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:

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.

O Jâber, la constitution de la religion et du monde repose sur quatre: un savant qui utilise sa science, un ignorant qui ne dédaigne pas d’apprendre, un généreux qui dépense largement pour ce qui est convenable et un pauvre qui ne vend pas l’autre monde pour celuici. Si le savant perdait sa science, l’ignorant dédaignerait d’apprendre; et si te généreux devenait avare, le pauvre vendrait l’autre monde pour la vîe terrestre.

O Jâber, celui qui est comblé des grâces de Dieu attire nombreux les hommes qui ont besoin de lui. S’il gère ses biens d’après la volonté de Dieu, il les pérennise, sinon il les expose à l’anéantissement.

Nahj al-Balāgha

Chapter #372