Nahj al-Balāgha

٨٣. وَقَالَ (عليه ‏السلام) لِرَجُلٍ أَفْرَطَ فِي الثَّنَاءِ عَلَيْهِ وَكَانَ لَهُ مُتَّهِماً: أَنَا دُونَ مَا تَقُولُ وَفَوْقَ مَا فِي نَفْسِكَ.

83. Amīr al-mu’minīn, peace be upon him, said about a man who praised him much, although he did not admire him: I am below what you express and above what you feel in your heart.

٨٥. وَقَالَ (عليه ‏السلام): مَنْ تَرَكَ قَوْلَ لَا أَدْرِي أُصِيبَتْ مَقَاتِلُهُ.

85. Amīr al-mu’minīn, peace be upon him, said: Whoever abandons saying, “I do not know” meets his destruction.

٨٦. وَقَالَ (عليه ‏السلام): رَأْيُ الشَّيْخِ أَحَبُّ إِلَيَّ مِنْ جَلَدِ الْغُلاَمِ؛ وَروي: مِنْ مَشْهَدِ الْغُلاَمِ.

86. Amīr al-mu’minīn, peace be upon him, said: I love the opinion of an old man more than the determination of a young man; (or according to another version) more than the martyrdom of a young man.

٨٨. وَحَكَى عَنْهُ أَبُو جَعْفَرٍ مُحَمَّدُ بْنُ عَلِيٍّ الْبَاقِرُ (عليه ‏السلام) أَنَّهُ قَالَ: كَانَ فِى الْأَرْضِ أَمَانَانِ مِنْ عَذَابِ اللَّهِ وَقَدْ رُفِعَ أَحَدُهُمَا فَدُونَكُمُ الْآخَرَ فَتَمَسَّكُوا بِهِ: أَمَّا الْأَمَانُ الَّذِى رُفِعَ فَهُوَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ (ص) وَأَمَّا الْأَمَانُ الْبَاقِى فَالِاسْتِغْفَارُ قَالَ اللَّهُ تَعَالَى (وَمَا كَانَ اللَّـهُ لِيُعَذِّبَهُمْ وَأَنتَ فِيهِمْ ۚ وَمَا كَانَ اللَّـهُ مُعَذِّبَهُمْ وَهُمْ يَسْتَغْفِرُونَ).

88. (Imām) Abū Ja‘far Muḥammad ibn ‘Alī al-Bāqir, peace be upon him, has related from Amīr al-mu’minīn, peace be upon him, that he said: There are two sources of deliverance from the Allāh’s punishment, one of which has been raised up, while the other is before you. You should therefore adhere to it. The source of deliverance which has been raised up is the Messenger of Allāh (may He bless him and his descendants), while the source of deliverance that remains is the seeking of forgiveness. Allāh, the Glorified, has said: And Allāh is not to chastise them while you are among them, nor is Allāh to chastise them while yet they seek forgiveness. (Qur’ān, 8:33)

قال السيد الرضى: وهذا من محاسن الاستخراج ولطائف الاستنباط.

As-Sayyid ar-Raḍī says: This is one of the most beautiful way of deducing the meaning and the most delicate manner of interpretation.

٩٠. وَقَالَ (عليه ‏السلام): الْفَقِيهُ كُلُّ الْفَقِيهِ مَنْ لَمْ يُقَنِّطِ النَّاسَ مِنْ رَحْمَةِ اللهِ، وَلَمْ يُؤْيِسْهُمْ مِنْ رَوْحِ اللهِ وَلَمْ يُؤْمِنْهُمْ مِنْ مَكْرِ اللَّهِ.

90. Amīr al-mu’minīn, peace be upon him, said: The perfect jurist of Islam is he who does not let people lose hope from the mercy of Allāh, does not make them despondent of Allāh’s kindness and does not make them feel safe from Allāh’s punishment.

٩١. وَقَالَ (عليه ‏السلام): إِنَّ هذِهِ الْقُلُوبَ تَمَلُّ كَمَا تَمَلُّ الْأَبْدَانُ، فَابْتَغُوا لَهَا طَرَائِفَ الْحِكْمَةِ.

91. Amīr al-mu’minīn, peace be upon him, said: The hearts get weary as bodies get weary; so look for beautiful wise sayings for them (to dispel their weariness).

٩٣. وَقَالَ (عليه ‏السلام): لَا يَقُولَنَّ أَحَدُكُمْ اللَّهُمَّ إِنِّى أَعُوذُ بِكَ مِنَ الْفِتْنَةِ لِأَنَّهُ لَيْسَ أَحَدٌ إِلَّا وَهُوَ مُشْتَمِلٌ عَلَى فِتْنَةٍ وَلَكِنْ مَنِ اسْتَعَاذَ فَلْيَسْتَعِذْ مِنْ مُضِلَّاتِ الْفِتَنِ فَإِنَّ اللَّهَ سُبْحَانَهُ يَقُولُ وَاعْلَمُوا أَنَّمَا أَمْوَالُكُمْ وَأَوْلَادُكُمْ فِتْنَةٌ وَمَعْنَى ذَلِكَ أَنَّهُ يَخْتَبِرُهُمْ بِالْأَمْوَالِ وَالْأَوْلَادِ لِيَتَبَيَّنَ السَّاخِطَ لِرِزْقِهِ وَالرَّاضِيَ بِقِسْمِهِ وَإِنْ كَانَ سُبْحَانَهُ أَعْلَمَ بِهِمْ مِنْ أَنْفُسِهِمْ وَلَكِنْ لِتَظْهَرَ الْأَفْعَالُ الَّتِى بِهَا يُسْتَحَقُّ الثَّوَابُ وَالْعِقَابُ لِأَنَّ بَعْضَهُمْ يُحِبُّ الذُّكُورَ وَيَكْرَهُ الْإِنَاثَ وَبَعْضَهُمْ يُحِبُّ تَثْمِيرَ الْمَالِ وَيَكْرَهُ انْثِلَامَ الْحَالِ.

93. Amīr al-mu’minīn, peace be upon him, said: None of you should say, “O Allāh, I seek Your protection from trouble” because there is no one who is not involved in trouble, but whoever seeks Allāh’s protection he should seek it from misguiding troubles, because Allāh, the Glorified, says: And know you that your wealth and your children are a temptation!. (Qur’ān, 8:28) and its meaning is that He tries people with wealth and progeny in order to distinguish one who is displeased with his livelihood from the one who is happy with what he has been given. Even though Allāh, the Glorified, knows them more than they know themselves yet He does so to let them perform actions with which they earn reward or punishment because some of them like to have male (children) and dislike to have female (children), and some like to amass wealth, and dislike adversity.

قال السيد الرضى: وهذا من غريب ما سمع منه فى التفسير.

As-Sayyid ar-Raḍī says: This is one of the wonderful interpretations related from him.

٩٨. وَقَالَ (عليه ‏السلام): اعْقِلُوا الْخَبَرَ إِذَا سَمِعْتُمُوهُ عَقْلَ رِعَايَةٍ لَا عَقْلَ رِوَايَةٍ فَإِنَّ رُوَاةَ الْعِلْمِ كَثِيرٌ وَرُعَاتَهُ قَلِيلٌ.

98. Amīr al-mu’minīn, peace be upon him, said: When you hear a tradition test it according to the criterion of intelligence not that of mere hearing, because relaters of knowledge are numerous but those who guard it are few.