بيان: قوله تعالى بك أبدأ و بك أعيد أي بك خلقت الخلق و أبدأتهم و بك أعيدهم للجزاء إذ لو لا العقل لم يحسن التكليف و لو لا التكليف لم يكن للخلق فائدة و لا للثواب و العقاب و الحشر منفعة و لا فيها حكمة.

Elucidation: His words, exalted be He, "by you I begin and by you I restore" — that is, by you I created creation and originated them, and by you I restore them for recompense; since but for the intellect obligation would not be fitting, and but for obligation there would be no benefit in creation, nor any profit in reward and punishment and the gathering, nor any wisdom in them.

قوله صلى اللّٰه عليه و آله و من الحلم العلم إذ بترك الحلم ينفر العلماء عنه فلا يمكنه التعلم منهم و أيضا يسلب اللّٰه علمه عنه و لا يفيض عليه الحكمة بتركه كما سيأتي و الرشد الاهتداء و الاستقامة على طريق الحق مع تصلب فيه و العفاف منع النفس عن المحرمات و الصيانة منعها عن الشبهات و المكروهات فلذا تتفرع على العفاف و بالصيانة ترتفع الغواشي و الأغطية عن عين القلب فيرى الحق حقا و الباطل باطلا فيستحيي من ارتكاب المعاصي و إذا استحكم فيه الحياء تحصل له الرزانة أي عدم الانزعاج عن المحركات الشهوانية و الغضبية و عدم التزلزل بالفتن إذ الحياء عن ربه يمنعه عن أن يؤثر شيئا على رضاه أو يترك الأمور الدنية خدمة مولاه و الرزانة تصير وسيلة إلى المداومة على الخيرات و المداومة على الخيرات توجب تأييد اللّٰه تعالى لأن يكره الشرور فإذا صار محبا للخير كارها للشر يطيع كل ناصح يدله على الخير الذي يحبه أو يزجره عن الشر الذي يكرهه و أما ما يتشعب من الحلم فتشعبها منه يظهر بأدنى تأمل و بسط القول فيها يوجب الإطناب و الضعة بحسب الدنيا و الخساسة ما كان بسبب الأخلاق الذميمة و المهل أي تأخير العقوبة و عدم المبادرة بالانتقام.

His words — may God bless him and his family — "and from forbearance, knowledge" — since by the abandoning of forbearance the learned shun him, so he cannot learn from them; and also God strips his knowledge from him and does not effuse wisdom upon him by his abandoning it, as will come. And right direction is being guided aright and standing firm upon the path of truth with steadfastness in it. And chastity is the restraining of the soul from forbidden things, and self-guarding is the restraining of it from doubtful and disapproved things; and for that reason it branches from chastity. And by self-guarding the coverings and the veils are lifted from the eye of the heart, so he sees the truth as truth and falsehood as falsehood, and so is ashamed to commit acts of disobedience. And when modesty is firmly established in him, gravity is attained for him — that is, not being disturbed by the appetitive and irascible movers, and not being shaken by trials; since modesty before his Lord prevents him from preferring anything to His good pleasure, or from leaving base matters in the service of his Master. And gravity becomes a means to perseverance in good things; and perseverance in good things entails God the Exalted's support that he should hate evils. So when he becomes a lover of good and a hater of evil, he obeys every sincere counsellor who guides him to the good he loves or restrains him from the evil he hates. As for what branches from forbearance, their branching from it becomes clear with the least reflection, and expanding the discourse upon them entails prolixity. And lowliness is with respect to the world, and meanness is what is by reason of blameworthy characters. And al-mahal, that is, the deferring of punishment and not hastening to vengeance.

و أما ما يتشعب من العلم فالغنى أي غنى النفس و إن كان فقيرا بلا مال و يحتمل أيضا الغنى بالمال و إن كان قبل العلم فقيرا و الجود أي يجود بالحقائق على الخلق و إن كان بخيلا في المال إما لعدمه أو لبخله أو المراد أن العلم يصير سببا لجوده بالمال و العلم و غيرهما و إن كان قبل اتصافه بالعلم بخيلا و تحصل له المهابة و إن كان بحسب ما يصير بحسب الدنيا سببا لها هينا لعدم شرف دنيوي و حسب و نسب و مال لكن بالعلم يلقي اللّٰه مهابته في قلوب العباد و إن كان قبل العلم هينا حقيرا و السلامة من العيوب و إن كان في بدنه سقيما أو العلم يصير سببا لشفائه عن الأسقام الجسمانية و الروحانية و القرب من اللّٰه و إن كان قصيا أي بعيدا عن كرام

As for what branches from knowledge: sufficiency, that is, sufficiency of soul, though he be poor without wealth; and sufficiency by wealth is also possible, though he was poor before knowledge. And generosity, that is, he is generous with realities to creation, though he be miserly in wealth, either for lack of it or from his miserliness; or what is meant is that knowledge becomes a cause of his generosity with wealth and with knowledge and with other things, though he was miserly before being qualified by knowledge. And awe-inspiring dignity is attained for him, though he be — with respect to what becomes a cause of it in the world — of no account, for lack of worldly honour, standing, lineage and wealth; yet by knowledge God casts his awe into the hearts of the servants, though he was before knowledge of no account and contemptible. And safety from faults, though he be sick in his body; or knowledge becomes a cause of his healing from bodily and spiritual sicknesses. And nearness to God, though he be far off — that is, distant from the noble