وقال عليه السلام لجابر بن عبدالله الاَنصاري:
Amir al-mu'minin, peace be upon him, said to Jabir ibn 'Abdullah al-Ansari':
يَا جَابِرُ، قِوَامُ الدِّينِ وَ الدُّنْيَا بِأَرْبَعَةٍ:
O Jabir, the mainstay of religion and the world are four persons:
عَالِمٍ مُسْتَعْمِلٍ عِلْمَهُ،
The scholar who acts on his knowledge;
وَجَاهِلٍ لاَ يَسْتَنْكِفُ أَنْ يَتَعَلَّمَ،
the ignorant who does not feel ashamed of learning;
وَجَوَادٍ لاَ يَبْخَلُ بِمَعْرُوفِهِ،
the generous who is not niggardly in his favours;
وَفَقِيرٍ لاَ يَبِيعُ آخِرَتَهُ بِدُنْيَاهُ؛
and the destitute who does not sell his next life for his worldly benefits.
فَإِذَا ضَيَّعَ الْعَالِمُ عِلْمَهُ اسْتَنْكَفَ الْجَاهِلُ أَنْ يَتَعَلَّمَ،
Consequently, when the scholar wastes his knowledge, the ignorant feels shame in learning;
وَإِذَا بَخِلَ الْغَنِيُّ بِمَعْرُوفِهِ بَاعَ الْفَقِيرُ آخِرَتَهُ بِدُنْيَاهُ.
and when the generous is niggardly with his favours, the destitute sells his next life for the worldly benefits.
يَا جَابِرُ مَنْ كَثُرَتْ نِعَمُ اَللَّهِ عَلَيْهِ كَثُرَتْ حَوَائِجُ اَلنَّاسِ إِلَيْهِ
O Jabir, if favours of Allah abound on a person the people's needs towards him also abound.
فَمَنْ قَامَ لِلَّهِ فِيهَا بِمَا يَجِبُ فِيهَا عَرَّضَهَا لِلدَّوَامِ وَ اَلْبَقَاءِ
Therefore, he who fulfils for Allah all that is obligatory on him in this regard will preserve them (Allah's favours) in continuance and perpetuity,
وَ مَنْ لَمْ يَقُمْ فِيهَا بِمَا يَجِبُ عَرَّضَهَا لِلزَّوَالِ وَ اَلْفَنَاءِ.
while he who does not fulfil those obligations will expose them to decay and destruction.
