صَلَوَاتُ اللَّهِ عَلَيْهِ إِنَّ لِلَّهِ عِبَاداً كَسَرَتْ قُلُوبَهُمْ خَشْيَتُهُ وَ أَسْكَتَتْهُمْ عَنِ النُّطْقِ وَ إِنَّهُمْ لَفُصَحَاءُ عُقَلَاءُ يَسْتَبِقُونَ إِلَى اللَّهِ بِالْأَعْمَالِ الزَّكِيَّةِ لَا يَسْتَكْثِرُونَ لَهُ الْكَثِيرَ وَ لَا يَرْضَوْنَ لَهُ مِنْ أَنْفُسِهِمْ بِالْقَلِيلِ يَرَوْنَ فِي أَنْفُسِهِمْ أَنَّهُمْ أَشْرَارٌ وَ إِنَّهُمْ لَأَكْيَاسٌ ١وَ أَبْرَارٌ.

God's blessings be upon him: God has servants whose hearts the fear of Him has broken and whom it has silenced from speech, though they are eloquent, possessed of intellect. They race to God with pure deeds. They do not reckon much for Him the much, nor are they content for Him with little from themselves. They see themselves as the worst, though they are the shrewd (1) and the righteous.

بيان: لعل المراد بالعجز الترك و تعجيز النفس و الكسل لا عدم القدرة أي إن اللّٰه يؤاخذ بترك شكر النعمة كما يؤاخذ بفعل السيئة و لو في الدنيا بزوال النعمة و الاستباق المسابقة في الرهان أي يسبق بعضهم بعضا في التقرب إلى اللّٰه بالأعمال الطاهرة من آفاتها أو النامية و الكياسة العقل و الفطنة.

Elucidation: perhaps what is meant by inability is the leaving of it, the making of the soul incapable, and sloth — not the absence of power. That is, God calls to account for the leaving of thanks for a blessing as He calls to account for the doing of a misdeed, even if in this world, by the passing away of the blessing. And al-istibaq is racing in a contest — that is, some of them outstrip others in drawing near to God by deeds pure of their blights, or growing. And al-kiyasa is intellect and acuteness.

يَا هِشَامُ الْحَيَاءُ مِنَ الْإِيمَانِ وَ الْإِيمَانُ فِي الْجَنَّةِ وَ الْبَذَاءُ مِنَ الْجَفَاءِ وَ الْجَفَاءُ فِي النَّارِ.

Hisham, modesty is of faith, and faith is in the Garden; and foul speech is of coarseness, and coarseness is in the Fire.

بيان: البذاء بفتح الباء ممدودا الفحش و كل كلام قبيح و الجفاء ممدودا خلاف البر و الصلة و قد يطلق على البعد عن الآداب و قال المطرزي الجفاء الغلظ في العشرة و الخرق في المعاملة و ترك الرفق.

Elucidation: al-badha', with fatha on the ba' and lengthened, is obscenity and every ugly speech. And al-jafa', lengthened, is the opposite of kindness and the joining of ties; and it is sometimes applied to remoteness from the proprieties. And al-Mutarrizi said: al-jafa' is coarseness in company, roughness in dealing, and the leaving of gentleness.

يَا هِشَامُ الْمُتَكَلِّمُونَ ثَلَاثَةٌ فَرَابِحٌ وَ سَالِمٌ وَ شَاجِبٌ فَأَمَّا الرَّابِحُ فَالذَّاكِرُ لِلَّهِ وَ أَمَّا السَّالِمُ فَالسَّاكِتُ وَ أَمَّا الشَّاجِبُ فَالَّذِي يَخُوضُ فِي الْبَاطِلِ إِنَّ اللَّهَ حَرَّمَ الْجَنَّةَ عَلَى كُلِّ فَاحِشٍ بَذِيٍّ قَلِيلِ الْحَيَاءِ لَا يُبَالِي مَا قَالَ وَ لَا مَا قِيلَ فِيهِ وَ كَانَ أَبُو ذَرٍّ رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُ يَقُولُ يَا مُبْتَغِيَ الْعِلْمِ إِنَّ هَذَا اللِّسَانَ مِفْتَاحُ خَيْرٍ وَ مِفْتَاحُ شَرٍّ فَاخْتِمْ عَلَى فِيكَ كَمَا تَخْتِمُ عَلَى ذَهَبِكَ وَ وَرِقِكَ ٢.

Hisham, speakers are three: one who profits, one who is safe, and one who perishes. As for the one who profits, he is the one who remembers God; and as for the one who is safe, he is the silent; and as for the one who perishes, he is the one who plunges into falsehood. God has forbidden the Garden to every obscene, foul-mouthed man of little modesty, who cares not what he says nor what is said of him. And Abu Dharr, may God be pleased with him, used to say: Seeker of knowledge, this tongue is a key of good and a key of evil; so set a seal upon your mouth as you set a seal upon your gold and your silver (2).

بيان: المراد بالمتكلمين القادرون على التكلم أو المتكلمون و المجالسون معهم تغليبا و الحاصل أن الناس في أمر الكلام على ثلاثة أصناف و الشجب الهلاك و الحزن و العيب قال الجزري

Elucidation: what is meant by the speakers is those able to speak; or the speakers and those sitting with them, by predominance. The upshot is that people in the matter of speech are of three classes. And al-shajb is destruction, grief and fault. Al-Jazari said:

في حديث الحسن المجالس ثلاثة فسالم و غانم و شاجب.

in the tradition of al-Hasan: gatherings are three — one safe, one gaining, and one perishing.

أي هالك يقال شجب يشجب فهو شاجب و شجب يشجب فهو شجب أي إما سالم من الإثم أو غانم للأجر و إما هالك آثم.

that is, perishing. It is said shajaba, yashjubu, so he is shajib; and shajiba, yashjabu, so he is shajib — that is, either safe from sin, or gaining reward, or perishing and sinning.