الْمَكِّيِّ عَنْ كَثِيرِ بْنِ طَارِقٍ عَنْ زَيْدٍ عَنْ أَبِيهِ عَلِيِّ بْنِ الْحُسَيْنِ عليهما السلام قَالَ: سُئِلَ عَلِيُّ بْنُ أَبِي طَالِبٍ عليهما السلام مَنْ أَفْصَحُ النَّاسِ قَالَ الْمُجِيبُ الْمُسْكِتُ عِنْدَ بَدِيهَةِ السُّؤَالِ.

Imam 'Ali, peace be upon him, was asked who is the most eloquent of people. He said: The one who answers so as to silence, at the time of clear questions.

«32»- نهج، نهج البلاغة قَالَ أَمِيرُ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ عليه السلام فِي كَلَامٍ لَهُ وَ النَّاسُ مَنْقُوصُونَ مَدْخُولُونَ إِلَّا مَنْ عَصَمَ اللَّهُ سَائِلُهُمْ مُتَعَنِّتٌ وَ مُجِيبُهُمَ مُتَكَلِّفٌ يَكَادُ أَفْضَلُهُمْ رَأْياً يَرُدُّهُ عَنْ فَضْلِ رَأْيِهِ الرِّضَاءُ وَ السُّخْطُ وَ يَكَادُ أَصْلَبُهُمْ عُوداً تَنْكَؤُهُ اللَّحْظَةُ وَ تَسْتَحِيلُهُ الْكَلِمَةُ الْوَاحِدَةُ.

Nahj al-Balagha: The Commander of the Faithful, peace be upon him, said in one of his discourses: People are deficient in intellect and ailing, save whom God preserves. Their questioners trouble people, and their answerers are given to affectation in speech. The one among them with the better opinion is the most excellent of them — he whom pleasure and anger do not sway from his judgement; and the firmest of them all may be troubled by half a glance and changed by a single word.

«33»- وَ قَالَ عليه السلام مَنْ نَصَبَ نَفْسَهُ لِلنَّاسِ إِمَاماً فَعَلَيْهِ أَنْ يَبْدَأَ بِتَعْلِيمِ نَفْسِهِ قَبْلَ تَعْلِيمِ غَيْرِهِ وَ لْيَكُنْ تَأْدِيبُهُ بِسِيرَتِهِ قَبْلَ تَأْدِيبِهِ بِلِسَانِهِ وَ مُعَلِّمُ نَفْسِهِ وَ مُؤَدِّبُهَا أَحَقُّ بِالْإِجْلَالِ مِنْ مُعَلِّمِ النَّاسِ وَ مُؤَدِّبِهِمْ.

Imam 'Ali, peace be upon him, said: Whoever sets himself up as a leader of the people must begin with disciplining himself before teaching another; and before instructing by speech he must instruct people by conduct. And one who teaches and disciplines himself is more deserving of honour than one who teaches and disciplines another.

«34»- وَ قَالَ عليه السلام الْفَقِيهُ كُلُّ الْفَقِيهِ مَنْ لَمْ يُقَنِّطِ النَّاسَ مِنْ رَحْمَةِ اللَّهِ وَ لَمْ يُؤْيِسْهُمْ مِنْ رَوْحِ اللَّهِ وَ لَمْ يُؤْمِنْهُمْ مِنْ مَكْرِ اللَّهِ.

Imam 'Ali, peace be upon him, said: The complete jurist is one who does not make people despair of God's forgiveness, nor make them lose hope in His mercy, nor make them feel safe from His sudden punishment.

«35»- وَ قَالَ عليه السلام إِنَّ أَوْضَعَ الْعِلْمِ مَا وَقَفَ عَلَى اللِّسَانِ وَ أَرْفَعَهُ مَا ظَهَرَ فِي الْجَوَارِحِ وَ الْأَرْكَانِ.

Imam 'Ali, peace be upon him, said: The lowest knowledge is that which stops at the tongue, and the highest is that which is between the heart and the soul.

«36»- وَ قَالَ عليه السلام إِنَّ مِنْ أَحَبِّ عِبَادِ اللَّهِ إِلَيْهِ عَبْداً أَعَانَهُ اللَّهُ عَلَى نَفْسِهِ فَاسْتَشْعَرَ الْحُزْنَ وَ تَجَلْبَبَ الْخَوْفَ فَزَهَرَ مِصْبَاحُ الْهُدَى فِي قَلْبِهِ وَ أَعَدَّ الْقِرَى لِيَوْمِهِ النَّازِلِ بِهِ فَقَرَّبَ عَلَى نَفْسِهِ الْبَعِيدَ وَ هَوَّنَ الشَّدِيدَ نَظَرَ فَأَبْصَرَ وَ ذَكَرَ فَاسْتَكْثَرَ وَ ارْتَوَى مِنْ عَذْبٍ فُرَاتٍ سُهِّلَتْ لَهُ مَوَارِدُهُ فَشَرِبَ نَهَلًا ١وَ سَلَكَ سَبِيلًا جَدَداً ٢ قَدْ خَلَعَ سَرَابِيلَ الشَّهَوَاتِ وَ تَخَلَّی مِنَ الْهُمُومِ إِلَّا هَمّاً وَاحِداً ٣ انْفَرَدَ بِهِ فَخَرَجَ مِنْ صِفَةِ الْعَمَى وَ مُشَارَكَةِ أَهْلِ الْهَوَى وَ صَارَ مِنْ مَفَاتِيحِ أَبْوَابِ الْهُدَى وَ مَغَالِيقِ أَبْوَابِ الرَّدَى قَدْ أَبْصَرَ طَرِيقَهُ وَ سَلَكَ سَبِيلَهُ وَ عَرَفَ مَنَارَهُ وَ قَطَعَ غِمَارَهُ وَ اسْتَمْسَكَ مِنَ الْعُرَى بِأَوْثَقِهَا وَ مِنَ الْحِبَالِ بِأَمْتَنِهَا فَهُوَ مِنَ الْيَقِينِ عَلَى مِثْلِ ضَوْءِ الشَّمْسِ قَدْ نَصَبَ نَفْسَهُ لِلَّهِ سُبْحَانَهُ فِي أَرْفَعِ الْأُمُورِ مِنْ إِصْدَارِ كُلِّ وَارِدٍ عَلَيْهِ وَ تَصْيِيرِ كُلِّ فَرْعٍ إِلَى أَصْلِهِ مِصْبَاحُ ظُلُمَاتٍ كَشَّافُ عَشَوَاتٍ ٤ مِفْتَاحُ مُبْهَمَاتٍ

The Commander of the Faithful, peace be upon him, said: O servants of God! The best and most beloved servant to God is one whom God has helped against his own soul: whose inner garment is sorrow and whose outer garment is the fear of God. The lamp of guidance has been lit in his heart, and the means needed for his sustenance have been made ready; he has made what was distant and hard near and easy for himself. He has looked upon the realities of this world with the eye of the heart; he has been ever in remembrance of God and has done abundant good deeds. He has drunk his fill from the sweet spring of truth — a spring he reached easily, from which he drank and was satisfied. He has walked upon the level and straight road, cast off the garment of appetites, and freed himself from all cares save one. He has left the ranks of the blind of heart and the company of the followers of caprice; he has become a key that opens the doors of guidance and a lock upon the doors of error and abasement. He saw the road of guidance with an enlightened heart and walked it; he knew its marks and passed through the raging waves of appetite. He laid hold of the firmest handholds and the strongest ropes, and came to such certainty and truth that it was as though the light of the sun shone upon him. He submitted himself to God in such a way that he carries out His every command and returns every branch to its root. He is the lamp of darknesses, the brightener of gloom, the key of closed doors