ذَلِكَ الْعَابِدُ لِلَّهِ ثُمَّ يَتْرُكُ عِبَادَتَهُ.
that is the worshipper of God who then leaves his worship.
بيان: النسك الحج أو مطلق العبادة.
Elucidation: al-nusuk is the pilgrimage, or worship in general.
يَا هِشَامُ لَا خَيْرَ فِي الْعَيْشِ إِلَّا لِرَجُلَيْنِ لِمُسْتَمِعٍ وَاعٍ وَ عَالِمٍ نَاطِقٍ.
Hisham, there is no good in living save for two men: for a listener who retains, and a scholar who speaks.
بيان: العيش الحياة و وعاه أي حفظه.
Elucidation: al-'aysh is life; and wa'ahu — that is, he retained it.
يَا هِشَامُ مَا قُسِمَ بَيْنَ الْعِبَادِ أَفْضَلُ مِنَ الْعَقْلِ نَوْمُ الْعَاقِلِ أَفْضَلُ مِنْ سَهَرِ الْجَاهِلِ وَ مَا بَعَثَ اللَّهُ نَبِيّاً إِلَّا عَاقِلًا حَتَّى يَكُونَ عَقْلُهُ أَفْضَلَ مِنْ جَمِيعِ جَهْدِ الْمُجْتَهِدِينَ وَ مَا أَدَّى الْعَبْدُ فَرِيضَةً مِنْ فَرَائِضِ اللَّهِ حَتَّى عَقَلَ عَنْهُ.
Hisham, nothing more excellent than the intellect has been apportioned among the servants. The sleep of the man of intellect is more excellent than the vigil of the ignorant. And God has not sent a prophet save possessed of intellect, so that his intellect is more excellent than all the striving of those who strive. And the servant has not performed an obligation of God's obligations until he understood from Him.
بيان: الاجتهاد بذل الجهد في الطاعات.
Elucidation: al-ijtihad is the expending of effort in acts of obedience.
يَا هِشَامُ قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صلى اللّٰه عليه و آله إِذَا رَأَيْتُمُ الْمُؤْمِنَ صَمُوتاً ١فَادْنُوا مِنْهُ فَإِنَّهُ يُلْقِي الْحِكْمَةَ وَ الْمُؤْمِنُ قَلِيلُ الْكَلَامِ كَثِيرُ الْعَمَلِ وَ الْمُنَافِقُ كَثِيرُ الْكَلَامِ قَلِيلُ الْعَمَلِ يَا هِشَامُ أَوْحَى اللَّهُ إِلَى دَاوُدَ قُلْ لِعِبَادِي لَا يَجْعَلُوا بَيْنِي وَ بَيْنَهُمْ عَالِماً مَفْتُوناً بِالدُّنْيَا فَيَصُدَّهُمْ عَنْ ذِكْرِي وَ عَنْ طَرِيقِ مَحَبَّتِي وَ مُنَاجَاتِي أُولَئِكَ قُطَّاعُ الطَّرِيقِ مِنْ عِبَادِي إِنَّ أَدْنَى مَا أَنَا صَانِعٌ بِهِمْ أَنْ أَنْزِعَ حَلَاوَةَ عِبَادَتِي وَ مُنَاجَاتِي مِنْ قُلُوبِهِمْ.
Hisham, the Messenger of God — may God bless him and his family — said: When you see the believer much given to silence (1), draw near to him, for he casts wisdom. And the believer is little in speech, much in deed; and the hypocrite is much in speech, little in deed. Hisham, God revealed to David: Say to My servants, let them not set between Me and them a scholar infatuated with this world, for he will turn them away from My remembrance and from the way of My love and My intimate converse. Those are the highwaymen among My servants. Indeed, the least of what I shall do with them is that I strip the sweetness of My worship and My intimate converse from their hearts.
بيان: في غيره من الأخبار قطاع طريق عبادي.
Elucidation: in other reports than this: highwaymen of My servants.
يَا هِشَامُ مَنْ تَعَظَّمَ فِي نَفْسِهِ لَعَنَتْهُ مَلَائِكَةُ السَّمَاءِ وَ مَلَائِكَةُ الْأَرْضِ وَ مَنْ تَكَبَّرَ عَلَى إِخْوَانِهِ وَ اسْتَطَالَ عَلَيْهِمْ فَقَدْ ضَادَّ اللَّهَ وَ مَنِ ادَّعَى مَا لَيْسَ لَهُ فَهُوَ أَعْنَى لِغَيْرُ.
Hisham, whoever magnifies himself in his own soul is cursed by the angels of heaven and the angels of earth. And whoever is proud over his brethren and overbears them has opposed God. And whoever claims what is not his, he is a'na li-ghayr.
بيان: من تعظم أي عد نفسه عظيما قوله أعنى لغير أي يدخل غيره في العناء و التعب ممن يشتبه عليه أمره أكثر مما يصيبه من ذلك و يحتمل أن يكون تصحيف أعتى لغيره من العتو و هو الطغيان و التجبر و كان يحتمل المأخوذ منه ذلك أيضا.
Elucidation: "whoever magnifies himself" — that is, he counts himself great. His words a'na li-ghayr — that is, he brings another into toil and trouble, of those to whom his affair is confused, more than what befalls him of that. And it is possible that it is a miscopying of a'ta li-ghayrih, from al-'utuww, which is insolence and tyranny. And that too was possible in the source from which it was taken.
يَا هِشَامُ أَوْحَى اللَّهُ إِلَى دَاوُدَ حَذِّرْ وَ أَنْذِرْ أَصْحَابَكَ عَنْ حُبِّ الشَّهَوَاتِ فَإِنَّ الْمُعَلَّقَةَ قُلُوبُهُمْ بِشَهَوَاتِ الدُّنْيَا قُلُوبُهُمْ مَحْجُوبَةٌ عَنِّي ٢
Hisham, God revealed to David: Warn and caution your companions against the love of appetites; for those whose hearts are attached to the appetites of this world, their hearts are veiled from Me (2).