وقيل له عليه السلام :
It was said to Amir al-mu'minin, peace be upon him:
لو سُدَّ على رجلٍ بَابُ بيته،
If a man is left in his house
وتُرِكَ فيه،
and the door is closed,
من أَين كان يأتيه رزقُه؟
from where will his livelihood reach him.
فقال عليه السلام :
And he replied:
مِنْ حَيْثُ كَانَ يَأْتِيهِ أَجَلُهُ.
From whatever way his death reaches him. 88
88. If Allah considers it appropriate to keep a man living while he is confined to a closed house, then He is certainly powerful enough to provide the means of living to him, and just as a closed door cannot prevent death in the same way it cannot prevent the entry of livelihood, because the Might of Allah, the Almighty is equally capable of either. The meaning is that a man should be content in the matter of livelihood because whatever is destined for him will in any case reach him wherever he may be. A Persian couplet says: Livelihood like death will reach a man even if the door be closed, but greed keeps people (unnecessarily) anxious.
