۳۷۲. وَقَالَ (عليه السلام) لِجَابِرِ بْنِ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ الْأَنْصَارِيِّ
372. Amīr al-mu’minīn, peace be upon him, said to Jābir ibn ‘Abdillāh al-Anṣārī:
Four Pillars of Religious and Worldly Stability
Nahj al-Balāgha|Volume 1|Book 3|Chapter 372
يَا جَابِرُ، قِوَامُ الدِّينِ وَالدُّنْيَا بِأَرْبَعَةٍ: عَالِمٍ مُسْتَعْمِلٍ عِلْمَهُ، وَجَاهِلٍ لَا يَسْتَنْكِفُ أَنْ يَتَعَلَّمَ، وَجَوَادٍ لَا يَبْخَلُ بِمَعْرُوفِهِ، وَفَقِيرٍ لَا يَبِيعُ آخِرَتَهُ بِدُنْيَاهُ؛ فَإِذَا ضَيَّعَ الْعَالِمُ عِلْمَهُ اسْتَنْكَفَ الْجَاهِلُ أَنْ يَتَعَلَّمَ، وَإِذَا بَخِلَ الْغَنِيُّ بِمَعْرُوفِهِ بَاعَ الْفَقِيرُ آخِرَتَهُ بِدُنْيَاهُ.
O’ Jābir, the mainstay of religion and the world are four persons: The scholar who acts on his knowledge; the ignorant who does not feel ashamed of learning; the generous who is not niggardly in his favours; and the destitute who does not sell his next life for his worldly benefits. Consequently, when the scholar wastes his knowledge, the ignorant feels shame in learning; and when the generous is niggardly with his favours, the destitute sells his next life for the worldly benefits.
يَا جَابِرُ مَنْ كَثُرَتْ نِعَمُ اَللَّهِ عَلَيْهِ كَثُرَتْ حَوَائِجُ اَلنَّاسِ إِلَيْهِ فَمَنْ قَامَ لِلَّهِ فِيهَا بِمَا يَجِبُ فِيهَا عَرَّضَهَا لِلدَّوَامِ وَالْبَقَاءِ وَمَنْ لَمْ يَقُمْ فِيهَا بِمَا يَجِبُ عَرَّضَهَا لِلزَّوَالِ وَالْفَنَاءِ.
O’ Jābir, if favours of Allāh abound on a person the people’s needs towards him also abound. Therefore, he who fulfils for Allāh all that is obligatory on him in this regard will preserve them (Allāh’s favours) in continuance and perpetuity, while he who does not fulfil those obligations will expose them to decay and destruction.