Letter 71: To al-Mundhir ibn Jarud al-`Abdi

To al-Mundhir ibn Jarud al-Abdi who had misappropriated certain things given into his administrative charge

أَمَّا بَعْدُ، فَإِنَّ صَلاَحَ أَبِيكَ غَرَّنِي مِنْكَ،

Now, the good behaviour of your father deceived me about you

وَظَنَنْتُ أَنَّكَ تَتَّبِعُ هَدْيَهُ،

and I thought that you would follow his way

وَتَسْلُكُ سَبِيلَهُ،

and tread in his path.

فَإِذَا أَنْتَ فِيَما رُقِّيَ إِلَيَّ عَنْكَ

But according to what has reached me about you,

لاَتَدَعُ لِهَوَاكَ انْقِيَاداً،

you are not giving up following your passions

وَلاَ تُبْقِي لاِخِرَتِكَ عَتَاداً،

and are not retaining any provision for the next world.

تَعْمُرُ دُنْيَاكَ بَخَرَابِ آخِرَتِكَ،

You are making this world by ruining your next life,

وَتَصِلُ عَشِيرَتَكَ بِقَطِيعَةِ دِينِكَ.

and doing good to your kinsmen by cutting yourself off from religion.

وَلَئِنْ كَانَ مَا بَلَغَنِي عَنْكَ حَقّاً،

If what has reached me about you is correct,

لَجَمَلُ أَهْلِكَ وَشِسْعُ نَعْلِكَ خَيْرٌ مِنْكَ،

then the camel of your family and the strap of your shoe is better than yourself.

وَمَنْ كَانَ بِصِفَتِكَ فَلَيْسَ بِأَهْل أَنْ يُسَدَّ بِهِ ثَغْرٌ،

A man with qualities like yours is not fit to close a hole in the ground,

أَوْ يُنْفَذَ بِهِ أَمْرٌ،

nor for performing any deed,

أَوْ يُعْلَى لَهُ قَدْرٌ،

nor for increasing his position,

أَوْ يُشْرَكَ فِي أَمَانَة،

nor for taking him as a partner in any trust,

أَوْ يُؤْمَنَ عَلَى خِيَانَة.

nor for trusting him against misappropriation.

فَأقْبِلْ إِلَيَّ حِينَ يَصِلُ إِلَيْكَ كِتَابِي هذَا

Therefore, proceed to me as soon as this letter of mine reaches you

إِنْ شَاءَ اللهُ.

if Allah so wills.

قال السيد الرضي: وَالمنذر هذا هو الذي قال فيه أميرالمؤمنين (عليه السلام): إنه لنظّارٌ في عِطْفَيْهِ، مُختالٌ في بُرْدَيْه، تَفّالٌ في شِرَاكَيْهِ.

As-Sayyid ar-Radi says: al-Mundhir ibn Jarud al-`Abdi is he about whom Amir al-mu'minin (peace be upon him) said that: He looks very often at his shoulders, feels proud in his garments (appearance) and frequently blows away (dust) from his shoes.