يَا هِشَامُ كَمَا تَرَكُوا لَكُمُ الْحِكْمَةَ فَاتْرُكُوا لَهُمُ الدُّنْيَا.

Hisham, as they left wisdom for you, so leave this world for them.

بيان: المنحة العطاء.

Elucidation: al-minha is giving.

يَا هِشَامُ لَا دِينَ لِمَنْ لَا مُرُوءَةَ لَهُ وَ لَا مُرُوءَةَ لِمَنْ لَا عَقْلَ لَهُ وَ إِنَّ أَعْظَمَ النَّاسِ قَدْراً الَّذِي لَا يَرَى الدُّنْيَا لِنَفْسِهِ خَطَراً أَمَا إِنَّ أَبْدَانَكُمْ لَيْسَ لَهَا ثَمَنٌ إِلَّا الْجَنَّةُ فَلَا تَبِيعُوهَا بِغَيْرِهَا.

Hisham, there is no religion for one who has no manliness, and no manliness for one who has no intellect. And the greatest of people in worth is he who does not reckon this world of any account for himself. Indeed, your bodies have no price save the Garden; so do not sell them for anything else.

بيان: المروءة الإنسانية و كمال الرجولية و هي الصفة الجامعة لمكارم الأخلاق و محاسن الآداب و الخطر الحظ و النصيب و القدر و المنزلة و السبق الذي يتراهن عليه و الكل محتمل.

Elucidation: al-muru'a is humanity and the completeness of manhood, and it is the quality comprising the noble characters and the fair proprieties. And al-khatar is the share, the portion, the worth, the rank, and the stake wagered upon; and all are possible.

يَا هِشَامُ إِنَّ أَمِيرَ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ عليه السلام كَانَ يَقُولُ لَا يَجْلِسُ فِي صَدْرِ الْمَجْلِسِ إِلَّا رَجُلٌ فِيهِ ثَلَاثُ خِصَالٍ يُجِيبُ إِذَا سُئِلَ وَ يَنْطِقُ إِذَا عَجَزَ الْقَوْمُ عَنِ الْكَلَامِ وَ يُشِيرُ بِالرَّأْيِ الَّذِي فِيهِ صَلَاحُ أَهْلِهِ فَمَنْ لَمْ يَكُنْ فِيهِ شَيْ ءٌ مِنْهُنَّ فَجَلَسَ فَهُوَ أَحْمَقُ وَ قَالَ الْحَسَنُ بْنُ عَلِيٍّ عليهما السلام إِذَا طَلَبْتُمُ الْحَوَائِجَ فَاطْلُبُوهَا مِنْ أَهْلِهَا قِيلَ يَا ابْنَ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ وَ مَنْ أَهْلُهَا قَالَ الَّذِينَ قَصَّ اللَّهُ فِي كِتَابِهِ وَ ذَكَرَهُمْ فَقَالَ إِنَّما يَتَذَكَّرُ أُولُوا الْأَلْبابِ قَالَ هُمْ أُولُو الْعُقُولِ وَ قَالَ عَلِيُّ بْنُ الْحُسَيْنِ عليهما السلام مُجَالَسَةُ الصَّالِحِينَ دَاعِيَةٌ إِلَى الصَّلَاحِ وَ أَدَبُ الْعُلَمَاءِ زِيَادَةٌ فِي الْعَقْلِ وَ طَاعَةُ وُلَاةِ الْعَقْلِ تَمَامُ الْعِزِّ وَ اسْتِتْمَامُ الْمَالِ تَمَامُ الْمُرُوءَةِ وَ إِرْشَادُ الْمُسْتَشِيرِ قَضَاءٌ لِحَقِّ النِّعْمَةِ وَ كَفُّ الْأَذَى مِنْ كَمَالِ الْعَقْلِ وَ فِيهِ رَاحَةُ الْبَدَنِ عَاجِلًا وَ آجِلًا.

Hisham, the Commander of the Faithful, peace be upon him, used to say: None sits at the head of the gathering save a man in whom are three qualities: he answers when he is asked; he speaks when the people are unable to speak; and he counsels with the judgement in which is the good of its people. So whoever has nothing of them in him and yet sits, he is a fool. And al-Hasan b. 'Ali, peace be upon them both, said: When you seek your needs, seek them from their people. It was said: Son of the Messenger of God, and who are their people? He said: Those whom God recounted in His Book and mentioned, saying: "Only the possessors of understanding take heed." He said: they are the people of intellects. And 'Ali b. al-Husayn, peace be upon them both, said: Sitting with the righteous is a summoner to righteousness; and the discipline of the learned is an increase in intellect; and obedience to those charged with the intellect is the completeness of might; and the completing of wealth is the completeness of manliness; and the guiding of one who seeks counsel is a discharging of the due of the blessing; and the restraining of harm is of the completeness of the intellect, and in it is the body's rest, soon and late.

بيان: أدب العلماء زيادة في العقل أي مجالستهم و تعلم آدابهم و النظر إلى أفعالهم و أخلاقهم موجبة لزيادة العقل و استتمام المال و في الكافي استثمار المال أي استنماؤه بالتجارة و المكاسب دليل تمام الإنسانية و موجب له أيضا قوله قضاء لحق النعمة أي شكر لحق أخيه عليه حيث جعله موضع مشورته أو شكر لنعمة العقل و هي من أعظم النعم و لعل الأخير أظهر.

Elucidation: "the discipline of the learned is an increase in intellect" — that is, sitting with them and learning their proprieties and looking upon their acts and their characters entails an increase of intellect. And "the completing of wealth" — and in al-Kafi "the making of wealth fruitful", that is, the making it grow by trade and earnings — is an indication of the completeness of humanity and also entails it. His words "a discharging of the due of the blessing" — that is, thanks for his brother's due upon him, in that he made him the place of his counsel; or thanks for the blessing of the intellect, which is among the greatest of blessings — and perhaps the latter is the more evident.

يَا هِشَامُ إِنَّ الْعَاقِلَ لَا يُحَدِّثُ مَنْ يَخَافُ تَكْذِيبَهُ وَ لَا يَسْأَلُ مَنْ يَخَافُ مَنْعَهُ وَ لَا يَعِدُ مَا لَا يَقْدِرُ عَلَيْهِ وَ لَا يَرْجُو مَا يُعَنَّفُ بِرَجَائِهِ وَ لَا يَتَقَدَّمُ عَلَى مَا يَخَافُ الْعَجْزَ عَنْهُ وَ كَانَ أَمِيرُ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ عليه السلام يُوصِي أَصْحَابَهُ يَقُولُ أُوصِيكُمْ بِالْخَشْيَةِ مِنَ اللَّهِ فِي السِّرِّ وَ الْعَلَانِيَةِ وَ الْعَدْلِ فِي الرِّضَا وَ الْغَضَبِ وَ الِاكْتِسَابِ فِي الْفَقْرِ وَ الْغِنَى وَ أَنْ تَصِلُوا مَنْ

Hisham, the man of intellect does not speak to one whose disbelieving him he fears; and does not ask of one whose refusal he fears; and does not promise what he has no power over; and does not hope for what he would be reproached for hoping; and does not go forward upon what he fears being unable for. And the Commander of the Faithful, peace be upon him, used to counsel his companions, saying: I counsel you to fear of God in secret and in the open, and to justice in contentment and in anger, and to earning in poverty and in wealth, and that you join him who