Nahj al-Balāgha

١١. وَقَالَ (عليه ‏السلام): إِذَا قَدَرْتَ عَلَى عَدُوِّكَ فَاجْعَلِ الْعَفْوَ عَنْهُ شُكْراً لِلْقُدْرَةِ عَلَيْهِ.

11. Amīr al-mu’minīn, peace be upon him, said: When you gain power over your adversary pardon him by way of thanks for being able to overpower him. [1]

١٢. وَقَالَ (عليه ‏السلام): أَعْجَزُ النَّاسِ مَنْ عَجَزَ عَنِ اكْتِسَابِ الْإِخْوَانِ وَأَعْجَزُ مِنْهُ مَنْ ضَيَّعَ مَنْ ظَفِرَ بِهِ مِنْهُمْ.

12. Amīr al-mu’minīn, peace be upon him, said: The most helpless of all men is he who cannot find a few brothers during his life, but still more helpless is he who finds such a brother but loses him. [1]

١٦. وَقَالَ (عليه ‏السلام): تَذِلُّ الْأُمُورُ لِلْمَقَادِيرِ حَتَّى يَكُونَ الْحَتْفُ فِي التَّدْبِيرِ.

16. Amīr al-mu’minīn, peace be upon him, said: All matters are subject to destiny, so much so that sometimes death results from effort.

١٩. وَقَالَ (عليه ‏السلام): مَنْ جَرَى فِي عِنَانِ أَمَلِهِ عَثَرَ بِأَجَلِهِ.

19. Amīr al-mu’minīn, peace be upon him, said: He who gallops with loose rein collides with death.

٢٢. وَقَالَ (عليه ‏السلام): لَنَا حَقٌّ، فَإِنْ أُعْطِينَاهُ، وَإِلاَّ رَكِبْنَا أَعْجَازَ الاْبِلِ، وَإِنْ طَالَ السُّرَى.

22. Amīr al-mu’minīn, peace be upon him, said: We have a right. If it is allowed to us well and good, otherwise, we will ride on the hind part of the camel (like lowly people) even though the night journey may be long.

قال السيد الرضي: وهذا من لطيف الكلام وفصيحه ومعناه أنا إن لم نعط حقنا كنا أذلاء وذلك أن الرديف يركب عجز البعير كالعبد و الأسير و من يجري مجراهما.

As-Sayyid ar-Raḍī says: This is a very fine and eloquent expression. It means that if we are not allowed our right we will be regarded humble. This sense comes out from this expression because on the rear part of the camel only slaves, prisoners or other people of this type used to ride. [1]

٢٥. وَقَالَ (عليه ‏السلام): يَابْنَ آدَمَ، إِذَا رَأَيْتَ رَبَّكَ سُبْحَانَهُ يُتَابِعُ عَلَيْكَ نِعَمَهُ وَأَنْتَ تَعْصِيهِ فَاحْذَرْهُ.

25. Amīr al-mu’minīn, peace be upon him, said: O son of Adam, when you see that your Lord, the Glorified, bestows His favours on you while you are disobeying Him, you should fear Him. [1]

٢٨. وَقَالَ (عليه ‏السلام): أَفْضَلُ الزُّهْدِ إِخْفَاءُ الزُّهْدِ.

28. Amīr al-mu’minīn, peace be upon him, said: The best abstemiousness is to conceal it.

٣١. وسُئِلَ (عليه ‏السلام) عَنِ الْإِيمَانِ، فَقَالَ: الْإِيمَانُ عَلَى أَرْبَعِ دَعَائِمَ: عَلَى الصَّبْرِ، والْيَقِينِ، وَالْعَدْلِ، وَالْجَهَادِ.

31. Amīr al-mu’minīn, peace be upon him, was asked about faith. He said: Faith stands on four supports: on endurance, conviction, justice and jihād (fighting in the way of Allāh).

وَالصَّبْرُ مِنْهَا عَلَى أَربَعِ شُعَبٍ: عَلَى الشَّوْقِ وَالشَّفَقِ وَالزُّهْدِ وَالتَّرَقُّبِ: فَمَنِ اشْتَاقَ إِلَى الْجَنَّةِ سَلاَ عَنِ الشَّهَوَاتِ، وَمَنْ أشْفَقَ مِنَ النَّارِ اجْتَنَبَ الْـمُحَرَّمَاتِ، وَمَنْ زَهِدَ فِي الدُّنْيَا اسْتَهَانَ بِالْمُصِيبَاتِ، وَمَنِ ارْتَقَبَ الْمَوْتَ سَارَعَ إِلَى الْخَيْرَاتِ.

Endurance again has four aspects: eagerness, fear, abstention (from the world) and anticipation (of death). So, whoever is eager for Paradise will ignore the passions; whoever fears the Fire (of Hell) will refrain from prohibited acts; whoever abstains from the world takes hardships lightly; and whoever anticipates death will hasten towards good deeds.