الْعِرْضِ وَ الذَّهَابُ بِالْعِلْمِ وَ عَلَيْكَ بِالاعْتِصَامِ بِرَبِّكَ وَ التَّوَكُّلِ عَلَيْهِ وَ جَاهِدْ نَفْسَكَ لِتَرُدَّهَا عَنْ هَوَاهَا فَإِنَّهُ وَاجِبٌ عَلَيْكَ كَجِهَادِ عَدُوِّكَ قَالَ هِشَامُ فَأَيُّ الْأَعْدَاءِ أَوْجَبُهُمْ مُجَاهَدَةً قَالَ أَقْرَبُهُمْ إِلَيْكَ وَ أَعْدَاهُمْ لَكَ وَ أَضَرُّهُمْ بِكَ وَ أَعْظَمُهُمْ لَكَ عَدَاوَةً وَ أَخْفَاهُمْ لَكَ شَخْصاً مَعَ دُنُوِّهِ مِنْكَ وَ مَنْ يُحَرِّضُ أَعْدَاءَكَ عَلَيْكَ وَ هُوَ إِبْلِيسُ ١الْمُوَكَّلُ بِوَسْوَاسِ الْقُلُوبِ فَلَهُ فَلْتَشُدَّ عَدَاوَتَكَ وَ لَا يَكُونَنَّ أَصْبَرَ عَلَى مُجَاهَدَتِكَ لِهَلَكَتِكَ مِنْكَ عَلَى صَبْرِكَ لِمُجَاهَدَتِهِ فَإِنَّهُ أَضْعَفُ مِنْكَ رُكْناً فِي قُوَّتِهِ وَ أَقَلُّ مِنْكَ ضَرَراً فِي كَثْرَةِ شَرِّهِ إِذَا أَنْتَ اعْتَصَمْتَ بِاللَّهِ وَ مَنِ اعْتَصَمَ بِاللَّهِ فَقَدْ هُدِيَ إِلى صِراطٍ مُسْتَقِيمٍ

honour, and the taking away of knowledge. And take to holding fast to your Lord and to trusting in Him. And strive against your soul to turn it back from its caprice; for that is incumbent upon you as is the striving against your enemy. Hisham said: Then which of the enemies is the most incumbent to strive against? He said: The nearest of them to you, and the most hostile of them to you, and the most harmful of them to you, and the greatest of them in enmity towards you, and the most hidden of them from you in person despite his nearness to you, and the one who incites your enemies against you — and that is Iblis (1), charged with the whispering of hearts. So against him let your enmity be firm; and let him not be more persevering in striving against you for your destruction than you are in your patience in striving against him. For he is weaker than you in the foundation of his strength, and less than you in harm despite the abundance of his evil — when you hold fast to God; and whoever holds fast to God has been guided to a straight path.

بيان: الاختلاس الاستلاب و إخلاق الثوب إبلاؤه و الدنس الوسخ و الحمل في المواضع على المبالغة و قوله و من يحرض يحتمل المعجمة و المهملة الحث و الترغيب كما قال تعالى حَرِّضِ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ عَلَى الْقِتالِ ٢

Elucidation: al-ikhtilas is snatching. And ikhlaq of a garment is the wearing of it out. And al-danas is dirt. And the applying in these places is by way of hyperbole. And his words "and who incites" admits of the dotted and the undotted — urging and rousing, as He, exalted be He, said: "Rouse the believers to fight" (2).

يَا هِشَامُ مَنْ أَكْرَمَهُ اللَّهُ بِثَلَاثٍ فَقَدْ لَطُفَ لَهُ عَقْلٌ يَكْفِيهِ مَئُونَةَ هَوَاهُ وَ عِلْمٌ يَكْفِيهِ مَئُونَةَ جَهْلِهِ وَ غِنًى يَكْفِيهِ مَخَافَةَ الْفَقْرِ يَا هِشَامُ احْذَرْ هَذِهِ الدُّنْيَا وَ احْذَرْ أَهْلَهَا فَإِنَّ النَّاسَ فِيهَا عَلَى أَرْبَعَةِ أَصْنَافٍ رَجُلٌ مُتَرَدٍّ مُعَانِقٌ لِهَوَاهُ وَ مُتَعَلِّمٌ مُتَقَرِّئٌ كُلَّمَا ازْدَادَ عِلْماً ازْدَادَ كِبْراً يَسْتَعْلِنُ بِقِرَاءَتِهِ وَ عِلْمِهِ عَلَى مَنْ هُوَ دُونَهُ وَ عَابِدٌ جَاهِلٌ يَسْتَصْغِرُ مَنْ هُوَ دُونَهُ فِي عِبَادَتِهِ يُحِبُّ أَنْ يُعَظَّمَ وَ يُوَقَّرَ وَ ذُو بَصِيرَةٍ عَالِمٌ عَارِفٌ بِطَرِيقِ الْحَقِّ يُحِبُّ الْقِيَامَ بِهِ فَهُوَ عَاجِزٌ أَوْ مَغْلُوبٌ وَ لَا يَقْدِرُ عَلَى الْقِيَامِ بِمَا يَعْرِفُ فَهُوَ مَحْزُونٌ مَغْمُومٌ بِذَلِكَ فَهُوَ أَمْثَلُ أَهْلِ زَمَانِهِ وَ أَوْجَهُهُمْ عَقْلًا.

Hisham, whoever God has honoured with three, He has been gracious to him: an intellect that suffices him against the burden of his caprice; a knowledge that suffices him against the burden of his ignorance; and a sufficiency that suffices him against the fear of poverty. Hisham, beware of this world and beware of its people; for people in it are of four classes. A man fallen into ruin, embracing his caprice. And a learner, a reciter, who whenever he increases in knowledge increases in pride, making himself high by his recitation and his knowledge over one below him. And an ignorant worshipper who belittles one below him in his worship, loving to be magnified and revered. And a man of insight, a scholar, knowing the way of truth, loving to uphold it — yet he is unable, or overcome, and has no power to uphold what he knows, so he is grieved and distressed by that. And he is the most excellent of the people of his age and the most worthy of them in intellect.

بيان: تردى في البئر أي سقط و المتردي أي الواقع في المهالك التي يعسر التخلص منه و المتقرئ الناسك المتعبد أو المتفقه أي متعلم القراءة قوله يستعلن بقراءته كأنه كان يستعلي و يمكن أن يضمن فيه معناه و الأمثل الأفضل و أوجههم عقلا لعل المراد أن عقلهم أوجه عند اللّٰه من عقول غيرهم أو هم أوجه الناس للعقل.

Elucidation: taradda in the well — that is, he fell. And al-mutaraddi — that is, the one fallen into the places of destruction from which escape is hard. And al-mutaqarri' is the devotee, the worshipper; or the one who seeks understanding — that is, one learning recitation. His words "making himself high by his recitation" — it seems it was yasta'li; and it is possible that its sense is implied in it. And al-amthal is the most excellent. And "the most worthy of them in intellect" — perhaps what is meant is that their intellect is more worthy with God than the intellects of others; or they are the worthiest of people for intellect.