إِنْ صَمَتَ لَمْ يَغُمَّهُ صَمْتُهُ، وَإِنْ ضَحِكَ لَمْ يَعْلُ صَوْتُهُ، وَإِنْ بُغِيَ عَلَيْهِ صَبَرَ حَتّى يَكُونَ اللهُ هُوَ الَّذِي يَنْتَقِمُ لَهُ. نَفْسُهُ مِنْهُ فِي عَنَاء، وَالنَّاسُ مِنْهُ فِي رَاحَة. أَتْعَبَ نفسه لاِخِرَتِهِ، وَأَرَاحَ النَّاسَ مِنْ نَفْسِهِ. بُعْدُهُ عَمَّنْ تَبَاعَدَ عَنْهُ زُهْدٌ وَنَزاهَةٌ، وَدُنُوُّهُ مِمَّنْ دَنَا مِنَهُ لِينٌ وَرَحْمَةٌ، لَيْسَ تَبَاعُدُهُ بِكِبْر وَعَظَمَة، وَلاَ دُنُوُّهُ بِمَكْر وَخَدِيعَة.
If he is silent his silence does not grieve him, if he laughs he does not raise his voice, and if he is wronged he endures till Allāh takes revenge on his behalf. His own self is in distress because of him, while the people are in ease from him. He puts himself in hardship for the sake of his next life, and makes people feel safe from himself. His keeping away from those who distance themselves from him is by way of asceticism and purification, and his nearness to those who draw near to him is by way of leniency and mercifulness. His keeping away is not by way of vanity or feeling of greatness, nor his nearness by way of deceit and cheating.
