Nahj al-Balāgha

٧٩. وَقَالَ (عليه ‏السلام): خُذِ الْحِكْمَةَ أَنَّى كَانَتْ فَإِنَّ الْحِكْمَةَ تَكُونُ فِي صَدْرِ الْمُنَافِقِ فَتَلَجْلَجُ فِي صَدْرِهِ حَتَّى تَخْرُجَ فَتَسْكُنَ إِلَى صَوَاحِبِهَا فِي صَدْرِ الْمُؤْمِن.

79. Amīr al-mu’minīn, peace be upon him, said: Take wise points from wherever they may be, because if a wise saying is in the bosom of a hypocrite it flutters in his bosom till it comes out and settles with others of its own category in the bosom of the believer.

٨١. وَقَالَ (عليه ‏السلام): قِيمَةُ كُلِّ امْرِئٍ مَا يُحْسِنُهُ.

81. Amīr al-mu’minīn, peace be upon him, said: The worth of every man is in his attainments. [1]

قال السيد الرضي: وهي الكلمة التي لا تصاب لها قيمة ولا توزن بها حكمة ولا تقرن إليها كلمة.

as-Sayyid ar-Raḍī says: This is the sentence whose value cannot be assessed, with which no wise saying can be weighed and with which no other sentence can be matched.

٨٤. وَقَالَ (عليه ‏السلام): بَقِيَّةُ السَّيْفِ أَبْقَى عَدَداً وَأَكْثَرُ وَلَداً.

84. Amīr al-mu’minīn, peace be upon him, said: The survivors of the sword (from getting killed) are large in number and have a large progeny.

٨٧. وَقَالَ (عليه ‏السلام): عَجِبْتُ لِمَنْ يَقْنَطُ وَمَعَهُ الِاسْتِغْفَارُ.

87. Amīr al-mu’minīn, peace be upon him, said: I wonder about the man who loses hope despite the possibility of seeking forgiveness.

٨٩. وَقَالَ (عليه ‏السلام): مَنْ أَصْلَحَ مَا بَيْنَهُ وَبَيْنَ اللهِ أَصْلَحَ اللهُ مَا بَيْنَهُ وَبَيْنَ النَّاسِ، وَمَنْ أَصْلَحَ أَمْرَ آخِرَتِهِ أَصْلَحَ اللهُ لَهُ أَمْرَ دُنْيَاهُ، وَمَنْ كَانَ لَهُ مِنْ نَفْسِهِ وَاعِظٌ كَانَ عَلَيْهِ مِنَ اللهِ حَافِظٌ.

89. Amīr al-mu’minīn, peace be upon him, said: If a man sets right matters between himself and Allāh, then Allāh sets right matters between him and other people; and if a man sets right the affairs of his next life then Allāh sets right for him the affairs of this world. Whoever is a preacher for himself is protected by Allāh.

٩٢. وَقَالَ (عليه ‏السلام): أَوْضَعُ الْعِلْمِ مَا وُقِفَ عَلَى اللِّسَانِ وَأَرْفَعُهُ مَا ظَهَرَ فِي الْجَوَارِحِ وَالْأَرْكَانِ.

92. Amīr al-mu’minīn, peace be upon him, said: The lowest form of knowledge is that which remains on the tongue and the most superior form is that which manifests itself through (the action of) the limbs and the organs of the body.

٩٤. وَسُئِلَ (عليه ‏السلام) وَعَنِ الْخَيْرِ مَا هُوَ؟ فَقَالَ لَيْسَ الْخَيْرُ أَنْ يَكْثُرَ مَالُكَ وَ وَلَدُكَ وَلَكِنَّ الْخَيْرَ أَنْ يَكْثُرَ عِلْمُكَ وَأَنْ يَعْظُمَ حِلْمُكَ وَأَنْ تُبَاهِيَ النَّاسَ بِعِبَادَةِ رَبِّكَ فَإِنْ أَحْسَنْتَ حَمِدْتَ اللَّهَ وَإِنْ أَسَأْتَ اسْتَغْفَرْتَ اللَّهَ وَلَا خَيْرَ فِى الدُّنْيَا إِلَّا لِرَجُلَيْنِ رَجُلٍ أَذْنَبَ ذُنُوباً فَهُوَ يَتَدَارَكُهَا بِالتَّوْبَةِ وَرَجُلٍ يُسَارِعُ فِى الْخَيْرَاتِ.

94. Amīr al-mu’minīn, peace be upon him, was asked what is good and he replied: Good is not that your wealth and progeny should be much, but good is that your knowledge should be much, your forbearance should be great, and that you should vie with other people in worship of Allāh. If you do good deeds you thank Allāh, but if you commit evil you seek forgiveness of Allāh. In this world good is for two persons only; the man who commits sins but rectifies them by repentance; and the man who hastens towards good actions.

٩٥. وَقَالَ (عليه ‏السلام): لَا يَقِلُّ عَمَلٌ مَعَ التَّقْوَى وَكَيْفَ يَقِلُّ مَا يُتَقَبَّلُ.

95. Amīr al-mu’minīn, peace be upon him, said: Action accompanied by fear for Allāh does not fail, and how can a thing fail that has been accepted. [1]

٩٦. وَقَالَ (عليه ‏السلام): إِنَّ أَوْلَى النَّاسِ بِالْأَنْبِيَاءِ أَعْلَمُهُمْ بِمَا جَاءُوا بِهِ، ثُمَّ تَلاَ (عليه السلام): (إِنَّ أَوْلَى النَّاسِ بِإِبْرَاهِيمَ لَلَّذِينَ اتَّبَعُوهُ وَهَـٰذَا النَّبِيُّ وَالَّذِينَ آمَنُوا ۗ وَاللهُ وَلِيُّ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ) ثُمَّ قَالَ (عليه ‏السلام): إِنَّ وَلِيَّ مُحَمَّد مَنْ أَطَاعَ اللهَ وإِنْ بَعُدَتْ لُحْمَتُهُ، وَإِنَّ عَدُوَّ مُحَمَّد مَنْ عَصَى اللهَ وَإِنْ قَرُبَتْ قَرَابَتُهُ!

96. Amīr al-mu’minīn, peace be upon him, said: The persons most attached to the prophets are those who know most what the prophets have brought. Then Amīr al-mu’minīn recited the verse: “Verily, of men the nearest to Abraham are surely those who followed him and this (Our) Prophet (Muḥammad) and those who believe.” (Qur’ān, 3:68) Then he said: The friend of Muḥammad is he who obeys Allāh, even though he may have no blood relationship, and the enemy of Muḥammad is he who disobeys Allāh even though he may have near kinship.