۳۷۱. وَقَالَ (عليه السلام): لَا شَرَفَ أَعْلَى مِنَ الْإِسْلَامِ، وَلَا عِزَّ أَعَزُّ مِنَ التَّقْوَى، وَلَا مَعْقِلَ أَحْسَنُ مِنَ الْوَرَعِ، وَلَا شَفِيعَ أَنْجَحُ مِنَ التّوْبَةِ، وَلَا كَنْزَ أَغْنَى مِنَ الْقَنَاعَةِ، وَلَا مَالَ أَذْهَبُ لِلْفَاقَةِ مَنَ الرِّضَى بِالْقُوتِ، وَمَنِ اقْتَصَرَ عَلَى بُلْغَةِ الْكَفَافِ فَقَدِ انْتَظَمَ الرَّاحَةَ وَتَبَوَّأَ خَفْضَ الدَّعَةِ وَالرَّغْبَةُ مِفْتَاحُ النَّصَبِ، وَمَطِيَّةُ التَّعَبِ، وَالْحِرْصُ وَالْكِبْرُ وَالْحَسَدُ دَوَاعٍ إِلَى التَّقَحُّمِ فِي الذُّنُوبِ، وَالشَّرُّ جَامِعُ مَسَاوِئِ الْعُيُوبِ.
371. Amīr al-mu’minīn, peace be upon him, said: There is no distinction higher than Islam; no honour more honourable than fear of Allāh; no asylum better than self restraint; no intercessor more effective than repentance; no treasure more precious than contentment; and no wealth is a bigger remover of destitution than being satisfied with mere sustenance. He who confines himself to what is just enough for maintenance achieves comfort and prepares abode in ease. Desire is the key of grief and the conveyance of distress. Greed, vanity and jealousy are incentives to falling into sins and mischief-mongering is the collection of all bad habits.