٢٦٩. وَقَالَ (عليه ‏السلام): النَّاسُ فِي الدُّنْيَا عَامِلاَنِ: عَامِلٌ عَمِلَ فِي الدُّنْيَا لِلدُّنْيَا، قَدْ شَغَلَتْهُ دُنْيَاهُ عَنْ آخِرَتِهِ، يَخْشَى عَلَى مَنْ يَخْلُفُهُ الْفَقْرَ، وَيَأْمَنُهُ عَلَى نَفْسِهِ، فَيُفْنِي عُمُرَهُ فِي مَنْفَعَةِ غَيْرِهِ. وَعَامِلٌ عَمِلَ فِي الدُّنْيَا لِمَا بَعْدَهَا، فَجَاءَهُ الَّذِي لَهُ مِنَ الدُّنْيَا بِغَيْرِ عَمَلٍ، فَأَحْرَزَ الْحَظَّيْنِ مَعاً، وَمَلَكَ الدَّارَيْنِ جَمِيعاً، فَأَصْبَحَ وَجِيهاً عِنْدَ اللَّهِ، لَا يَسْأَلُ اللهَ حَاجَةً فَيَمْنَعَهُ.

269. Amīr al-mu’minīn, peace be upon him, said: There are two kinds of workers in the world. One is a person who works in this world for this world and his work of this world keeps him unmindful of the next world. He is afraid of destitution for those he will leave behind but feels himself safe about it. So, he spends his life after the good of others. The other is one who works in this world for what is to come hereafter, and he secures his share of this world without effort. Thus, he gets both the benefits together and becomes the owner of both the houses together. In this way, he is prestigious before Allāh. If he asks Allāh anything He does not deny him.

269. Les gens de ce monde se divisent en deux types: Celui qui agit pour l’amour du monde qui le dissipe de la vie future; il craint la pauvreté pour ses descendants, il se garantit contre elle durant sa vie et passe ses jours à faire bénéficier les autres de son travail. Mais il y a aussi celui qui travaille dans ce monde pour la vie future, tout en ayant sa part gratuite des bienfaits de ce monde; alors il acquiert les deux demeures; il devient distingué aux yeux de Dieu qui ne lui refuse tout ce qui lui est nécessaire durant sa vie terrestre.

Nahj al-Balāgha

Chapter #269