Nahj al-Balāgha

٢٤٣. وَقَالَ (عليه ‏السلام): إِذَا ازْدَحَمَ الْجَوَابُ خَفِيَ الصَّوَابُ.

243. Amīr al-mu’mnīn, peace be upon him, said: When replies are numerous the correct point remains obscure. [1]

٢٤٥. وَقَالَ (عليه ‏السلام): إِذَا كَثُرَتِ الْمَقْدِرَةُ قَلَّتِ الشَّهْوَةُ.

245. Amīr al-mu’minīn, peace be upon him, said: When capability increases, desire decreases.

٢٤٦. وَقَالَ (عليه ‏السلام): احْذَرُوا نِفَارَ النِّعَمِ فَمَا كُلُّ شَارِدٍ بِمَرْدُودٍ.

246. Amīr al-mu’minīn, peace be upon him, said: Keep on guard against the slipping away of blessings because not everything that runs away comes back.

٢٤٧. وَقَالَ (عليه ‏السلام): الْكَرَمُ أَعْطَفُ مِنَ الرَّحِمِ.

247. Amīr al-mu’minīn, peace be upon him, said: Generosity is more prompting to good than regard for kinship.

٢٤٩. وَقَالَ (عليه ‏السلام): أَفْضَلُ الْأَعْمَالِ مَا أَكْرَهْتَ نَفْسَكَ عَلَيْهِ.

249. Amīr al-mu’minīn, peace be upon him, said: The best act is that which you have to force yourself to do.

٢٥٠. وَقَالَ (عليه ‏السلام): عَرَفْتُ اللهَ سُبْحَانَهُ بِفَسْخِ الْعَزَائِمِ وَحَلِّ الْعُقُودِ.

250. Amīr al-mu’minīn, peace be upon him, said: I came to know Allāh, the Glorified, through the breaking of determinations, change of intentions and losing of courage. [1]

٢٥١. وَقَالَ (عليه ‏السلام): فَرَضَ اللَّهُ الْإِيمَانَ تَطْهِيراً مِنَ الشِّرْكِ وَالصَّلَاةَ تَنْزِيهاً عَنِ الْكِبْرِ وَالزَّكَاةَ تَسْبِيباً لِلرِّزْقِ وَالصِّيَامَ ابْتِلَاءً لِإِخْلَاصِ الْخَلْقِ وَالْحَجَّ تَقْرِبَةً لِلدِّينِ وَالْجِهَادَ عِزّاً لِلْإِسْلَامِ وَالْأَمْرَ بِالْمَعْرُوفِ مَصْلَحَةً لِلْعَوَامِّ وَالنَّهْيَ عَنِ الْمُنْكَرِ رَدْعاً لِلسُّفَهَاءِ وَصِلَةَ الرَّحِمِ مَنْمَاةً لِلْعَدَدِ وَالْقِصَاصَ حَقْناً لِلدِّمَاءِ وَإِقَامَةَ الْحُدُودِ إِعْظَاماً لِلْمَحَارِمِ وَتَرْكَ شُرْبِ الْخَمْرِ تَحْصِيناً لِلْعَقْلِ وَمُجَانَبَةَ السَّرِقَةِ إِيجَاباً لِلْعِفَّةِ وَتَرْكَ الزِّنَى تَحْصِيناً لِلنَّسَبِ وَتَرْكَ اللِّوَاطِ تَكْثِيراً لِلنَّسْلِ وَالشَّهَادَاتِ اسْتِظْهَاراً عَلَى الْمُجَاحَدَاتِ وَتَرْكَ الْكَذِبِ تَشْرِيفاً لِلصِّدْقِ وَالسَّلَامَ أَمَاناً مِنَ الْمَخَاوِفِ وَالْأَمَانَةَ نِظَاماً لِلْأُمَّةِ وَالطَّاعَةَ تَعْظِيماً لِلْإِمَامَةِ.

252. Amīr al-mu’minīn, peace be upon him, said: Allāh has laid down īmān (belief) for purification from polytheism; ṣalāt (prayer) for purification from vanity; zakāt (levy) as a means of livelihood; ṣiyām (fasting) as a trial of the people; ḥajj (pilgrimage to the House of Allāh in Mecca) as a support for religion; jihād (fighting in the way of Allāh) for the honour of Islam; persuasion for good (al-amr bi’l-ma‘rūf ) 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 (salām) for protection from danger; imāmah or Imāmate (Divine Leadership) for the orderliness of the community and obedience (to Imāms) as a mark of respect to the Imāmate. [1]

٢٥٤. وَقَالَ (عليه ‏السلام): يَا ابْنَ آدَمَ كُنْ وَصِيَّ نَفْسِكَ فِى مَالِكَ وَاعْمَلْ فِيهِ مَا تُؤْثِرُ أَنْ يُعْمَلَ فِيهِ مِنْ بَعْدِكَ.

254. Amīr al-mu’minīn, 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]

٢٥٥. وَقَالَ (عليه ‏السلام): الْحِدَّةُ ضَرْبٌ مِنَ الْجُنُونِ، لاِنَّ صَاحِبَهَا يَنْدَمُ، فَإِنْ لَمْ يَنْدَمْ فَجُنُونُهُ مُسْتَحْكِمٌ.

255. Amīr al-mu’minīn, 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.

٢٥٦. وَقَالَ (عليه ‏السلام): صِحَّةُ الْجَسَدِ مِنْ قِلَّةِ الْحَسَدِ.

256. Amīr al-mu’minīn, peace be upon him, said: Health of body comes from paucity of envy. [1]