Nahj al-Balāgha

إِنَّا لَا نَمَلِكُ مَعَ اللهِ شَيْئاً، وَلَا نَمْلِكُ إِلَّا مَا مَلَّكَنَا، فَمَتَى مَلَّكَنَا مَا هُوَ أَمْلَكُ بِهِ مِنَّا كَلَّفَنَا، وَمَتى أَخَذَهُ مِنَّا وَضَعَ تَكْلِيفَهُ عَنَّا.

We are not master of anything along with Allāh, and we are not master of anything save what He makes us master of. So, when He makes us master of anything of which He is a superior Master over us He also assigns some duties to us; and when He takes it away He will take away those duties as well. [1]

٤٠٦. وَقَالَ (عليه ‏السلام): مَا أَحْسَنَ تَوَاضُعَ الْأَغْنِيَاءِ لِلْفُقَرَاءِ طَلَباً لِمَا عِنْدَ اللهِ! وأَحْسَنُ مِنْهُ تِيهُ الْفُقَرَاءِ عَلَى الْأَغْنِيَاءِ اتِّكَالًا عَلَى الله.

406. Amīr al-mu’minīn, peace be upon him, said: It is good for the rich to show humility before the poor to seek reward from Allāh, but better than that is the haughtiness of the poor towards the rich with trust in Allāh.

٤٠٧. وَقَالَ (عليه ‏السلام): مَا اسْتَوْدَعَ اللهُ امْرَأً عَقْلاً إِلَّا اسْتَنْقَذَهُ بِهِ يَوْماً مَا.

407. Amīr al-mu’minīn, peace be upon him, said: Allāh does not grant wisdom to a person except that some day He will save him from ruin with its help.

٤٠٨. وَقَالَ (عليه ‏السلام): مَنْ صَارَعَ الْحَقَّ صَرَعَهُ.

408. Amīr al-mu’minīn, peace be upon him, said: Whoever clashes with Truth would be knocked down by it.

٤١٠. وَقَالَ (عليه ‏السلام): التُّقَى رَئِيسُ الْأَخْلَاقِ.

410. Amīr al-mu’minīn, peace be upon him, said: Fear of Allāh is the chief trait of human character.

٤١٢. وَقَالَ (عليه ‏السلام): كَفَاكَ أَدَباً لِنَفْسِكَ اجْتِنَابُ مَا تَكْرَهُهُ مِنْ غَيْرِكَ.

412. Amīr al-mu’minīn, peace be upon him, said: It is enough for your own discipline that you abstain from what you dislike from others.

٤١٣. وَقَالَ (عليه ‏السلام): مَنْ صَبَرَ صَبْرَ الْأَحْرَارِ، وَإِلَّا سَلاَ سُلُوَّ الْأَغْمَارِ.

413. Amīr al-mu’minīn, peace be upon him, said: One should endure like free people, otherwise one should keep quite like the ignorant.

٤١٥. وَقَالَ (عليه ‏السلام) فِي صِفَةِ الدُّنْيَا: تَغُرُّ وَتَضُرُّ وَتَمُرُّ، إِنَّ اللهَ تَعَالَى لَمْ يَرْضَهَا ثَوَاباً لِأَوْلِيَائِهِ، وَلَا عِقَاباً لِأَعْدَائِهِ، وَإِنَّ أَهْلَ الدُّنْيَا كَرَكْبٍ بَيْنَا هُمْ حَلُّوا إِذْ صَاحَ بِهِمْ سَائِقُهُمْ فَارْتَحَلُوا.

415. Amīr al-mu’minīn, peace be upon him, said about the world: It deceives, it harms and it passes away. Allāh, the Sublime, did not approve it as a reward for His lovers nor as a punishment for His enemies. In fact, the people of this world are like those riders that as soon as they alighted the driver called out to them and they marched off.

٤١٦. وَقَالَ (علیه السلام) لِابْنِهِ الْحَسَنِ (علیه السلام): يَا بُنَيَّ لَا تُخَلِّفَنَّ وَرَاءَكَ شَيْئاً مِنَ الدُّنْيَا، فَإِنَّكَ تُخَلِّفُهُ لِأَحَدِ رَجُلَيْنِ: إِمَّا رَجُلٍ عَمِلَ فِيهِ بِطَاعَةِ اللهِ فَسَعِدَ بِمَا شَقِيتَ بِهِ، وَإِمَّا رَجُلٍ عَمِلَ فِيهِ بِمَعْصِيَةِ اللهِ فَشَقِيَ بِمَا جَمَعْتَ لَهُ فَكُنْتَ عَوْناً لَهُ عَلى مَعْصِيَتِهِ، وَلَيْسَ أَحَدُ هذَيْنِ حَقِيقاً أَنْ تُؤْثِرَهُ عَلَىُ نَفْسِكَ.

416. Amīr al-mu’minīn, peace be upon him, said to his son al-Ḥasan (peace be upon him): O’ my son, do not leave anything of this world behind you, because you will be leaving it for either of two sorts of persons: Either a person who uses it in obeying Allāh, in this case he will acquire virtue through what was evil for you, or it will be a person who uses it in disobeying Allāh and in that case he will be earning evil with what you collected for him, and so you will be assisting him in his sinfulness; and neither of these two deserves to be preferred by you over yourself.

قال السيد الرضي: وَيُرْوَى هَذَا الْكَلَامُ عَلَى وَجْهٍ آخَرَ، وَهُوَ : أَمَّا بَعْدُ، فَإِنَّ الَّذِي فِي يَدِكَ مِنَ الدُّنْيَا قَدْ كَانَ لَهُ أَهْلٌ قَبْلَكَ، وَهُوَ صَائِرٌ إِلَى أَهْلٍ بَعْدَكَ، وَإِنَّمَا أَنْتَ جَامعٌ لِأَحَدِ رَجُلَيْنِ: رَجُلٍ عَمِلَ فِيَما جَمَعْتَهُ بِطَاعَةِ اللهِ فَسَعِدَ بِمَا شَقِيتَ بِهِ، أَوْ رَجُلٍ عَمِلَ فِيهِ بِمَعْصِيَةِ اللهِ فَشَقِيَ بِمَا جَمَعْتَ لَهُ، وَلَيْسَ أَحَدُ هذَيْنِ أَهْلاً أَنْ تُؤْثِرَهُ عَلَى نَفْسِكَ وَلَا أَنْ تَحْمِلَ لَهُ عَلَى ظَهْرِكَ، فارْجُ لِمَنْ مَضَى رَحْمَةَ اللهِ، و لِمَنْ بَقِيَ رِزْقَ الله.

as-Sayyid ar-Raḍī says: This saying is also related in another version namely: Whatever of this world is now with you was with others before you and it will pass to some others after you. Thus, you are collecting things for either of two sorts of men: either a man who uses whatever you collected in obedience of Allāh and so acquires virtues with what was evil for you, or a man who uses it in disobedience of Allāh and so you will be getting evil for what you collected. And neither of these two is such that you may prefer him over yourself or you may burden yourself for him. Therefore, hope for the mercy of Allāh for him who has passed away and for Divine livelihood for him who survives.