوَالِهِ. يَا كُمَيْل بْن زِيَادٍ، مَعْرِفَةُ الَعِلْمِ دِينٌ يُدَانُ بِهِ، بِهِ يَكْسِبُ الْإِنْسَانُ الطَّاعَةَ فِي حَيَاتِهِ، وَجَمِيلَ الأُحْدُوثَةِ بَعْدَ وَفَاتِهِ. وَالْعِلْمُ حَاكِمٌ، وَالْمَالُ مَحْكُوم ٌعَلَيْهِ. * * * * * |
يَا كُمَيْل بْن زِيادٍ، هَلَكَ خُزَّانُ الْأَمْوَالِ وَهُمْ أَحْيَاءٌ، وَالْعَُلَمَاءُ بَاقُونَ مَا بَقِيَ الدَّهْرُ: أَعْيَانُهُمْ مَفْقُودَةٌ، أَمْثَالُهُمْ فِي الْقُلُوبِ مَوْجُودَةٌ. هَا إِنَّ ها هُنَا لَعِلْماً جَمّاً (وَأَشَارَ بِيَدِهِ إِلى صَدره) لَوْ أَصَبْتُ لَهُ حَمَلَةً (4636) ! بَلَى أَصَبْتُ لَقِناً (4637) غَيْرَ مَأْمُونٍ عَلَيْهِ، مُسْتَعْمِلاً آلَةَ الدِّينِ لِلدُّنْيَا، وَمُسْتَظْهِراً بِنِعَمَ اللهِ عَلَى عِبادِهِ، وَبِحُجَجِهِ عَلَى أَوْلِيَائِهِ، أَوْ مُنْقَاداً لِحَمَلَةِ الْحَقِّ (4638) لاَ بَصِيرَةَ لَهُ فِي أَحْنَائِهِ (4639) يَنْقَدِحُ الشَّكُّ فِي قَلْبِهِ لِأَوَّلِ عَارِضٍ مِنْ شُبْهَةٍ. أَلاَ لاَ ذَا وَلاَ ذَاكَ! أَوْ مَنْهُوماً (4640) بِالَّلذَّةِ، سَلِسَ الْقِيَادِ (4641) للشَّهْوَةِ، أَوْ مُغْرَماً (4642) بِالْجَمْعِ وَالْإِدِّخَارِ (4643) لَيْسَا مِنْ رُعَاةِ الدِّينِ فِي شَيْءٍ، أَقْرَبُ شَيْءٍ شَبَهاً بِهِمَا الْأَنَعَامُ (4644) السَّائِمَةُ (4645) ! كَذلِكَ يَمُوتُ الْعِلْمُ بِمَوْتِ حَامِلِيهِ. اللَّهُمَّ بَلَى! لاَ تَخْلُو الْأَرْضُ مِنْ قَائِمٍ لِلَّهِ بِحُجَّةٍ، إِمَّا ظَاهِراً مَشْهُوراً، وَ إَمَّا خَائِفاً مَغْمُوراً (4646) لِئَلاَّ تَبْطُلَ حُجَجُ اللهِ وَبَيِّنَاتُهُ. وَكَمْ ذَا وَأَيْنَ أُولئِكَ؟ أُولئِكَ ـ وَاللَّهِ ـ الْأَقَلُّونَ عَدَداً، وَالْأَعْظَمُونَ عِنْدَ اللّهِ قَدْراً، يَحْفَظُ اللهُ بِهِمْ حُجَجَهُ وَبَيِّنَاتِهِ، حَتَّى يُودِعُوهَا نُظَرَاءَهُمْ، وَيَزْرَعُوهَا فِي قُلُوبِ أَشْبَاهِهِمْ، هَجَمَ بِهِمُ الْعِلْمُ عَلَى حَقِيقَةِ الْبَصِيرَةِ، وَبَاشَرُ وا رُوحَ الْيَقِينِ، وَاسْتَلاَنُوا (4647) مَا اسْتَوْعَرَهُ (4648) الْمُتْرَفُونَ (4649) وَأَنِسُوا بِمَا اسْتَوْحَشَ مِنْهُ الْجَاهِلُونَ، وَصَحِبُوا الدُّنْيَا بِأَبْدَانٍ أَرْوَاحُهَا مُعَلَّقَةٌ بِالْمَحَلِّ الْأَعْلَى، أُولئِكَ خُلَفَاءُ اللهِ فِي أَرْضِهِ، وَالدُّعَاةُ إِلَى دِينِهِ. * * * * * |
Oh, oh, how I yearn to see them! Go away now, O' Kumayl! wherever you wish. 148. Amir al-mu'minin, peace be upon him, said: Man is hidden under his tongue. (1) 149. Amir al-mu'minin, peace be upon him, said: He who does not know his own worth is ruined. ON PREACHING150. Amir al-mu'minin, peace be upon him, said to a man who had requested him to preach: Do not be like him who hopes for (bliss in) the next life without action, and delays repentance by lengthening desires, who utters words like ascetics in this world but acts like those who are eager for it; if he is allowed something from it he does not feel satisfied; if he is denied he is not content; he is not grateful for what he gets and covets for increase in whatever remains with him; he refrains others but not himself; he commands others for what he himself does not do; he loves the virtuous but does not behave like them; he hates the vicious but himself is one of them; he dislikes death because of the excess of his sins but adheres to that for which he is afraid of death. If he falls ill he feels ashamed; if he is healthy he feels secure
(1). The meaning is that a man's worth can be known by
his speech because the speech of every person is indicative of his mind and
manners, and by virtue of it his feelings and temperament can be very easily
assessed. Therefore, so long as he is silent his weakness as well as attainments
are concealed but when he speaks his real self manifests itself.
A man is hidden under his tongue.
Unless he speaks you cannot know his worth and value.
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آهِ آهِ شَوْقاً إِلَى رُؤْيَتِهِمْ! انْصَرِفْ إذَا شِئْتَ. 148. وقال عليه السلام: الْمَرْءُ مَخْبُوءٌ تَحْتَ لِسَانِهِ. 149. وقال عليه السلام: هَلَكَ امْرُؤُ لَمْ يَعْرِفْ قَدْرَهُ. 150. وقال عليه السلام لرجلٍ سأَله أَن يعظه: لاَ تَكُنْ مِمَّنْ يَرْجُو الْآخِرَةَ بِغَيْرِ الْعَمَلِ، وَ يُرَجِّي التَّوْبَةَ (4650) بِطُولِ الْأَمَلِ. يَقُولُ فِي الدُّنْيَا بِقَوْلِ الزَّاهِدِينَ، وَيَعْمَلُ فِيهَا بَعَمَلِ الرَّاغِبِينَ، إِنْ أُعْطِيَ مِنْهَا لَمْ يَشْبَعْ، وَإِنْ مُنِعَ مِنْهَا لَمْ يَقْنَعْ، يَعْجِزُ عَنْ شُكْرِ مَا أُوتِيَ، وَيَبْتَغِي الزِّيَادَةَ فِيَما بَقِيَ، يَنْهَى وَلاَ يَنْتَهِي، وَيَأْمُرُ بِمَا لاَ يَأْتِي، يُحِبُّ الصَّالِحِينَ وَلاَ يَعْمَلُ عَمَلَهُمْ، وَيُبْغِضُ الْمُذْنِبِينَ وَهُوَ أَحَدُهُمْ، يَكْرَهُ الْمَوْتَ لِكَثْرَةِ ذُنُوبِهِ، وَيُقِيمُ (4651) عَلَى مَا يَكْرَهُ الْمَوْتَ مِنْ أجْلِهِ , إِنْ سَقِمَ (4652) ظَلَّ نَادِماً، وَإِنْ صَحَّ أَمِنَ لاَهِياً، * * * * * |
يُعْجَبُ بِنَفْسِهِ إِذَا عوفِيَ، وَيَقْنَطُ إِذَا ابْتُلِيَ، إِنْ أَصَابَهُ بَلاَءٌ دَعَا مُضْطَرّاً، وإِنْ نَالَهُ رَخَاءُ أَعْرَضَ مُغْتَرّاً، تَغْلِبُهُ نَفْسُهُ عَلَى مَا يَظُنُّ، وَلاَ يَغْلِبُهَا عَلَى مَا يَسْتَيْقِنُ (4653) يَخَافُ عَلَى غْيَرِهِ بِأَدْنىَ مِنْ ذَنْبِهِ، وَيَرْجُو لِنَفْسِهِ بِأَكْثَرَ مِنْ عَمَلِهِ، إِنْ اسْتَغْنَى بَطِرَ (4654) وَفُتِنَ، وَإِنِ افْتقَرَ قَنِطَ (4655) وَوَهَنَ (4656) يُقَصِّرُ إِذَا عَمِلَ، وَيُبَالِغُ إِذَا سَأَلَ، إِنْ عَرَضَتْ لَهُ شَهْوَةٌ أَسْلَفَ (4657) الْمَعْصِيَةَ وَسَوَّفَ (4658) التَّوْبَةَ، وَإِنْ عَرَتْهُ مِحْنَةٌ (4659) انْفَرَجَ (4660) عَنْ شَرَائِطِ الْمِلَّةِ (4661) يَصِفُ الْعِبْرَةَ (4662) وَلاَ يَعْتَبرُ، وَيُبَالِغُ فِي الْمَوْعِظَةِ وَلاَ يَتَّعِظُ، فَهُوَ بِالْقَوْلِ مُدِلٌّ (4663) . وَمِنَ الْعَمَلِ مُقِلٌّ، يُنَافِسُ فِيَما يَفْنَى، وَيُسَامِحُ فِيَما يَبْقَى، يَرَى الْغُنْمَ (4664) مغْرَماً (4665) . وَالْغُرْمَ مَغْنَماً، يخشَى الْمَوْتَ وَلاَ يُبَادِرُ (4666) الْفوْتَ (4667) , يَسْتَعْظِمُ مِنْ مَعْصِيَةِ غَيْرِهِ مَا يَسْتَقِلُّ أَكْثَرَ مِنْهُ مِنْ نَفْسِهِ، وَيَسْتَكْثِرُ مِنْ طَاعَتِهِ مَا يَحْقِرُهُ مِنْ طَاعَةِ غَيْرِهِ، فَهُوَ عَلَى النَّاسِ طَاعِنٌ، وَلِنَفْسِهِ مُدَاهِنٌ، اللَّهْوُ مَعَ الْأَغْنِيَاءِ أَحَبُّ إِلَيْهِ مِنَ الذِّكْرِ مَعَ الْفُقَرَاءِ، يَحْكُمُ عَلَى غَيْرِهِ لِنَفْسِهِ وَلاَ يَحْكُمُ عَلَيْهَا لِغَيْرِهِ، يُرْشِدُ غَيْرَه ُيُغْوِي نَفْسَهُ، فَهُوَ يُطَاعُ وَيَعْصِي، وَيَسْتَوْفِي وَلا يُوفِي، وَيَخْشَى الْخَلْقَ فِي غَيْرِ رَبِّهِ، وَلاَ يَخْشَى رَبَّهُ فِي خَلْقِهِ. * * * * * |
as-Sayyid ar-Radi says: If this hook had contained nothing save this short utterance it would have sufficed as a successful piece of preaching, a specimen of high philosophy, an object of wisdom for the onlooker and a source of instruction for the meditative watcher. 151. Amir al-mu'minin, peace be upon him, said: Every human being has to meet the end, sweet or sour. 152. Amir al-mu'minin, peace be upon him, said: Every comer has to return and after returning it is as though he never existed. 153. Amir al-mu'minin, peace be upon him, said: The endurer does not miss success although it may take a long time. 154. Amir al-mu'minin, peace be upon him, said: He who agrees with the action of a group of persons is as though he joins them in that action. And every one who joins in wrong commits two sins; one sin for committing the wrong and the other for agreeing with it. 155. Amir al-mu'minin, peace be upon him, said: Adhere to contracts and entrust their fulfilment to steadfast persons. 156. Amir al-mu'minin, peace be upon him, said: On you lies ( the obligation of) obedience to the person about whom you cannot plead the excuse of ignorance.(1)
(1). Just as Allah sent down a series of prophets by way
of Ills Justice and Mercy to guide and direct towards religion, in the same way
He laid down the system of the Imamate to protect religion from alteration and
change so that every Imam may in his time save the Divine teachings from the
onslaught of personal desires and give directions about the correct precepts of
Islam. And just as it is obligatory to know the originator of the religion
(i.e., the Prophet) in the same way it is necessary to know the protector of the
religion and lie who remains ignorant of him cannot be excused because tile
issue of Imamate is supported by so many proofs and
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قال الرضي: ولو لم يكن في هذا الكتاب إلاّ هذا الكلام لكفى به موعظةً ناجعةً، وحكمةً بالغةً، وبصيرةً لمبصرٍ و، عبرةً لناظرٍ مفكّرٍ. 151. وقال عليه السلام: لِكُلِّ امْرِىءٍ عَاقِبَةٌ حُلْوَةٌ أَوْ مُرَّةٌ. 152. وقال عليه السلام: لِكُلِّ مُقْبِلٍ إِدْبَارٌ، وَمَا أَدْبَرَ كَأَنْ لَمْ يَكُنْ. 153. وقال عليه السلام: لاَ يَعْدَمُ الصَّبُورُ الظَّفَرَ وَإِنْ طَالَ بِهِ الزَّمَانُ. 154. وقال عليه السلام: الرَّاضِي بِفِعْلِ قَوْمٍ كَالدَّاخِلِ فِيهِ مَعَهُمْ، وَعَلَى كُلِّ دَاخِلٍ فِي بَاطِلٍ إِثْمَانِ: إِثْمُ الْعَمَلِ بِهِ، وَإِثْمُ الرِّضَى بِهِ. 155. وقال عليه السلام: اعْتَصِمُوا (4668) بِالذِّمَمِ (4669) فِي أَوْتَادِهَا (4670) . 156. وقال عليه السلام: عَلَيْكُمْ بِطَاعَةِ مَنْ لاَ تُعْذَرُونَ بِجَهَالَتِهِ (4671) . * * * * * |
157. Amir al-mu'minin, peace be upon him, said: Surely, you have been made to see if (only) you care to see; surely, you have been guided if (only) you care to take guidance; and surely, you have been made to hear if (only) you care to lend your ears. 158. Amir al-mu'minin, peace be upon him, said: Admonish your brother (comrade) by good behaviour towards him, and ward off his evil by favouring him. (1) 159. Amir al-mu'minin, peace be upon him, said: He who puts himself in conditions of ill-repute should not blame those who entertain bad ideas about him. 160. Amir al-mu'minin, peace be upon him, said: Whoever obtains authority (usually) adopts partiality. 161. Amir al-mu'minin, peace be upon him, said: He who acts solely according to his own opinion gets ruined, and he who consults other people shares in their understanding.
(1). If evil is done in return for evil, and abuse in
return for abuse, the door for animosity and quarrel is opened. But if an
evil-doer is met with kindness and gentleness he too would be compelled to
change his behaviour. Thus, once Imam Hasan was passing through the market place
of Medina when a Syrian noticing his majestic personality enquired from the
people who he was and on being told that he was Hasan son of 'Ali (peac0e be
upon him) he was exasperated and coming close to him began to abuse him. The
Imam heard him quietly. When he finished the Imam said, "You seem to be a
stranger here". He acknowledged this and the Imam continued, "Then you had
better come with me and stay with me. If you have any need I shall fulfil it,
and if you need financial assistance I shall render it." When he saw this
kindness and fine manners in return for his harsh and hard words he was
extremely ashamed, and admitting his fault sought his forgiveness. When he left
the Imam, he did not have better regard for anyone else on the surface of the
globe. (al-Kamil, al-Mubarrad, v61. 1, p.235; vol.2, p.63; Nihayah al-irab,
an-Nuwayri, vol.6, p.52; Matalib as-sa'ul, Ibn Talhah ash-Shafi'i, vol. 2, pp.11
-12; al-Manaqib, Ibn Shahrashub, vol.4, p.19; al-Bihar, al-Majlisi, vol.43,
p.344)
If you are a proper human being do good to the evil-doer.
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157. وقال عليه السلام: قَدْ بُصّرْتُمْ إِنْ أَبْصَرْتُمْ (4672) وَقَدْ هُدِيتُمْ إِنِ اهْتَدَيْتُمْ، وأُسْمِعْتُمْ إِنِ اسْتَمَعْتُمْ. 158. وقال عليه السلام: عَاتِبْ أَخَاكَ بِالْإِحْسَانِ إِلَيْهِ، وَارْدُدْ شَرَّهُ بِالْإِنْعَامِ عَلَيْهِ. 159. وقال عليه السلام: مَنْ وَضَعَ نَفْسَهُ مَوَاضِعَ التُّهَمَةِ فَلاَ يَلُومَنَّ مَنْ أَسَاءَ بِهِ الظَّنَّ. 160. وقال عليه السلام: مَنْ مَلَكَ اسْتَأثَرَ (4673) . 161. وقال عليه السلام: وَمَنِ اسْتَبَدَّ بِرَأْيِهِ هَلَكَ، وَمَنْ شَاوَرَ الرِّجَالَ شَارَكَهَا فِي عُقُولِهَا. * * * * * |
162. Amir al-mu'minin, peace be upon him, said: He who guards his secrets retains control in his own hands. 163. Amir al-mu'minin, peace be upon him, said: Destitution is the greatest death. 164. Amir al-mu'minin, peace be upon him, said: He who fulfils the right of a man who does not fulfil his right, (is as though he) worships him. 165. Amir al-mu'minin, peace be upon him, said: There should be no obeying anyone against Allah's commands. 166. Amir al-mu'minin, peace be upon him, said: No person is to be blamed for delay in (securing) his own right but blame lies on him who takes what he is not entitled to. 167. Amir al-mu'minin, peace be upon him, said: Vanity prevents progress. (1) 168. Amir al-mu'minin, peace be upon him, said: The Day of Judgement is near and our mutual company is short. 169. Amir al-mu'minin, peace be upon him, said: For the man who has eyes the dawn has already appeared. 170. Amir al-mu'minin, peace be upon him, said: Abstention from sin is easier than seeking help afterwards. (2)
(1). A person who seeks perfection and believes that he
is still in need of it can be expected to attain the aim of perfection, but a
person who is under the illusion that he has reached the zenith of progress and
perfection will not feel the need to strive to attain it, but according to his
own view he has already traversed all the stages of perfection and now he has no
stage in sight to strive for. Thus, this vain and illusioned man ill always
remain deprived of perfection and this vanity will end all possibility of his
rise.
(2). It is not as difficult to keep aloof from sin the
first time as it is
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162. وقال عليه السلام: َمَنْ كَتَمَ سِرَّهُ كَانَتِ الْخِيرَةُ (4674) بِيَدِهِ. 163. وقال عليه السلام: الْفَقْرُ الْمَوْتُ الْأَكْبَرُ. 164. وقال عليه السلام: مَنْ قَضَى حَقَّ مَنْ لاَ يَقْضِي حَقَّهُ فَقَدْ عَبَدَهُ. 165. وقال عليه السلام: لاَ طَاعَةَ لَِمخْلُوقٍ فِي مَعْصِيَةِ الْخَالِقِ. 166. وقال عليه السلام: لاَ يُعَابُ الْمَرْءُ بِتَأْخِيرِ حَقِّهِ، إِنَّمَا يُعَابُ مَنْ أَخَذَ مَا لَيْسَ لَهُ . 167. وقال عليه السلام: الْإِعْجَابُ يَمْنَعُ الْإِزْدِيَادَ (4675) . 168. وقال عليه السلام: الْأَمْرُ قَرِيبٌ وَالْإِصْطِحَابُ قَلِيلٌ (4676) . 169. وقال عليه السلام: قَدْ أَضَاءَ الصُّبْحُ لِذِي عَيْنَيْنِ. 170. وقال عليه السلام: تَرْكُ الذَّنْبِ أَهْوَنُ مِنْ طَلَبِ الْمَعُونَةِ . * * * * * |
171. Amir al-mu'minin, peace be upon him, said: Many a single eating prevents several eatings. (1) 172. Amir al-mu'minin, peace be upon him, said: People are enemies of what they do not know. (2) 173. Amir al-mu'minin, peace be upon him, said: He who has several opinions understands the pitfalls. 174. Amir al-mu'minin, peace be upon him, said: He who sharpens the teeth of anger for the sake of Allah acquires the strength to kill the stalwarts of wrong .(3) after becoming familiar with it and tasting it, because a man does not feel difficulty in doing a thing to which he has become habituated, but it is really hard to give it up. As habits become confirmed, the conscience becomes weaker and difficulties crop up in the way of repentance. To console the heart by postponing repentance is therefore usually with out avail. Surely, when there is difficulty in keeping off sin even in the beginning the lengthening of the period of sins will make repentance still more difficult. (1). This is a proverb which is used when a man runs after one advantage so vehemently that he has to give up several other advantages, like the man who eats too much or against his appetite and has to go subsequently without several meals. (2). A man attaches great importance to the science and art which he knows and regards that science of no importance which he does not know, and belittles it. This is because whenever such a matter is discussed he is regarded not worthy of attention and is ignored, and thereby he feels slighted. This slight pains him, and a man naturally dislikes a thing that pains him and hates it. In this connection, Plato was asked, "What is the reason that he who does not know hates him who does know, but he who knows does not bear malice or hatred towards him who does not know?" Here plied, "He who does not know realizes that he suffers from a defect and thinks that he who knows must regard him low and humble on account of this defect, so he hates him. On the other hand he who knows does not have the idea that he who does not know should regard him low and so there Is no reason why he should hate him." (3). The person who rises to face wrong for the sake of Allah is afforded support and assistance from Allah and, despite lack of power and means, the |
171. وقال عليه السلام: كَمْ مِنْ أَكْلَةٍ مَنَعَتْ أَكَلاَتٍ! 172. وقال عليه السلام: النَّاسُ أَعْدَاءُ مَا جَهِلُوا. 173. وقال عليه السلام: مَنِ اسْتَقْبَلَ وُجُوهَ الْآرَاءِ عَرَفَ مَوَاقِعَ الْخَطَاََ. 174. وقال عليه السلام: مَن أَحَدَّ (4677) سِنَانَ (4678) الْغَضَبِ لِلَّهِ قَوِيَ عَلَى قَتْلِ أَشِدَّاءِ الْبَاطِلِ. * * * * * |
175. Amir al-mu'minin, peace be upon him, said: When you are afraid of something dive straight into it, because the intensity of abstaining from it is greater (worse) than what you are afraid of. 176. Amir al-mu'minin, peace be upon him, said: The means to secure high authority is breadth of chest (i.e., generosity). 177. Amir al-mu'minin, peace be upon him, said: Rebuke the evil-doer by rewarding the good-doer. (8) 178. Amir al-mu'minin, peace be upon him, said: Cut away evil from the chest of others by snatching (it) away from your own chest . (9) 179. Amir al-mu'minin, peace be upon him, said: Stubbornness destroys (good) advice. forces of wrong cannot shake his determination or create a tremor in his steady feet. But if there is a tinge of personal benefit in his action he can be very easily prevented from his aim. (8). This means. that the giving of full reward to the virtuous for their good actions and appreciating them puts the evil-doers also on the right path. This is more effective than ethical preaching, warning and rebuke. This is because by temperament man inclines towards things from which benefits accrue to him, and his ears (yearn to) resound with eulogies in praise and admiration of him. (9). This sentence can be interpreted in two ways. One is that if you bear malice against anyone, he too will bear malice against you. Therefore, destroy the malice from his heart by removing it from your heart, since your heart is the index of other's heart. If your heart will have no malice there will remain no malice in his heart too. That is why a man assesses the purity of another person's heart by the purity of his own heart. Thus, a man asked his friend, "How much do you love me?" and the reply was, your own heart." That is, "I love you as much as you love me." The second interpretation is that if you want to dissuade another person from evil, first you should refrain yourself from that evil. In this way, your advice can be effective on others, otherwise it will remain ineffective. |
175. وقال عليه السلام: إِذَا هِبْتَ أَمْراً (4679) فَقَعْ فِيهِ، فَإِنَّ شِدَّةَ تَوَقِّيهِ (4680) أَعْظَمُ مِمَّا تَخَافُ مِنْهُ. 176. وقال عليه السلام: آلَةُ الرِّيَاسَةِ سَعَةُ الصَّدْرِ. 177. وقال عليه السلام: ازْجُرِ الْمُسِيءَ بِثوَابِ الْمُحسِنِ (4681) . 178. وقال عليه السلام: احْصُدِ الشَّرَّ مِنْ صَدْرِ غَيْرِكَ بِقَلْعِهِ مِنْ صَدْرِكَ. 179. وقال عليه السلام: اللَّجَاجَةُ تَسُلُّ الرَّأْيَ (4682) . * * * * * |
180. وقال عليه السلام: الطَّمَعُ رِقٌّ مُؤَبَّدٌ. 181. وقال عليه السلام: ثَمَرَةُ التَّفْرِيطِ النَّدَامَةُ، وَثَمَرَةُ الْحَزْمِ السَّلاَمَةُ. 182. وقال عليه السلام: لاَ خَيْرَ فِي الصَّمْتِ عَنِ الْحُكْمِ، كَمَا أَنَّهُ لاَ خَيْرَ فِي الْقوْلِ بِالْجَهْلِ. 183. وقال عليه السلام: مَا اخْتَلَفَتْ دَعْوَتَانِ إِلاَّ كَانَتْ إِحْدَاهُمَا ضَلاَلَةً. 184. وقال عليه السلام: مَا شَكَكْتُ فِي الْحَقِّ مُذْ أُرِيتُهُ. 185. وقال عليه السلام: مَا كَذَبْتُ وَلاَ كُذِّبْتُ، وَلاَ ضَلَلْتُ وَلاَ ضُلَّ بِي. 186. وقال عليه السلام: لِلظَّالِمِ الْبَادِي غَداً بِكَفِّهِ عَضَّةٌ (4683) . 187. وقال عليه السلام: الرَّحِيلُ وَشِيكٌ (4684) . 188. وقال عليه السلام: مَنْ أَبْدَى صَفْحَتَهُ (4685) لِلْحَقِّ هَلَكَ. 189. وقال عليه السلام: مَنْ لَمْ يُنْجِهِ الصَّبْرُ أَهْلَكَهُ الْجَزَعُ. 190. وقال عليه السلام: وَاعَجَبَاهُ! أَتَكُونُ الْخِلاَفَةَ بِالصَّحَابَةِ وَالْقَرَابَةِ؟ * * * * * |
as-Sayyid ar-Radi says: Verses have also been related from Amir al-mu'minin on the same matter. They are: -- If you claim to have secured authority by consultation, how did it happen when those to be consulted were absent! If you have scored over your opponents by kinship then someone else has greater right for being nearer to the Holy Prophet . (1)
(1). Ibn Abi'l-Hadid ( 'Izzu'd-Din 'Abd al-Hamid ibn
Hibatul'llah al-Mu'tazili [586/1190-655/1257]) says:
"The saying of Amir al-mu'minin in the form of prose and poetry was intended for
Abu Bakr and 'Umar. In his prose he addressed 'Umar, because when Abu Bakr asked
'Umar (on the day of Saqifah): 'Give me your hand so that I may swear allegiance
to you.' 'Umar replied, 'You are the companion of the Messenger of Allah in all
circumstances -- comfort and hardship. So, give me your hand.'
"'Ali, peace be upon him, says (with regard to the claim of 'Umar) that:
If you give arguments in favour of the Abu Bakr's deserving the caliphate
on the basis of his being the companion of the Holy Prophet in all
circumstances, then why did you not hand over the caliphate to one (i.e., Amir
al-mu'minin) who shares with him (Abu Bakr) in this matter, and who had
superiority over him by having a relation of kinship with the Holy Prophet?
"In his poetry, Amir al-mu'minin addressed Abu Bakr, because he argued with the
ansar at Saqifah saying; "We (the Quraysh) are the kin of the Messenger of Allah
and the seed from which he sprung, (therefore, we are the most deserving people
to succeed him).'
"After allegiance was sworn to Abu Bakr (by a small group at Saqifah) he used to
argue with the Muslims that they must accept his caliphate since it had been
accepted by the ahlu'1-halli Wa'1-'aqd (the group who can tie and untie a matter
-- i.e., those who were present at Saqifah).
"'Ali, peace be upon him, says (with regard to the claim of Abu Bakr) that:
Regarding your argument with the ansar that you are from the seed from which the
Messenger of Allah sprung, and one of his tribe, there
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191. وقال عليه السلام: إِنَّمَا الْمَرْءُ فِي الدُّنْيَا غَرَضٌ (4688) تَنْتَضِلُ (4689) فِيهِ الْمَنَايَا (4690) وَنَهْبٌ (4691) تُبَادِرُهُ الْمَصَائِبُ، وَمَعَ كُلِّ جُرْعَةٍ شَرَقٌ (4692) وَفِي كُلِّ أَكْلَةٍ غَصَصٌ. وَلاَ يَنَالُ الْعَبْدُ نِعْمَةً إِلاَّ بِفِرَاقِ أُخْرَى، وَلاَ يَسْتَقْبِلُ يَوْماً مِنْ عُمُرِهِ إِلاَّ بِفِرَاقِ آخَرَ مِنْ أَجَلِهِ. فَنَحْنُ أَعْوَانُ الْمَنُونِ (4693) وَأَنْفُسُنَا نَصْبُ الْحُتُوفِ (4694) فَمِنْ أَيْنَ نَرْجُوا الْبَقَاءَ وَهذَا اللَّيْلُ وَالنَّهَارُ لَمْ يَرْفَعَا مِنْ شَيْءٍ شَرَفاً (4695) . إِلاَّ أَسْرَعَا الْكَرَّةَ فِي هَدْمِ مَا بَنَيَا، وَتَفْرِيقِ مَا جَمَعا؟! 192. وقال عليه السلام: يَابْنَ آدَمَ مَا كَسَبْتَ فَوْقَ قُوتِكَ، فَأَنْتَ فِيهِ خَازِنٌ لِغَيْرِكَ. 193. وقال عليه السلام: إِنَّ لِلْقُلُوبِ شَهْوَةً وَإِقْبَالاً وَإِدْبَاراً، فَأْتُوهَا مِنْ قِبَلِ شَهْوَتِهَا وَإِقْبَالِهَا، فَإِنَّ الْقَلْبَ إِذَا أُكْرِهَ عَمِيَ. 194. وكان عليه السلام يقول: مَتَى أَشْفِي غَيْظِي إِذَا غَضِبْتُ؟ أَحِينَ أَعْجِزُ عَنِ الْإِنْتِقَامِ فَيُقَالُ لِي: لَوْ صَبَرْتَ؟ أَمْ حِينَ أَقْدِرُ عَلَيْهِ فَيُقَالُ لي: لَوْ عَفَوْتَ. * * * * * |
195. Amir al-mu'minin, peace be upon him, passed beside a dump of rubbish full of filth and remarked: This is what the misers used to be niggardly about. In another tradition it is related that he said: This is what you used to dispute with each other about until yesterday! 196. Amir al-mu'minin, peace be upon him, said: The wealth that teaches you lesson does not go waste.(1) 197. Amir al-mu'minin, peace be upon him, said: The hearts become tired as the bodies become tired. You should therefore search for beautiful sayings for them (to enjoy by way of refreshment). 198. When Amir al-mu'minin, peace be upon him, heard the slogan of the Kharijites: There is no verdict save of Allah-, he said: This sentence is true but it is interpreted wrongly. 199. Amir al-mu'minin, peace be upon him, said about the crowd of people: These are the people who, when they assemble together, are overwhelming but when they disperse they cannot be recognized. It is related that instead of this Amir al-mu'minin, peace be upon him, said: These are the people who when they assemble together cause harm but when they disperse are beneficial. It was pointed out to him: We know their harm at the time of their assembling but what is their benefit at the time of their dispersal?
(1). The person who gains a lesson and experience by
spending money and wealth should not lament its loss but should deem the
experience more valuable than the wealth because wealth is in any case wasted
away while the experience will protect him against the dangers of the future.
Thus, a scholar who had become destitute after having been wealthy was asked
what had happened to his wealth and he replied: "I have purchased experiences
with it and they have proved more useful than the wealth. After losing all that
I had, I have not been in the loss."
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195. وقال عليه السلام وقد مرّ بقذر على مزبلة: هذا مَا بَخِلَ بِهِ الْبَاخِلُونَ. و روي في خبر آخر أَنه قال: هذَا مَا كُنْتُمْ تَتَنَافَسُونَ فِيهِ بِالْأَمْسِ! 196. وقال عليه السلام: لَمْ يَذْهَبْ مِنْ مَالِكَ مَا وَعَظَكَ. 197. وقال عليه السلام: إِنَّ هذِهِ الْقُلُوبَ تَمَلُّ كَمَا تَمَلُّ الْأَبْدَانُ فَابْتَغُوا لَهَا طَرَائِفَ الْحِكْمَةِ. 198. وقال عليه السلام لما سمع قول الخوارج ـ لا حُكْم إِلاَّ للهِ ـ : كَلِمَةُ حَقٍّ يُرَادُ بِهَا بَاطِلٌ. 199. وقال عليه السلام في صفة الْغوغاء (4696) هُمُ الَّذِينَ إِذَا اجْتَمَعُوا غَلَبُوا، وَإِذَا تَفَرَّقُوا لَمْ يُعْرَفُوا. وقيل: بل قال عليه السلام: هُمُ الَّذِينَ إِذَا اجْتَمَعُوا ضَرُّوا، وَإِذَا تَفَرَّقُوا نَفَعُوا. فقيل: قد عرفنا مضرة اجتماعهم، فما منفعة افتراقهم؟ فقال: يَرْجِعُ * * * * * |
أَصْحَابُ الْمِهَنِ إِلَى مِهَنِهِمْ، فَيَنْتَفِعُ النَّاسُ بِهِمْ، كَرُجُوعِ الْبَنَّاءِ إِلَى بِنَائِهِ، وَالنَّسَّاجِ إِلَى مَنْسَجِهِ، وَالْخَبَّازِ إِلَى مَخْبَزِهِ. 200. وقال عليه السلام وقد أُتي بجانٍ ومعه غوغاءُ: لاَ مَرْحَباً بِوُجُوهٍ لاَ تُرى إِلاَّ عِنْدَ كُلِّ سَوْأَةٍ. 201. وقال عليه السلام: إِنَّ مَعَ كُلِّ إِنْسَانٍ مَلَكَيْنِ يَحْفَظَانِهِ، فَإِذَا جَاءَ الْقَدَرُ خَلَّيَا بَيْنَهُ وَبَيْنَهُ، وَإِنَّ الْأَجَلَ (4697) جُنَّةٌ حَصِينَةٌ (4698) . 202. وقال عليه السلام، وقد قال له طلحة والزبير: نبايعك على أَنّا شركاؤُكَ في هذا الْأَمر. فقال: لاَ، وَلكِنَّكُمَا شَرِيكَانِ فِي الْقُّوَّةَ وَالْإِسْتَعَانَةِ، وَعَوْنَانِ عَلَى الْعَجْزِ وَالْأَوَدِ (4699) . 203. وقال عليه السلام: أَيُّهَا النَّاسُ، اتّقُوا اللهَ الَّذِي إِنْ قُلْتُمْ سَمِعَ وَإِنْ أَضْمَرْتُمْ عَلِمَ، وَبَادِرُوا الْمَوْتَ الَّذِي إِنْ هَرَبْتُمْ مِنْهُ أَدْرَكَكُمْ، وَإِنْ أَقَمْتُمْ أَخَذَكُمْ، وَإِنْ نَسِيتُمُوهُ ذَكَرَكُمْ. 204. وقال عليه السلام: لاَ يُزَهِّدَنَّكَ فِي الْمَعْرُوفِ مَنْ لاَ يَشْكُرُهُ لَكَ، فَقَدْ يَشْكُرُكَ عَلَيْهِ مَنْ لاَيَسْتَمْتِعُ بِشَيْءٍ مِنْهُ، وَقَدْ تُدْرِكُ مِنْ شُكْرِ الشَّاكِرِ أَكْثَرَ مِمَّا أَضَاعَ الْكَافِرُ، (وَاللهُ يُحِبُّ الْمُحْسِنِينَ). * * * * * |
205. Amir al-mu'minin, peace be upon him, said: Every container gets narrower according to what is placed in it except knowledge which expands instead. 206. Amir al-mu'minin, peace be upon him, said: The first reward the exerciser of forbearance gets is that people become his helpers against the ignorant. 207. Amir al-mu'minin, peace be upon him, said: If you cannot forbear, feign to do so because it is seldom that a man likens himself to a group and does not become as one of them.(1) 208. Amir al-mu'minin, peace be upon him, said: Whoever takes account of his self is benefited, and whoever remains neglectful of it suffers. Whoever fears remains safe; whoever takes instruction (from things around) gets light; and whoever gets light gets understanding, and whoever gets understanding secures knowledge. 209. Amir al-mu'minin, peace be upon him said: The world will bend towards us after having been refractory as the biting she-camel bends towards its young. Then Amir al-mu'minin recited the verse; And intend We to bestow (Our) favour upon those who were considered weak in the land, and to make them the Imams (guides in faith), and to make them the heirs. (2) (Qur'an, 28:5)
(1). It means that if a person is not temperamentally
forbearant he should try to be so in the sense that he should put up a show of
forbearance against his temperament. Although he may feel some difficulty in
curbing his temperament, the result will be that by and by forbearance will
become his temperamental trait and then no need to feign will remain, because
habit slowly develops into second nature.
(2). This saying is about the awaited Imam who is the
last of the series of Imams. On his emergence all states and governments will
come to an end, and the complete picture referred to in the verse will appear
before the eyes.
Whoever wants to may rule in this world but in the end the rule will be in the
hands of the descendants of 'Ali (peace be upon them).
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205. وقال عليه السلام: كُلُّ وِعَاءٍ يَضِيقُ بِمَا جُعِلَ فِيهِ الْأَ وِعَاءَ الْعِلْمِ، فَإِنَّهُ يَتَّسِعُ بِهِ. 206. وقال عليه السلام: أَوَّلُ عِوَضِ الْحَلِيمِ مِنْ حِلْمِهِ أَنَّ النَّاسَ أَنْصَارُهُ عَلَى الْجَاهِلِ. 207. وقال عليه السلام: إِنْ لَمْ تَكُنْ حَلِيماً فَتَحَلَّمْ، فَإِنَّهُ قَلَّ مَنْ تَشَبَّهَ بَقَوْمٍ الْأَ أَوْشَكَ أَنْ يَكُونَ مِنْهُمْ. 208. وقال عليه السلام: مَنْ حَاسَبَ نَفْسَهُ رَبِحَ، وَمَنْ غَفَلَ عَنْهَا خَسِرَ، وَمَنْ خَافَ أَمِنَ، وَمَنِ اعْتَبَرَ أَبْصَر وَ مَنْ أَبْصَرَ فَهِمَ، وَمَنْ فَهِمَ عَلِمَ. 209. وقال عليه السلام: لَتَعْطِفَنَّ الدُّنْيَا عَلَيْنَا بَعْدَ شِمَاسِهَا (4700) عَطْفَ الضَّرُوسِ (4701) عَلَى وَلَدِهَا. و تلا عقيب ذلك: (وَنُرِيدُ أَنْ نَمُنَّ عَلَى الَّذِينَ اسْتُضْعِفُوا فِي الْأَرْضِ وَنَجْعَلَهُمْ أَئِمَّةً وَنَجْعَلَهُمُ الْوَارِثِينَ). * * * * * |
210. Amir al-mu'minin, peace be upon him, said: Fear Allah like the one who prepares himself after extracting himself (from worldly affairs) and after getting ready in this way makes effort; then he acts quickly during the period of this life, hastens in view of the dangers (of falling into error) and has his eye on proceeding towards the goal, on the end of his journey and on the place of his (eventual) return. 211. Amir al-mu'minin, peace be upon him, said: Generosity is the protector of honour; forbearance is the bridle of the fool forgiveness is the levy of success; disregard is the punishment of him who betrays; and consultation is the chief way of guidance. He who is content with his own opinion faces danger. Endurance braves calamities while impatience is a helper of the hardships of the world. The best contentment is to give up desires. Many a slavish mind is subservient to overpowering longings. Capability helps preservation of experience. Love means well-utilized relationship. Do not trust one who is grieved. 212. Amir al-mu'minin, peace be upon him, said: A man's vanity for himself is one of the enemies of his intelligence. (1) 213. Amir al-mu'minin, peace be upon him, said: Ignore pain otherwise you will never be happy. (Or according to another reading): Ignore pain and grief; you will ever be happy. (1)
(1). It means that just as an envious person cannot
appreciate any good in him whom he envies, similarly, vanity cannot tolerate the
emergence of intelligence or the prominence of good qualities as a result of
which the envious person remains devoid of those qualities which are deemed to
be good by human intellect.
(1). Every individual has some shortcomings or other. If
a person keeps aloof from others because of their faults and weakness, he will,
by and by, lose all his friends and become lonely and forlorn in this world and
thus his life will become bitter and his worries will multiply. At such a moment
he should realize that in this society he cannot get angels with whom he may
never have any cause of complaint, that he has to live among these very
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210. وقال عليه السلام: اتَّقُوا اللهَ تَقِيَّةَ مَنْ شَمَّرَ تَجْرِيداً، وَجَدَّ تَشْمِيراً، وَكَمَّشَ (4702) فِي مَهَلٍ، وَبَادَرَ عَنْ وَجَلٍ (4703) نَظَرَ فِي كَرَّةِ الْمَوْئِلِ (4704) وَعَاقِبَةِ الْمَصْدَرِ، وَمَغَبَّةِ الْمَرْجِعِ (4705) . 211. وقال عليه السلام: الْجُودُ حَارِسُ الْأَعْرَاضِ، وَالْحِلْمُ فِدَامُ (4706) السَّفِيهِ، وَالْعَفْوُ زَكَاةُ الظَّفَرِ، وَالسُّلُوُّ (4707) عِوَضُكَ مِمَّنْ غَدَرَ، وَالْإِسْتِشَارَةُ عَيْنُ الْهِدَايَةِ وَقَد خَاطَرَ مَنِ اسْتَغْنَى بِرَأْيِهِ، وَالصَّبْرُ يُنَاضِلُ الْحِدْثَانَ (4708) والْجَزَعُ (4709) مِنْ أَعْوَانِ الزَّمَانِ، وَأَشْرَفُ الْغِنَى تَرْكُ الْمُنَى (4710) وَكَمْ مِنْ عَقْلٍ أَسيِرٍ تَحْتَ هَوَى أَمِيرٍ! وَمِنَ التَّوْفِيقِ حِفْظُ التَّجْرِبَةِ، وَالْموَدَّةُ قَرَابَةٌ مُسْتَفَادَةٌ، وَلاَ تَأْمَنَنَّ مَلُولاً (4711) . 212. وقال عليه السلام: عُجْبُ (4712) الْمَرْءِ بِنَفْسِهِ أَحَدُ حُسَّادِ عَقْلِهِ. 213. وقال عليه السلام: أَغْضِ (4713) عَلَى الْقَذَى (4714) وَالْأَلَمِ تَرْضَ أَبَداً . * * * * * |
214. Amir al-mu'minin, peace be upon him, said: The tree whose trunk is soft has thick branches. (1) 215. Amir al-mu'minin, peace be upon him, said: Opposition destroys good counsel. 216. Amir al-mu'minin, peace be upon him, said: He who gives generously achieves position. (Or according to another interpretation): He who achieves position begins to make wrong use of it. 217. Amir 81-mu'minin, peace be upon him, said: Through change of circumstances the mettle of men is known. 218. Amir al-mu'minin, peace be upon him, said: jealousy by a friend means defect in his love. 219. Amir al-mu'minin, peace be upon him, said: Most of the deficiency of intelligence occurs due to the flash of greed. (2) 220. Amir al-mu'minin, peace be upon him, said: There is no justice in passing a verdict by relying on probability. people and to pass his life with them. Therefore, as far as possible he should ignore their shortcomings and pay no regard to the troubles inflicted by them. (1). The person who is haughty and ill-tempered can never succeed in making his surroundings pleasant. His acquaintances will feel wretched and sick of him. But if a person is good-tempered and sweet-tongued people will like to get close to him and befriend him. At the time of need they will prove to be his helpers and supporters whereby he can make his life a success. (2). When a man falls into greed and avarice, he gets entangled in evils like bribery, theft, misappropriation, usury and other immoral acts of this type, while the mind is so dazzled with the brilliance of the evil desires that it fails to see the ill effects and consequences of those bad deeds and to prevent him from them or awaken him from his slumber of unmindfulness. Nevertheless, when he prepares to depart from this world and finds that whatever he had amassed was for this world only and that he cannot take it with him, then, and only then his eyes get opened. |
214. وقال عليه السلام: مَنْ لاَنَ عُودُهُ كَثُفَتْ أَغْصَانُهُ (4715) . 215. وقال عليه السلام: الْخِلاَفُ يَهْدِمُ الرَّأْيَ. 216. وقال عليه السلام: مَنْ نَالَ (4716) اسْتَطَالَ (4717) . 217. وقال عليه السلام: فِي تَقَلُّبِ الْأَحْوَالِ عِلْمُ جَوَاهِرِ الرِّجَالِ. 218. وقال عليه السلام: حَسَدُ الصَّدِيقِ مِنْ سُقْمِ الْمَوَدَّةِ (4718) . 219. وقال عليه السلام: أَكْثَرُ مَصَارِعِ الْعُقُولِ تَحْتَ بُرُوقِ الْمَطَامِعِ. 220. وقال عليه السلام: لَيْسَ مِنَ الْعَدْلِ الْقَضَاءُ عَلَى الثِّقَةِ بِالظَّنِّ. * * * * * |
221. Amir a'-mu'minin, peace be upon him, said: The worst provision for the Day of Judgement is high-handedness over people. 222. Amir al-mu'minin, peace be upon him, said: The highest act of a noble person is to ignore what he knows. 223. Amir al-mu'minin, peace be upon him, said: Whomever modesty clothes with its dress people cannot see his defects. (1) 224. Amir al-mu'minin, peace be upon him, said: Excess of silence produces awe; justice results in more close friends; generosity hightens position; with humility blessings abound in plenty; by facing hardships leadership is achieved; by just behaviour the adversary is overpowered; and with forbearance against a fool there is increase of one's supporters against him. 225. Amir al-mu'minin, peace be upon him, said: It is strange that the jealous do not feel jealous about bodily health. (1)
(1). If a person adorns himself with the quality of
modesty then it prevents him from committing evil acts. Therefore, he has no
evil for the people to find in him. Even if a had act is ever committed by him
he does not commit it openly because of his feeling of modesty lest the people
notice him.
(2). A jealous person feels jealous of the property and
position of others but not of their health and physical power, although this
blessing is the best of all others. The reason is that the effects of wealth and
riches remain before the eyes through external pageantry and means of ease
and comfort, whereas health is the victim of disregard for being a routine
matter, and it is regarded so unimportant that a jealous person does not
consider it worth his feeling of jealousy.
Thus, if he sees a labourer carrying a burden on his head all day he does not
feel envious, as if health and energy is not an object of envy. Nevertheless,
when he himself falls ill he realizes the value and worth of healthiness. It is
now that he realizes that it was this health which till now carried no
importance in his eyes but was the most deserving to be envied. The intention is
that one should regard health as a highly valuable blessing and remain attentive
towards its protection and care.
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221. وقال عليه السلام: بِئْسَ الزَّادُ إِلَى الْمَعَادِ الْعُدْوَانُ عَلَى الْعِبَادِ. 222. وقال عليه السلام: مِنْ أَشْرَفِ أَعْمَالِ الْكَرِيمِ غَفْلَتُهُ عَمَّا يَعْلَمُ. 223. وقال عليه السلام: مَنْ كَسَاهُ الْحَيَاءُ ثَوْبَهُ لَمْ يَرَ النَّاسُ عَيْبَهُ. 224. وقال عليه السلام: بِكَثْرَةِ الصَّمْتِ تَكُونُ الْهَيْبَةُ، وَبِالنَّصَفَةِ (4719) يَكْثُرُ الْمُوَاصلُونَ (4720) وَبالْإِفْضَالِ تَعْظُمُ الْأَقْدَارُ، وَبِالتَّوَاضُعِ تَتِمُّ النِّعْمَةُ، وَبِاحْتَِمالِ الْمُؤَنِ (4721) ، يَجِبُ السُّؤْدَدُ (4722) وَبِالسِّيرَةِ الْعَادِلَةِ يُقْهَرُ الْمُنَاوِىءُ (4723) بِالْحِلْمِ عَنِ السَّفِيهِ تَكْثُرُ الْأَنْصَارُ عَليْهِ. 225. وقال عليه السلام: الْعَجَبُ لِغَفْلَةِ الْحُسَّادِ عَنْ سَلاَمَةِ الْأَجْسَادِ! * * * * * |
226. Amir al-mu'minin, peace be upon him, said: The greedy is in the shackles of disgrace. 227. Amir al-mu'minin, peace be upon him, was asked about belief (iman) when he said: Belief means appreciation with the heart, acknowledgement with the tongue, and action with the limbs. 228. Amir al-mu'minin, peace be upon him, said: He who is sorrowful for this world is in fact displeased with the dispensation of Allah. He who complains of a calamity that befalls him complains of his Lord (Allah). He who approaches a rich man and bends before him on account of his riches then two-third of his religion is gone. If a man reads the Qur'an and on dying goes to Hell then it means that he was among those who treated Divine verses with mockery. If a man's heart gets attached to the world, then it catches three things, namely worry that never leaves him, greed that does not abandon him and desire which he never fulfils. 229. Amir al-mu'minin, peace be upon him, said: Contentment is as good as estate, and goodness of moral character is as good as a blessing. Amir al-mu'minin, peace be upon him, was asked about Allah's saying: (Whosoever did good,. whether male or female, and he be a believer, then); We will certainly make him live a life good and pure (and certainly We will give them their return with the best of what they were doing). (Qur'an, 16:97) when he said: that means contentment. (1)
(1). The reason for calling goodness of moral character a
blessing is that just as blessing brings forth pleasure, in the same way a man
can make his environment pleasant by endearing others' hearts through goodness
of moral character and can thus succeed in procuring ways for his happiness and
ease. And contentment has been regarded as capital and estate for the reason
that just as the estate and area under sway dispels need in the same way when a
man adopts contentment and feels happy over his livelihood he becomes free of
turning to others in the time of need.
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226. وقال عليه السلام: الطَّامِعُ فِي وِثَاقِ الذُّلِّ. 227. وسئل عن الْإِيمَانُ فقال: الْإِيمَانُ مَعْرِفَةٌ بِالْقَلْبِ، وَإِقْرَارٌ بِاللِّسَانِ، وعَمَلٌ بِالْأَرْكَانِ. 228. وقال عليه السلام: مَنْ أَصْبَحَ عَلَى الدُّنْيَا حَزِيناً فَقَدْ أَصْبَحَ لِقَضَاءِ اللهِ سَاخِطاً، وَمَنْ أَصْبَحَ يَشَكُو مُصِيبَةً نَزَلَتْ بِهِ فَقَدْ أَصْبَحَ يَشْكُو رَبَّهُ، وَمَنْ أَتى غَنِيَّاً فَتَوَاضَعَ لَهُ لِغِنَاهُ ذَهَبَ ثُلُثَا دِينِهِ. وَمَنْ قَرَأَ الْقُرْآنَ فَمَاتَ فَدَخَلَ النَّارَ فَهُوَ مِمَّنْ كَانَ يَتَّخِذُ آيَاتِ اللهِ هُزُواً، وَمَنْ لَهِجَ قَلْبُهُ بِحُبِّ الدُّنْيَا الْتَاطَ (4724) قَلْبُهُ مِنْهَا بِثَلاَثٍ: هَمٍّ لاَ يُغِبُّهُ، وَحِرْصٍ لاَ يَتْرُكُه، وَأَمَلٍ لاَ يُدْرِكُهُ. 229. وقال عليه السلام: كَفَى بِالْقَنَاعَةِ مُلْكاً، وَبِحُسْنِ الْخُلُقِ نَعِيماً. وسئل عليه السلام عن قوله تعالى: (فَلَنُحْيِيَنَّهُ حَيَاةً طَيِّبَةً)، فَقَالَ: هِيَ الْقَنَاعَةُ. * * * * * |
230. Amir al-mu'minin, peace be upon him, said: Be a sharer with him who has an abundant livelihood because he is more probable to get more riches and likely to secure an increase of the share therein. 231. Amir al-mu'minin, peace be upon him, said about Allah's saying: verily, Allah enjoins justice ('adi) and benevolence (ihsan), (Qur'an, 16:90). Here 'adi means equidistribution and ihsan means favour. 232. Amir al-mu'minin, peace be upon him, said: He who gives with his short hand is given by a long hand. as-Sayyid ar-Radi says: The meaning of this saying is that even though what a man spends in charity from his possessions may be small, yet Allah, the Sublime, gives good reward for it. And the two hands referred to, here means two favours. Thus, Amir al-mu'minin has differentiated between the favour of man and the favour of the Lord (Allah) -- exalted be the mention of His name -- since he has described the first as small and the other as big. This is because the favours of Allah are ever multiplied manifold to the favours of man since Allah's favours are basic in the sense that every other favour springs from it and turns to it. 233. Amir al-mu'minin said to his son al-Hasan, peace be upon them both: Do not call out for fighting, but if you are called to it do respond, because the caller to fighting is a rebel and the rebel deserves destruction. (1)
Whoever is contented with the morsel he gets, dry or wet, is the king of all the
land and sea.
(1). The meaning of this is that if the enemy aims at
fighting and takes the initiative in it, then one should advance to face him,
but one should not initiate the attack because this would be clear
high-handedness and excess, and whoever commits high-handedness and excess will
be disgracefully vanquished and thrown down. That is why Amir al-mu'minin always
entered the battlefield on being challenged by the enemy. He never offered the
challenge from his side. In this connection, Ibn Abil'l-Hadid writes:
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230. وقال عليه السلام: شَارِكُوا الَّذِي قَدْ أَقْبَلَ عَلَيْهِ الرِّزْقُ، فَإِنَّهُ أَخْلَقُ لِلْغِنَى، وَأَجْدَرُ بِإِقْبَالِ الْحَظِّ عَلَيْهِ. 231. وقال عليه السلام في قول الله تعالى (إِنَّ اللهَ يَأْمُرُ بِالْعَدْلِ وَالْإِحْسَانِ ): الْعَدْلُ الْإِنْصَافُ ،وَالْإِحْسَانُ التَّفَضُّلُ. 232. وقال عليه السلام: مَنْ يُعْطِ بِالْيَدِ الْقَصِيرَةِ يُعْطَ بِالْيَدِ الطَّوِيلَةِ. قال الرضي: أقول: و معنى ذلك: أنّ ما ينفقه المرء من ماله في سبيل الخير والبر ـ وإن كان يسيراً ـ فإن الله تعالى يجعل الجزاء عليه عظيماً كثيراً، واليدان هاهنا عبارتان عن النعمتين، ففرّق عليه السلام بين نعمة العبد ونعمة الرب، فجعل تلك قصيرة وهذه طويلة، لأَن نعم الله أبداً تُضعف (4725) على نعم المخلوقين أَضعافاً كثيرة، إذ كانت النعم الله أصل النعم كلها، فكل نعمة إليها تَرجِعُ ومنها تنزع. 233. وقال عليه السلام لابنه الحسن عليهما السلام : لاَ تَدعُوَنَّ إِلَى مُبَارَزَةٍ (4726) وَإِنْ دُعِيتَ إِلَيْهَا فَأَجِبْ، فَإِنَّ الدَّاعِيَ إِلَيْهَا بَاغٍ، وَالبَاغِيَ مَصْرُوعٌ (4727) . * * * * * |
234. وقال عليه السلام: خِيَارُ خِصَالِ النِّسَاءِ شِرَارُ خِصَالِ الرِّجَالِ: الزَّهْوُ (4728) وَالْجُبْنُ وَالْبُخْلُ، فَإذَا كَانَتِ الْمَرْأَةُ مَزْهُوَّةً (4729) لَمْ تُمَكِّنْ مِنْ نَفْسِهَا، وَإِذَا كَانَتْ بِخِيلَةً حَفِظَتْ مَا لَهَا وَمَالَ بَعْلِهَا، وَإِذَا كَانَتْ جَبَانَةً فَرِقَتْ (4730) مِنْ كُلِّ شِيْءٍ يَعْرِضُ لَهَا. 235. وقيل له عليه السلام: صف لنا العاقل. فقال عليه السلام : هُوَ الِّذِي يَضَعُ الشَّيْءَ مَوَاضِعَهُ. فقيل: فصف لنا الجاهل. قال: قَدْ فَعَلْتُ. قال الرضي: يعني: أنّ الجاهل هو الذي لا يضع الشيء مواضعه، فكأن ترك صفته صفة له، إذ كان بخلاف وصف العاقل. 236. وقال عليه السلام: وَاللهِ لَدُنْيَاكُمْ هذِهِ أَهْوَنُ فِي عَيْنِي مِنْ عِرَاقِ (4731) خِنْزِيرٍ فِي يَدِ مَجْذُومٍ (4732) . 237. وقال عليه السلام: إِنَّ قَوْماً عَبَدُوا اللهَ رَغْبَةً فَتِلْكَ عِبَادَةُ التُّجَّارِ، وَإِنَّ قَوْماً عَبَدُوا اللهَ رَهْبَةً فَتِلْكَ عِبَادَةُ الْعَبِيدِ، وَإِنَّ قَوْماً عَبَدُوا اللهَ شُكْراً فَتِلْكَ عِبَادَةُ الْأَحْرَارِ. * * * * * |
238. Amir a'-mu'minin, peace be upon him, said: Woman is evil, all in all; and the worst of it is that one cannot do without her. 239. Amir a'-mu'minin, peace be upon him, said: He who is a sluggard loses his rights and he who believes in the backbiter loses his friend. 240. Amir al-mu'minin, peace be. upon him, said: One ill-gotten piece of stone in a house is a guarantee for its ruin. as-Sayyid ar-Radi says: In one tradition this saying is attributed to the Prophet. It is no wonder that the two sayings should resemble each other because they are driven from the same source and dispersed through the same means. 241. Amir al-mu'minin, peace be upon him, said: The day of the oppressed over the oppressor will be severer than the day of the oppressor over the oppressed. (1) 242. Amir al-mu'minin, peace be upon him, said: Fear Allah to some degree (even) though it be little; and set a curtain between you and Allah (even) though it be thin.
(1). It is easy to bear oppression in this world hut it
is not easy to face its punishment in the next world, because the period of
hearing oppression even though life-long is after all limited; but the
punishment for oppression is Hell whose most fearful aspect is that life there
will last for ever and death will not save from punishment. That is why, if an
oppressor kills someone then with that killing the oppression comes to an end,
and there is no further scope for any further oppression on the same person; but
its punishment is that he is thrown in Hell where he suffers his punishment.
The Persian couplet says:
The effect of the oppression on us has passed away, but it will ever remain on
the oppressor.
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238. وقال عليه السلام: الْمَرْأَةُ شَرٌّ كُلُّهَا، وَشَرُّ مَا فِيهَا أَنَّهُ لاَبُدَّ مِنْهَا! 239. وقال عليه السلام: مَنْ أَطَاعَ التَّوَانِيَ ضَيَّعَ الْحُقُوقَ، وَمَنْ أَطَاعَ الْوَاشِيَ ضَيَّعَ الصَّدِيقَ. 240. وقال عليه السلام: الْحَجَرُ الْغَصِيبُ (4733) فِي الدَّارِ رَهْنٌ عَلَى خَرَابِهَا. قال الرضي: و يروى هذا الكلام للنبي صلى الله عليه، ولا عجب أن يشتبه الكلامان، فإنّ مستقاهما من قليب (4734) ومفرغهما من ذَنوب (4735) . 241. وقال عليه السلام: يَوْمُ الْمَظْلُومِ عَلَى الظَّالِمِ أَشدُّ مِنْ يَوْمِ الظَّالِمِ عَلَى الْمَظْلُومِ. 242. وقال عليه السلام: اتَّقِ اللهَ بَعْضَ التُّقَى وَإِنْ قَلَّ، وَاجْعَلْ بَيْنَكَ وَبَيْنَ اللهِ سِتْراً وَإِنْ رَقَّ. * * * * * |
243. Amir al-mu'minin, peace be upon him, said: When replies are numerous the correct point remains obscure. (1) 244. Amir al-mu'minin, peace be upon him, said: Surely in every blessing there is a right of Allah. If one discharges that right Allah increases the blessing, and if one falls short of doing so one stands in danger of losing the blessing. 245. Amir al-mu'minin, peace be upon him, said: When capability increases, desire decreases. 246. Amir al-mu'minin, peace be upon him, said: Keep on guard against the slipping away of blessings because not everything that runs away comes back. 247. Amir al-mu'minin, peace be upon him, said: Generosity is more prompting to good than regard for kinship. 248. Amir al-mu'minin, peace be upon him, said: If a person has a good idea about you make his idea be true. 249. Amir al-mu'minin, peace be upon him, said: The best act is that which you have to force yourself to do. 250. Amir al-mu'minin, peace be upon him, said: I came to know Allah, the Glorified, through the breaking of determinations, change of intentions and losing of courage. (2)
(1). If replies to a question begin to be given from all
sides, every reply will raise another question and thus open the door for
arguing, and as the number of replies will further necessitate search for the
real truth, detection of the correct reply will become more and more arduous,
because everyone will try to have his reply accepted as correct as a result of
which he will try to collect arguments from here and there to have his reply
accepted as correct as a result of which the whole matter will become confused
and this dream will turn into an aimless one because of the multiplicity of
interpretations.
(2). The breaking of determinations and losing of
courage can be
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243. وقال عليه السلام: إِذَا ازْدَحَمَ الْجَوَابُ (4736) خَفِيَ الصَّوَابُ. 244. وقال عليه السلام: إِنَّ لِلَّهِ فِي كُلِّ نِعْمَةٍ حَقّاً، فَمَنْ أَدَّاهُ زَادَهُ مِنْهَا، وَمَنْ قَصَّرَ فِيهِ خَاطَرَ بِزَوَالِ نِعْمَتِهِ. 245. وقال عليه السلام: إِذَا كَثُرَتِ الْمَقْدِرَةُ قَلَّتِ الشَّهْوَةُ. 246. وقال عليه السلام: احْذَرُوا نِفَارَ النِّعَمِ (4737) فَمَا كُلُّ شَارِدٍ بِمَرْدُودٍ. 247. وقال عليه السلام: الْكَرَمُ أَعْطَفُ مِنَ الرَّحِمِ (4738) . 248. وقال عليه السلام: مَنْ ظَنَّ بِكَ خَيْراً فَصَدِّقْ ظَنَّهُ. 249. وقال عليه السلام: أَفْضَلُ الْأَعْمَالِ مَا أَكْرَهْتَ نَفْسَكَ عَلَيْهِ. 250. وقال عليه السلام: عَرَفْتُ اللهَ سُبْحَانَهُ بِفَسْخِ الْعَزَائِمِ (4739) وَحَلِّ الْعُقُودَ, نَقْضِ الْهِمَم (4740) . * * * * * |
251. Amir al-mu'minin, peace be upon him, said: The sourness of this world is the sweetness of the next world while the sweetness of this world is the sourness of the next one. 252. Amir al-mu'minin, peace be upon him, said: Allah has laid down iman (belief) for purification from polytheism; salat (prayer) for purification from vanity; zakat (levy) as a means of livelihood; siyam (fasting) as a trial of the people; hajj (pilgrimage to the House of Allah in Mecca) as a support for religion; jihad (fighting in the way of Allah) for the honour of Islam; persuasion for good (al-amr bi'l-ma`ruf) for the good of the common people; dissuasion from evil (an-nahy 'ani'l-munkar) for the control of the mischievous; regard for kinship for increase of number; revenge for stoppage of bloodshed; the award of penalties for the realization of importance of the prohibitions; the abstinence from drinking wine for protection of the wit; the avoidance of theft for inculcating chastity; abstinence from adultery for safeguarding descent; abstinence from sodomy for increase of progeny; tendering evidence for furnishing proof against contentions; abstinence from the lie for increasing esteem for truth; maintenance of peace (salam) for protection from danger; imamah or Imamate mate (Divine Leadership) for the orderliness of the community and obedience (to Imams) as a mark of respect to the Imamate. (1) argued to prove the existence of Allah in this way that, for example, a man determines to do a thing hut before the determination is transformed into action, it changes and some other idea takes its place. This alteration of ideas and determinations and the emergence of change therein is a proof that there is some higher controlling power over us which has the capacity to bring them from non-existence to existence and again from existence into non-existence, and this is what is beyond human power. Therefore, it is necessary to acknowledge a super authority who effects change and alteration in determinations. (1). Before describing some of the aims and good points of the commands of the shari'ah (i.e., religious law), Amir al-mu'minin has began with the aims and objects of Belief (iman), because iman serves as the basis of religious commands, and without it no need is felt for any religious code or jurisprudence. iman is the name of acknowledging the existence 6f the Creator |
251. وقال عليه السلام: مَرَارَةُ الدُّنْيَا حَلاَوَةُ الْآخِرَةِ، وَحَلاَوَةُ الدُّنْيَا مَرَارَةُ الْآخِرَةِ. 252. وقال عليه السلام: فَرَضَ اللهُ الْإِِيمَانَ تَطْهِيراً مِنَ الشِّرْكِ، وَالصَّلاَةَ تَنْزِيهاً عَنِ الْكِبْرِ، وَالزَّكَاةَ تَسْبِيباً لِلرِّزْقِ، وَالصِّيَامَ ابْتِلاَءً لْإِِخْلاَصِ الْخَلْقِ، وَالْحَجَّ تَقْرِبَةً لِلدِّينِ (4741) وَالْجِهَادَ عِزّاً لِلْإِسْلاَمِ، وَالْأَمْرَ بِالْمَعْرُوفِ مَصْلَحَةً لِلْعَوَامِّ، وَالنَّهْيَ عَنِ الْمُنْكَرِ رَدْعاً لِلسُّفَهَاءِ، وَصِلَةَ الرَّحِمِ مَنْماةً (4742) لِلْعَدَدِ، وَالْقِصَاصَ حَقْناً لِلدِّمَاءِ، وَإِقَامَةَ الْحُدُودِ إِعْظَاماً لِلْمَحَارِمِ، وَتَرْكَ شُرْبِ الْخَمْرِ تَحْصِيناً لِلْعَقْلِ، وَمُجَانَبَةَ السَّرِقَةِ إِيجاباً لِلْعِفَّةِ، وَتَرْكَ الزِّنَى تَحْصِيناً لِلنَّسَبِ، وَتَرْكَ اللِّوَاطِ تَكْثِيراً لِلنَّسْلِ، وَالشَّهَادَاتِ (4743) اسْتِظهَاراً (4744) عَلَى الْمُجَاحَدَاتِ (4745) وَتَرْكَ الْكَذِبِ تَشْرِيفاً لِلصِّدْقِ، وَالسَّلاَمَ أَمَاناً مِنَ الْمَخَاوِفِ، وَالْإِمَانَةَ نِظَاماً لِلْأَُمَّةِ، وَالطَّاعَةَ تَعْظِيماً لِلْإِمَامَةِ . * * * * * |
253. Amir al-mu'minin, peace be upon him, used to say: If you want an oppressor to take an oath ask im to swear like this that he is out of Allah's might and His power, because if he swears falsely in this way he will be quickly punished, while if he swears by Allah Who is such that there is no god but He, he will not be quickly punished since he is expressing the Unity of Allah, the Sublime. (1)
(1). It is narrated that someone levied some charges
against Imam Ja'far as-Sadiq before the 'Abbaside Caliph 'Abdullah ibn Muhammad
al-Mansur. al-Mansur sent for the Imam and told him that such and such a person
had told him such and such about him. The Imam said it was all wrong and there
was not an iota of truth therein, and desired the man to he sent for and
questioned before him. Consequently, he was sent for and questioned. He said
that whatever he had said was true and correct. The Imam said to him, "if you
are speaking the truth then you swear as I ask you to swear." Thereafter, the
Imam made him swear by saying, "I am out of Allah's might and power and I rely
on my own might and power." Soon after swearing like this he got an attack of
paralysis and he became motionless. The Imam, returned with full honour and
prestige. (al-Kafi, al-Kulayni, vol.6, pp. 445--446; al-Bihar, vol.47, pp.164 --
165, 172-175, 203 -- 204; al-Fusul al-muhimmah, Ibn as-Sabbagh al-Maliki, pp.225
--226; as-sawa`iq al-muhriqah, Ibn Hajar ash-Shafi'i, p. 120; Jami' karamat
al-awliya', an-Nabhani ash-Shafi'i, vol.2, p.4).
Such an event took place again during the reign of Harun ar-Rashid (149/766 -
193/809 - the grandson of al-Mansur) when 'Abdullah ibn Mus'ab (the grandson of
'Abdullah ibn az-Zubayr -- the well-known enemy of Ahlu'1-bayt of the Holy
Prophet) slandered Yahya ibn 'Abdillah ibn al-Hasan ibn (al-Imam) al-Hasan ibn
'Ali ibn Abi Talib before Harun ar-Rashid by saying that he was plotting a
revolution against him (Harun). Then, Yahya made 'Abdullah swear before Harun in
the same manner as the Imam had done. When 'Abdullah swore as he was required
to, the symptom of leprosy soon appeared in him in the presence of Harun
and he died after three days, while every part of his flesh cracked open and all
the hair of his body fell out. After this, Harun used to say, "How soon Allah
took revenge on 'Abdullah for Yahya!" (Maqatil at-talibiyyin, Abu'l-Faraj
al-Isfahani, pp.472-478; Muruj adh-dhahab, al-Mas'udi, vol.3, pp.340-- 342;
Tarikh Baghdad, al-Khatib, vol.14, pp.110-112; Ibn Abi'l-Hadid, vol.19,
pp.91-94; at- Tarikh, Ibn Kathir, vol.10, pp.167-168; Tarikh al-khulafa',
as-Suyuti:, p.287).
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254. Amir al-mu'minin, peace be upon him, said: O' son of Adam, be your own representative in the matter of your property and do about it whatever you want to be done with it after your death. (1) 255. Amir al-mu'minin, peace be upon him, said: Anger is a kind of madness because the victim to it repents afterwards. If he does not repent his madness is confirmed. 256. Amir al-mu'minin, peace be upon him, said: Health of body comes from paucity of envy. (2) 257. Amir al-mu'minin, peace be upon him, said to Kumayl ibn Ziyad an-Nakha'i: O' Kumayl, direct your people to go out in the day to achieve noble traits and to go out in the night to meet the needs of those who might be sleeping, for I swear by Him Whose hearing extends to all voices if ever someone pleases another's heart, Allah will create a special thing out of this pleasing so that whenever any hardship befalls him it will come running like flowing water and drive away the hardship as wild camels are driven away. 258. Amir al-mu'minin, peace be upon him, said: When you fall in destitution, trade with Allah through charity.
(1). The meaning of it is that if a person desires that
after his death a portion of his property should be spent on charity, he should
not wait for his death but spend it wherever he desires even during his
lifetime; for it is possible that after his death his successors may not act
upon his will or he may not get an opportunity to will.
A Persian couplet says:
Give away money and property while you are living a: after you it would be out
of your control.
(2). Envy produces such a poisonous matter in the body
which destroys the natural heat of the body as a result of which the body
weakens and the spirit withers. That is why an envious person never prospers and
melts away in the heat of envy.
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254. وقال عليه السلام: يَابْنَ آدَمَ، كُنْ وَصِيَّ نَفْسِكَ، فِي مَالِكَ وَاعْمَلْ فِيهِ مَا تُؤْثِرُ (4746) أَنْ يُعْمَلَ فِيهِ مِنْ بَعْدِكَ. 255. وقال عليه السلام: الْحِدَّةُ ضَرْبٌ مِنَ الْجُنُونِ، لِأَنَّ صَاحِبَهَا يَنْدَمُ، فَإِنْ لَمْ يَنْدَمْ فَجُنُونُهُ مُسْتَحْكِمٌ. 256. وقال عليه السلام: صِحَّةُ الْجَسَدِ مِنْ قِلَّةِ الْحَسَدِ. 257. وقال عليه السلام لِكُمَيْل بن زياد النخعي: يَا كُمَيْلُ، مُرْ أَهْلَكَ أَنْ يَرُوحُوا (4747) في كَسْبِ الْمَكَارِمِ، وَيُدْلِجُوا (4748) فِي حَاجَةِ مَنْ هُوَ نائِمٌ، فَوَالَّذِي وَسِعَ سَمْعُهُ الْأَصْوَاتَ مَا مِنْ أَحَدٍ أَوْدَعَ قَلْباً سُرُوراً إِلاَّ وَخَلَقَ اللهُ لَهُ مِنْ ذلِكَ السُّرُورِ لُطْفاً، فَإِذَا نَزَلَتْ بِهِ نَائِبَةٌ (4749) جَرَى إلَيْهَا كَالْمَاءِ فِي انْحِدَارِهِ حَتَّى يَطْرُدَهَا عَنْهُ كَمَا تُطْرَدُ غَرِيبَةُ الْإِِبلِ. 258. وقال عليه السلام: إِذَا أَمْلَقْتُمْ (4750) فَتَاجرُِوا اللهَ بِالصَّدَقَةِ. * * * * * |