1487 - تفسيرُ الفَقرِ

1487. THE INTERPRETATION OF POVERTY

5057.بحار الأنوار : في صُحفِ إدريسَ : لا غِنىً لِمَنِ استَغنى‏ عَنّي ،ولا فَقرَ بمَنِ افتَقَرَ إلَيَّ .¹

5057. Bihar al-Anwar: 'It is narrated in the scriptures of Prophet Enoch (AS) ² : There is no wealth with those who are not in need of Me, and there is no poverty for those who are in want of Me. ³

5058.رسولُ اللَّهِ صلى اللَّه عليه وآله : أيُّها الناسُ ... ما الصُّعلوكُ فيكُم ؟ قالوا : الرجُلُ الذي لامالَ لَهُ ، فقالَ : بلِ الصُّعلوكُ حَقَّ الصُّعلوكِ مَن لم يُقَدِّمْ مِن مالِهِ شيئاً يَحتَسِبُهُ عِندَاللَّهِ وإن كانَ كثيراً مِن بَعدِهِ .⁴

5058.The Prophet (SAWA) said, 'O people! ... Who are the utterly destitute?' They said, 'A person who does not have any wealth.'He said, 'No, rather the real destitute is he who has not offered any of his money regarding it to be for Allah, even though he has a lot more after that.' ⁵

5059.رسولُ اللَّهِ صلى اللَّه عليه وآله : الفَقرُ فَقرُ القَلبِ .⁶

5059.The Prophet (SAWA) said, '[True] Poverty is the poverty of the heart. ⁷

5060.الإمامُ عليٌّ عليه السلام : لا فَقرَ كالجَهلِ .⁸

5060.Imam Ali (AS) said, 'There is no poverty like ignorance.' ⁹

5061.الإمامُ عليٌّ عليه السلام : أكبَرُ الفَقرِ الحُمقُ .¹⁰

5061.Imam Ali (AS) said, 'The greatest of poverty is stupidity.' ¹¹

5062.الإمامُ عليٌّ عليه السلام - وقد سُئلَ : أيُّ فَقرٍأشَدُّ ؟ - : الكُفرُ بعدَ الإيمانِ .¹²

5062. Imam Ali (AS), when asked what kind of poverty is most severe, said, 'Disbelief after faith.' ¹³

5063.الإمامُ عليٌّ عليه السلام : فَقرُ النَّفسِ شَرُّ الفَقرِ .¹⁴

5063.Imam Ali (AS) said, 'Poverty of the self is the worst of poverty.' ¹⁵

5064.الإمامُ عليٌّ عليه السلام : الغِنى‏ والفَقرُ بعدَ العَرضِ علَى اللَّهِ .¹⁶

5064.Imam Ali (AS) said, '[Real] Wealth and poverty come after submission [of our deeds] to Allah.' ¹⁷

5065.الإمامُ عليٌّ عليه السلام : لا فَقرَ بعدَ الجَنّةِ ، ولا غِنى‏ بعدَ النارِ .¹⁸

5065.Imam Ali (AS) said, 'There is no poverty after [having] Heaven, and no wealth after the Hellfire.' ¹⁹

5066.الإمامُ الحسنُ عليه السلام - لمّا سُئلَ عنِ الفَقرِ - : شَرَهُ النفسِ إلى‏ كُلِّ شي‏ءٍ .²⁰

5066. Imam Hasan (AS), when asked about poverty, said, 'It is the greed of the self for everything.' ²¹

5067.الإمامُ الهاديُّ عليه السلام : الفَقرُ شَرَهُ النفسِ وشِدَّةُ القُنوطِ .²²

5067.Imam al-Hadi (AS) said, 'Poverty is the greed of the self and the extremity of despair.' ²³

(اُنظر) الغنى : باب 1445 .

(See also: RICHES: section 1445)

1486 - ما رُوِيَ في تفضيلِ الفَقرِ علَى الغِنى‏

1486. TRADITIONS NARRATED ABOUT THE VIRTUE OF POVERTY OVER WEALTH

5053.رسولُ اللَّهِ صلى اللَّه عليه وآله : الفَقرُ راحَةٌ ، وَالغِنى‏ عُقوبَةٌ .¹

5053.The Prophet (SAWA) said, 'Poverty is convenience, and wealth is punishment.' ²

5054.رسولُ اللَّهِ صلى اللَّه عليه وآله : الفَقرُ خَيرٌ مِن الغِنى‏ ، إلّا مَن حَمَلَ في مَغرَمٍ وأعطى‏ في نائبَةٍ .³

5054.The Prophet (SAWA) said, 'Poverty is better than wealth, save those who relieve others' debts [with their own wealth] and give during tragedies.' ⁴

5055.الإمامُ عليٌّ عليه السلام : ضَرَرُ الفَقرِ أحمَدُ مِن أشَرِ الغِنى‏ .⁵

5055.Imam Ali (AS) said, 'The harm of poverty is more praiseworthy than the exuberance of wealth.' ⁶

5056.الإمامُ الصّادقُ عليه السلام : في مُناجاةِ موسى‏ عليه السلام : يا موسى‏ ، إذا رَأيتَ الفَقرَ مُقبِلاً فَقُل : مَرحَباً بشِعارِ الصالِحينَ ، وإذا رأيتَ الغِنى‏ مُقبِلاً فَقُل : ذَنبٌ عُجِّلَت عُقوبَتُهُ .⁷

قال المجلسي : مقتضى الجمع بين أخبارنا أنَّ الفقر والغنى‏ كلٌّ منهما نعمة من نعم اللَّه تعالى‏ ، يعطي كلّاً منهما من شاء من عباده بحسب ما يعلم من مصالحه الكاملة ، وعلَى العبد أن يصبر علَى الفقر بل يشكره ويشكر الغنى‏ إن أعطاه ويعمل بمقتضاه ، فمع عمل كلٍّ منهما بما تقتضيه حاله فالغالب أنَّ الفقير الصابر أكثر ثواباً من الغنيِّ الشاكر ، لكن مراتب أحوالهما مختلفة غاية الاختلاف ، ولا يمكن الحكم الكلّيُّ من أحد الطرفَين ، والظاهر أنَّ الكفاف أسلم وأقلُّ خطراً من الجانبَين ؛ ولذا ورد في أكثر الأدعية طلبه وسأله النبيُّ صلى اللَّه عليه وآله لآله وعترته .
وقال بعض : وإذا كان الأمر كذلك فالأفضل ما اختاره النبيُّ صلى اللَّه عليه وآله وجمهور أصحابه من التقلُّل في الدنيا والبعد عن زهرتها .⁸
قال الراغب في المفردات : الفقر يستعمل على أربعة أوجه :
الأوّل : وجود الحاجة الضروريّة ، وذلك عامّ للإنسان مادام في دار الدنيا ، بل عامّ للموجودات كلّها ، وعلى‏ هذا قوله تعالى‏ : (يا أيُّها الناسُ أنتُمُ الفُقَراءُ إلَى اللَّهِ واللَّهُ هُو الغَنيُّ الحَميدُ)⁹ .
والثاني : عدم المُقتَنيات ، وهو المذكور في قوله : (لِلفُقَراءِ الّذينَ اُحْصِروا في سَبيلِ اللَّهِ - إلى‏ قوله - يَحسَبُهُمُ الجاهِلُ أغنِياءَ مِنَ التَّعَفُّفِ)(إنّما الصَّدَقاتُ لِلفُقَراءِ والمَساكِينِ)¹⁰ .
الثالث : فقر النفس ، وهو الشَّرَه المَعنيُّ بقوله صلى اللَّه عليه وآله : «كادَ الفَقرُ أن يكونَ كُفراً» ، وهو المقابِلُ بقوله : «الغِنَى غِنَى النفسِ» والمعنيُّ بقولهم : مَن عَدم القناعة لم يفده المال غنىً .
الرابع : الفقر إلَى‏اللَّه المشار إليه بقوله صلى اللَّه عليه وآله : «اللّهُمّ أغنِني بالافتِقارِ إليكَ ، ولا تُفقِرْني بالاستِغناءِ عنكَ» ، وإيّاه عُنى بقوله تعالى‏ : (رَبِّ إنّي لِما أنْزَلْتَ إلَيَّ مِن خَيرٍ فَقيرٌ)¹¹ .¹²

5056.Imam al-Sadiq (AS) narrated, 'Allah said in an intimate conversation with Moses (AS), 'O Moses, when you see poverty coming, then say to it, 'Welcome O garment of the righteous', and when you see wealth coming, say, 'A sin whose punishment has been hastened.' ¹³

Al-Majlisi said, 'To combine both types of traditions [praising and disparaging poverty] and in order to portray that poverty and wealth are both bounties of Allah, most High, it must be said, that He gives each of them [poverty and richness] to whomsoever He wishes according to the complete interests He knows for each. So the servant should endure his poverty, and furthermore be grateful for it, and be grateful for wealth when he is given it, and use it as it is necessary. So with both acting in accordance with what their individual situation requires of them, it is generally agreed that the patient poor man is rewarded more than the grateful rich man. However the levels of their respective situations are completely different, and there can never be an absolute judgment about either side. It seems, therefore, that [a state of] sufficiency is safer and less dangerous than either of the two sides. Hence, the request for it [i.e. sufficiency] features in many supplications, and the Prophet (SAWA) would ask for it for himself and his household (AS).
Some have said that if this is so, then the best is what the Prophet (SAWA) and most of his companions have chosen in possessing less of the world and distancing oneself from its pleasures. ¹⁴
Al-Raghib has said in his al-Mufradat: the word poverty is used with four meanings.
The first: the need for bare necessities, that applies to all human beings, as long as they dwell in the realm of this world, or rather, it applies for all existing beings, and this is what is meant in His verse in the Qur'an: "O mankind! You are the ones who stand in need of Allah, and Allah - He is the All-sufficient, the All- laudable." ¹⁵
The second: lack of acquisitions, which is mentioned in His verse in the Qur'an: "[The charities are] for the poor who are straitened in the way of Allah - until His verse: "...Charities are only for the poor and the needy." ¹⁶
The third: poverty of the self, which is voracious greed, denoted by the Prophet (SAWA)'s saying, 'Poverty is almost infidelity', and is opposite to his saying, '[True] Wealth is the needlessness of the self.'
The fourth:Being in need of Allah, referred to in his (SAWA) saying, 'O Allah, enrich me through making me needy of You, and do not empoverish me through needlessness of You.' This is what is meant in Allah's verse in the Qur'an: "My Lord! Indeed I am in need of any good You may send down to me." ¹⁷¹⁸