واقعا و يمتازون عن المجرمين و يحشرون إلى الرحمن وفدا و أما في الدنيا فكثيرا ما يشبه غيرهم بهم.

are truly made plain and are distinguished from the criminals and are gathered to the Merciful as a delegation. As for in this world, often others are made to resemble them.

يَا هِشَامُ قِلَّةُ الْمَنْطِقِ حُكْمٌ عَظِيمٌ فَعَلَيْكُمْ بِالصَّمْتِ فَإِنَّهُ دَعَةٌ حَسَنَةٌ وَ قِلَّةُ وِزْرٍ وَ خِفَّةٌ مِنَ الذُّنُوبِ فَحَصِّنُوا بَابَ الْحِلْمِ فَإِنَّ بَابَهُ الصَّبْرُ وَ إِنَّ اللَّهَ عَزَّ وَ جَلَّ يُبْغِضُ الضَّحَّاكَ مِنْ غَيْرِ عَجَبٍ وَ الْمَشَّاءَ إِلَى غَيْرِ أَرَبٍ وَ يَجِبُ عَلَى الْوَالِي أَنْ يَكُونَ كَالرَّاعِي لَا يَغْفُلُ عَنْ رَعِيَّتِهِ وَ لَا يَتَكَبَّرُ عَلَيْهِمْ فَاسْتَحْيُوا مِنَ اللَّهِ فِي سَرَائِرِكُمْ كَمَا تَسْتَحْيُونَ مِنَ النَّاسِ فِي عَلَانِيَتِكُمْ وَ اعْلَمُوا أَنَّ الْكَلِمَةَ مِنَ الْحِكْمَةِ ضَالَّةُ الْمُؤْمِنِ فَعَلَيْكُمْ بِالْعِلْمِ قَبْلَ أَنْ يُرْفَعَ وَ رَفْعُهُ غَيْبَةُ عَالِمِكُمْ بَيْنَ أَظْهُرِكُمْ.

Hisham, fewness of speech is a great wisdom; so take to silence, for it is a goodly ease, a lessening of burden and a lightening of sins. So fortify the door of forbearance, for its door is patience. And God, Almighty and Glorious, hates the great laugher without wonder and the great walker to no purpose. And it is incumbent upon the governor to be as the shepherd, not heedless of his flock nor proud over them. So be ashamed before God in your inward selves as you are ashamed before people in your outward. And know that the word of wisdom is the believer's lost thing; so take to knowledge before it is raised up — and its raising up is the absence of your scholar from among you.

بيان: الحكم بالضم الحكمة و الدعة بفتح الدال السكون و الراحة و الإرب بالكسر و بالتحريك الحاجة و قال في النهاية

Elucidation: al-hukm, with damma, is wisdom. And al-da'a, with fatha on the dal, is stillness and rest. And al-irb, with kasra and with the vowelling, is need. And he said in al-Nihaya:

و في الحديث الكلمة الحكمة ضالة المؤمن.

And in the tradition: the word of wisdom is the believer's lost thing.

و في رواية ضالة كل حكيم.

And in a narration: the lost thing of every wise man.

أي لا يزال يطلبها كما يتطلب الرجل ضالته انتهى و قيل المراد أن المؤمن يأخذ الحكمة من كل من وجدها عنده و إن كان كافرا أو فاسقا كما أن صاحب الضالة يأخذها حيث وجدها و يؤيده ما مر و قيل المراد أن من كان عنده حكمة لا يفهمها و لا يستحقها يجب أن يطلب من يأخذها بحقها كما يجب تعريف الضالة و إذا وجد من يستحقها وجب أن لا يبخل في البذل كالضالة.

that is, he does not cease to seek it as a man seeks his lost thing — end of quotation. And it is said: what is meant is that the believer takes wisdom from everyone he finds it with, even if he be an unbeliever or a transgressor, just as the owner of a lost thing takes it wherever he finds it; and what has passed supports it. And it is said: what is meant is that whoever has with him a wisdom he does not understand and does not deserve must seek one who will take it by its due, just as the announcing of a lost thing is obligatory; and when he finds one who deserves it he must not be miserly in bestowing it, as with the lost thing.

و قال في النهاية في الحديث فأقاموا بين ظهرانيهم و بين أظهرهم قد تكررت هذه اللفظة في الحديث و المراد بها أنهم أقاموا بينهم على سبيل الاستظهار و الاستناد إليهم و زيدت فيه ألف و نون مفتوحة تأكيدا و معناه أن ظهرا منهم قدامه و ظهرا وراءه فهو مكنوف من جانبيه و من جوانبه إذا قيل بين أظهرهم ثم كثر حتى استعمل في الإقامة بين القوم مطلقا.

And he said in al-Nihaya: in the tradition, "so they stayed bayna zahranayhim and bayna azhurihim" — this expression has recurred in the tradition, and what is meant by it is that they stayed among them by way of seeking support and leaning upon them. And an alif and a nun with fatha were added to it for emphasis. And its meaning is that a back of them is before him and a back behind him, so he is sheltered on his two sides and on his sides, when it is said bayna azhurihim; then it became common until it was used for staying among a people generally.

يَا هِشَامُ تَعَلَّمْ مِنَ الْعِلْمِ مَا جَهِلْتَ وَ عَلِّمِ الْجَاهِلَ مِمَّا عَلِمْتَ وَ عَظِّمِ الْعَالِمَ لِعِلْمِهِ وَ دَعْ مُنَازَعَتَهُ وَ صَغِّرِ الْجَاهِلَ لِجَهْلِهِ وَ لَا تَطْرُدْهُ وَ لَكِنْ قَرِّبْهُ وَ عَلِّمْهُ.

Hisham, learn of knowledge what you are ignorant of, and teach the ignorant of what you know. And magnify the scholar for his knowledge, and leave off contending with him; and belittle the ignorant for his ignorance, but do not drive him away — rather bring him near and teach him.

بيان: الطرد الإبعاد.

Elucidation: al-tard is driving away.

يَا هِشَامُ إِنَّ كُلَّ نِعْمَةٍ عَجَزْتَ عَنْ شُكْرِهَا بِمَنْزِلَةِ سَيِّئَةٍ تُؤَاخَذُ بِهَا وَ قَالَ أَمِيرُ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ

Hisham, every blessing you are unable to give thanks for is in the position of a misdeed for which you are called to account. And the Commander of the Faithful said