Misbah Library
Allama Muhammad Baqir al-Majlisi 1 155

يَا هِشَامُ إِيَّاكَ وَ الْكِبْرَ عَلَى أَوْلِيَائِي وَ الِاسْتِطَالَةَ بِعِلْمِكَ فَيَمْقُتُكَ اللَّهُ فَلَا تَنْفَعُكَ بَعْدَ مَقْتِهِ ١دُنْيَاكَ وَ لَا آخِرَتُكَ وَ كُنْ فِي الدُّنْيَا كَسَاكِنِ الدَّارِ لَيْسَتْ لَهُ إِنَّمَا يَنْتَظِرُ الرَّحِيلَ يَا هِشَامُ مُجَالَسَةُ أَهْلِ الدِّينِ شَرَفُ الدُّنْيَا وَ الْآخِرَةِ وَ مُشَاوَرَةُ الْعَاقِلِ النَّاصِحِ يُمْنٌ وَ بَرَكَةٌ وَ رُشْدٌ وَ تَوْفِيقٌ مِنَ اللَّهِ فَإِذَا أَشَارَ عَلَيْكَ الْعَاقِلُ النَّاصِحُ فَإِيَّاكَ وَ الْخِلَافَ فَإِنَّ فِي ذَلِكَ الْعَطَبَ.

Hisham, beware of pride over My friends and of overbearing by your knowledge, lest God detest you; then after His detestation (1) neither your world nor your hereafter will profit you. And be in this world like the dweller of a house that is not his, who only awaits departure. Hisham, sitting with the people of religion is the honour of this world and of the hereafter; and consulting the man of intellect who counsels sincerely is a blessing and an increase and right direction and success from God. So when the man of intellect who counsels sincerely gives you counsel, beware of opposing it, for in that is destruction.

بيان: أهل الدين هم العالمون بشرائع الدين العاملون بها و العطب بالتحريك الهلاك.

Elucidation: the people of religion are those who know the laws of religion and act by them. And al-'atab, with the vowelling, is destruction.

يَا هِشَامُ إِيَّاكَ وَ مُخَالَطَةَ النَّاسِ وَ الْأُنْسَ بِهِمْ إِلَّا أَنْ تَجِدَ مِنْهُمْ عَاقِلًا مَأْمُوناً فَأْنَسْ بِهِ وَ اهْرُبْ مِنْ سَائِرِهِمْ كَهَرَبِكَ مِنَ السِّبَاعِ الضَّارِيَةِ وَ يَنْبَغِي لِلْعَاقِلِ إِذَا عَمِلَ عَمَلًا أَنْ يَسْتَحْيِيَ مِنَ اللَّهِ إِذْ تَفَرَّدَ لَهُ بِالنِّعَمِ أَنْ يُشَارِكَ فِي عَمَلِهِ أَحَداً غَيْرَهُ وَ إِذَا حَزَبَكَ ٢أَمْرٌ أَنْ لَا تَدْرِيَ أَيُّهُمَا خَيْرٌ وَ أَصْوَبُ فَانْظُرْ أَيُّهُمَا أَقْرَبُ إِلَى هَوَاكَ فَخَالِفْهُ فَإِنَّ كَثِيرَ الثَّوَابِ فِي مُخَالَفَةِ هَوَاكَ وَ إِيَّاكَ أَنْ تَغْلِبَ الْحِكْمَةَ وَ تَضَعَهَا فِي الْجَهَالَةِ قَالَ هِشَامٌ فَقُلْتُ لَهُ فَإِنْ وَجَدْتُ رَجُلًا طَالِباً غَيْرَ أَنَّ عَقْلَهُ لَا يَتَّسِعُ لِضَبْطِ مَا أُلْقِي إِلَيْهِ قَالَ فَتَلَطَّفْ لَهُ فِي النَّصِيحَةِ فَإِنْ ضَاقَ قَلْبُهُ فَلَا تَعْرِضَنَّ نَفْسَكَ لِلْفِتْنَةِ وَ احْذَرْ رَدَّ الْمُتَكَبِّرِينَ فَإِنَّ الْعِلْمَ يَدِلُّ عَلَى أَنْ يُحْمَلَ عَلَى مَنْ لَا يُفِيقُ ٣قُلْتُ فَإِنْ لَمْ أَجِدْ مَنْ يَعْقِلُ السُّؤَالَ عَنْهَا قَالَ فَاغْتَنِمْ جَهْلَهُ عَنِ السُّؤَالِ حَتَّى تَسْلَمَ فِتْنَةَ الْقَوْلِ وَ عَظِيمَ فِتْنَةِ الرَّدِّ وَ اعْلَمْ أَنَّ اللَّهَ لَمْ يَرْفَعِ الْمُتَوَاضِعِينَ بِقَدْرِ تَوَاضُعِهِمْ وَ لَكِنْ رَفَعَهُمْ بِقَدْرِ عَظَمَتِهِ وَ مَجْدِهِ وَ لَمْ يُؤْمِنِ الْخَائِفِينَ بِقَدْرِ خَوْفِهِمْ وَ لَكِنْ آمَنَهُمْ بِقَدْرِ كَرَمِهِ وَ جُودِهِ وَ لَمْ يُفَرِّحِ الْمَحْزُونِينَ بِقَدْرِ حُزْنِهِمْ وَ لَكِنْ

Hisham, beware of mixing with people and of intimacy with them, unless you find among them one possessed of intellect and trustworthy — then be intimate with him, and flee from the rest of them as you flee from ravening beasts. And it behoves the man of intellect, when he does a deed, to be ashamed before God — since He alone has favoured him with blessings — that he should make anyone other than Him a partner in his deed. And when a matter presses upon you (2) such that you do not know which of the two is better and more right, look which of the two is nearer to your caprice and oppose it; for much reward is in opposing your caprice. And beware of being overcome in wisdom and of placing it in ignorance. Hisham said: So I said to him: And if I find a man seeking, save that his intellect is not wide enough to grasp what I cast to him? He said: Then be gentle with him in counsel; and if his heart is straitened, do not expose yourself to trial. And beware of the rejection of the proud; for knowledge indicates that it be carried to one who does not come to his senses (3). I said: And if I do not find one who understands the asking about them? He said: Then take his ignorance of the asking as a prize, until you are safe from the trial of speech and from the great trial of rejection. And know that God has not raised the humble by the measure of their humility, but has raised them by the measure of His greatness and His glory; and He has not made the fearful secure by the measure of their fear, but has made them secure by the measure of His nobility and His generosity; and He has not gladdened the grieving by the measure of their grief, but

(١)المقت بفتح الميم و سكون القاف: شدة البغض.Al-maqt, with fatha on the mim and quiescence of the qaf: intense hatred.
(٢)في التحف المطبوع: و إذا مرّ بك.In the printed Tuhaf: and when there passes by you.
(٣)قوله يدل: يحتمل أن يكون من باب ضرب يضرب أي تغنج و تلوي أن يحمل على من لم يرجع عن سكره و إغمائه و غفلته، و في التحف المطبوع «يجلي» بدل «يحمل» أي العلم تغنج و تلوي أن يعرض على من لا يفيق. و ظني أن «يحمل او يجلي» يكون مصحف «ينجل» أي العلم يرشد إلي أن ينجل على من لا يفيق، أو أن في الجملة تصحيفا و غلطا و الصحيح: فان العلم يدلّ ان يحمل علي من لا يطيق.His words "indicates": it is possible that it is of the form daraba, yadribu — that is, it is coy and turns aside from being carried to one who has not returned from his intoxication, his swoon and his heedlessness. And in the printed Tuhaf "yujla" in place of "yuhmal" — that is, knowledge is coy and turns aside from being displayed to one who does not come to his senses. And my opinion is that "yuhmal" or "yujla" is a miscopying of "yunjal" — that is, knowledge guides to its being poured out upon one who does not come to his senses; or that in the sentence is a miscopying and an error, and the correct is: for knowledge indicates that it be carried to one who is not able.