وقيل له عليه السلام :
It was said to Amir a'-mu'minin, peace be upon him:
صف لنا العاقل.
Describe the wise to us;
فقال عليه السلام :
and he said:
هُوَ الِّذِي يَضَعُ الشَّيْءَ مَوَاضِعَهُ.
The wise is one who places things in their proper positions.
قيل:
Then, he was asked:
فصف لنا الجاهل.
Describe the ignorant to us;
قال:
and he said:
قَدْ فَعَلْتُ.
I have already done so.
قال الرضى: يعنى أن الجاهل هو الذى لا يضع الشيء مواضعه فكأن ترك صفته صفة له إذ كان بخلاف وصف العاقل .
As-Sayyid ar-Radi says: The meaning is that the ignorant is one who does not place things in their proper positions. In this way, Amir al-mu'minin's abstention from describing was a way of describing him because the attributes of the ignorant are the opposite of the wise.
