Nahj al-Balāgha

ومن كلام له (عليه السلام) يعظ بسلوك الطريق الواضح

One should not be afraid of the scarcity of those who tread on the right path (a counsel to tread the clear path of guidance)

أَيُّهَا النَّاسُ، لاَ تَسْتَوْحِشُوا فِي طَرِيقِ الْهُدَىُ لِقِلَّةِ أَهْلِهِ، فَإِنَّ النَّاسَ قَدِ اجْتَمَعُوا عَلَى مَائِدَة شِبَعُهَا قَصِيرٌ، وَجُوعُهَا طَوِيلٌ.

O people! Do not be desolate at the small number of those who follow the right path, because people throng only round the table (of this world) where the duration of satiety is short and its hunger is prolonged.

أَيُّهَا النَّاسُ، إِنَّمَا يَجْمَعُ النَّاسَ الرِّضِى وَالسُّخْطُ، وَإِنَّمَا عَقَرَ نَاقَةَ ثَمُودَ رَجُلٌ وَاحِدٌ فَعَمَّهُمُ اللهُ تَعَالَى بالْعَذَابِ لَمَّا عَمُّوهُ بالرِّضَى، فَقَالَ سُبْحَانَهُ: ‎﴿فَعَقَرُوهَا فَأَصْبَحُوا نَادِمِينَ﴾، فَمَا كَانَ إِلاَّ أَنْ خَارَتْ أَرْضُهُمْ بِالْخَسْفَةِ خُوَارَالسِّكَّةِ الْـمُحْمَاةِ فِي الاْرْضِ الْخَوَّارَةِ.

O people, certainly, what gathers people together (in categories) is (their) agreement (to good or bad) and (their) disagreement, for only one individual killed the camel of Thamud [1] but Allah held all of them in punishment because all of them consented to it. Thus, Allah, the Glorified. has said: “Then they hamstrung her, and turned (themselves) regretful.” (Qur’ān, 26:157). Then their land declined by sinking (into the earth) as the spike of a plough pierces unploughed weak land.

أَيُّهَا النَّاسُ، مَنْ سَلَكَ الطّرِيقَ الْوَاضِحَ وَرَدَ الْمَاءَ، وَمَنْ خَالَفَ وَقَعَ فِي التِيهِ!

O people, he who treads the clear path (of guidance) reaches the spring of water, and whoever abandons it strays into waterless desert.