Nahj al-Balāgha

١٣٣. وَقَالَ (عليه ‏السلام): الدُّنْيَا دَارُ مَمَرٍّ لَا دَارُ مَقَرٍّ وَالنَّاسُ فِيهَا رَجُلَانِ رَجُلٌ بَاعَ فِيهَا نَفْسَهُ فَأَوْبَقَهَا وَرَجُلٌ ابْتَاعَ نَفْسَهُ فَأَعْتَقَهَا.

133. Amīr al-mu’minīn, peace be upon him, said: This world is a place for transit, not a place for stay. The people herein are of two categories. One is the man who sold away his self (to his passions) and thus ruined it, and the other is the man who purchased his self (by control against his passions) and freed it.

١٣٥. وَقَالَ (عليه ‏السلام): مَنْ أُعْطِيَ أَرْبَعاً لَمْ يُحْرَمْ أَرْبَعاً مَنْ أُعْطِيَ الدُّعَاءَ لَمْ يُحْرَمِ الْإِجَابَةَ وَمَنْ أُعْطِيَ التَّوْبَةَ لَمْ يُحْرَمِ الْقَبُولَ وَمَنْ أُعْطِيَ الِاسْتِغْفَارَ لَمْ يُحْرَمِ الْمَغْفِرَةَ وَمَنْ أُعْطِيَ الشُّكْرَ لَمْ يُحْرَمِ الزِّيَادَةَ.

135. Amīr al-mu’minīn, peace be upon him, said: He who is bestowed four things is not disallowed four things: he who is allowed to pray is not deprived of the response to it; he who is allowed to offer repentance is not deprived of its acceptance; he who is allowed to seek forgiveness is not deprived of forgiveness; and he who is allowed to be grateful is not deprived of furtherance of favours.

قال السيد الرضى: و تصديق ذلك كتاب الله قال الله فى الدعاء ﴿ادْعُونِي أَسْتَجِبْ لَكُمْ﴾ وقال فى الاستغفار ﴿وَمَن يَعْمَلْ سُوءًا أَوْ يَظْلِمْ نَفْسَهُ ثُمَّ يَسْتَغْفِرِ اللهَ يَجِدِ اللهَ غَفُورًا رَّحِيمًا﴾ وقال فى الشكر ﴿لَئِن شَكَرْتُمْ لَأَزِيدَنَّكُمْ﴾ وقال فى التوبة ﴿إِنَّمَا التَّوْبَةُ عَلَى اللهِ لِلَّذِينَ يَعْمَلُونَ السُّوءَ بِجَهَالَةٍ ثُمَّ يَتُوبُونَ مِن قَرِيبٍ فَأُولَـٰئِكَ يَتُوبُ اللهُ عَلَيْهِمْ ۗ وَكَانَ اللهُ عَلِيمًا حَكِيمًا﴾.

As-Sayyid ar-Raḍī says: This is confirmed by the Book of Allāh. About praying, Allāh says: “Call you to Me, I will answer you” (Qur’ān, 40:60). About forgiveness Allāh says: “And whoever does evil, or wrongs his own self and thereafter seeks pardon of Allāh, shall find Allāh Oft-forgiving, Merciful” (Qur’ān, 4:110). About gratefulness He says: “If you be grateful I will increase (my favours) to you” (Qur’ān, 14:7). About repentance He says: “Verily, repentance (acceptable) with Allāh is only for those who do evil ignorantly and then turn (to Allāh) soon (after); these (are those) Allāh will turn (merciful) to them; and Allāh is All-knowing, All-wise” (Qur’ān, 4:17).

١٣٨. وَقَالَ (عليه ‏السلام): مَنْ أَيْقَنَ بِالْخَلَفِ جَادَ بِالْعَطِيَّةِ.

138. Amīr al-mu’minīn, peace be upon him, said: He who is sure of a good return is generous in giving.

١٤٢. وَقَالَ (عليه ‏السلام): الْتَّوَدُّدُ نِصْفُ الْعَقْل.

142. Amīr al-mu’minīn, peace be upon him, said: Loving one another is half of wisdom

١٤٥. وَقَالَ (عليه ‏السلام): كَمْ مِنْ صَائِمٍ لَيْسَ لَهُ مِنْ صِيَامِهِ إِلَّا (الْجُوعُ وَ)الظَّمَأُ، وَكَمْ مِنْ قَائِمٍ لَيْسَ لَهُ مِنْ قِيَامِهِ إِلَّا السَّهَرُ وَالْعَنَاءُ، حَبَّذَا نَوْمُ الْأَكْيَاسِ وَإِفْطَارُهُمْ.

145. Amīr al-mu’minīn, peace be upon him, said: There is many a person who fasts whose fast is nothing but just hunger and thirst, and many an offerer of prayers whose prayer is no better than wakefulness and hardship. The sleep as well as the eating and drinking of the intelligent (God-knowing) person is far better.

١٤٨. وَقَالَ (عليه ‏السلام): الْمَرْءُ مَخْبُوءٌ تَحْتَ لِسَانِهِ.

148. Amīr al-mu’minīn, peace be upon him, said: Man is hidden under his tongue. [1]

١٥٠. وَقَالَ (عليه ‏السلام) لِرَجُلٍ سَأَلَهُ أَنْ يَعِظَهُ:

150. Amīr al-mu’minīn, peace be upon him, said to a man who had requested him to preach:

لَا تَكُنْ مِمَّنْ يَرْجُو الْآخِرَةَ بِغَيْرِ عَمَلٍ وَيُرَجِّي التَّوْبَةَ بِطُولِ الْأَمَلِ يَقُولُ فِي الدُّنْيَا بِقَوْلِ الزَّاهِدِينَ وَيَعْمَلُ فِيهَا بِعَمَلِ الرَّاغِبِينَ إِنْ أُعْطِيَ مِنْهَا لَمْ يَشْبَعْ وَإِنْ مُنِعَ مِنْهَا لَمْ يَقْنَعْ يَعْجِزُ عَنْ شُكْرِ مَا أُوتِيَ وَيَبْتَغِي الزِّيَادَةَ فِيمَا بَقِيَ يَنْهَى وَلَا يَنْتَهِي وَيَأْمُرُ بِمَا لَا يَأْتِي يُحِبُّ الصَّالِحِينَ وَلَا يَعْمَلُ عَمَلَهُمْ وَيُبْغِضُ الْمُذْنِبِينَ وَهُوَ أَحَدُهُمْ يَكْرَهُ الْمَوْتَ لِكَثْرَةِ ذُنُوبِهِ وَيُقِيمُ عَلَى مَا يَكْرَهُ الْمَوْتَ مِنْ أَجْلِهِ.

Do not be like him who hopes for (bliss in) the next life without action, and delays repentance by lengthening desires, who utters words like ascetics in this world but acts like those who are eager for it; if he is allowed something from it he does not feel satisfied; if he is denied he is not content; he is not grateful for what he gets and covets for increase in whatever remains with him; he refrains others but not himself; he commands others for what he himself does not do; he loves the virtuous but does not behave like them; he hates the vicious but himself is one of them; he dislikes death because of the excess of his sins but adheres to that for which he is afraid of death.

إِنْ سَقِمَ ظَلَّ نَادِماً وَإِنْ صَحَّ أَمِنَ، لَاهِياً يُعْجَبُ بِنَفْسِهِ إِذَا عُوفِيَ وَيَقْنَطُ إِذَا ابْتُلِيَ، إِنْ أَصَابَهُ بَلَاءٌ دَعَا مُضْطَرّاً وَإِنْ نَالَهُ رَخَاءٌ أَعْرَضَ مُغْتَرّاً، تَغْلِبُهُ نَفْسُهُ عَلَى مَا يَظُنُّ وَلَا يَغْلِبُهَا عَلَى مَا يَسْتَيْقِنُ، يَخَافُ عَلَى غَيْرِهِ بِأَدْنَى مِنْ ذَنْبِهِ وَيَرْجُو لِنَفْسِهِ بِأَكْثَرَ مِنْ عَمَلِهِ، إِنِ اسْتَغْنَى بَطِرَ وَفُتِنَ وَإِنِ افْتَقَرَ قَنِطَ وَوَهَنَ، يُقَصِّرُ إِذَا عَمِلَ وَيُبَالِغُ إِذَا سَأَلَ، إِنْ عَرَضَتْ لَهُ شَهْوَةٌ أَسْلَفَ الْمَعْصِيَةَ وَسَوَّفَ التَّوْبَةَ وَإِنْ عَرَتْهُ مِحْنَةٌ انْفَرَجَ عَنْ شَرَائِطِ الْمِلَّةِ، يَصِفُ الْعِبْرَةَ وَلَا يَعْتَبِرُ وَيُبَالِغُ فِى الْمَوْعِظَةِ وَلَا يَتَّعِظُ، فَهُوَ بِالْقَوْلِ مُدِلٌّ وَمِنَ الْعَمَلِ مُقِلٌّ يُنَافِسُ فِيمَا يَفْنَى وَيُسَامِحُ فِيمَا يَبْقَى يَرَى الْغُنْمَ مَغْرَماً وَالْغُرْمَ مَغْنَماً، يَخْشَى الْمَوْتَ وَلَا يُبَادِرُ الْفَوْتَ.

If he falls ill he is remorseful; if he is healthy he feels secure and indulges in amusements; when he recovers from illness he feels vain about himself; when he is afflicted he loses hope; if distress befalls him he prays like a bewildered man; when he finds ease of life he falls into deceit and turns his face away; his heart overpowers him by means of imaginary things while he cannot control his heart by his conviction; for others he is afraid of small sins, but for himself he expects more reward than his performance; if he becomes wealthy he becomes self-conceited and falls into vice; if he becomes poor he despairs and becomes weak; he falls short when doing a good thing but goes too far when he is begging; when passion overtakes him he is quick in committing sin but delays repentance; if hardship befalls him he goes beyond the cannons of the (Islamic) community; he describes instructive events but does not take instruction himself; he preaches at length but does not accept any preaching for himself; he is tall in speaking but short in action; he aspires for things that will perish and ignores things that will last for good; he regards profit as loss and loss as profit; he fears death but does nothing in its anticipation.