1219 - ثَمَرَةُ الاعتِبارِ

1219. THE BENEFITS OF TAKING LESSON

3973.الإمامُ عليٌّ عليه السلام : الاعتِبارُ يُثمِرُ العِصمَةَ.¹

3973.Imam Ali (AS) said, ‘Taking lesson [from past faults] results in immunity [from further faults and sins].’²

3974.الإمامُ عليٌّ عليه السلام : دَوامُ الاعتِبارِ يُؤَدّي إلَى الاستِبصارِ، ويُثمِرُ الازدِجارَ .³

3974.Imam Ali (AS) said, ‘Continuously taking lessons gives rise to the faculty of insight, and brings about self-restraint.’⁴

3975.الإمامُ عليٌّ عليه السلام : مَن كَثُرَ اعتِبارُهُ قَلَّ عِثارُهُ .⁵

3975.Imam Ali (AS) said, ‘He who abundantly and frequently takes lessons [from his experiences] rarely stumbles.’⁶

1218 - ما يَنبَغِي الاعتِبارُ بِهِ‏

1218. THINGS THAT MUST BE CONTEMPLATED UPON AND DRAWN LESSONS FROM

(لَقَدْ كانَ فِي قَصَصِهِمْ عِبْرَةٌ لِاُولِي الْألْبابِ) .¹

“There is certainly a moral in their accounts for those who possess intellect.”²

(يُقَلِّبُ اللَّهُ الَّليْلَ وَالنَّهارَ إنَّ فِي ذلِكَ لَعِبْرَةً لِأُولِي الْأبْصارِ) .³

“It is Allah Who alternates the night and the day: verily in that is a moral for those who have insight.”⁴

3967.الإمامُ عليٌّ عليه السلام : في تَصاريفِ الدّنيا اعتِبارٌ .⁵

3967.Imam Ali (AS) said, ‘There is a lesson to be taken from the vicissitudes of this world.’⁶

3968.الإمامُ عليٌّ عليه السلام : لَوِ اعتَبَرتَ بِما أضَعتَ مِن ماضي عُمرِكَ لَحَفِظتَ ما بَقِيَ .⁷

3968.Imam Ali (AS) said, ‘If only you drew lessons from all that you have lost in what has passed of your life you would look after what is left of it.’⁸

3969.الإمامُ عليٌّ عليه السلام : فاعتَبِروا بِما كانَ مِن فِعلِ اللَّهِ بِإبليسَ؛ إذ أحبَطَ عَمَلَهُ الطَّويلَ، وَجَهدَهُ الجَهيدَ (الجَميلَ) .⁹

3969.Imam Ali (AS) said, ‘So take lesson from how Allah dealt with Satan when he thwarted his long years of good deeds, and all his hard work [because of his outright defiance of Allah].’¹⁰

3970.الإمامُ عليٌّ عليه السلام : فاعتَبِروا بِما أصابَ الاُمَمَ المُستَكبِرينَ مِن قَبلِكُم؛ مِن بأسِ اللَّهِ وصَوْلاتِه ووَقائعِهِ ومَثُلاتِه .¹¹

3970.Imam Ali (AS) said, ‘So take lesson from Allah’s intense force, His attacks, His blows and His exemplary punishmentsisH that befell the arrogant nations before you.’¹²

3971.الإمامُ عليٌّ عليه السلام : ما أكثَرَ العِبَرَ، وأقَلَّ الاعتِبارَ!¹³

3971.Imam Ali (AS) said, ‘How many the lessons, and how little the contemplation [upon them]!’¹⁴

3972.بحار الأنوار عن الإمامِ زينِ العابدينَ عليه السلام : مِسكينٌ ابنُ آدَمَ ! لَهُ في كُلِّ يَومٍ ثَلاثُ مَصائبَ لا يَعتَبِرُ بِواحِدَةٍ مِنهُنَّ، ولَوِ اعتَبَرَ لَهانَت عَلَيهِ المَصائبُ وأمرُ الدُّنيا: فَأمّا المُصيبَةُ الاُولى‏ : فاليَومُ الَّذي يَنقُصُ مِن عُمرِهِ، وإنْ نالَهُ نُقصانٌ في مالِهِ اغتَمَّ بِهِ، والدِّرهَمُ يَخلُفُ عَنهُ وَالعُمرُ لا يَرُدُّهُ شي‏ء.
والثانِيةُ : أنَّهُ يَستَوفي رِزقَهُ، فإن كانَ حَلالاً حُوسِبَ عَلَيهِ، وإن كانَ حَراماً عُوقِبَ عَلَيهِ.
والثّالِثَةُ أعظَمُ مِن ذلِكَ - قيلَ : وما هِيَ؟ قالَ - : ما مِن يَومٍ يُمسي إلّا وقَد دَنا مِنَ الآخِرَةِ مَرحَلَةً، لا يَدري عَلَى الجَنَّةِ أم عَلَى النّارِ ؟!¹⁵

3972. Imam Zayn al-Abidin (AS) said, ‘Poor man! Every day he is given three trials whereof he does not even take lesson from a single one. If he contemplated and drew a lesson thereof, these trials and this world would cease to be of importance to him. The first trial is the very day which is deducted from his life – if it was a loss in his wealth that befell him, he would fall into great distress, even though the dirham [i.e. money] can always be substituted but the days of his life will never again return to him. The second trial is the way in which he goes to great lengths to procure his sustenance, when he will have to account for it all if acquired by lawful means, and he will be punished for it all if acquired by unlawful means. The third trial is the greatest: every day that draws to an end has brought him a step closer to the Hereafter – whether to Paradise or Hellfire, he does not know!’¹⁶