أو التفكر في فنائها و ما يدعو إلى تركها و النسك العبادة و الورع اجتناب المحارم أو الشبهات أيضا.

or the pondering of its passing away and of what calls to the abandoning of it. And al-nusuk is worship, and al-wara' is the shunning of forbidden things, or of doubtful things as well.

«41»- ف، تحف العقول عَنْ أَمِيرِ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ صَلَوَاتُ اللَّهِ عَلَيْهِ قَالَ: أَيُّهَا النَّاسُ اعْلَمُوا أَنَّ كَمَالَ الدِّينِ طَلَبُ الْعِلْمِ وَ الْعَمَلُ بِهِ وَ أَنَّ طَلَبَ الْعِلْمِ أَوْجَبُ عَلَيْكُمْ مِنْ طَلَبِ الْمَالِ إِنَّ الْمَالَ مَقْسُومٌ بَيْنَكُمْ مَضْمُونٌ لَكُمْ قَدْ قَسَمَهُ عَادِلٌ بَيْنَكُمْ وَ ضَمِنَهُ سَيَفِي لَكُمْ بِهِ ١وَ الْعِلْمَ مَخْزُونٌ عَلَيْكُمْ عِنْدَ أَهْلِهِ قَدْ أُمِرْتُمْ بِطَلَبِهِ مِنْهُمْ فَاطْلُبُوهُ وَ اعْلَمُوا أَنَّ كَثْرَةَ الْمَالِ مَفْسَدَةٌ لِلدِّينِ مَقْسَاةٌ لِلْقُلُوبِ وَ أَنَّ كَثْرَةَ الْعِلْمِ وَ الْعَمَلَ بِهِ مَصْلَحَةٌ لِلدِّينِ سَبَبٌ إِلَى الْجَنَّةِ وَ النَّفَقَاتُ تَنْقُصُ الْمَالَ وَ الْعِلْمُ يَزْكُو عَلَى إِنْفَاقِهِ وَ إِنْفَاقُهُ بَثُّهُ ٢إِلَى حَفَظَتِهِ وَ رُوَاتِهِ وَ اعْلَمُوا أَنَّ صُحْبَةَ الْعَالِمِ وَ اتِّبَاعَهُ دِينٌ يُدَانُ اللَّهُ بِهِ وَ طَاعَتَهُ مَكْسَبَةٌ لِلْحَسَنَاتِ مَمْحَاةٌ لِلسَّيِّئَاتِ وَ ذَخِيرَةٌ لِلْمُؤْمِنِينَ وَ رِفْعَةٌ فِي حَيَاتِهِمْ وَ جَمِيلُ الْأُحْدُوثَةِ عَنْهُمْ بَعْدَ مَوْتِهِمْ إِنَّ الْعِلْمَ ذُو فَضَائِلَ كَثِيرَةٍ فَرَأْسُهُ التَّوَاضُعُ وَ عَيْنُهُ الْبَرَاءَةُ مِنَ الْحَسَدِ وَ أُذُنُهُ الْفَهْمُ وَ لِسَانُهُ الصِّدْقُ وَ حِفْظُهُ الْفَحْصُ وَ قَلْبُهُ حُسْنُ النِّيَّةِ وَ عَقْلُهُ مَعْرِفَةُ الْأَسْبَابِ بِالْأُمُورِ وَ يَدُهُ الرَّحْمَةُ وَ هِمَّتُهُ السَّلَامَةُ وَ رِجْلُهُ زِيَارَةُ الْعُلَمَاءِ وَ حِكْمَتُهُ الْوَرَعُ وَ مُسْتَقَرُّهُ النَّجَاةُ وَ فَائِدَتُهُ الْعَافِيَةُ وَ مَرْكَبُهُ الْوَفَاءُ وَ سِلَاحُهُ لَيِّنُ الْكَلَامِ وَ سَيْفُهُ الرِّضَا وَ قَوْسُهُ الْمُدَارَاةُ وَ جَيْشُهُ مُحَاوَرَةُ الْعُلَمَاءِ وَ مَالُهُ الْأَدَبُ ٣وَ ذَخِيرَتُهُ اجْتِنَابُ الذُّنُوبِ وَ زَادُهُ الْمَعْرُوفُ وَ مَأْوَاهُ الْمُوَادَعَةُ وَ دَلِيلُهُ الْهُدَى وَ رَفِيقُهُ صُحْبَةُ الْأَخْيَارِ.

«41»- f, Tuhaf al-'Uqul, from the Commander of the Faithful, God's blessings be upon him, who said: O people, know that the perfection of religion is the seeking of knowledge and the acting by it; and that the seeking of knowledge is more incumbent upon you than the seeking of wealth. Indeed wealth is apportioned among you, guaranteed to you; a Just One has apportioned it among you and has guaranteed it, and He will fulfil it to you (1). But knowledge is stored up for you with its people; you have been commanded to seek it from them, so seek it. And know that abundance of wealth is a corruption for religion, a hardening for hearts; and that abundance of knowledge and the acting by it is a good for religion, a cause of the Garden. Expenditures diminish wealth, but knowledge grows by its expending; and the expending of it is its spreading (2) to those who preserve it and relate it. And know that the companionship of the scholar and the following of him is a religion by which God is served, and that obedience to him is a gaining of good deeds, an erasing of evil deeds, a treasure for the believers, an elevation in their lifetimes, and a fair mention of them after their death. Indeed knowledge has many excellences: its head is humility, its eye is freedom from envy, its ear is understanding, its tongue is truthfulness, its retention is examination, its heart is goodness of intention, its intellect is the knowledge of the causes of things, its hand is mercy, its resolve is soundness, its foot is the visiting of the scholars, its wisdom is scrupulousness, its abode is deliverance, its benefit is well-being, its mount is fidelity, its weapon is gentleness of speech, its sword is contentment, its bow is forbearance, its army is discourse with the scholars, its wealth is refinement (3), its treasure is the shunning of sins, its provision is kindness, its shelter is peaceableness, its guide is right guidance, and its comrade is the fellowship of the good.

بيان: مفسدة و مكسبة و أضرابهما كل منهما إما اسم فاعل أو مصدر ميمي أو اسم آلة أو اسم مكان و في بعضها لا يحتمل بعض الوجوه كما لا يخفى و الأحدوثة بالضم ما يتحدث به ثم إنه عليه السلام أراد التنبيه على فضائل العلم فشبهه بشخص كامل روحاني له أعضاء و قوي كلها روحانية بعضها ظاهرة و بعضها باطنة فالظاهرة كالرأس و العين و الأذن و اللسان و اليد و الرجل و الباطنة كالحفظ و القلب و العقل و الهمة و الحكمة و له مستقر روحاني و مركب و سلاح و سيف و قوس و جيش

Elucidation: mafsada and maksaba and their like — each of them is either an active participle, or a mimic verbal noun, or a noun of instrument, or a noun of place; and in some of them certain of these possibilities are inadmissible, as is not hidden. And al-uhdutha with damma is that which is talked of. Then he, peace be upon him, intended to draw attention to the excellences of knowledge, so he likened it to a complete spiritual person having limbs and faculties, all of them spiritual, some of them outward and some of them inward. The outward are like the head, the eye, the ear, the tongue, the hand and the foot; and the inward like retention, the heart, the intellect, resolve and wisdom. And it has a spiritual abode, and a mount, and a weapon, and a sword, and a bow, and an army