٤٠. وَقَالَ (عليه السلام) : لِسَانُ الْعَاقِلِ وَرَاءَ قَلْبِهِ، وَقَلْبُ الْأَحْمَقِ وَرَاءَ لِسَانِهِ.
40. Amīr al-mu’minīn, peace be upon him, said: The tongue of the wise man is behind his heart, and the heart of the fool is behind his tongue.
Wisdom in speech versus foolish impulsivity
Nahj al-Balāgha|Volume 1|Book 3|Chapter 40
قال السيد الرضي: و هذا من المعاني العجيبة الشريفة، والمراد به أنّ العاقل لا يطلق لسانه إلاّ بعد مشاورة الرَّوِيّةِ ومؤامرة الفكرة، والأحمق تسبق خذفاتُ لسانه وفلتاتُ كلامه مراجعةَ فكره ومماخضة رأيه، فكأن لسان العاقل تابع لقلبه، وكأن قلب الاحمق تابع للسانه.
As-Sayyid ar-Raḍī says: This sentence has a strange and beautiful meaning. It means that the wise man does not speak with his tongue except after consulting his mind and exercising his imagination, but the fool quickly utters whatever comes to his tongue without thinking. In this way, the tongue of the wise man follows his heart while the heart of the fool follows his tongue.