كَمَا صَنَعَ حَتَّى تَرَى فَضْلَكَ فَإِنْ صَنَعْتَ كَمَا صَنَعَ فَلَهُ الْفَضْلُ بِالابْتِدَاءِ يَا هِشَامُ إِنَّ مَثَلَ الدُّنْيَا مَثَلُ الْحَيَّةِ مَسُّهَا لَيِّنٌ وَ فِي جَوْفِهَا السَّمُّ الْقَاتِلُ يَحْذَرُهَا الرِّجَالُ ذَوُو الْعُقُولِ وَ يَهْوِي إِلَيْهَا الصِّبْيَانُ بِأَيْدِيهِمْ يَا هِشَامُ اصْبِرْ عَلَى طَاعَةِ اللَّهِ وَ اصْبِرْ عَنْ مَعَاصِي اللَّهِ فَإِنَّمَا الدُّنْيَا سَاعَةٌ فَمَا مَضَى مِنْهَا فَلَيْسَ تَجِدُ لَهُ سُرُوراً وَ لَا حُزْناً وَ مَا لَمْ يَأْتِ ١مِنْهَا فَلَيْسَ تَعْرِفُهُ فَاصْبِرْ عَلَى تِلْكَ السَّاعَةِ الَّتِي أَنْتَ فِيهَا فَكَأَنَّكَ قَدِ اعْتُبِطْتَ.

as he did, until you see your own excess; for if you do as he did, his is the excess by the beginning. Hisham, the likeness of this world is the likeness of the serpent: its touch is soft, and in its belly is the killing venom. Men of intellect are wary of it, while children reach for it with their hands. Hisham, be patient upon the obedience of God, and be patient away from the acts of disobedience to God; for this world is but an hour. What has passed of it — you find in it neither joy nor grief; and what has not yet come (1) of it — you do not know it. So be patient upon that hour in which you are, as though you had already been taken away.

بيان: في النهاية كل من مات بغير علة فقد اعتبط و مات فلان عبطة أي شابا صحيحا و في بعض النسخ بالغين المعجمة أي إن صبرت فعن قريب تصير مغبوطا في الآخرة يتمنى الناس منزلتك.

Elucidation: in al-Nihaya: everyone who dies without a cause has been i'tubita; and so-and-so died 'abtatan — that is, young and sound. And in some copies it is with the dotted ghayn — that is, if you are patient, then shortly you will become one envied in the hereafter, whose station people will wish for.

يَا هِشَامُ مَثَلُ الدُّنْيَا مَثَلُ مَاءِ الْبَحْرِ كُلَّمَا شَرِبَ مِنْهُ الْعَطْشَانُ ازْدَادَ عَطَشاً حَتَّى يَقْتُلَهُ يَا هِشَامُ إِيَّاكَ وَ الْكِبْرَ فَإِنَّهُ لَا يَدْخُلُ الْجَنَّةَ مَنْ كَانَ فِي قَلْبِهِ مِثْقَالُ حَبَّةٍ مِنْ كِبْرٍ الْكِبْرُ رِدَاءُ اللَّهِ فَمَنْ نَازَعَهُ رِدَاءَهُ أَكَبَّهُ اللَّهُ فِي النَّارِ عَلَى وَجْهِهِ.

Hisham, the likeness of this world is the likeness of the water of the sea: whenever the thirsty man drinks of it, he increases in thirst until it kills him. Hisham, beware of pride; for none enters the Garden in whose heart is the weight of a grain of pride. Pride is God's mantle; so whoever contends with Him for His mantle, God casts him into the Fire upon his face.

بيان:

Elucidation:

قَالَ الْجَزَرِيُّ فِي الْحَدِيثِ قَالَ اللَّهُ تَعَالَى الْعَظَمَةُ إِزَارِي وَ الْكِبْرِيَاءُ رِدَائِي.

Al-Jazari said, in the tradition: God the Exalted said: Greatness is My waist-wrapper and pride is My mantle.

ضرب الرداء و الإزار مثلا في انفراده بصفة العظمة و الكبرياء أي ليستا كسائر الصفات التي قد يتصف بها الخلق مجازا كالرحمة و شبههما بالإزار و الرداء لأن المتصف بهما يشملانه كما يشمل الرداء الإنسان و لأنه لا يشركه في إزاره و ردائه أحد فكذلك اللّٰه لا ينبغي أن يشركه فيهما أحد.

He struck the mantle and the waist-wrapper as a likeness for His being alone in the attribute of greatness and pride — that is, they are not like the rest of the attributes with which creation may be qualified figuratively, such as mercy. And he likened them to the waist-wrapper and the mantle because the one qualified by them is enveloped by them as the mantle envelops a man; and because none shares with him in his waist-wrapper and his mantle — so likewise God, it does not befit that anyone share with Him in the two.

يَا هِشَامُ لَيْسَ مِنَّا مَنْ لَمْ يُحَاسِبْ نَفْسَهُ فِي كُلِّ يَوْمٍ فَإِنْ عَمِلَ حَسَناً اسْتَزَادَ مِنْهُ وَ إِنْ عَمِلَ سَيِّئاً اسْتَغْفَرَ اللَّهَ مِنْهُ وَ تَابَ إِلَيْهِ يَا هِشَامُ تَمَثَّلَتِ الدُّنْيَا لِلْمَسِيحِ عليه السلام فِي صُورَةِ امْرَأَةٍ زَرْقَاءَ فَقَالَ لَهَا كَمْ تَزَوَّجْتِ فَقَالَتْ كَثِيراً قَالَ فَكُلٌّ طَلَّقَكِ قَالَتْ لَا بَلْ كُلًّا قَتَلْتُ قَالَ الْمَسِيحُ فَوَيْحُ أَزْوَاجِكِ الْبَاقِينَ كَيْفَ لَا يَعْتَبِرُونَ بِالْمَاضِينَ.

Hisham, he is not of us who does not call himself to account every day: so if he has done well, he seeks increase of it; and if he has done ill, he asks God's forgiveness for it and turns to Him in repentance. Hisham, this world was represented to the Messiah, peace be upon him, in the form of a blue-eyed woman. So he said to her: How many have you married? She said: Many. He said: Did each divorce you? She said: No, rather I killed each one. The Messiah said: Woe to your remaining husbands — how do they not take a lesson from the past ones?