Nahj al-Balāgha

٣٦٢. وَقَالَ (عليه ‏السلام): مَنْ ضَنَّ بِعِرْضِهِ فَلْيَدَعِ الْمِرَاءَ.

362. Amīr al-mu’minīn, peace be upon him, said: He who is jealous of his esteem should keep from quarrelling.

٣٦٣. وَقَالَ (عليه ‏السلام): مِنَ الْخُرْقِ الْمُعَاجَلَةُ قَبْلَ الْإِمْكَانِ، وَالْأَنَاةُ بَعْدَ الْفُرْصَةِ.

363. Amīr al-mu’minīn, peace be upon him, said: To make haste before the proper time or to delay after a proper opportunity, in either case is folly.

٣٦٥. وَقَالَ (عليه ‏السلام): الْفِكْرُ مرْآةٌ صَافِيَةٌ، وَالِاعْتِبَارُ مُنْذِرٌ نَاصِحٌ، وَكَفَى أَدَباً لِنَفْسِكَ تَجَنُّبُكَ مَا كَرِهْتَهُ لِغَيْرِكَ.

365. Amīr al-mu’minīn, peace be upon him, said: Imagination is a clear mirror, and the taking of lessons (from things around) provides warning and counsel. It is enough for improving yourself that you should avoid what you consider bad in others.

٣٦٦. وَقَالَ (عليه ‏السلام): الْعِلْمُ مَقْرُونٌ بِالْعَمَلِ فَمَنْ عَلِمَ عَمِلَ، وَالْعِلْمُ يَهْتِفُ بِالْعَمَلِ فَإِنْ أَجَابَهُ وَإِلَّا ارْتَحَلَ عَنْهُ.

366. Amīr al-mu’minīn, peace be upon him, said: Knowledge is associated with action. Therefore, he who knows should act, because knowledge calls for action; if there is a response well and good, otherwise it (i.e., knowledge) departs from him.

٣٦٧. وَقَالَ (عليه ‏السلام): يَا أيُّها النَّاسُ، مَتَاعُ الدُّنْيَا حُطَامٌ مُوبِئٌ فَتَجَنَّبُوا مَرْعَاهُ! قُلْعَتُهَا أَحْظَى مِنْ طُمَأْنِينَتِهَا وَبُلْغَتُهَا أَزْكَى مِنَ ثَرْوَتِهَا، حُكِمَ عَلَى مُكْثِرٍ مِنْهَا بِالْفَاقَةِ وَأُعيِنَ مَنْ غَنِيَ عَنْهَا بِالرَّاحَة، مَنْ رَاقَهُ زِبْرِجُهَا أَعْقَبَتْ نَاظِرَيْهِ كَمَهاً وَمَنِ اسْتَشْعَرَالشَّغَفَ بِهَا مَلاَتْ ضَمِيرَهُ أَشْجاناً، لَهُنَّ رَقْصٌ عَلى سُوَيْدَاءِ قَلْبِهِ هَمٌّ يَشْغَلُهُ، وَغَمٌّ يَحْزُنُهُ، كَذلِكَ حَتَّى يُؤْخَذَ بِكَظَمِهِ فَيُلْقَى بِالْفَضاءِ، مُنْقَطِعاً أَبْهَرَاهُ، هَيِّناً عَلى اللهِ فَناؤُهُ، وَعَلَى الْإِخْوَانِ إِلْقَاؤهُ.

367. Amīr al-mu’minīn, peace be upon him, said: O’ people, the wealth of this world is broken orts that brings an epidemic; therefore keep off this grazing land, leaving it is a greater favour than peacefully staying in it, and its part enough for subsistence is more blissful than its riches. Destitution has been ordained for those who are rich here, while comfort has been destined for those who keep away from it. If a person is attracted by its dazzle, it blinds both his eyes; and if a person acquires eagerness towards it, then it fills his heart with griefs which keep alternating in the black part of his heart, some grief worrying him and another giving him pain. This goes on till the suffocation of death overtakes him. He is flung in the open while both the shrines of his heart are severed. It is easy for Allāh to cause him to die and for his comrades to put him in the grave.

وَإِنَّمَا يَنْظُرُ الْمُؤْمِنُ إِلَى الدُّنْيَا بَعَيْنِ الِاعْتِبَارِ وَيَقْتاتُ مِنْهَا بِبَطْنِ الِاضْطِرَارِ وَيَسْمَعُ فِيهَا بِأُذُنِ الْمَقْتِ وَالْإِبْغَاضِ، إِنْ قِيلَ أَثْرَى قِيلَ أَكْدَى! وَإِنْ فُرِحَ لَهُ بِالْبَقَاءِ حُزِنَ لَهُ بِالْفَنَاءِ! هذَا وَلَمْ يَأْتِهِمْ يَوْمٌ فِيهِ يُبْلِسُونَ.

The believer sees the world with eyes that derive instruction, and takes from it food enough for his barest needs. He hears in it with ears of hatred and enmity. If it is said (about someone) that he has become rich, it is also said that he has turned destitute; and if pleasure is felt on one’s living, grief is felt over his death. This is the position, although the day has not yet approached when they will be disheartened.

۳۶۹. وَقَالَ (عليه ‏السلام): يَأْتِي عَلَى النَّاسِ زَمَانٌ لَا يَبْقى فِيهِمْ مِن الْقُرآنِ إِلَّا رَسْمُهُ، وَمِنَ الْإِسْلَامِ إِلَّا اسْمُهُ، وَمَسَاجِدُهُمْ يَوْمَئِذٍ عَامِرَةٌ مِنَ الْبِنَاءِ، خَرَابٌ مِنَ الْهُدَى، سُكَّانُهَا وَعُمَّارُهَا شَرُّ أَهْلِ الْأَرْضِ، مِنْهُمْ تَخْرُجُ الْفِتْنَةُ، وَإِلَيْهِمْ تَأوِي الْخَطِيئَةُ، يَرُدُّونَ مَنْ شَذَّ عَنْهَا فِيهَا، وَيَسُوقوُنَ مَن تأَخَّرَ عَنْهَا إِلَيْهَا، يَقُولُ اللهُ سُبْحَانَهُ فَبِي حَلَفْتُ لَأَبْعَثَنَّ عَلَى أُولئِكَ فِتْنَةً تتْرُك الْحَلِيمَ فِيهَا حَيْرَانَ، وَقَدْ فَعَلَ، وَنَحْنُ نَسْتَقِيلُ اللهَ عَثْرَةَ الْغَفْلَةِ.

369. Amīr al-mu’minīn, peace be upon him, said: A time will come when nothing will remain of the Qur’ān except its writing, and nothing of Islam except its name. The mosques in those days will be busy with regards to construction but desolate with regard to guidance. Those staying in them and those visiting them will be the worst of all on earth. From them mischief will spring up and towards them all wrong will turn. If anyone isolates himself from it (mischief) they will fling him back to it and if anyone steps back from it they will push him towards it. Says Allāh, the Glorified, (in ḥadīth qudsī — i.e., the tradition in which Allāh Himself speaks) : I swear by Myself that I shall send upon them an evil wherein the endurer would be bewildered, and He would do so. We seek Allāh’s pardon from stumbling through neglect.

۳۷۱. وَقَالَ (عليه ‏السلام): لَا شَرَفَ أَعْلَى مِنَ الْإِسْلَامِ، وَلَا عِزَّ أَعَزُّ مِنَ التَّقْوَى، وَلَا مَعْقِلَ أَحْسَنُ مِنَ الْوَرَعِ، وَلَا شَفِيعَ أَنْجَحُ مِنَ التّوْبَةِ، وَلَا كَنْزَ أَغْنَى مِنَ الْقَنَاعَةِ، وَلَا مَالَ أَذْهَبُ لِلْفَاقَةِ مَنَ الرِّضَى بِالْقُوتِ، وَمَنِ اقْتَصَرَ عَلَى بُلْغَةِ الْكَفَافِ فَقَدِ انْتَظَمَ الرَّاحَةَ وَتَبَوَّأَ خَفْضَ الدَّعَةِ وَالرَّغْبَةُ مِفْتَاحُ النَّصَبِ، وَمَطِيَّةُ التَّعَبِ، وَالْحِرْصُ وَالْكِبْرُ وَالْحَسَدُ دَوَاعٍ إِلَى التَّقَحُّمِ فِي الذُّنُوبِ، وَالشَّرُّ جَامِعُ مَسَاوِئِ الْعُيُوبِ.

371. Amīr al-mu’minīn, peace be upon him, said: There is no distinction higher than Islam; no honour more honourable than fear of Allāh; no asylum better than self restraint; no intercessor more effective than repentance; no treasure more precious than contentment; and no wealth is a bigger remover of destitution than being satisfied with mere sustenance. He who confines himself to what is just enough for maintenance achieves comfort and prepares abode in ease. Desire is the key of grief and the conveyance of distress. Greed, vanity and jealousy are incentives to falling into sins and mischief-mongering is the collection of all bad habits.

۳۷۲. وَقَالَ (عليه ‏السلام) لِجَابِرِ بْنِ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ الْأَنْصَارِيِّ

372. Amīr al-mu’minīn, peace be upon him, said to Jābir ibn ‘Abdillāh al-Anṣārī:

يَا جَابِرُ، قِوَامُ الدِّينِ وَالدُّنْيَا بِأَرْبَعَةٍ: عَالِمٍ مُسْتَعْمِلٍ عِلْمَهُ، وَجَاهِلٍ لَا يَسْتَنْكِفُ أَنْ يَتَعَلَّمَ، وَجَوَادٍ لَا يَبْخَلُ بِمَعْرُوفِهِ، وَفَقِيرٍ لَا يَبِيعُ آخِرَتَهُ بِدُنْيَاهُ؛ فَإِذَا ضَيَّعَ الْعَالِمُ عِلْمَهُ اسْتَنْكَفَ الْجَاهِلُ أَنْ يَتَعَلَّمَ، وَإِذَا بَخِلَ الْغَنِيُّ بِمَعْرُوفِهِ بَاعَ الْفَقِيرُ آخِرَتَهُ بِدُنْيَاهُ.

O’ Jābir, the mainstay of religion and the world are four persons: The scholar who acts on his knowledge; the ignorant who does not feel ashamed of learning; the generous who is not niggardly in his favours; and the destitute who does not sell his next life for his worldly benefits. Consequently, when the scholar wastes his knowledge, the ignorant feels shame in learning; and when the generous is niggardly with his favours, the destitute sells his next life for the worldly benefits.