٣٤٣. وَقَالَ (عليه ‏السلام): الْأَقَاوِيلُ مَحْفُوظَةٌ وَالسَّرَائِرُ مَبْلُوَّةٌ وَ﴿كُلُّ نَفْسٍ بِمَا كَسَبَتْ رَهِينَةٌ﴾ وَالنَّاسُ مَنْقُوصُونَ مَدْخُولُونَ إِلَّا مَنْ عَصَمَ اللَّهُ: سَائِلُهُمْ مُتَعَنِّتٌ وَمُجِيبُهُمْ مُتَكَلِّفٌ يَكَادُ أَفْضَلُهُمْ رَأْياً يَرُدُّهُ عَنْ فَضْلِ رَأْيِهِ الرِّضَى وَالسُّخْطُ، وَيَكَادُ أَصْلَبُهُمْ عُوداً تَنْكَؤُهُ اللَّحْظَةُ وَتَسْتَحِيلُهُ الْكَلِمَةُ الْوَاحِدَةُ.

343. Amīr al-mu’minīn, peace be upon him, said: Utterances are preserved and actions are to be tried. Every soul, for what it earned, is held in pledge! (Qur’ān, 74:38). People are to be made deficient (as regards their bodies) and meddled with (as regards their minds) except those whom Allāh protects. The questioner among them aims at confusing and the answerer creates hardship. It is possible that the man who has the best views among them will be deviated from the soundness of his thinking by pleasure or displeasure, and it is possible that a single glance may affect even the man with the best wisdom among them or a single expression may transform him.

343. Les paroles sont conservées, les intentions éprouvées et «toute âme est l’otage de ce qu’elle a acquis» (74,38). Les hommes sont déraisonnables et psychopathes, sauf ceux que Dieu a gardés sains. Celui qui demande suscite l’embarras et celui qui répond dissimule la vérité. Celui qui a la meilleure opinion est presque enclin à la perdre à cause du bon plaisir et de l’emportement. Et celui qui s’attache le plus à sa religion peu lui faut pour être blessé par le regard appétissant et transformé par la seule parole.

Nahj al-Balāgha

Chapter #343