فَرَّحَهُمْ بِقَدْرِ رَأْفَتِهِ وَ رَحْمَتِهِ فَمَا ظَنُّكَ بِالرَّءُوفِ الرَّحِيمِ الَّذِي يَتَوَدَّدُ إِلَى مَنْ يُؤْذِيهِ بِأَوْلِيَائِهِ فَكَيْفَ بِمَنْ يُؤْذَى فِيهِ وَ مَا ظَنُّكَ بِالتَّوَّابِ الرَّحِيمِ الَّذِي يَتُوبُ عَلَى مَنْ يُعَادِيهِ فَكَيْفَ بِمَنْ يَتَرَضَّاهُ وَ يَخْتَارُ عَدَاوَةَ الْخَلْقِ فِيهِ.

has gladdened them by the measure of His compassion and His mercy. So what is your opinion of the Compassionate, the Merciful, who shows affection to one who harms Him through His friends? How then with one who is harmed for His sake? And what is your opinion of the Ever-Relenting, the Merciful, who relents towards one who is hostile to Him? How then with one who seeks His good pleasure and chooses the enmity of creation for His sake?

بيان: السباع الضارية أي المولعة بالافتراس المعتادة له و حزبه أمر أي نزل به و أهمه.

Elucidation: al-siba' al-dariya — that is, those addicted to tearing prey and accustomed to it. And hazabahu a matter — that is, it befell him and troubled him.

قوله عليه السلام و إياك أن تغلب الحكمة كذا في النسخة التي عندنا و لعل فيه حذفا و إيصالا أي تغلب على الحكمة أي يأخذها منك قهرا من لا يستحقها بأن يقرأ على صيغة المجهول أو على المعلوم أي تغلب على الحكمة فإنها تأبى عمن لا يستحقها و يحتمل أن يكون بالفاء من الإفلات بمعنى الإطلاق فإنهم يقولون انفلت مني كلام أي صدر بغير روية قوله فتلطف له في النصيحة أي تذكر له شيئا من تلك الحكمة بلطف على وجه الامتحان و الإفاقة الرجوع عن السكر و الإغماء و الغفلة إلى حال الاستقامة قوله يؤذيه بأوليائه أي بسبب إيذاءهم و ترضاه أي طلب رضاه.

His words, peace be upon him, "and beware of being overcome in wisdom" — thus in the copy we have. And perhaps in it is an omission and a joining — that is, that you be overcome regarding wisdom, that is, one who does not deserve it takes it from you by force, by reading it in the passive form; or in the active — that is, you overcome wisdom, for it resists whoever does not deserve it. And it is possible that it is with the fa', from al-iflat in the sense of letting loose; for they say infalata minni a speech — that is, it issued without deliberation. His words "then be gentle with him in counsel" — that is, you mention to him something of that wisdom gently, by way of testing. And al-ifaqa is the returning from intoxication, swoon and heedlessness to the state of uprightness. His words "who harms Him through His friends" — that is, by reason of harming them. And tarraddahu — that is, he sought His good pleasure.

يَا هِشَامُ مَنْ أَحَبَّ الدُّنْيَا ذَهَبَ خَوْفُ الْآخِرَةِ مِنْ قَلْبِهِ وَ مَا أُوتِيَ عَبْدٌ عِلْماً فَازْدَادَ لِلدُّنْيَا حُبّاً إِلَّا ازْدَادَ مِنَ اللَّهِ بُعْداً وَ ازْدَادَ اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ غَضَباً يَا هِشَامُ إِنَّ الْعَاقِلَ اللَّبِيبَ مَنْ تَرَكَ مَا لَا طَاقَةَ لَهُ بِهِ وَ أَكْثَرُ الصَّوَابِ فِي خِلَافِ الْهَوَى وَ مَنْ طَالَ أَمَلُهُ سَاءَ عَمَلُهُ يَا هِشَامُ لَوْ رَأَيْتَ مَسِيرَ الْأَجَلِ لَأَلْهَاكَ عَنِ الْأَمَلِ.

Hisham, whoever loves this world, the fear of the hereafter departs from his heart. And no servant is given knowledge and then increases in love for this world but that he increases in distance from God, and God increases in anger against him. Hisham, the man of intellect, the understanding, is he who leaves what he has no power for. And most of what is right is in opposing caprice. And whoever's hope is long, his deed is evil. Hisham, were you to see the journeying of the appointed term, it would divert you from hope.

بيان: اللبيب العاقل ١و التوصيف للتوضيح و التأكيد و ألهاك أي أغفلك.

Elucidation: al-labib is the man of intellect (1); and the qualifying is for clarification and emphasis. And alhaka — that is, it made you heedless.

يَا هِشَامُ إِيَّاكَ وَ الطَّمَعَ وَ عَلَيْكَ بِالْيَأْسِ مِمَّا فِي أَيْدِي النَّاسِ وَ أَمِتِ الطَّمَعَ مِنَ الْمَخْلُوقِينَ فَإِنَّ الطَّمَعَ مِفْتَاحُ الذُّلِّ وَ اخْتِلَاسُ ٢الْعَقْلِ وَ إِخْلَاقُ الْمُرُوَّاتِ وَ تَدْنِيسُ

Hisham, beware of covetousness, and take to despair of what is in people's hands. And put to death covetousness of created beings; for covetousness is the key of lowliness, and the snatching away (2) of the intellect, and the wearing out of manly qualities, and the sullying of