وقال عليه السلام لرجلٍ سأَله أَن يعظه:
Amir al-mu'minin, peace be upon him, said to a man who had requested him to preach:
لَا تَكُنْ مِمَّنْ يَرْجُو الْآخِرَةَ بِغَيْرِ عَمَلٍ
Do not be like him who hopes for (bliss in) the next life without action,
وَ يُرَجِّى التَّوْبَةَ بِطُولِ الْأَمَلِ
and delays repentance by lengthening desires,
يَقُولُ فِى الدُّنْيَا بِقَوْلِ الزَّاهِدِينَ
who utters words like ascetics in this world
وَ يَعْمَلُ فِيهَا بِعَمَلِ الرَّاغِبِينَ
but acts like those who are eager for it;
إِنْ أُعْطِيَ مِنْهَا لَمْ يَشْبَعْ
if he is allowed something from it he does not feel satisfied;
وَ إِنْ مُنِعَ مِنْهَا لَمْ يَقْنَعْ
if he is denied he is not content;
يَعْجِزُ عَنْ شُكْرِ مَا أُوتِيَ
he is not grateful for what he gets
وَ يَبْتَغِى الزِّيَادَةَ فِيمَا بَقِيَ
and covets for increase in whatever remains with him;
يَنْهَى وَ لَا يَنْتَهِى
he refrains others but not himself;
وَ يَأْمُرُ بِمَا لَا يَأْتِى
he commands others for what he himself does not do;
يُحِبُّ الصَّالِحِينَ
he loves the virtuous
وَ لَا يَعْمَلُ عَمَلَهُمْ
but does not behave like them;
وَ يُبْغِضُ الْمُذْنِبِينَ
he hates the vicious
وَ هُوَ أَحَدُهُمْ
but himself is one of them;
يَكْرَهُ الْمَوْتَ لِكَثْرَةِ ذُنُوبِهِ
he dislikes death because of the excess of his sins
وَ يُقِيمُ عَلَى مَا يَكْرَهُ الْمَوْتَ مِنْ أَجْلِهِ .
but adheres to that for which he is afraid of death.
إِنْ سَقِمَ ظَلَّ نَادِماً
If he falls ill he is remorseful;
وَ إِنْ صَحَّ أَمِنَ،
if he is healthy he feels secure
لَاهِياً
and indulges in amusements;
يُعْجَبُ بِنَفْسِهِ إِذَا عُوفِيَ
when he recovers from illness he feels vain about himself;
وَ يَقْنَطُ إِذَا ابْتُلِيَ،
when he is afflicted he loses hope;
إِنْ أَصَابَهُ بَلَاءٌ
if distress befalls him
دَعَا مُضْطَرّاً
he prays like a bewildered man;
وَ إِنْ نَالَهُ رَخَاءٌ
when he finds ease of life
أَعْرَضَ مُغْتَرّاً،
he falls into deceit and turns his face away;
تَغْلِبُهُ نَفْسُهُ عَلَى مَا يَظُنُّ
his heart overpowers him by means of imaginary things
وَ لَا يَغْلِبُهَا عَلَى مَا يَسْتَيْقِنُ،
while he cannot control his heart by his conviction;
يَخَافُ عَلَى غَيْرِهِ بِأَدْنَى مِنْ ذَنْبِهِ
for others he is afraid of small sins,
وَ يَرْجُو لِنَفْسِهِ بِأَكْثَرَ مِنْ عَمَلِهِ،
but for himself he expects more reward than his performance;
إِنِ اسْتَغْنَى
if he becomes wealthy
بَطِرَ وَ فُتِنَ
he becomes self-conceited and falls into vice;
وَ إِنِ افْتَقَرَ
if he becomes poor
قَنِطَ وَ وَهَنَ،
he despairs and becomes weak;
يُقَصِّرُ إِذَا عَمِلَ
he falls short when doing a good thing
وَ يُبَالِغُ إِذَا سَأَلَ،
but goes too far when he is begging;
إِنْ عَرَضَتْ لَهُ شَهْوَةٌ
when passion overtakes him
أَسْلَفَ الْمَعْصِيَةَ
he is quick in committing sin
وَ سَوَّفَ التَّوْبَةَ
but delays repentance;
وَ إِنْ عَرَتْهُ مِحْنَةٌ
if hardship befalls him
انْفَرَجَ عَنْ شَرَائِطِ الْمِلَّةِ،
he goes beyond the cannons of the (Islamic) community;
يَصِفُ الْعِبْرَةَ وَ لَا يَعْتَبِرُ
he describes instructive events but does not take instruction himself;
وَ يُبَالِغُ فِى الْمَوْعِظَةِ وَ لَا يَتَّعِظُ،
he preaches at length but does not accept any preaching for himself;
فَهُوَ بِالْقَوْلِ مُدِلٌّ
he is tall in speaking
وَ مِنَ الْعَمَلِ مُقِلٌّ
but short in action;
يُنَافِسُ فِيمَا يَفْنَى
he aspires for things that will perish
وَ يُسَامِحُ فِيمَا يَبْقَى
and ignores things that will last for good;
يَرَى الْغُنْمَ مَغْرَماً
he regards profit as loss
وَ الْغُرْمَ مَغْنَماً،
and loss as profit;
يَخْشَى الْمَوْتَ
he fears death
وَ لَا يُبَادِرُ الْفَوْتَ.
but does nothing in its anticipation.
يَسْتَعْظِمُ مِنْ مَعْصِيَةِ غَيْرِهِ
He regards the sins of others as big
مَا يَسْتَقِلُّ أَكْثَرَ مِنْهُ مِنْ نَفْسِهِ،
but considers the same things for himself as small;
وَ يَسْتَكْثِرُ مِنْ طَاعَتِهِ
if he does something in obedience to Allah he considers it much
مَا يَحْقِرُهُ مِنْ طَاعَةِ غَيْرِهِ،
but if others do the same he considers it small;
فَهُوَ عَلَى النَّاسِ طَاعِنٌ
he therefore rebukes others
وَ لِنَفْسِهِ مُدَاهِنٌ،
but flatters himself;
اللَّهْوُ مَعَ الْأَغْنِيَاءِ أَحَبُّ إِلَيْهِ
entertainment in the company of the wealthy is dearer to him
مِنَ الذِّكْرِ مَعَ الْفُقَرَاءِ،
than remembrance (of Allah) with the poor;
يَحْكُمُ عَلَى غَيْرِهِ لِنَفْسِهِ
he passes verdicts against others for his own interests
وَ لَا يَحْكُمُ عَلَيْهَا لِغَيْرِهِ
and does not do so against himself for others' interests;
يُرْشِدُ غَيْرَهُ
he guides others
وَ يُغْوِى نَفْسَهُ،
but misguides himself;
فَهُوَ يُطَاعُ وَ يَعْصِى
he is obeyed by others but he himself disobeys (Allah);
وَ يَسْتَوْفِى وَ لَا يُوفِى،
he seeks fulfilment (of obligations towards himself) but does not fulfil his obligations (towards others);
وَ يَخْشَى الْخَلْقَ فِى غَيْرِ رَبِّهِ
he fears the people (and acts) for other than his Lord (Allah)
وَ لَا يَخْشَى رَبَّه فِى خَلْقِهِ .
and does not fear his Lord in his dealings with the people.
قال الرضى و لو لم يكن فى هذا الكتاب إلا هذا الكلام لكفى به موعظة ناجعة و حكمة بالغة و بصيرة لمبصر و عبرة لناظر مفكر .
As-Sayyid ar-Radi says: If this book had contained nothing save this short utterance it would have sufficed as a successful piece of preaching, a specimen of high philosophy, an object of wisdom for the onlooker and a source of instruction for the meditative watcher.
