٣٧. وَقَالَ (عليه ‏السلام): وَقَدْ لَقِيَهُ عِنْدَ مَسِيرِهِ إِلَى الشَّامِ دَهَاقِينُ الْأَنْبَارِ فَتَرَجَّلُوا لَهُ وَاشْتَدُّوا بَيْنَ يَدَيْهِ، فَقَالَ: مَا هذَا الَّذِي صَنَعْتُمُوهُ؟ فقالوا: خُلُقٌ مِنَّا نُعَظِّمُ بِهِ أُمَرَاءَنَا. فَقَالَ (عليه ‏السلام) وَاللهِ مَا يَنْتَفِعُ بِهذَا أُمَرَاؤُكُمْ! وَإِنَّكُمْ لَتَشُقُّونَ عَلَى أَنْفُسِكْمْ فِي دُنْيَاكُمْ، وَتَشْقَوْنَ بِهِ فِي آخِرَتِكُمْ، وَمَا أخْسرَ الْمَشَقَّةَ وَرَاءَهَا الْعِقَابُ، وَأَرْبَحَ الدَّعَةَ مَعَهَا الْأَمَانُ مِنَ النَّارِ.

37. Once Amīr al-mu’minīn, peace be upon him, was proceeding towards Syria when the countrymen of al-Anbār met him. Seeing him they began to walk on foot and then ran in front of him. He enquired why they were doing so and they replied that this was the way they respected their chiefs. Then he said: By Allāh, this does not benefit your chiefs. You are belabouring yourself in this world and earning misery for the next world by it. How harmful is the labour in whose wake there is punishment and how profitable is the case with which there is deliverance from the Fire (of Hell).

37. (Pendant sa marche vers Damas, les chefs des Anbar-s [les cultivateurs de la Perse] le rencontrèrent, descendirent de leurs montures et accoururent vers lui; il dit): Qu’avez-vous fait? (Ils dirent: c’est une façon héritée pour vénérer nos princes), Et lui de dire: Vos princes ne tirent aucun profit de ce que vous faites. Vous vous fatiguez dans ce monde et vous serez malheureux dans l’autre monde. Combien est perdante la fatigue suivie de châtiment et gagnant votre repos si vous êtes garantis contre le Feu!

Nahj al-Balāgha

Chapter #37