وَ الِامْتِنَاعُ عَنِ الْجَوَابِ وَ نِعْمَ الْعَوْنُ الصَّمْتُ فِي مَوَاطِنَ كَثِيرَةٍ وَ إِنْ كُنْتَ فَصِيحاً.

and the withholding from answer. And an excellent help is silence in many situations, even if you are eloquent.

بيان: ما استودعه على البناء للمجهول أي ما جعلت عنده وديعة و طلبت منه حفظه قوله عليه السلام و الامتناع عن الجواب أي عند عدم مظنة ضرر في الجواب فإن الامتناع حينئذ إما للجهل به أو للجهل بمصلحة الوقت فإن الصلاح حينئذ في الجواب فقوله عليه السلام و نعم العون كالاستثناء مما تقدم و سيجي ء أخبار تناسب هذا الباب في باب تركيب الإنسان و أجزائه.

Elucidation: "what is deposited with it", in the passive construction — that is, what is placed with him as a deposit and whose keeping is asked of him. His words, peace be upon him, "and the withholding from answer" — that is, when there is no likelihood of harm in the answer; for withholding then is either from ignorance of it, or from ignorance of the interest of the moment, since the right course then is in the answer. So his words, peace be upon him, "and an excellent help", are like an exception from what precedes. And reports suited to this chapter will come in the chapter on the composition of man and his parts.

«11»- ف، تحف العقول قَالَ النَّبِيُّ صلى اللّٰه عليه و آله فِي جَوَابِ شَمْعُونَ بْنِ لَاوَي بْنِ يَهُودَا مِنْ حَوَارِيِّي عِيسَى حَيْثُ قَالَ: أَخْبِرْنِي عَنِ الْعَقْلِ مَا هُوَ وَ كَيْفَ هُوَ وَ مَا يَتَشَعَّبُ مِنْهُ وَ مَا لَا يَتَشَعَّبُ وَ صِفْ لِي طَوَائِفَهُ كُلَّهَا فَقَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صلى اللّٰه عليه و آله إِنَّ الْعَقْلَ عِقَالٌ ١مِنَ الْجَهْلِ وَ النَّفْسَ مِثْلُ أَخْبَثِ الدَّوَابِّ فَإِنْ لَمْ تُعْقَلْ حَارَتْ ٢فَالْعَقْلُ عِقَالٌ مِنَ الْجَهْلِ وَ إِنَّ اللَّهَ خَلَقَ الْعَقْلَ فَقَالَ لَهُ أَقْبِلْ فَأَقْبَلَ وَ قَالَ لَهُ أَدْبِرْ فَأَدْبَرَ فَقَالَ اللَّهُ تَبَارَكَ وَ تَعَالَى وَ عِزَّتِي وَ جَلَالِي مَا خَلَقْتُ خَلْقاً أَعْظَمَ مِنْكَ وَ لَا أَطْوَعَ مِنْكَ بِكَ أُبْدِأُ وَ بِكَ أُعِيدُ لَكَ الثَّوَابُ وَ عَلَيْكَ الْعِقَابُ فَتَشَعَّبَ مِنَ الْعَقْلِ الْحِلْمُ وَ مِنَ الْحِلْمِ الْعِلْمُ وَ مِنَ الْعِلْمِ الرُّشْدُ وَ مِنَ الرُّشْدِ الْعَفَافُ ٣وَ مِنَ الْعَفَافِ الصِّيَانَةُ وَ مِنَ الصِّيَانَةِ الْحَيَاءُ وَ مِنَ الْحَيَاءِ الرَّزَانَةُ وَ مِنَ الرَّزَانَةِ الْمُدَاوَمَةُ عَلَى الْخَيْرِ وَ مِنَ الْمُدَاوَمَةِ عَلَى الْخَيْرِ كَرَاهِيَةُ الشَّرِّ وَ مِنْ كَرَاهِيَةِ الشَّرِّ طَاعَةُ النَّاصِحِ فَهَذِهِ عَشَرَةُ أَصْنَافٍ مِنْ أَنْوَاعِ الْخَيْرِ وَ لِكُلِّ وَاحِدٍ مِنْ هَذِهِ الْعَشَرَةِ الْأَصْنَافِ عَشَرَةُ أَنْوَاعٍ فَأَمَّا الْحِلْمُ فَمِنْهُ رُكُوبُ الجهل [الْجَمِيلِ وَ صُحْبَةُ الْأَبْرَارِ وَ رَفْعٌ مِنَ الضِّعَةِ ٤وَ رَفْعٌ مِنَ الخَسَاسَةِ وَ تَشَهِّي الْخَيْرِ وَ يقرب [تَقَرُّبُ صَاحِبِهِ مِنْ مَعَالِي الدَّرَجَاتِ وَ الْعَفْوُ وَ الْمَهَلُ ٥

«11»- f, Tuhaf al-'Uqul: The Prophet — may God bless him and his family — said, in answer to Sham'un b. Lawi b. Yahuda, one of the disciples of Jesus, when he said: Tell me of the intellect — what it is, and how it is, and what branches from it and what does not; and describe to me all its classes. So the Messenger of God — may God bless him and his family — said: The intellect is a tether (1) against ignorance. And the soul is like the most vicious of beasts: if it is not tethered it runs wild (2). So the intellect is a tether against ignorance. And God created the intellect and said to it: Come forward — and it came forward. And He said to it: Go back — and it went back. So God, blessed and exalted, said: By My might and My majesty, I have not created a creature greater than you nor more obedient than you. By you I begin and by you I restore; yours is the reward and upon you is the punishment. So there branched from the intellect forbearance; and from forbearance, knowledge; and from knowledge, right direction; and from right direction, chastity (3); and from chastity, self-guarding; and from self-guarding, modesty; and from modesty, gravity; and from gravity, perseverance in good; and from perseverance in good, hatred of evil; and from hatred of evil, obedience to the sincere counsellor. So these are ten classes of the kinds of good; and for each one of these ten classes there are ten kinds. As for forbearance, of it are: the pursuit of what is comely, the company of the righteous, a raising up from lowliness (4), a raising up from meanness, the desiring of good, its possessor's drawing near to the lofty degrees, pardon, and forbearing delay (5)