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Nahj al-Balāgha

al-Sharīf al-Raḍī

Letters

To al-Haarith al-Hamdani

1607. hadíth

وَاسْكُنِ الْأَمْصَارَ الْعِظَامَ فَإِنَّهَا جِمَاعُ الْمُسْلِمِينَ، وَاحْذَرْ مَنَازِلَ الْغَفْلَةِ وَالْجَفَاءِ وَقِلَّةَ الْأَعْوَانِ عَلَى طَاعَةِ اللهِ، وَاقْصُرْ رَأْيَكَ عَلَى مَا يَعْنِيكَ، وَإِيَّاكَ وَمَقَاعِدَ الْأَسْوَاقِ، فَإِنَّهَا مَحَاضِرُ الشَّيْطَانِ وَمَعَارِيضُ الْفِتَنِ. وَأَكْثِرْ أَنْ تَنْظُرَ إِلَى مَنْ فُضِّلْتَ عَلَيْهِ، فإِنَّ ذلِكَ مِنْ أَبْوَابِ الشُّكْرِ.

Live in big cities because they are collective centres of the Muslims. Avoid places of neglectfulness and wickedness and places where there are paucity of supporters for the obedience of Allāh. Confine your thinking to matters which are helpful to you. Do not sit in the marketing centres because they are the meeting-places of Satan, and targets of mischiefs. Frequently look at those over whom you enjoy superiority because this is a way of giving thanks.

A fordítás angol nyelvű (Sayed Ali Raza), forrás: Thaqalayn.net.