وقال عليه السلام وقد لقيه عند مسيره إلى الشام دهاقين الاَنبار
Once Amir al-mu'minin, peace be upon him, was proceeding towards Syria when the countrymen of al-Anbar met him.
فترجّلوا له واشتدّوابين يديه،
Seeing him they began to walk on foot and then ran in front of him.
فقال: مَا هذَا الَّذِي صَنَعْتُمُوهُ؟
He enquired why they were doing so
فقالوا:
and they replied that
خُلُقٌ مِنَّا نُعَظِّمُ بِهِ أُمَرَاءَنَا.
this was the way they respected their chiefs.
فقال عليه السلام :
Then he said:
وَاللهِ مَا يَنْتَفِعُ بِهذَا أُمَرَاؤُكُمْ!
By Allah, this does not benefit your chiefs.
وَإِنَّكُمْ لَتَشُقُّونَ عَلَى أَنْفُسِكْمْ فِي دُنْيَاكُمْ،
You are belabouring yourself in this world
وَتَشْقَوْنَ بِهِ فِي آخِرَتِكُمْ،
and earning misery for the next world by it.
وَمَا أخْسرَ الْمَشَقَّةَ وَرَاءَهَا الْعِقَابُ،
How harmful is the labour in whose wake there is punishment
وَأَرْبَحَ الدَّعَةَ مَعَهَا الاْمَانُ مِنَ النَّارِ.
and how profitable is the case with which there is deliverance from the Fire (of Hell).
