فَاخْفِضْ لَهُمْ جَنَاحَكَ،
Behave humbly with the people,
وَأَلِنْ لَهُمْ جَانِبَكَ،
keep yourself lenient,
وَابْسُطْ لَهُمْ وَجْهَكَ،
meet them large-heartedly,
وَآسِ بَيْنَهُمْ فِي اللَّحْظَةِ وَالنَّظْرَةِ،
accord them equal treatment
حَتَّى لاَ يَطْمَعَ الْعُظَمَاءُ فِي حَيْفِكَ لَهُمْ،
so that the big should not expect injustice from you in their favour
وَلاَ يَيْأَسَ الضُّعَفَاءُ مِنْ عَدْلِكَ عَلَيْهِمْ.
and the low should not be despondent of your justice to them.
وَإنَّ اللهَ تَعَالَى يُسَائِلُكُمْ مَعْشَرَ عِبَادِهِ عَنِ الصَّغِيرَةِ مِنْ أَعْمَالِكُمْ وَالْكَبِيرَةِ،
Allah, the Sublime, will certainly question you, O community of His creatures, about your actions, small or big,
وَالظَّاهِرَةِ وَالْمَسْتُورَةِ،
open or concealed.
فَإِنْ يُعَذِّبْ فَأَنْتُمْ أَظْلَمُ،
If He punishes you it is because you have been oppressive,
وَإِنْ يَعْفُ فَهُوَ أَكْرَمُ.
and if He forgives, then it is because He is the Most Generous.
وَاعْلَمُوا عِبَادَ اللهِ، أَنَّ الْمُتَّقِينَ ذَهَبُوا بِعَاجِلِ الدُّنْيَا وَآجِلِ الاْخِرَةِ،
Know, O creatures of Allah, that the God-fearing have shared the joys of this transient world as well as the next coming world,
فَشَارَكُوا أَهْلَ الدُّنْيَا فِي دُنْيَاهُمْ،
for they shared with the people of this world in their worldly matters
وَلَمْ يُشَارِكُهم أَهْلُ الدُّنْيَا فِي آخِرَتِهِمْ;
while their people did not share with them in the matters of the next world.
سَكَنُوا الدُّنْيَا بَأَفْضَلِ مَا سُكِنَتْ،
They lived in this world in the best manner of living
وَأَكَلُوهَا بِأَفْضَلِ مَا أُكِلَتْ،
and ate the choicest food
فَحَظُوا مِنَ الدُّنْيَا بِمَا حَظِيَ بِهِ الْمُتْرَفُونَ،
and consequently they enjoyed herein all that the people with ease of life enjoyed,
وَأَخَذُوا مِنْهَا مَا أَخَذَهُ الْجَبَابِرَةُ الْمُتَكَبِّرُونَ،
and secured from it what the haughty and the vain secured.
ثُمَّ انْقَلَبُوا عَنْهَا بِالزَّادِ الْمُبَلِّغِ،
Then, they departed from it after taking provision enough to take them to the end of their journey
وَالْمَتْجَرِ الرَّابِحِ،
and after doing a profitable transaction.
أَصَابُوا لَذَّةَ زُهْدِ الدُّنْيَا فِي دُنْيَاهُمْ،
They tasted the pleasure of renouncing the world in this world,
وَتَيَقَّنُوا أَنَّهُمْ جِيرَانُ اللهِ غَداً فِي آخِرَتِهِمْ،
and they firmly believed that on the coming day in their next life they would be neighbours of Allah,
لاَ تُرَدُّ لَهُمْ دَعْوَةٌ،
where their call would not be repulsed
وَلاَ يَنْقُصُ لَهُمْ نَصِيبٌ مِنْ لَذَّة.
nor would their share of pleasure be small.
فَاحْذَرُوا عِبَادَ اللهِ الْمَوْتَ وَقُرْبَهُ،
Therefore, O creatures of Allah, be afraid of death and its nearness
وَأَعِدُّوا لَهُ عُدَّتَهُ،
and keep ready all that is needed for it.
فَإِنَّهُ يَأْتِي بِأَمْر عَظِيم،
It will come as a big event
وَخَطْب جَلِيل،
and a great affair,
بِخَيْر لاَ يَكُونُ مَعَهُ شَرٌّ أَبَداً،
either as a good in which there will never be any evil,
أَوْ شَرٍّ لاَ يَكُونُ مَعَهُ خَيْرٌ أَبَداً،
or an evil in which there will never be any good.
فَمَنْ أَقْرَبُ إِلَى الْجَنَّةِ مِنْ عَامِلِهَا!
Who is nearer to Paradise than he who works towards it,
وَمَنْ أَقْرَبُ إِلى النَّارِ مِنْ عَامِلِهَا!
and who is nearer to Hell than he who works for it?
وَأَنْتُمْ طُرَدَاءُ الْمَوْتِ،
You are being chased by death.
إِنْ أَقَمْتُمْ لَهُ أَخْذَكُمْ،
If you stop, it will catch you,
وَإِنْ فَرَرْتُمْ مِنْهُ أَدْرَككُمْ،
and if you run away from it, it will grip you.
وَهُوَ أَلْزَمُ لَكُمْ مِنْ ظِلِّكُمْ،
It is more attached to you than your shadow.
الْمَوْتُ مَعْقُودٌ بِنَوَاصِيكُمْ،
Death is tied to your fore-locks
وَالدُّنْيَا تُطْوَى مِنْ خَلْفِكُمْ.
while the world is being wrapped up from behind you.
فَاحْذَرُوا نَاراً قَعْرُهَا بَعِيدٌ،
Therefore, fear the Fire whose hollow is deep,
وَحَرُّهَا شَدِيدٌ،
whose flames are severe
وَعَذَابُهَا جَدِيدٌ،
and whose punishment is novel.
دَارٌ لَيْسَ فِيها رَحْمَةٌ،
It is a place wherein there is no mercy.
وَلاَ تُسْمَعُ فِيهَا دَعْوَةٌ،
No call is heard in it.
وَلاَ تُفَرَّجُ فِيهَا كُرْبَهٌ.
No pain is healed in it.
وَإِنِ اسْتَطَعْتُمْ أَنْ يَشْتَدَّ خَوْفُكُمْ مِنَ اللهِ،
If it is possible for you to have severe fear of Allah
وَأَنْ يَحْسُنَ ظَنُّكُمْ بِهِ،
and to rest hope in Him,
فَاجْمَعُوا بيْنَهُمَا،
then do both these things
فَإِنَّ الْعَبْدَ إِنَّمَا يَكُونُ حُسْنُ ظَنِّهِ بِرَبِّهِ عَلَى قَدْرِ خَوْفِهِ مِنْ رَبِّهِ،
because every individual has hope in His Lord to the extent of his fear of His Lord.
وَإِنَّ أَحْسَنَ النَّاسِ ظَنّاً بِاللهِ أَشَدُّهُمْ خَوْفاً لله.
Certainly, the most hopeful person with Allah is he who fears Him most.
وَاعْلَمْ ـ يَا مُحَمَّدُ بْنَ أَبِي بَكْر ـ
O Muhammad ibn Abi Bakr, know
أَنِّي قَدْ وَلَّيْتُكَ أَعْظَمَ أَجْنَادِي فِي نَفْسِي أَهْلَ مِصْرَ،
that I have given you charge of Egypt which is my biggest force.
فَأَنْتَ مَحْقُوقٌ أَنْ تُخَالِفَ عَلَى نَفْسِكَ،
So you are duty-bound to oppose your passions
وَأَنْ تُنَافِحَ عَنْ دِينِكَ،
and serve as a shield against your religion
وَلَوْ لَمْ يَكُنْ لَكَ إِلاَّ سَاعَةٌ مِنَ الدَّهْرِ،
even though you may get only an hour in the world;
وَلاَ تُسْخِطِ اللهَ بِرِضَى أَحَد مِنْ خَلْقِهِ،
and do not enrage Allah for pleasing others
فَإِنَّ فِي اللهِ خَلَفاً مِنْ غَيْرِهِ،
because (Allah) is such that He may take the place of others,
وَلَيْسَ مِنَ اللهِ خَلَفٌ فِي غَيْرِهِ.
but others cannot take the place of Allah.
صَلِّ الصَّلاَةَ لِوَقْتِهَا الْمُوَقَّتِ لَهَا،
Say prayers at the appointed time.
وَلاَ تُعَجِّلْ وَقْتَهَا لِفَرَاغ،
Do not say it earlier for the sake of (available) leisure
وَلاَ تُؤْخِّرْهَا عَنْ وَقْتِهَا لاشْتِغَال،
nor delay it on account of pre-occupation.
وَاعْلَمْ أَنَّ كُلَّ شَيْء مِنْ عَمَلِكَ تَبَعٌ لِصَلاَتِكَ.
Remember that every act of yours is dependent on your prayer.
ومن هذا العهد:
A part of the same
فَإِنَّهُ لاَ سَوَاءَ، إِمَامُ الْهُدَى وَإِمَامُ الرَّدَى،
The leader of guidance and the leader of destruction cannot be equal,
وَوَلِيُّ النَّبِىِّ وَعَدُوُّ النَّبِيِّ،
nor the friend of the Prophet and the enemy of the Prophet.
وَلَقَدْ قَالَ لِي رَسُولُ اللهِ (صلى الله عليه وآله): "إِنِّي لاَ أَخَافُ عَلَى أُمَّتِي مُؤْمِناً وَلاَ مُشْرِكاً، أَمَّا الْمُؤمِنُ فَيَمْنَعُهُ اللهُ بِإِيمَانِهِ، وَأَمَّا الْمُشْرِكُ فَيَقْمَعُهُ اللهُ بِشِرْكِهِ،لكِنِّي أَخَافُ عَلَيْكُمْ كُلَّ مَنَافِقِ الْجَنَانِ، عَالِمِ اللِّسَانِ، يَقُولُ مَا تَعْرِفُونَ،وَيَفْعَلُ مَا تُنْكِرُونَ".
The Messenger of Allah (S) has told me that: "I have no fear for my Ummah from either a believer or an unbeliever. As for the believer Allah will afford him protection because of his belief, and as for the unbeliever Allah will humiliate him because of his unbelief. But I fear for you every one who is a hypocrite in his heart and learned of speech. He speaks what you hold good but does what you dislike."
