وسُئِلَ عليه السلام عَنِ الاْيمَانِ، فَقَالَ:
Amir al-mu'minin, peace be upon him, was asked about faith. He said:
الاْيمَانُ عَلَى أَرْبَعِ دَعَائِمَ:
Faith stands on four supports:
عَلَى الصَّبْرِ، والْيَقِينِ، وَالْعَدْلِ، وَالْجَهَادِ.
on endurance, conviction, justice and jihad (fighting in the way of Allah).
فَالصَّبْرُ مِنْهَا عَلَى أَربَعِ شُعَبٍ:
Endurance again has four aspects:
عَلَى الشَّوْقِ، وَالشَّفَقِ وَالزُّهْدِ، وَالتَّرَقُّبِ:
eagerness, fear, abstention (from the world) and anticipation (of death).
فَمَنِ اشْتَاقَ إِلَى الْجَنَّةِ سَلاَ عَنِ الشَّهَوَاتِ،
So, whoever is eager for Paradise will ignore the passions;
وَمَنْ أشْفَقَ مِنَ النَّارِ اجْتَنَبَ الْـمُحَرَّمَاتِ،
whoever fears the Fire (of Hell) will refrain from prohibited acts;
وَمَنْ زَهِدَ فِي الدُّنْيَا اسْتَهَانَ بِالْمُصِيبَاتِ،
whoever abstains from the world takes hardships lightly;
وَمَنِ ارْتَقَبَ الْمَوْتَ سَارَعَ فِي الْخَيْرَاتِ.
and whoever anticipates death will hasten towards good deeds.
وَالْيَقِينُ مِنْهَا عَلَى أَرْبَعِ شُعَبٍ:
Conviction also has four aspects:
عَلَى تَبْصِرَةِ الْفِطْنَةِ، وَتَأَوُّلِ الْحِكْمَةِ وَمَوْعِظَةِ الْعِبْرَةِ وَسُنَّةِ الاْوَّلِينَ
prudent perception, intelligence and understanding, drawing lessons from instructive things and following the precedents of past people.
فَمَنْ تَبَصَّرَ فِي الْفِطْنَةِ تَبَيَّنَتْ لَهُ الْحِكْمَةُ،
So, whoever perceives with prudence, wise knowledge will be manifest to him,
وَمَنْ تَبَيَّنَتْ لَهُ الْحِكْمَةُ عَرَفَ الْعِبْرَةَ،
and to whomsoever wise knowledge becomes manifest he appreciates instructive objects,
وَمَنْ عَرَفَ الْعِبْرَةَ فَكَأَنَّمَا كَانَ فِي الاْوَّلِينَ.
and whoever appreciates instructive objects he is just like past people.
وَالْعَدْلُ مِنْهَا عَلَى أَرْبَعِ شُعَبٍ:
Justice also has four aspects:
عَلَى غائِصِ الْفَهْمِ، وَغَوْرِ الْعِلْمِ وَزُهْرَةِ الْحُكْمِ،ِ، وَرَسَاخَةِ الْحِلْمِ:
keen understanding, deep knowledge, a good power of decision and firm forbearance.
فَمَنْ فَهِمَ عَلِمَ غَوْرَ الْعِلْمِ،
Therefore, whoever understands comes to acquire depth of knowledge;
و من عَلِمَ غَوْرَ الْعِلْمِ صَدَرَ عَنْ شَرَائِعِ الْحُكْمِ
whoever acquires depth of knowledge drinks from the spring of judgement;
وَمَنْ حَلُمَ لَمْ يُفَرِّطْ فِي أَمْرِهِ وَعَاشَ فِي النَّاسِ حَمِيداً.
and whoever exercises forbearance never commits evil actions in his affairs and leads a praiseworthy life among the people.
وَالْجِهَادُ مِنْهَا عَلَى أَرْبَعِ شُعَبٍ:
Jihad also has four aspects:
عَلَى الاْمْرِ بالْمَعْرُوفِ، وَالنَّهْي عَنِ الْمُنكَرِ، وَالصِّدْقِ فِي الْمَوَاطِنِ وَشَنَآنِ الْفَاسِقيِنَ:
to ask others to do good, to keep away others from doing evil, to fight (in the way of Allah) sincerely and firmly on all occasions, and to detest the vicious.
فَمَنْ أَمَرَ بِالْمَعْرُوفِ شَدَّ ظُهُورَ الْمُؤمِنِينَ،
So, whoever asks others to do good provides strength to the believers;
وَمَنْ نَهَى عَنِ الْمُنْكَرِ أَرْغَمَ أُنُوفَ الْكَافِرِينَ ،
whoever desists others from evil humiliates the unbelievers;
مَنْ صَدَقَ فِي الْمَوَاطِنِ قَضَى مَا عَلَيْهِ،
whoever fights sincerely on all occasions discharges all his obligations;
وَمَنْ شَنِىءَ الْفَاسِقِينَ وَغَضِبَ لله غَضِبَ اللهُ لَهُ وَأَرْضَاهُ يَوْمَ الْقِيَامَةِ.
and whoever detests the vicious and becomes angry for the sake of Allah, then Allah will be angry in favour of him and will keep him and will keep him pleased on the Day of Judgement.
وَالْكُفْرُ عَلَى أَرْبَعِ دَعَائِمَ:
Unbelief stands on four supports:
عَلَى التَّعَمُّقِ وَالتَّنَازُعِ، وَالزَّيْغِ وَالشِّقَاقِ فَمَنْ تَعَمَّقَ لَمْ يُنِبْإِلَى الْحَقِّ،
hankering after whims, mutual quarrelling, deviation from the truth, and dissension. So, whoever hankers after whims does not incline towards right:
وَمَنْ كَثُرَ نِزَاعُهُ بِالْجَهْلِ دَامَ عَمَاهُ عَنِ الْحَقِّ،
whoever quarrels much on account of ignorance remains permanently blinded from the right;
وَمَنْ زَاغَ سَاءَتْ عِنْدَهُ الْحَسَنَةُ وَحَسُنَتْ عِنْدَهُ السَّيِّئَةُ وَسَكِرَ سُكْرَ الضَّلاَلَةِ،
whoever deviates from truth, for him good becomes evil and evil becomes good and he remains intoxicated with misguidance;
وَمَنْ شَاقَّ وَعُرَتْ عَلَيْهِ طُرُقُهُ وَأَعْضَلَ عَلَيْهِ أَمْرُهُ وَضَاقَ عَلَيْهِ مَخْرَجُهُ.
and whoever makes a breach (with Allah and His Messenger), his path becomes difficult, his affairs become complicated and his way of escape becomes narrow.
وَالشَّكُّ عَلَى أَرْبَعِ شُعَب:
Doubt has also four aspects:
عَلَى الَّتمارِي وَالهَوْلِ وَالتَّرَدُّدِ والاْسْتِسْلاَمِ
unreasonableness, fear, wavering and undue submission to every thing.
فَمَنْ جَعَلَ الْمِرَاءَ دَيْدَناً لَمْ يُصْبِحْ لَيْلُهُ
So, he who adopts unreasonableness as his way, for him there is no dawn after the night;
وَمَنْ هَالَهُ مَا بَيْنَ يَدَيْهِ نَكَصَ عَلَى عَقِبَيْهِ
he who is afraid of what befalls him has to run on his heels;
وَمَن تَرَدَّدَ فِي الرَّيْبِ وَطِئَتْهُ سَنَابِكُ الشَّيَاطِينِ
he who wavers in doubt Satans trample him under their feet
وَمَنِ اسْتَسْلَمَ لِهَلَكَةِ الدُّنْيَا وَالاَخِرَةِ هَلَكَ فِيهِمَا.
and he who submits to the destruction of this and tile next world succumbs to it.
قال الرضي: و بعد هذا كلام تركنا ذكره خوف الإطالة و الخروج عن الغرض المقصود في هذا الكتاب.
As-Sayyid ar-Radi says: We have left out the remaining portion of this saying for fear of length and for being outside the purpose of this chapter.
