Nahj al-Balāgha

٢١٧. وَقَالَ (عليه ‏السلام): فِي تَقَلُّبِ الْأَحْوَالِ عِلْمُ جَوَاهِرِ الرِّجَالِ.

217. Amīr al-mu’minīn, peace be upon him, said: Through change of circumstances the mettle of men is known.

٢١٩. وَقَالَ (عليه ‏السلام): أَكْثَرُ مَصَارِعِ الْعُقُولِ تَحْتَ بُرُوقِ الْمَطَامِعِ.

219. Amīr al-mu’minīn, peace be upon him, said: Most of the deficiency of intelligence occurs due to the flash of greed. [1]

٢٢٠. وَقَالَ (عليه ‏السلام): لَيْسَ مِنَ الْعَدْلِ الْقَضَاءُ عَلَى الثِّقَةِ بِالظَّنِّ.

220. Amīr al-mu’minīn, peace be upon him, said: There is no justice in passing a verdict by relying on probability.

٢٢٢. وَقَالَ (عليه ‏السلام): مِنْ أَشْرَفِ أَفْعَالِ الْكَرِيمِ غَفْلَتُهُ عَمَّا يَعْلَمُ.

222. Amīr al-mu’minīn, peace be upon him, said: The highest act of a noble person is to ignore what he knows.

٢٢٣. وَقَالَ (عليه ‏السلام): مَنْ كَسَاهُ الْحَيَاءُ ثَوْبَهُ لَمْ يَرَ النَّاسُ عَيْبَهُ.

223. Amīr al-mu’minīn, peace be upon him, said: Whomever modesty clothes with its dress people cannot see his defects. [1]

٢٢٥. وَقَالَ (عليه ‏السلام): الْعَجَبُ لِغَفْلَةِ الْحُسَّادِ عَنْ سَلاَمَةِ الْأَجْسَادِ.

225. Amīr al-mu’minīn, peace be upon him, said: It is strange that the jealous do not feel jealous about bodily health. [1]

٢٢٦. وَقَالَ (عليه ‏السلام): الطَّامِعُ فِي وِثَاقِ الذُّلِّ.

226. Amīr al-mu’minīn, peace be upon him, said: The greedy is in the shackles of disgrace.

٢٢٨. وَقَالَ (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 لِغِنَاهُ ذَهَبَ ثُلُثَا دِينِهِ، وَمَنْ قَرَأَ الْقُرْآنَ فَمَاتَ فَدَخَلَ النَّارَ فَهُوَ مِمَّنْ كَانَ يَتَّخِذُ آيَاتِ اللهِ هُزُواً، وَمَنْ لَهِجَ قَلْبُهُ بِحُبِّ الدُّنْيَا الْتَاطَ قَلْبُهُ مِنْهَا بِثَلاَثٍ: هَمٍّ لَا يُغِبُّهُ، وَحِرْصٍ لَا يَتْرُكُه، وَأَمَلٍ لَا يُدْرِكُهُ.

228. Amīr al-mu’minīn, peace be upon him, said: He who is sorrowful for this world is in fact displeased with the dispensation of Allāh. He who complains of a calamity that befalls him complains of his Lord (Allāh). 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’ān 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.

٢٢٩. وَقَالَ (عليه ‏السلام): كَفَى بِالْقَنَاعَةِ مُلْكاً، وَبِحُسْنِ الْخُلُقِ نَعِيماً. وَسُئِلَ (عليه السلام) عَنْ قَوْلِهِ تَعَالَى ﴿فَلَنُحْيِيَنَّهُ حَيَاةً طَيِّبَةً﴾ فَقَالَ: هِيَ الْقَنَاعَةُ.

229. Amīr al-mu’minīn, peace be upon him, said: Contentment is as good as estate, and goodness of moral character is as good as a blessing. Amīr al-mu’minīn, peace be upon him, was asked about Allāh’s saying: We will certainly make him live a life good and pure. (Qur’ān, 16:97) when he said: that means contentment. [1]

٢٣١. وَقَالَ (عليه ‏السلام) فِي قَوْلِهِ تَعَالَى ﴿إِنَّ اللهَ يَأْمُرُ بِالْعَدْلِ وَالْإِحْسَانِ﴾: الْعَدْلُ الْإِنْصَافُ، وَالْإِحْسَانُ التَّفَضُّلُ.

231. Amīr al-mu’minīn, peace be upon him, said about Allāh’s saying: Verily, Allāh enjoins justice (‘adl) and benevolence (iḥsān),(Qur’ān,16:90). Here ‘adl means equidistribution and iḥsān means favour.