Nahj al-Balāgha

يَسْتَعْظِمُ مِنْ مَعْصِيَةِ غَيْرِهِ مَا يَسْتَقِلُّ أَكْثَرَ مِنْهُ مِنْ نَفْسِهِ، وَيَسْتَكْثِرُ مِنْ طَاعَتِهِ مَا يَحْقِرُهُ مِنْ طَاعَةِ غَيْرِهِ، فَهُوَ عَلَى النَّاسِ طَاعِنٌ وَلِنَفْسِهِ مُدَاهِنٌ، اللَّهْوُ مَعَ الْأَغْنِيَاءِ أَحَبُّ إِلَيْهِ مِنَ الذِّكْرِ مَعَ الْفُقَرَاءِ، يَحْكُمُ عَلَى غَيْرِهِ لِنَفْسِهِ وَلَا يَحْكُمُ عَلَيْهَا لِغَيْرِهِ يُرْشِدُ غَيْرَهُ وَيُغْوِى نَفْسَهُ، فَهُوَ يُطَاعُ وَيَعْصِى وَيَسْتَوْفِى وَلَا يُوفِى، وَيَخْشَى الْخَلْقَ فِى غَيْرِ رَبِّهِ وَلَا يَخْشَى رَبَّه فِى خَلْقِهِ.

He regards the sins of others as big but considers the same things for himself as small; if he does something in obedience to Allāh he considers it much but if others do the same he considers it small; he therefore rebukes others but flatters himself; entertainment in the company of the wealthy is dearer to him than remembrance (of Allāh) with the poor; he passes verdicts against others for his own interests and does not do so against himself for others’ interests; he guides others but misguides himself; he is obeyed by others but he himself disobeys (Allāh); he seeks fulfilment (of obligations towards himself) but does not fulfil his obligations (towards others); he fears the people (and acts) for other than his Lord (Allāh) and does not fear his Lord in his dealings with the people.

قال السيد الرضى: و لو لم يكن فى هذا الكتاب إلا هذا الكلام لكفى به موعظة ناجعة و حكمة بالغة و بصيرة لمبصر و عبرة لناظر مفكر.

As-Sayyid ar-Raḍī says: If this book had contained nothing save this short utterance it would have sufficed as a successful piece of preaching, a specimen of high philosophy, an object of wisdom for the onlooker and a source of instruction for the meditative watcher.

١٥٤. وَقَالَ (عليه ‏السلام): الرَّاضِي بِفِعْلِ قَوْمٍ كَالدَّاخِلِ فِيهِ مَعَهُمْ، وَعَلَى كُلِّ دَاخِلٍ فِي بَاطِلٍ إِثْمَانِ: إِثْمُ الْعَمَلِ بِهِ، وَإِثْمُ الرِّضَى بِهِ.

154. Amīr al-mu’minīn, peace be upon him, said: He who agrees with the action of a group of persons is as though he joins them in that action. And every one who joins in wrong commits two sins; one sin for committing the wrong and the other for agreeing with it.

١٥٧. وَقَالَ (عليه ‏السلام): قَدْ بُصّرْتُمْ إِنْ أَبْصَرْتُمْ وَقَدْ هُدِيتُمْ إِنِ اهْتَدَيْتُمْ، وأُسْمِعْتُمْ إِنِ اسْتَمَعْتُمْ.

157. Amīr al-mu’minīn, peace be upon him, said: Surely, you have been made to see if (only) you care to see; surely, you have been guided if (only) you care to take guidance; and surely, you have been made to hear if (only) you care to lend your ears.

١٥٩. وَقَالَ (عليه ‏السلام): مَنْ وَضَعَ نَفْسَهُ مَوَاضِعَ التُّهَمَةِ فَلاَ يَلُومَنَّ مَنْ أَسَاءَ بِهِ الظَّنَّ.

159. Amīr al-mu’minīn, peace be upon him, said: He who puts himself in conditions of ill-repute should not blame those who entertain bad ideas about him.

١٦٢. وَقَالَ (عليه ‏السلام): مَنْ كَتَمَ سِرَّهُ كَانَتِ الْخِيرَةُ بِيَدِهِ.

162. Amīr al-mu’minīn, peace be upon him, said: He who guards his secrets retains control in his own hands.

١٦٥. وَقَالَ (عليه ‏السلام): لَا طَاعَةَ لِمخْلُوقٍ فِي مَعْصِيَةِ الْخَالِقِ.

165. Amīr al-mu’minīn, peace be upon him, said: There should be no obeying anyone against Allāh’s commands.

١٦٨. وَقَالَ (عليه ‏السلام): الْأَمْرُ قَرِيبٌ وَالِْاصْطِحَابُ قَلِيلٌ.

168. Amīr al-mu’minīn, peace be upon him, said: The Day of Judgement is near and our mutual company is short.

١٧١. وَقَالَ (عليه ‏السلام): كَمْ مِنْ أَكْلَةٍ مَنَعَتْ أَكَلاَتٍ.

171. Amīr al-mu’minīn, peace be upon him, said: Many a single eating prevents several eatings. [1]

١٧٥. وَقَالَ (عليه ‏السلام): إِذَا هِبْتَ أَمْراًفَقَعْ فِيهِ، فَإِنَّ شِدَّةَ تَوَقِّيهِأَعْظَمُ مِمَّا تَخَافُ مِنْهُ.

175. Amīr al-mu’minīn, peace be upon him, said: When you are afraid of something dive straight into it, because the intensity of abstaining from it is greater (worse) than what you are afraid of.