ومن كلام له عليه السلام لكُمَيْل بن زياد النخعي قال كُمَيْل بن زياد: أخذ بيدي أميرالمؤمنين علي بن أبي طالب عليه السلام ، فأخرجني إلى الجبّان فلمّا أصحر تنفّس الصّعَدَاء ثمّ قال:
Kumayl ibn Ziyad An-Nakha'i (34) has related: Amir al-mu'minin, peace be upon him, caught hold of my hand and took me to the graveyard. When he had passed through the graveyard and left the city behind, he breathed a deep sigh and said:
يَا كُمَيْل بْن زِيَادٍ،
O Kumayl,
إِنَّ هذهِ الْقُلُوبَ أَوْعِيَةٌ
these hearts are containers.
فَخَيْرُهَا أَوْعَاهَا
The best of them is that which preserves (its contents).
فَاحْفَظْ عَنِّي مَا أَقُولُ لَكَ:
So, preserve what I say to you.
النَّاسُ ثَلاَثَةٌ:
People are of three types:
فَعَالِمٌ رَبَّانِيٌّ
One is the scholar and divine;
وَمُتَعَلِّمٌ عَلَى سَبِيلِ نَجَاةٍ،
then the seeker of knowledge who is also on the way to deliverance.
وَهَمَجٌ رَعَاعٌ أَتْبَاعُ كُلِّ نَاعِقٍ
Then (lastly) the common rot who run after every caller
يَمِيلُونَ مَعَ كُلِّ رِيحٍ،
and bend in the direction of every wind.
لَمْ يَسْتَضِيئُوا بِنُورِ الْعِلْمِ،
They seek no light from the effulgence of knowledge
وَلَمْ يَلْجَؤُوا إِلَى رُكْنٍ وَثِيقٍ.
and do not take protection of any reliable support.
يَا كُمَيْلُ،
O Kumayl,
الْعِلْمُ خَيْرٌ مِنَ الْمَالِ:
knowledge is better than wealth.
الْعِلْمُ يَحْرُسُكَ
Knowledge guards you,
وَأَنْتَ تَحْرُسُ المَالَ،
while you have to guard the wealth.
وَالْمَالُ تَنْقُصُهُ النَّفَقَةُ،
Wealth decreases by spending,
وَالْعِلْمُ يَزْكُوعَلَى الاْنْفَاقِ،
while knowledge multiplies by spending,
وَصَنِيعُ الْمَالِ يَزُولُ بِزَوَالِهِ.
and the results of wealth die as wealth decays.
يَا كُمَيْلَ بْنَ زِيَادٍ
O Kumayl,
مَعْرِفَةُ الْعِلْمِ دِينٌ يُدَانُ بِهِ
knowledge is belief which is acted upon.
بِهِ يَكْسِبُ الْإِنْسَانُ الطَّاعَةَ فِى حَيَاتِهِ
With it man acquires obedience during his life
وَ جَمِيلَ الْأُحْدُوثَةِ بَعْدَ وَفَاتِهِ
and a good name after his death.
وَ الْعِلْمُ حَاكِمٌ
Knowledge is the ruler
وَ الْمَالُ مَحْكُومٌ عَلَيْهِ.
while wealth is ruled upon.
يَا كُمَيْلُ
O Kumayl,
هَلَكَ خُزَّانُ الْأَمْوَالِ
those who amass wealth are dead even
وَ هُمْ أَحْيَاءٌ
though they may be living
وَ الْعُلَمَاءُ بَاقُونَ
while those endowed with knowledge will remain
مَا بَقِيَ الدَّهْرُ
as long as the world lives.
أَعْيَانُهُمْ مَفْقُودَةٌ
Their bodies are not available
وَ أَمْثَالُهُمْ فِى الْقُلُوبِ مَوْجُودَةٌ
but their figures exist in the hearts.
هَا إِنَّ هَاهُنَا لَعِلْماً جَمّاً
Look, here is a heap of knowledge
وَ أَشَارَ بِيَدِهِ إِلَى صَدْرِهِ
(and Amir al-mu'minin pointed to his bosom).
لَوْ أَصَبْتُ لَهُ حَمَلَةً
I wish I could get someone to bear it.
بَلَى أَصَبْتُ لَقِناً غَيْرَ مَأْمُونٍ عَلَيْهِ
Yes, I did find (such a one); but either he was one who could not be relied upon.
مُسْتَعْمِلًا آلَةَ الدِّينِ لِلدُّنْيَا
He would exploit the religion for worldly gains,
وَ مُسْتَظْهِراً بِنِعَمِ اللَّهِ عَلَى عِبَادِهِ
and by virtue of Allah's favours on him he would domineer over the people
وَ بِحُجَجِهِ عَلَى أَوْلِيَائِهِ
and through Allah's pleas he would lord over His devotees.
أَوْ مُنْقَاداً لِحَمَلَةِ الْحَقِّ
Or he was one who was obedient to the hearers of truth
لَا بَصِيرَةَ لَهُ فِى أَحْنَائِهِ
but there was no intelligence in his bosom.
يَنْقَدِحُ الشَّكُّ فِى قَلْبِهِ لِأَوَّلِ عَارِضٍ مِنْ شُبْهَةٍ.
At the first appearance of doubt he would entertain misgivings in his heart.
أَلَا لَا ذَا وَ لَا ذَاكَ
So, neither this nor that was good enough.
أَوْ مَنْهُوماً بِاللَّذَّةِ
Either the man is eager for pleasures,
سَلِسَ الْقِيَادِ لِلشَّهْوَةِ
easily led away by passions,
أَوْ مُغْرَماً بِالْجَمْعِ وَ الِادِّخَارِ
or is covetous for collecting and hoarding wealth.
لَيْسَا مِنْ رُعَاةِ الدِّينِ فِى شَيْءٍ
Neither of them has any regard for religion in any matter.
أَقْرَبُ شَيْءٍ شَبَهاً بِهِمَا الْأَنْعَامُ السَّائِمَةُ
The nearest example of these is the loose cattle.
كَذَلِكَ يَمُوتُ الْعِلْمُ بِمَوْتِ حَامِلِيهِ.
This is the way that knowledge dies away with the death of its bearers.
اللَّهُمَّ بَلَى!
O My God! Yes;
لاَ تَخْلُو الاْرْضُ مِنْ قَائِمٍ لله بِحُجَّةٍ،
but the earth is never devoid of those who maintain Allah's plea
إِمَّا ظَاهِراً مَشْهُوراً،
either openly and reputedly
أوْ خَائِفاً مَغْمُوراً
or, being afraid, as hidden
لِئَلاَّ تَبْطُلَ حُجَجُ اللهِ وَبَيِّنَاتُهُ.
in order that Allah's pleas and proofs should not be rebutted.
وَكَمْ ذَا وَأَيْنَ أُولئِكَ؟
How many are they and where are they?
أُولئِكَ ـ وَاللَّهِ ـ الاْقَلُّونَ عَدَداً،
By Allah, they are few in number,
وَالاْعْظَمُونَ قَدْراً،
but they are great in esteem before Allah.
يَحْفَظُ اللهُ بِهِمْ حُجَجَهُ وَبَيِّنَاتِهِ،
Through them Allah guards His pleas and proofs
حَتَّى يُودِعُوهَا نُظَرَاءَهُمْ،
till they entrust them to others like themselves
وَيَزْرَعُوهَا فِي قُلُوبِ أَشْبَاهِهِمْ،
and sow the seeds thereof in the hearts of those who are similar to them.
هَجَمَ بِهِمُ الْعِلْمُ عَلَى حَقِيقَةِ الْبَصِيرَةِ،
Knowledge has led them to real understanding
وَبَاشَرُوا رُوحَ الْيَقِينِ،
and so they have associated themselves with the spirit of conviction.
وَاسْتَلاَنُوامَا اسْتَوْعَرَهُ الْمُتْرَفُونَ
They take easy what the easygoing regard as hard.
وَأَنِسُوا بِمَا اسْتَوْحَشَ مِنْهُ الْجَاهِلُونَ،
They endear what the ignorant take as strange.
وَصَحِبُوا الدُّنْيَا بِأَبْدَانٍ أَرْوَاحُهَا
They live in this world with their bodies here
مُعَلَّقَةٌ بِالْـمَحَلِّ الاْعْلَى،
but their spirits resting in the high above.
أُولئِكَ خُلَفَاءُ اللهِ فِي أَرْضِهِ،
They are the vicegerents of Allah on His earth
وَالدُّعَاةُ إِلَى دِينِهِ،
and callers to His religion.
آهِ آهِ شَوْقاً إِلَى رُؤْيَتِهِمْ!
Oh, oh, how I yearn to see them!
انْصَرِفْ إذَا شِئْتَ!
Go away now, O Kumayl, wherever you wish!
34. Kumayl ibn Ziyad an-Nakha`i was the holder of the secrets of the Imamate and one of the chief companions of Amir al-mu'minin. He held a great position in knowledge and attainment and a chief place in abstinence and Godliness. He was Amir al-mu'minin's Governor of Hit for sometime. He was killed by al-Hajjaj ibn Yusuf ath-Thaqafi in the year 83 A.H. at the age of ninety years and was buried outside Kufah.
