لأظهرته أو لبذلته له مع أن كلمة لو إذا كانت للتمني لا تحتاج إلى الجزاء عند كثير من النحاة بلى أصبت له لقنا و في نهج البلاغة أصيب لقنا و اللقن بفتح اللام و كسر القاف الفهم من اللقانة و هي حسن الفهم غير مأمون أي يذيعه إلى غير أهله و يضعه في غير موضعه يستعمل آلة الدين في الدنيا و في ف في طلب الدنيا أي يجعل العلم الذي هو آلة و وصلة إلى الفوز بالسعادات الأبدية آلة و وسيلة إلى تحصيل الحظوظ الفانية الدنيوية.
"I would have made it manifest", or "I would have bestowed it upon him" — although the word law, when it is for wishing, does not require an apodosis, according to many of the grammarians. "Nay, I did find for it a quick-witted one": and in the Nahj al-Balagha, "a quick-witted one was found". And al-laqin, with fatha on the lam and kasra on the qaf, is the man of understanding, from al-laqana, which is goodness of understanding. "Not to be trusted" — that is, he divulges it to other than its people and sets it in other than its place. "He employs the instrument of religion in the world"; and in f, "in the seeking of the world" — that is, he makes knowledge, which is an instrument and a means to the winning of everlasting felicities, an instrument and a means to the acquiring of perishing worldly portions.
قوله عليه السلام يستظهر بحجج اللّٰه على خلقه لعل المراد بالحجج و النعم أئمة الحق أي يستعين بهؤلاء و يأخذ منهم العلوم ليظهر هذا العلم للناس فيتخذه ضعفاء العقول بطانة ١و وليجة و يصد الناس عن ولي الحق و يدعوهم إلى نفسه و يحتمل أن يكون المراد بالحجج و النعم العلم الذي آتاه اللّٰه و يكون الظرفان متعلقين بالاستظهار أي يستعين بالحجج للغلبة على الخلق و بالنعم للغلبة على العباد و غرضه من هذا الاستظهار إظهار الفضل ليتخذه الناس وليجة قال الفيروزآبادي الوليجة الدخيلة و خاصتك من الرجال أو من تتخذه معتمدا عليه من غير أهلك و في ف و بنعمة اللّٰه على معاصيه أو منقادا لحملة العلم بالحاء المهملة و في بعض النسخ بالجيم أي مؤمنا بالحق معتقدا له على سبيل الجملة و في ف أو قائلا بجملة الحق لا بصيرة له في أحنائه بفتح الهمزة و بعدها حاء مهملة ثم نون أي جوانبه أي ليس له غور و تعمق فيه و في بعض نسخ الكتابين و في ف و في بعض نسخ النهج أيضا في إحيائه بالياء المثناة من تحت أي في ترويجه و تقويته يقدح على صيغة المجهول يقال قدحت النار أي استخرجتها بالمقدحة و في ما يقتدح و في النهج ينقدح و على التقادير حاصله أنه يشتعل نار الشك في قلبه بسبب أول شبهة عرضت له فكيف إذا توالت و تواترت ألا لا ذا و لا ذاك أي ليس المنقاد العديم البصيرة أهلا لتحمل العلم و لا اللقن الغير المأمون و هذا الكلام معترض بين المعطوف و المعطوف عليه أو منهوما باللذات أي حريصا عليها منهمكا فيها و المنهوم في الأصل هو الذي لا يشبع من الطعام أقول في أكثر نسخ الكتابين فمنهوم أي فمن طلبة العلم
His words, peace be upon him, "he seeks support by the proofs of God against His creation": perhaps what is meant by the proofs and the blessings are the Imams of truth — that is, he seeks help by these and takes the sciences from them in order to display this knowledge to the people, so that the weak of intellect take him as an inner confidant (1) and an intimate, and he turns people away from the guardian of the truth and calls them to himself. And it is possible that what is meant by the proofs and the blessings is the knowledge which God has given him, and that the two prepositional phrases are attached to the seeking of support — that is, he seeks help by the proofs for the overcoming of the creation, and by the blessings for the overcoming of the servants; and his aim in this seeking of support is the display of excellence, that people may take him as an intimate confidant. Al-Fayruzabadi said: al-walija is the inner confidant, and one's intimate among men, or one whom you take as a reliance from other than your own family. And in f: "and by the blessing of God against His acts of disobedience". "Or one compliant toward the bearers of knowledge": with the undotted ha'; and in some copies with the jim — that is, one who believes in the truth and holds it in a general way; and in f: "or one who professes the sum of the truth". "He has no insight into its bends": with fatha on the hamza, and after it an undotted ha', then a nun — that is, its sides; that is, he has no depth or penetration in it. And in some copies of the two books, and in f, and in some copies of the Nahj also: "in its reviving", with the two-dotted ya' from below — that is, in the promoting of it and the strengthening of it. "Doubt strikes fire": in the passive form; one says qadahtu al-nar — that is, I struck it out with the fire-striker. And in ma, yaqtadihu; and in the Nahj, yanqadihu. And upon all the readings the upshot is that the fire of doubt is kindled in his heart by reason of the first ambiguity that presents itself to him — so how much more when they follow one upon another and come in succession! "Nay, neither this one nor that" — that is, neither the compliant one devoid of insight is worthy to bear knowledge, nor the quick-witted one who is not to be trusted; and this speech is parenthetical between the thing conjoined and that to which it is conjoined. "Or one greedy for pleasures" — that is, eager for them, immersed in them; and al-manhum is in origin the one who is not sated with food. I say: in most copies of the two books, fa-manhum — that is, among the seekers of knowledge