Qut al Quloob Chapter 44 by Abu Ṭalib al-Makki

قُوتُ الْقُلُوبِ فِي مُعَامَلَةِ الْمَحْبُوبِ وَوَصْفِ طَرِيقِ الْمُرِيدِ إِلَى مَقَامِ التَّوْحِيدِ

Qūtu al-qulūbi fī muʿāmalati al-maḥbūbi wa-waṣfi ṭarīqi al-murīdi ʾilā maqāmi al-tawḥīdi

Nourishment for Hearts in Dealings with the Beloved and a Description of the Seeker’s Path to the Station of Divine Oneness

Chapter 44

الْأُخُوَّةُ وَالصُّحْبَةُ فِي اللَّهِ

Al-ʾukhuwwatu wa-al-ṣuḥbatu fī Allāhi

Brotherhood and Companionship in God

أَبُو طَالِبٍ الْمَكِّيُّ

Abu Ṭalib al-Makki

الْفَصْلُ الرَّابِعُ وَالْأَرْبَعُونَ فِي كِتَابِ الْأُخُوَّةِ فِي اللَّهِ تَبَارَكَ وَتَعَالَى، وَالصُّحْبَةِ وَالْمَحَبَّةِ لِلْإِخْوَانِ فِيهِ، وَأَحْكَامِ الْمُؤَاخَاةِ وَأَوْصَافِ الْمُحِبِّينَ.

al-faṣlu al-rābiʿu wa-al-ʾarbaʿūna fī kitābi al-ʾukhuwwati fī Allāhi tabāraka wataʿālā, wa-al-ṣuḥbati wa-al-maḥabbati li-l-ʾikhwāni fīhi, waʾaḥkāmi al-muʾākhāti waʾawṣāfi al-muḥibbīna.

Chapter Forty-Four: The Book of Brotherhood in God, Blessed and Exalted Is He; Companionship and Love for Brothers in Him; the Rules of Brotherhood and the Qualities of Those Who Love

الْجُزْءُ الثَّانِي، الصَّفْحَةُ ٣٥٩

al-juzʾu al-thānī, al-ṣafḥatu 359

Volume Two, page 359

ذَكَّرَ اللَّهُ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ عِبَادَهُ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ نِعْمَتَهُ عَلَيْهِمْ فِي الدِّينِ، إِذْ أَلَّفَ بَيْنَ قُلُوبِهِمْ بَعْدَ أَنْ كَانُوا مُتَفَرِّقِينَ، فَأَصْبَحُوا بِنِعْمَتِهِ إِخْوَانًا بِالْأُلْفَةِ مُتَّفِقِينَ، وَعَلَى الْبِرِّ وَالتَّقْوَى مُضْطَجِعِينَ.

dhakkara Allāhu ʿazza wajalla ʿibādahu al-muʾminīna niʿmatahu ʿalayhim fī al-dīni, ʾidh ʾallafa bayna qulūbihim baʿda ʾan kānū mutafarriqīna, faʾaṣbaḥū biniʿmatihi ʾikhwānan bi-al-ʾulfati muttafiqīna, waʿalā al-birri wa-al-taqwā muḍṭajiʿīna.

God, Mighty and Majestic, reminded His believing servants of His favor to them in religion: He joined their hearts after they had been divided, so that by His favor they became brothers, united in affection and reclining together upon righteousness and mindfulness of God.

ثُمَّ ضَمَّ التَّذْكِرَةَ بِالنِّعْمَةِ عَلَيْهِمْ إِلَى تَقْوَاهُ، وَأَمَرَ بِالِاعْتِصَامِ بِحَبْلِهِ وَهُدَاهُ، وَنَهَى عَنِ التَّفَرُّقِ إِذْ جَمَعَتْهُمُ الدَّارُ، وَقَرَنَ ذَلِكَ بِالْمِنَّةِ مِنْهُ عَلَيْهِمْ، إِذَا أَنْقَذَهُمْ مِنْ شَفَا حُفْرَةِ النَّارِ.

thumma ḍamma al-tadhkirata bi-al-niʿmati ʿalayhim ʾilā taqwāhu, waʾamara bi-al-iʿtiṣāmi biḥablihi wahudāhu, wanahā ʿani al-tafarruqi ʾidh jamaʿathumu al-dāru, waqarana dhālika bi-al-minnati minhu ʿalayhim, ʾidhā ʾanqadhahum min shafā ḥufrati al-nāri.

He then joined this reminder of His favor to the command to be mindful of Him. He commanded them to hold fast to His rope and His guidance, forbade division when one abode had brought them together, and coupled this with His gracious favor to them when He rescued them from the brink of a pit of fire.

وَقَدْ جَعَلَ ذَلِكَ كُلَّهُ مِنْ آيَاتِهِ الدَّالَّةِ عَلَيْهِ سُبْحَانَهُ وَتَعَالَى وَسُبُلِهِ الْوَاصِلَةِ بِالْهِدَايَةِ إِلَيْهِ، فَقَالَ فِي جُمَلِ مَا شَرَحْنَاهُ: ﴿يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا اتَّقُوا اللَّهَ حَقَّ تُقَاتِهِ﴾، آلِ عِمْرَانَ: ١٠٢، ﴿وَلَا تَفَرَّقُوا﴾، ﴿وَلَعَلَّكُمْ تَهْتَدُونَ﴾، آلِ عِمْرَانَ: ١٠٣.

waqad jaʿala dhālika kullahu min ʾāyātihi al-dāllati ʿalayhi subḥānahu wataʿālā wasubulihi al-wāṣilati bi-al-hidāyati ʾilayhi, faqāla fī jumali mā sharaḥnāhu: ﴿yā ʾayyuhā alladhīna ʾāmanū ittaqū Allāha ḥaqqa tuqātihi﴾, ʾāli ʿimrāna: 102, ﴿walā tafarraqū﴾, ﴿walaʿallakum tahtadūna﴾, ʾāli ʿimrāna: 103.

He made all this part of His signs pointing to Him, Glorified and Exalted Is He, and His paths bringing people to Him through guidance. In the statements we have explained, He says: “You who believe, be mindful of God as He deserves” (Āl ʿImrān 3:102), “and do not become divided,” and “so that you may be guided” (Āl ʿImrān 3:103).

وَقَدْ كَانَتِ الْمُؤَاخَاةُ فِي اللَّهِ تَعَالَى وَالصُّحْبَةُ لِأَجْلِهِ وَالْمَحَبَّةُ لَهُ فِي الْحَضَرِ وَالسَّفَرِ طَرَائِقَ لِلْعَامِلِينَ، فِي كُلِّ طَرِيقٍ فَرِيقٌ، لِمَا فِي ذَلِكَ مِنَ الْفَضْلِ، وَلِمَا جَاءَ فِيهِ مِنَ الْأَمْرِ وَالنَّدْبِ.

waqad kānati al-muʾākhātu fī Allāhi taʿālā wa-al-ṣuḥbatu liʾajlihi wa-al-maḥabbatu lahu fī al-ḥaḍari wa-al-safari ṭarāʾiqa li-l-ʿāmilīna, fī kulli ṭarīqin farīqun, limā fī dhālika mina al-faḍli, walimā jāʾa fīhi mina al-ʾamri wa-al-nadbi.

Brotherhood in God Most High, companionship for His sake, and love for Him, at home and on journeys, have been paths for those who put their faith into practice. Each path has its followers, because of the excellence these practices possess and the commands and encouragement transmitted concerning them.

إِذْ كَانَ الْحُبُّ فِي اللَّهِ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ مِنْ أَوْثَقِ عُرَى الْإِيمَانِ، وَكَانَتِ الْأُلْفَةُ وَالصُّحْبَةُ لِأَجْلِهِ وَالْمَحَبَّةُ وَالتَّزَاوُرُ مِنْ أَحْسَنِ أَسْبَابِ الْمُتَّقِينَ، وَقَدْ كَثُرَتِ الْأَخْبَارُ فِي تَفْضِيلِ ذَلِكَ وَالْحَثِّ عَلَيْهِ.

ʾidh kāna al-ḥubbu fī Allāhi ʿazza wajalla min ʾawthaqi ʿurā al-ʾīmāni, wakānati al-ʾulfatu wa-al-ṣuḥbatu liʾajlihi wa-al-maḥabbatu wa-al-tazāwuru min ʾaḥsani ʾasbābi al-muttaqīna, waqad kathurati al-ʾakhbāru fī tafḍīli dhālika wa-al-ḥaththi ʿalayhi.

For love in God, Mighty and Majestic, is among faith’s strongest bonds; affection, companionship for His sake, love, and visits to one another are among the finest practices of the God-conscious. Many reports proclaim their excellence and urge them.

وَلَيْسَ قَصْدُنَا الْجَمْعَ لِمَا رُوِيَ لِمَيْلِنَا إِلَى الْإِيجَازِ فِي كُلِّ فَنٍّ، وَلَكِنْ نَذْكُرُ الْأَفْعَالَ الْمُسْتَحْسَنَةَ وَمَا تَعَلَّقَ بِهَا مِمَّا لَا بُدَّ مِنْهُ، عَلَى أَنَّ رَأْيَ التَّابِعِينَ قَدِ اخْتَلَفَ فِي التَّعْرِيفِ.

walaysa qaṣdunā al-jamʿa limā ruwiya limaylinā ʾilā al-ʾījāzi fī kulli fannin, wa-lākin nadhkuru al-ʾafʿāla al-mustaḥsanata wamā taʿallaqa bihā mimmā lā budda minhu, ʿalā ʾanna raʾya al-tābiʿīna qadi ikhtalafa fī al-taʿrīfi.

We do not intend to collect everything transmitted, since we prefer concision in every subject. We shall instead mention the practices held to be good and whatever indispensable matters pertain to them. The Successors, however, differed about making acquaintances.

فَمِنْهُمْ مَنْ كَانَ يَقُولُ: أَقْلِلْ مِنَ الْمَعَارِفِ، فَإِنَّهُ أَسْلَمُ لِدِينِكَ وَأَقَلُّ غَدًا لِفَضِيحَتِكَ، وَأَخَفُّ لِسُقُوطِ الْحُقُوقِ عَنْكَ، لِأَنَّهُ يُقَالُ: كُلَّمَا كَثُرَتِ الْمَعَارِفُ كَثُرَتِ الْحُقُوقُ، وَكُلَّمَا طَالَتِ الصُّحْبَةُ تَوَكَّدَتِ الْمُرَاعَاةُ.

faminhum man kāna yaqūlu: ʾaqlil mina al-maʿārifi, faʾinnahu ʾaslamu lidīnika waʾaqallu ghadan lifaḍīḥatika, waʾakhaffu lisuqūṭi al-ḥuqūqi ʿanka, liʾannahu yuqālu: kullamā kathurati al-maʿārifu kathurati al-ḥuqūqu, wakullamā ṭālati al-ṣuḥbatu tawakkadati al-murāʿātu.

Some of them said: “Have few acquaintances: that is safer for your religion, less likely to expose you to disgrace tomorrow, and less burdensome, since obligations fall away from you.” For it is said: “The more acquaintances, the more obligations; the longer the companionship, the more firmly consideration for one another is required.”

وَقَالَ بَعْضُهُمْ: هَلْ رَأَيْتَ شَرًّا إِلَّا مِمَّنْ تَعْرِفُ؟ فَكُلَّمَا نَقَصَ مِنْ هَذَا فَهُوَ خَيْرٌ. وَقَالَ بَعْضُهُمْ: أَنْكِرْ مَنْ تَعْرِفُ وَلَا تَتَعَرَّفْ إِلَى مَنْ لَا تَعْرِفُ.

waqāla baʿḍuhum: hal raʾayta sharran ʾillā mimman taʿrifu? fakullamā naqaṣa min hādhā fahuwa khayrun. waqāla baʿḍuhum: ʾankir man taʿrifu walā tataʿarraf ʾilā man lā taʿrifu.

One said: “Have you ever experienced harm except from someone you know? The less of this, the better.” Another said: “Disavow those you know, and do not become acquainted with those you do not know.”

وَمِمَّنْ مَالَ إِلَى هَذَا الرَّأْيِ: سُفْيَانُ الثَّوْرِيُّ وَإِبْرَاهِيمُ بْنُ أَدْهَمَ، وَدَاوُدُ الطَّائِيُّ وَالْفُضَيْلُ بْنُ عِيَاضٍ، وَسُلَيْمَانُ الْخَوَّاصُ وَيُوسُفُ بْنُ أَسْبَاطٍ، وَحُذَيْفَةُ الْمَرْعَشِيُّ وَبِشْرٌ الْحَافِي.

wamimman māla ʾilā hādhā al-raʾyi: sufyānu al-thawriyyu waʾibrāhīmu bnu ʾadhama, wa-dāwūdu al-ṭāʾiyyu wa-al-fuḍaylu bnu ʿiyāḍin, wasulaymānu al-khawwāṣu wayūsufu bnu ʾasbāṭin, waḥudhayfatu al-marʿashiyyu wabishrun al-ḥāfī.

Those inclined to this view included Sufyān al-Thawrī, Ibrāhīm ibn Adham, Dāwūd al-Ṭāʾī, al-Fuḍayl ibn ʿIyāḍ, Sulaymān al-Khawwāṣ, Yūsuf ibn Asbāṭ, Ḥudhayfa al-Marʿashī, and Bishr al-Ḥāfī.

وَقَالَ أَكْثَرُ التَّابِعِينَ بِاسْتِحْبَابِ كَثْرَةِ الْإِخْوَانِ فِي اللَّهِ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ، بِالتَّأْلِيفِ وَالتَّحَبُّبِ إِلَى الْمُؤْمِنِينَ، لِأَنَّ ذَلِكَ زَيْنٌ فِي الرَّخَاءِ، وَعَوْنٌ فِي الشَّدَائِدِ، وَتَعَاوُنٌ عَلَى الْبِرِّ وَالتَّقْوَى، وَأُلْفَةٌ فِي الدِّينِ. وَقَالَ بَعْضُهُمْ: اِسْتَكْثِرْ

waqāla ʾaktharu al-tābiʿīna bistiḥbābi kathrati al-ʾikhwāni fī Allāhi ʿazza wajalla, bi-al-taʾlīfi wa-al-taḥabbubi ʾilā al-muʾminīna, liʾanna dhālika zaynun fī al-rakhāʾi, waʿawnun fī al-shadāʾidi, wataʿāwunun ʿalā al-birri wa-al-taqwā, waʾulfatun fī al-dīni. waqāla baʿḍuhum: istakthir

Most of the Successors held it desirable to have many brothers in God, Mighty and Majestic, by bringing believers together and winning their love. This is an adornment in prosperity, a help in adversity, mutual support in righteousness and mindfulness of God, and fellowship in religion. One of them said: “Acquire many

الْجُزْءُ الثَّانِي، الصَّفْحَةُ ٣٦٠

al-juzʾu al-thānī, al-ṣafḥatu 360

Volume Two, page 360

مِنَ الْإِخْوَانِ، فَإِنَّ لِكُلِّ مُؤْمِنٍ شَفَاعَةً، فَلَعَلَّكَ تَدْخُلُ فِي شَفَاعَةِ أَخِيكَ. وَكَانُوا يَأْمُرُونَ بِالْأُخُوَّةِ وَيَتَحَاضُّونَ عَلَى الْأُلْفَةِ، وَيُقَالُ: إِذَا غُفِرَ لِلْعَبْدِ شُفِّعَ فِي إِخْوَانِهِ.

mina al-ʾikhwāni, faʾinna likulli muʾminin shafāʿatan, falaʿallaka tadkhulu fī shafāʿati ʾakhīka. wakānū yaʾmurūna bi-al-ʾukhuwwati wayataḥāḍḍūna ʿalā al-ʾulfati, wayuqālu: ʾidhā ghufira li-l-ʿabdi shuffiʿa fī ʾikhwānihi.

brothers, for every believer has an intercession to offer, and perhaps you will be included in your brother’s intercession.” They used to enjoin brotherhood and urge one another toward affection. It is said: “When a servant is forgiven, his intercession for his brothers is accepted.”

وَرَوَيْنَا عَنْ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ حَدِيثًا غَرِيبًا فِي تَفْسِيرِ قَوْلِهِ تَعَالَى: ﴿وَيَسْتَجِيبُ الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا وَعَمِلُوا الصَّالِحَاتِ وَيَزِيدُهُمْ مِنْ فَضْلِهِ﴾، الشُّورَى: ٢٦، قَالَ: يُشَفِّعُهُمْ فِي إِخْوَانِهِمْ فَيُدْخِلُهُمُ الْجَنَّةَ مَعَهُمْ.

warawaynā ʿan rasūli Allāhi ṣallā Allāhu ʿalayhi wasallama ḥadīthan gharīban fī tafsīri qawlihi taʿālā: ﴿wayastajību alladhīna ʾāmanū waʿamilū al-ṣāliḥāti wayazīduhum min faḍlihi﴾, al-shūrā: 26, qāla: yushaffiʿuhum fī ʾikhwānihim fayudkhiluhumu al-jannata maʿahum.

We have transmitted an uncommon report from God’s Messenger, God bless him and grant him peace, explaining the words of God Most High: “He answers those who believe and do righteous deeds, and gives them more from His bounty” (al-Shūrā 42:26). He said: “He accepts their intercession for their brothers and admits them to the Garden with them.”

وَمِمَّنْ مَالَ إِلَى هَذَا الطَّرِيقِ: ابْنُ الْمُسَيِّبِ وَالشَّعْبِيُّ، وَابْنُ أَبِي لَيْلَى وَهِشَامُ بْنُ عُرْوَةَ، وَابْنُ شُبْرُمَةَ وَشُرَيْحٌ وَشَرِيكُ بْنُ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ، وَابْنُ عُيَيْنَةَ وَابْنُ الْمُبَارَكِ، وَالشَّافِعِيُّ وَأَحْمَدُ بْنُ حَنْبَلٍ، وَمَنْ وَافَقَهُمْ.

wamimman māla ʾilā hādhā al-ṭarīqi: ibnu al-musayyibi wa-al-shaʿbiyyu, wa-ibnu ʾabī laylā wahishāmu bnu ʿurwata, wa-ibnu shubrumata washurayḥun washarīku bnu ʿabdi Allāhi, wa-ibnu ʿuyaynata wa-ibnu al-mubāraki, wa-al-shāfiʿiyyu waʾaḥmadu bnu ḥanbalin, waman wāfaqahum.

Those inclined to this path included Ibn al-Musayyib, al-Shaʿbī, Ibn Abī Laylā, Hishām ibn ʿUrwa, Ibn Shubruma, Shurayḥ, Sharīk ibn ʿAbd Allāh, Ibn ʿUyayna, Ibn al-Mubārak, al-Shāfiʿī, Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal, and those who agreed with them.

وَقَدْ رَوَيْنَا عَنْ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ: إِنَّ أَقْرَبَكُمْ مِنِّي مَجْلِسًا أَحَاسِنُكُمْ أَخْلَاقًا، الْمُوَطَّؤُونَ أَكْنَافًا الَّذِينَ يَأْلَفُونَ وَيُؤْلَفُونَ.

waqad rawaynā ʿan rasūli Allāhi ṣallā Allāhu ʿalayhi wasallama: ʾinna ʾaqrabakum minnī majlisan ʾaḥāsinukum ʾakhlāqan, al-muwaṭṭaʾūna ʾaknāfan alladhīna yaʾlafūna wayuʾlafūna.

We have transmitted from God’s Messenger, God bless him and grant him peace: “Those of you who will sit nearest me are those finest in character, gentle and approachable, who love others and are loved.”

وَرَوَيْنَا عَنْهُ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ: الْمُؤْمِنُ مَأْلُوفٌ وَلَا خَيْرَ فِيمَنْ يَأْلَفُ وَلَا يُؤْلَفُ. وَقَدْ قِيلَ: أَوَّلُ مَا يُرْفَعُ مِنْ هَذِهِ الْأُمَّةِ الْخُشُوعُ ثُمَّ الْوَرَعُ ثُمَّ الْأَمَانَةُ ثُمَّ الْأُلْفَةُ.

warawaynā ʿanhu ṣallā Allāhu ʿalayhi wasallama: al-muʾminu maʾlūfun walā khayra fīman yaʾlafu walā yuʾlafu. waqad qīla: ʾawwalu mā yurfaʿu min hādhihi al-ʾummati al-khushūʿu thumma al-waraʿu thumma al-ʾamānatu thumma al-ʾulfatu.

We have transmitted from him, God bless him and grant him peace: “The believer is loved; there is no good in someone who loves but is not loved.” It has been said: “The first thing taken away from this community will be humble attentiveness, then scrupulousness, then trustworthiness, then affection.”

وَفِي الْخَبَرِ: مَنْ أَرَادَ اللَّهُ بِهِ خَيْرًا رَزَقَهُ خَلِيلًا صَالِحًا، إِنْ نَسِيَ ذَكَّرَهُ وَإِنْ ذَكَرَ أَعَانَهُ.

wafī al-khabari: man ʾarāda Allāhu bihi khayran razaqahu khalīlan ṣāliḥan, ʾin nasiya dhakkarahu waʾin dhakara ʾaʿānahu.

A report says: “When God wishes someone well, He provides him with a righteous friend: if he forgets, his friend reminds him; if he remembers, his friend helps him.”

وَرَوَيْنَا فِي خَبَرٍ: مَثَلُ الْأَخَوَيْنِ إِذَا الْتَقَيَا مَثَلُ الْيَدَيْنِ تَغْسِلُ إِحْدَاهُمَا الْأُخْرَى، وَمَا الْتَقَى مُؤْمِنَانِ إِلَّا أَفَادَ اللَّهُ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ أَحَدَهُمَا مِنْ صَاحِبِهِ خَيْرًا.

warawaynā fī khabarin: mathalu al-ʾakhawayni ʾidhā iltaqayā mathalu al-yadayni taghsilu ʾiḥdāhumā al-ʾukhrā, wamā iltaqā muʾmināni ʾillā ʾafāda Allāhu ʿazza wajalla ʾaḥadahumā min ṣāḥibihi khayran.

We have transmitted in a report: “Two brothers, when they meet, are like two hands, each washing the other. No two believers meet without God, Mighty and Majestic, granting one of them some good through his companion.”

وَرَوَيْنَا فِي خَبَرٍ عَنْ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ: مَنْ آخَى أَخًا فِي اللَّهِ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ، رَفَعَهُ اللَّهُ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ دَرَجَةً فِي الْجَنَّةِ لَا يَنَالُهَا بِشَيْءٍ مِنْ عَمَلِهِ.

warawaynā fī khabarin ʿan rasūli Allāhi ṣallā Allāhu ʿalayhi wasallama: man ʾākhā ʾakhan fī Allāhi ʿazza wajalla, rafaʿahu Allāhu ʿazza wajalla darajatan fī al-jannati lā yanāluhā bishayʾin min ʿamalihi.

We have transmitted in a report from God’s Messenger, God bless him and grant him peace: “Whoever forms a brotherhood with someone in God, Mighty and Majestic, God, Mighty and Majestic, raises him to a degree in the Garden that he could not attain by any of his deeds.”

وَيُقَالُ: إِنَّ الْأَخَوَيْنِ فِي اللَّهِ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ إِذَا كَانَ أَحَدُهُمَا أَعْلَى مَقَامًا مِنَ الْآخَرِ، رُفِعَ الْآخَرُ مَعَهُ إِلَى مَقَامِهِ، وَأَنَّهُ يَلْحَقُ بِهِ كَمَا تَلْحَقُ الذُّرِّيَّةُ بِالْأَبَوَيْنِ، وَالْأَهْلُ بَعْضُهُمْ بِبَعْضٍ، لِأَنَّ الْأُخُوَّةَ عَمَلٌ كَالْوِلَادَةِ.

wayuqālu: ʾinna al-ʾakhawayni fī Allāhi ʿazza wajalla ʾidhā kāna ʾaḥaduhumā ʾaʿlā maqāman mina al-ʾākhari, rufiʿa al-ʾākharu maʿahu ʾilā maqāmihi, waʾannahu yalḥaqu bihi kamā talḥaqu al-dhurriyyatu bi-al-ʾabawayni, wa-al-ʾahlu baʿḍuhum bibaʿḍin, liʾanna al-ʾukhuwwata ʿamalun ka-al-wilādati.

It is said that when one of two brothers in God, Mighty and Majestic, has a higher station than the other, the other is raised with him to his station. He joins him as offspring join their parents and family members join one another, for brotherhood is an act comparable to birth.

وَقَدْ قَالَ اللَّهُ سُبْحَانَهُ بَعْدَ قَوْلِهِ: ﴿أَلْحَقْنَا بِهِمْ ذُرِّيَّاتِهِمْ وَمَا أَلَتْنَاهُمْ مِنْ عَمَلِهِمْ مِنْ شَيْءٍ﴾، الطُّورِ: ٢١، أَيْ: وَمَا نَقَصْنَاهُمْ.

waqad qāla Allāhu subḥānahu baʿda qawlihi: ﴿ʾalḥaqnā bihim dhurriyyātihim wamā ʾalatnāhum min ʿamalihim min shayʾin﴾, al-ṭūri: 21, ʾay: wamā naqaṣnāhum.

God, Glorified Is He, has said, following His words: “We joined their descendants to them, and did not diminish their deeds in any way” (al-Ṭūr 52:21), that is, “We did not reduce what was theirs.”

وَقَالَ تَعَالَى مُخْبِرًا عَمَّنْ لَا صَدِيقَ لَهُ حَمِيمٌ تَنْفَعُهُ شَفَاعَتُهُ: ﴿فَمَا لَنَا مِنْ شَافِعِينَ وَلَا صَدِيقٍ حَمِيمٍ﴾، الشُّعَرَاءِ: ١٠٠–١٠١.

waqāla taʿālā mukhbiran ʿamman lā ṣadīqa lahu ḥamīmun tanfaʿuhu shafāʿatuhu: ﴿famā lanā min shāfiʿīna walā ṣadīqin ḥamīmin﴾, al-shuʿarāʾi: 100–101.

He, Most High, said of those who have no devoted friend whose intercession could benefit them: “So we have no intercessors, nor any devoted friend” (al-Shuʿarāʾ 26:100–101).

وَمَعْنَى حَمِيمٍ أَيْ هَمِيمٌ، أُبْدِلَتِ الْحَاءُ هَاءً لِتَقَارُبِهِمَا، مَأْخُوذٌ مِنَ الِاهْتِمَامِ أَيْ مُهْتَمٌّ بِأَمْرِهِ، فَفِيهِ دَلِيلٌ أَنَّ الصَّدِيقَ لَكَ هُوَ الْمُهْتَمُّ بِكَ، وَإِنَّ الِاهْتِمَامَ حَقِيقَةُ الصَّدَاقَةِ.

wamaʿnā ḥamīmin ʾay hamīmun, ʾubdilati al-ḥāʾu hāʾan litaqārubihimā, maʾkhūdhun mina al-ihtimāmi ʾay muhtammun biʾamrihi, fafīhi dalīlun ʾanna al-ṣadīqa laka huwa al-muhtammu bika, waʾinna al-ihtimāma ḥaqīqatu al-ṣadāqati.

Ḥamīm means hamīm: the letter ḥāʾ is replaced by hāʾ because their sounds are close. It is derived from ihtimām, concern: someone concerned about another’s affairs. This indicates that your friend is the one concerned about you, and that concern is the reality of friendship.

وَرَوَيْنَا عَنِ النَّبِيِّ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ: الْمُؤْمِنُ كَثِيرٌ بِأَخِيهِ. وَعَنْ عُمَرَ بْنِ الْخَطَّابِ رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُ: مَا أُعْطِيَ عَبْدٌ بَعْدَ الْإِسْلَامِ خَيْرًا مِنْ أَخٍ صَالِحٍ.

warawaynā ʿani al-nabiyyi ṣallā Allāhu ʿalayhi wasallama: al-muʾminu kathīrun biʾakhīhi. waʿan ʿumara bni al-khaṭṭābi raḍiya Allāhu ʿanhu: mā ʾuʿṭiya ʿabdun baʿda al-ʾislāmi khayran min ʾakhin ṣāliḥin.

We have transmitted from the Prophet, God bless him and grant him peace: “A believer is strengthened in number by his brother.” And from ʿUmar ibn al-Khaṭṭāb, God be pleased with him: “After Islam, a servant has been given nothing better than a righteous brother.”

وَقَالَ أَيْضًا: إِذَا رَأَى أَحَدُكُمْ وُدًّا مِنْ أَخِيهِ فَلْيَتَمَسَّكْ بِهِ، فَقَلَّمَا تُصِيبُ ذَلِكَ. وَقَدْ قَالَ بَعْضُ الْحُكَمَاءِ فِي مَعْنَاهُ كَلَامًا مَنْظُومًا شِعْرًا:

waqāla ʾayḍan: ʾidhā raʾā ʾaḥadukum wuddan min ʾakhīhi falyatamassak bihi, faqallamā tuṣību dhālika. waqad qāla baʿḍu al-ḥukamāʾi fī maʿnāhu kalāman manẓūman shiʿran:

He also said: “When one of you finds affection in his brother, let him hold fast to it; you rarely find such a thing.” One of the sages expressed this meaning in verse:

مَا نَالَتِ النَّفْسُ عَلَى بُغْيَةٍ ... أَلَذَّ مِنْ وُدِّ صَدِيقٍ أَمِينٍ / مَنْ فَاتَهُ وُدُّ أَخٍ صَالِحٍ ... فَذَلِكَ الْمَقْطُوعُ مِنْهُ الْوَتِينُ.

mā nālati al-nafsu ʿalā bughyatin ... ʾaladhdha min wuddi ṣadīqin ʾamīnin / man fātahu wuddu ʾakhin ṣāliḥin ... fa-dhālika al-maqṭūʿu minhu al-watīnu.

No soul, in all it seeks, has gained anything sweeter than the love of a faithful friend. Whoever misses the love of a righteous brother is one whose very lifeline has been cut.

وَقَدْ يُرْوَى هَذَا الْمِصْرَاعُ الثَّانِي: فَذَلِكَ الْمَغْبُونُ حَقًّا يَقِينٌ.

waqad yurwā hādhā al-miṣrāʿu al-thānī: fa-dhālika al-maghbūnu ḥaqqan yaqīnun.

This second hemistich is also transmitted: “That person is truly the loser; it is certain.”

وَرَوَيْنَا فِي الْأَخْبَارِ السَّابِقَةِ: إِنَّ اللَّهَ تَبَارَكَ وَتَعَالَى أَوْحَى إِلَى مُوسَى عَلَيْهِ السَّلَامُ: يَا ابْنَ عِمْرَانَ، كُنْ يَقْظَانَ وَارْتَدْ لِنَفْسِكَ إِخْوَانًا، وَكُلُّ خِدْنٍ وَصَاحِبٍ لَا يُوَازِرُكَ عَلَى مَسَرَّتِي فَهُوَ لَكَ عَدُوٌّ.

warawaynā fī al-ʾakhbāri al-sābiqati: ʾinna Allāha tabāraka wataʿālā ʾawḥā ʾilā mūsā ʿalayhi al-salāmu: yā ibna ʿimrāna, kun yaqẓāna wa-irtad linafsika ʾikhwānan, wakullu khidnin waṣāḥibin lā yuwāziruka ʿalā masarratī fahuwa laka ʿaduwwun.

We have transmitted among earlier reports that God, Blessed and Exalted Is He, revealed to Moses, peace be upon him: “Son of ʿImrān, stay alert and seek out brothers for yourself. Every intimate friend and companion who does not help you to please Me is your enemy.”

وَفِي خَبَرٍ غَيْرِهِ عَنْ دَاوُدَ عَلَيْهِ السَّلَامُ أَنَّ اللَّهَ سُبْحَانَهُ وَتَعَالَى أَوْحَى إِلَيْهِ: يَا دَاوُدُ، مَا لِي أَرَاكَ مُنْتَبِذًا وُحْدَانًا؟

wafī khabarin ghayrihi ʿan dāwūda ʿalayhi al-salāmu ʾanna Allāha subḥānahu wataʿālā ʾawḥā ʾilayhi: yā dāwūdu, mā lī ʾarāka muntabidhan wuḥdānan?

In another report concerning David, peace be upon him, God, Glorified and Exalted Is He, revealed to him: “David, why do I see you withdrawn and alone?”

الْجُزْءُ الثَّانِي، الصَّفْحَةُ ٣٦١

al-juzʾu al-thānī, al-ṣafḥatu 361

Volume Two, page 361

قَالَ: إِلٰهِي، قَلَيْتُ الْخَلْقَ مِنْ أَجْلِكَ. فَأَوْحَى اللَّهُ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ إِلَيْهِ: يَا دَاوُدُ، كُنْ يَقْظَانَ مُرْتَادًا لِنَفْسِكَ إِخْوَانًا، فَكُلُّ خِدْنٍ لَا يُوَافِقُكَ عَلَى مَسَرَّتِي فَلَا تَصْحَبْهُ، فَإِنَّهُ لَكَ عَدُوٌّ وَيُقَسِّي قَلْبَكَ وَيُبَاعِدُكَ مِنِّي.

qāla: ʾilāhī, qalaytu al-khalqa min ʾajlika. faʾawḥā Allāhu ʿazza wajalla ʾilayhi: yā dāwūdu, kun yaqẓāna murtādan linafsika ʾikhwānan, fakullu khidnin lā yuwāfiquka ʿalā masarratī falā taṣḥabhu, faʾinnahu laka ʿaduwwun wayuqassī qalbaka wayubāʿiduka minnī.

He said: “My God, I have come to hate creatures for Your sake.” Then God, Mighty and Majestic, revealed to him: “David, stay alert, seeking brothers for yourself. Do not keep company with any intimate friend who does not join you in pleasing Me: he is your enemy, hardens your heart, and takes you far from Me.”

وَقَدْ رَوَيْنَا عَنْ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ: كُونُوا مُؤَلِّفِينَ وَلَا تَكُونُوا مُنَفِّرِينَ. وَفِي الْحَدِيثِ: إِنَّ أَحَبَّكُمْ إِلَى اللَّهِ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ الَّذِينَ يَأْلَفُونَ وَيُؤْلَفُونَ، وَإِنَّ أَبْغَضَكُمْ إِلَى اللَّهِ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ الْمَشَّاؤُونَ بِالنَّمِيمَةِ، الْمُفَرِّقُونَ بَيْنَ الْإِخْوَانِ.

waqad rawaynā ʿan rasūli Allāhi ṣallā Allāhu ʿalayhi wasallama: kūnū muʾallifīna walā takūnū munaffirīna. wafī al-ḥadīthi: ʾinna ʾaḥabbakum ʾilā Allāhi ʿazza wajalla alladhīna yaʾlafūna wayuʾlafūna, waʾinna ʾabghaḍakum ʾilā Allāhi ʿazza wajalla al-mashshāʾūna bi-al-namīmati, al-mufarriqūna bayna al-ʾikhwāni.

We have transmitted from God’s Messenger, God bless him and grant him peace: “Bring people together; do not drive them apart.” Another report says: “The dearest of you to God, Mighty and Majestic, are those who love and are loved. The most hateful of you to God, Mighty and Majestic, are those who go about spreading malicious gossip and separating brothers.”

وَفِي أَخْبَارِ دَاوُدَ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ أَنَّهُ قَالَ: يَا رَبِّ، كَيْفَ لِي أَنْ يُحِبَّنِيَ النَّاسُ كُلُّهُمْ وَأَسْلَمَ فِيمَا بَيْنِي وَبَيْنَكَ؟ قَالَ: خَالِقِ النَّاسَ بِأَخْلَاقِهِمْ وَأَحْسِنْ فِيمَا بَيْنِي وَبَيْنَكَ.

wafī ʾakhbāri dāwūda ṣallā Allāhu ʿalayhi wasallama ʾannahu qāla: yā rabbi, kayfa lī ʾan yuḥibbaniya al-nāsu kulluhum waʾaslama fīmā baynī wabaynaka? qāla: khāliqi al-nāsa biʾakhlāqihim waʾaḥsin fīmā baynī wabaynaka.

Among the reports about David, God bless him and grant him peace, is that he said: “Lord, how can all people love me while my relationship with You remains sound?” He said: “Deal with people according to their dispositions, and act well in what lies between Me and you.”

وَفِي بَعْضِهَا: خَالِقْ أَهْلَ الدُّنْيَا بِأَخْلَاقِ الدُّنْيَا، وَخَالِقْ أَهْلَ الْآخِرَةِ بِأَخْلَاقِ الْآخِرَةِ.

wafī baʿḍihā: khāliq ʾahla al-dunyā biʾakhlāqi al-dunyā, wakhāliq ʾahla al-ʾākhirati biʾakhlāqi al-ʾākhirati.

Some versions say: “Deal with the people of this world according to the ways of this world, and with the people of the hereafter according to the ways of the hereafter.”

قَالَ الشَّعْبِيُّ عَنْ صَعْصَعَةَ بْنِ صُوحَانَ أَنَّهُ قَالَ لِابْنِ أَخِيهِ زَيْدٍ: أَنَا كُنْتُ أَحَبَّ إِلَى أَبِيكَ مِنْكَ، وَأَنْتَ أَحَبُّ إِلَيَّ مِنِ ابْنِي، خَصْلَتَانِ أُوصِيكَ بِهِمَا فَاحْفَظْهُمَا: خَالِصِ الْمُؤْمِنَ مُخَالَصَةً وَخَالِقِ الْفَاجِرَ مُخَالَقَةً.

qāla al-shaʿbiyyu ʿan ṣaʿṣaʿata bni ṣūḥāna ʾannahu qāla libni ʾakhīhi zaydin: ʾanā kuntu ʾaḥabba ʾilā ʾabīka minka, waʾanta ʾaḥabbu ʾilayya mini ibnī, khaṣlatāni ʾūṣīka bihimā fa-iḥfaẓhumā: khāliṣi al-muʾmina mukhālaṣatan wakhāliqi al-fājira mukhālaqatan.

Al-Shaʿbī related that Ṣaʿṣaʿa ibn Ṣūḥān told his nephew Zayd: “I was dearer to your father than you were, and you are dearer to me than my own son. I counsel you to practice two things; remember them: be sincerely devoted to the believer, and behave courteously toward the wicked.”

فَإِنَّ الْفَاجِرَ يَرْضَى مِنْكَ بِالْخُلُقِ الْحَسَنِ وَأَنَّهُ لَحَقٌّ عَلَيْكَ أَنْ تُخَالِصَ الْمُؤْمِنَ. وَقَدْ قَالَ أَبُو الدَّرْدَاءِ قَبْلَهُ: إِنَّا لَنَكْشِرُ فِي وُجُوهِ أَقْوَامٍ وَإِنَّ قُلُوبَنَا لَتَلْعَنُهُمْ.

faʾinna al-fājira yarḍā minka bi-al-khuluqi al-ḥasani waʾannahu laḥaqqun ʿalayka ʾan tukhāliṣa al-muʾmina. waqad qāla ʾabū al-dardāʾi qablahu: ʾinnā lanakshiru fī wujūhi ʾaqwāmin waʾinna qulūbanā latalʿanuhum.

“For the wicked man is satisfied with your good manners, whereas you owe the believer sincere devotion.” Abū al-Dardāʾ had said before him: “We sometimes smile in people’s faces while our hearts curse them.”

فَمَعْنَى هَذَا عَلَى التَّقِيَّةِ وَالْمُدَارَاةِ لِيَدْفَعَ بِذَلِكَ شَرَّهُ وَأَذَاهُ، كَمَا جَاءَ فِي تَفْسِيرِ قَوْلِهِ تَعَالَى: ﴿ادْفَعْ بِالَّتِي هِيَ أَحْسَنُ﴾، فُصِّلَتْ: ٣٤، قِيلَ: السَّلَامُ، ﴿فَإِذَا الَّذِي بَيْنَكَ وَبَيْنَهُ عَدَاوَةٌ كَأَنَّهُ وَلِيٌّ حَمِيمٌ﴾، فُصِّلَتْ: ٣٤.

famaʿnā hādhā ʿalā al-taqiyyati wa-al-mudārāti liyadfaʿa bi-dhālika sharrahu waʾadhāhu, kamā jāʾa fī tafsīri qawlihi taʿālā: ﴿idfaʿ bi-allatī hiya ʾaḥsanu﴾, fuṣṣilat: 34, qīla: al-salāmu, ﴿faʾidhā alladhī baynaka wabaynahu ʿadāwatun kaʾannahu waliyyun ḥamīmun﴾, fuṣṣilat: 34.

This means acting cautiously and tactfully, to ward off a person’s evil and injury. Thus, in explaining the words of God Most High, “Repel with what is better” (Fuṣṣilat 41:34), it was said: “With a greeting of peace.” “Then the one between whom and you there was enmity will be as a devoted friend” (Fuṣṣilat 41:34).

وَكَانَ ابْنُ عَبَّاسٍ يَقُولُ فِي مَعْنَى قَوْلِهِ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ: ﴿وَيَدْرَؤُونَ بِالْحَسَنَةِ السَّيِّئَةَ﴾، الرَّعْدِ: ٢٢، قَالَ: يَدْفَعُونَ الْفُحْشَ وَالْأَذَى وَهُوَ السَّيِّئَةُ بِالسَّلَامِ، وَالْمُدَارَاةِ وَهُوَ الْحَسَنَةُ.

wakāna ibnu ʿabbāsin yaqūlu fī maʿnā qawlihi ʿazza wajalla: ﴿wayadraʾūna bi-al-ḥasanati al-sayyiʾata﴾, al-raʿdi: 22, qāla: yadfaʿūna al-fuḥsha wa-al-ʾadhā wahuwa al-sayyiʾatu bi-al-salāmi, wa-al-mudārāti wahuwa al-ḥasanatu.

Ibn ʿAbbās explained the words of God, Mighty and Majestic, “They repel evil with good” (al-Raʿd 13:22), by saying: “They repel obscenity and harm, which are the evil, with greetings of peace and tact, which are the good.”

وَقَدْ كَانَ أَفْضَلُ الْحَسَنَاتِ إِكْرَامَ الْجُلَسَاءِ، وَمِنْهُ قَوْلُهُ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ: ﴿وَلَوْلَا دَفْعُ اللَّهِ النَّاسَ بَعْضَهُمْ بِبَعْضٍ﴾، الْبَقَرَةِ: ٢٥١، قِيلَ: بِالرَّغْبَةِ وَالرَّهْبَةِ وَالْحَيَاءِ وَالْمُدَارَاةِ.

waqad kāna ʾafḍalu al-ḥasanāti ʾikrāma al-julasāʾi, waminhu qawluhu ʿazza wajalla: ﴿walawlā dafʿu Allāhi al-nāsa baʿḍahum bibaʿḍin﴾, al-baqarati: 251, qīla: bi-al-raghbati wa-al-rahbati wa-al-ḥayāʾi wa-al-mudārāti.

One of the finest good deeds has been to honor those with whom one sits. The words of God, Mighty and Majestic, “Were it not that God checks some people by means of others” (al-Baqara 2:251), were explained in this connection as “through desire, fear, modesty, and tact.”

وَكَذَلِكَ مَعْنَى قَوْلِهِمْ: خَالِصِ الْمُؤْمِنَ وَخَالِقِ الْفَاجِرَ؛ فَالْمُخَالَصَةُ بِالْقُلُوبِ مِنَ الْمَوَدَّةِ وَاعْتِقَادِ الْمُؤَاخَاةِ فِي اللَّهِ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ، وَالْمُخَالَقَةُ الْمُخَالَطَةُ فِي الْمُعَامَلَةِ وَالْمُبَايَعَةِ، وَعِنْدَ اللِّقَاءِ.

wa-kadhālika maʿnā qawlihim: khāliṣi al-muʾmina wakhāliqi al-fājira; fa-al-mukhālaṣatu bi-al-qulūbi mina al-mawaddati wa-iʿtiqādi al-muʾākhāti fī Allāhi ʿazza wajalla, wa-al-mukhālaqatu al-mukhālaṭatu fī al-muʿāmalati wa-al-mubāyaʿati, waʿinda al-liqāʾi.

Their saying, “Be sincere with the believer and courteous with the wicked,” has the same meaning. Sincerity belongs to hearts: affection and a commitment to brotherhood in God, Mighty and Majestic. Courtesy concerns mingling with others in dealings, buying and selling, and encounters.

وَكَذَلِكَ جَاءَ مُفَسَّرًا: خَالِطُوا النَّاسَ بِأَعْمَالِهِمْ وَزَايِلُوهُمْ فِي الْقُلُوبِ. وَقَدْ قَالَ مُحَمَّدُ بْنُ الْحَنَفِيَّةِ بْنُ عَلِيِّ بْنِ أَبِي طَالِبٍ رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُمْ: لَيْسَ بِحَكِيمٍ مَنْ لَمْ يُعَاشِرْ بِالْمَعْرُوفِ مَنْ لَا يَجِدُ مِنْ مُعَاشَرَتِهِ بُدًّا، حَتَّى يَجْعَلَ اللَّهُ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ لَهُ مِنْهُ فَرَجًا.

wa-kadhālika jāʾa mufassaran: khāliṭū al-nāsa biʾaʿmālihim wazāyilūhum fī al-qulūbi. waqad qāla muḥammadu bnu al-ḥanafiyyati bnu ʿaliyyi bni ʾabī ṭālibin raḍiya Allāhu ʿanhum: laysa biḥakīmin man lam yuʿāshir bi-al-maʿrūfi man lā yajidu min muʿāsharatihi buddan, ḥattā yajʿala Allāhu ʿazza wajalla lahu minhu farajan.

It is also explained thus: “Mingle with people in their activities, but keep your hearts apart from them.” Muḥammad ibn al-Ḥanafiyya, son of ʿAlī ibn Abī Ṭālib, God be pleased with them, said: “A person is not wise if he fails to treat decently someone whose company he cannot avoid, until God, Mighty and Majestic, provides him with relief from him.”

فَمُعَامَلَةُ غَيْرِ تَقِيٍّ وَمُكَالَمَتُهُ مِنْ أَحْوَالِ الِاضْطِرَارِ، وَمُعَاشَرَةُ التَّقِيِّ وَمُصَافَاتُهُ مِنْ حُسْنِ الِاخْتِيَارِ.

famuʿāmalatu ghayri taqiyyin wamukālamatuhu min ʾaḥwāli al-iḍṭirāri, wamuʿāsharatu al-taqiyyi wamuṣāfātuhu min ḥusni al-ikhtiyāri.

Dealing and conversing with someone who lacks piety belongs to the circumstances of necessity; associating with a pious person and sharing his sincere affection belongs to choosing well.

وَفِي أَخْبَارِ مُوسَى عَلَيْهِ السَّلَامُ فِيمَا أَوْحَى اللَّهُ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ إِلَيْهِ: إِنْ أَطَعْتَنِي فَمَا أَكْثَرَ إِخْوَانَكَ مِنَ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ! الْمَعْنَى: إِنْ وَاسَيْتَ النَّاسَ وَأَشْفَقْتَ عَلَيْهِمْ وَسَلِمَ قَلْبُكَ لَهُمْ وَلَمْ تَحْسُدْهُمْ، كَثُرَ إِخْوَانُكَ.

wafī ʾakhbāri mūsā ʿalayhi al-salāmu fīmā ʾawḥā Allāhu ʿazza wajalla ʾilayhi: ʾin ʾaṭaʿtanī famā ʾakthara ʾikhwānaka mina al-muʾminīna! al-maʿnā: ʾin wāsayta al-nāsa waʾashfaqta ʿalayhim wasalima qalbuka lahum walam taḥsudhum, kathura ʾikhwānuka.

Among the reports about Moses, peace be upon him, is this revelation from God, Mighty and Majestic: “If you obey Me, how many brothers among the believers you will have!” The meaning is: if you share with people, have compassion for them, keep your heart sound toward them, and do not envy them, your brothers will become many.

وَيُقَالُ: إِنَّ أَحَدَ الْأَخَوَيْنِ فِي اللَّهِ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ إِذَا مَاتَ قَبْلَ صَاحِبِهِ وَقِيلَ لَهُ: ادْخُلِ الْجَنَّةَ، سَأَلَ عَنْ مَنْزِلِ أَخِيهِ، فَإِنْ كَانَ دُونَهُ لَمْ يَدْخُلِ الْجَنَّةَ حَتَّى يُعْطَى أَخُوهُ مِثْلَ مَنَازِلِهِ.

wayuqālu: ʾinna ʾaḥada al-ʾakhawayni fī Allāhi ʿazza wajalla ʾidhā māta qabla ṣāḥibihi waqīla lahu: udkhuli al-jannata, saʾala ʿan manzili ʾakhīhi, faʾin kāna dūnahu lam yadkhuli al-jannata ḥattā yuʿṭā ʾakhūhu mithla manāzilihi.

It is said that when one of two brothers in God, Mighty and Majestic, dies before his companion and is told, “Enter the Garden,” he asks about his brother’s dwelling. If it is beneath his own, he will not enter the Garden until his brother is given dwellings like his.

قَالَ: وَلَا يَزَالُ يَسْأَلُ لَهُ مِنْ كَذَا وَكَذَا، فَيُقَالُ: إِنَّهُ لَمْ يَكُنْ يَعْمَلُ مِثْلَ عَمَلِكَ.

qāla: walā yazālu yasʾalu lahu min kadhā wakadhā, fayuqālu: ʾinnahu lam yakun yaʿmalu mithla ʿamalika.

The report continues: “He keeps asking for such and such things for him, until he is told: ‘He did not perform deeds like yours.’”

الْجُزْءُ الثَّانِي، الصَّفْحَةُ ٣٦٢

al-juzʾu al-thānī, al-ṣafḥatu 362

Volume Two, page 362

فَيَقُولُ: إِنِّي كُنْتُ أَعْمَلُ لِي وَلَهُ. قَالَ: فَيُعْطَى جَمِيعَ مَا سَأَلَ لَهُ وَيُرْفَعُ أَخُوهُ إِلَى دَرَجَتِهِ مَعَهُ.

fayaqūlu: ʾinnī kuntu ʾaʿmalu lī walahu. qāla: fayuʿṭā jamīʿa mā saʾala lahu wayurfaʿu ʾakhūhu ʾilā darajatihi maʿahu.

“He replies: ‘I used to work for both myself and him.’ Then he is granted everything he requested for him, and his brother is raised to his degree alongside him.”

فَقَدْ كَانُوا يَتَوَاخَوْنَ وَيَتَعَارَفُونَ لِمَنَافِعِ الْآخِرَةِ الْبَاقِيَةِ، لَا لِمُرَافَقَةِ الدُّنْيَا الْفَانِيَةِ. وَأَفْضَلُ الْأُخُوَّةِ، كَمَا قَالَ بَعْضُ الْعُلَمَاءِ: الْمَحَبَّةُ الدَّائِمَةُ وَالْأُلْفَةُ اللَّازِمَةُ.

faqad kānū yatawākhawna wayataʿārafūna limanāfiʿi al-ʾākhirati al-bāqiyati, lā limurāfaqati al-dunyā al-fāniyati. waʾafḍalu al-ʾukhuwwati, kamā qāla baʿḍu al-ʿulamāʾi: al-maḥabbatu al-dāʾimatu wa-al-ʾulfatu al-lāzimatu.

They used to form brotherhoods and become acquainted for the enduring benefits of the hereafter, rather than for companionship in this passing world. The finest brotherhood, as one scholar said, is lasting love and steadfast affection.

مِنْ قِبَلِ أَنَّ الْأُخُوَّةَ وَالْمَحَبَّةَ عَمَلٌ، وَكُلُّ عَمَلٍ يَحْتَاجُ إِلَى حُسْنِ خَاتِمَةٍ بِهِ لِيَتِمَّ الْعَمَلُ، فَيَكْمُلَ أَجْرُهُ، فَإِنْ لَمْ يُخْتَمْ لَهُ بِالْآخِرَةِ وَلَمْ يَحْسُنْ عَاقِبَةُ الصُّحْبَةِ وَالْمَحَبَّةِ، فَقَدْ أَدْرَكَهُ سُوءُ الْخَاتِمَةِ، بَطَلَ عَنْهُ مَا كَانَ قَبْلَ ذَلِكَ.

min qibali ʾanna al-ʾukhuwwata wa-al-maḥabbata ʿamalun, wakullu ʿamalin yaḥtāju ʾilā ḥusni khātimatin bihi liyatimma al-ʿamalu, fayakmula ʾajruhu, faʾin lam yukhtam lahu bi-al-ʾākhirati walam yaḥsun ʿāqibatu al-ṣuḥbati wa-al-maḥabbati, faqad ʾadrakahu sūʾu al-khātimati, baṭala ʿanhu mā kāna qabla dhālika.

For brotherhood and love are deeds, and every deed needs a good ending in order to be complete and its reward fulfilled. If it is not brought to completion with the hereafter in view, and companionship and love do not end well, a bad ending has overtaken it, nullifying what came before.

فَقَدْ يَصْطَحِبُ الِاثْنَانِ وَيَتَوَاخَى الرَّجُلَانِ عِشْرِينَ سَنَةً، ثُمَّ لَا يُخْتَمُ لَهُمَا بِحُسْنِ الْأُخُوَّةِ فَيَحْبَطُ بِذَلِكَ مَا سَلَفَ مِنَ الصُّحْبَةِ، فَلِذَلِكَ شَرَطَ الْعَالِمُ الْمَحَبَّةَ الدَّائِمَةَ وَالْأُلْفَةَ اللَّازِمَةَ إِلَى الْوَفَاةِ لِيُخْتَمَ لَهُ بِهِ.

faqad yaṣṭaḥibu al-ithnāni wayatawākhā al-rajulāni ʿishrīna sanatan, thumma lā yukhtamu lahumā biḥusni al-ʾukhuwwati fayaḥbaṭu bi-dhālika mā salafa mina al-ṣuḥbati, fali-dhālika sharaṭa al-ʿālimu al-maḥabbata al-dāʾimata wa-al-ʾulfata al-lāzimata ʾilā al-wafāti liyukhtama lahu bihi.

Two people may keep company and two men may be brothers for twenty years, yet fail to end in good brotherhood, thereby forfeiting their earlier companionship. That is why the scholar stipulated enduring love and steadfast affection until death, so that one’s life may end with them.

وَيُقَالُ: مَا حَسَدَ الْعَدُوُّ مُتَعَاوِنَيْنِ عَلَى بِرٍّ حَسَدَهُ مُتَوَاخِيَيْنِ فِي اللَّهِ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ وَمُتَحَابَّيْنِ فِيهِ، فَإِنَّهُ يَجْهَدُ نَفْسَهُ وَيَحُثُّ قَبِيلَهُ عَلَى إِفْسَادِ مَا بَيْنَهُمَا.

wayuqālu: mā ḥasada al-ʿaduwwu mutaʿāwinayni ʿalā birrin ḥasadahu mutawākhiyayni fī Allāhi ʿazza wajalla wamutaḥābbayni fīhi, faʾinnahu yajhadu nafsahu wayaḥuththu qabīlahu ʿalā ʾifsādi mā baynahumā.

It is said: “The Enemy has never envied two people helping one another in goodness as much as he envies two who are brothers in God, Mighty and Majestic, and love one another in Him. He strains himself and urges his tribe to corrupt what is between them.”

وَقَدْ قَالَ الصَّادِقُ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ: ﴿وَقُلْ لِعِبَادِي يَقُولُوا الَّتِي هِيَ أَحْسَنُ إِنَّ الشَّيْطَانَ يَنْزَغُ بَيْنَهُمْ﴾، الْإِسْرَاءِ: ٥٣، يَعْنِي: يَقُولُونَ الْكَلِمَةَ الْحَسَنَةَ بَعْدَ نَزْغِ الشَّيْطَانِ.

waqad qāla al-ṣādiqu ʿazza wajalla: ﴿waqul liʿibādī yaqūlū allatī hiya ʾaḥsanu ʾinna al-shayṭāna yanzaghu baynahum﴾, al-ʾisrāʾi: 53, yaʿnī: yaqūlūna al-kalimata al-ḥasanata baʿda nazghi al-shayṭāni.

The Truthful One, Mighty and Majestic, has said: “Tell My servants to say what is best; Satan sows discord between them” (al-Isrāʾ 17:53). That means they should speak a good word after Satan has stirred up discord.

وَقَالَ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ مُخْبِرًا عَنْ يُوسُفَ عَلَيْهِ السَّلَامُ: ﴿مِنْ بَعْدِ أَنْ نَزَغَ الشَّيْطَانُ بَيْنِي وَبَيْنَ إِخْوَتِي﴾، يُوسُفَ: ١٠٠. وَقَدْ يُقَالُ: مَا تَوَاخَى اثْنَانِ فِي اللَّهِ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ فَفُرِّقَ بَيْنَهُمَا، إِلَّا بِذَنْبٍ يَرْتَكِبُهُ أَحَدُهُمَا.

waqāla ʿazza wajalla mukhbiran ʿan yūsufa ʿalayhi al-salāmu: ﴿min baʿdi ʾan nazagha al-shayṭānu baynī wabayna ʾikhwatī﴾, yūsufa: 100. waqad yuqālu: mā tawākhā ithnāni fī Allāhi ʿazza wajalla fafurriqa baynahumā, ʾillā bidhanbin yartakibuhu ʾaḥaduhumā.

He, Mighty and Majestic, said, reporting the words of Joseph, peace be upon him: “After Satan sowed discord between me and my brothers” (Yūsuf 12:100). It is also said: “No two who became brothers in God, Mighty and Majestic, have been separated except through a sin committed by one of them.”

فَقَالَ بِشْرٌ: إِذَا قَصَّرَ الْعَبْدُ فِي طَاعَةِ اللَّهِ تَبَارَكَ وَتَعَالَى، سَلَبَهُ اللَّهُ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ مَنْ يُؤْنِسُهُ. وَيُقَالُ: لِلْعَدُوِّ شَيْطَانٌ قَدْ وَكَّلَهُ بِالتَّفْرِيقِ بَيْنَ الْمُتَوَاخِيَيْنِ، لَيْسَ لَهُ عَمَلٌ إِلَّا ذَلِكَ، قَدْ تَفَرَّغَ لَهُ.

faqāla bishrun: ʾidhā qaṣṣara al-ʿabdu fī ṭāʿati Allāhi tabāraka wataʿālā, salabahu Allāhu ʿazza wajalla man yuʾnisuhu. wayuqālu: li-l-ʿaduwwi shayṭānun qad wakkalahu bi-al-tafrīqi bayna al-mutawākhiyayni, laysa lahu ʿamalun ʾillā dhālika, qad tafarragha lahu.

Bishr said: “When a servant falls short in obeying God, Blessed and Exalted Is He, God, Mighty and Majestic, takes away the person whose company comforts him.” It is said that the Enemy has a devil appointed to separate those joined in brotherhood. He has no other task and devotes himself wholly to it.

وَمِنْ عَلَامَةِ التُّقَى حُسْنُ الْمَقَالِ عِنْدَ التَّفَرُّقِ، وَجَمِيلُ الْبِشْرِ عِنْدَ التَّقَاطُعِ. أَنْشَدَنَا بَعْضُ الْعُلَمَاءِ الْحُكَمَاءِ فِي مَعْنَاهُ:

wamin ʿalāmati al-tuqā ḥusnu al-maqāli ʿinda al-tafarruqi, wajamīlu al-bishri ʿinda al-taqāṭuʿi. ʾanshadanā baʿḍu al-ʿulamāʾi al-ḥukamāʾi fī maʿnāhu:

Among the signs of piety are speaking well at a parting and showing a gracious face when ties are broken. One of the learned sages recited to us on this theme:

إِنَّ الْكَرِيمَ إِذَا تَقَضَّى وُدُّهُ ... يُخْفِي الْقَبِيحَ وَيُظْهِرُ الْإِحْسَانَا / وَتَرَى اللَّئِيمَ إِذَا تَصَرَّمَ حَبْلُهُ ... يُخْفِي الْجَمِيلَ وَيُظْهِرُ الْبُهْتَانَا.

ʾinna al-karīma ʾidhā taqaḍḍā wudduhu ... yukhfī al-qabīḥa wayuẓhiru al-ʾiḥsānā / watarā al-laʾīma ʾidhā taṣarrama ḥabluhu ... yukhfī al-jamīla wayuẓhiru al-buhtānā.

When a noble person’s affection has run its course, he hides what was ugly and reveals the good. But when a base person’s bond is severed, you see him hide the good and publish slander.

فَوَصْفُ الْكَرِيمِ فِي هَذَا الْمَعْنَى التَّخَلُّقُ بِخُلُقِ الرُّبُوبِيَّةِ، أَلَمْ تَسْمَعْ إِلَى الدُّعَاءِ الْمَأْثُورِ عَنْ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ فِي أَوَّلِهِ: يَا مَنْ أَظْهَرَ الْجَمِيلَ وَسَتَرَ الْقَبِيحَ، وَلَمْ يُؤَاخِذْ بِالْجَرِيرَةِ وَلَمْ يَهْتِكِ السِّتْرَ؟

fawaṣfu al-karīmi fī hādhā al-maʿnā al-takhalluqu bikhuluqi al-rubūbiyyati, ʾalam tasmaʿ ʾilā al-duʿāʾi al-maʾthūri ʿan rasūli Allāhi ṣallā Allāhu ʿalayhi wasallama fī ʾawwalihi: yā man ʾaẓhara al-jamīla wasatara al-qabīḥa, walam yuʾākhidh bi-al-jarīrati walam yahtiki al-sitra?

The noble person’s quality here is to cultivate a quality belonging to Lordship. Have you not heard the opening of the supplication transmitted from God’s Messenger, God bless him and grant him peace: “You who reveal the beautiful and conceal the ugly, who do not call to account for the offense or tear away the covering”?

فَكَذَلِكَ صِفَاتُ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ عَلَى مَعَانِي أَخْلَاقِ الْمُؤْمِنِ الْأَعْلَى. وَقَدْ كَانَ أَبُو الدَّرْدَاءِ يَقُولُ: مُعَاتَبَةُ الصَّدِيقِ خَيْرٌ مِنْ فَقْدِهِ، وَمَنْ لَكَ بِأَخِيكَ كُلِّهِ؟ هُنْ لِأَخِيكَ، وَلِنْ لَهُ وَلَا تُطِعِ الشَّيْطَانَ فِي أَمْرِهِ.

fa-kadhālika ṣifātu al-muʾminīna ʿalā maʿānī ʾakhlāqi al-muʾmini al-ʾaʿlā. waqad kāna ʾabū al-dardāʾi yaqūlu: muʿātabatu al-ṣadīqi khayrun min faqdihi, waman laka biʾakhīka kullihi? hun liʾakhīka, walin lahu walā tuṭiʿi al-shayṭāna fī ʾamrihi.

Likewise, believers’ qualities reflect the meanings of the qualities of the Most High Giver of Security. Abū al-Dardāʾ used to say: “Reproaching a friend is better than losing him. Who can give you a brother wholly as you wish? Be yielding toward your brother and gentle with him; do not obey Satan concerning him.”

غَدًا يُوَافِيهِ الْمَوْتُ فَيَكْفِيكَ فَقْدَهُ، كَيْفَ تَبْكِيهِ بَعْدَ الْمَوْتِ وَفِي الْحَيَاةِ تَرَكْتَ وَصْلَهُ؟

ghadan yuwāfīhi al-mawtu fayakfīka faqdahu, kayfa tabkīhi baʿda al-mawti wafī al-ḥayāti tarakta waṣlahu?

“Tomorrow death will come to him, and the loss of him will be enough for you. How can you weep for him after death when you abandoned his friendship in life?”

وَقَدْ رَوَيْنَا عَنْ عَلِيٍّ عَلَيْهِ السَّلَامُ: أَحْبِبْ حَبِيبَكَ هَوْنًا مَا عَسَى أَنْ يَكُونَ بَغِيضَكَ يَوْمًا مَا، وَأَبْغِضْ بَغِيضَكَ هَوْنًا مَا عَسَى أَنْ يَكُونَ حَبِيبَكَ يَوْمًا مَا.

waqad rawaynā ʿan ʿaliyyin ʿalayhi al-salāmu: ʾaḥbib ḥabībaka hawnan mā ʿasā ʾan yakūna baghīḍaka yawman mā, waʾabghiḍ baghīḍaka hawnan mā ʿasā ʾan yakūna ḥabībaka yawman mā.

We have transmitted from ʿAlī, peace be upon him: “Love the one you love with some moderation; he may one day become someone you hate. Hate the one you hate with some moderation; he may one day become someone you love.”

وَقَدْ رَوَيْنَا عَنْ عُمَرَ بْنِ الْخَطَّابِ رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُ مَعْنَاهُ: لَا يَكُنْ حُبُّكَ كَلَفًا وَبُغْضُكَ تَلَفًا. قَالَ أَسْلَمُ: قُلْتُ: وَكَيْفَ ذَاكَ؟ قَالَ: إِذَا أَحْبَبْتَ فَلَا تَكْلَفْ كَمَا يَكْلَفُ الصَّبِيُّ بِالشَّيْءِ يُحِبُّهُ، وَإِذَا أَبْغَضْتَ فَلَا تُبْغِضْ بُغْضًا تُحِبُّ أَنْ يَتْلَفَ صَاحِبُكَ وَيَهْلِكَ. وَفِي وَصِيَّةِ

waqad rawaynā ʿan ʿumara bni al-khaṭṭābi raḍiya Allāhu ʿanhu maʿnāhu: lā yakun ḥubbuka kalafan wabughḍuka talafan. qāla ʾaslamu: qultu: wakayfa dhāka? qāla: ʾidhā ʾaḥbabta falā taklaf kamā yaklafu al-ṣabiyyu bi-al-shayʾi yuḥibbuhu, waʾidhā ʾabghaḍta falā tubghiḍ bughḍan tuḥibbu ʾan yatlafa ṣāḥibuka wayahlika. wafī waṣiyyati

We have transmitted the same meaning from ʿUmar ibn al-Khaṭṭāb, God be pleased with him: “Let your love not become infatuation, nor your hatred destruction.” Aslam said: “I asked, ‘How is that?’ He answered, ‘When you love, do not become infatuated like a child with something he loves. When you hate, do not hate so much that you wish your companion ruined and destroyed.’” And in the counsel of

الْجُزْءُ الثَّانِي، الصَّفْحَةُ ٣٦٣

al-juzʾu al-thānī, al-ṣafḥatu 363

Volume Two, page 363

عُمَرَ بْنِ الْخَطَّابِ رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُ الَّتِي رَوَيْنَاهَا عَنْ يَحْيَى بْنِ سَعِيدٍ الْأَنْصَارِيِّ عَنْ سَعِيدِ بْنِ الْمُسَيِّبِ، قَالَ: قَالَ عُمَرُ رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُ: عَلَيْكَ بِإِخْوَانِ الصِّدْقِ تَعِشْ فِي أَكْنَافِهِمْ، فَإِنَّهُمْ زِينَةٌ فِي الرَّخَاءِ وَعُدَّةٌ فِي الْبَلَاءِ.

ʿumara bni al-khaṭṭābi raḍiya Allāhu ʿanhu allatī rawaynāhā ʿan yaḥyā bni saʿīdin al-ʾanṣāriyyi ʿan saʿīdi bni al-musayyibi, qāla: qāla ʿumaru raḍiya Allāhu ʿanhu: ʿalayka biʾikhwāni al-ṣidqi taʿish fī ʾaknāfihim, faʾinnahum zīnatun fī al-rakhāʾi waʿuddatun fī al-balāʾi.

ʿUmar ibn al-Khaṭṭāb, God be pleased with him, which we transmitted from Yaḥyā ibn Saʿīd al-Anṣārī, from Saʿīd ibn al-Musayyib, he said: ʿUmar, God be pleased with him, said, “Keep true brothers, and live under their protection. They are an adornment in prosperity and a resource in adversity.”

وَضَعْ أَمْرَ أَخِيكَ عَلَى أَحْسَنِهِ حَتَّى يَجِيئَكَ مَا يَغْلِبُكَ مِنْهُ، وَاعْتَزِلْ عَدُوَّكَ وَاحْذَرْ صَدِيقَكَ مِنَ الْقَوْمِ إِلَّا الْأَمِينَ، وَلَا أَمِينَ إِلَّا مَنْ خَشِيَ اللَّهَ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ.

waḍaʿ ʾamra ʾakhīka ʿalā ʾaḥsanihi ḥattā yajīʾaka mā yaghlibuka minhu, wa-iʿtazil ʿaduwwaka wa-iḥdhar ṣadīqaka mina al-qawmi ʾillā al-ʾamīna, walā ʾamīna ʾillā man khashiya Allāha ʿazza wajalla.

“Put the best interpretation on your brother’s conduct until something from him leaves you unable to do so. Keep apart from your enemy, and be wary of your friends among people except the trustworthy; none is trustworthy except one who fears God, Mighty and Majestic.”

وَلَا تَصْحَبِ الْفَاجِرَ فَتَعَلَّمَ فُجُورَهُ، وَلَا تُطْلِعْهُ عَلَى سِرِّكَ وَاسْتَشِرْ فِي أَمْرِكَ الَّذِينَ يَخْشَوْنَ اللَّهَ تَبَارَكَ وَتَعَالَى.

walā taṣḥabi al-fājira fataʿallama fujūrahu, walā tuṭliʿhu ʿalā sirrika wa-istashir fī ʾamrika alladhīna yakhshawna Allāha tabāraka wataʿālā.

“Do not keep company with the wicked and so learn his wickedness; do not let him know your secret. Consult about your affairs those who fear God, Blessed and Exalted Is He.”

وَحَدَّثُونَا عَنْ إِبْرَاهِيمَ بْنِ سَعِيدٍ قَالَ: حَدَّثَنَا يَحْيَى بْنُ أَكْثَمَ قَالَ: حَدَّثْتُ الْمَأْمُونَ أَمِيرَ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ فَقُلْتُ لَهُ: حَدَّثَنِي سُفْيَانُ بْنُ عُيَيْنَةَ عَنْ عَبْدِ الْمَلِكِ بْنِ أَبْجَرَ قَالَ: لَمَّا حَضَرَتْ عَلْقَمَةَ الْعُطَارِدِيَّ الْوَفَاةُ دَعَا بِابْنِهِ فَقَالَ:

waḥaddathūnā ʿan ʾibrāhīma bni saʿīdin qāla: ḥaddathanā yaḥyā bnu ʾakthama qāla: ḥaddathtu al-maʾmūna ʾamīra al-muʾminīna faqultu lahu: ḥaddathanī sufyānu bnu ʿuyaynata ʿan ʿabdi al-maliki bni ʾabjara qāla: lammā ḥaḍarat ʿalqamata al-ʿuṭāridiyya al-wafātu daʿā bibnihi faqāla:

They related to us from Ibrāhīm ibn Saʿīd, who said: Yaḥyā ibn Aktham related to us, saying, “I spoke to al-Maʾmūn, Commander of the Faithful, and told him: Sufyān ibn ʿUyayna related to me from ʿAbd al-Malik ibn Abjar, who said: When death approached ʿAlqama al-ʿUṭāridī, he summoned his son and said:

يَا بُنَيَّ، إِنْ عَرَضَتْ لَكَ إِلَى صُحْبَةِ الرِّجَالِ حَاجَةٌ فَاصْحَبْ مَنْ إِذَا خَدَمْتَهُ صَانَكَ، وَإِنْ قَعَدَتْ بِكَ مُؤُونَةٌ مَانَكَ، اصْحَبْ مَنْ إِذَا مَدَدْتَ يَدَكَ بِخَيْرٍ مَدَّهَا، وَإِنْ رَأَى مِنْكَ حَسَنَةً عَدَّهَا، وَإِنْ رَأَى مِنْكَ سَيِّئَةً سَدَّهَا.

yā bunayya, ʾin ʿaraḍat laka ʾilā ṣuḥbati al-rijāli ḥājatun fa-iṣḥab man ʾidhā khadamtahu ṣānaka, waʾin qaʿadat bika muʾūnatun mānaka, iṣḥab man ʾidhā madadta yadaka bikhayrin maddahā, waʾin raʾā minka ḥasanatan ʿaddahā, waʾin raʾā minka sayyiʾatan saddahā.

‘My son, if you come to need the company of men, accompany someone who protects you when you serve him, and supports you when a burden weighs you down. Accompany someone who extends his hand with yours when you reach out to do good, counts a good deed when he sees one from you, and covers a bad deed when he sees one from you.

اصْحَبْ مَنْ إِذَا سَأَلْتَهُ أَعْطَاكَ، وَإِنْ سَكَتَّ ابْتَدَاكَ، وَإِنْ نَزَلَتْ بِكَ نَازِلَةٌ وَاسَاكَ، اصْحَبْ مَنْ إِذَا قُلْتَ صَدَّقَ قَوْلَكَ، وَإِذَا حَاوَلْتَ أَمْرًا أَمَرَّكَ، وَإِنْ تَنَازَعْتُمَا آثَرَكَ. قَالَ ابْنُ أَكْثَمَ: فَقَالَ الْمَأْمُونُ: وَأَيْنَ هَذَا؟

iṣḥab man ʾidhā saʾaltahu ʾaʿṭāka, waʾin sakatta ibtadāka, waʾin nazalat bika nāzilatun wāsāka, iṣḥab man ʾidhā qulta ṣaddaqa qawlaka, waʾidhā ḥāwalta ʾamran ʾamarraka, waʾin tanāzaʿtumā ʾātharaka. qāla ibnu ʾakthama: faqāla al-maʾmūnu: waʾayna hādhā?

‘Accompany someone who gives when you ask, begins giving when you remain silent, and shares with you when calamity befalls you. Accompany someone who affirms your words when you speak, strengthens you when you undertake something, and gives you preference when the two of you dispute.’” Ibn Aktham said: “Al-Maʾmūn replied, ‘And where is such a person?’”

وَقِيلَ لِلْأَحْنَفِ بْنِ قَيْسٍ: أَيُّ إِخْوَانِكَ أَحَبُّ إِلَيْكَ؟ فَقَالَ: مَنْ يَسُدُّ خَلَلِي، وَيَسْتُرُ زَلَلِي، وَيَقْبَلُ عِلَلِي.

waqīla li-l-ʾaḥnafi bni qaysin: ʾayyu ʾikhwānika ʾaḥabbu ʾilayka? faqāla: man yasuddu khalalī, wayasturu zalalī, wayaqbalu ʿilalī.

Al-Aḥnaf ibn Qays was asked: “Which of your brothers is dearest to you?” He answered: “The one who fills my gaps, conceals my slips, and accepts my excuses.”

وَحَدَّثُونَا عَنِ الْأَصْمَعِيِّ قَالَ: حَدَّثَنَا الْعَلَاءُ بْنُ جَرِيرٍ عَنْ أَبِيهِ قَالَ: قَالَ الْأَحْنَفُ: مِنْ حَقِّ الصَّدِيقِ أَنْ يُحْتَمَلَ لَهُ ثَلَاثٌ: أَنْ يُجَاوَزَ عَنْ ظُلْمِ الْغَضَبِ وَظُلْمِ الْهَفْوَةِ وَظُلْمِ الدَّالَّةِ.

waḥaddathūnā ʿani al-ʾaṣmaʿiyyi qāla: ḥaddathanā al-ʿalāʾu bnu jarīrin ʿan ʾabīhi qāla: qāla al-ʾaḥnafu: min ḥaqqi al-ṣadīqi ʾan yuḥtamala lahu thalāthun: ʾan yujāwaza ʿan ẓulmi al-ghaḍabi waẓulmi al-hafwati waẓulmi al-dāllati.

They related to us from al-Aṣmaʿī, who said: al-ʿAlāʾ ibn Jarīr related to us from his father, who said: Al-Aḥnaf said, “A friend has the right to be borne with in three things: one should overlook the wrong caused by anger, the wrong of an inadvertent slip, and the wrong of overfamiliarity.”

وَقَالَ: الْإِخَاءُ جَوْهَرَةٌ رَقِيقَةٌ، فَهِيَ مَا لَمْ تُوقَ عَلَيْهَا وَتَحْرُسْهَا كَانَتْ مُعَرَّضَةً لِلْآفَاتِ، فَارْضَ الْإِخَاءَ بِالذِّلَّةِ حَتَّى تَصِلَ إِلَى فَوْقِهِ، وَبِالْكَظْمِ حَتَّى تَعْتَذِرَ إِلَى مَنْ ظَلَمَكَ، وَبِالرِّضَا حَتَّى لَا تَسْتَكْثِرَ مِنْ نَفْسِكَ الْفَضْلَ وَلَا مِنْ أَخِيكَ التَّقْصِيرَ.

waqāla: al-ʾikhāʾu jawharatun raqīqatun, fahiya mā lam tūqa ʿalayhā wataḥrushā kānat muʿarraḍatan li-l-ʾāfāti, fa-irḍa al-ʾikhāʾa bi-al-dhillati ḥattā taṣila ʾilā fawqihi, wabi-al-kaẓmi ḥattā taʿtadhira ʾilā man ẓalamaka, wabi-al-riḍā ḥattā lā tastakthira min nafsika al-faḍla walā min ʾakhīka al-taqṣīra.

He said: “Brotherhood is a delicate jewel. Unless you take care of it and guard it, it is exposed to damage. Accept brotherhood with humility until you rise above it; with restraint until you apologize to the one who wronged you; and with contentment until you make little of your own generosity and your brother’s shortcomings.”

وَيُقَالُ: مَنْ لَمْ يَظْلِمْ نَفْسَهُ لِلنَّاسِ وَيَتَظَالَمْ لَهُمْ وَيَتَغَافَلْ عَنْهُمْ، لَمْ يَسْلَمْ مِنْهُمْ.

wayuqālu: man lam yaẓlim nafsahu li-l-nāsi wayataẓālam lahum wayataghāfal ʿanhum, lam yaslam minhum.

It is said: “Anyone who will not disadvantage himself for people, let himself be wronged for their sake, and overlook their faults will not be safe from them.”

وَكَانَ أَسْمَاءُ بْنُ خَارِجَةَ الْفَزَارِيُّ يَقُولُ: مَا سَئِمْتُ أَحَدًا قَطُّ لِأَنَّهُ إِنَّمَا يُسْئِمُنِي أَحَدُ رَجُلَيْنِ: كَرِيمٌ كَانَتْ مِنْهُ زَلَّةٌ وَهَفْوَةٌ، فَأَنَا أَحَقُّ مَنْ غَفَرَهَا وَآخُذُ عَلَيْهَا بِالْفَضْلِ فِيهَا، أَوْ لَئِيمٌ فَلَمْ أَكُنْ أَجْعَلُ عِرْضِي لَهُ غَرَضًا. ثُمَّ تَمَثَّلَ شِعْرًا:

wakāna ʾasmāʾu bnu khārijata al-fazāriyyu yaqūlu: mā saʾimtu ʾaḥadan qaṭṭu liʾannahu ʾinnamā yusʾimunī ʾaḥadu rajulayni: karīmun kānat minhu zallatun wahafwatun, faʾanā ʾaḥaqqu man ghafarahā waʾākhudhu ʿalayhā bi-al-faḍli fīhā, ʾaw laʾīmun falam ʾakun ʾajʿalu ʿirḍī lahu gharaḍan. thumma tamaththala shiʿran:

Asmāʾ ibn Khārija al-Fazārī used to say: “I have never grown weary of anyone. Only one of two people could weary me: a noble person who has slipped or stumbled, and I am the one most entitled to forgive it and respond generously; or a base person, for whom I would not make my honor a target.” Then he quoted these verses:

وَأَغْفِرُ عَوْرَاءَ الْكَرِيمِ اصْطِنَاعَهُ ... وَأُعْرِضُ عَنْ ذَاتِ اللَّئِيمِ تَكَرُّمًا.

waʾaghfiru ʿawrāʾa al-karīmi iṣṭināʿahu ... waʾuʿriḍu ʿan dhāti al-laʾīmi takarruman.

I forgive the noble person’s ugly slip, to cultivate his friendship; and I turn away from the base person’s offense out of nobility.

وَأَنْشَدُونَا لِمُحَمَّدِ بْنِ عَامِرٍ فِي الْإِخْوَانِ شِعْرًا: فَلَا تَعْجَلْ عَلَى أَحَدٍ بِظُلْمٍ ... فَإِنَّ الظُّلْمَ مَرْتَعُهُ وَخِيمٌ / وَلَا تُفْحِشْ وَإِنْ مُلِئْتَ غَيْظًا ... عَلَى أَحَدٍ فَإِنَّ الْفُحْشَ لُؤْمٌ.

waʾanshadūnā limuḥammadi bni ʿāmirin fī al-ʾikhwāni shiʿran: falā taʿjal ʿalā ʾaḥadin biẓulmin ... faʾinna al-ẓulma martaʿuhu wakhīmun / walā tufḥish waʾin muliʾta ghayẓan ... ʿalā ʾaḥadin faʾinna al-fuḥsha luʾmun.

They recited to us verses by Muḥammad ibn ʿĀmir about brothers: Do not rush to wrong anyone: wrongdoing leads to a poisonous pasture. Do not speak obscenely against anyone, however full of anger you may be, for obscenity is baseness.

وَلَا تَقْطَعْ أَخًا لَكَ عِنْدَ ذَنْبٍ ... فَإِنَّ الذَّنْبَ يَغْفِرُهُ الْكَرِيمُ / وَلَكِنْ دَاوِ عَوْرَتَهُ بِرَقْعٍ ... كَمَا قَدْ يُرْقَعُ الْخَلَقُ الْقَدِيمُ / وَلَا تَجْزَعْ لِرَيْبِ الدَّهْرِ وَاصْبِرْ ... فَإِنَّ الصَّبْرَ فِي الْعُقْبَى سَلِيمٌ.

walā taqṭaʿ ʾakhan laka ʿinda dhanbin ... faʾinna al-dhanba yaghfiruhu al-karīmu / wa-lākin dāwi ʿawratahu biraqʿin ... kamā qad yurqaʿu al-khalaqu al-qadīmu / walā tajzaʿ liraybi al-dahri wa-iṣbir ... faʾinna al-ṣabra fī al-ʿuqbā salīmun.

Do not cut off a brother for a sin: the noble forgive sins. Instead, mend his exposed flaw with a patch, as an old, worn garment may be patched. Do not despair at time’s vicissitudes; be patient, for patience ends in safety.

وَأَنْشَدُونَا فِي مَعْنَاهُ عَنْ أَحْمَدَ بْنِ يَحْيَى بْنِ ثَعْلَبٍ، قَالَ: أَنْشَدَنِي عَبْدُ اللَّهِ بْنُ شَبِيبٍ:

waʾanshadūnā fī maʿnāhu ʿan ʾaḥmada bni yaḥyā bni thaʿlabin, qāla: ʾanshadanī ʿabdu Allāhi bnu shabībin:

They recited to us on this theme from Aḥmad ibn Yaḥyā ibn Thaʿlab, who said: ʿAbd Allāh ibn Shabīb recited to me:

الْجُزْءُ الثَّانِي، الصَّفْحَةُ ٣٦٤

al-juzʾu al-thānī, al-ṣafḥatu 364

Volume Two, page 364

إِخَاءُ النَّاسِ مُمْتَزِجٌ ... وَأَكْثَرُ فِعْلِهِمْ سَمِجٌ / فَإِنْ بَدَهَتْكَ مَقْطَعَةٌ ... فَلَيْسَ وَرَاءَهُمْ فَرَجٌ / فَقَوِّمْهُمْ بِوَصْلِهِمْ ... فَإِنْ لَمْ يُوصَلُوا اعْوَجُّوا / صُرُوفُ الدَّهْرِ دَائِبَةٌ ... تُقَطَّعُ دُونَهَا الْمُهَجُ.

ʾikhāʾu al-nāsi mumtazijun ... waʾaktharu fiʿlihim samijun / faʾin badahatka maqṭaʿatun ... falaysa warāʾahum farajun / faqawwimhum biwaṣlihim ... faʾin lam yūṣalū iʿwajjū / ṣurūfu al-dahri dāʾibatun ... tuqaṭṭaʿu dūnahā al-muhaju.

People’s brotherhood is a mixed thing, and much of what they do is ugly. If a rupture suddenly confronts you, no relief lies beyond them. Set them straight by keeping your ties with them; without those ties they grow crooked. Time’s changes never cease, and lives are cut short before them.

وَرَوَيْنَا عَنْ عِكْرِمَةَ عَنِ ابْنِ عَبَّاسٍ أَنَّ النَّبِيَّ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ قَالَ: لَا تُمَارِ أَخَاكَ وَلَا تُمَازِحْهُ وَلَا تَعِدْهُ مَوْعِدًا فَتُخْلِفَهُ.

warawaynā ʿan ʿikrimata ʿani ibni ʿabbāsin ʾanna al-nabiyya ṣallā Allāhu ʿalayhi wasallama qāla: lā tumāri ʾakhāka walā tumāziḥhu walā taʿidhu mawʿidan fatukhlifahu.

We have transmitted from ʿIkrima, from Ibn ʿAbbās, that the Prophet, God bless him and grant him peace, said: “Do not quarrel with your brother, do not tease him, and do not make him a promise that you then break.”

وَعَنْ أَبِي هُرَيْرَةَ قَالَ: قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ: إِنَّكُمْ لَا تَسَعُونَ النَّاسَ بِأَمْوَالِكُمْ، وَلَكِنْ لِيَسَعْهُمْ مِنْكُمْ بَسْطُ وُجُوهٍ وَحُسْنُ خُلُقٍ.

waʿan ʾabī hurayrata qāla: qāla rasūlu Allāhi ṣallā Allāhu ʿalayhi wasallama: ʾinnakum lā tasaʿūna al-nāsa biʾamwālikum, wa-lākin liyasaʿhum minkum basṭu wujūhin waḥusnu khuluqin.

From Abū Hurayra, who said: God’s Messenger, God bless him and grant him peace, said, “Your wealth cannot extend to everyone; let a welcoming face and good character extend from you to them instead.”

وَعَنْ أَبِي نَجِيحٍ عَنْ مُجَاهِدٍ فِي قَوْلِ اللَّهِ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ: خُذِ الْعَفْوَ وَأْمُرْ بِالْعُرْفِ، قَالَ: خُذْ مِنْ أَخْلَاقِ النَّاسِ وَمِنْ أَعْمَالِهِمْ مَا ظَهَرَ مِنْ غَيْرِ تَحَسُّسٍ.

waʿan ʾabī najīḥin ʿan mujāhidin fī qawli Allāhi ʿazza wajalla: khudhi al-ʿafwa waʾmur bi-al-ʿurfi, qāla: khudh min ʾakhlāqi al-nāsi wamin ʾaʿmālihim mā ẓahara min ghayri taḥassusin.

From Abū Najīḥ, from Mujāhid, concerning the words of God, Mighty and Majestic, “Accept what comes freely, and enjoin what is right”: he said, “Accept what appears of people’s character and actions, without prying.”

وَقَدْ أَنْشَدَنَا بَعْضُ الْحُكَمَاءِ فِي ذَلِكَ: خُذْ مِنْ خَلِيلِكَ مَا صَفَا ... وَذَرِ الَّذِي فِيهِ الْكَدَرُ / فَالْعُمْرُ أَقْصَرُ مِنْ مُعَاتَبَةِ الْخَلِيلِ عَلَى الْغِيَرِ.

waqad ʾanshadanā baʿḍu al-ḥukamāʾi fī dhālika: khudh min khalīlika mā ṣafā ... wadhari alladhī fīhi al-kadaru / fa-al-ʿumru ʾaqṣaru min muʿātabati al-khalīli ʿalā al-ghiyari.

One of the sages recited to us on this subject: Take what is clear and pure from your friend, and leave what is clouded. Life is too short to reproach a friend for every change.

وَمَنْ عَرَفَ فَضْلَ الْإِخْوَةِ فِي اللَّهِ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ، وَعَلِمَ دَرَجَةَ الْمَحَبَّةِ لِلَّهِ تَعَالَى، صَبَرَ لِأَخِيهِ وَشَكَرَ لَهُ وَحَلُمَ عَنْهُ وَاحْتَمَلَ لَهُ، لِيَنَالَ مَا أَمَّلَهُ مِنْ مُؤَمَّلِهِ فِيهِ وَيَبْلُغَ مَا طَلَبَهُ مِنْ طَالِبِهِ بِهِ.

waman ʿarafa faḍla al-ʾikhwati fī Allāhi ʿazza wajalla, waʿalima darajata al-maḥabbati li-llāhi taʿālā, ṣabara liʾakhīhi washakara lahu waḥaluma ʿanhu wa-iḥtamala lahu, liyanāla mā ʾammalahu min muʾammalihi fīhi wayablugha mā ṭalabahu min ṭālibihi bihi.

Whoever recognizes the excellence of brotherhood in God, Mighty and Majestic, and knows the rank of love for God Most High, is patient with his brother, grateful to him, forbearing toward him, and tolerant of him, so that he may obtain what he hopes for from the One in whom his hope rests, and attain what he seeks from the One who calls him to it.

فَإِنَّ الصَّبْرَ يُحْتَاجُ إِلَيْهِ لِيَتِمَّ الْعَمَلُ، وَالشُّكْرُ لَا بُدَّ لَهُ مِنْهُ لِدَوَامِ النِّعْمَةِ، وَمَنْ طَلَبَ نَفِيسًا خَاطَرَ بِنَفِيسٍ وَمَنْ رَغِبَ فِي رَغْبَةٍ بَذَلَ لَهَا مَرْغُوبًا، وَاللَّهُ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ الْمُوَفِّقُ مَنْ يُحِبُّ لِمَا يُحِبُّ.

faʾinna al-ṣabra yuḥtāju ʾilayhi liyatimma al-ʿamalu, wa-al-shukru lā budda lahu minhu lidawāmi al-niʿmati, waman ṭalaba nafīsan khāṭara binafīsin waman raghiba fī raghbatin badhala lahā marghūban, wa-Allāhu ʿazza wajalla al-muwaffiqu man yuḥibbu limā yuḥibbu.

Patience is needed for the deed to be completed, and gratitude is indispensable if the blessing is to endure. Whoever seeks something precious risks something precious; whoever desires an object gives up something desirable for it. God, Mighty and Majestic, enables those He loves to do what He loves.

وَرَوَيْنَا فِي حَدِيثِ ابْنِ مَسْعُودٍ قَالَ: قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ: الْمُتَحَابُّونَ فِي اللَّهِ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ عَلَى عَمُودٍ مِنْ يَاقُوتَةٍ حَمْرَاءَ، فِي رَأْسِ الْعَمُودِ سَبْعُونَ أَلْفَ غُرْفَةٍ، مُشْرِفُونَ عَلَى أَهْلِ الْجَنَّةِ.

warawaynā fī ḥadīthi ibni masʿūdin qāla: qāla rasūlu Allāhi ṣallā Allāhu ʿalayhi wasallama: al-mutaḥābbūna fī Allāhi ʿazza wajalla ʿalā ʿamūdin min yāqūtatin ḥamrāʾa, fī raʾsi al-ʿamūdi sabʿūna ʾalfa ghurfatin, mushrifūna ʿalā ʾahli al-jannati.

We have transmitted in the report of Ibn Masʿūd, who said: God’s Messenger, God bless him and grant him peace, said, “Those who love one another in God, Mighty and Majestic, will be on a column of red ruby. At the top of the column are seventy thousand chambers, and those lovers look out over the people of the Garden.

يُضِيءُ حُسْنُهُمْ لِأَهْلِ الْجَنَّةِ كَمَا تُضِيءُ الشَّمْسُ لِأَهْلِ الدُّنْيَا، عَلَيْهِمْ ثِيَابُ سُنْدُسٍ خُضْرٌ، مَكْتُوبٌ عَلَى جِبَاهِهِمْ: هَؤُلَاءِ الْمُتَحَابُّونَ فِي اللَّهِ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ.

yuḍīʾu ḥusnuhum liʾahli al-jannati kamā tuḍīʾu al-shamsu liʾahli al-dunyā, ʿalayhim thiyābu sundusin khuḍrun, maktūbun ʿalā jibāhihim: hāʾulāʾi al-mutaḥābbūna fī Allāhi ʿazza wajalla.

“Their beauty shines upon the people of the Garden as the sun shines upon the people of this world. They wear green garments of fine silk, and on their foreheads is written: ‘These are those who love one another in God, Mighty and Majestic.’”

وَرَوَيْنَا فِي حَدِيثِ مُعَاذٍ، وَقَدْ قَالَ لَهُ أَبُو إِدْرِيسَ الْخَوْلَانِيُّ: إِنِّي لَأُحِبُّكَ فِي اللَّهِ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ، فَقَالَ لَهُ: أَبْشِرْ ثُمَّ أَبْشِرْ، فَإِنِّي سَمِعْتُ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ يَقُولُ:

warawaynā fī ḥadīthi muʿādhin, waqad qāla lahu ʾabū ʾidrīsa al-khawlāniyyu: ʾinnī laʾuḥibbuka fī Allāhi ʿazza wajalla, faqāla lahu: ʾabshir thumma ʾabshir, faʾinnī samiʿtu rasūla Allāhi ṣallā Allāhu ʿalayhi wasallama yaqūlu:

We have transmitted in the report of Muʿādh that Abū Idrīs al-Khawlānī told him, “I love you in God, Mighty and Majestic.” He answered, “Rejoice, and rejoice again! I heard God’s Messenger, God bless him and grant him peace, say:

يُنْصَبُ لِطَائِفَةٍ مِنَ النَّاسِ كَرَاسِيُّ حَوْلَ الْعَرْشِ يَوْمَ الْقِيَامَةِ، وَوُجُوهُهُمْ كَالْقَمَرِ لَيْلَةَ الْبَدْرِ، يَفْزَعُ النَّاسُ وَهُمْ لَا يَفْزَعُونَ، وَيَخَافُ النَّاسُ وَلَا يَخَافُونَ، وَهُمْ أَوْلِيَاءُ اللَّهِ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ الَّذِينَ لَا خَوْفٌ عَلَيْهِمْ وَلَا هُمْ يَحْزَنُونَ.

yunṣabu liṭāʾifatin mina al-nāsi karāsiyyu ḥawla al-ʿarshi yawma al-qiyāmati, wawujūhuhum ka-al-qamari laylata al-badri, yafzaʿu al-nāsu wahum lā yafzaʿūna, wayakhāfu al-nāsu walā yakhāfūna, wahum ʾawliyāʾu Allāhi ʿazza wajalla alladhīna lā khawfun ʿalayhim walā hum yaḥzanūna.

‘Seats will be set around the Throne for a group of people on the Day of Resurrection, their faces like the moon when it is full. People will be terrified while they are not terrified; people will fear while they do not fear. They are the friends of God, Mighty and Majestic, upon whom no fear shall come and who shall not grieve.’

فَقِيلَ: مَنْ هَؤُلَاءِ يَا رَسُولَ اللَّهِ؟ قَالَ: هُمُ الْمُتَحَابُّونَ فِي اللَّهِ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ.

faqīla: man hāʾulāʾi yā rasūla Allāhi? qāla: humu al-mutaḥābbūna fī Allāhi ʿazza wajalla.

“He was asked, ‘Who are they, Messenger of God?’ He replied, ‘Those who love one another in God, Mighty and Majestic.’”

وَرَوَاهُ أَبُو هُرَيْرَةَ فَقَالَ فِيهِ: إِنَّ حَوْلَ الْعَرْشِ مَنَابِرَ مِنْ نُورٍ، عَلَيْهَا قَوْمٌ لِبَاسُهُمْ نُورٌ وَوُجُوهُهُمْ نُورٌ، لَيْسُوا بِأَنْبِيَاءَ وَلَا شُهَدَاءَ، يَغْبِطُهُمُ الْأَنْبِيَاءُ وَالشُّهَدَاءُ.

warawāhu ʾabū hurayrata faqāla fīhi: ʾinna ḥawla al-ʿarshi manābira min nūrin, ʿalayhā qawmun libāsuhum nūrun wawujūhuhum nūrun, laysū biʾanbiyāʾa walā shuhadāʾa, yaghbiṭuhumu al-ʾanbiyāʾu wa-al-shuhadāʾu.

Abū Hurayra transmitted it with these words: “Around the Throne are pulpits of light, upon which are people whose clothing is light and whose faces are light. They are neither prophets nor martyrs, yet prophets and martyrs regard them with admiring envy.”

فَقَالُوا: يَا رَسُولَ اللَّهِ، حَلِّهِمْ لَنَا. فَقَالَ: هُمُ الْمُتَحَابُّونَ فِي اللَّهِ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ، وَالْمُتَجَالِسُونَ فِي اللَّهِ تَعَالَى، وَالْمُتَزَاوِرُونَ فِي اللَّهِ تَعَالَى.

faqālū: yā rasūla Allāhi, ḥallihim lanā. faqāla: humu al-mutaḥābbūna fī Allāhi ʿazza wajalla, wa-al-mutajālisūna fī Allāhi taʿālā, wa-al-mutazāwirūna fī Allāhi taʿālā.

They said: “Messenger of God, describe them to us.” He answered: “They are those who love one another in God, Mighty and Majestic, sit together in God Most High, and visit one another in God Most High.”

وَرَوَيْنَا فِي حَدِيثِ عُبَادَةَ بْنِ الصَّامِتِ: يَقُولُ اللَّهُ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ: حَقَّتْ مَحَبَّتِي لِلْمُتَحَابِّينَ فِيَّ، وَالْمُتَزَاوِرِينَ فِيَّ وَالْمُتَبَاذِلِينَ وَالْمُتَصَادِقِينَ فِيَّ.

warawaynā fī ḥadīthi ʿubādata bni al-ṣāmiti: yaqūlu Allāhu ʿazza wajalla: ḥaqqat maḥabbatī li-l-mutaḥābbīna fiyya, wa-al-mutazāwirīna fiyya wa-al-mutabādhilīna wa-al-mutaṣādiqīna fiyya.

We have transmitted in the report of ʿUbāda ibn al-Ṣāmit: God, Mighty and Majestic, says, “My love is assured to those who love one another in Me, visit one another in Me, give to one another, and are true friends in Me.”

وَكَانَ ابْنُ مَسْعُودٍ يَقُولُ فِي قَوْلِهِ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ: ﴿لَوْ أَنْفَقْتَ مَا فِي الْأَرْضِ جَمِيعًا مَا أَلَّفْتَ بَيْنَ قُلُوبِهِمْ وَلَكِنَّ اللَّهَ أَلَّفَ بَيْنَهُمْ﴾،

wakāna ibnu masʿūdin yaqūlu fī qawlihi ʿazza wajalla: ﴿law ʾanfaqta mā fī al-ʾarḍi jamīʿan mā ʾallafta bayna qulūbihim wa-lākinna Allāha ʾallafa baynahum﴾,

Ibn Masʿūd used to say concerning the words of God, Mighty and Majestic, “Had you spent all that is on earth, you could not have joined their hearts, but God joined them”

الْجُزْءُ الثَّانِي، الصَّفْحَةُ ٣٦٥

al-juzʾu al-thānī, al-ṣafḥatu 365

Volume Two, page 365

الْأَنْفَالِ: ٦٣، قَالَ: نَزَلَتْ هَذِهِ الْآيَةُ فِي الْمُتَحَابِّينَ فِي اللَّهِ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ. وَأَبُو بِشْرٍ عَنْ مُجَاهِدٍ قَالَ: الْمُتَحَابُّونَ فِي اللَّهِ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ إِذَا الْتَقَوْا فَكَشَرَ بَعْضُهُمْ إِلَى بَعْضٍ، تَتَحَاتُّ عَنْهُمُ الْخَطَايَا كَمَا يَتَحَاتُّ وَرَقُ الشَّجَرِ فِي الشِّتَاءِ إِذَا يَبِسَ.

al-ʾanfāli: 63, qāla: nazalat hādhihi al-ʾāyatu fī al-mutaḥābbīna fī Allāhi ʿazza wajalla. waʾabū bishrin ʿan mujāhidin qāla: al-mutaḥābbūna fī Allāhi ʿazza wajalla ʾidhā iltaqaw fakashara baʿḍuhum ʾilā baʿḍin, tataḥāttu ʿanhumu al-khaṭāyā kamā yataḥāttu waraqu al-shajari fī al-shitāʾi ʾidhā yabisa.

(al-Anfāl 8:63): “This verse was revealed about those who love one another in God, Mighty and Majestic.” Abū Bishr related from Mujāhid, who said: “When those who love one another in God, Mighty and Majestic, meet and smile at one another, their sins fall away as the dry leaves of trees fall in winter.”

وَرَوَيْنَا عَنْ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ: سَبْعَةٌ يُظِلُّهُمُ اللَّهُ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ فِي ظِلِّ عَرْشِهِ، يَوْمَ لَا ظِلَّ إِلَّا ظِلُّهُ، مِنْهُمْ كَذَا، وَاثْنَانِ تَوَاخَيَا فِي اللَّهِ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ، اجْتَمَعَا عَلَى ذَلِكَ وَتَفَرَّقَا.

warawaynā ʿan rasūli Allāhi ṣallā Allāhu ʿalayhi wasallama: sabʿatun yuẓilluhumu Allāhu ʿazza wajalla fī ẓilli ʿarshihi, yawma lā ẓilla ʾillā ẓilluhu, minhum kadhā, wa-ithnāni tawākhayā fī Allāhi ʿazza wajalla, ijtamaʿā ʿalā dhālika watafarraqā.

We have transmitted from God’s Messenger, God bless him and grant him peace: “Seven will be shaded by God, Mighty and Majestic, in the shade of His Throne on the day when there is no shade but His: among them are such-and-such, and two who became brothers in God, Mighty and Majestic, meeting and parting on that basis.”

وَكَانَ الْفُضَيْلُ بْنُ عِيَاضٍ وَغَيْرُهُ يَقُولُ: نَظَرُ الْأَخِ إِلَى وَجْهِ أَخِيهِ عَلَى الْمَوَدَّةِ وَالرَّحْمَةِ عِبَادَةٌ.

wakāna al-fuḍaylu bnu ʿiyāḍin waghayruhu yaqūlu: naẓaru al-ʾakhi ʾilā wajhi ʾakhīhi ʿalā al-mawaddati wa-al-raḥmati ʿibādatun.

Al-Fuḍayl ibn ʿIyāḍ and others used to say: “A brother’s looking at his brother’s face with affection and mercy is worship.”

فَلَا تَصِحُّ الْمَحَبَّةُ فِي اللَّهِ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ إِلَّا بِمَا شُرِطَ فِيهَا مِنَ الرَّحْمَةِ فِي الِاجْتِمَاعِ، وَالْخُلْطَةِ عِنْدَ الِافْتِرَاقِ بِظُهُورِ النَّصِيحَةِ، وَاجْتِنَابِ الْغِيبَةِ، وَتَمَامِ الْوَفَاءِ، وَوُجُودِ الْأُنْسِ، وَفَقْدِ الْجَفَاءِ، وَارْتِفَاعِ الْوَحْشَةِ، وَوَجْدِ الِانْبِسَاطِ، وَزَوَالِ الِاحْتِشَامِ.

falā taṣiḥḥu al-maḥabbatu fī Allāhi ʿazza wajalla ʾillā bimā shuriṭa fīhā mina al-raḥmati fī al-ijtimāʿi, wa-al-khulṭati ʿinda al-iftirāqi biẓuhūri al-naṣīḥati, wa-ijtinābi al-ghībati, watamāmi al-wafāʾi, wawujūdi al-ʾunsi, wafaqdi al-jafāʾi, wa-irtifāʿi al-waḥshati, wawajdi al-inbisāṭi, wazawāli al-iḥtishāmi.

Love in God, Mighty and Majestic, is sound only through its stipulated conditions: mercy when together, and continued fellowship when apart, shown in sincere counsel, avoidance of backbiting, complete faithfulness, the presence of ease, the absence of coldness, the removal of estrangement, the experience of openness, and the disappearance of constraint.

وَكَانَ الْفُضَيْلُ يَقُولُ: إِذَا وَقَعَتِ الْغِيبَةُ ارْتَفَعَتِ الْأُخُوَّةُ. وَقَالَ الْجُنَيْدُ: مَا تَوَاخَى اثْنَانِ فِي اللَّهِ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ فَاسْتَوْحَشَ أَحَدُهُمَا مِنْ صَاحِبِهِ وَاحْتَشَمَ مِنْهُ إِلَّا لِعِلَّةٍ فِي أَحَدِهِمَا.

wakāna al-fuḍaylu yaqūlu: ʾidhā waqaʿati al-ghībatu irtafaʿati al-ʾukhuwwatu. waqāla al-junaydu: mā tawākhā ithnāni fī Allāhi ʿazza wajalla fa-istawḥasha ʾaḥaduhumā min ṣāḥibihi wa-iḥtashama minhu ʾillā liʿillatin fī ʾaḥadihimā.

Al-Fuḍayl used to say: “When backbiting begins, brotherhood ends.” Al-Junayd said: “No two people become brothers in God, Mighty and Majestic, and then find one of them estranged from and constrained before the other, unless there is a fault in one of them.”

وَمِنْ ذَلِكَ مَا رُوِيَ عَنِ النَّبِيِّ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ: مَا تَحَابَّ اثْنَانِ فِي اللَّهِ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ إِلَّا كَانَ أَحَبُّهُمَا إِلَى اللَّهِ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ أَشَدَّهُمَا حُبًّا لِصَاحِبِهِ. وَفِي خَبَرٍ: كَانَ أَفْضَلُهُمَا. وَفِي الْخَبَرِ الْآخَرِ: أَحَبُّ الْإِخْوَانِ إِلَى اللَّهِ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ أَرْفَقُهُمَا بِصَاحِبِهِ.

wamin dhālika mā ruwiya ʿani al-nabiyyi ṣallā Allāhu ʿalayhi wasallama: mā taḥābba ithnāni fī Allāhi ʿazza wajalla ʾillā kāna ʾaḥabbuhumā ʾilā Allāhi ʿazza wajalla ʾashaddahumā ḥubban liṣāḥibihi. wafī khabarin: kāna ʾafḍaluhumā. wafī al-khabari al-ʾākhari: ʾaḥabbu al-ʾikhwāni ʾilā Allāhi ʿazza wajalla ʾarfaquhumā biṣāḥibihi.

Related to this is what has been transmitted from the Prophet, God bless him and grant him peace: “Whenever two love one another in God, Mighty and Majestic, the dearer of them to God, Mighty and Majestic, is the one who loves his companion more.” One report says, “the better of them.” Another says: “The dearest brothers to God, Mighty and Majestic, are those gentlest with their companion.”

وَفِي الْخَبَرِ الْمَشْهُورِ: لَا يَذُوقُ الْعَبْدُ طَعْمَ الْإِيمَانِ حَتَّى يُحِبَّ الْمَرْءَ لَا يُحِبُّهُ إِلَّا لِلَّهِ.

wafī al-khabari al-mashhūri: lā yadhūqu al-ʿabdu ṭaʿma al-ʾīmāni ḥattā yuḥibba al-marʾa lā yuḥibbuhu ʾillā li-llāhi.

The well-known report says: “A servant does not taste faith until he loves a person, loving him only for God.”

وَقَالَ ابْنُ عَبَّاسٍ فِي وَصِيَّتِهِ لِمُجَاهِدٍ: وَلَا تَذْكُرْ أَخَاكَ إِذَا تَغَيَّبَ عَنْكَ إِلَّا بِمِثْلِ مَا تُحِبُّ أَنْ تُذْكَرَ بِهِ إِذَا غِبْتَ، وَأَعْفِهِ بِمَا تُحِبُّ أَنْ تُعْفَى بِهِ.

waqāla ibnu ʿabbāsin fī waṣiyyatihi limujāhidin: walā tadhkur ʾakhāka ʾidhā taghayyaba ʿanka ʾillā bimithli mā tuḥibbu ʾan tudhkara bihi ʾidhā ghibta, waʾaʿfihi bimā tuḥibbu ʾan tuʿfā bihi.

Ibn ʿAbbās said in his counsel to Mujāhid: “When your brother is absent from you, speak of him only as you would like to be spoken of when you are absent. Spare him what you would like to be spared.”

وَكَانَ بَعْضُهُمْ يَقُولُ: مَا ذُكِرَ أَخِي عِنْدِي فِي غَيْبٍ إِلَّا تَمَثَّلْتُهُ جَالِسًا، فَقُلْتُ فِيهِ مَا يُحِبُّ أَنْ يَسْمَعَ فِي حُضُورِهِ. وَقَالَ آخَرُ: مَا ذُكِرَ أَخٌ لِي فِي غَيْبَةٍ إِلَّا تَصَوَّرْتُ نَفْسِي فِي صُورَتِهِ، فَقُلْتُ فِيهِ مَا أُحِبُّ أَنْ يُقَالَ فِيَّ.

wakāna baʿḍuhum yaqūlu: mā dhukira ʾakhī ʿindī fī ghaybin ʾillā tamaththaltuhu jālisan, faqultu fīhi mā yuḥibbu ʾan yasmaʿa fī ḥuḍūrihi. waqāla ʾākharu: mā dhukira ʾakhun lī fī ghaybatin ʾillā taṣawwartu nafsī fī ṣūratihi, faqultu fīhi mā ʾuḥibbu ʾan yuqāla fiyya.

One used to say: “Whenever my brother was mentioned in his absence, I imagined him sitting there and said of him what he would like to hear in his presence.” Another said: “Whenever a brother of mine was mentioned while absent, I imagined myself in his place and said of him what I would like said of me.”

فَهَذَا حَقِيقَةٌ فِي صِدْقِ الْإِسْلَامِ، لَا يَكُونُ مُسْلِمًا حَتَّى يَرْضَى لِأَخِيهِ مَا يَرْضَى لِنَفْسِهِ وَيَكْرَهَ لَهُ مَا يَكْرَهُ لِنَفْسِهِ.

fa-hādhā ḥaqīqatun fī ṣidqi al-ʾislāmi, lā yakūnu musliman ḥattā yarḍā liʾakhīhi mā yarḍā linafsihi wayakraha lahu mā yakrahu linafsihi.

This is a reality of sincere submission to God: a person is not a Muslim until he wishes for his brother what he wishes for himself and dislikes for him what he dislikes for himself.

وَقَالَ بَعْضُ الْأُدَبَاءِ: مَنِ اقْتَضَى مِنْ إِخْوَانِهِ مَا لَا يَقْتَضُونَ مِنْهُ ظَلَمَهُمْ، وَمَنِ اقْتَضَى مِنْهُمْ مَا يَقْتَضُونَ مِنْهُ فَقَدْ أَتْعَبَهُمْ، وَمَنْ لَمْ يَقْتَضِهِمْ فَقَدْ تَفَضَّلَ عَلَيْهِمْ.

waqāla baʿḍu al-ʾudabāʾi: mani iqtaḍā min ʾikhwānihi mā lā yaqtaḍūna minhu ẓalamahum, wamani iqtaḍā minhum mā yaqtaḍūna minhu faqad ʾatʿabahum, waman lam yaqtaḍihim faqad tafaḍḍala ʿalayhim.

One man of letters said: “Whoever demands from his brothers what they do not demand from him wrongs them. Whoever demands from them what they demand from him burdens them. Whoever makes no demands upon them treats them generously.”

وَبِمَعْنَاهُ رَوَيْنَا عَنْ بَعْضِ الْحُكَمَاءِ: مَنْ جَعَلَ نَفْسَهُ فَوْقَ قَدْرِهِ عِنْدَ الْإِخْوَانِ أَثِمَ وَأَثِمُوا، وَمَنْ جَعَلَ نَفْسَهُ فِي قَدْرِهِ تَعِبَ وَأَتْعَبَهُمْ، وَمَنْ جَعَلَهَا دُونَ قَدْرِهِ سَلِمَ وَسَلِمُوا.

wabimaʿnāhu rawaynā ʿan baʿḍi al-ḥukamāʾi: man jaʿala nafsahu fawqa qadrihi ʿinda al-ʾikhwāni ʾathima waʾathimū, waman jaʿala nafsahu fī qadrihi taʿiba waʾatʿabahum, waman jaʿalahā dūna qadrihi salima wasalimū.

We have transmitted a similar saying from one of the sages: “Whoever places himself above his proper rank among his brothers sins and causes them to sin. Whoever places himself at his proper rank wears himself out and burdens them. Whoever places himself below his rank is safe, and they are safe.”

فَلِذَلِكَ عَزَّزَ النَّاسُ الْأُخُوَّةَ فِي اللَّهِ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ قَدِيمًا، لِأَنَّ هَذَا حَقِيقَتُهَا، فَرُوِيَ فِي الْأَخْبَارِ: اثْنَانِ عَزِيزَانِ وَلَا يَزْدَادَانِ إِلَّا عِزَّةً: دِرْهَمٌ مِنْ حَلَالٍ وَأَخٌ تَسْكُنُ إِلَيْهِ، وَقِيلَ: تَأْنَسُ بِهِ.

fali-dhālika ʿazzaza al-nāsu al-ʾukhuwwata fī Allāhi ʿazza wajalla qadīman, liʾanna hādhā ḥaqīqatuhā, faruwiya fī al-ʾakhbāri: ithnāni ʿazīzāni walā yazdādāni ʾillā ʿizzatan: dirhamun min ḥalālin waʾakhun taskunu ʾilayhi, waqīla: taʾnasu bihi.

For this reason people long ago held brotherhood in God, Mighty and Majestic, precious, since this is its reality. Reports state: “Two things are rare and grow only rarer: a lawfully earned dirham and a brother with whom you find rest”; another wording is, “in whose company you feel at ease.”

وَقَالَ يَحْيَى بْنُ مُعَاذٍ رَحِمَهُ اللَّهُ: ثَلَاثَةٌ عَزِيزَةٌ فِي وَقْتِنَا هَذَا، ذَكَرَ مِنْهَا حُسْنَ الْإِخَاءِ مَعَ الْوَفَاءِ.

waqāla yaḥyā bnu muʿādhin raḥimahu Allāhu: thalāthatun ʿazīzatun fī waqtinā hādhā, dhakara minhā ḥusna al-ʾikhāʾi maʿa al-wafāʾi.

Yaḥyā ibn Muʿādh, God have mercy on him, said: “Three things are rare in our time.” Among them he mentioned good brotherhood joined with faithfulness.

يَعْنِي بِالْوَفَاءِ أَنْ يَكُونَ لَهُ فِي غَيْبَتِهِ، وَمِنْ حَيْثُ لَا يَعْلَمُ وَلَا يَبْلُغُهُ، مِثْلَ مَا كَانَ لَهُ فِي شُهُودِهِ وَمُعَاشَرَتِهِ، وَيَكُونَ لَهُ بَعْدَ مَوْتِهِ وَلِأَهْلِهِ مِنْ بَعْدِهِ كَمَا كَانَ لَهُ فِي حَيَاتِهِ.

yaʿnī bi-al-wafāʾi ʾan yakūna lahu fī ghaybatihi, wamin ḥaythu lā yaʿlamu walā yablughuhu, mithla mā kāna lahu fī shuhūdihi wamuʿāsharatihi, wayakūna lahu baʿda mawtihi waliʾahlihi min baʿdihi kamā kāna lahu fī ḥayātihi.

By faithfulness he meant being the same toward a brother in his absence, in ways he neither knows nor hears of, as one is when present and associating with him; and being the same toward him after his death, and toward the family he leaves behind, as one was during his life.

فَهَذَا هُوَ الْوَفَاءُ، وَهُوَ الَّذِي شَرَطَهُ النَّبِيُّ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ لِلْمُؤَاخَاةِ فِي قَوْلِهِ: اجْتَمَعَا عَلَى ذَلِكَ أَوْ تَفَرَّقَا، وَجَعَلَ جَزَاءَهُ أَظْلَالَ الْعَرْشِ يَوْمَ الْقِيَامَةِ.

fa-hādhā huwa al-wafāʾu, wahuwa alladhī sharaṭahu al-nabiyyu ṣallā Allāhu ʿalayhi wasallama li-l-muʾākhāti fī qawlihi: ijtamaʿā ʿalā dhālika ʾaw tafarraqā, wajaʿala jazāʾahu ʾaẓlāla al-ʿarshi yawma al-qiyāmati.

This is faithfulness. It is what the Prophet, God bless him and grant him peace, stipulated for brotherhood when he said, “They met on that basis or parted,” and made its reward the shade of the Throne on the Day of Resurrection.

الْجُزْءُ الثَّانِي، الصَّفْحَةُ ٣٦٦

al-juzʾu al-thānī, al-ṣafḥatu 366

Volume Two, page 366

وَكَذَلِكَ قَالَ بَعْضُ الْأُدَبَاءِ: قَلِيلُ الْوَفَاءِ بَعْدَ الْوَفَاةِ خَيْرٌ مِنْ كَثِيرِهِ فِي حَالِ الْحَيَاةِ. وَكَذَلِكَ كَانَ السَّلَفُ فِيمَا ذَكَرَهُ الْحَسَنُ وَغَيْرُهُ، قَالُوا: كَانَ أَحَدُهُمْ يَخْلُفُ أَخَاهُ فِي عِيَالِهِ بَعْدَ مَوْتِهِ أَرْبَعِينَ سَنَةً، لَا يَفْقِدُونَ إِلَّا وَجْهَهُ.

wa-kadhālika qāla baʿḍu al-ʾudabāʾi: qalīlu al-wafāʾi baʿda al-wafāti khayrun min kathīrihi fī ḥāli al-ḥayāti. wa-kadhālika kāna al-salafu fīmā dhakarahu al-ḥasanu waghayruhu, qālū: kāna ʾaḥaduhum yakhlufu ʾakhāhu fī ʿiyālihi baʿda mawtihi ʾarbaʿīna sanatan, lā yafqidūna ʾillā wajhahu.

Similarly, one man of letters said: “A little faithfulness after death is better than much of it during life.” Such was the practice of the early generations, according to al-Ḥasan and others: one of them would take his brother’s place in caring for his dependents for forty years after his death, so that they missed only his face.

وَيُقَالُ: إِنَّ مَسْرُوقًا أَدَانَ دَيْنًا ثَقِيلًا، وَكَانَ عَلَى أَخِيهِ خَيْثَمَةَ دَيْنٌ، قَالَ: فَذَهَبَ مَسْرُوقٌ فَقَضَى دَيْنَ خَيْثَمَةَ وَهُوَ لَا يَعْلَمُ، وَذَهَبَ خَيْثَمَةُ فَقَضَى دَيْنَ مَسْرُوقٍ سِرًّا وَهُوَ لَا يَعْلَمُ.

wayuqālu: ʾinna masrūqan ʾadāna daynan thaqīlan, wakāna ʿalā ʾakhīhi khaythamata daynun, qāla: fadhahaba masrūqun faqaḍā dayna khaythamata wahuwa lā yaʿlamu, wadhahaba khaythamatu faqaḍā dayna masrūqin sirran wahuwa lā yaʿlamu.

It is said that Masrūq incurred a heavy debt, and his brother Khaythama also owed a debt. Masrūq went and paid Khaythama’s debt without his knowledge, while Khaythama went and secretly paid Masrūq’s debt without his knowledge.

فَمِنْ حَقِيقَةِ الْمُؤَاخَاةِ فِي اللَّهِ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ إِخْلَاصُ الْمَوَدَّةِ لَهُ بِالْغَيْبِ وَالشَّهَادَةِ، وَاسْتِوَاءُ الْقَلْبِ مَعَ اللِّسَانِ، وَاعْتِدَالُ السِّرِّ مَعَ الْعَلَانِيَةِ فِي الْجَمَاعَةِ وَالْخَلْوَةِ.

famin ḥaqīqati al-muʾākhāti fī Allāhi ʿazza wajalla ʾikhlāṣu al-mawaddati lahu bi-al-ghaybi wa-al-shahādati, wa-istiwāʾu al-qalbi maʿa al-lisāni, wa-iʿtidālu al-sirri maʿa al-ʿalāniyati fī al-jamāʿati wa-al-khalwati.

Part of the reality of brotherhood in God, Mighty and Majestic, is sincere affection for one’s brother in absence and presence, agreement between heart and tongue, and consistency between what is concealed and what is displayed, whether in company or alone.

فَإِذَا لَمْ يَخْتَلِفْ ذَلِكَ فَهُوَ إِخْلَاصُ الْأُخُوَّةِ، وَإِنِ اخْتَلَفَ ذَلِكَ فَفِيهِ مُدَاهَنَةٌ فِي الْأُخُوَّةِ، وَمُمَاذَقَةٌ فِي الْمَوَدَّةِ، وَذَلِكَ دَخَلٌ فِي الدِّينِ، وَوَلِيجَةٌ فِي طَرِيقِ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ، وَلَا يَكُونُ ذَلِكَ مَعَ حَقِيقَةِ الْإِيمَانِ.

faʾidhā lam yakhtalif dhālika fahuwa ʾikhlāṣu al-ʾukhuwwati, waʾini ikhtalafa dhālika fafīhi mudāhanatun fī al-ʾukhuwwati, wamumādhaqatun fī al-mawaddati, wa-dhālika dakhalun fī al-dīni, wawalījatun fī ṭarīqi al-muʾminīna, walā yakūnu dhālika maʿa ḥaqīqati al-ʾīmāni.

When these do not differ, that is sincerity in brotherhood. When they differ, there is dissimulation in brotherhood and dilution of affection. This is a flaw in religion, an alien intrusion into the believers’ path; it cannot coexist with the reality of faith.

وَقَدْ سَأَلَ أَبُو رَزِينٍ الْعُقَيْلِيُّ النَّبِيَّ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ، فَشَرَطَ لَهُ أَشْيَاءَ مِنْهَا: أَنْ يُحِبَّ غَيْرَ ذِي نَسَبٍ لَا يُحِبُّهُ إِلَّا لِلَّهِ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ. وَمِنْ شَرْطِ الْمَحَبَّةِ فِي اللَّهِ تَعَالَى أَلَّا يَكُونَ لِرَحِمٍ يَصِلُهَا أَوْ لِنِعْمَةٍ يَرُبُّهَا.

waqad saʾala ʾabū razīnin al-ʿuqayliyyu al-nabiyya ṣallā Allāhu ʿalayhi wasallama, fasharaṭa lahu ʾashyāʾa minhā: ʾan yuḥibba ghayra dhī nasabin lā yuḥibbuhu ʾillā li-llāhi ʿazza wajalla. wamin sharṭi al-maḥabbati fī Allāhi taʿālā ʾallā yakūna liraḥimin yaṣiluhā ʾaw liniʿmatin yarubbuhā.

Abū Razīn al-ʿUqaylī questioned the Prophet, God bless him and grant him peace, who laid down several conditions for him, including loving someone unrelated to him, loving him only for God, Mighty and Majestic. A condition of love in God Most High is that it should not be for a kinship tie one maintains or a favor one tends.

كَمَا جَاءَ فِي الْأَثَرِ عَنْ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ، أَنَّ رَجُلًا زَارَ أَخًا فِي اللَّهِ تَعَالَى فِي قَرْيَةٍ أُخْرَى، فَأَرْصَدَ اللَّهُ تَعَالَى عَلَى مَدْرَجَتِهِ مَلَكًا، فَقَالَ: أَيْنَ تُرِيدُ؟ قَالَ: أَرَدْتُ أَخًا لِي فِي هَذِهِ الْقَرْيَةِ.

kamā jāʾa fī al-ʾathari ʿan rasūli Allāhi ṣallā Allāhu ʿalayhi wasallama, ʾanna rajulan zāra ʾakhan fī Allāhi taʿālā fī qaryatin ʾukhrā, faʾarṣada Allāhu taʿālā ʿalā madrajatihi malakan, faqāla: ʾayna turīdu? qāla: ʾaradtu ʾakhan lī fī hādhihi al-qaryati.

As the tradition from God’s Messenger, God bless him and grant him peace, relates: a man went to visit a brother in God Most High in another village. God Most High stationed an angel along his path, who asked, “Where are you going?” He replied, “To a brother of mine in this village.”

قَالَ: هَلْ بَيْنَكَ وَبَيْنَهُ رَحِمٌ تَصِلُهَا أَوْ لَهُ عَلَيْكَ نِعْمَةٌ تَرُبُّهَا؟ قَالَ: لَا، إِلَّا أَنِّي أَحْبَبْتُهُ فِي اللَّهِ تَعَالَى. قَالَ: فَإِنِّي رَسُولُ اللَّهِ إِلَيْكَ، إِنَّ اللَّهَ تَبَارَكَ وَتَعَالَى قَدْ أَحَبَّكَ كَمَا أَحْبَبْتَهُ فِيهِ.

qāla: hal baynaka wabaynahu raḥimun taṣiluhā ʾaw lahu ʿalayka niʿmatun tarubbuhā? qāla: lā, ʾillā ʾannī ʾaḥbabtuhu fī Allāhi taʿālā. qāla: faʾinnī rasūlu Allāhi ʾilayka, ʾinna Allāha tabāraka wataʿālā qad ʾaḥabbaka kamā ʾaḥbabtahu fīhi.

He asked, “Is there a kinship tie between you that you maintain, or has he done you a favor that you are tending?” He answered, “No; I simply love him in God Most High.” He said, “Then I am God’s messenger to you: God, Blessed and Exalted Is He, has loved you as you have loved him in Him.”

وَقَدْ رَوَيْنَا عَنْ عُمَرَ بْنِ الْخَطَّابِ رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُ، وَعَنِ ابْنِهِ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُمَا: لَوْ أَنَّ رَجُلًا صَامَ النَّهَارَ لَا يُفْطِرُ، وَقَامَ اللَّيْلَ وَجَاهَدَ، وَلَمْ يُحِبَّ فِي اللَّهِ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ وَيُبْغِضْ فِي اللَّهِ مَا نَفَعَهُ ذَلِكَ شَيْئًا.

waqad rawaynā ʿan ʿumara bni al-khaṭṭābi raḍiya Allāhu ʿanhu, waʿani ibnihi ʿabdi Allāhi raḍiya Allāhu ʿanhumā: law ʾanna rajulan ṣāma al-nahāra lā yufṭiru, waqāma al-layla wajāhada, walam yuḥibba fī Allāhi ʿazza wajalla wayubghiḍ fī Allāhi mā nafaʿahu dhālika shayʾan.

We have transmitted from ʿUmar ibn al-Khaṭṭāb, God be pleased with him, and from his son ʿAbd Allāh, God be pleased with them both: “If a man fasted every day without breaking his fast, stood in prayer at night, and fought in God’s cause, but did not love in God, Mighty and Majestic, and hate in God, all that would benefit him nothing.”

وَقَدْ رَوَيْنَا عَنْ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ أَنَّهُ قَالَ لِأَصْحَابِهِ: أَيُّ عُرَى الْإِيمَانِ أَوْثَقُ؟ قَالَ: الصَّلَاةُ. قَالَ: حَسَنَةٌ وَلَيْسَ بِهِ. قَالُوا: الْحَجُّ وَالْجِهَادُ. قَالَ: حَسَنَةٌ وَلَيْسَ بِهِ.

waqad rawaynā ʿan rasūli Allāhi ṣallā Allāhu ʿalayhi wasallama ʾannahu qāla liʾaṣḥābihi: ʾayyu ʿurā al-ʾīmāni ʾawthaqu? qāla: al-ṣalātu. qāla: ḥasanatun walaysa bihi. qālū: al-ḥajju wa-al-jihādu. qāla: ḥasanatun walaysa bihi.

We have transmitted from God’s Messenger, God bless him and grant him peace, that he asked his companions, “Which of faith’s bonds is strongest?” One said, “Prayer.” He said, “A good thing, but that is not it.” They said, “Pilgrimage and fighting in God’s cause.” He said, “A good thing, but that is not it.”

قَالُوا: فَأَخْبِرْنَا يَا رَسُولَ اللَّهِ. قَالَ: أَوْثَقُ عُرَى الْإِيمَانِ الْحُبُّ فِي اللَّهِ تَعَالَى، وَالْبُغْضُ فِيهِ.

qālū: faʾakhbirnā yā rasūla Allāhi. qāla: ʾawthaqu ʿurā al-ʾīmāni al-ḥubbu fī Allāhi taʿālā, wa-al-bughḍu fīhi.

They said, “Then tell us, Messenger of God.” He answered: “The strongest bonds of faith are love in God Most High and hatred in Him.”

وَقَدِ اخْتَلَفَ مَذْهَبُ الصَّحَابَةِ فِي الْأَخِ يُحِبُّ أَخَاهُ فِي اللَّهِ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ، ثُمَّ يَنْقَلِبُ الْآخَرُ عَمَّا كَانَ عَلَيْهِ وَيَتَغَيَّرُ، هَلْ يُبْغِضُهُ بَعْدَ ذَلِكَ أَمْ لَا؟ فَكَانَ أَبُو ذَرٍّ يَقُولُ: إِذَا انْقَلَبَ عَمَّا كَانَ عَلَيْهِ وَتَغَيَّرَ، فَأَبْغِضْهُ مِنْ حَيْثُ أَحْبَبْتَهُ.

waqadi ikhtalafa madhhabu al-ṣaḥābati fī al-ʾakhi yuḥibbu ʾakhāhu fī Allāhi ʿazza wajalla, thumma yanqalibu al-ʾākharu ʿammā kāna ʿalayhi wayataghayyaru, hal yubghiḍuhu baʿda dhālika ʾam lā? fakāna ʾabū dharrin yaqūlu: ʾidhā inqalaba ʿammā kāna ʿalayhi wataghayyara, faʾabghiḍhu min ḥaythu ʾaḥbabtahu.

The Companions differed about someone who loves his brother in God, Mighty and Majestic, when that brother then abandons his former way and changes: should he hate him afterward or not? Abū Dharr used to say: “When he abandons his former way and changes, hate him on the same grounds on which you loved him.”

وَرَوَيْنَا عَنْ أَبِي الدَّرْدَاءِ أَنَّ شَابًّا غَلَبَ عَلَى مَجْلِسِهِ حَتَّى أَحَبَّهُ أَبُو الدَّرْدَاءِ، فَكَانَ يُقَدِّمُهُ عَلَى الْأَشْيَاخِ وَيُقَرِّبُهُ فَحَسَدُوهُ، وَأَنَّ الشَّابَّ وَقَعَ فِي كَبِيرَةٍ مِنَ الْكَبَائِرِ، فَجَاؤُوا إِلَى أَبِي الدَّرْدَاءِ فَحَدَّثُوهُ، وَقَالُوا لَهُ: لَوْ أَبْعَدْتَهُ.

warawaynā ʿan ʾabī al-dardāʾi ʾanna shābban ghalaba ʿalā majlisihi ḥattā ʾaḥabbahu ʾabū al-dardāʾi, fakāna yuqaddimuhu ʿalā al-ʾashyākhi wayuqarribuhu faḥasadūhu, waʾanna al-shābba waqaʿa fī kabīratin mina al-kabāʾiri, fajāʾū ʾilā ʾabī al-dardāʾi faḥaddathūhu, waqālū lahu: law ʾabʿadtahu.

We have transmitted concerning Abū al-Dardāʾ that a young man became a frequent presence in his gathering until Abū al-Dardāʾ loved him. He gave him precedence over the older men and brought him close, so they envied him. The young man then committed a grave sin, and they came to Abū al-Dardāʾ, told him, and said, “If only you would keep him away.”

قَالَ: سُبْحَانَ اللَّهِ، لَا نَتْرُكُ صَاحِبَنَا لِشَيْءٍ مِنَ الْأَشْيَاءِ. وَرَوَيْنَا عَنْ بَعْضِ التَّابِعِينَ وَعَنِ الصَّحَابَةِ فِي مِثْلِ ذَلِكَ، وَقَدْ قِيلَ لَهُ فِيهِ، فَقَالَ: إِنَّمَا أُبْغِضُ عَمَلَهُ وَإِلَّا فَهُوَ أَخِي.

qāla: subḥāna Allāhi, lā natruku ṣāḥibanā lishayʾin mina al-ʾashyāʾi. warawaynā ʿan baʿḍi al-tābiʿīna waʿani al-ṣaḥābati fī mithli dhālika, waqad qīla lahu fīhi, faqāla: ʾinnamā ʾubghiḍu ʿamalahu waʾillā fahuwa ʾakhī.

He replied, “Glory be to God! We do not abandon our companion for any such thing.” We have transmitted a similar account from one of the Successors and from the Companions. When someone spoke to him about it, he said, “I hate only his deed; otherwise, he is my brother.”

وَكَذَلِكَ قَالَ اللَّهُ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ لِنَبِيِّهِ فِي عَشِيرَتِهِ: فَإِنْ عَصَوْكَ فَقُلْ إِنِّي بَرِيءٌ مِمَّا تَعْمَلُونَ، وَلَمْ يَقُلْ: قُلْ إِنِّي بَرِيءٌ مِنْكُمْ، لِلُحْمَةِ النَّسَبِ. وَقَدْ قِيلَ: لِلصَّدَاقَةِ لُحْمَةٌ كَلُحْمَةِ النَّسَبِ. وَقِيلَ لِحَكِيمِ بْنِ مُرَّةَ: أَيُّمَا أَحَبُّ إِلَيْكَ:

wa-kadhālika qāla Allāhu ʿazza wajalla linabiyyihi fī ʿashīratihi: faʾin ʿaṣawka faqul ʾinnī barīʾun mimmā taʿmalūna, walam yaqul: qul ʾinnī barīʾun minkum, liluḥmati al-nasabi. waqad qīla: li-l-ṣadāqati luḥmatun kaluḥmati al-nasabi. waqīla liḥakīmi bni murrata: ʾayyumā ʾaḥabbu ʾilayka:

Likewise God, Mighty and Majestic, told His Prophet concerning his clan: “If they disobey you, say, ‘I am free of what you do.’” He did not say, “Say, ‘I am free of you,’” because of the bond of kinship. It has been said: “Friendship has a bond like the bond of kinship.” Ḥakīm ibn Murra was asked, “Which is dearer to you:

الْجُزْءُ الثَّانِي، الصَّفْحَةُ ٣٦٧

al-juzʾu al-thānī, al-ṣafḥatu 367

Volume Two, page 367

أَخُوكَ أَوْ صَدِيقُكَ؟ فَقَالَ: إِنَّمَا أُحِبُّ أَخِي إِذَا كَانَ صَدِيقًا. وَكَانَ الْحَسَنُ يَقُولُ: كَمْ مِنْ أَخٍ لَكَ لَمْ تَلِدْهُ أُمُّكَ! وَلِذَلِكَ قِيلَ: الْقَرَابَةُ تَحْتَاجُ إِلَى مَوَدَّةٍ، وَالْمَوَدَّةُ لَا تَحْتَاجُ إِلَى قَرَابَةٍ.

ʾakhūka ʾaw ṣadīquka? faqāla: ʾinnamā ʾuḥibbu ʾakhī ʾidhā kāna ṣadīqan. wakāna al-ḥasanu yaqūlu: kam min ʾakhin laka lam talidhu ʾummuka! wali-dhālika qīla: al-qarābatu taḥtāju ʾilā mawaddatin, wa-al-mawaddatu lā taḥtāju ʾilā qarābatin.

your brother or your friend?” He replied, “I love my brother only when he is a friend.” Al-Ḥasan used to say: “How many brothers you have whom your mother did not bear!” Hence the saying: “Kinship needs affection; affection needs no kinship.”

وَفِي حَدِيثِ النَّبِيِّ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ، لَمَّا شَتَمَ الْقَوْمُ الرَّجُلَ الَّذِي أَتَى فَاحِشَةً فَقَالَ: مَهْ، وَزَبَرَهُمْ: لَا تَكُونُوا عَوْنًا لِلشَّيْطَانِ عَلَى أَخِيكُمْ.

wafī ḥadīthi al-nabiyyi ṣallā Allāhu ʿalayhi wasallama, lammā shatama al-qawmu al-rajula alladhī ʾatā fāḥishatan faqāla: mah, wazabarahum: lā takūnū ʿawnan li-l-shayṭāni ʿalā ʾakhīkum.

In the report of the Prophet, God bless him and grant him peace, when people reviled a man who had committed an indecency, he said, “Enough!” and rebuked them: “Do not help Satan against your brother.”

وَفِي أَثَرٍ عَنْ بَعْضِ الْعُلَمَاءِ فِي مِثْلِ زَلَّاتِ الْإِخْوَانِ، قَالَ: وَدَّ الشَّيْطَانُ أَنْ يُلْقِيَ عَلَى أَخِيكُمْ مِثْلَ هَذَا حَتَّى تَقْطَعُوهُ وَتَهْجُرُوهُ، فَمَاذَا بَغَيْتُمْ مِنْ مَحَبَّةِ عَدُوِّكُمْ؟

wafī ʾatharin ʿan baʿḍi al-ʿulamāʾi fī mithli zallāti al-ʾikhwāni, qāla: wadda al-shayṭānu ʾan yulqiya ʿalā ʾakhīkum mithla hādhā ḥattā taqṭaʿūhu watahjurūhu, famādhā baghaytum min maḥabbati ʿaduwwikum?

A tradition from one of the scholars concerning such slips by brothers says: “Satan wished to cast your brother into something like this, so that you would cut him off and abandon him. What do you seek by pleasing your enemy?”

وَقَدْ كَانَ أَبُو الدَّرْدَاءِ يَقُولُ: إِذَا تَغَيَّرَ أَخُوكَ وَحَالَ عَمَّا كَانَ، فَلَا تَدَعْهُ لِأَجْلِ ذَلِكَ، فَإِنَّ أَخَاكَ يَعْوَجُّ مَرَّةً وَيَسْتَقِيمُ أُخْرَى. وَكَانَ يَقُولُ: دَاوِ أَخَاكَ وَلَا تُطِعْ فِيهِ حَاسِدًا، فَتَكُونَ مِثْلَهُ.

waqad kāna ʾabū al-dardāʾi yaqūlu: ʾidhā taghayyara ʾakhūka waḥāla ʿammā kāna, falā tadaʿhu liʾajli dhālika, faʾinna ʾakhāka yaʿwajju marratan wayastaqīmu ʾukhrā. wakāna yaqūlu: dāwi ʾakhāka walā tuṭiʿ fīhi ḥāsidan, fatakūna mithlahu.

Abū al-Dardāʾ used to say: “When your brother changes and departs from what he was, do not abandon him for that. Your brother goes crooked at one time and straight at another.” He also said: “Treat your brother’s illness; do not obey an envious person concerning him and become like that person.”

وَقَالَ الْحَسَنُ: أَيُّ الرِّجَالِ الْمُهَذَّبُ؟ وَقَالَ إِبْرَاهِيمُ النَّخَعِيُّ: لَا تَقْطَعْ أَخَاكَ وَلَا تَهْجُرْهُ عِنْدَ الذَّنْبِ، فَإِنَّهُ يَرْكَبُهُ الْيَوْمَ وَيَتْرُكُهُ غَدًا. وَقَالَ أَيْضًا: لَا تُحَدِّثُوا النَّاسَ بِزَلَّةِ الْعَالِمِ، فَإِنَّ الْعَالِمَ يَزِلُّ الزَّلَّةَ ثُمَّ يَتْرُكُهَا.

waqāla al-ḥasanu: ʾayyu al-rijāli al-muhadhdhabu? waqāla ʾibrāhīmu al-nakhaʿiyyu: lā taqṭaʿ ʾakhāka walā tahjurhu ʿinda al-dhanbi, faʾinnahu yarkabuhu al-yawma wayatrukuhu ghadan. waqāla ʾayḍan: lā tuḥaddithū al-nāsa bizallati al-ʿālimi, faʾinna al-ʿālima yazillu al-zallata thumma yatrukuhā.

Al-Ḥasan said: “Which man is wholly faultless?” Ibrāhīm al-Nakhaʿī said: “Do not cut off or abandon your brother when he sins: he commits it today and leaves it tomorrow.” He also said: “Do not tell people about a scholar’s slip: a scholar slips, then abandons the fault.”

وَفِي الْخَبَرِ: اتَّقُوا زَلَّةَ الْعَالِمِ وَلَا تَقْطَعُوهُ وَانْتَظِرُوا فَيْئَتَهُ. وَعَنْ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ: شِرَارُ عِبَادِ اللَّهِ الْمَشَّاؤُونَ بِالنَّمِيمَةِ، الْمُفَرِّقُونَ بَيْنَ الْأَحِبَّةِ، الْبَاغُونَ لِلْبُرَآءِ الْعَيْبَ.

wafī al-khabari: ittaqū zallata al-ʿālimi walā taqṭaʿūhu wa-intaẓirū fayʾatahu. waʿan rasūli Allāhi ṣallā Allāhu ʿalayhi wasallama: shirāru ʿibādi Allāhi al-mashshāʾūna bi-al-namīmati, al-mufarriqūna bayna al-ʾaḥibbati, al-bāghūna li-l-burāʾi al-ʿayba.

A report says: “Guard against a scholar’s slip, but do not cut him off; await his return.” From God’s Messenger, God bless him and grant him peace: “The worst of God’s servants are those who spread malicious gossip, separate those who love one another, and seek faults in the innocent.”

وَقَالَ سَعِيدُ بْنُ الْمُسَيِّبِ: إِنِّي لَأَكْرَهُ أَنْ أُفَرِّقَ بَيْنَ الْمُتَأَلِّفَيْنِ، وَقَالَ مَرَّةً: بَيْنَ الْمُتَحَابَّيْنِ.

waqāla saʿīdu bnu al-musayyibi: ʾinnī laʾakrahu ʾan ʾufarriqa bayna al-mutaʾallifayni, waqāla marratan: bayna al-mutaḥābbayni.

Saʿīd ibn al-Musayyib said: “I dislike separating two who are attached to one another”; on another occasion he said, “two who love one another.”

وَفِي حَدِيثِ عُمَرَ، وَقَدْ سَأَلَ عَنْ أَخٍ كَانَ آخَاهُ فَخَرَجَ إِلَى الشَّامِ، فَسَأَلَ عَنْهُ بَعْضَ مَنْ قَدِمَ عَلَيْهِ، فَقَالَ: ذَاكَ أَخُو الشَّيْطَانِ. قَالَ: مَهْ. قَالَ: إِنَّهُ قَارَفَ الْكَبَائِرَ حَتَّى وَقَعَ فِي الْخَمْرِ. فَقَالَ: إِذَا أَرَدْتَ الْخُرُوجَ فَآذِنِّي.

wafī ḥadīthi ʿumara, waqad saʾala ʿan ʾakhin kāna ʾākhāhu fakharaja ʾilā al-shāmi, fasaʾala ʿanhu baʿḍa man qadima ʿalayhi, faqāla: dhāka ʾakhū al-shayṭāni. qāla: mah. qāla: ʾinnahu qārafa al-kabāʾira ḥattā waqaʿa fī al-khamri. faqāla: ʾidhā ʾaradta al-khurūja faʾādhinnī.

In a report about ʿUmar, he asked after a man with whom he had formed brotherhood and who had gone to Syria. He asked someone who had arrived from there, who said, “That man is Satan’s brother.” ʿUmar said, “Enough!” The man said, “He has committed grave sins and has even taken to wine.” ʿUmar replied, “When you are about to leave, let me know.”

قَالَ: فَكَتَبَ إِلَيْهِ: بِسْمِ اللَّهِ الرَّحْمَنِ الرَّحِيمِ، حم، تَنْزِيلُ الْكِتَابِ مِنَ اللَّهِ الْعَزِيزِ الْعَلِيمِ، غَافِرِ الذَّنْبِ وَقَابِلِ التَّوْبِ، الْآيَةَ، ثُمَّ عَاتَبَهُ تَحْتَ ذَلِكَ وَعَذَلَهُ. فَلَمَّا قَرَأَ الْكِتَابَ قَالَ: صَدَقَ اللَّهُ وَنَصَحَ لِي عُمَرُ. قَالَ: فَتَابَ وَرَجَعَ.

qāla: fakataba ʾilayhi: bismi Allāhi al-raḥmāni al-raḥīmi, Ḥā Mīm, tanzīlu al-kitābi mina Allāhi al-ʿazīzi al-ʿalīmi, ghāfiri al-dhanbi waqābili al-tawbi, al-ʾāyata, thumma ʿātabahu taḥta dhālika waʿadhalahu. falammā qaraʾa al-kitāba qāla: ṣadaqa Allāhu wanaṣaḥa lī ʿumaru. qāla: fatāba warajaʿa.

He then wrote to him: “In the name of God, the All-Merciful, the Merciful. Ḥā Mīm. The revelation of the Book is from God, the Mighty, the All-Knowing, Forgiver of sin and Accepter of repentance,” the verse. Below that he reproached and admonished him. When the man read the letter, he said, “God has spoken truly, and ʿUmar has counseled me sincerely.” He repented and returned.

وَمِنْ أَفْضَلِ فَضِيلَةِ الْحُبِّ فِي اللَّهِ تَعَالَى أَنَّهُ جُعِلَ عَلَمًا لِوُجُودِ الْإِيمَانِ، وَقُرِنَ بِحُبِّ اللَّهِ تَعَالَى وَرَسُولِهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ كَمَا فِي الْخَبَرِ: لَا يُؤْمِنُ عَبْدِي حَتَّى يَكُونَ اللَّهُ وَرَسُولُهُ أَحَبَّ إِلَيْهِ مِمَّا سِوَاهُمَا.

wamin ʾafḍali faḍīlati al-ḥubbi fī Allāhi taʿālā ʾannahu juʿila ʿalaman liwujūdi al-ʾīmāni, waqurina biḥubbi Allāhi taʿālā warasūlihi ṣallā Allāhu ʿalayhi wasallama kamā fī al-khabari: lā yuʾminu ʿabdī ḥattā yakūna Allāhu warasūluhu ʾaḥabba ʾilayhi mimmā siwāhumā.

One of the greatest excellences of love in God Most High is that it has been made a sign of faith’s presence and joined to love of God Most High and His Messenger, God bless him and grant him peace, as in the report: “My servant does not believe until God and His Messenger are dearer to him than anything besides them.”

ثُمَّ جَاءَ مِثْلُهُ: لَا يَجِدُ الْعَبْدُ حَلَاوَةَ الْإِيمَانِ حَتَّى يُحِبَّ الْمَرْءَ لِلَّهِ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ. فَمِنْ مُقْتَضَى الْحُبِّ فِي اللَّهِ تَعَالَى مَا ذَكَرْنَاهُ آنِفًا مِنَ التَّزَاوُرِ وَالتَّبَاذُلِ وَالتَّصَافِي لِلَّهِ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ، وَفِي حَدِيثِ عُبَادَةَ بْنِ الصَّامِتِ.

thumma jāʾa mithluhu: lā yajidu al-ʿabdu ḥalāwata al-ʾīmāni ḥattā yuḥibba al-marʾa li-llāhi ʿazza wajalla. famin muqtaḍā al-ḥubbi fī Allāhi taʿālā mā dhakarnāhu ʾānifan mina al-tazāwuri wa-al-tabādhuli wa-al-taṣāfī li-llāhi ʿazza wajalla, wafī ḥadīthi ʿubādata bni al-ṣāmiti.

A similar report says: “A servant does not find faith’s sweetness until he loves a person for God, Mighty and Majestic.” Among the demands of love in God Most High are the mutual visits, giving, and sincere affection for God, Mighty and Majestic, that we mentioned just before, and in the report of ʿUbāda ibn al-Ṣāmit.

وَقَالَ مُوسَى بْنُ عُقْبَةَ: كُنْتُ أَلْقَى الْأَخَ مِنْ إِخْوَانِي مَرَّةً فَأُقِيمُ عَاقِلًا بِلِقَائِهِ أَيَّامًا. وَقَالَ جَعْفَرُ بْنُ سُلَيْمَانَ: كُنْتُ إِذَا وَجَدْتُ فِي نَفْسِي فَتْرَةً نَظَرْتُ إِلَى مُحَمَّدِ بْنِ وَاسِعٍ، فَأَعْمَلُ عَلَى ذَلِكَ جُمُعَةً.

waqāla mūsā bnu ʿuqbata: kuntu ʾalqā al-ʾakha min ʾikhwānī marratan faʾuqīmu ʿāqilan biliqāʾihi ʾayyāman. waqāla jaʿfaru bnu sulaymāna: kuntu ʾidhā wajadtu fī nafsī fatratan naẓartu ʾilā muḥammadi bni wāsiʿin, faʾaʿmalu ʿalā dhālika jumuʿatan.

Mūsā ibn ʿUqba said: “I would meet one of my brothers once, and the meeting would keep me clear-minded for days.” Jaʿfar ibn Sulaymān said: “When I felt slackness in myself, I would look at Muḥammad ibn Wāsiʿ, and that would keep me working for a week.”

وَكَانَ مُحَمَّدُ بْنُ وَاسِعٍ يَقُولُ: مَا بَقِيَ فِي الدُّنْيَا شَيْءٌ أَلَذُّهُ إِلَّا ثَلَاثٌ: الصَّلَاةُ فِي جَمَاعَةٍ، وَالتَّهَجُّدُ مِنَ اللَّيْلِ، وَلِقَاءُ الْإِخْوَانِ. وَكَانَ بَعْضُهُمْ يَقُولُ: لِقَاءُ الْإِخْوَانِ مَسْلَاةٌ لِلْهَمِّ وَمَذْهَبَةٌ لِلْأَحْزَانِ.

wakāna muḥammadu bnu wāsiʿin yaqūlu: mā baqiya fī al-dunyā shayʾun ʾaladhdhuhu ʾillā thalāthun: al-ṣalātu fī jamāʿatin, wa-al-tahajjudu mina al-layli, waliqāʾu al-ʾikhwāni. wakāna baʿḍuhum yaqūlu: liqāʾu al-ʾikhwāni maslātun li-l-hammi wamadhhabatun li-l-ʾaḥzāni.

Muḥammad ibn Wāsiʿ used to say: “Nothing remains in this world that I enjoy except three things: prayer in congregation, night vigil, and meeting brothers.” One of them used to say: “Meeting brothers consoles anxiety and dispels sorrows.”

وَكَانَ الْحَسَنُ وَأَبُو قِلَابَةَ يَقُولَانِ: إِخْوَانُنَا أَحَبُّ إِلَيْنَا مِنْ أَهْلِينَا وَأَوْلَادِنَا، لِأَنَّ أَهْلِينَا يُذَكِّرُونَنَا الدُّنْيَا وَإِخْوَانَنَا يُذَكِّرُونَنَا الْآخِرَةَ. وَقَالَ أَحَدُهُمَا: لِأَنَّ الْأَهْلَ وَالْوَلَدَ مِنَ الدُّنْيَا وَالْإِخْوَانَ فِي اللَّهِ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ مِنْ آلَةِ الْآخِرَةِ.

wakāna al-ḥasanu waʾabū qilābata yaqūlāni: ʾikhwānunā ʾaḥabbu ʾilaynā min ʾahlīnā waʾawlādinā, liʾanna ʾahlīnā yudhakkirūnanā al-dunyā waʾikhwānanā yudhakkirūnanā al-ʾākhirata. waqāla ʾaḥaduhumā: liʾanna al-ʾahla wa-al-walada mina al-dunyā wa-al-ʾikhwāna fī Allāhi ʿazza wajalla min ʾālati al-ʾākhirati.

Al-Ḥasan and Abū Qilāba used to say: “Our brothers are dearer to us than our families and children, for our families remind us of this world, whereas our brothers remind us of the hereafter.” One of them said: “For family and children belong to this world, while brothers in God, Mighty and Majestic, are provisions for the hereafter.”

وَقِيلَ لِسُفْيَانَ بْنِ عُيَيْنَةَ: أَيُّ الْأَشْيَاءِ أَلَذُّ؟ فَقَالَ: مُجَالَسَةُ الْإِخْوَانِ وَالِانْقِلَابُ إِلَى

waqīla lisufyāna bni ʿuyaynata: ʾayyu al-ʾashyāʾi ʾaladhdhu? faqāla: mujālasatu al-ʾikhwāni wa-al-inqilābu ʾilā

Sufyān ibn ʿUyayna was asked: “What is most delightful?” He answered: “Sitting with brothers, and returning home to

الْجُزْءُ الثَّانِي، الصَّفْحَةُ ٣٦٨

al-juzʾu al-thānī, al-ṣafḥatu 368

Volume Two, page 368

كِفَايَةٍ. وَفِي الْخَبَرِ: مَا زَارَ رَجُلٌ أَخَاهُ فِي اللَّهِ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ شَوْقًا إِلَيْهِ وَرَغْبَةً فِي لِقَائِهِ، إِلَّا نَادَاهُ مَلَكٌ مِنْ خَلْفِهِ: طِبْتَ وَطَابَتْ لَكَ الْجَنَّةُ.

kifāyatin. wafī al-khabari: mā zāra rajulun ʾakhāhu fī Allāhi ʿazza wajalla shawqan ʾilayhi waraghbatan fī liqāʾihi, ʾillā nādāhu malakun min khalfihi: ṭibta waṭābat laka al-jannatu.

sufficient provision.” A report says: “Whenever a man visits his brother in God, Mighty and Majestic, out of longing for him and a desire to meet him, an angel calls from behind him: ‘May you be blessed, and may the Garden be blessed for you!’”

وَقَالَ الْحَسَنُ: مَنْ شَيَّعَ أَخًا لَهُ فِي اللَّهِ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ بَعَثَ اللَّهُ مَلَائِكَةً مِنْ تَحْتِ عَرْشِهِ يَوْمَ الْقِيَامَةِ يُشَيِّعُونَهُ إِلَى الْجَنَّةِ. وَعَنْ عَطَاءٍ قَالَ: كَانَ يَقُولُ: تَفَقَّدُوا إِخْوَانَكُمْ بَعْدَ ثَلَاثٍ، فَإِنْ كَانُوا مَرْضَى فَعُودُوهُمْ، وَإِنْ كَانُوا مَشَاغِيلَ فَأَعِينُوهُمْ، وَإِنْ كَانُوا نَسُوا فَذَكِّرُوهُمْ.

waqāla al-ḥasanu: man shayyaʿa ʾakhan lahu fī Allāhi ʿazza wajalla baʿatha Allāhu malāʾikatan min taḥti ʿarshihi yawma al-qiyāmati yushayyiʿūnahu ʾilā al-jannati. waʿan ʿaṭāʾin qāla: kāna yaqūlu: tafaqqadū ʾikhwānakum baʿda thalāthin, faʾin kānū marḍā faʿūdūhum, waʾin kānū mashāghīla faʾaʿīnūhum, waʾin kānū nasū fadhakkirūhum.

Al-Ḥasan said: “Whoever escorts a brother of his in God, Mighty and Majestic, God will send angels from beneath His Throne on the Day of Resurrection to escort him to the Garden.” From ʿAṭāʾ, who said: “He used to say: ‘Check on your brothers after three days. If they are ill, visit them; if occupied, help them; if they have forgotten, remind them.’”

وَكَانَ الشَّعْبِيُّ يَقُولُ فِي الرَّجُلِ يُجَالِسُ الرَّجُلَ فَيَقُولُ: أَعْرِفُ وَجْهَهُ وَلَا أَعْرِفُ اسْمَهُ: ذَلِكَ مَعْرِفَةُ التَّوَكُّلِ.

wakāna al-shaʿbiyyu yaqūlu fī al-rajuli yujālisu al-rajula fayaqūlu: ʾaʿrifu wajhahu walā ʾaʿrifu ismahu: dhālika maʿrifatu al-tawakkuli.

Al-Shaʿbī used to say about a man who sits with another and says, “I know his face but not his name”: “That is acquaintance left to chance.”

وَقَدْ رَوَيْنَا عَنِ النَّبِيِّ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ أَنَّهُ رَأَى عُمَرَ يَلْتَفِتُ يَمِينًا وَشِمَالًا فَسَأَلَهُ، فَقَالَ: يَا رَسُولَ اللَّهِ، أَحْبَبْتُ رَجُلًا فَأَنَا أَطْلُبُهُ وَلَا أَرَاهُ.

waqad rawaynā ʿani al-nabiyyi ṣallā Allāhu ʿalayhi wasallama ʾannahu raʾā ʿumara yaltafitu yamīnan washimālan fasaʾalahu, faqāla: yā rasūla Allāhi, ʾaḥbabtu rajulan faʾanā ʾaṭlubuhu walā ʾarāhu.

We have transmitted that the Prophet, God bless him and grant him peace, saw ʿUmar looking right and left and asked him about it. He said: “Messenger of God, I have come to love a man; I am looking for him, but I do not see him.”

فَقَالَ: يَا أَبَا عَبْدِ اللَّهِ، إِذَا أَحْبَبْتَ أَحَدًا فَسَلْهُ عَنِ اسْمِهِ وَاسْمِ أَبِيهِ، وَعَنْ مَنْزِلِهِ، فَإِنْ كَانَ مَرِيضًا عُدْتَهُ، وَإِنْ كَانَ مَشْغُولًا أَعَنْتَهُ.

faqāla: yā ʾabā ʿabdi Allāhi, ʾidhā ʾaḥbabta ʾaḥadan fasalhu ʿani ismihi wa-ismi ʾabīhi, waʿan manzilihi, faʾin kāna marīḍan ʿudtahu, waʾin kāna mashghūlan ʾaʿantahu.

He said: “Abū ʿAbd Allāh, when you love someone, ask him his name, his father’s name, and where he lives. Then, if he is ill, you can visit him; if occupied, you can help him.”

وَعَنِ الضَّحَّاكِ عَنِ ابْنِ عَبَّاسٍ قِيلَ لَهُ: مَنْ أَحَبُّ النَّاسِ إِلَيْكَ؟ قَالَ: جَلِيسِي. وَكَانَ يَقُولُ: مَا اخْتَلَفَ رَجُلٌ إِلَى مَجْلِسِي ثَلَاثًا مِنْ غَيْرِ حَاجَةٍ تَكُونُ لَهُ إِلَيَّ، فَعَلِمْتُ مُكَافَأَتَهُ مِنَ الدُّنْيَا.

waʿani al-ḍaḥḥāki ʿani ibni ʿabbāsin qīla lahu: man ʾaḥabbu al-nāsi ʾilayka? qāla: jalīsī. wakāna yaqūlu: mā ikhtalafa rajulun ʾilā majlisī thalāthan min ghayri ḥājatin takūnu lahu ʾilayya, faʿalimtu mukāfaʾatahu mina al-dunyā.

From al-Ḍaḥḥāk, from Ibn ʿAbbās: he was asked, “Who is dearest to you?” He answered, “The person who sits with me.” He used to say: “No man has come to my gathering three times without needing anything from me, such that I could know how to repay him with anything in this world.”

وَكَانَ سَعِيدُ بْنُ الْعَاصِ يَقُولُ: لِجَلِيسِي عَلَيَّ ثَلَاثٌ: إِذَا دَنَا رَحَّبْتُ بِهِ، وَإِذَا حَدَّثَ أَقْبَلْتُ عَلَيْهِ، وَإِذَا جَلَسَ أَوْسَعْتُ لَهُ.

wakāna saʿīdu bnu al-ʿāṣi yaqūlu: lijalīsī ʿalayya thalāthun: ʾidhā danā raḥḥabtu bihi, waʾidhā ḥaddatha ʾaqbaltu ʿalayhi, waʾidhā jalasa ʾawsaʿtu lahu.

Saʿīd ibn al-ʿĀṣ used to say: “My companion in a gathering has three rights over me: when he approaches, I welcome him; when he speaks, I turn my attention to him; when he sits, I make room for him.”

وَقَالَ الْأَحْنَفُ بْنُ قَيْسٍ: الْإِنْصَافُ يُثْبِتُ الْمَوَدَّةَ، وَمَعَ كَرَمِ الْعِشْرَةِ تَطُولُ الصُّحْبَةُ. وَكَانَ يَقُولُ: ثَلَاثُ خِلَالٍ تُجْلَبُ بِهِنَّ الْمَحَبَّةُ: الْإِنْصَافُ فِي الْمُعَاشَرَةِ، وَالْمُوَاسَاةُ فِي الشِّدَّةِ وَالِانْطِوَاءُ عَلَى الْمَوَدَّةِ.

waqāla al-ʾaḥnafu bnu qaysin: al-ʾinṣāfu yuthbitu al-mawaddata, wamaʿa karami al-ʿishrati taṭūlu al-ṣuḥbatu. wakāna yaqūlu: thalāthu khilālin tujlabu bihinna al-maḥabbatu: al-ʾinṣāfu fī al-muʿāsharati, wa-al-muwāsātu fī al-shiddati wa-al-inṭiwāʾu ʿalā al-mawaddati.

Al-Aḥnaf ibn Qays said: “Fairness makes affection firm, and gracious dealings prolong companionship.” He used to say: “Three qualities attract love: fairness in association, sharing in hardship, and harboring affection within.”

وَقَالَ أَكْثَمُ بْنُ صَيْفِيٍّ لِبَنِيهِ: يَا بَنِيَّ، تَقَارَبُوا فِي الْمَوَدَّةِ وَلَا تَتَّكِلُوا عَلَى الْقَرَابَةِ. وَقَدْ قِيلَ لِأَبِي حَازِمٍ: مَا الْقَرَابَةُ؟ قَالَ: الْمَوَدَّةُ.

waqāla ʾakthamu bnu ṣayfiyyin libanīhi: yā baniyya, taqārabū fī al-mawaddati walā tattakilū ʿalā al-qarābati. waqad qīla liʾabī ḥāzimin: mā al-qarābatu? qāla: al-mawaddatu.

Aktham ibn Ṣayfī told his sons: “My sons, draw close through affection; do not rely on kinship.” Abū Ḥāzim was asked, “What is kinship?” He answered, “Affection.”

فَأَوَّلُ مَا تَصِحُّ لَهُ الْمَحَبَّةُ فِي اللَّهِ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ أَلَّا يَكُونَ لِضِدِّ ذَلِكَ مِنْ صُحْبَةٍ لِأَجْلِ مَعْصِيَةٍ، وَلَا عَلَى حَظٍّ مِنْ دُنْيَاهُ، وَلَا لِسَبَبِ مُوَافَقَتِهِ عَلَى هَوَاهُ، وَلَا لِأَجْلِ ارْتِفَاقِهِ بِهِ الْيَوْمَ لِمَنَافِعِهِ وَمَصَالِحِهِ فِي أَحْوَالِهِ.

faʾawwalu mā taṣiḥḥu lahu al-maḥabbatu fī Allāhi ʿazza wajalla ʾallā yakūna liḍiddi dhālika min ṣuḥbatin liʾajli maʿṣiyatin, walā ʿalā ḥaẓẓin min dunyāhu, walā lisababi muwāfaqatihi ʿalā hawāhu, walā liʾajli irtifāqihi bihi al-yawma limanāfiʿihi wamaṣāliḥihi fī ʾaḥwālihi.

The first requirement for love in God, Mighty and Majestic, to be sound is that it should not serve its opposite: companionship for a sin, for a share of someone’s worldly possessions, because he agrees with one’s desires, or because one presently uses him to secure benefits and advance one’s affairs.

وَلَا يَكُونَ ذَلِكَ مُكَافَأَةً عَلَى إِحْسَانٍ أَحْسَنَ بِهِ إِلَيْهِ، وَلَا لِنِعْمَةٍ وَيَدٍ يَجْزِيهِ عَلَيْهَا، فَهَذِهِ لَيْسَ فِيهَا طَرِيقٌ إِلَى اللَّهِ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ وَلَا لِلْآخِرَةِ، لِأَنَّهَا طُرُقَاتُ الدُّنْيَا وَلِأَسْبَابِ الْهَوَى، فَإِذَا سَلِمَ مِنْ هَذِهِ الْمَعَانِي، فَهَذِهِ أَوَّلُ الْمَحَبَّةِ لِلَّهِ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ.

walā yakūna dhālika mukāfaʾatan ʿalā ʾiḥsānin ʾaḥsana bihi ʾilayhi, walā liniʿmatin wayadin yajzīhi ʿalayhā, fa-hādhihi laysa fīhā ṭarīqun ʾilā Allāhi ʿazza wajalla walā li-l-ʾākhirati, liʾannahā ṭuruqātu al-dunyā waliʾasbābi al-hawā, faʾidhā salima min hādhihi al-maʿānī, fa-hādhihi ʾawwalu al-maḥabbati li-llāhi ʿazza wajalla.

Nor should it be repayment for a kindness he has done, or recompense for a favor or service. These contain no path to God, Mighty and Majestic, or to the hereafter: they are the roads of this world and serve the causes of desire. Freedom from these motives is the beginning of love for God, Mighty and Majestic.

وَلَا يَقْدَحُ فِي الْأُخُوَّةِ لِلَّهِ تَبَارَكَ وَتَعَالَى لِأَنَّ هَذِهِ شِيَمٌ ثَابِتَةٌ فِيهِ، مِثْلَ أَنْ يُحِبَّهُ لِحُسْنِ خُلُقِهِ، وَفَضْلِ أَدَبِهِ، وَحُسْنِ حِلْمِهِ، وَكَمَالِ عَقْلِهِ، وَكَثْرَةِ احْتِمَالِهِ وَصَبْرِهِ، أَوْ لِوُجُودِ الْأُنْسِ بِهِ وَارْتِفَاعِ الْوَحْشَةِ مِنْهُ، أَوْ لِلْأُلْفَةِ الَّتِي جَعَلَ اللَّهُ بَيْنَهُ وَبَيْنَهُ.

walā yaqdaḥu fī al-ʾukhuwwati li-llāhi tabāraka wataʿālā liʾanna hādhihi shiyamun thābitatun fīhi, mithla ʾan yuḥibbahu liḥusni khuluqihi, wafaḍli ʾadabihi, waḥusni ḥilmihi, wakamāli ʿaqlihi, wakathrati iḥtimālihi waṣabrihi, ʾaw liwujūdi al-ʾunsi bihi wa-irtifāʿi al-waḥshati minhu, ʾaw li-l-ʾulfati allatī jaʿala Allāhu baynahu wabaynahu.

It does not impair brotherhood for God, Blessed and Exalted Is He, because these are qualities firmly rooted in the person: for example, loving him for his good character, excellent manners, fine forbearance, mature intelligence, great tolerance and patience; for the comfort of his company and the absence of estrangement from him; or for the affection God has placed between them.

وَإِنَّمَا يُخْرِجُهُ عَنْ حَقِيقَةِ الْحُبِّ فِي اللَّهِ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ أَنْ يُحِبَّهُ لِمَا يَكُونُ دَخَلًا فِي الدِّينِ وَوَلِيجَةً فِي طَرَائِقِ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ، وَلِمَا انْفَصَلَ عَنْهُ وَلَمْ يَكُنْ مُتَّصِلًا بِهِ، مِثْلَ الْإِنْعَامِ وَالْإِفْضَالِ وَوُجُودِ الِارْتِفَاقِ.

waʾinnamā yukhrijuhu ʿan ḥaqīqati al-ḥubbi fī Allāhi ʿazza wajalla ʾan yuḥibbahu limā yakūnu dakhalan fī al-dīni wawalījatan fī ṭarāʾiqi al-muʾminīna, walimā infaṣala ʿanhu walam yakun muttaṣilan bihi, mithla al-ʾinʿāmi wa-al-ʾifḍāli wawujūdi al-irtifāqi.

What takes it outside the reality of love in God, Mighty and Majestic, is loving someone for what constitutes a flaw in religion and an alien intrusion into believers’ paths, or for something separate from him rather than inherent in him, such as his gifts, favors, and the benefit one obtains from him.

فَهَذَا الْحُبُّ لَا يُمْنَعُ الْقَلْبُ وُجْدَهُ، لِمَا جُبِلَ الطَّبْعُ عَلَيْهِ، وَلِبُغْضِ مَنْ كَانَ بِضِدِّهِ مِمَّنْ أَسَاءَ إِلَيْهِ، وَلَيْسَ يَأْثَمُ وَلَا يَعْصِي بِوُجُودِ هَذِهِ الْمَحَبَّةِ لِأَجْلِ هَذِهِ الْأَسْبَابِ الْمَعْرُوفَةِ.

fa-hādhā al-ḥubbu lā yumnaʿu al-qalbu wujdahu, limā jubila al-ṭabʿu ʿalayhi, walibughḍi man kāna biḍiddihi mimman ʾasāʾa ʾilayhi, walaysa yaʾthamu walā yaʿṣī biwujūdi hādhihi al-maḥabbati liʾajli hādhihi al-ʾasbābi al-maʿrūfati.

The heart is not forbidden to feel this love, given the way human nature is formed, or to hate those of the opposite kind who have harmed it. A person does not sin or disobey by feeling such love for these familiar reasons.

كَمَا أَنَّهُ إِذَا أَسَاءَ إِلَيْهِ وَوَجَدَ بُغْضَهُ لَا يَأْثَمُ مَا لَمْ يُخْرِجْهُ الْبُغْضُ إِلَى مُجَاوَزَةِ حَدٍّ بِإِيجَابِ حُكْمٍ، إِلَّا أَنَّ هَذِهِ مَحَبَّةُ النَّفْسِ بِالطَّبْعِ، وَإِنَّمَا يَفْضُلُ الْمَرْءُ بِمَحَبَّةِ الْقَلْبِ لِأَجْلِ اللَّهِ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ، وَالْبُغْضُ فِيهِ شَيْءٌ، وَإِنْ كَانَ مُبَاحًا لِأَنَّهَا تَحُولُ وَتَزُولُ، وَكُلُّ مَحَبَّةٍ تَكُونُ

kamā ʾannahu ʾidhā ʾasāʾa ʾilayhi wawajada bughḍahu lā yaʾthamu mā lam yukhrijhu al-bughḍu ʾilā mujāwazati ḥaddin biʾījābi ḥukmin, ʾillā ʾanna hādhihi maḥabbatu al-nafsi bi-al-ṭabʿi, waʾinnamā yafḍulu al-marʾu bimaḥabbati al-qalbi liʾajli Allāhi ʿazza wajalla, wa-al-bughḍu fīhi shayʾun, waʾin kāna mubāḥan liʾannahā taḥūlu watazūlu, wakullu maḥabbatin takūnu

Likewise, if someone harms him and he feels hatred, he does not sin unless that hatred takes him beyond a limit fixed by a binding rule. Yet this is the soul’s natural love. A person excels through the heart’s love for the sake of God, Mighty and Majestic; hatred in Him is a distinct matter, even where permitted. For such natural love changes and passes away, and every love arising

الْجُزْءُ الثَّانِي، الصَّفْحَةُ ٣٦٩

al-juzʾu al-thānī, al-ṣafḥatu 369

Volume Two, page 369

عَنْ عِوَضٍ، إِذَا ذَهَبَ الْعِوَضُ زَالَتِ الْمَحَبَّةُ، وَصِحَّةُ الْحُبِّ فِي اللَّهِ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ وَالْبُغْضِ فِيهِ لَا يَنْقَلِبُ لِسَبَبِ حُبٍّ جُعِلَ فِي الطَّبْعِ لِمَنَافِعِ الدُّنْيَا، وَلَا لِأَجْلِ بُغْضٍ فِي النَّفْسِ لِمَضَارِّهَا.

ʿan ʿiwaḍin, ʾidhā dhahaba al-ʿiwaḍu zālati al-maḥabbatu, waṣiḥḥatu al-ḥubbi fī Allāhi ʿazza wajalla wa-al-bughḍi fīhi lā yanqalibu lisababi ḥubbin juʿila fī al-ṭabʿi limanāfiʿi al-dunyā, walā liʾajli bughḍin fī al-nafsi limaḍārrihā.

from a return vanishes when that return disappears. Sound love in God, Mighty and Majestic, and hatred in Him do not reverse because of a love placed in human nature for worldly benefits, or a hatred in the soul for things that harm it.

وَحَقِيقَةُ الْحُبِّ فِي اللَّهِ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ أَلَّا يَحْسُدَهُ عَلَى دِينٍ وَلَا دُنْيَا، كَمَا لَا يَحْسُدُ نَفْسَهُ عَلَيْهِمَا، وَأَنْ يُؤْثِرَهُ بِالدِّينِ وَالدُّنْيَا إِذَا كَانَ مُحْتَاجًا إِلَيْهِمَا كَنَفْسِهِ.

waḥaqīqatu al-ḥubbi fī Allāhi ʿazza wajalla ʾallā yaḥsudahu ʿalā dīnin walā dunyā, kamā lā yaḥsudu nafsahu ʿalayhimā, waʾan yuʾthirahu bi-al-dīni wa-al-dunyā ʾidhā kāna muḥtājan ʾilayhimā kanafsihi.

The reality of love in God, Mighty and Majestic, is not to envy one’s brother in religion or worldly matters, just as one does not envy oneself in either, and to give him preference in religious and worldly good when he needs them as one does oneself.

وَهَذَا شَرْطَا الْحُبِّ فِي اللَّهِ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ اللَّذَانِ ذَكَرَهُمَا اللَّهُ تَعَالَى فِي قَوْلِهِ: ﴿يُحِبُّونَ مَنْ هَاجَرَ إِلَيْهِمْ﴾، الْحَشْرِ: ٩، ثُمَّ وَصَفَ مَحَبَّتَهُمْ إِذْ كَانَ يَصِفُ حَقًّا وَيَمْدَحُ مُحِقًّا، فَقَالَ: ﴿وَلَا يَجِدُونَ فِي صُدُورِهِمْ حَاجَةً مِمَّا أُوتُوا﴾، الْحَشْرِ: ٩.

wa-hādhā sharṭā al-ḥubbi fī Allāhi ʿazza wajalla alladhāni dhakarahumā Allāhu taʿālā fī qawlihi: ﴿yuḥibbūna man hājara ʾilayhim﴾, al-ḥashri: 9, thumma waṣafa maḥabbatahum ʾidh kāna yaṣifu ḥaqqan wayamdaḥu muḥiqqan, faqāla: ﴿walā yajidūna fī ṣudūrihim ḥājatan mimmā ʾūtū﴾, al-ḥashri: 9.

These are the two conditions of love in God, Mighty and Majestic, that God Most High mentioned in His words: “They love those who migrated to them” (al-Ḥashr 59:9). He then described their love, describing what is true and praising those entitled to praise: “They find no need within their breasts for what others have been given” (al-Ḥashr 59:9).

يَعْنِي: مِنْ دِينٍ وَدُنْيَا، وَالْحَاجَةُ فِي هَذَا الْمَوْضِعِ الْحَسَدُ، أَيْ كَمَا لَا يَجِدُونَ فِي صُدُورِهِمْ حَاجَةً لِأَنْفُسِهِمْ حَسَدًا، ثُمَّ قَالَ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ فِي الشَّرْطِ الثَّانِي: ﴿وَيُؤْثِرُونَ عَلَى أَنْفُسِهِمْ وَلَوْ كَانَ بِهِمْ خَصَاصَةٌ﴾، الْحَشْرِ: ٩.

yaʿnī: min dīnin wadunyā, wa-al-ḥājatu fī hādhā al-mawḍiʿi al-ḥasadu, ʾay kamā lā yajidūna fī ṣudūrihim ḥājatan liʾanfusihim ḥasadan, thumma qāla ʿazza wajalla fī al-sharṭi al-thānī: ﴿wayuʾthirūna ʿalā ʾanfusihim walaw kāna bihim khaṣāṣatun﴾, al-ḥashri: 9.

That is, what others have been given of religion and worldly good. “Need” here means envy: just as they find no envious need within their breasts toward themselves. Then He, Mighty and Majestic, stated the second condition: “They give others preference over themselves, even when they themselves are in need” (al-Ḥashr 59:9).

فَهَذَا فَصْلُ الْخِطَابِ، وَجُمْلَةُ نَعْتِ الْأَحْبَابِ، فَيَنْبَغِي أَنْ يُؤْثِرَ أَخَاهُ بِنَفْسِهِ وَمَالِهِ إِنِ احْتَاجَ إِلَى ذَلِكَ، فَإِنْ لَمْ يَكُنْ فِي هَذِهِ الْمَنْزِلَةِ وَهُوَ مَقَامُ الصِّدِّيقِينَ فَيُسَاوِيهِ فِي حَالِهِ، وَهَذَا مِنْ مَقَامِ الصَّادِقِينَ.

fa-hādhā faṣlu al-khiṭābi, wajumlatu naʿti al-ʾaḥbābi, fayanbaghī ʾan yuʾthira ʾakhāhu binafsihi wamālihi ʾini iḥtāja ʾilā dhālika, faʾin lam yakun fī hādhihi al-manzilati wahuwa maqāmu al-ṣiddīqīna fayusāwīhi fī ḥālihi, wa-hādhā min maqāmi al-ṣādiqīna.

This is the decisive statement and the comprehensive description of those who love. One should prefer one’s brother over oneself, with one’s own person and wealth, if he needs it. If one has not reached this degree, the station of the utterly truthful, one should put him on an equal footing with oneself: that belongs to the station of the truthful.

وَهَذَا أَقَلُّ مَنَازِلِ الْأُخُوَّةِ، وَهُوَ مِنْ أَخْلَاقِ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ، وَإِنَّمَا آخَى رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ بَيْنَ الْغَنِيِّ وَالْفَقِيرِ لِيُسَاوِيَ الْغَنِيُّ الْفَقِيرَ فَيَعْتَدِلَانِ.

wa-hādhā ʾaqallu manāzili al-ʾukhuwwati, wahuwa min ʾakhlāqi al-muʾminīna, waʾinnamā ʾākhā rasūlu Allāhi ṣallā Allāhu ʿalayhi wasallama bayna al-ghaniyyi wa-al-faqīri liyusāwiya al-ghaniyyu al-faqīra fayaʿtadilāni.

This is the lowest degree of brotherhood and belongs to believers’ character. God’s Messenger, God bless him and grant him peace, established brotherhood between rich and poor so that the rich person would make the poor person his equal and they would stand on the same footing.

وَيَنْبَغِي أَنْ يُقَدِّمَهُ عَلَى أَهْلِهِ وَوَلَدِهِ، وَأَنْ يُحِبَّهُ فَوْقَ مَحَبَّتِهِمْ لِأَنَّ مَحَبَّةَ أُولَئِكَ مِنَ الدُّنْيَا وَالنَّفْسِ وَالْهَوَى، وَمَحَبَّةَ الْإِخْوَانِ مِنَ الْآخِرَةِ وَلِلَّهِ تَبَارَكَ وَتَعَالَى، وَفِي الدِّينِ، وَأُمُورُ الدِّينِ وَالْآخِرَةِ مُقَدَّمٌ عِنْدَ الْمُتَّقِينَ.

wayanbaghī ʾan yuqaddimahu ʿalā ʾahlihi wawaladihi, waʾan yuḥibbahu fawqa maḥabbatihim liʾanna maḥabbata ʾulāʾika mina al-dunyā wa-al-nafsi wa-al-hawā, wamaḥabbata al-ʾikhwāni mina al-ʾākhirati wa-li-llāhi tabāraka wataʿālā, wafī al-dīni, waʾumūru al-dīni wa-al-ʾākhirati muqaddamun ʿinda al-muttaqīna.

One should give him precedence over family and children and love him more than them, for love of those belongs to this world, the soul, and desire, whereas love of brothers belongs to the hereafter, is for God, Blessed and Exalted Is He, and is rooted in religion. Religious affairs and the hereafter take precedence among the God-conscious.

وَكَانَ عَبْدُ اللَّهِ بْنُ الْحَسَنِ الْبَصْرِيِّ يَصْرِفُ إِخْوَانَ الْحَسَنِ إِذَا جَاؤُوهُ، لِطُولِ لُبْثِهِمْ عِنْدَهُ وَلِشِدَّةِ شُغْلِهِ بِهِمْ، فَيَقُولُ لَهُمْ: لَا تُمِلُّوا الشَّيْخَ. فَكَانَ الْحَسَنُ إِذَا عَلِمَ ذَلِكَ يَقُولُ: دَعْهُمْ يَا لُكَعُ، فَإِنَّهُمْ أَحَبُّ إِلَيَّ مِنْكُمْ، فَهَؤُلَاءِ يُحِبُّونَنِي لِلَّهِ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ وَأَنْتُمْ تُرِيدُونَنِي لِلدُّنْيَا.

wakāna ʿabdu Allāhi bnu al-ḥasani al-baṣriyyi yaṣrifu ʾikhwāna al-ḥasani ʾidhā jāʾūhu, liṭūli lubthihim ʿindahu walishiddati shughlihi bihim, fayaqūlu lahum: lā tumillū al-shaykha. fakāna al-ḥasanu ʾidhā ʿalima dhālika yaqūlu: daʿhum yā lukaʿu, faʾinnahum ʾaḥabbu ʾilayya minkum, fa-hāʾulāʾi yuḥibbūnanī li-llāhi ʿazza wajalla waʾantum turīdūnanī li-l-dunyā.

ʿAbd Allāh, son of al-Ḥasan al-Baṣrī, used to turn away al-Ḥasan’s brothers when they came, because they stayed so long and occupied so much of his time. He would tell them, “Do not weary the shaykh.” When al-Ḥasan learned of this, he would say, “Leave them alone, you fool! They are dearer to me than you are. They love me for God, Mighty and Majestic, while you want me for this world.”

وَقَالَ أَبُو مُعَاوِيَةَ الْأَسْوَدُ: إِخْوَانِي كُلُّهُمْ خَيْرٌ مِنِّي. قِيلَ: وَكَيْفَ ذَاكَ؟ قَالَ: كُلُّهُمْ يَرَى الْفَضْلَ لِي عَلَيْهِ، وَمَنْ فَضَّلَنِي عَلَى نَفْسِهِ فَهُوَ خَيْرٌ مِنِّي.

waqāla ʾabū muʿāwiyata al-ʾaswadu: ʾikhwānī kulluhum khayrun minnī. qīla: wakayfa dhāka? qāla: kulluhum yarā al-faḍla lī ʿalayhi, waman faḍḍalanī ʿalā nafsihi fahuwa khayrun minnī.

Abū Muʿāwiya al-Aswad said: “All my brothers are better than I am.” He was asked, “How is that?” He answered: “Each of them thinks I am better than he is; anyone who prefers me to himself is better than I am.”

وَقَدْ رَوَيْنَا عَنْ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ: الْمَرْءُ عَلَى دِينِ خَلِيلِهِ، وَلَا خَيْرَ فِي صُحْبَةِ مَنْ لَا يَرَى لَكَ مِثْلَ مَا يَرَى لِنَفْسِهِ.

waqad rawaynā ʿan rasūli Allāhi ṣallā Allāhu ʿalayhi wasallama: al-marʾu ʿalā dīni khalīlihi, walā khayra fī ṣuḥbati man lā yarā laka mithla mā yarā linafsihi.

We have transmitted from God’s Messenger, God bless him and grant him peace: “A person follows the religion of his intimate friend.” There is no good in the companionship of someone who does not recognize for you what he recognizes for himself.

وَكَانَ الْأَعْمَشُ يَقُولُ: مَنْ أَخْفَى عَنَّا بِدْعَتَهُ لَمْ يُخْفِ عَنَّا أُلْفَتَهُ، أَيْ: يُنْظَرُ إِلَى إِخْوَانِهِ الَّذِينَ يَأْلَفُهُمْ، فَيُسْتَدَلُّ عَلَيْهِ بِهِمْ.

wakāna al-ʾaʿmashu yaqūlu: man ʾakhfā ʿannā bidʿatahu lam yukhfi ʿannā ʾulfatahu, ʾay: yunẓaru ʾilā ʾikhwānihi alladhīna yaʾlafuhum, fayustadallu ʿalayhi bihim.

Al-Aʿmash used to say: “Someone who hides his innovation from us cannot hide his attachments from us.” That is, look at the brothers whose company he loves, and infer his disposition from them.

وَقَدْ رَوَى الْأَصْمَعِيُّ عَنْ مُجَاهِدٍ عَنِ الشَّعْبِيِّ قَالَ: قَالَ عَلِيُّ بْنُ أَبِي طَالِبٍ، كَرَّمَ اللَّهُ وَجْهَهُ، لِرَجُلٍ وَكَرِهَ لَهُ صُحْبَةَ رَجُلٍ رَهِقٍ، فَقَالَ شِعْرًا:

waqad rawā al-ʾaṣmaʿiyyu ʿan mujāhidin ʿani al-shaʿbiyyi qāla: qāla ʿaliyyu bnu ʾabī ṭālibin, karrama Allāhu wajhahu, lirajulin wakariha lahu ṣuḥbata rajulin rahiqin, faqāla shiʿran:

Al-Aṣmaʿī transmitted from Mujāhid, from al-Shaʿbī, who said: ʿAlī ibn Abī Ṭālib, God honor his countenance, spoke to a man for whom he disliked the company of a reckless fellow, saying in verse:

لَا تَصْحَبْ أَخَا الْجَهْلِ ... وَإِيَّاكَ وَإِيَّاهُ / فَكَمْ مِنْ جَاهِلٍ أَرْدَى ... حَلِيمًا حِينَ آخَاهُ / يُقَاسُ الْمَرْءُ بِالْمَرْءِ ... إِذَا مَا هُوَ مَاشَاهُ.

lā taṣḥab ʾakhā al-jahli ... waʾiyyāka waʾiyyāhu / fakam min jāhilin ʾardā ... ḥalīman ḥīna ʾākhāhu / yuqāsu al-marʾu bi-al-marʾi ... ʾidhā mā huwa māshāhu.

Do not accompany a man of ignorance; beware of him. How many an ignorant man has ruined a forbearing man who took him as a brother! A person is measured by another when he walks beside him.

وَلِلشَّيْءِ مِنَ الشَّيْءِ ... مَقَايِيسُ وَأَشْبَاهُ / وَلِلْقَلْبِ عَلَى الْقَلْبِ ... دَلِيلٌ حِينَ يَلْقَاهُ. وَأَنْشَدَ مُحَمَّدُ بْنُ جَامِعٍ الْفَقِيهُ شِعْرًا:

wali-l-shayʾi mina al-shayʾi ... maqāyīsu waʾashbāhu / wali-l-qalbi ʿalā al-qalbi ... dalīlun ḥīna yalqāhu. waʾanshada muḥammadu bnu jāmiʿin al-faqīhu shiʿran:

One thing provides measures and likenesses for another; and one heart has a sign of another when it meets it. Muḥammad ibn Jāmiʿ, the jurist, recited these verses:

الْجُزْءُ الثَّانِي، الصَّفْحَةُ ٣٧٠

al-juzʾu al-thānī, al-ṣafḥatu 370

Volume Two, page 370

تَذَلَّلْ لِمَنْ إِنْ تَذَلَّلْتَ لَهُ ... يَرَى ذَاكَ لِلْفَضْلِ لَا لِلْبَلَهِ / وَجَانِبْ صَدَاقَةَ مَنْ لَا يَزَالُ ... عَلَى الْأَصْدِقَاءِ يَرَى الْفَضْلَ لَهُ.

tadhallal liman ʾin tadhallalta lahu ... yarā dhāka li-l-faḍli lā li-l-balahi / wajānib ṣadāqata man lā yazālu ... ʿalā al-ʾaṣdiqāʾi yarā al-faḍla lahu.

Humble yourself before one who, when you humble yourself, sees it as virtue, not foolishness. Avoid the friendship of someone who always considers himself superior to his friends.

وَأَنْشَدَنَا لِبَعْضِ الْأُدَبَاءِ: كَمْ مِنْ صَدِيقٍ عَرَفْتُهُ بِصَدِيقٍ ... صَارَ حَظِّي مِنَ الصَّدِيقِ الْعَتِيقِ / وَرَفِيقٍ رَأَيْتُهُ فِي طَرِيقٍ ... صَارَ عِنْدِي مَحْضَ الصَّدِيقِ الْحَقِيقِيِّ.

waʾanshadanā libaʿḍi al-ʾudabāʾi: kam min ṣadīqin ʿaraftuhu biṣadīqin ... ṣāra ḥaẓẓī mina al-ṣadīqi al-ʿatīqi / warafīqin raʾaytuhu fī ṭarīqin ... ṣāra ʿindī maḥḍa al-ṣadīqi al-ḥaqīqiyyi.

He recited to us verses by a man of letters: How many a friend I came to know through a friend became my portion from that old friendship! And a companion I met upon a road became, for me, the very essence of a true friend.

وَرَوَيْنَا عَنِ الْحَسَنِ بْنِ عَلِيٍّ عَلَيْهِمَا السَّلَامُ فِي وَصْفِ الْأَخِ كَلَامًا رَجَزًا جَامِعًا مُخْتَصَرًا: إِنَّ أَخَاكَ الْحَقَّ مَنْ كَانَ مَعَكَ ... وَمَنْ يَضُرُّ نَفْسَهُ لِيَنْفَعَكَ / وَمَنْ إِذَا رَيْبُ الزَّمَانِ صَدَعَكَ ... شَتَّتَ شَمْلَ نَفْسِهِ لِيَجْمَعَكَ.

warawaynā ʿani al-ḥasani bni ʿaliyyin ʿalayhimā al-salāmu fī waṣfi al-ʾakhi kalāman rajazan jāmiʿan mukhtaṣaran: ʾinna ʾakhāka al-ḥaqqa man kāna maʿaka ... waman yaḍurru nafsahu liyanfaʿaka / waman ʾidhā raybu al-zamāni ṣadaʿaka ... shattata shamla nafsihi liyajmaʿaka.

We have transmitted from al-Ḥasan ibn ʿAlī, peace be upon them both, a concise, comprehensive description of a brother in rajaz verse: Your true brother is the one who stands beside you, who harms himself to benefit you, and who, when time’s upheavals shatter you, scatters his own affairs to bring yours together.

وَلَا تَصِحُّ مُؤَاخَاةُ مُبْتَدِعٍ فِي اللَّهِ تَعَالَى، وَلَا مَحَبَّةُ فَاسِقٍ يُصْحَبُ عَلَى فُسُوقِهِ، وَلَا مَحَبَّةُ فَقِيرٍ أَحَبَّ غَنِيًّا لِأَجْلِ دُنْيَاهُ، وَلَا مَا يَنَالُهُ مِنْ عَاجِلِ مَهْنَاهُ.

walā taṣiḥḥu muʾākhātu mubtadiʿin fī Allāhi taʿālā, walā maḥabbatu fāsiqin yuṣḥabu ʿalā fusūqihi, walā maḥabbatu faqīrin ʾaḥabba ghaniyyan liʾajli dunyāhu, walā mā yanāluhu min ʿājili mahnāhu.

Brotherhood with an innovator cannot be sound as brotherhood in God Most High; nor can love for a sinner whose company one keeps in his sin, or the love of a poor man for a rich man because of his worldly possessions or the immediate enjoyment he can obtain from him.

وَقَدْ تَصِحُّ الْمَحَبَّةُ بَيْنَ الْغَنِيِّ وَالْفَقِيرِ، وَتُوجَدُ الْأُخُوَّةُ إِنْ لَمْ يَقُمْ الْغَنِيُّ بِحُقُوقِ أَخِيهِ، إِذَا آثَرَهُ أَخُوهُ بِمَا يُحِبُّ أَنْ يُؤْثِرَهُ بِهِ، فَلَمْ يَقْتَضِهِ.

waqad taṣiḥḥu al-maḥabbatu bayna al-ghaniyyi wa-al-faqīri, watūjadu al-ʾukhuwwatu ʾin lam yaqum al-ghaniyyu biḥuqūqi ʾakhīhi, ʾidhā ʾātharahu ʾakhūhu bimā yuḥibbu ʾan yuʾthirahu bihi, falam yaqtaḍihi.

Love between rich and poor may nevertheless be sound, and brotherhood may exist even if the rich man does not fulfill his brother’s rights, provided his brother grants him the consideration he would like to receive and does not demand his due.

وَقَدْ تَصِحُّ الْأُخُوَّةُ بَيْنَ الْعَالِمِ وَالْجَاهِلِ، وَبَيْنَ الصَّالِحِ وَالطَّالِحِ لِأَجْلِ التَّدَيُّنِ مِنْ أَحَدِهِمَا، وَالتَّقَرُّبِ إِلَى اللَّهِ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ، وَيَكُونُ مِنَ الْأَعْلَى مِنْهُمَا لِنِيَّاتٍ تَكُونُ لَهُ فِيهَا لِحُسْنِ خُلُقِهِ، أَوْ لِجَمِيلِ مُعَامَلَتِهِ، أَوْ لِمَعَانٍ مَحْمُودَةٍ تَكُونُ فِيهِ.

waqad taṣiḥḥu al-ʾukhuwwatu bayna al-ʿālimi wa-al-jāhili, wabayna al-ṣāliḥi wa-al-ṭāliḥi liʾajli al-tadayyuni min ʾaḥadihimā, wa-al-taqarrubi ʾilā Allāhi ʿazza wajalla, wayakūnu mina al-ʾaʿlā minhumā liniyyātin takūnu lahu fīhā liḥusni khuluqihi, ʾaw lijamīli muʿāmalatihi, ʾaw limaʿānin maḥmūdatin takūnu fīhi.

Brotherhood may also be sound between the learned and the ignorant, or the righteous and the unrighteous, because one of them seeks religious devotion and nearness to God, Mighty and Majestic. The more advanced of them may have intentions arising from the other’s good character, gracious dealings, or praiseworthy qualities.

لِأَنَّ لِكُلِّ مُؤْمِنٍ سَدِيدًا مِنْ عَمَلِهِ يُرْجَى لَهُ بِهِ، وَالْمُؤْمِنُ لَا يَهْلِكُ كُلُّهُ، وَلَا يَذْهَبُ جُمْلَةً وَاحِدَةً، أَوْ لِإِشْفَاقِهِ عَلَيْهِ أَوْ لِتَوَاضُعِ الْعَالِمِ وَالصَّالِحِ فِي نَفْسِهِ، فَيَرَاهُ فِي كُلِّ حَالٍ فَوْقَهُ، أَوْ لِأَجْلِ السَّتْرِ عَلَيْهِ لِئَلَّا يَلْحَقَهُ النَّقْصُ وَالشَّيْنُ مِنَ الْغَيْرِ.

liʾanna likulli muʾminin sadīdan min ʿamalihi yurjā lahu bihi, wa-al-muʾminu lā yahliku kulluhu, walā yadhhabu jumlatan wāḥidatan, ʾaw liʾishfāqihi ʿalayhi ʾaw litawāḍuʿi al-ʿālimi wa-al-ṣāliḥi fī nafsihi, fayarāhu fī kulli ḥālin fawqahu, ʾaw liʾajli al-satri ʿalayhi liʾallā yalḥaqahu al-naqṣu wa-al-shaynu mina al-ghayri.

For every believer has something sound in his deeds on which hope for him may rest; a believer is not wholly ruined or lost all at once. Or the motive may be compassion for him, or the learned and righteous person’s own humility, through which he sees the other as superior in every circumstance; or a wish to conceal his faults so that others do not subject him to disparagement and disgrace.

فَهَذِهِ طُرُقَاتُ الْإِخْوَانِ، فِيهَا حُسْنُ نِيَّاتٍ، وَيَنْبَغِي عَلَى ذَلِكَ أَنْ تُعَلِّمَهُ مَا جَهِلَ مِمَّا هُوَ بِهِ أَعْلَمُ، فَيُعِينُهُ بِعِلْمِهِ كَمَا يُعِينُهُ بِمَالِهِ، فَإِنَّ فَقْرَ الْجَهْلِ أَشَدُّ مِنْ فَقْرِ الْمَالِ، وَإِنَّ الْحَاجَةَ إِلَى الْعِلْمِ لَيْسَتْ بِدُونِ الْحَاجَةِ إِلَى الْمَالِ.

fa-hādhihi ṭuruqātu al-ʾikhwāni, fīhā ḥusnu niyyātin, wayanbaghī ʿalā dhālika ʾan tuʿallimahu mā jahila mimmā huwa bihi ʾaʿlamu, fayuʿīnuhu biʿilmihi kamā yuʿīnuhu bimālihi, faʾinna faqra al-jahli ʾashaddu min faqri al-māli, waʾinna al-ḥājata ʾilā al-ʿilmi laysat bidūni al-ḥājati ʾilā al-māli.

These are paths of brotherhood containing good intentions. Accordingly, you should teach him what he does not know of matters better known to the teacher, helping him with knowledge as one helps him with wealth. The poverty of ignorance is worse than lack of money, and the need for knowledge is no less than the need for money.

وَكَانَ الْفُضَيْلُ يَقُولُ: إِنَّمَا سُمِّيَ الصَّدِيقُ لِتَصَدُّقِهِ وَالرَّفِيقُ لِتَرَفُّقِهِ، فَإِنْ كُنْتَ أَغْنَى مِنْهُ فَأَرْفِقْهُ بِمَالِكَ، وَإِنْ كُنْتَ أَعْلَمَ مِنْهُ فَأَرْفِقْهُ بِعِلْمِكَ.

wakāna al-fuḍaylu yaqūlu: ʾinnamā summiya al-ṣadīqu litaṣadduqihi wa-al-rafīqu litaraffuqihi, faʾin kunta ʾaghnā minhu faʾarfiqhu bimālika, waʾin kunta ʾaʿlama minhu faʾarfiqhu biʿilmika.

Al-Fuḍayl used to say: “A friend is called ṣadīq because he gives generously, and a companion rafīq because he shows gentleness. If you are richer than he is, show him kindness with your wealth; if you know more than he does, show him kindness with your knowledge.”

وَيَنْبَغِي أَنْ يَنْصَحَ لَهُ فِيمَا بَيْنَهُ وَبَيْنَهُ، وَلَا يُوَبِّخَهُ بَيْنَ الْمَلَأِ وَلَا يُطْلِعَ عَلَى غَيْبِهِ أَحَدًا، فَقَدْ قِيلَ: إِنَّ نَصَائِحَ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ فِي آذَانِهِمْ.

wayanbaghī ʾan yanṣaḥa lahu fīmā baynahu wabaynahu, walā yuwabbikhahu bayna al-malaʾi walā yuṭliʿa ʿalā ghaybihi ʾaḥadan, faqad qīla: ʾinna naṣāʾiḥa al-muʾminīna fī ʾādhānihim.

One should counsel a brother privately, neither rebuking him before others nor exposing his hidden affairs to anyone. It has been said: “Believers’ counsel is spoken into their ears.”

وَقَالَ جَعْفَرُ بْنُ بُرْقَانَ: قَالَ لِي مَيْمُونُ بْنُ مِهْرَانَ: قُلْ لِي فِي وَجْهِي مَا أَكْرَهُ، فَإِنَّ الرَّجُلَ لَا يَنْصَحُ أَخَاهُ حَتَّى يَقُولَ لَهُ فِي وَجْهِهِ مَا يَكْرَهُ.

waqāla jaʿfaru bnu burqāna: qāla lī maymūnu bnu mihrāna: qul lī fī wajhī mā ʾakrahu, faʾinna al-rajula lā yanṣaḥu ʾakhāhu ḥattā yaqūla lahu fī wajhihi mā yakrahu.

Jaʿfar ibn Burqān said: “Maymūn ibn Mihrān told me, ‘Say to my face what I dislike, for a man does not sincerely counsel his brother until he tells him to his face what he dislikes.’”

فَإِنْ كَانَ أَخُوهُ الَّذِي نُصِحَ لَهُ صَادِقًا فِي حَالِهِ أَحَبَّهُ عَلَى نُصْحِهِ، فَإِنْ لَمْ يُحِبَّهُ وَكَرِهَ ذَلِكَ مِنْهُ دَلَّ عَلَى كَذِبِ الْحَالِ. قَالَ اللَّهُ سُبْحَانَهُ وَتَعَالَى فِي وَصْفِ الْكَاذِبِينَ: ﴿وَلَكِنْ لَا تُحِبُّونَ النَّاصِحِينَ﴾، الْأَعْرَافِ: ٧٩.

faʾin kāna ʾakhūhu alladhī nuṣiḥa lahu ṣādiqan fī ḥālihi ʾaḥabbahu ʿalā nuṣḥihi, faʾin lam yuḥibbahu wakariha dhālika minhu dalla ʿalā kadhibi al-ḥāli. qāla Allāhu subḥānahu wataʿālā fī waṣfi al-kādhibīna: ﴿wa-lākin lā tuḥibbūna al-nāṣiḥīna﴾, al-ʾaʿrāfi: 79.

If the brother who receives counsel is sincere in his spiritual state, he loves the other for counseling him. If he does not love him and resents it, that shows the falsity of his state. God, Glorified and Exalted Is He, described those who are false: “But you do not love those who counsel sincerely” (al-Aʿrāf 7:79).

وَقَدْ كَانَ بَعْضُ الصَّالِحِينَ يَقُولُ: أَحَبُّ النَّاسِ إِلَيَّ مَنْ أَهْدَى عُيُوبِي. وَقَدْ كَانَ عُمَرُ بْنُ

waqad kāna baʿḍu al-ṣāliḥīna yaqūlu: ʾaḥabbu al-nāsi ʾilayya man ʾahdā ʿuyūbī. waqad kāna ʿumaru bnu

One of the righteous used to say: “The dearest person to me is the one who presents my faults as a gift.” And ʿUmar ibn

الْجُزْءُ الثَّانِي، الصَّفْحَةُ ٣٧١

al-juzʾu al-thānī, al-ṣafḥatu 371

Volume Two, page 371

الْخَطَّابِ رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُ يَقُولُ وَيَأْمُرُ الْإِخْوَانَ بِذَلِكَ: رَحِمَ اللَّهُ امْرَأً أَهْدَى إِلَى أَخِيهِ عُيُوبَ نَفْسِهِ.

al-khaṭṭābi raḍiya Allāhu ʿanhu yaqūlu wayaʾmuru al-ʾikhwāna bi-dhālika: raḥima Allāhu imraʾan ʾahdā ʾilā ʾakhīhi ʿuyūba nafsihi.

al-Khaṭṭāb, God be pleased with him, used to say, urging brothers to do this: “God have mercy on a man who presents his brother’s own faults to him as a gift.”

وَلَكِنْ قَدْ قِيلَ لِمِسْعَرِ بْنِ كِدَامٍ: تُحِبُّ مَنْ يُخْبِرُكَ بِعُيُوبِكَ؟ فَقَالَ: إِنْ نَصَحَنِي فِيمَا بَيْنِي وَبَيْنَهُ فَنَعَمْ، وَإِنْ قَرَعَنِي فِي الْمَلَأِ فَلَا.

wa-lākin qad qīla limisʿari bni kidāmin: tuḥibbu man yukhbiruka biʿuyūbika? faqāla: ʾin naṣaḥanī fīmā baynī wabaynahu fanaʿam, waʾin qaraʿanī fī al-malaʾi falā.

But Misʿar ibn Kidām was asked: “Do you love someone who tells you your faults?” He answered: “If he counsels me privately, yes; if he lashes me with reproaches in public, no.”

وَمِنْ أَخْلَاقِ السَّلَفِ قَالَ: كَانَ الرَّجُلُ إِذَا كَرِهَ مِنْ أَخِيهِ خُلُقًا عَاتَبَهُ فِيمَا بَيْنَهُ وَبَيْنَهُ أَوْ كَاتَبَهُ فِي صَحِيفَةٍ، وَهَذَا لَعَمْرِي فَرْقٌ بَيْنَ النَّصِيحَةِ وَالْفَضِيحَةِ، فَمَا كَانَ فِي السِّرِّ فَهُوَ نَصِيحَةٌ، وَمَا كَانَ عَلَى الْعَلَانِيَةِ فَهُوَ فَضِيحَةٌ، وَقَلَّمَا تَصِحُّ فِيهِ النِّيَّةُ لِوَجْهِ اللَّهِ تَعَالَى، لِأَنَّ فِيهِ شَنَاعَةً.

wamin ʾakhlāqi al-salafi qāla: kāna al-rajulu ʾidhā kariha min ʾakhīhi khuluqan ʿātabahu fīmā baynahu wabaynahu ʾaw kātabahu fī ṣaḥīfatin, wa-hādhā laʿamrī farqun bayna al-naṣīḥati wa-al-faḍīḥati, famā kāna fī al-sirri fahuwa naṣīḥatun, wamā kāna ʿalā al-ʿalāniyati fahuwa faḍīḥatun, waqallamā taṣiḥḥu fīhi al-niyyatu liwajhi Allāhi taʿālā, liʾanna fīhi shanāʿatan.

Of the early generations’ conduct, he said: “When a man disliked a quality in his brother, he reproached him privately or wrote to him on a sheet.” This, by my life, distinguishes sincere counsel from exposure to disgrace: what is private is counsel, while what is public is disgrace. The intention in such public treatment is rarely pure for the countenance of God Most High, because it involves shaming.

وَكَذَلِكَ الْفَرْقُ بَيْنَ الْعِتَابِ وَالتَّوْبِيخِ، فَالْعِتَابُ مَا كَانَ فِي خَلْوَةٍ، وَالتَّوْبِيخُ لَا يَكُونُ إِلَّا فِي جَمَاعَةٍ، وَلِذَلِكَ يُعَاتِبُ اللَّهُ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ رَجُلًا مِنَ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ يَوْمَ الْقِيَامَةِ تَحْتَ كَنَفِهِ، وَيُسْبِلُ عَلَيْهِ سِتْرَهُ فَيُوقِفُهُ عَلَى ذُنُوبِهِ سِرًّا.

wa-kadhālika al-farqu bayna al-ʿitābi wa-al-tawbīkhi, fa-al-ʿitābu mā kāna fī khalwatin, wa-al-tawbīkhu lā yakūnu ʾillā fī jamāʿatin, wali-dhālika yuʿātibu Allāhu ʿazza wajalla rajulan mina al-muʾminīna yawma al-qiyāmati taḥta kanafihi, wayusbilu ʿalayhi sitrahu fayūqifuhu ʿalā dhunūbihi sirran.

The same distinction holds between reproach and rebuke: reproach takes place in private, while rebuke is before a gathering. Thus God, Mighty and Majestic, reproaches a believing man on the Day of Resurrection under His shelter, lowering His covering over him and privately confronting him with his sins.

وَمِنْهُمْ مَنْ يُدْفَعُ كِتَابُ عَمَلِهِ مَخْتُومًا إِلَى الْمَلَائِكَةِ الَّذِينَ يَحْفِرُونَ بِهِ إِلَى الْجَنَّةِ، فَإِذَا قَارَبُوا دُخُولَ الْجَنَّةِ دَفَعُوا إِلَيْهِمُ الْكُتُبَ مَخْتُومَةً فَيَقْرَؤُونَهَا.

waminhum man yudfaʿu kitābu ʿamalihi makhtūman ʾilā al-malāʾikati alladhīna yaḥfirūna bihi ʾilā al-jannati, faʾidhā qārabū dukhūla al-jannati dafaʿū ʾilayhimu al-kutuba makhtūmatan fayaqraʾūnahā.

For some, the record of their deeds is handed sealed to the angels who make their way with them to the Garden. When they are about to enter the Garden, the angels hand them the sealed records, and they read them.

وَأَمَّا أَهْلُ التَّوْبِيخِ فَيُنَادَوْنَ عَلَى رُؤُوسِ الْأَشْهَادِ، فَلَا يَخْفَى عَلَى أَهْلِ الْمَوْقِفِ فَضِيحَتُهُمْ، فَيَزْدَادُ ذَلِكَ فِي عَذَابِهِمْ.

waʾammā ʾahlu al-tawbīkhi fayunādawna ʿalā ruʾūsi al-ʾashhādi, falā yakhfā ʿalā ʾahli al-mawqifi faḍīḥatuhum, fayazdādu dhālika fī ʿadhābihim.

Those subject to rebuke, however, are called out before all the witnesses. Their disgrace is hidden from none of those assembled, and this adds to their torment.

وَكَذَلِكَ الْفَرْقُ بَيْنَ الْمُدَارَاةِ وَالْمُدَاهَنَةِ، فَالْمُدَارَاةُ مَا أَرَدْتَ بِهِ وَجْهَ اللَّهِ تَعَالَى وَطَرِيقَ الْآخِرَةِ، مِنْ دَفْعٍ عَنْ دِينٍ وَقَصَدْتَ بِهِ سَلَامَةَ أَخِيكَ مِنَ الْإِثْمِ وَصَلَاحَ قَلْبِهِ لِلَّهِ تَبَارَكَ وَتَعَالَى، وَالْمُدَاهَنَةُ مَا اجْتَلَبْتَ بِهِ دُنْيَا وَأَرَدْتَ بِهِ حَظَّ نَفْسِكَ.

wa-kadhālika al-farqu bayna al-mudārāti wa-al-mudāhanati, fa-al-mudārātu mā ʾaradta bihi wajha Allāhi taʿālā waṭarīqa al-ʾākhirati, min dafʿin ʿan dīnin waqaṣadta bihi salāmata ʾakhīka mina al-ʾithmi waṣalāḥa qalbihi li-llāhi tabāraka wataʿālā, wa-al-mudāhanatu mā ijtalabta bihi dunyā waʾaradta bihi ḥaẓẓa nafsika.

Likewise, tact differs from compromising flattery. Tact is conduct intended for the countenance of God Most High and the path of the hereafter: defending religion, seeking to keep one’s brother from sin, and setting his heart right for God, Blessed and Exalted Is He. Compromising flattery is conduct through which one gains worldly advantage and seeks one’s own share.

وَكَذَلِكَ الْفَرْقُ بَيْنَ الْغِبْطَةِ وَالْحَسَدِ، إِنَّ الْغِبْطَةَ أَنْ تُحِبَّ لِنَفْسِكَ مَا رَأَيْتَهُ مِنْ أَخِيكَ، وَلَا تُحِبَّ زَوَالَهُ عَنْهُ بَلْ تَبْقِيَتَهُ لَهُ وَإِتْمَامَهُ عَلَيْهِ، وَالْحَسَدُ مَا أَرَدْتَ أَنْ يَكُونَ ذَلِكَ مِنْهُ لَكَ، وَأَحْبَبْتَ زَوَالَهُ عَنْهُ وَكَرِهْتَ تَبْقِيَتَهُ عَلَيْهِ، فَهَذَا مَكْرُوهٌ.

wa-kadhālika al-farqu bayna al-ghibṭati wa-al-ḥasadi, ʾinna al-ghibṭata ʾan tuḥibba linafsika mā raʾaytahu min ʾakhīka, walā tuḥibba zawālahu ʿanhu bal tabqiyatahu lahu waʾitmāmahu ʿalayhi, wa-al-ḥasadu mā ʾaradta ʾan yakūna dhālika minhu laka, waʾaḥbabta zawālahu ʿanhu wakarihta tabqiyatahu ʿalayhi, fa-hādhā makrūhun.

Likewise, emulation differs from envy. Emulation is wishing for yourself the good you see in your brother, without wishing him to lose it; rather, you wish it to remain and be completed for him. Envy is wanting what he has to become yours, wishing it removed from him, and disliking its remaining with him. This is blameworthy.

فَإِنْ سَعَيْتَ فِي ذَلِكَ بِقَوْلٍ أَوْ فِعْلٍ فَهُوَ الْبَغْيُ زِيَادَةً عَلَى الْحَسَدِ، وَهُوَ مِنْ كَبَائِرِ الْمَعَاصِي.

faʾin saʿayta fī dhālika biqawlin ʾaw fiʿlin fahuwa al-baghyu ziyādatan ʿalā al-ḥasadi, wahuwa min kabāʾiri al-maʿāṣī.

If you pursue that wish through words or deeds, it becomes transgression in addition to envy, and it is among the gravest sins.

وَكَذَلِكَ الْفَرْقُ بَيْنَ الْفِرَاسَةِ وَسُوءِ الظَّنِّ، إِنَّ الْفِرَاسَةَ مَا تَوَسَّمْتَهُ مِنْ أَخِيكَ بِدَلِيلٍ يَظْهَرُ لَكَ أَوْ شَاهِدٍ يَبْدُو مِنْهُ أَوْ عَلَامَةٍ تَشْهَدُهَا فِيهِ، فَتَتَفَرَّسُ مِنْ ذَلِكَ فِيهِ وَلَا تَنْطِقُ بِهِ إِنْ كَانَ سُوءًا، وَلَا تُظْهِرُهُ وَلَا تَحْكُمُ عَلَيْهِ وَلَا تَقْطَعُ بِهِ فَتَأْثَمَ.

wa-kadhālika al-farqu bayna al-firāsati wasūʾi al-ẓanni, ʾinna al-firāsata mā tawassamtahu min ʾakhīka bidalīlin yaẓharu laka ʾaw shāhidin yabdū minhu ʾaw ʿalāmatin tashhaduhā fīhi, fatatafarrasu min dhālika fīhi walā tanṭiqu bihi ʾin kāna sūʾan, walā tuẓhiruhu walā taḥkumu ʿalayhi walā taqṭaʿu bihi fataʾthama.

Likewise, discernment differs from suspicion. Discernment is what you perceive in your brother through evidence apparent to you, a sign emerging from him, or a mark you observe in him. You infer from it, but if it is something bad, you do not speak of it, expose it, judge him by it, or assert it with certainty and so incur sin.

وَسُوءُ الظَّنِّ مَا ظَنَنْتَهُ مِنْ سُوءِ رَأْيِكَ فِيهِ أَوْ لِأَجْلِ حِقْدٍ فِي نَفْسِكَ عَلَيْهِ، أَوْ لِسُوءِ نِيَّةٍ تَكُونُ أَوْ خُبْثِ حَالٍ فِيكَ، تَعْرِفُهَا مِنْ نَفْسِكَ فَتَحْمِلُ حَالَ أَخِيكَ عَلَيْهَا وَتَقِيسُهُ بِكَ، فَهَذَا هُوَ سُوءُ الظَّنِّ وَالْإِثْمُ، وَهُوَ غِيبَةُ الْقَلْبِ.

wasūʾu al-ẓanni mā ẓanantahu min sūʾi raʾyika fīhi ʾaw liʾajli ḥiqdin fī nafsika ʿalayhi, ʾaw lisūʾi niyyatin takūnu ʾaw khubthi ḥālin fīka, taʿrifuhā min nafsika fataḥmilu ḥāla ʾakhīka ʿalayhā wataqīsuhu bika, fa-hādhā huwa sūʾu al-ẓanni wa-al-ʾithmu, wahuwa ghībatu al-qalbi.

Suspicion is what you suppose because of a poor opinion of him, rancor against him within yourself, an evil intention, or a corrupt state within you: you recognize it in yourself and then impose it upon your brother’s condition, measuring him by yourself. This is sinful suspicion; it is the heart’s backbiting.

وَذَلِكَ مُحَرَّمٌ لِقَوْلِ النَّبِيِّ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ: إِنَّ اللَّهَ تَعَالَى حَرَّمَ مِنَ الْمُؤْمِنِ دَمَهُ وَمَالَهُ وَعِرْضَهُ، وَأَنْ تَظُنَّ بِهِ ظَنَّ السَّوْءِ. وَقَوْلِهِ عَلَيْهِ السَّلَامُ: إِيَّاكُمْ وَالظَّنَّ، فَإِنَّ الظَّنَّ أَكْذَبُ الْحَدِيثِ.

wa-dhālika muḥarramun liqawli al-nabiyyi ṣallā Allāhu ʿalayhi wasallama: ʾinna Allāha taʿālā ḥarrama mina al-muʾmini damahu wamālahu waʿirḍahu, waʾan taẓunna bihi ẓanna al-sawʾi. waqawlihi ʿalayhi al-salāmu: ʾiyyākum wa-al-ẓanna, faʾinna al-ẓanna ʾakdhabu al-ḥadīthi.

This is forbidden, because the Prophet, God bless him and grant him peace, said: “God Most High has made a believer’s blood, property, and honor inviolable, and has forbidden thinking evil of him.” He, peace be upon him, also said: “Beware of suspicion, for suspicion is the most lying kind of speech.”

فَهَذِهِ خَمْسُ مَعَانٍ وَأَضْدَادُهَا بَيْنَهَا فَرْقٌ عِنْدَ الْعُلَمَاءِ، فَاعْرِفْ ذَلِكَ. وَيَنْبَغِي أَنْ يَنْصُرَ أَخَاهُ وَيُعِينَهُ بِمَالِهِ وَلِسَانِهِ وَقَلْبِهِ وَأَفْعَالِهِ.

fa-hādhihi khamsu maʿānin waʾaḍdāduhā baynahā farqun ʿinda al-ʿulamāʾi, fa-iʿrif dhālika. wayanbaghī ʾan yanṣura ʾakhāhu wayuʿīnahu bimālihi walisānihi waqalbihi waʾafʿālihi.

These are five qualities and their opposites, distinguished by the scholars; understand that distinction. One should support one’s brother and help him with wealth, tongue, heart, and deeds.

فَإِنَّ النُّصْرَةَ فِي اللَّهِ تَعَالَى تَكُونُ بِهَذِهِ الْمَعَانِي الْأَرْبَعِ: بِالنَّفْسِ إِنِ احْتَاجَ إِلَيْكَ فِي الْأَفْعَالِ، وَبِاللِّسَانِ إِنْ ظُلِمَ فِي الْمَقَالِ، وَبِالْمُوَاسَاةِ إِنِ احْتَاجَ إِلَى الْمَالِ، وَأَقَلُّ ذَلِكَ بِالْقَلْبِ أَنْ يُسَاعِدَهُ فِي الْهَمِّ وَالْكَرْبِ فِي اعْتِقَادِ السَّلَامَةِ فِيهِ وَجَمِيلِ النِّيَّةِ لَهُ.

faʾinna al-nuṣrata fī Allāhi taʿālā takūnu bi-hādhihi al-maʿānī al-ʾarbaʿi: bi-al-nafsi ʾini iḥtāja ʾilayka fī al-ʾafʿāli, wabi-al-lisāni ʾin ẓulima fī al-maqāli, wabi-al-muwāsāti ʾini iḥtāja ʾilā al-māli, waʾaqallu dhālika bi-al-qalbi ʾan yusāʿidahu fī al-hammi wa-al-karbi fī iʿtiqādi al-salāmati fīhi wajamīli al-niyyati lahu.

Support in God Most High takes these four forms: with one’s person, when he needs practical help; with one’s tongue, when he is wronged in speech; through sharing, when he needs money; and, at the least, with one’s heart, standing with him in anxiety and distress, holding a sound opinion of him and good intentions toward him.

وَعَلَيْهِ أَنْ يَحْفَظَ غَيْبَهُ وَأَنْ يُحْسِنَ الثَّنَاءَ عَلَيْهِ وَيَنْشُرَ

waʿalayhi ʾan yaḥfaẓa ghaybahu waʾan yuḥsina al-thanāʾa ʿalayhi wayanshura

One must safeguard his affairs in his absence, speak well of him, and make known

الْجُزْءُ الثَّانِي، الصَّفْحَةُ ٣٧٢

al-juzʾu al-thānī, al-ṣafḥatu 372

Volume Two, page 372

فَضْلَهُ وَيَطْوِيَ زَلَلَهُ وَيَقْبَلَ عِلَلَهُ.

faḍlahu wayaṭwiya zalalahu wayaqbala ʿilalahu.

his merits, conceal his slips, and accept his excuses.

وَيُقَالُ: مَا مِنَ النَّاسِ أَحَدٌ إِلَّا لَهُ مَحَاسِنُ وَمَسَاوٍ، فَمَنْ ظَهَرَتْ مَحَاسِنُهُ فَغَلَبَتْ مَسَاوِئَهُ فَهُوَ الْمُؤْمِنُ الْمُقْتَصِدُ، فَالْأَخُ الشَّفِيقُ الْكَرِيمُ يَذْكُرُ أَحْسَنَ مَا يَعْلَمُ فِي أَخِيهِ، وَالْمُنَافِقُ اللَّئِيمُ يَذْكُرُ أَسْوَأَ مَا يَعْلَمُ فِيهِ.

wayuqālu: mā mina al-nāsi ʾaḥadun ʾillā lahu maḥāsinu wamasāwin, faman ẓaharat maḥāsinuhu faghalabat masāwiʾahu fahuwa al-muʾminu al-muqtaṣidu, fa-al-ʾakhu al-shafīqu al-karīmu yadhkuru ʾaḥsana mā yaʿlamu fī ʾakhīhi, wa-al-munāfiqu al-laʾīmu yadhkuru ʾaswaʾa mā yaʿlamu fīhi.

It is said: “Everyone has good qualities and bad. When someone’s good qualities appear and outweigh his bad ones, he is a believer who follows a middle course.” A compassionate, noble brother mentions the best he knows of his brother; a base hypocrite mentions the worst he knows of him.

وَمِنْ هَذَا جَاءَ فِي الْخَبَرِ: أَسْتَعِيذُ بِاللَّهِ مِنْ جَارِ السَّوْءِ الَّذِي إِنْ رَأَى خَيْرًا سَتَرَهُ، وَإِنْ رَأَى شَرًّا أَظْهَرَهُ.

wamin hādhā jāʾa fī al-khabari: ʾastaʿīdhu bi-Allāhi min jāri al-sawʾi alladhī ʾin raʾā khayran satarahu, waʾin raʾā sharran ʾaẓharahu.

In this connection comes the report: “I seek refuge in God from a bad neighbor who conceals any good he sees and exposes any evil he sees.”

وَهَذَا الْمَعْنَى هُوَ سَبَبُ قَوْلِ النَّبِيِّ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ: إِنَّ مِنَ الْبَيَانِ سِحْرًا، إِذْ لِكُلِّ حَدِيثٍ يُرْوَى آخِرُهُ سَبَبٌ يَكُونُ أَوَّلَهُ خَرَجَ الْحَدِيثُ عَلَيْهِ.

wa-hādhā al-maʿnā huwa sababu qawli al-nabiyyi ṣallā Allāhu ʿalayhi wasallama: ʾinna mina al-bayāni siḥran, ʾidh likulli ḥadīthin yurwā ʾākhiruhu sababun yakūnu ʾawwalahu kharaja al-ḥadīthu ʿalayhi.

This is the context of the saying of the Prophet, God bless him and grant him peace, “Some eloquence is sorcery.” For every report whose conclusion is transmitted has an occasion at its beginning to which the report responds.

وَهُوَ أَنَّ رَجُلًا أَثْنَى عَلَى رَجُلٍ عِنْدَ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ، فَلَمَّا كَانَ الْغَدُ ذَمَّهُ وَعَابَهُ، فَقَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ: أَنْتَ بِالْأَمْسِ تُثْنِي عَلَيْهِ وَالْيَوْمَ تَذُمُّهُ.

wahuwa ʾanna rajulan ʾathnā ʿalā rajulin ʿinda rasūli Allāhi ṣallā Allāhu ʿalayhi wasallama, falammā kāna al-ghadu dhammahu waʿābahu, faqāla rasūlu Allāhi ṣallā Allāhu ʿalayhi wasallama: ʾanta bi-al-ʾamsi tuthnī ʿalayhi wa-al-yawma tadhummuhu.

The occasion was that a man praised another before God’s Messenger, God bless him and grant him peace. The following day he censured and faulted him. God’s Messenger, God bless him and grant him peace, said: “Yesterday you praised him, and today you censure him!”

فَقَالَ: وَاللَّهِ لَقَدْ صَدَقْتُ عَلَيْهِ بِالْأَمْسِ وَمَا كَذَبْتُ عَلَيْهِ الْيَوْمَ، إِنَّهُ أَرْضَانِي بِالْأَمْسِ، فَقُلْتُ أَحْسَنَ مَا أَعْلَمُ فِيهِ وَأَغْضَبَنِي الْيَوْمَ فَقُلْتُ أَسْوَأَ مَا أَعْلَمُ فِيهِ.

faqāla: wa-Allāhi laqad ṣadaqtu ʿalayhi bi-al-ʾamsi wamā kadhabtu ʿalayhi al-yawma, ʾinnahu ʾarḍānī bi-al-ʾamsi, faqultu ʾaḥsana mā ʾaʿlamu fīhi waʾaghḍabanī al-yawma faqultu ʾaswaʾa mā ʾaʿlamu fīhi.

He answered: “By God, I spoke truthfully of him yesterday, and I have not lied about him today. He pleased me yesterday, so I said the best I know of him; he angered me today, so I said the worst I know of him.”

فَقَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ عِنْدَ ذَلِكَ: إِنَّ مِنَ الْبَيَانِ سِحْرًا، كَأَنَّهُ كَرِهَ ذَلِكَ إِذْ شَبَّهَهُ بِالسِّحْرِ، لِأَنَّ السِّحْرَ حَرَامٌ.

faqāla rasūlu Allāhi ṣallā Allāhu ʿalayhi wasallama ʿinda dhālika: ʾinna mina al-bayāni siḥran, kaʾannahu kariha dhālika ʾidh shabbahahu bi-al-siḥri, liʾanna al-siḥra ḥarāmun.

Then God’s Messenger, God bless him and grant him peace, said: “Some eloquence is sorcery.” It seems that he disapproved of this, since he likened it to sorcery, which is forbidden.

وَلِهَذَا قَالَ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ فِي الْخَبَرِ الْآخَرِ: الْبَذَاءُ وَالْبَيَانُ شُعْبَتَانِ مِنَ النِّفَاقِ. وَفِي الْحَدِيثِ الْآخَرِ: إِنَّ اللَّهَ تَعَالَى كَرِهَ لَكُمُ الْبَيَانَ، كُلَّ الْبَيَانِ.

wali-hādhā qāla ṣallā Allāhu ʿalayhi wasallama fī al-khabari al-ʾākhari: al-badhāʾu wa-al-bayānu shuʿbatāni mina al-nifāqi. wafī al-ḥadīthi al-ʾākhari: ʾinna Allāha taʿālā kariha lakumu al-bayāna, kulla al-bayāni.

For this reason he, God bless him and grant him peace, said in another report: “Obscenity and eloquence are two branches of hypocrisy.” Another report says: “God Most High has disliked for you eloquence, eloquence in its entirety.”

وَقَدْ قَالَ الْإِمَامُ الشَّافِعِيُّ رَحِمَهُ اللَّهُ فِي وَصْفِ الْعَدَالَةِ قَوْلًا اسْتَحْسَنَهُ الْعُلَمَاءُ، وَحَدَّثَنَا عَنْ مُحَمَّدِ بْنِ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ بْنِ عَبْدِ الْحَكَمِ قَالَ: سَمِعْتُ الشَّافِعِيَّ يَقُولُ: مَا أَحَدٌ مِنَ الْمُسْلِمِينَ يُطِيعُ اللَّهَ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ حَتَّى لَا يَعْصِيَهُ، وَلَا أَحَدٌ يَعْصِي اللَّهَ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ حَتَّى لَا يُطِيعَهُ.

waqad qāla al-ʾimāmu al-shāfiʿiyyu raḥimahu Allāhu fī waṣfi al-ʿadālati qawlan istaḥsanahu al-ʿulamāʾu, waḥaddathanā ʿan muḥammadi bni ʿabdi Allāhi bni ʿabdi al-ḥakami qāla: samiʿtu al-shāfiʿiyya yaqūlu: mā ʾaḥadun mina al-muslimīna yuṭīʿu Allāha ʿazza wajalla ḥattā lā yaʿṣiyahu, walā ʾaḥadun yaʿṣī Allāha ʿazza wajalla ḥattā lā yuṭīʿahu.

Imam al-Shāfiʿī, God have mercy on him, made a statement about uprightness that scholars admired. It was related to us from Muḥammad ibn ʿAbd Allāh ibn ʿAbd al-Ḥakam, who said: “I heard al-Shāfiʿī say, ‘No Muslim obeys God, Mighty and Majestic, so completely that he never disobeys Him; and none disobeys God, Mighty and Majestic, so completely that he never obeys Him.

فَمَنْ كَانَتْ طَاعَاتُهُ أَكْثَرَ مِنْ مَعَاصِيهِ فَهُوَ الْعَدْلُ. قَالَ ابْنُ عَبْدِ الْحَكَمِ: وَهَذَا كَلَامُ الْحُذَّاقِ.

faman kānat ṭāʿātuhu ʾakthara min maʿāṣīhi fahuwa al-ʿadlu. qāla ibnu ʿabdi al-ḥakami: wa-hādhā kalāmu al-ḥudhdhāqi.

‘Whoever has more acts of obedience than acts of disobedience is upright.’” Ibn ʿAbd al-Ḥakam said: “These are the words of those with expert understanding.”

وَقَالَ أَيْضًا قَوْلًا فَصْلًا فِي التَّوَسُّطِ بَيْنَ الِانْقِبَاضِ وَالِانْبِسَاطِ، حَدَّثَنَا عَنْهُ قَالَ: الِانْقِبَاضُ عَنِ النَّاسِ مَكْسَبَةٌ لِعَدَاوَتِهِمْ، وَالِانْبِسَاطُ إِلَيْهِمْ مَجْلَبَةٌ لِقُرَنَاءِ السَّوْءِ، فَكُنْ بَيْنَ الِانْقِبَاضِ وَالِانْبِسَاطِ.

waqāla ʾayḍan qawlan faṣlan fī al-tawassuṭi bayna al-inqibāḍi wa-al-inbisāṭi, ḥaddathanā ʿanhu qāla: al-inqibāḍu ʿani al-nāsi maksabatun liʿadāwatihim, wa-al-inbisāṭu ʾilayhim majlabatun liquranāʾi al-sawʾi, fakun bayna al-inqibāḍi wa-al-inbisāṭi.

He also gave a decisive statement about a middle course between reserve and openness. It was related to us that he said: “Withdrawing from people earns their enmity; opening oneself freely to them attracts bad companions. Remain between reserve and openness.”

وَقَدْ وَصَفَ اللَّهُ تَعَالَى الْمُؤْمِنِينَ بِالصَّبْرِ وَالرَّحْمَةِ فِي قَوْلِهِ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ: ﴿وَتَوَاصَوْا بِالصَّبْرِ وَتَوَاصَوْا بِالْمَرْحَمَةِ﴾، الْبَلَدِ: ١٧، وَنَعَتَهُمْ بِالذِّلَّةِ فِي قَوْلِهِ تَعَالَى: ﴿أَذِلَّةٍ عَلَى الْمُؤْمِنِينَ أَعِزَّةٍ عَلَى الْكَافِرِينَ﴾، الْمَائِدَةِ: ٥٤، وَقَالَ تَعَالَى: ﴿رُحَمَاءُ بَيْنَهُمْ﴾، الْفَتْحِ: ٢٩.

waqad waṣafa Allāhu taʿālā al-muʾminīna bi-al-ṣabri wa-al-raḥmati fī qawlihi ʿazza wajalla: ﴿watawāṣaw bi-al-ṣabri watawāṣaw bi-al-marḥamati﴾, al-baladi: 17, wanaʿatahum bi-al-dhillati fī qawlihi taʿālā: ﴿ʾadhillatin ʿalā al-muʾminīna ʾaʿizzatin ʿalā al-kāfirīna﴾, al-māʾidati: 54, waqāla taʿālā: ﴿ruḥamāʾu baynahum﴾, al-fatḥi: 29.

God Most High described believers by patience and mercy in the words of God, Mighty and Majestic: “They urge one another to patience and urge one another to mercy” (al-Balad 90:17). He characterized them by humility in the words of God Most High, “Humble toward believers, strong against unbelievers” (al-Māʾida 5:54), and He, Most High, said, “Merciful among themselves” (al-Fatḥ 48:29).

وَهَذَا كُلُّهُ دَاخِلٌ فِي الِاهْتِمَامِ بِهِ، وَهُوَ حَقِيقَةُ صِدْقِهِ فِي الصَّدَاقَةِ لَهُ، كَمَا قَالَ: وَلَا صَدِيقٍ حَمِيمٍ، أَيْ هَمِيمٍ مِنَ الِاهْتِمَامِ بِهِ.

wa-hādhā kulluhu dākhilun fī al-ihtimāmi bihi, wahuwa ḥaqīqatu ṣidqihi fī al-ṣadāqati lahu, kamā qāla: walā ṣadīqin ḥamīmin, ʾay hamīmin mina al-ihtimāmi bihi.

All this belongs to concern for one’s brother, which is the reality of sincerity in friendship with him. As He said, “Nor any devoted friend”: ḥamīm, that is, hamīm, from caring about him.

وَقَدْ قَالَ عِيسَى عَلَيْهِ السَّلَامُ لِأَصْحَابِهِ: كَيْفَ تَصْنَعُونَ إِذَا رَأَيْتُمْ أَخَاكُمْ نَائِمًا فَكَشَفَتِ الرِّيحُ عَنْهُ ثَوْبَهُ؟ قَالُوا: نَسْتُرُهُ وَنُغَطِّيهِ. فَقَالَ: بَلْ تَكْشِفُونَ عَوْرَتَهُ. قَالُوا: سُبْحَانَ اللَّهِ، مَنْ يَفْعَلُ هَذَا؟

waqad qāla ʿīsā ʿalayhi al-salāmu liʾaṣḥābihi: kayfa taṣnaʿūna ʾidhā raʾaytum ʾakhākum nāʾiman fakashafati al-rīḥu ʿanhu thawbahu? qālū: nasturuhu wanughaṭṭīhi. faqāla: bal takshifūna ʿawratahu. qālū: subḥāna Allāhi, man yafʿalu hādhā?

Jesus, peace be upon him, told his companions: “What do you do if you see your brother asleep and the wind blows his garment off him?” They replied, “We conceal and cover him.” He said, “Rather, you expose his nakedness.” They exclaimed, “Glory be to God! Who would do that?”

فَقَالَ: أَحَدُكُمْ يَسْمَعُ فِي أَخِيهِ بِالْكَلِمَةِ فَيَزِيدُ عَلَيْهِ وَيُشِيعُهَا بِأَعْظَمَ مِنْهَا، وَهَذَا مَخْرَجُهُ مِنَ الْحَسَدِ الْكَائِنِ فِي النَّفْسِ وَالْغِلِّ الْمُسْتَكِنِّ فِي الْقَلْبِ، أَنْ يَزِيدَ الرَّجُلُ عَلَى الشَّيْءِ مِمَّا يَسْمَعُ أَوْ يُتْبِعَهُ بِمِثْلِهِ، فَيُظْهِرُ هَذَا غِلَّهُ.

faqāla: ʾaḥadukum yasmaʿu fī ʾakhīhi bi-al-kalimati fayazīdu ʿalayhi wayushīʿuhā biʾaʿẓama minhā, wa-hādhā makhrajuhu mina al-ḥasadi al-kāʾini fī al-nafsi wa-al-ghilli al-mustakinni fī al-qalbi, ʾan yazīda al-rajulu ʿalā al-shayʾi mimmā yasmaʿu ʾaw yutbiʿahu bimithlihi, fayuẓhiru hādhā ghillahu.

He said: “One of you hears a word about his brother, adds to it against him, and spreads it in an even greater form.” This springs from envy in the soul and rancor concealed in the heart: a man adds to what he hears or follows it with something similar, and thereby reveals his rancor.

وَهَذَا الَّذِي اسْتَعَاذَ مِنْهُ الْمُؤْمِنُونَ فِي قَوْلِهِمْ: ﴿وَلَا تَجْعَلْ فِي قُلُوبِنَا غِلًّا﴾، الْحَشْرِ: ١٠، الْآيَةَ. وَيَنْبَغِي أَلَّا يُخَالِفَهُ فِي شَيْءٍ وَلَا يَعْتَرِضَ عَلَيْهِ فِي مُرَادٍ. قَالَ بَعْضُ الْعُلَمَاءِ: إِذَا قَالَ

wa-hādhā alladhī istaʿādha minhu al-muʾminūna fī qawlihim: ﴿walā tajʿal fī qulūbinā ghillan﴾, al-ḥashri: 10, al-ʾāyata. wayanbaghī ʾallā yukhālifahu fī shayʾin walā yaʿtariḍa ʿalayhi fī murādin. qāla baʿḍu al-ʿulamāʾi: ʾidhā qāla

This is what believers sought refuge from when they said, “Do not place rancor in our hearts” (al-Ḥashr 59:10), the verse. One should not oppose one’s brother in anything or object to a wish of his. One scholar said: “When

الْجُزْءُ الثَّانِي، الصَّفْحَةُ ٣٧٣

al-juzʾu al-thānī, al-ṣafḥatu 373

Volume Two, page 373

الْأَخُ لِأَخِيهِ: قُمْ بِنَا، فَقَالَ: إِلَى أَيْنَ؟ فَلَا تَصْحَبْهُ. وَقَالَ الْآخَرُ: إِذَا قَالَ: أَعْطِنِي مِنْ مَالِكَ، فَقَالَ: كَمْ تُرِيدُ أَوْ مَاذَا تَصْنَعُ بِهِ؟ لَمْ يَقُمْ بِحَقِّ الْإِخَاءِ.

al-ʾakhu liʾakhīhi: qum binā, faqāla: ʾilā ʾayna? falā taṣḥabhu. waqāla al-ʾākharu: ʾidhā qāla: ʾaʿṭinī min mālika, faqāla: kam turīdu ʾaw mādhā taṣnaʿu bihi? lam yaqum biḥaqqi al-ʾikhāʾi.

a brother says to his brother, ‘Come with me,’ and he asks, ‘Where to?’ do not keep company with him.” Another said: “If he says, ‘Give me some of your money,’ and the other asks, ‘How much do you want, or what will you do with it?’ he has not fulfilled brotherhood’s right.”

قَالَ أَبُو سُلَيْمَانَ الدَّارَانِيُّ: كَانَ لِي أَخٌ بِالْعِرَاقِ، فَكُنْتُ أَجِيئُهُ فِي النَّوَائِبِ فَأَقُولُ: أَعْطِنِي مِنْ مَالِكَ شَيْئًا، فَكَانَ يُلْقِي إِلَيَّ كِيسَهُ فَآخُذُ مِنْهُ مَا أُرِيدُ، فَجِئْتُهُ ذَاتَ يَوْمٍ فَقُلْتُ: أَحْتَاجُ إِلَى شَيْءٍ، فَقَالَ: كَمْ تُرِيدُ؟ فَخَرَجَتْ حَلَاوَةُ إِخَائِهِ مِنْ قَلْبِي.

qāla ʾabū sulaymāna al-dārāniyyu: kāna lī ʾakhun bi-al-ʿirāqi, fakuntu ʾajīʾuhu fī al-nawāʾibi faʾaqūlu: ʾaʿṭinī min mālika shayʾan, fakāna yulqī ʾilayya kīsahu faʾākhudhu minhu mā ʾurīdu, fajiʾtuhu dhāta yawmin faqultu: ʾaḥtāju ʾilā shayʾin, faqāla: kam turīdu? fakharajat ḥalāwatu ʾikhāʾihi min qalbī.

Abū Sulaymān al-Dārānī said: “I had a brother in Iraq. When misfortunes came, I would go to him and say, ‘Give me some of your money.’ He would toss me his purse, and I would take what I wanted. One day I came and said, ‘I need something.’ He asked, ‘How much do you want?’ Then the sweetness of his brotherhood left my heart.”

وَعَنِ ابْنِ عُمَرَ وَأَبِي هُرَيْرَةَ: لَمْ يَكُنْ أَحَدٌ أَحَقَّ بِدِينَارِهِ وَدِرْهَمِهِ مِنْ أَخِيهِ.

waʿani ibni ʿumara waʾabī hurayrata: lam yakun ʾaḥadun ʾaḥaqqa bidīnārihi wadirhamihi min ʾakhīhi.

From Ibn ʿUmar and Abū Hurayra: “None of them had a greater right to his dinar and dirham than his brother did.”

وَرَوَيْنَا عَنْ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ: لَا تَبَاغَضُوا وَلَا تَدَابَرُوا وَلَا تَحَاسَدُوا وَلَا تَقَاطَعُوا، وَكُونُوا عِبَادَ اللَّهِ إِخْوَانًا، الْمُسْلِمُ أَخُو الْمُسْلِمِ لَا يَظْلِمُهُ، وَلَا يَحْرِمُهُ، وَلَا يَخْذُلُهُ، بِحَسْبِ الْمَرْءِ مِنَ الشَّرِّ أَنْ يَحْقِرَ أَخَاهُ الْمُسْلِمَ.

warawaynā ʿan rasūli Allāhi ṣallā Allāhu ʿalayhi wasallama: lā tabāghaḍū walā tadābarū walā taḥāsadū walā taqāṭaʿū, wakūnū ʿibāda Allāhi ʾikhwānan, al-muslimu ʾakhū al-muslimi lā yaẓlimuhu, walā yaḥrimuhu, walā yakhdhuluhu, biḥasbi al-marʾi mina al-sharri ʾan yaḥqira ʾakhāhu al-muslima.

We have transmitted from God’s Messenger, God bless him and grant him peace: “Do not hate one another, turn your backs on one another, envy one another, or sever your ties. Be brothers, servants of God. A Muslim is a Muslim’s brother: he does not wrong him, deprive him, or abandon him. It is evil enough for a person to despise his Muslim brother.”

وَفِي حَدِيثِ عَلِيٍّ عَلَيْهِ السَّلَامُ عَنْ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ قَالَ: مَنْ عَامَلَ النَّاسَ فَلَمْ يَظْلِمْهُمْ، وَحَدَّثَهُمْ فَلَمْ يَكْذِبْهُمْ، وَوَعَدَهُمْ فَلَمْ يُخْلِفْهُمْ، فَهُوَ مِمَّنْ كَمُلَتْ مُرُوءَتُهُ وَظَهَرَتْ عَدَالَتُهُ وَوَجَبَتْ أُخُوَّتُهُ وَحَرُمَتْ غِيبَتُهُ.

wafī ḥadīthi ʿaliyyin ʿalayhi al-salāmu ʿan rasūli Allāhi ṣallā Allāhu ʿalayhi wasallama qāla: man ʿāmala al-nāsa falam yaẓlimhum, waḥaddathahum falam yakdhibhum, wawaʿadahum falam yukhlifhum, fahuwa mimman kamulat murūʾatuhu waẓaharat ʿadālatuhu wawajabat ʾukhuwwatuhu waḥarumat ghībatuhu.

In the report of ʿAlī, peace be upon him, from God’s Messenger, God bless him and grant him peace, he said: “Whoever deals with people without wronging them, speaks to them without lying, and promises without breaking his promises is one whose noble conduct is complete, whose uprightness is manifest, whose brotherhood is binding, and whom it is forbidden to backbite.”

وَفِي حَدِيثِ أَبِي أُسَامَةَ الْبَاهِلِيِّ: خَرَجَ عَلَيْنَا رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ وَنَحْنُ نَتَمَارَى فَغَضِبَ ثُمَّ قَالَ: ذَرُوا الْمِرَاءَ لِقِلَّةِ خَيْرِهِ، ذَرُوا الْمِرَاءَ فَإِنَّ نَفْعَهُ قَلِيلٌ وَهُوَ يُهَيِّجُ الْعَدَاوَةَ بَيْنَ الْإِخْوَانِ.

wafī ḥadīthi ʾabī ʾusāmata al-bāhiliyyi: kharaja ʿalaynā rasūlu Allāhi ṣallā Allāhu ʿalayhi wasallama wanaḥnu natamārā faghaḍiba thumma qāla: dharū al-mirāʾa liqillati khayrihi, dharū al-mirāʾa faʾinna nafʿahu qalīlun wahuwa yuhayyiju al-ʿadāwata bayna al-ʾikhwāni.

In the report of Abū Usāma al-Bāhilī: “God’s Messenger, God bless him and grant him peace, came out to us while we were disputing. He became angry and said: ‘Leave disputation, for little good comes of it. Leave disputation: its benefit is slight, and it stirs enmity between brothers.’”

وَقَالَ بَعْضُ السَّلَفِ: مَنْ لَاحَى الْإِخْوَانَ وَمَارَاهُمْ، قَلَّتْ وَذَهَبَتْ كَرَامَتُهُ. وَقَالَ عَبْدُ اللَّهِ بْنُ الْحَسَنِ: إِيَّاكَ وَمُعَادَاةَ الرِّجَالِ، فَإِنَّكَ لَنْ تَعْدَمَ مَكْرَ حَلِيمٍ أَوْ مُفَاجَأَةَ لَئِيمٍ.

waqāla baʿḍu al-salafi: man lāḥā al-ʾikhwāna wamārāhum, qallat wadhahabat karāmatuhu. waqāla ʿabdu Allāhi bnu al-ḥasani: ʾiyyāka wamuʿādāta al-rijāli, faʾinnaka lan taʿdama makra ḥalīmin ʾaw mufājaʾata laʾīmin.

One of the early generations said: “Whoever quarrels and disputes with his brothers sees his dignity diminish and disappear.” ʿAbd Allāh ibn al-Ḥasan said: “Beware of making enemies of men: you will not escape either the stratagem of a forbearing man or the sudden attack of a base one.”

وَقَالَ بَعْضُ الْحُكَمَاءِ: ظَاهِرُ الْعِتَابِ خَيْرٌ مِنْ مَكْنُونِ الْحِقْدِ، وَلَا يَزِيدُكَ لُطْفُ الْحِقْدِ إِلَّا وَحْشَةً مِنْهُ.

waqāla baʿḍu al-ḥukamāʾi: ẓāhiru al-ʿitābi khayrun min maknūni al-ḥiqdi, walā yazīduka luṭfu al-ḥiqdi ʾillā waḥshatan minhu.

One of the sages said: “Open reproach is better than concealed rancor; the subtlety of rancor only deepens your estrangement from its bearer.”

وَقَدْ رَوَيْنَا فِي الْحِقْدِ عَلَى الْإِخْوَانِ لَفْظَةً شَدِيدَةً، وَهُوَ مَا حَدَّثُونَا عَنْ عَبْدِ الرَّحْمَنِ بْنِ جُبَيْرِ بْنِ نُفَيْرٍ عَنْ أَبِيهِ قَالَ: كُنْتُ بِالْيَمَنِ، وَكَانَ لِي جَارٌ يَهُودِيٌّ يُخْبِرُنِي عَنِ التَّوْرَاةِ، فَقَدِمَ عَلَيْنَا يَهُودِيٌّ مِنْ سَفَرٍ فَقُلْتُ:

waqad rawaynā fī al-ḥiqdi ʿalā al-ʾikhwāni lafẓatan shadīdatan, wahuwa mā ḥaddathūnā ʿan ʿabdi al-raḥmāni bni jubayri bni nufayrin ʿan ʾabīhi qāla: kuntu bi-al-yamani, wakāna lī jārun yahūdiyyun yukhbirunī ʿani al-tawrāti, faqadima ʿalaynā yahūdiyyun min safarin faqultu:

We have transmitted a severe statement about rancor against brothers. They related to us from ʿAbd al-Raḥmān ibn Jubayr ibn Nufayr, from his father, who said: “I was in Yemen, where I had a Jewish neighbor who told me about the Torah. A Jewish man returned to us from a journey, and I said:

إِنَّ اللَّهَ تَبَارَكَ وَتَعَالَى قَدْ بَعَثَ فِينَا نَبِيًّا، فَدَعَا إِلَى السَّلَامِ فَأَسْلَمْنَا، وَقَدْ نَزَلَ عَلَيْنَا مُصَدِّقًا لِلتَّوْرَاةِ. فَقَالَ الْيَهُودِيُّ: صَدَقْتَ، وَلَكِنَّكُمْ لَا تَسْتَطِيعُونَ أَنْ تَقُومُوا بِمَا جَاءَكُمْ بِهِ.

ʾinna Allāha tabāraka wataʿālā qad baʿatha fīnā nabiyyan, fadaʿā ʾilā al-salāmi faʾaslamnā, waqad nazala ʿalaynā muṣaddiqan li-l-tawrāti. faqāla al-yahūdiyyu: ṣadaqta, walākinnakum lā tastaṭīʿūna ʾan taqūmū bimā jāʾakum bihi.

‘God, Blessed and Exalted Is He, has sent a prophet among us. He called us to peace, and we submitted; revelation has come down to us confirming the Torah.’ The Jewish man answered: ‘You speak truly, but you cannot fulfill what he has brought you.

إِنَّا نَجِدُ نَعْتَهُ وَنَعْتَ أُمَّتِهِ أَنَّهُ لَا يَحِلُّ لِامْرِئٍ يَعْلَمُ مِنْهُمْ أَنْ يَخْرُجَ مِنْ عَتَبَةِ بَابِهِ وَفِي قَلْبِهِ سَخِيمَةٌ عَلَى أَخِيهِ الْمُسْلِمِ.

ʾinnā najidu naʿtahu wanaʿta ʾummatihi ʾannahu lā yaḥillu limriʾin yaʿlamu minhum ʾan yakhruja min ʿatabati bābihi wafī qalbihi sakhīmatun ʿalā ʾakhīhi al-muslimi.

‘We find in his description and that of his community that no knowing person among them may step across his threshold with rancor in his heart against his Muslim brother.’”

وَقَالَ بَعْضُ السَّلَفِ: أَعْجَزُ النَّاسِ مَنْ قَصَّرَ فِي طَلَبِ الْإِخْوَانِ، وَأَعْجَزُ مِنْهُ مَنْ ضَيَّعَ مَنْ ظَفِرَ مِنْهُمْ. وَقَالَ الْحَسَنُ: لَا تَشْتَرِ عَدَاوَةَ رَجُلٍ بِمَوَدَّةِ أَلْفِ رَجُلٍ.

waqāla baʿḍu al-salafi: ʾaʿjazu al-nāsi man qaṣṣara fī ṭalabi al-ʾikhwāni, waʾaʿjazu minhu man ḍayyaʿa man ẓafira minhum. waqāla al-ḥasanu: lā tashtari ʿadāwata rajulin bimawaddati ʾalfi rajulin.

One of the early generations said: “The most helpless person is one who falls short in seeking brothers; more helpless still is one who loses those he has found.” Al-Ḥasan said: “Do not purchase one man’s enmity with the affection of a thousand men.”

وَقَالَ عُمَرُ بْنُ عَبْدِ الْعَزِيزِ: إِيَّاكَ وَمَنْ مَوَدَّتُهُ عَلَى قَدْرِ حَاجَتِهِ إِلَيْكَ، فَإِذَا قَضَيْتَ حَاجَتَهُ انْقَضَتْ مَوَدَّتُهُ.

waqāla ʿumaru bnu ʿabdi al-ʿazīzi: ʾiyyāka waman mawaddatuhu ʿalā qadri ḥājatihi ʾilayka, faʾidhā qaḍayta ḥājatahu inqaḍat mawaddatuhu.

ʿUmar ibn ʿAbd al-ʿAzīz said: “Beware of someone whose affection is measured by his need of you: once you meet his need, his affection ends.”

وَمِنْ أَخْلَاقِ السَّلَفِ قَالَ: لَمْ يَكُنْ أَحَدٌ مِنَّا يَقُولُ فِي رَحْلِهِ: هَذَا لِي وَهَذَا لَكَ، بَلْ كَانَ كُلُّ مَنِ احْتَاجَ إِلَى شَيْءٍ اسْتَعْمَلَهُ عَنْ غَيْرِ مُؤَامَرَةٍ.

wamin ʾakhlāqi al-salafi qāla: lam yakun ʾaḥadun minnā yaqūlu fī raḥlihi: hādhā lī wa-hādhā laka, bal kāna kullu mani iḥtāja ʾilā shayʾin istaʿmalahu ʿan ghayri muʾāmaratin.

Of the early generations’ conduct, he said: “None of us would say of his belongings, ‘This is mine and that is yours.’ Whoever needed something used it without seeking permission.”

وَقَدْ وَصَفَ اللَّهُ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ بِهَذَا فِي قَوْلِهِ تَعَالَى: ﴿وَأَمْرُهُمْ شُورَى بَيْنَهُمْ وَمِمَّا رَزَقْنَاهُمْ يُنْفِقُونَ﴾، الشُّورَى: ٣٨. مَعْنَى أَمْرِهِمْ أَيْ أُمُورِهِمْ، ذَكَرَ جِمَاعَهَا كَالشَّيْءِ الْوَاحِدِ بَيْنَهُمْ شُورَى، أَيْ مُشَاعٌ غَيْرُ مَقْسُومٍ، وَلَا يَسْتَبِدُّ بِهِ وَاحِدُهُمْ، فِيهِ سَوَاءٌ.

waqad waṣafa Allāhu ʿazza wajalla al-muʾminīna bi-hādhā fī qawlihi taʿālā: ﴿waʾamruhum shūrā baynahum wamimmā razaqnāhum yunfiqūna﴾, al-shūrā: 38. maʿnā ʾamrihim ʾay ʾumūrihim, dhakara jimāʿahā ka-al-shayʾi al-wāḥidi baynahum shūrā, ʾay mushāʿun ghayru maqsūmin, walā yastabiddu bihi wāḥiduhum, fīhi sawāʾun.

God, Mighty and Majestic, described believers in this way in the words of God Most High: “Their affair is consultation among them, and they spend from what We have provided them” (al-Shūrā 42:38). “Their affair” means their affairs, all mentioned as a single thing; “consultation among them” means shared and undivided, monopolized by none of them, with all equal in it.

وَمِمَّا رَزَقْنَاهُمْ يُنْفِقُونَ، أَيْ كَانُوا خُلَطَاءَ فِي الْأَمْوَالِ لَا يُمَيِّزُ بَعْضُهُمْ رَحْلَهُ مِنْ بَعْضٍ، أَيْ شُرَكَاءَ. وَجَاءَ عُتْبَةُ الْغُلَامُ إِلَى مَنْزِلِ رَجُلٍ كَانَ قَدْ آخَاهُ فَقَالَ: أَحْتَاجُ

wamimmā razaqnāhum yunfiqūna, ʾay kānū khulaṭāʾa fī al-ʾamwāli lā yumayyizu baʿḍuhum raḥlahu min baʿḍin, ʾay shurakāʾa. wajāʾa ʿutbatu al-ghulāmu ʾilā manzili rajulin kāna qad ʾākhāhu faqāla: ʾaḥtāju

“And they spend from what We have provided them”: that is, they shared their wealth, not distinguishing one person’s belongings from another’s; they were partners. ʿUtba al-Ghulām came to the house of a man with whom he had formed brotherhood and said, “I need

الْجُزْءُ الثَّانِي، الصَّفْحَةُ ٣٧٤

al-juzʾu al-thānī, al-ṣafḥatu 374

Volume Two, page 374

مِنْ مَالِكَ إِلَى أَرْبَعَةِ آلَافٍ. فَقَالَ: خُذْ أَلْفَيْنِ، فَأَعْرَضَ عَنْهُ وَقَالَ: آثَرْتَ الدُّنْيَا عَلَى اللَّهِ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ، أَمَا اسْتَحْيَيْتَ أَنْ تَدَّعِيَ الْأُخُوَّةَ فِي اللَّهِ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ وَتَقُولَ هَذَا؟

min mālika ʾilā ʾarbaʿati ʾālāfin. faqāla: khudh ʾalfayni, faʾaʿraḍa ʿanhu waqāla: ʾātharta al-dunyā ʿalā Allāhi ʿazza wajalla, ʾamā istaḥyayta ʾan taddaʿiya al-ʾukhuwwata fī Allāhi ʿazza wajalla wataqūla hādhā?

four thousand from your wealth.” He said, “Take two thousand.” ʿUtba turned away and said, “You have preferred this world to God, Mighty and Majestic. Are you not ashamed to claim brotherhood in God, Mighty and Majestic, and say this?”

وَجَاءَ فَتْحٌ الْمَوْصِلِيُّ إِلَى مَنْزِلِ أَخٍ لَهُ وَكَانَ غَائِبًا، فَأَمَرَ أَهْلَهُ فَأَخْرَجَتْ صُنْدُوقَهُ فَفَتَحَهُ فَأَخَذَ مِنْ كِيسِهِ حَاجَتَهُ، فَذَهَبَتِ الْجَارِيَةُ إِلَى مَوْلَاهَا فَأَعْلَمَتْهُ فَقَالَ: إِنْ كُنْتِ صَادِقَةً فَأَنْتِ حُرَّةٌ لِوَجْهِ اللَّهِ تَعَالَى، سُرُورًا بِمَا فَعَلَ.

wajāʾa fatḥun al-mawṣiliyyu ʾilā manzili ʾakhin lahu wakāna ghāʾiban, faʾamara ʾahlahu faʾakhrajat ṣundūqahu fafataḥahu faʾakhadha min kīsihi ḥājatahu, fadhahabati al-jāriyatu ʾilā mawlāhā faʾaʿlamathu faqāla: ʾin kunti ṣādiqatan faʾanti ḥurratun liwajhi Allāhi taʿālā, surūran bimā faʿala.

Fatḥ al-Mawṣilī came to a brother’s house while he was absent. He asked his household to bring out the man’s chest; he opened it and took what he needed from his purse. The servant girl went to her master and told him. Delighted at what Fatḥ had done, he said: “If you are telling the truth, you are free for the countenance of God Most High.”

وَرُوِيَ أَنَّ ابْنَ أَبِي شُبْرُمَةَ قَضَى لِبَعْضِ إِخْوَانِهِ حَاجَةً كَبِيرَةً، فَجَاءَهُ الرَّجُلُ بِهَدِيَّةٍ جَلِيلَةٍ، فَقَالَ: مَا هَذَا؟ فَقَالَ: مَا أَسْدَيْتَ إِلَيَّ. فَقَالَ: خُذْ مَالَكَ، عَافَاكَ اللَّهُ.

waruwiya ʾanna ibna ʾabī shubrumata qaḍā libaʿḍi ʾikhwānihi ḥājatan kabīratan, fajāʾahu al-rajulu bihadiyyatin jalīlatin, faqāla: mā hādhā? faqāla: mā ʾasdayta ʾilayya. faqāla: khudh mālaka, ʿāfāka Allāhu.

It is related that Ibn Abī Shubruma fulfilled a substantial need for one of his brothers. The man brought him a valuable gift. He asked, “What is this?” The man answered, “For what you have done for me.” He said: “Take your property back; God grant you well-being.

إِذَا سَأَلْتَ أَخَاكَ حَاجَةً فَلَمْ يَجْهَدْ نَفْسَهُ فِي قَضَائِهَا فَتَوَضَّأْ لِلصَّلَاةِ، وَكَبِّرْ عَلَيْهِ أَرْبَعَ تَكْبِيرَاتٍ وَعُدَّهُ فِي الْمَوْتَى.

ʾidhā saʾalta ʾakhāka ḥājatan falam yajhad nafsahu fī qaḍāʾihā fatawaḍḍaʾ li-l-ṣalāti, wakabbir ʿalayhi ʾarbaʿa takbīrātin waʿuddahu fī al-mawtā.

“If you ask your brother for something you need and he does not exert himself to fulfill it, perform ablution for prayer, pronounce four takbīrs over him, and count him among the dead.”

وَعَلَى ذَلِكَ قَالَ بَعْضُهُمْ: إِذَا اسْتَقْضَيْتَ أَخَاكَ الْحَاجَةَ فَلَمْ يَقْضِهَا لِلَّهِ فَذَكِّرْهُ ثَانِيَةً، فَلَعَلَّهُ يَكُونُ قَدْ نَسِيَ، فَإِنْ لَمْ يَقْضِهَا فَعَاوِدْهُ ثَالِثَةً فَقَدْ يَكُونُ شُغِلَ عَنْهَا بِعُذْرٍ.

waʿalā dhālika qāla baʿḍuhum: ʾidhā istaqḍayta ʾakhāka al-ḥājata falam yaqḍihā li-llāhi fadhakkirhu thāniyatan, falaʿallahu yakūnu qad nasiya, faʾin lam yaqḍihā faʿāwidhu thālithatan faqad yakūnu shughila ʿanhā biʿudhrin.

In this vein one said: “If you ask your brother to fulfill a need and he does not fulfill it for God, remind him a second time; perhaps he forgot. If he does not fulfill it, return a third time; he may have been occupied with a valid excuse.”

فَإِنْ لَمْ يَقْضِهَا فَكَبِّرْ عَلَيْهِ وَاقْرَأْ عَلَيْهِ هَذِهِ الْآيَةَ: ﴿وَالْمَوْتَى يَبْعَثُهُمُ اللَّهُ﴾، الْأَنْعَامِ: ٣٦. وَقَالَ مَيْمُونُ بْنُ مِهْرَانَ: مَنْ رَضِيَ مِنَ الْإِخْوَانِ بِتَرْكِ الْإِفْضَالِ فَلْيُؤَاخِ أَهْلَ الْقُبُورِ.

faʾin lam yaqḍihā fakabbir ʿalayhi wa-iqraʾ ʿalayhi hādhihi al-ʾāyata: ﴿wa-al-mawtā yabʿathuhumu Allāhu﴾, al-ʾanʿāmi: 36. waqāla maymūnu bnu mihrāna: man raḍiya mina al-ʾikhwāni bitarki al-ʾifḍāli falyuʾākhi ʾahla al-qubūri.

“If he still does not fulfill it, pronounce the funeral takbīr over him and recite this verse: ‘The dead, God will raise them’ (al-Anʿām 6:36).” Maymūn ibn Mihrān said: “Whoever is content with brothers who show no generosity should form brotherhood with the inhabitants of graves.”

وَجَاءَ رَجُلٌ إِلَى أَبِي هُرَيْرَةَ فَقَالَ: إِنِّي أُرِيدُ أَنْ أُؤَاخِيَكَ فِي اللَّهِ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ. فَقَالَ: أَتَدْرِي مَا حَقُّ الْإِخَاءِ؟ قَالَ: عَرِّفْنِي. قَالَ: لَا تَكُونُ بِدِرْهَمِكَ وَدِينَارِكَ أَحَقَّ مِنِّي. قَالَ: لَمْ أَبْلُغْ هَذِهِ الْمَنْزِلَةَ بَعْدُ. قَالَ: فَاذْهَبْ عَنِّي.

wajāʾa rajulun ʾilā ʾabī hurayrata faqāla: ʾinnī ʾurīdu ʾan ʾuʾākhiyaka fī Allāhi ʿazza wajalla. faqāla: ʾatadrī mā ḥaqqu al-ʾikhāʾi? qāla: ʿarrifnī. qāla: lā takūnu bidirhamika wadīnārika ʾaḥaqqa minnī. qāla: lam ʾablugh hādhihi al-manzilata baʿdu. qāla: fa-idhhab ʿannī.

A man came to Abū Hurayra and said: “I want to become your brother in God, Mighty and Majestic.” He asked, “Do you know brotherhood’s right?” The man said, “Teach me.” He said, “You must have no greater right to your dirham and dinar than I do.” The man replied, “I have not reached that degree yet.” He said, “Then leave me.”

وَقَالَ عَلِيُّ بْنُ الْحُسَيْنِ رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُمَا لِرَجُلٍ: هَلْ يُدْخِلُ أَحَدُكُمْ يَدَهُ فِي كُمِّ أَخِيهِ أَوْ كِيسِهِ، فَيَأْخُذُ مِنْهُ مَا يُرِيدُ مِنْ غَيْرِ إِذْنٍ؟ قَالَ: لَا. قَالَ: فَلَسْتُمْ بِإِخْوَانٍ.

waqāla ʿaliyyu bnu al-ḥusayni raḍiya Allāhu ʿanhumā lirajulin: hal yudkhilu ʾaḥadukum yadahu fī kummi ʾakhīhi ʾaw kīsihi, fayaʾkhudhu minhu mā yurīdu min ghayri ʾidhnin? qāla: lā. qāla: falastum biʾikhwānin.

ʿAlī ibn al-Ḥusayn, God be pleased with them both, asked a man: “Does one of you put his hand into his brother’s sleeve or purse and take what he wants without permission?” He answered, “No.” He said, “Then you are not brothers.”

وَدَخَلَ قَوْمٌ عَلَى الْحَسَنِ فَقَالُوا لَهُ: أَصَلَّيْتَ يَا أَبَا سَعِيدٍ؟ قَالَ: نَعَمْ. قَالُوا: فَإِنَّ أَهْلَ السُّوقِ لَمْ يُصَلُّوا بَعْدُ. فَقَالَ: وَمَنْ يَأْخُذُ دِينَهُ عَنْ أَهْلِ السُّوقِ؟ بَلَغَنِي أَنَّ أَحَدَهُمْ يَمْنَعُ أَخَاهُ الدِّرْهَمَ.

wadakhala qawmun ʿalā al-ḥasani faqālū lahu: ʾaṣallayta yā ʾabā saʿīdin? qāla: naʿam. qālū: faʾinna ʾahla al-sūqi lam yuṣallū baʿdu. faqāla: waman yaʾkhudhu dīnahu ʿan ʾahli al-sūqi? balaghanī ʾanna ʾaḥadahum yamnaʿu ʾakhāhu al-dirhama.

Some people entered al-Ḥasan’s presence and asked: “Have you prayed, Abū Saʿīd?” He answered, “Yes.” They said, “The people of the market have not prayed yet.” He replied: “Who takes his religion from the people of the market? I have heard that one of them withholds a dirham from his brother.”

وَقَالَ مُحَمَّدُ بْنُ نَصْرٍ: جَاءَ رَجُلٌ إِلَى إِبْرَاهِيمَ بْنِ أَدْهَمَ وَهُوَ يُرِيدُ بَيْتَ الْمَقْدِسِ فَقَالَ لَهُ: إِنِّي أُرِيدُ أَنْ أُرَافِقَكَ. فَقَالَ لَهُ إِبْرَاهِيمُ: عَلَى أَنْ أَكُونَ أَمْلَكَ بِشَيْئِكَ مِنْكَ. قَالَ: لَا. قَالَ: فَأَعْجَبَنِي صِدْقُكَ.

waqāla muḥammadu bnu naṣrin: jāʾa rajulun ʾilā ʾibrāhīma bni ʾadhama wahuwa yurīdu bayta al-maqdisi faqāla lahu: ʾinnī ʾurīdu ʾan ʾurāfiqaka. faqāla lahu ʾibrāhīmu: ʿalā ʾan ʾakūna ʾamlaka bishayʾika minka. qāla: lā. qāla: faʾaʿjabanī ṣidquka.

Muḥammad ibn Naṣr said: “A man came to Ibrāhīm ibn Adham as he was bound for Jerusalem and said, ‘I want to travel with you.’ Ibrāhīm answered, ‘On condition that I have more control over your possessions than you do.’ He said, ‘No.’ Ibrāhīm replied, ‘Your honesty pleases me.’”

وَقَالَ مُوسَى بْنُ طَرِيفٍ: كَانَ إِبْرَاهِيمُ بْنُ أَدْهَمَ إِذَا رَافَقَهُ رَجُلٌ لَمْ يُخَالِفْهُ، وَكَانَ لَا يَصْحَبُ إِلَّا مَنْ يُوَافِقُهُ، وَبَلَغَنِي أَنَّ رَجُلًا شَرَّاكًا صَحِبَهُ فِي سَفَرٍ، فَأُهْدِيَ إِلَى إِبْرَاهِيمَ قَصْعَةٌ مِنْ ثَرِيدٍ فِي بَعْضِ الْمَنَازِلِ.

waqāla mūsā bnu ṭarīfin: kāna ʾibrāhīmu bnu ʾadhama ʾidhā rāfaqahu rajulun lam yukhālifhu, wakāna lā yaṣḥabu ʾillā man yuwāfiquhu, wabalaghanī ʾanna rajulan sharrākan ṣaḥibahu fī safarin, faʾuhdiya ʾilā ʾibrāhīma qaṣʿatun min tharīdin fī baʿḍi al-manāzili.

Mūsā ibn Ṭarīf said: “When a man traveled with Ibrāhīm ibn Adham, Ibrāhīm would not oppose him, and he accompanied only someone who agreed with him. I heard that a seller of sandal straps accompanied him on a journey. At one stopping place, a bowl of tharīd was given to Ibrāhīm.”

فَأَرَادَ أَنْ يَرُدَّ الْقَصْعَةَ فَأَخَذَ جِرَابَ رَفِيقِهِ فَفَتَحَهُ، وَأَخَذَ حُزْمَةً مِنْ شُرُكٍ فَجَعَلَهُ فِي الْقَصْعَةِ، ثُمَّ دَفَعَهَا إِلَى صَاحِبِ الْهَدِيَّةِ. فَلَمَّا جَاءَ رَفِيقُهُ قَالَ: أَيْنَ الشُّرُكُ؟

faʾarāda ʾan yarudda al-qaṣʿata faʾakhadha jirāba rafīqihi fafataḥahu, waʾakhadha ḥuzmatan min shurukin fajaʿalahu fī al-qaṣʿati, thumma dafaʿahā ʾilā ṣāḥibi al-hadiyyati. falammā jāʾa rafīquhu qāla: ʾayna al-shuruku?

“When he wanted to return the bowl, he took his companion’s bag, opened it, took a bundle of straps, put it in the bowl, and sent it to the giver. When his companion came back, he asked, ‘Where are the straps?’”

قَالَ: تِلْكَ الْقَصْعَةُ الثَّرِيدُ الَّتِي أَكَلْتَهَا أَيَّ شَيْءٍ كَانَتْ؟ قَالَ: فَكُنْتَ تُعْطِيهِ شِرَاكَيْنِ ثَلَاثَةً. قَالَ: اسْمَحْ يُسْمَحْ لَكَ.

qāla: tilka al-qaṣʿatu al-tharīdu allatī ʾakaltahā ʾayya shayʾin kānat? qāla: fakunta tuʿṭīhi shirākayni thalāthatan. qāla: ismaḥ yusmaḥ laka.

“He answered, ‘That bowl of tharīd you ate: what did you think it was?’ The man said, ‘You could have given him two or three straps.’ He replied, ‘Be generous, and generosity will be shown to you.’”

وَبَلَغَنِي أَنَّهُ أَعْطَى مَرَّةً حِمَارًا كَانَ لِرَفِيقِهِ بِغَيْرِ إِذْنِهِ لِرَجُلٍ رَآهُ رَاجِلًا، فَلَمَّا جَاءَ رَفِيقُهُ سَكَتَ فَلَمْ يَكْرَهْ ذَلِكَ.

wabalaghanī ʾannahu ʾaʿṭā marratan ḥimāran kāna lirafīqihi bighayri ʾidhnihi lirajulin raʾāhu rājilan, falammā jāʾa rafīquhu sakata falam yakrah dhālika.

I heard that he once gave a donkey belonging to his companion, without his permission, to a man he saw walking. When the companion returned, he remained silent and did not object.

وَقَدْ رُوِيَ عَنْ عَوْنِ بْنِ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ قَالَ: قَالَ ابْنُ مَسْعُودٍ: لَا تَسْأَلِ امْرَأً عَنْ وُدِّهِ إِيَّاكَ، وَلَكِنِ انْظُرْ مَا فِي قَلْبِكَ فَإِنَّ فِي قَلْبِهِ لَكَ مِثْلَ ذَلِكَ.

waqad ruwiya ʿan ʿawni bni ʿabdi Allāhi qāla: qāla ibnu masʿūdin: lā tasʾali imraʾan ʿan wuddihi ʾiyyāka, walākini unẓur mā fī qalbika faʾinna fī qalbihi laka mithla dhālika.

It is related from ʿAwn ibn ʿAbd Allāh, who said: Ibn Masʿūd said, “Do not ask a man about his affection for you. Look instead at what is in your own heart, for in his heart there is the same toward you.”

وَقَالَ رَبِيعَةُ بْنُ أَبِي عَبْدِ الرَّحْمَنِ: مُرُوءَةُ الْحَضَرِ الْإِدْمَانُ إِلَى الْمَسَاجِدِ وَكَثْرَةُ الْإِخْوَانِ فِي اللَّهِ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ،

waqāla rabīʿatu bnu ʾabī ʿabdi al-raḥmāni: murūʾatu al-ḥaḍari al-ʾidmānu ʾilā al-masājidi wakathratu al-ʾikhwāni fī Allāhi ʿazza wajalla,

Rabīʿa ibn Abī ʿAbd al-Raḥmān said: “Noble conduct at home consists in regular attendance at mosques and having many brothers in God, Mighty and Majestic;

الْجُزْءُ الثَّانِي، الصَّفْحَةُ ٣٧٥

al-juzʾu al-thānī, al-ṣafḥatu 375

Volume Two, page 375

وَمُرُوءَةُ السَّفَرِ بَذْلُ الزَّادِ وَقِلَّةُ الْخِلَافِ عَلَى إِخْوَانِكَ. وَقَدْ رَوَيْنَا عَنْ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ مِنْ طَرِيقِ أَهْلِ الْبَيْتِ قَالَ: ثَلَاثَةٌ مِنَ الْمُرُوءَةِ فِي الْحَضَرِ: تِلَاوَةُ كِتَابِ اللَّهِ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ، وَعِمَارَةُ مَسَاجِدَ، وَاتِّخَاذُ الْإِخْوَانِ فِي اللَّهِ تَعَالَى.

wamurūʾatu al-safari badhlu al-zādi waqillatu al-khilāfi ʿalā ʾikhwānika. waqad rawaynā ʿan rasūli Allāhi ṣallā Allāhu ʿalayhi wasallama min ṭarīqi ʾahli al-bayti qāla: thalāthatun mina al-murūʾati fī al-ḥaḍari: tilāwatu kitābi Allāhi ʿazza wajalla, waʿimāratu masājida, wa-ittikhādhu al-ʾikhwāni fī Allāhi taʿālā.

and noble conduct on a journey consists in sharing provisions and rarely opposing your brothers.” We have transmitted from God’s Messenger, God bless him and grant him peace, through the People of the Household, that he said: “Three things belong to noble conduct at home: reciting the Book of God, Mighty and Majestic, maintaining mosques, and acquiring brothers in God Most High.”

فَمِنْ فَضْلِ الْمُؤَاخَاةِ فِي اللَّهِ تَعَالَى أَنَّهُ قَرَنَهَا بِتِلَاوَةِ كِتَابِهِ وَعِمَارَةِ بُيُوتِهِ، وَقَدْ جَعَلَ الِاخْتِلَافَ إِلَى الْمَسْجِدِ سَبَبَ اجْتِلَابِ الْإِخَاءِ، وَفِي حَدِيثِ ابْنِ عَبَّاسٍ وَالْحَسَنِ بْنِ عَلِيٍّ: مَنْ أَدْمَنَ الِاخْتِلَافَ إِلَى الْمَسْجِدِ أَصَابَ إِحْدَى خَمْسِ خِصَالٍ: أَخًا مُسْتَفَادًا فِي اللَّهِ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ.

famin faḍli al-muʾākhāti fī Allāhi taʿālā ʾannahu qaranahā bitilāwati kitābihi waʿimārati buyūtihi, waqad jaʿala al-ikhtilāfa ʾilā al-masjidi sababa ijtilābi al-ʾikhāʾi, wafī ḥadīthi ibni ʿabbāsin wa-al-ḥasani bni ʿaliyyin: man ʾadmana al-ikhtilāfa ʾilā al-masjidi ʾaṣāba ʾiḥdā khamsi khiṣālin: ʾakhan mustafādan fī Allāhi ʿazza wajalla.

Part of brotherhood’s excellence in God Most High is that he joined it to reciting His Book and maintaining His houses. He made frequenting the mosque a means of gaining brotherhood. In the report of Ibn ʿAbbās and al-Ḥasan ibn ʿAlī: “Whoever regularly frequents the mosque gains one of five things: a newly found brother in God, Mighty and Majestic.”

وَقَالَ أَبُو عُيَيْنَةَ وَقَدْ أَنْشَدَ هَذَا الْبَيْتَ: وَجَدْتُ مُصِيبَاتِ الزَّمَانِ جَمِيعَهَا ... سِوَى فُرْقَةِ الْإِخْوَانِ هَيِّنَةَ الْخَطْبِ. فَقَالَ: لَقَدْ عَهِدْتُ أَقْوَامًا فَارَقْتُهُمْ مُنْذُ ثَلَاثِينَ سَنَةً، مَا تُخُيِّلَ لِي أَنَّ حَسْرَتَهُمْ ذَهَبَتْ مِنْ قَلْبِي.

waqāla ʾabū ʿuyaynata waqad ʾanshada hādhā al-bayta: wajadtu muṣībāti al-zamāni jamīʿahā ... siwā furqati al-ʾikhwāni hayyinata al-khaṭbi. faqāla: laqad ʿahidtu ʾaqwāman fāraqtuhum mundhu thalāthīna sanatan, mā tukhuyyila lī ʾanna ḥasratahum dhahabat min qalbī.

Abū ʿUyayna recited this line: “I have found all time’s calamities bearable, except parting from brothers.” Then he said: “I knew people from whom I parted thirty years ago, and I have never felt that grief for them had left my heart.”

وَقَالَ بَعْضُهُمْ: مَا هَدَّنِي شَيْءٌ مَا هَدَّنِي مَوْتُ الْأَقْرَانِ. وَيُقَالُ: إِذَا مَاتَ صَدِيقُ الرَّجُلِ فَقَدْ فَقَدَ عُضْوًا مِنْ أَعْضَائِهِ.

waqāla baʿḍuhum: mā haddanī shayʾun mā haddanī mawtu al-ʾaqrāni. wayuqālu: ʾidhā māta ṣadīqu al-rajuli faqad faqada ʿuḍwan min ʾaʿḍāʾihi.

One said: “Nothing has broken me as the deaths of my peers have broken me.” It is said: “When a man’s friend dies, he has lost one of his limbs.”

وَأَنْشَدُونَا عَنِ الْعُتْبِيِّ: وَلَقَدْ بَلَوْتُ النَّاسَ ثُمَّ خَبَرْتُهُمْ ... وَوَصَلْتُ مَا قَطَعُوا مِنَ الْأَسْبَابِ / فَإِذَا الْقَرَابَةُ لَا تُقَرِّبُ قَاطِعًا ... وَإِذَا الْمَوَدَّةُ أَقْرَبُ الْأَنْسَابِ.

waʾanshadūnā ʿani al-ʿutbiyyi: walaqad balawtu al-nāsa thumma khabartuhum ... wawaṣaltu mā qaṭaʿū mina al-ʾasbābi / faʾidhā al-qarābatu lā tuqarribu qāṭiʿan ... waʾidhā al-mawaddatu ʾaqrabu al-ʾansābi.

They recited to us from al-ʿUtbī: I have tested people and come to know them, and joined the ties they severed. Kinship does not bring close someone who cuts ties, while affection proves the closest kinship of all.

وَبَلَغَنِي أَنَّ أَخَوَيْنِ ابْتُلِيَ أَحَدُهُمَا بِهَوًى، فَأَظْهَرَ عَلَيْهِ أَخَاهُ وَقَالَ: إِنِّي قَدِ اعْتَلَلْتُ بِالْهَوَى، فَإِنْ شِئْتَ أَلَّا تَعْتَقِدَ عَلَيَّ مَحَبَّتِي لِلَّهِ تَعَالَى فَافْعَلْ. فَقَالَ: مَا كُنْتُ لِأَحُلَّ عَقْدَ أُخُوَّتِكَ لِأَجْلِ خَطِيئَتِكَ أَبَدًا.

wabalaghanī ʾanna ʾakhawayni ubtuliya ʾaḥaduhumā bihawan, faʾaẓhara ʿalayhi ʾakhāhu waqāla: ʾinnī qadi iʿtalaltu bi-al-hawā, faʾin shiʾta ʾallā taʿtaqida ʿalayya maḥabbatī li-llāhi taʿālā fa-ifʿal. faqāla: mā kuntu liʾaḥulla ʿaqda ʾukhuwwatika liʾajli khaṭīʾatika ʾabadan.

I heard of two brothers, one of whom was afflicted with a passion. He revealed it to his brother and said: “I have fallen ill with desire. If you wish no longer to regard my love as being for God Most High, do so.” He answered: “I would never dissolve the bond of your brotherhood because of your sin.”

قَالَ: ثُمَّ عَقَدَ أَخُوهُ بَيْنَهُ وَبَيْنَ اللَّهِ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ أَنْ لَا يَأْكُلَ وَلَا يَشْرَبَ حَتَّى يُعَافِيَ اللَّهُ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ أَخَاهُ مِنْ هَوَاهُ. قَالَ: فَطَوَى أَرْبَعِينَ يَوْمًا فِي كُلِّهَا يَسْأَلُهُ عَنْ هَوَاهُ: كَيْفَ أَنْتَ مِنْهُ؟ فَكَانَ يَقُولُ: الْقَلْبُ مُقِيمٌ عَلَى حَالِهِ.

qāla: thumma ʿaqada ʾakhūhu baynahu wabayna Allāhi ʿazza wajalla ʾan lā yaʾkula walā yashraba ḥattā yuʿāfiya Allāhu ʿazza wajalla ʾakhāhu min hawāhu. qāla: faṭawā ʾarbaʿīna yawman fī kullihā yasʾaluhu ʿan hawāhu: kayfa ʾanta minhu? fakāna yaqūlu: al-qalbu muqīmun ʿalā ḥālihi.

His brother then made a covenant between himself and God, Mighty and Majestic, not to eat or drink until God, Mighty and Majestic, healed his brother of his passion. He went without food for forty days, asking him each day about his desire: “How are you with it?” He would answer: “The heart remains as it was.”

قَالَ: وَمَا زَالَ أَخُوهُ الْآخَرُ يَنْحَلُ وَيَسْقَمُ مِنَ الْغَمِّ عَلَيْهِ وَمِنْ تَرْكِهِ الطَّعَامَ وَالشَّرَابَ. قَالَ: فَأَزَالَ اللَّهُ الْهَوَى عَنْ قَلْبِ أَخِيهِ بَعْدَ الْأَرْبَعِينَ، فَأَخْبَرَهُ بِذَلِكَ، فَأَكَلَ وَشَرِبَ بَعْدَ أَنْ كَادَ يَتْلَفُ هُزْلًا وَضُرًّا.

qāla: wamā zāla ʾakhūhu al-ʾākharu yanḥalu wayasqamu mina al-ghammi ʿalayhi wamin tarkihi al-ṭaʿāma wa-al-sharāba. qāla: faʾazāla Allāhu al-hawā ʿan qalbi ʾakhīhi baʿda al-ʾarbaʿīna, faʾakhbarahu bi-dhālika, faʾakala washariba baʿda ʾan kāda yatlafu huzlan waḍurran.

The other brother kept wasting away and growing ill from grief for him and from abandoning food and drink. After the forty days, God removed the desire from his brother’s heart. He told him, and he ate and drank, after nearly perishing from wasting and distress.

وَبِمَعْنَاهُ حُدِّثْتُ عَنْ أَخَوَيْنِ مِنَ السَّلَفِ انْقَلَبَ أَحَدُهُمَا عَنِ الِاسْتِقَامَةِ، فَقِيلَ لِأَخِيهِ التَّقِيِّ: أَلَا تَقْطَعُهُ وَتَهْجُرُهُ؟ فَقَالَ: هُوَ أَحْوَجُ مَا كَانَ إِلَيَّ فِي هَذَا الْوَقْتِ لَمَّا وَقَعَ فِي عَثْرَتِهِ، أَنْ آخُذَ بِيَدِهِ، وَأَتَلَطَّفَ لَهُ فِي الْمُعَاتَبَةِ، وَأَدْعُوَ لَهُ بِالْعَوْدِ إِلَى مَا كَانَ عَلَيْهِ.

wabimaʿnāhu ḥuddithtu ʿan ʾakhawayni mina al-salafi inqalaba ʾaḥaduhumā ʿani al-istiqāmati, faqīla liʾakhīhi al-taqiyyi: ʾalā taqṭaʿuhu watahjuruhu? faqāla: huwa ʾaḥwaju mā kāna ʾilayya fī hādhā al-waqti lammā waqaʿa fī ʿathratihi, ʾan ʾākhudha biyadihi, waʾatalaṭṭafa lahu fī al-muʿātabati, waʾadʿuwa lahu bi-al-ʿawdi ʾilā mā kāna ʿalayhi.

A similar account was related to me about two brothers of the early generations, one of whom departed from uprightness. His pious brother was asked: “Will you not cut him off and abandon him?” He answered: “Now that he has stumbled, he needs me more than ever: to take his hand, reproach him gently, and pray that he return to his former way.”

وَفِيمَا رَوَيْنَاهُ مِنَ الْإِسْرَائِيلِيَّاتِ أَنَّ أَخَوَيْنِ عَابِدَيْنِ فِي جَبَلٍ، نَزَلَ أَحَدُهُمَا لِيَشْتَرِيَ مِنَ الْمِصْرِ لَحْمًا بِدِرْهَمٍ، فَبَصُرَ بِبَغِيٍّ عِنْدَ اللَّحَّامِ، فَهَوِيَهَا فَوَاقَعَهَا، ثُمَّ أَقَامَ عِنْدَهَا ثَلَاثًا وَاسْتَحْيَى أَنْ يَرْجِعَ إِلَى أَخِيهِ مِنْ جِنَايَتِهِ.

wafīmā rawaynāhu mina al-ʾisrāʾīliyyāti ʾanna ʾakhawayni ʿābidayni fī jabalin, nazala ʾaḥaduhumā liyashtariya mina al-miṣri laḥman bidirhamin, fabaṣura bibaghiyyin ʿinda al-laḥḥāmi, fahawiyahā fawāqaʿahā, thumma ʾaqāma ʿindahā thalāthan wa-istaḥyā ʾan yarjiʿa ʾilā ʾakhīhi min jināyatihi.

Among the Israelite traditions we have transmitted is an account of two devout brothers on a mountain. One descended to buy a dirham’s worth of meat in the town. He saw a prostitute at the butcher’s, desired her, and had intercourse with her. He stayed with her for three days, ashamed to return to his brother because of his offense.

قَالَ: فَافْتَقَدَهُ أَخُوهُ وَاهْتَمَّ بِشَأْنِهِ، فَنَزَلَ إِلَى الْمَدِينَةِ فَلَمْ يَزَلْ يَسْأَلُ عَنْهُ حَتَّى دُلَّ عَلَيْهِ، فَدَخَلَ عَلَيْهِ وَهُوَ جَالِسٌ مَعَ الْبَغِيِّ، فَاعْتَنَقَهُ وَجَعَلَ يُقَبِّلُهُ وَيَلْزَمُهُ، وَأَنْكَرَ الْآخَرُ أَنَّهُ يَعْرِفُهُ لِفَرْطِ اسْتِحْيَائِهِ مِنْهُ.

qāla: fa-iftaqadahu ʾakhūhu wa-ihtamma bishaʾnihi, fanazala ʾilā al-madīnati falam yazal yasʾalu ʿanhu ḥattā dulla ʿalayhi, fadakhala ʿalayhi wahuwa jālisun maʿa al-baghiyyi, fa-iʿtanaqahu wajaʿala yuqabbiluhu wayalzamuhu, waʾankara al-ʾākharu ʾannahu yaʿrifuhu lifarṭi istiḥyāʾihi minhu.

His brother missed him and became concerned. He went down to the city and kept asking about him until someone directed him there. He entered while his brother was sitting with the prostitute, embraced him, and began kissing and holding him. The other denied knowing him, so deeply ashamed was he before him.

فَقَالَ: قُمْ يَا أَخِي فَقَدْ عَلِمْتُ بِشَأْنِكَ وَقِصَّتِكَ، وَمَا كُنْتَ أَعَزَّ عَلَيَّ وَأَحَبَّ مِنْكَ فِي يَوْمِكَ هَذَا وَسَاعَتِكَ هَذِهِ. فَلَمَّا رَأَى ذَلِكَ لَا يُسْقِطُهُ عِنْدَهُ، قَامَ فَانْصَرَفَ مَعَهُ.

faqāla: qum yā ʾakhī faqad ʿalimtu bishaʾnika waqiṣṣatika, wamā kunta ʾaʿazza ʿalayya waʾaḥabba minka fī yawmika hādhā wasāʿatika hādhihi. falammā raʾā dhālika lā yusqiṭuhu ʿindahu, qāma fa-inṣarafa maʿahu.

He said: “Come, my brother. I know your situation and what happened. You have never been dearer or more beloved to me than you are today, at this very hour.” When the other saw that this did not lower him in his brother’s eyes, he rose and went back with him.

فَهَذَا مِنْ أَحْسَنِ النِّيَّاتِ وَهُوَ طَرِيقُ الْعَارِفِينَ مِنْ ذَوِي الْآدَابِ وَالْمُرُوءَاتِ، فَإِنْ أَحَبَّ

fa-hādhā min ʾaḥsani al-niyyāti wahuwa ṭarīqu al-ʿārifīna min dhawī al-ʾādābi wa-al-murūʾāti, faʾin ʾaḥabba

This is among the finest intentions and is the way of those who know God and possess good manners and noble conduct. If

الْجُزْءُ الثَّانِي، الصَّفْحَةُ ٣٧٦

al-juzʾu al-thānī, al-ṣafḥatu 376

Volume Two, page 376

هَذَا الْأَخُ أَنْ يُؤْثِرَ أَخَاهُ بِمَا آثَرَهُ بِهِ، وَلَا يَقْتَضِيَهُ حَقَّ إِخَائِهِ، فَحَسَنٌ. قَدْ فَعَلَ ذَلِكَ عَبْدُ الرَّحْمَنِ بْنُ عَوْفٍ لَمَّا آثَرَهُ سَعْدُ بْنُ الرَّبِيعِ بِالْمَالِ وَالنَّفْسِ، فَقَالَ: بَارَكَ اللَّهُ لَكَ فِيهِمَا.

hādhā al-ʾakhu ʾan yuʾthira ʾakhāhu bimā ʾātharahu bihi, walā yaqtaḍiyahu ḥaqqa ʾikhāʾihi, faḥasanun. qad faʿala dhālika ʿabdu al-raḥmāni bnu ʿawfin lammā ʾātharahu saʿdu bnu al-rabīʿi bi-al-māli wa-al-nafsi, faqāla: bāraka Allāhu laka fīhimā.

this brother wishes to prefer his brother by returning the very consideration shown to him, without demanding brotherhood’s due, that is good. ʿAbd al-Raḥmān ibn ʿAwf did this when Saʿd ibn al-Rabīʿ preferred him with his wealth and person. He said: “God bless both for you.”

فَآثَرَهُ بِمَا بِهِ آثَرَهُ، فَكَأَنَّهُ اسْتَأْنَفَ هِبَتَهُ لَهُ لِأَنَّهُ قَدْ كَانَ مَلَّكَهُ إِيَّاهُ لِسَخَاوَةِ نَفْسِهِ، وَحَقِيقَةِ زُهْدِهِ، وَصِدْقِ مَوَدَّتِهِ، فَكَانَتِ الْمُسَاوَاةُ لِسَعْدٍ، وَالْإِيثَارُ لِعَبْدِ الرَّحْمَنِ، فَزَادَ عَلَيْهِ، وَهَذَا مِنْ فَضْلِ الْمُهَاجِرِينَ عَلَى الْأَنْصَارِ إِذْ كَانَتِ الْمُسَاوَاةُ دُونَ الْإِيثَارِ.

faʾātharahu bimā bihi ʾātharahu, fakaʾannahu istaʾnafa hibatahu lahu liʾannahu qad kāna mallakahu ʾiyyāhu lisakhāwati nafsihi, waḥaqīqati zuhdihi, waṣidqi mawaddatihi, fakānati al-musāwātu lisaʿdin, wa-al-ʾīthāru liʿabdi al-raḥmāni, fazāda ʿalayhi, wa-hādhā min faḍli al-muhājirīna ʿalā al-ʾanṣāri ʾidh kānati al-musāwātu dūna al-ʾīthāri.

He preferred Saʿd with what Saʿd had preferred him with, as though making him a fresh gift: Saʿd had already made it his through generosity of soul, genuine renunciation, and sincere affection. Thus Saʿd practiced equality, while ʿAbd al-Raḥmān practiced preferring another, going beyond him. This is one of the Emigrants’ excellences over the Helpers, since equality is below preferring others.

وَقَدْ كَانَ مُضَرُ بْنُ عِيسَى وَسُلَيْمَانُ يَقُولَانِ: مَنْ أَحَبَّ رَجُلًا ثُمَّ قَصَّرَ فِي حَقِّهِ فَهُوَ كَاذِبٌ فِي حُبِّهِ. وَكَانَ أَبُو سُلَيْمَانَ الدَّارَانِيُّ يَقُولُ: هُوَ صَادِقٌ فِي حُبِّهِ مُفَرِّطٌ فِي حَقِّهِ.

waqad kāna muḍaru bnu ʿīsā wasulaymānu yaqūlāni: man ʾaḥabba rajulan thumma qaṣṣara fī ḥaqqihi fahuwa kādhibun fī ḥubbihi. wakāna ʾabū sulaymāna al-dārāniyyu yaqūlu: huwa ṣādiqun fī ḥubbihi mufarriṭun fī ḥaqqihi.

Muḍar ibn ʿĪsā and Sulaymān used to say: “Whoever loves a man and then falls short of his rights is false in his love.” Abū Sulaymān al-Dārānī used to say: “He is sincere in his love but negligent concerning his rights.”

ثُمَّ قَالَ: لَوْ أَنَّ الدُّنْيَا كُلَّهَا لِي فَجَعَلْتُهَا فِي فَمِ أَخٍ مِنْ إِخْوَانِي لَاسْتَقْلَلْتُهَا لَهُ. وَقَالَ: إِنِّي لَأُلْقِمُ الْأَخَ مِنْ إِخْوَانِي اللُّقْمَةَ فَأَجِدُ طَعْمَهَا فِي حَلْقِي.

thumma qāla: law ʾanna al-dunyā kullahā lī fajaʿaltuhā fī fami ʾakhin min ʾikhwānī la-istaqlaltuhā lahu. waqāla: ʾinnī laʾulqimu al-ʾakha min ʾikhwānī al-luqmata faʾajidu ṭaʿmahā fī ḥalqī.

Then he said: “If the whole world belonged to me and I placed it in the mouth of one of my brothers, I would think it too little for him.” He also said: “When I place a morsel in a brother’s mouth, I find its taste in my own throat.”

وَاعْلَمْ أَنَّ إِطْعَامَ الطَّعَامِ وَالْإِنْفَاقَ عَلَى الْإِخْوَانِ مُضَاعَفٌ عَلَى الصَّدَقَاتِ وَعَلَى الْعَطَاءِ لِلْأَجَانِبِ، بِمَنْزِلَةِ تَضْعِيفِ الثَّوَابِ فِي الْأَهْلِ وَالْقَرَابَاتِ.

wa-iʿlam ʾanna ʾiṭʿāma al-ṭaʿāmi wa-al-ʾinfāqa ʿalā al-ʾikhwāni muḍāʿafun ʿalā al-ṣadaqāti waʿalā al-ʿaṭāʾi li-l-ʾajānibi, bimanzilati taḍʿīfi al-thawābi fī al-ʾahli wa-al-qarābāti.

Know that feeding brothers and spending on them brings multiplied reward compared with alms and gifts to strangers, just as reward is multiplied when giving to family and relatives.

وَرُوِيَ عَنْ عَلِيٍّ عَلَيْهِ السَّلَامُ: لَعِشْرُونَ دِرْهَمًا أُعْطِيهَا أَخِي فِي اللَّهِ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ أَحَبُّ إِلَيَّ مِنْ أَنْ أَتَصَدَّقَ بِمِائَةِ دِرْهَمٍ عَلَى الْمَسَاكِينِ. وَقَالَ أَيْضًا: لَأَنْ أَصْنَعَ مِنْ طَعَامٍ وَأَجْمَعَ عَلَيْهِ إِخْوَانِي فِي اللَّهِ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ أَحَبُّ إِلَيَّ مِنْ أَنْ أُعْتِقَ رَقَبَةً.

waruwiya ʿan ʿaliyyin ʿalayhi al-salāmu: laʿishrūna dirhaman ʾuʿṭīhā ʾakhī fī Allāhi ʿazza wajalla ʾaḥabbu ʾilayya min ʾan ʾataṣaddaqa bimiʾati dirhamin ʿalā al-masākīni. waqāla ʾayḍan: laʾan ʾaṣnaʿa min ṭaʿāmin waʾajmaʿa ʿalayhi ʾikhwānī fī Allāhi ʿazza wajalla ʾaḥabbu ʾilayya min ʾan ʾuʿtiqa raqabatan.

It is related from ʿAlī, peace be upon him: “Twenty dirhams I give to my brother in God, Mighty and Majestic, are dearer to me than a hundred dirhams I give in charity to the poor.” He also said: “Preparing some food and gathering my brothers in God, Mighty and Majestic, around it is dearer to me than freeing a slave.”

وَأَوْصَى بَعْضُ الْحُكَمَاءِ ابْنَهُ فَقَالَ: يَا بُنَيَّ، ادْخُلْ بَيْنَ الْأَعْدَاءِ وَلَا تَدْخُلَنَّ بَيْنَ الْأَصْدِقَاءِ. قَالَ: وَكَيْفَ ذَلِكَ؟ قَالَ: الدُّخُولُ بَيْنَ الْأَعْدَاءِ يُكْسِبُ الصَّدَاقَةَ وَالدُّخُولُ بَيْنَ الْأَصْدِقَاءِ يُورِثُ الْعَدَاوَةَ.

waʾawṣā baʿḍu al-ḥukamāʾi ibnahu faqāla: yā bunayya, udkhul bayna al-ʾaʿdāʾi walā tadkhulanna bayna al-ʾaṣdiqāʾi. qāla: wakayfa dhālika? qāla: al-dukhūlu bayna al-ʾaʿdāʾi yuksibu al-ṣadāqata wa-al-dukhūlu bayna al-ʾaṣdiqāʾi yūrithu al-ʿadāwata.

One of the sages advised his son: “My son, come between enemies, but never between friends.” He asked, “How is that?” He answered: “Coming between enemies gains friendship; coming between friends produces enmity.”

وَلَا يَنْبَغِي لِلْأَخِ أَنْ يَخُونَ أَخَاهُ فِي غَيْبِهِ بِمَا يَكْرَهُ إِنْ كَانَ ذَلِكَ فِي شَيْءٍ مُبَاحٍ إِذَا كَرِهَهُ، وَلَا يُنْكِرَ عَلَيْهِ مَا لَا يَقُومُ فِي عِلْمِهِ إِذَا فَعَلَهُ إِنْ كَانَ أَخُوهُ أَعْلَمَ مِنْهُ، أَوْ كَانَ لَهُ وَجْهٌ يَخْرُجُ عَلَيْهِ.

walā yanbaghī li-l-ʾakhi ʾan yakhūna ʾakhāhu fī ghaybihi bimā yakrahu ʾin kāna dhālika fī shayʾin mubāḥin ʾidhā karihahu, walā yunkira ʿalayhi mā lā yaqūmu fī ʿilmihi ʾidhā faʿalahu ʾin kāna ʾakhūhu ʾaʿlama minhu, ʾaw kāna lahu wajhun yakhruju ʿalayhi.

A brother should not betray his brother in his absence by doing what he dislikes, even in a permissible matter if he dislikes it. Nor should he condemn an action he himself does not understand, if his brother is more learned or has a defensible interpretation on which to act.

وَلَا يَنْبَغِي أَنْ يُكَذِّبَهُ فِي أَمْرِهِ وَلَا يُفْشِيَنَّ لَهُ سِرًّا، وَلَا يُعَرِّضَنَّهُ لِغِيبَةٍ وَلَا نَمِيمَةٍ، وَلَا يُحْوِجَهُ إِلَى مُدَارَاةٍ، وَلَا يُلْجِئَهُ إِلَى اعْتِذَارٍ، وَلَا يَتَكَلَّفَنَّ لَهُ مَا يَشُقُّ عَلَيْهِ أَوْ مَا لَا يُحِبُّهُ هُوَ مِنْهُ.

walā yanbaghī ʾan yukadhdhibahu fī ʾamrihi walā yufshiyanna lahu sirran, walā yuʿarriḍannahu lighībatin walā namīmatin, walā yuḥwijahu ʾilā mudārātin, walā yuljiʾahu ʾilā iʿtidhārin, walā yatakallafanna lahu mā yashuqqu ʿalayhi ʾaw mā lā yuḥibbuhu huwa minhu.

He should not accuse him of lying about his affairs, divulge his secrets, expose him to backbiting or malicious gossip, oblige him to use tact, force him to apologize, or put on an elaborate display for him that burdens him or that he dislikes.

وَقَالَ الْعَبَّاسُ لِابْنِهِ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ: إِنِّي أَرَى هَذَا الرَّجُلَ، يَعْنِي عُمَرَ بْنَ الْخَطَّابِ رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُ، يُقَدِّمُكَ عَلَى الْأَشْيَاخِ وَيُقَرِّبُكَ دُونَهُمْ، فَاحْفَظْ عَنِّي ثَلَاثًا: لَا تُفْشِيَنَّ لَهُ سِرًّا، وَلَا تَغْتَابَنَّ عِنْدَهُ أَحَدًا، وَلَا يُجَرِّبَنَّ عَلَيْكَ كَذْبَةً.

waqāla al-ʿabbāsu libnihi ʿabdi Allāhi: ʾinnī ʾarā hādhā al-rajula, yaʿnī ʿumara bna al-khaṭṭābi raḍiya Allāhu ʿanhu, yuqaddimuka ʿalā al-ʾashyākhi wayuqarribuka dūnahum, fa-iḥfaẓ ʿannī thalāthan: lā tufshiyanna lahu sirran, walā taghtābanna ʿindahu ʾaḥadan, walā yujarribanna ʿalayka kadhbatan.

Al-ʿAbbās told his son ʿAbd Allāh: “I see that this man,” meaning ʿUmar ibn al-Khaṭṭāb, God be pleased with him, “gives you precedence over the elders and brings you closer than them. Remember three things from me: never disclose his secret, never backbite anyone in his presence, and never let him find you telling a lie.”

وَفِي بَعْضِ الرِّوَايَاتِ: وَلَا تَعْصِيَنَّ لَهُ أَمْرًا، وَلَا يَطَّلِعَنَّ مِنْكَ عَلَى خِيَانَةٍ. قَالَ: فَقُلْتُ لِلشَّعْبِيِّ وَقَدْ رَوَاهُ: كُلُّ كَلِمَةٍ خَيْرٌ مِنْ أَلْفٍ. قَالَ: كُلُّ كَلِمَةٍ خَيْرٌ مِنْ عَشَرَةِ آلَافٍ.

wafī baʿḍi al-riwāyāti: walā taʿṣiyanna lahu ʾamran, walā yaṭṭaliʿanna minka ʿalā khiyānatin. qāla: faqultu li-l-shaʿbiyyi waqad rawāhu: kullu kalimatin khayrun min ʾalfin. qāla: kullu kalimatin khayrun min ʿasharati ʾālāfin.

Some versions add: “Do not disobey his command, and let him discover no betrayal in you.” The narrator said: “I told al-Shaʿbī, who transmitted it, ‘Each saying is worth more than a thousand.’ He answered, ‘Each saying is worth more than ten thousand.’”

وَأَفْشَى بَعْضُهُمْ إِلَى أَخِيهِ سِرًّا ثُمَّ قَالَ لَهُ: حَفِظْتَ؟ قَالَ: بَلْ نَسِيتُ. وَقِيلَ لِبَعْضِ الْأُدَبَاءِ: كَيْفَ حِفْظُكَ السِّرَّ؟ قَالَ: أَنَا قَبْرُهُ. وَقِيلَ لِآخَرَ: كَيْفَ تَحْفَظُ السِّرَّ؟ فَقَالَ: أَجْحَدُ الْمُخْبِرَ وَأَحْلِفُ لِلْمُسْتَخْبِرِ.

waʾafshā baʿḍuhum ʾilā ʾakhīhi sirran thumma qāla lahu: ḥafiẓta? qāla: bal nasītu. waqīla libaʿḍi al-ʾudabāʾi: kayfa ḥifẓuka al-sirra? qāla: ʾanā qabruhu. waqīla liʾākhara: kayfa taḥfaẓu al-sirra? faqāla: ʾajḥadu al-mukhbira waʾaḥlifu li-l-mustakhbiri.

One of them confided a secret to his brother, then asked, “Have you kept it?” He replied, “I have forgotten it.” A man of letters was asked, “How do you keep a secret?” He answered, “I am its grave.” Another was asked the same question and replied, “I deny the informant and swear to the inquirer.”

وَمِنْ أَحْسَنِ مَا سَمِعْتُ فِي حِفْظِ السِّرِّ مَا حَدَّثَنِي بَعْضُ أَشْيَاخِنَا عَنْ إِخْوَانٍ لَهُ دَخَلُوا عَلَى عَبْدِ اللَّهِ بْنِ الْمُعْتَزِّ فَاسْتَنْشَدُوهُ شَيْئًا مِنْ شِعْرِهِ فِي حِفْظِ السِّرِّ، فَأَنْشَدَهُمْ عَلَى الْبَدِيهَةِ:

wamin ʾaḥsani mā samiʿtu fī ḥifẓi al-sirri mā ḥaddathanī baʿḍu ʾashyākhinā ʿan ʾikhwānin lahu dakhalū ʿalā ʿabdi Allāhi bni al-muʿtazzi fa-istanshadūhu shayʾan min shiʿrihi fī ḥifẓi al-sirri, faʾanshadahum ʿalā al-badīhati:

Among the finest things I have heard about keeping secrets is what one of our shaykhs told me about some brothers of his. They visited ʿAbd Allāh ibn al-Muʿtazz and asked him to recite some of his poetry on keeping secrets. He improvised:

وَمُسْتَوْدِعِي سِرًّا تَبَوَّأْتُ كَتْمَهُ ... فَأَوْدَعْتُهُ صَدْرِي فَصَارَ لَهُ قَبْرًا. قَالَ: فَخَرَجْنَا مِنْ عِنْدِهِ، فَاسْتَقْبَلَنَا مُحَمَّدُ بْنُ دَاوُدَ الْأَصْبَهَانِيُّ فَسَأَلَنَا مِنْ أَيْنَ جِئْنَا.

wamustawdiʿī sirran tabawwaʾtu katmahu ... faʾawdaʿtuhu ṣadrī faṣāra lahu qabran. qāla: fakharajnā min ʿindihi, fa-istaqbalanā muḥammadu bnu dāwūda al-ʾaṣbahāniyyu fasaʾalanā min ʾayna jiʾnā.

Someone entrusted me with a secret; I made its concealment my abode, lodged it in my breast, and my breast became its grave. The narrator said: “We left him and met Muḥammad ibn Dāwūd al-Aṣbahānī, who asked where we had come from.”

الْجُزْءُ الثَّانِي، الصَّفْحَةُ ٣٧٧

al-juzʾu al-thānī, al-ṣafḥatu 377

Volume Two, page 377

فَأَخْبَرْنَاهُ بِمَا أَنْشَدَنَا ابْنُ الْمُعْتَزِّ فِي السِّرِّ، فَاسْتَوْقَفَنَا ثُمَّ أَطْرَقَ مَلِيًّا ثُمَّ قَالَ: اسْمَعُوا قَوْلِي: وَمَا السِّرُّ فِي صَدْرِي كَثَاوٍ بِقَبْرِهِ ... لِأَنِّي أَرَى الْمَقْبُورَ يَنْتَظِرُ النَّشْرَا.

faʾakhbarnāhu bimā ʾanshadanā ibnu al-muʿtazzi fī al-sirri, fa-istawqafanā thumma ʾaṭraqa maliyyan thumma qāla: ismaʿū qawlī: wamā al-sirru fī ṣadrī kathāwin biqabrihi ... liʾannī ʾarā al-maqbūra yantaẓiru al-nashrā.

“We told him what Ibn al-Muʿtazz had recited to us about secrets. He stopped us, lowered his head for a while, then said: ‘Hear my words: A secret in my breast is not like one dwelling in his grave, for I see that the buried await resurrection.

وَلَكِنَّنِي أَنْسَاهُ حَتَّى كَأَنَّنِي ... بِمَا كَانَ مِنْهُ لَمْ أُحِطْ سَاعَةً خُبْرَا / وَلَوْ جَازَ كَتْمُ السِّرِّ بَيْنِي وَبَيْنَهُ ... عَنِ السِّرِّ وَالْأَحْشَاءِ لَمْ يَعْلَمِ السِّرَّا.

walākinnanī ʾansāhu ḥattā kaʾannanī ... bimā kāna minhu lam ʾuḥiṭ sāʿatan khubrā / walaw jāza katmu al-sirri baynī wabaynahu ... ʿani al-sirri wa-al-ʾaḥshāʾi lam yaʿlami al-sirrā.

‘Rather, I forget it, as though I had never for a moment known anything of it. If the secret between me and its owner could be hidden even from my inward self and inmost parts, my inward self would never know the secret.’”

وَقَالَ عَلِيٌّ عَلَيْهِ السَّلَامُ: شَرُّ الْأَصْدِقَاءِ مَنْ أَحْوَجَكَ إِلَى مُدَارَاةٍ، وَأَلْجَأَكَ إِلَى اعْتِذَارٍ. وَقَالَ أَيْضًا: شَرُّ الْأَصْدِقَاءِ مَنْ تَكَلَّفَ لَهُ.

waqāla ʿaliyyun ʿalayhi al-salāmu: sharru al-ʾaṣdiqāʾi man ʾaḥwajaka ʾilā mudārātin, waʾaljaʾaka ʾilā iʿtidhārin. waqāla ʾayḍan: sharru al-ʾaṣdiqāʾi man takallafa lahu.

ʿAlī, peace be upon him, said: “The worst friend is one who makes you resort to tact and forces you to apologize.” He also said: “The worst friend is one for whom one must put on a display.”

وَقَالَ الْفُضَيْلُ: إِنَّمَا تَقَاطَعَ النَّاسُ بِالتَّكَلُّفِ، يَزُورُ أَحَدُهُمْ أَخَاهُ فَيَتَكَلَّفُ لَهُ مَا لَا يَفْعَلُهُ كُلُّ وَاحِدٍ مِنْهُمَا فِي مَنْزِلِهِ، فَيُحْشِمُهُ ذَلِكَ مِنَ الرُّجُوعِ إِلَيْهِ. وَرَوَيْنَا عَنْ عَائِشَةَ رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهَا: الْمُؤْمِنُ أَخُو الْمُؤْمِنِ لَا يَغْتَنِمُهُ وَلَا يُحْشِمُهُ.

waqāla al-fuḍaylu: ʾinnamā taqāṭaʿa al-nāsu bi-al-takallufi, yazūru ʾaḥaduhum ʾakhāhu fayatakallafu lahu mā lā yafʿaluhu kullu wāḥidin minhumā fī manzilihi, fayuḥshimuhu dhālika mina al-rujūʿi ʾilayhi. warawaynā ʿan ʿāʾishata raḍiya Allāhu ʿanhā: al-muʾminu ʾakhū al-muʾmini lā yaghtanimuhu walā yuḥshimuhu.

Al-Fuḍayl said: “People sever their ties because of elaborate displays. One visits his brother, who does for him things neither normally does at home, making him too embarrassed to return.” We have transmitted from ʿĀʾisha, God be pleased with her: “A believer is a believer’s brother: he neither takes advantage of him nor makes him feel constrained.”

وَرَوَيْنَا فِي الِانْبِسَاطِ إِلَى الْإِخْوَانِ شَيْئًا اسْتَظْرَفْتُهُ وَلَوْلَا أَنَّهُ جَاءَ عَنْ إِمَامٍ مَا ذَكَرْتُهُ، حَدَّثَنَا الْحَارِثُ بْنُ مُحَمَّدٍ عَنْ إِبْرَاهِيمَ بْنِ سَعِيدٍ الْجَوْهَرِيِّ قَالَ: أُهْدِيَ لِهِشَامٍ فَرْوٌ كَثِيرُ الثَّمَنِ، فَقَالَ: اذْهَبْ بِهَا إِلَى سَعِيدٍ الْجَوْهَرِيِّ فَقُلْ لَهُ: هَذِهِ فَرْوٌ جَاءَ بِهِ هُشَيْمٌ، اشْتَرِهَا لَهُ.

warawaynā fī al-inbisāṭi ʾilā al-ʾikhwāni shayʾan istaẓraftuhu walawlā ʾannahu jāʾa ʿan ʾimāmin mā dhakartuhu, ḥaddathanā al-ḥārithu bnu muḥammadin ʿan ʾibrāhīma bni saʿīdin al-jawhariyyi qāla: ʾuhdiya lihishāmin farwun kathīru al-thamani, faqāla: idhhab bihā ʾilā saʿīdin al-jawhariyyi faqul lahu: hādhihi farwun jāʾa bihi hushaymun, ishtarihā lahu.

We have transmitted an amusing account of familiarity with brothers; had it not come from an imam, I would not mention it. Al-Ḥārith ibn Muḥammad related to us from Ibrāhīm ibn Saʿīd al-Jawharī, who said: “An expensive fur garment was given to Hishām. He said, ‘Take it to Saʿīd al-Jawharī and tell him: This is a fur garment Hushaym has brought; buy it for him.’”

قَالَ: فَذَهَبَ بِهَا إِلَيْهِ فَاشْتَرَاهَا، ثُمَّ بَعَثَ بِهَا إِلَى هُشَيْمٍ فَصَارَتْ لَهُ وَدَرَاهِمُهَا.

qāla: fadhahaba bihā ʾilayhi fa-ishtarāhā, thumma baʿatha bihā ʾilā hushaymin faṣārat lahu wadarāhimuhā.

He continued: “The messenger took it to him, and he bought it, then sent it to Hushaym, who thus had both the garment and its price.”

وَقَالَ عَلِيُّ بْنُ الْمَدِينِيِّ: قَالَ أَحْمَدُ بْنُ حَنْبَلٍ: إِنِّي أُحِبُّ أَنْ أَصْحَبَكَ إِلَى مَكَّةَ وَمَا يَمْنَعُنِي مِنْ ذَلِكَ إِلَّا أَنِّي أَخَافُ أَنْ أَمَلَّكَ أَوْ تَمَلَّنِي، لِأَنَّهُ يُقَالُ: إِنَّ مَلَلَ الْإِخْوَانِ لَيْسَ مِنْ أَخْلَاقِ الْكِرَامِ.

waqāla ʿaliyyu bnu al-madīniyyi: qāla ʾaḥmadu bnu ḥanbalin: ʾinnī ʾuḥibbu ʾan ʾaṣḥabaka ʾilā makkata wamā yamnaʿunī min dhālika ʾillā ʾannī ʾakhāfu ʾan ʾamallaka ʾaw tamallanī, liʾannahu yuqālu: ʾinna malala al-ʾikhwāni laysa min ʾakhlāqi al-kirāmi.

ʿAlī ibn al-Madīnī said: “Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal told me, ‘I would like to accompany you to Mecca. Only the fear that I might grow weary of you or you of me prevents me; for it is said that growing weary of brothers is not the conduct of the noble.’”

وَقَالَ مَكْحُولٌ: قُلْتُ لِلْحَسَنِ: إِنِّي أُرِيدُ الْخُرُوجَ إِلَى مَكَّةَ. فَقَالَ: لَا تَصْحَبَنَّ رَجُلًا يُكْرِمُ عَلَيْكَ فَيَنْقَطِعَ الَّذِي بَيْنَكَ وَبَيْنَهُ.

waqāla makḥūlun: qultu li-l-ḥasani: ʾinnī ʾurīdu al-khurūja ʾilā makkata. faqāla: lā taṣḥabanna rajulan yukrimu ʿalayka fayanqaṭiʿa alladhī baynaka wabaynahu.

Makḥūl said: “I told al-Ḥasan, ‘I want to leave for Mecca.’ He replied, ‘Do not accompany a man whose generosity becomes a burden to you, lest the bond between you be severed.’”

وَكَانَ أَبُو عَمْرِو بْنُ الْعَلَاءِ يَقُولُ: يُسْتَحْسَنُ الصَّبْرُ عَنْ كُلِّ شَيْءٍ إِلَّا عَنِ الصَّدِيقِ. وَقَالَ: أَسْتَحِبُّ لِلْمُتَوَاخِيَيْنِ فِي اللَّهِ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ أَنْ يَلْتَقِيَا فِي كُلِّ يَوْمٍ مَرَّتَيْنِ.

wakāna ʾabū ʿamri bnu al-ʿalāʾi yaqūlu: yustaḥsanu al-ṣabru ʿan kulli shayʾin ʾillā ʿani al-ṣadīqi. waqāla: ʾastaḥibbu li-l-mutawākhiyayni fī Allāhi ʿazza wajalla ʾan yaltaqiyā fī kulli yawmin marratayni.

Abū ʿAmr ibn al-ʿAlāʾ used to say: “It is praiseworthy to bear the absence of anything except a friend.” He also said: “I consider it desirable for two brothers in God, Mighty and Majestic, to meet twice every day.”

وَقَالَ أَنَسُ بْنُ مَالِكٍ: كَانَ أَصْحَابُ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ يَتَمَاشَوْنَ، فَإِذَا اسْتَقْبَلَهُمْ صَخْرَةٌ أَوْ أَكَمَةٌ فَرَّقَتْ بَيْنَهُمْ فَالْتَقَوْا مِنْ وَرَائِهَا، سَلَّمَ بَعْضُهُمْ عَلَى بَعْضٍ.

waqāla ʾanasu bnu mālikin: kāna ʾaṣḥābu rasūli Allāhi ṣallā Allāhu ʿalayhi wasallama yatamāshawna, faʾidhā istaqbalahum ṣakhratun ʾaw ʾakamatun farraqat baynahum fa-iltaqaw min warāʾihā, sallama baʿḍuhum ʿalā baʿḍin.

Anas ibn Mālik said: “The companions of God’s Messenger, God bless him and grant him peace, would walk together. If a rock or mound came between them and they met again on the other side, they greeted one another with peace.”

وَقَالَ الْحَسَنُ وَأَبُو قِلَابَةَ: لَيْسَ مِنَ الْمُرُوءَةِ أَنْ يُرِيحَ الرَّجُلُ عَلَى صَدِيقِهِ. وَقَالَ ابْنُ سِيرِينَ: لَا تُكْرِمْ أَخَاكَ بِمَا يَشُقُّ عَلَيْهِ.

waqāla al-ḥasanu waʾabū qilābata: laysa mina al-murūʾati ʾan yurīḥa al-rajulu ʿalā ṣadīqihi. waqāla ibnu sīrīna: lā tukrim ʾakhāka bimā yashuqqu ʿalayhi.

Al-Ḥasan and Abū Qilāba said: “It is not noble conduct for a man to seek his own ease at his friend’s expense.” Ibn Sīrīn said: “Do not honor your brother with something burdensome to him.”

وَرَوَيْنَا عَنْ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ قَالَ: إِنَّمَا يَتَجَالَسُ الْمُتَجَالِسَانِ بِالْأَمَانَةِ، فَلَا يَحِلُّ لِأَحَدِهِمَا أَنْ يُفْشِيَ عَلَى أَخِيهِ مَا يَكْرَهُ.

warawaynā ʿan rasūli Allāhi ṣallā Allāhu ʿalayhi wasallama qāla: ʾinnamā yatajālasu al-mutajālisāni bi-al-ʾamānati, falā yaḥillu liʾaḥadihimā ʾan yufshiya ʿalā ʾakhīhi mā yakrahu.

We have transmitted from God’s Messenger, God bless him and grant him peace, that he said: “Two who sit together do so in trust; neither may disclose about his brother what he would dislike.”

وَخَرَجَ ابْنُ الْمُبَارَكِ فِي سَفَرٍ فَصَحِبَهُ قَوْمٌ فَقَالَ لَهُمْ: إِنْ أَنْكَرَ أَحَدٌ مِنْكُمْ شَيْئًا فَلْيُخْبِرْنِي. فَلَمَّا أَرَادُوا أَنْ يَتَفَرَّقُوا قَالَ لَهُمْ: هَلْ أَنْكَرْتُمْ مِنِّي شَيْئًا؟ فَقَالَ شَابٌّ مِنْهُمْ: أَنَا. قَالَ: وَمَا أَنْكَرْتَ؟ قَالَ: لَمْ أَرَكَ تَسْتَاكُ.

wakharaja ibnu al-mubāraki fī safarin faṣaḥibahu qawmun faqāla lahum: ʾin ʾankara ʾaḥadun minkum shayʾan falyukhbirnī. falammā ʾarādū ʾan yatafarraqū qāla lahum: hal ʾankartum minnī shayʾan? faqāla shābbun minhum: ʾanā. qāla: wamā ʾankarta? qāla: lam ʾaraka tastāku.

Ibn al-Mubārak set out on a journey with some companions and told them: “If any of you disapproves of anything, tell me.” When they were about to part, he asked, “Did you disapprove of anything in me?” A young man said, “I did.” He asked, “What was it?” He answered, “I never saw you use a tooth-stick.”

فَقَالَ: وَيْحَكَ، وَهَلْ يَسْتَاكُ الرَّجُلُ بَيْنَ يَدَيْ صَدِيقِهِ؟ وَكَانَ بِشْرُ بْنُ الْحَارِثِ يَقُولُ: لَا تُخَالِطْ مِنَ النَّاسِ إِلَّا حَسَنَ الْخُلُقِ فَإِنَّهُ لَا يَأْتِي إِلَّا بِخَيْرٍ، وَلَا تُخَالِطْ سَيِّئَ الْخُلُقِ فَإِنَّهُ لَا يَأْتِي إِلَّا بِشَرٍّ.

faqāla: wayḥaka, wahal yastāku al-rajulu bayna yaday ṣadīqihi? wakāna bishru bnu al-ḥārithi yaqūlu: lā tukhāliṭ mina al-nāsi ʾillā ḥasana al-khuluqi faʾinnahu lā yaʾtī ʾillā bikhayrin, walā tukhāliṭ sayyiʾa al-khuluqi faʾinnahu lā yaʾtī ʾillā bisharrin.

He replied: “Good heavens! Does a man use a tooth-stick in front of his friend?” Bishr ibn al-Ḥārith used to say: “Associate only with people of good character, for they bring nothing but good. Do not associate with someone of bad character, for he brings nothing but evil.”

وَقَالَ الشَّافِعِيُّ رَحِمَهُ اللَّهُ: مَنِ اسْتُغْضِبَ فَلَمْ يَغْضَبْ فَهُوَ حِمَارٌ، وَمَنِ اسْتُرْضِيَ فَلَمْ يَرْضَ فَهُوَ شَيْطَانٌ. وَقَالَ عَمْرُو بْنُ دِينَارٍ: زُهْدُكَ فِي رَاغِبٍ فِيكَ نَقْصُ حَظٍّ، وَرَغْبَتُكَ فِي زَاهِدٍ فِيكَ ذُلُّ

waqāla al-shāfiʿiyyu raḥimahu Allāhu: mani ustughḍiba falam yaghḍab fahuwa ḥimārun, wamani usturḍiya falam yarḍa fahuwa shayṭānun. waqāla ʿamru bnu dīnārin: zuhduka fī rāghibin fīka naqṣu ḥaẓẓin, waraghbatuka fī zāhidin fīka dhullu

Al-Shāfiʿī, God have mercy on him, said: “Someone provoked who does not become angry is a donkey; someone offered reconciliation who will not be reconciled is a devil.” ʿAmr ibn Dīnār said: “Your indifference to someone who desires your company diminishes your good fortune; your desire for someone indifferent to you is a humiliation of the

الْجُزْءُ الثَّانِي، الصَّفْحَةُ ٣٧٨

al-juzʾu al-thānī, al-ṣafḥatu 378

Volume Two, page 378

نَفْسٍ. وَكَانَ ابْنُ سِيرِينَ يَقُولُ: يَحْتَمِلُ الرَّجُلُ لِأَخِيهِ إِلَى سَبْعِينَ زَلَّةً وَيَطْلُبُ لَهُ الْمَعَاذِيرَ، فَإِنْ أَغْنَاهُ ذَلِكَ وَإِلَّا قَالَ: لَعَلَّ لِأَخِي عُذْرًا غَابَ عَنِّي.

nafsin. wakāna ibnu sīrīna yaqūlu: yaḥtamilu al-rajulu liʾakhīhi ʾilā sabʿīna zallatan wayaṭlubu lahu al-maʿādhīra, faʾin ʾaghnāhu dhālika waʾillā qāla: laʿalla liʾakhī ʿudhran ghāba ʿannī.

soul.” Ibn Sīrīn used to say: “A man bears with his brother through as many as seventy slips and seeks excuses for him. If that suffices, well and good; otherwise he says, ‘Perhaps my brother has an excuse hidden from me.’”

وَقَالَ الثَّوْرِيُّ: إِذَا أَرَدْتَ أَنْ تُؤَاخِيَ رَجُلًا فَأَغْضِبْهُ ثُمَّ دُسَّ عَلَيْهِ مَنْ يَسْأَلُهُ عَنْكَ، فَإِنْ قَالَ خَيْرًا فَاصْحَبْهُ. وَقَالَ غَيْرُهُ: لَا تُؤَاخِيَنَّ أَحَدًا حَتَّى تَبْلُوَهُ وَتُفْشِيَ إِلَيْهِ سِرًّا، ثُمَّ اجْفُهُ وَاسْتَغْضِبْهُ وَانْظُرْ، فَإِنْ أَفْشَاهُ عَلَيْكَ فَاجْتَنِبْهُ.

waqāla al-thawriyyu: ʾidhā ʾaradta ʾan tuʾākhiya rajulan faʾaghḍibhu thumma dussa ʿalayhi man yasʾaluhu ʿanka, faʾin qāla khayran fa-iṣḥabhu. waqāla ghayruhu: lā tuʾākhiyanna ʾaḥadan ḥattā tabluwahu watufshiya ʾilayhi sirran, thumma ujfuhu wa-istaghḍibhu wa-unẓur, faʾin ʾafshāhu ʿalayka fa-ijtanibhu.

Al-Thawrī said: “If you want to become a man’s brother, anger him, then secretly send someone to ask him about you. If he speaks well, keep his company.” Another said: “Do not make anyone your brother until you test him: confide a secret to him, then treat him coldly and provoke him, and watch. If he divulges it against you, avoid him.”

وَقِيلَ لِأَبِي يَزِيدَ: مَنْ أَصْحَبُ مِنَ النَّاسِ؟ قَالَ: مَنْ يَعْلَمُ مِنْكَ مَا يَعْلَمُ اللَّهُ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ، وَيَسْتُرُ عَلَيْكَ مَا يَسْتُرُ اللَّهُ تَعَالَى. وَكَانَ ذُو النُّونِ يَقُولُ: لَا خَيْرَ لَكَ فِي صُحْبَةِ مَنْ لَا يُحِبُّ أَنْ يَرَاكَ إِلَّا مَعْصُومًا.

waqīla liʾabī yazīda: man ʾaṣḥabu mina al-nāsi? qāla: man yaʿlamu minka mā yaʿlamu Allāhu ʿazza wajalla, wayasturu ʿalayka mā yasturu Allāhu taʿālā. wakāna dhū al-nūni yaqūlu: lā khayra laka fī ṣuḥbati man lā yuḥibbu ʾan yarāka ʾillā maʿṣūman.

Abū Yazīd was asked: “Whom should I accompany?” He answered: “Someone who knows of you what God, Mighty and Majestic, knows, and conceals your faults as God Most High conceals them.” Dhū al-Nūn used to say: “There is no good for you in the company of someone who wants to see you only as faultless.”

وَقِيلَ لِبَعْضِ الْعُلَمَاءِ: مَنْ يُصْحَبُ مِنَ النَّاسِ؟ قَالَ: مَنْ يَرْفَعُ عَنْكَ ثِقْلَ التَّكَلُّفِ، وَتَسْقُطُ بَيْنَكَ وَبَيْنَهُ مُؤُونَةُ التَّحَفُّظِ.

waqīla libaʿḍi al-ʿulamāʾi: man yuṣḥabu mina al-nāsi? qāla: man yarfaʿu ʿanka thiqla al-takallufi, watasquṭu baynaka wabaynahu muʾūnatu al-taḥaffuẓi.

One of the scholars was asked: “What sort of person should be accompanied?” He answered: “Someone who removes from you the burden of putting on a display, and with whom the effort of constant self-guarding falls away.”

وَقَدْ كَانَ جَعْفَرُ بْنُ مُحَمَّدٍ الصَّادِقُ عَلَيْهِمَا السَّلَامُ يَقُولُ: أَثْقَلُ إِخْوَانِي عَلَيَّ مَنْ يَتَكَلَّفُ لِي وَأَتَحَفَّظُ مِنْهُ، وَأَخَفُّهُمْ عَلَى قَلْبِي مَنْ أَكُونُ مَعَهُ كَمَا أَكُونُ وَحْدِي.

waqad kāna jaʿfaru bnu muḥammadin al-ṣādiqu ʿalayhimā al-salāmu yaqūlu: ʾathqalu ʾikhwānī ʿalayya man yatakallafu lī waʾataḥaffaẓu minhu, waʾakhaffuhum ʿalā qalbī man ʾakūnu maʿahu kamā ʾakūnu waḥdī.

Jaʿfar ibn Muḥammad al-Ṣādiq, peace be upon them both, used to say: “The most burdensome of my brothers is one who puts on a display for me and before whom I must guard myself. The lightest upon my heart is one with whom I can be as I am alone.”

يُرِيدُونَ بِهَذَا كُلِّهِ أَنَّ مَنْ لَمْ يَكُنْ عَلَى هَذِهِ الْأَوْصَافِ دَخَلَ عَلَيْهِ التَّصَنُّعُ وَالتَّزَيُّنُ، فَأَخْرَجَاهُ إِلَى الرِّيَاءِ وَالتَّكَلُّفِ، فَذَهَبَتْ بَرَكَةُ الصُّحْبَةِ وَبَطَلَتْ مَنْفَعَةُ الْأُخُوَّةِ.

yurīdūna bi-hādhā kullihi ʾanna man lam yakun ʿalā hādhihi al-ʾawṣāfi dakhala ʿalayhi al-taṣannuʿu wa-al-tazayyunu, faʾakhrajāhu ʾilā al-riyāʾi wa-al-takallufi, fadhahabat barakatu al-ṣuḥbati wabaṭalat manfaʿatu al-ʾukhuwwati.

By all this they mean that someone who lacks these qualities becomes subject to affectation and self-adornment. These lead him into showing off and strained formality, so that companionship loses its blessing and brotherhood its benefit.

وَقَالَ بَعْضُ الصُّوفِيَّةِ: لَا تُعَاشِرْ مِنَ النَّاسِ إِلَّا مَنْ لَا تَزِيدُ عِنْدَهُ بِبِرٍّ وَلَا تَنْقُصُ بِإِثْمٍ، وَمَنْ يَتُوبُ عَنْكَ إِذَا أَذْنَبْتَ، وَيَعْتَذِرُ إِلَيْكَ إِذَا أَسَأْتَ، وَيَحْمِلُ عَنْكَ مُؤُونَةَ نَفْسِهِ وَيَكْفِيكَ مُؤُونَةَ نَفْسِكَ، وَهَذِهِ مِنْ أَعَزِّ الْأَوْصَافِ فِي هَذَا الْوَقْتِ.

waqāla baʿḍu al-ṣūfiyyati: lā tuʿāshir mina al-nāsi ʾillā man lā tazīdu ʿindahu bibirrin walā tanquṣu biʾithmin, waman yatūbu ʿanka ʾidhā ʾadhnabta, wayaʿtadhiru ʾilayka ʾidhā ʾasaʾta, wayaḥmilu ʿanka muʾūnata nafsihi wayakfīka muʾūnata nafsika, wa-hādhihi min ʾaʿazzi al-ʾawṣāfi fī hādhā al-waqti.

One of the Sufis said: “Associate only with someone in whose eyes a good deed does not raise you and a sin does not lower you; someone who repents on your behalf when you sin, apologizes to you when you do wrong, relieves you of the burden of supporting him, and takes care of your own burdens.” These are among the rarest qualities in this time.

كَمَا قَالَ رَجُلٌ لِلْجُنَيْدِ: قَدْ عَزَّ فِي هَذَا الزَّمَانِ أَخٌ فِي اللَّهِ تَعَالَى. قَالَ: فَسَكَتَ عَنْهُ، ثُمَّ عَادَ ذَلِكَ فَقَالَ لَهُ الْجُنَيْدُ: إِذَا أَرَدْتَ أَخًا فِي اللَّهِ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ يَكْفِيكَ مُؤُونَتَكَ وَيَتَحَمَّلُ أَذَاكَ فَهَذَا لَعَمْرِي قَلِيلٌ.

kamā qāla rajulun li-l-junaydi: qad ʿazza fī hādhā al-zamāni ʾakhun fī Allāhi taʿālā. qāla: fasakata ʿanhu, thumma ʿāda dhālika faqāla lahu al-junaydu: ʾidhā ʾaradta ʾakhan fī Allāhi ʿazza wajalla yakfīka muʾūnataka wayataḥammalu ʾadhāka fa-hādhā laʿamrī qalīlun.

A man told al-Junayd: “A brother in God Most High has become rare in this age.” He remained silent. When the man repeated it, al-Junayd said: “If you want a brother in God, Mighty and Majestic, who takes care of your burdens and bears your harm, such a person is indeed rare, by my life.”

وَإِنْ أَرَدْتَ أَخًا فِي اللَّهِ تَتَحَمَّلُ أَنْتَ مُؤُونَتَهُ وَتَصْبِرُ عَلَى أَذَاهُ، فَعِنْدِي جَمَاعَةٌ أَدُلُّكَ عَلَيْهِمْ إِنْ أَحْبَبْتَ. فَهَذَا لَعَمْرِي يَكُونُ مُحِبًّا لِنَفْسِهِ إِذَا اقْتَضَى هَذَا مِنْ أَخِيهِ لَا مُحِبًّا لِأَخٍ فِي اللَّهِ تَعَالَى.

waʾin ʾaradta ʾakhan fī Allāhi tataḥammalu ʾanta muʾūnatahu wataṣbiru ʿalā ʾadhāhu, faʿindī jamāʿatun ʾadulluka ʿalayhim ʾin ʾaḥbabta. fa-hādhā laʿamrī yakūnu muḥibban linafsihi ʾidhā iqtaḍā hādhā min ʾakhīhi lā muḥibban liʾakhin fī Allāhi taʿālā.

“But if you want a brother in God whose burdens you will bear and whose harm you will patiently endure, I know a group I can direct you to, if you wish.” By my life, someone who demands all this from his brother loves himself; he does not love a brother in God Most High.

وَلَيْسَ الْإِخَاءُ كَفَّ الْأَذَى لِأَنَّ هَذَا وَاجِبٌ، وَلَكِنَّ الْإِخَاءَ الصَّبْرُ عَلَى الْأَذَى. وَكَانَتْ هَذِهِ الطَّائِفَةُ مِنَ الصُّوفِيَّةِ لَا يَصْطَحِبُونَ إِلَّا عَلَى اسْتِوَاءِ أَرْبَعِ مَعَانٍ، لَا يَتَرَجَّحُ بَعْضُهَا عَلَى بَعْضٍ، وَلَا يَكُونُ فِيهَا اعْتِرَاضٌ مِنْ بَعْضٍ.

walaysa al-ʾikhāʾu kaffa al-ʾadhā liʾanna hādhā wājibun, wa-lākinna al-ʾikhāʾa al-ṣabru ʿalā al-ʾadhā. wakānat hādhihi al-ṭāʾifatu mina al-ṣūfiyyati lā yaṣṭaḥibūna ʾillā ʿalā istiwāʾi ʾarbaʿi maʿānin, lā yatarajjaḥu baʿḍuhā ʿalā baʿḍin, walā yakūnu fīhā iʿtirāḍun min baʿḍin.

Brotherhood is not merely refraining from harm, since that is already obligatory; brotherhood is patiently bearing harm. This group of Sufis would keep company only when four matters stood equal, none outweighing another, with no objection from one person to another.

إِنْ أَكَلَ أَحَدُهُمُ النَّهَارَ كُلَّهُ لَمْ يَقُلْ لَهُ صَاحِبُهُ: صُمْ، وَإِنْ صَلَّى اللَّيْلَ أَجْمَعَ لَمْ يَقُلْ لَهُ أَحَدٌ: نَمْ بَعْضَهُ، وَتَسْتَوِي حَالَاهُ عِنْدَهُ، فَلَا مَزِيدَ لِأَجْلِ صِيَامِهِ وَقِيَامِهِ، وَلَا نُقْصَانَ لِأَجْلِ إِفْطَارِهِ وَنَوْمِهِ.

ʾin ʾakala ʾaḥaduhumu al-nahāra kullahu lam yaqul lahu ṣāḥibuhu: ṣum, waʾin ṣallā al-layla ʾajmaʿa lam yaqul lahu ʾaḥadun: nam baʿḍahu, watastawī ḥālāhu ʿindahu, falā mazīda liʾajli ṣiyāmihi waqiyāmihi, walā nuqṣāna liʾajli ʾifṭārihi wanawmihi.

If one ate throughout the day, his companion would not say, “Fast.” If he prayed all night, no one would say, “Sleep for part of it.” His two states were equal in the other’s eyes: no increase in esteem because of fasting and night prayer, no decrease because of eating and sleeping.

فَإِذَا كَانَ عِنْدَهُ يَزِيدُ بِالْعَمَلِ وَيَنْتَقِصُ بِتَرْكِ الْعَمَلِ، فَالْفُرْقَةُ أَسْلَمُ لِلدِّينِ وَأَبْعَدُ مِنَ الْمُرَاءَاةِ، مِنْ قِبَلِ أَنَّ النَّفْسَ مَجْبُولَةٌ عَلَى حُبِّ الْمَدْحِ وَكَرَاهَةِ الذَّمِّ، وَمُبْتَلَاةٌ بِأَنْ تَرُبَّ حَالَهَا الَّتِي عُرِفَتْ بِهِ، وَأَنْ تُظْهِرَ أَحْسَنَ مَا يَحْسُنُ عِنْدَ النَّاسِ مِنْهَا.

faʾidhā kāna ʿindahu yazīdu bi-al-ʿamali wayantaqiṣu bitarki al-ʿamali, fa-al-furqatu ʾaslamu li-l-dīni waʾabʿadu mina al-murāʾāti, min qibali ʾanna al-nafsa majbūlatun ʿalā ḥubbi al-madḥi wakarāhati al-dhammi, wamubtalātun biʾan tarubba ḥālahā allatī ʿurifat bihi, waʾan tuẓhira ʾaḥsana mā yaḥsunu ʿinda al-nāsi minhā.

If a person rises in the other’s esteem through deeds and falls by leaving them, separation is safer for religion and further from ostentation. The soul is naturally disposed to love praise and dislike blame, and is tried by the urge to cultivate the condition for which it is known and display whatever of itself looks best to people.

فَإِنْ صَحِبَ مَنْ يَعْمَلُ مَعَهُ هَذَا فَلَيْسَ ذَلِكَ بِطَرِيقِ الصَّادِقِينَ وَلَا بُغْيَةِ الْمُخْلِصِينَ، فَمُجَانَبَةُ هَؤُلَاءِ النَّاسِ أَصْلَحُ لِلْقَلْبِ وَأَخْلَصُ لِلْعَمَلِ، وَفِي مُعَاشَرَتِهِمْ وَصُحْبَةِ أَمْثَالِهِمْ فَسَادُ الْقُلُوبِ وَنُقْصَانُ الْحَالِ.

faʾin ṣaḥiba man yaʿmalu maʿahu hādhā falaysa dhālika biṭarīqi al-ṣādiqīna walā bughyati al-mukhliṣīna, famujānabatu hāʾulāʾi al-nāsi ʾaṣlaḥu li-l-qalbi waʾakhlaṣu li-l-ʿamali, wafī muʿāsharatihim waṣuḥbati ʾamthālihim fasādu al-qulūbi wanuqṣānu al-ḥāli.

Accompanying someone who treats one this way is neither the path of the truthful nor the aim of the sincere. Avoiding such people is better for the heart and purer for action; associating with them and keeping the company of their like corrupts hearts and diminishes one’s spiritual state.

لِأَنَّ هَذِهِ أَسْبَابُ الرِّيَاءِ، وَفِي الرِّيَاءِ حَبْطُ الْأَعْمَالِ وَخُسْرَانُ رَأْسِ الْمَالِ، وَالسُّقُوطُ مِنْ عَيْنِ ذِي الْجَلَالِ، نَعُوذُ بِهِ سُبْحَانَهُ وَتَعَالَى مِنْ ذَلِكَ.

liʾanna hādhihi ʾasbābu al-riyāʾi, wafī al-riyāʾi ḥabṭu al-ʾaʿmāli wakhusrānu raʾsi al-māli, wa-al-suqūṭu min ʿayni dhī al-jalāli, naʿūdhu bihi subḥānahu wataʿālā min dhālika.

For these are causes of ostentation, and ostentation brings the nullification of deeds, the loss of one’s capital, and a fall from the regard of the Possessor of Majesty. We seek refuge in Him, Glorified and Exalted Is He, from that.

الْجُزْءُ الثَّانِي، الصَّفْحَةُ ٣٧٩

al-juzʾu al-thānī, al-ṣafḥatu 379

Volume Two, page 379

وَكَانَ الثَّوْرِيُّ رَحِمَهُ اللَّهُ تَعَالَى يَقُولُ: مَنْ عَاشَرَ النَّاسَ دَارَاهُمْ، وَمَنْ دَارَاهُمْ رَاءَاهُمْ، وَمَنْ رَاءَاهُمْ وَقَعَ فِيمَا وَقَعُوا فَهَلَكَ كَمَا هَلَكُوا.

wakāna al-thawriyyu raḥimahu Allāhu taʿālā yaqūlu: man ʿāshara al-nāsa dārāhum, waman dārāhum rāʾāhum, waman rāʾāhum waqaʿa fīmā waqaʿū fahalaka kamā halakū.

Al-Thawrī, God Most High have mercy on him, used to say: “Whoever associates with people accommodates them; whoever accommodates them puts on a show for them; whoever puts on a show for them falls into what they have fallen into and perishes as they perish.”

وَكَانَ بَعْضُ النَّاسِ يَقُولُ: لَا تُؤَاخِ مِنَ النَّاسِ إِلَّا مَنْ لَا يَتَغَيَّرُ عَلَيْكَ فِي أَرْبَعٍ: عِنْدَ غَضَبِهِ وَرِضَاهُ وَعِنْدَ طَمَعِهِ وَهَوَاهُ، لِأَنَّ هَذِهِ الْمَعَانِيَ تَتَغَيَّرُ لَهَا الطِّبَاعُ لِدُخُولِ الضَّرَرِ مِنْهَا عَلَى النَّفْسِ وَفَقْدِ الِانْتِفَاعِ.

wakāna baʿḍu al-nāsi yaqūlu: lā tuʾākhi mina al-nāsi ʾillā man lā yataghayyaru ʿalayka fī ʾarbaʿin: ʿinda ghaḍabihi wariḍāhu waʿinda ṭamaʿihi wahawāhu, liʾanna hādhihi al-maʿāniya tataghayyaru lahā al-ṭibāʿu lidukhūli al-ḍarari minhā ʿalā al-nafsi wafaqdi al-intifāʿi.

One used to say: “Make a brother only of someone who does not change toward you in four states: anger, contentment, greed, and desire. These states change people’s dispositions because they bring harm to the self and deprive it of benefit.”

وَقَالَ بَعْضُ الْأُدَبَاءِ: لَا تَصْحَبْ مِنَ النَّاسِ إِلَّا مَنْ كَانَ عَلَى هَذَا الْوَصْفِ: يَكْتُمُ سِرَّكَ وَيَنْشُرُ بِرَّكَ وَيَطْوِي عَيْبَكَ وَيَكُونُ فِي النَّوَائِبِ مَعَكَ وَفِي الرَّغَائِبِ يُؤْثِرُ، فَإِنْ لَمْ تَجِدْهُ فَلَا تَصْحَبْ إِلَّا نَفْسَكَ.

waqāla baʿḍu al-ʾudabāʾi: lā taṣḥab mina al-nāsi ʾillā man kāna ʿalā hādhā al-waṣfi: yaktumu sirraka wayanshuru birraka wayaṭwī ʿaybaka wayakūnu fī al-nawāʾibi maʿaka wafī al-raghāʾibi yuʾthiru, faʾin lam tajidhu falā taṣḥab ʾillā nafsaka.

One man of letters said: “Accompany only someone with these qualities: he keeps your secret, makes your goodness known, conceals your fault, stands with you in calamities, and gives preference in desirable things. If you cannot find him, keep only your own company.”

وَقَدْ أَنْشَدَنَا بَعْضُ الْعُلَمَاءِ لِبَعْضِ الْأُدَبَاءِ فِي مَعْنَى هَذِهِ الْأَوْصَافِ: وَنَدْمَانٍ أَخِي ثِقَةٍ ... كَانَ حَدِيثُهُ خَبَرَهُ / يَسُرُّكَ حُسْنُ ظَاهِرِهِ ... وَتَحْمَدُ مِنْهُ مُخْتَبَرَهُ.

waqad ʾanshadanā baʿḍu al-ʿulamāʾi libaʿḍi al-ʾudabāʾi fī maʿnā hādhihi al-ʾawṣāfi: wanadmānin ʾakhī thiqatin ... kāna ḥadīthuhu khabarahu / yasurruka ḥusnu ẓāhirihi ... wataḥmadu minhu mukhtabarahu.

One of the scholars recited to us verses by a man of letters expressing these qualities: Many a trusted companion’s speech has matched what experience showed of him. His fine outward conduct pleases you, and you praise what testing reveals within him.

فَسَاعَدَ خِلَّهُ كَرَمًا ... وَفِي أَخْلَاقِهِ أَثَرَهُ / وَيَطْوِي سَوْأَةً أَبَدًا ... وَحُسْنًا إِنْ طَوَى نَشَرَهُ / وَيَسْتُرُ عَيْبَ صَاحِبِهِ ... وَيَسْتُرُ أَنَّهُ سَتَرَهُ.

fasāʿada khillahu karaman ... wafī ʾakhlāqihi ʾatharahu / wayaṭwī sawʾatan ʾabadan ... waḥusnan ʾin ṭawā nasharahu / wayasturu ʿayba ṣāḥibihi ... wayasturu ʾannahu satarahu.

He generously aided his friend, leaving his mark in his conduct. He always folds away what is shameful, and unfolds whatever good has been concealed. He hides his companion’s fault, and hides the fact that he has hidden it.

وَقَالَ بَعْضُ الْعُلَمَاءِ: لَا تَصْحَبْ إِلَّا أَحَدَ رَجُلَيْنِ: رَجُلًا تَتَعَلَّمُ مِنْهُ شَيْئًا مِنْ أَمْرِ دِينِكَ فَيَنْفَعُكَ، أَوْ رَجُلًا تُعَلِّمُهُ شَيْئًا مِنْ دِينِهِ فَيَقْبَلُ مِنْكَ، وَالثَّالِثُ اهْرُبْ مِنْهُ.

waqāla baʿḍu al-ʿulamāʾi: lā taṣḥab ʾillā ʾaḥada rajulayni: rajulan tataʿallamu minhu shayʾan min ʾamri dīnika fayanfaʿuka, ʾaw rajulan tuʿallimuhu shayʾan min dīnihi fayaqbalu minka, wa-al-thālithu uhrub minhu.

One scholar said: “Accompany only one of two kinds of men: a man from whom you learn something about your religion that benefits you, or a man whom you teach something of his religion and who accepts it from you. Flee the third kind.”

وَقَالَ ابْنُ أَبِي الْحَوَارِيِّ: قَالَ لِي أُسْتَاذِي أَبُو سُلَيْمَانَ: يَا أَحْمَدُ، لَا تَصْحَبْ إِلَّا أَحَدَ رَجُلَيْنِ: رَجُلٍ تَرْتَفِقُ بِهِ فِي دُنْيَاكَ، أَوْ رَجُلٍ تَزِيدُ مَعَهُ وَتَنْتَفِعُ بِهِ فِي آخِرَتِكَ، وَالِاشْتِغَالُ بِغَيْرِ هَذَيْنِ حُمْقٌ كَبِيرٌ.

waqāla ibnu ʾabī al-ḥawāriyyi: qāla lī ʾustādhī ʾabū sulaymāna: yā ʾaḥmadu, lā taṣḥab ʾillā ʾaḥada rajulayni: rajulin tartafiqu bihi fī dunyāka, ʾaw rajulin tazīdu maʿahu watantafiʿu bihi fī ʾākhiratika, wa-al-ishtighālu bighayri hādhayni ḥumqun kabīrun.

Ibn Abī al-Ḥawārī said: “My teacher Abū Sulaymān told me, ‘Aḥmad, accompany only one of two men: one who helps you in this world, or one through whose company you grow and gain benefit for your hereafter. Occupying yourself with anyone else is great foolishness.’”

وَكَانَ الْمَأْمُونُ يَقُولُ: الْإِخْوَانُ ثَلَاثَةٌ: أَحَدُهُمْ مَثَلُهُ مَثَلُ الْغِذَاءِ لَا يُسْتَغْنَى عَنْهُ، وَالْآخَرُ مَثَلُهُ مَثَلُ الدَّوَاءِ يُحْتَاجُ إِلَيْهِ فِي وَقْتٍ، وَالثَّالِثُ مَثَلُهُ مَثَلُ الدَّاءِ لَا يُحْتَاجُ إِلَيْهِ.

wakāna al-maʾmūnu yaqūlu: al-ʾikhwānu thalāthatun: ʾaḥaduhum mathaluhu mathalu al-ghidhāʾi lā yustaghnā ʿanhu, wa-al-ʾākharu mathaluhu mathalu al-dawāʾi yuḥtāju ʾilayhi fī waqtin, wa-al-thālithu mathaluhu mathalu al-dāʾi lā yuḥtāju ʾilayhi.

Al-Maʾmūn used to say: “Brothers are of three kinds. One is like food, indispensable. Another is like medicine, needed at a certain time. The third is like disease, never needed.”

فَالْعَبْدُ مُبْتَلًى بِهَذَا الثَّالِثِ وَهُوَ الَّذِي لَا أُنْسَ فِيهِ وَلَا نَفْعَ عِنْدَهُ، وَالْأَوَّلُ نِعْمَةٌ مِنَ اللَّهِ سُبْحَانَهُ وَتَعَالَى عَلَى الْعَبْدِ، فِيهِ أُلْفَةٌ وَأُنْسٌ وَمَعَهُ غَنِيمَةٌ وَنَفْعٌ.

fa-al-ʿabdu mubtalan bi-hādhā al-thālithi wahuwa alladhī lā ʾunsa fīhi walā nafʿa ʿindahu, wa-al-ʾawwalu niʿmatun mina Allāhi subḥānahu wataʿālā ʿalā al-ʿabdi, fīhi ʾulfatun waʾunsun wamaʿahu ghanīmatun wanafʿun.

A servant is tested by this third kind, in whom there is neither comfort nor benefit. The first is a blessing bestowed upon the servant by God, Glorified and Exalted Is He: in him are affection and ease, and with him gain and benefit.

وَكَانَ أَبُو ذَرٍّ يَقُولُ: الْوَحْدَةُ خَيْرٌ مِنْ جَلِيسِ السَّوْءِ، وَالْجَلِيسُ الصَّالِحُ خَيْرٌ مِنَ الْوَحْدَةِ. وَقَالَ بِشْرُ بْنُ الْحَارِثِ: يَكُونُ لِلرَّجُلِ ثَلَاثَةُ إِخْوَانٍ: أَخٌ لِآخِرَتِهِ، وَأَخٌ لِدُنْيَاهُ، وَأَخٌ يَأْنَسُ بِهِ.

wakāna ʾabū dharrin yaqūlu: al-waḥdatu khayrun min jalīsi al-sawʾi, wa-al-jalīsu al-ṣāliḥu khayrun mina al-waḥdati. waqāla bishru bnu al-ḥārithi: yakūnu li-l-rajuli thalāthatu ʾikhwānin: ʾakhun liʾākhiratihi, waʾakhun lidunyāhu, waʾakhun yaʾnasu bihi.

Abū Dharr used to say: “Solitude is better than a bad companion, and a righteous companion is better than solitude.” Bishr ibn al-Ḥārith said: “A man should have three brothers: one for his hereafter, one for his worldly affairs, and one whose company gives him comfort.”

فَأَخْبَرَ أَنَّ أَخَ الْمُؤَانَسَةِ قَدْ لَا يَكُونُ مُتَقَرِّبًا عَابِدًا، وَأَنَّ الْأُنْسَ مَخْصُوصٌ، يُقَالُ: لَا يُوجَدُ إِلَّا فِي كَرِيمٍ. وَكَانَ يُوسُفُ بْنُ أَسْبَاطٍ يُعَزِّزُ مَنْ فِيهِ أُنْسٌ مِنَ الْإِخْوَانِ، فَكَانَ يَقُولُ: مَا فِي الْمَصِّيصَةِ ثَلَاثَةٌ يُؤْنَسُ بِهِمْ.

faʾakhbara ʾanna ʾakha al-muʾānasati qad lā yakūnu mutaqarriban ʿābidan, waʾanna al-ʾunsa makhṣūṣun, yuqālu: lā yūjadu ʾillā fī karīmin. wakāna yūsufu bnu ʾasbāṭin yuʿazzizu man fīhi ʾunsun mina al-ʾikhwāni, fakāna yaqūlu: mā fī al-maṣṣīṣati thalāthatun yuʾnasu bihim.

He thus indicated that a brother whose company comforts may not be a worshipper devoted to drawing near to God. Such comfort is a special quality; it is said to be found only in someone noble. Yūsuf ibn Asbāṭ prized brothers who possessed it, saying: “There are not three people in al-Maṣṣīṣa whose company gives comfort.”

وَاعْلَمْ أَنَّ الْأُنْسَ لَا يُوجَدُ فِي كُلِّ عَالِمٍ، وَلَا فِي كُلِّ عَاقِلٍ، وَلَا فِي كُلِّ عَابِدٍ زَاهِدٍ، وَيَحْتَاجُ الْأُنْسُ إِلَى وُجُودِ مَعَانٍ تَكُونُ فِي الْوَلِيِّ، فَإِذَا اجْتَمَعَتْ فِيهِ كَمُلَ فِيهِ الْأُنْسُ، وَارْتَفَعَتْ عَنْهُ الْوَحْشَةُ وَالْحِشْمَةُ.

wa-iʿlam ʾanna al-ʾunsa lā yūjadu fī kulli ʿālimin, walā fī kulli ʿāqilin, walā fī kulli ʿābidin zāhidin, wayaḥtāju al-ʾunsu ʾilā wujūdi maʿānin takūnu fī al-waliyyi, faʾidhā ijtamaʿat fīhi kamula fīhi al-ʾunsu, wa-irtafaʿat ʿanhu al-waḥshatu wa-al-ḥishmatu.

Know that not every scholar, every intelligent person, or every devout renunciant possesses this comforting companionship. It requires qualities in the friend; when they come together in him, such ease becomes complete, and estrangement and constraint disappear.

وَمَنْ لَمْ تَكُنْ فِيهِ لَمْ يُوجَدْ فِيهِ أُنْسٌ، وَمَنْ لَمْ تَكْمُلْ فِيهِ وُجِدَ فِيهِ بَعْضُ الْأُنْسِ، وَإِذَا حَصَلَ الْأُنْسُ فَفِيهِ الرَّوْحُ مِنَ الْكُرُوبِ وَالِاسْتِرَاحَةُ مِنَ الْغَمِّ وَالسُّكُونُ وَطُمَأْنِينَةُ الْقَلْبِ.

waman lam takun fīhi lam yūjad fīhi ʾunsun, waman lam takmul fīhi wujida fīhi baʿḍu al-ʾunsi, waʾidhā ḥaṣala al-ʾunsu fafīhi al-rawḥu mina al-kurūbi wa-al-istirāḥatu mina al-ghammi wa-al-sukūnu waṭumaʾnīnatu al-qalbi.

Someone who lacks these qualities offers no such comfort; someone in whom they are incomplete offers some of it. When it is attained, it brings relief from troubles, rest from grief, calm, and peace of heart.

فَكَذَلِكَ عَزَّ مَنْ يُوجَدُ فِيهِ الْأُنْسُ لِعِزَّةِ خِصَالِهِ، وَهِيَ سَبْعٌ: عِلْمٌ وَعَقْلٌ وَأَدَبٌ وَحُسْنُ خُلُقٍ وَسَخَاءُ نَفْسٍ وَسَلَامَةُ قَلْبٍ وَتَوَاضُعٌ، فَإِنْ فَقَدَ بَعْضَهَا لَمْ يَجِدْ

fa-kadhālika ʿazza man yūjadu fīhi al-ʾunsu liʿizzati khiṣālihi, wahiya sabʿun: ʿilmun waʿaqlun waʾadabun waḥusnu khuluqin wasakhāʾu nafsin wasalāmatu qalbin watawāḍuʿun, faʾin faqada baʿḍahā lam yajid

Thus someone who offers this comfort is rare because its qualities are rare. They are seven: knowledge, intelligence, good manners, good character, generosity of soul, soundness of heart, and humility. If some are missing, one does not find

الْجُزْءُ الثَّانِي، الصَّفْحَةُ ٣٨٠

al-juzʾu al-thānī, al-ṣafḥatu 380

Volume Two, page 380

خِلًّا يَأْنَسُ بِكَمَالِهِ، مِنْ قِبَلِ أَنَّ أَضْدَادَهَا وَحْشَةٌ كُلُّهَا، لِأَنَّ الْجَاهِلَ لَا أُنْسَ فِيهِ، وَالْأَحْمَقَ لَا أُنْسَ بِهِ، وَالْبَخِيلَ سَيِّئَ الْخُلُقِ لَا أُنْسَ عِنْدَهُ، وَالْخَبِيثَ وَالْمُتَكَبِّرَ لَا أُنْسَ مَعَهُ، فَاعْرِفْ هَذَا.

khillan yaʾnasu bikamālihi, min qibali ʾanna ʾaḍdādahā waḥshatun kulluhā, liʾanna al-jāhila lā ʾunsa fīhi, wa-al-ʾaḥmaqa lā ʾunsa bihi, wa-al-bakhīla sayyiʾa al-khuluqi lā ʾunsa ʿindahu, wa-al-khabītha wa-al-mutakabbira lā ʾunsa maʿahu, fa-iʿrif hādhā.

a friend whose full qualities give comfort. Their opposites all bring estrangement: there is no comfort in the ignorant, none in the company of the foolish, none with the miser of bad character, and none alongside the malicious or arrogant. Understand this.

وَرَوَيْنَا عَنِ الْأَصْمَعِيِّ أَنَّهُ ذَكَرَ عَنْ بَعْضِ الْحُكَمَاءِ قَالَ: عَامِلُوا أَحْرَارَ النَّاسِ بِمَحْضِ الْمَوَدَّةِ، وَعَامِلُوا الْعَامَّةَ بِالرَّغْبَةِ وَالرَّهْبَةِ، وَسُوسُوا السَّفَلَةَ بِالْمَخَافَةِ.

warawaynā ʿani al-ʾaṣmaʿiyyi ʾannahu dhakara ʿan baʿḍi al-ḥukamāʾi qāla: ʿāmilū ʾaḥrāra al-nāsi bimaḥḍi al-mawaddati, waʿāmilū al-ʿāmmata bi-al-raghbati wa-al-rahbati, wasūsū al-safalata bi-al-makhāfati.

We have transmitted from al-Aṣmaʿī that he cited a sage who said: “Treat noble people with pure affection; treat the common people through hope and fear; govern the base through apprehension.”

وَمَثَلُ جُمْلَةِ النَّاسِ كَمَثَلِ جُمْلَةِ الشَّجَرِ، مِنْهُمْ مَنْ لَهُ ظِلٌّ لَيْسَ فِيهِ ثَمَرٌ، وَهَذَا الَّذِي فِيهِ نَفْعٌ مِنَ الدُّنْيَا وَلَا ثَمَرَةَ لَهُ فِي الْعُقْبَى، وَيُحْتَاجُ إِلَيْهِ فِي وَقْتٍ، وَمِنْهُمْ مَنْ فِيهِ ثَمَرٌ وَلَيْسَ لَهُ ظِلٌّ، وَهَذَا يَصْلُحُ لِلْآخِرَةِ وَلَا يَصْلُحُ لِلدُّنْيَا.

wamathalu jumlati al-nāsi kamathali jumlati al-shajari, minhum man lahu ẓillun laysa fīhi thamarun, wa-hādhā alladhī fīhi nafʿun mina al-dunyā walā thamarata lahu fī al-ʿuqbā, wayuḥtāju ʾilayhi fī waqtin, waminhum man fīhi thamarun walaysa lahu ẓillun, wa-hādhā yaṣluḥu li-l-ʾākhirati walā yaṣluḥu li-l-dunyā.

People as a whole are like trees as a whole. Some have shade but no fruit: they offer worldly benefit but no fruit in the hereafter, and are needed at certain times. Some have fruit but no shade: they are useful for the hereafter but not for this world.

وَمِنْهُمْ مَنْ فِيهِ ظِلٌّ وَثَمَرٌ، فَهَذَا الَّذِي يَصْلُحُ لِلدِّينِ وَالدُّنْيَا وَهُوَ أَعَزُّهَا، وَمِنْهُمْ مَنْ لَا ظِلَّ لَهُ وَلَا ثَمَرَ وَهَذَا هُوَ الَّذِي لَا يُحْتَاجُ إِلَيْهِ.

waminhum man fīhi ẓillun wathamarun, fa-hādhā alladhī yaṣluḥu li-l-dīni wa-al-dunyā wahuwa ʾaʿazzuhā, waminhum man lā ẓilla lahu walā thamara wa-hādhā huwa alladhī lā yuḥtāju ʾilayhi.

Some have both shade and fruit: these serve religion and worldly life and are the rarest. Some have neither shade nor fruit: these are the ones for whom there is no need.

فَمَثَلُهُ فِي الشَّجَرِ مَثَلُ شَجَرِ الْغَضَا، وَهُوَ شَوْكُ الْبَرِّيَّةِ الَّتِي تُسَمِّيهِ الْعَامَّةُ أُمَّ غَيْلَانَ، تُمَزِّقُ الثِّيَابَ لَا طَعَامَ فِيهِ وَلَا شَرَابَ، فَهَؤُلَاءِ مِنَ النَّاسِ مَنْ يَضُرُّ وَلَا يَنْفَعُ وَيَكْثُرُ وَلَا يَدْفَعُ.

famathaluhu fī al-shajari mathalu shajari al-ghaḍā, wahuwa shawku al-barriyyati allatī tusammīhi al-ʿāmmatu ʾumma ghaylāna, tumazziqu al-thiyāba lā ṭaʿāma fīhi walā sharāba, fa-hāʾulāʾi mina al-nāsi man yaḍurru walā yanfaʿu wayakthuru walā yadfaʿu.

Their likeness among trees is ghaḍā, the desert thorn that common people call umm ghaylān. It tears clothing and provides neither food nor drink. Such people harm without benefiting; they add to the crowd without warding anything off.

مَثَلُهُ كَمَا قَالَ اللَّهُ تَبَارَكَ وَتَعَالَى: ﴿يَدْعُو لَمَنْ ضَرُّهُ أَقْرَبُ مِنْ نَفْعِهِ لَبِئْسَ الْمَوْلَى وَلَبِئْسَ الْعَشِيرُ﴾، الْحَجِّ: ١٣، وَمَثَلُهُ فِي الدَّوَابِّ مَثَلُ الْفَأْرَةِ وَالْعَقْرَبِ.

mathaluhu kamā qāla Allāhu tabāraka wataʿālā: ﴿yadʿū laman ḍarruhu ʾaqrabu min nafʿihi labiʾsa al-mawlā walabiʾsa al-ʿashīru﴾, al-ḥajji: 13, wamathaluhu fī al-dawābbi mathalu al-faʾrati wa-al-ʿaqrabi.

Their likeness is as God, Blessed and Exalted Is He, said: “He calls upon one whose harm is nearer than his benefit. What an evil protector, what an evil companion!” (al-Ḥajj 22:13). Among animals their likeness is the mouse and the scorpion.

وَقَدْ قِيلَ فِي وَصْفِهِمْ: النَّاسُ شَيْءٌ إِذَا مَا أَنْتَ ذُقْتَهُمْ ... لَا يَسْتَوُونَ كَمَا لَا يَسْتَوِي الشَّجَرُ / ذَا رَبُّ ظِلٍّ وَهَذَا عِنْدَهُ ثَمَرٌ ... وَذَاكَ لَيْسَ لَهُ ظِلٌّ وَلَا ثَمَرٌ.

waqad qīla fī waṣfihim: al-nāsu shayʾun ʾidhā mā ʾanta dhuqtahum ... lā yastawūna kamā lā yastawī al-shajaru / dhā rabbu ẓillin wa-hādhā ʿindahu thamarun ... wadhāka laysa lahu ẓillun walā thamarun.

It has been said of them: People are a varied thing when you have tasted their company; they are no more alike than trees are alike. This one possesses shade, that one bears fruit, and another has neither shade nor fruit.

وَقَدْ أَنْشَدَنَا فِي مِثْلِ وَصْفِ هَذَا لِبَعْضِ الْأُدَبَاءِ: إِذَا كُنْتَ لَا تُرْجَى لِدَفْعِ مُهِمَّةٍ ... وَلَمْ تَكُ يَوْمَ الْحَشْرِ مِمَّنْ يَشْفَعُ / وَلَا أَنْتَ ذَا مَالٍ يَجُودُ بِمَالِهِ ... فَعُودُ خِلَالٍ مِنْ إِخَائِكَ أَنْفَعُ.

waqad ʾanshadanā fī mithli waṣfi hādhā libaʿḍi al-ʾudabāʾi: ʾidhā kunta lā turjā lidafʿi muhimmatin ... walam taku yawma al-ḥashri mimman yashfaʿu / walā ʾanta dhā mālin yajūdu bimālihi ... faʿūdu khilālin min ʾikhāʾika ʾanfaʿu.

He recited to us similar verses by a man of letters: If you are not one to whom we can look for help in a pressing trouble, nor one who will intercede on the Day of Gathering, nor a wealthy person generous with his wealth, a toothpick is more useful than your brotherhood.

قَالَ بَعْضُ السَّلَفِ: إِذَا وَلِيَ أَخُوكَ وِلَايَةً فَثَبَتَ عَلَى نِصْفِ مَوَدَّتِكَ فَكَثِيرٌ.

qāla baʿḍu al-salafi: ʾidhā waliya ʾakhūka wilāyatan fathabata ʿalā niṣfi mawaddatika fakathīrun.

One of the early generations said: “If your brother takes office and retains half his affection for you, that is much.”

وَحَدَّثَنَا مُحَمَّدُ بْنُ الْقَاسِمِ الْقُرَشِيُّ عَنِ الرَّبِيعِ بْنِ سُلَيْمَانَ، عَنِ الْإِمَامِ الشَّافِعِيِّ رَحِمَهُ اللَّهُ، أَنَّهُ آخَى رَجُلًا بِبَغْدَادَ ثُمَّ إِنَّ أَخَاهُ وَلِيَ السَّيْبَيْنِ فَتَغَيَّرَ لِلشَّافِعِيِّ كَمَا كَانَ يَعْهَدُهُ مِنْهُ، فَكَتَبَ إِلَيْهِ الشَّافِعِيُّ رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُ هَذِهِ الْأَبْيَاتَ:

waḥaddathanā muḥammadu bnu al-qāsimi al-qurashiyyu ʿani al-rabīʿi bni sulaymāna, ʿani al-ʾimāmi al-shāfiʿiyyi raḥimahu Allāhu, ʾannahu ʾākhā rajulan bibaghdāda thumma ʾinna ʾakhāhu waliya al-saybayni fataghayyara li-l-shāfiʿiyyi kamā kāna yaʿhaduhu minhu, fakataba ʾilayhi al-shāfiʿiyyu raḍiya Allāhu ʿanhu hādhihi al-ʾabyāta:

Muḥammad ibn al-Qāsim al-Qurashī related to us from al-Rabīʿ ibn Sulaymān, concerning Imam al-Shāfiʿī, God have mercy on him: he made a brother of a man in Baghdad. That brother then took charge of al-Saybayn, and his conduct toward al-Shāfiʿī changed from what he had known. Al-Shāfiʿī, God be pleased with him, wrote him these verses:

اذْهَبْ فَوُدُّكَ مِنْ وِدَادِي طَالِقٌ ... مِنِّي وَلَيْسَ طَلَاقَ ذَاتِ الْبَيْنِ / فَإِنِ ارْعَوَيْتَ فَإِنَّهَا تَطْلِيقَةٌ ... وَيَدُومُ وُدُّكَ لِي عَلَى ثِنْتَيْنِ.

idhhab fawudduka min widādī ṭāliqun ... minnī walaysa ṭalāqa dhāti al-bayni / faʾini irʿawayta faʾinnahā taṭlīqatun ... wayadūmu wudduka lī ʿalā thintayni.

Go: your affection is divorced from mine, by me, though this is no irrevocable divorce. If you come to your senses, it is a single pronouncement, and your affection for me may endure with two still remaining.

وَإِذَا امْتَنَعْتَ شَفَعْتُهَا بِمِثَالِهَا ... فَتَكُونُ تَطْلِيقَتَيْنِ فِي حَيْضَيْنِ / فَإِذَا الثَّلَاثُ أَتَتْكَ مِنِّي بَتَّةً ... لَمْ تُغْنِ عَنْكَ وِلَايَةُ السَّيْبَيْنِ.

waʾidhā imtanaʿta shafaʿtuhā bimithālihā ... fatakūnu taṭlīqatayni fī ḥayḍayni / faʾidhā al-thalāthu ʾatatka minnī battatan ... lam tughni ʿanka wilāyatu al-saybayni.

If you refuse, I shall pair it with another like it: two divorces in two menstrual cycles. When all three come to you from me, final and absolute, your governorship of al-Saybayn will be of no use to you.

فَذُكِرَ هَذَا الْكَلَامُ لِبَعْضِ الْفُقَهَاءِ فَاسْتَحْسَنَهُ وَقَالَ: هَذَا الطَّلَاقُ فِقْهِيٌّ، إِلَّا أَنَّهُ طَلَّقَ قَبْلَ النِّكَاحِ.

fadhukira hādhā al-kalāmu libaʿḍi al-fuqahāʾi fa-istaḥsanahu waqāla: hādhā al-ṭalāqu fiqhiyyun, ʾillā ʾannahu ṭallaqa qabla al-nikāḥi.

These words were mentioned to a jurist, who admired them and said: “This divorce follows jurisprudence, except that he divorced before marrying.”

وَقَدْ كَانَ الشَّافِعِيُّ عَلَيْهِ السَّلَامُ آخَى مُحَمَّدَ بْنَ عَبْدِ الْحَكَمِ الْمِصْرِيَّ وَكَانَ يُحِبُّهُ وَيُقَرِّبُهُ، وَيَقُولُ: مَا يُقِيمُنِي بِمِصْرَ غَيْرُهُ. وَاعْتَلَّ مُحَمَّدٌ فَعَادَهُ الشَّافِعِيُّ، فَحَدَّثَنِي الْقُرَشِيُّ عَنِ الرَّبِيعِ قَالَ: سَمِعْتُ الشَّافِعِيَّ يُنْشِدُ وَقَدْ عَادَ مُحَمَّدًا:

waqad kāna al-shāfiʿiyyu ʿalayhi al-salāmu ʾākhā muḥammada bna ʿabdi al-ḥakami al-miṣriyya wakāna yuḥibbuhu wayuqarribuhu, wayaqūlu: mā yuqīmunī bimiṣra ghayruhu. wa-iʿtalla muḥammadun faʿādahu al-shāfiʿiyyu, faḥaddathanī al-qurashiyyu ʿani al-rabīʿi qāla: samiʿtu al-shāfiʿiyya yunshidu waqad ʿāda muḥammadan:

Al-Shāfiʿī, peace be upon him, had formed brotherhood with Muḥammad ibn ʿAbd al-Ḥakam al-Miṣrī, whom he loved and kept close. He would say: “Nothing keeps me in Egypt but him.” Muḥammad fell ill, and al-Shāfiʿī visited him. Al-Qurashī told me from al-Rabīʿ, who said: “I heard al-Shāfiʿī recite after visiting Muḥammad:

الْجُزْءُ الثَّانِي، الصَّفْحَةُ ٣٨١

al-juzʾu al-thānī, al-ṣafḥatu 381

Volume Two, page 381

مَرِضَ الْحَبِيبُ فَعُدْتُهُ ... فَمَرِضْتُ مِنْ حَذَرِي عَلَيْهِ / وَأَتَى الْحَبِيبُ يَعُودُنِي ... فَبَرِئْتُ مِنْ نَظَرِي إِلَيْهِ.

mariḍa al-ḥabību faʿudtuhu ... famariḍtu min ḥadharī ʿalayhi / waʾatā al-ḥabību yaʿūdunī ... fabariʾtu min naẓarī ʾilayhi.

‘My beloved fell ill, and I visited him; then I fell ill from fear for him. My beloved came to visit me, and the sight of him restored me.’”

وَمَا شَكَّ أَهْلُ مِصْرَ أَنَّ الشَّافِعِيَّ يُفَوِّضُ أَمْرَ حَلْقَتِهِ إِلَيْهِ، وَأَنَّهُ يَسْتَخْلِفُهُ بَعْدَ مَوْتِهِ وَيَأْمُرُ النَّاسَ بِالْحُضُورِ عِنْدَهُ، حَتَّى سُئِلَ عَنْ ذَلِكَ فِي عِلَّتِهِ فَقِيلَ لَهُ: يَا أَبَا عَبْدِ اللَّهِ، إِلَى مَنْ نَجْلِسُ بَعْدَكَ، وَمَنْ يَكُونُ صَاحِبَ الْحَلْقَةِ؟

wamā shakka ʾahlu miṣra ʾanna al-shāfiʿiyya yufawwiḍu ʾamra ḥalqatihi ʾilayhi, waʾannahu yastakhlifuhu baʿda mawtihi wayaʾmuru al-nāsa bi-al-ḥuḍūri ʿindahu, ḥattā suʾila ʿan dhālika fī ʿillatihi faqīla lahu: yā ʾabā ʿabdi Allāhi, ʾilā man najlisu baʿdaka, waman yakūnu ṣāḥiba al-ḥalqati?

The people of Egypt had no doubt that al-Shāfiʿī would entrust his teaching circle to him, appoint him as successor after his death, and direct people to attend him. During his illness he was asked about this: “Abū ʿAbd Allāh, with whom should we sit after you? Who will lead the circle?”

وَهُمْ يَظُنُّونَ أَنَّهُ يُشِيرُ إِلَى مُحَمَّدٍ، فَاسْتَشْرَفَ لِذَلِكَ مُحَمَّدٌ وَتَطَاوَلَ لَهَا، وَكَانَ جَالِسًا عِنْدَ رَأْسِهِ، فَقَالَ: سُبْحَانَ اللَّهِ، أَيُشَكُّ فِي هَذَا؟ أَبُو يَعْقُوبَ الْبُوَيْطِيُّ. فَانْكَسَرَ لَهَا مُحَمَّدٌ وَوَجَدَ فِي نَفْسِهِ وَمَالَ أَصْحَابُهُ إِلَى أَبِي يَعْقُوبَ الْبُوَيْطِيِّ.

wahum yaẓunnūna ʾannahu yushīru ʾilā muḥammadin, fa-istashrafa li-dhālika muḥammadun wataṭāwala lahā, wakāna jālisan ʿinda raʾsihi, faqāla: subḥāna Allāhi, ʾayushakku fī hādhā? ʾabū yaʿqūba al-buwayṭiyyu. fa-inkasara lahā muḥammadun wawajada fī nafsihi wamāla ʾaṣḥābuhu ʾilā ʾabī yaʿqūba al-buwayṭiyyi.

They thought he would indicate Muḥammad, who eagerly anticipated it and reached toward the position while sitting at his head. Al-Shāfiʿī said: “Glory be to God! Can there be doubt about this? Abū Yaʿqūb al-Buwayṭī.” Muḥammad was crestfallen and hurt, and al-Shāfiʿī’s companions turned to Abū Yaʿqūb al-Buwayṭī.

وَقَدْ كَانَ مُحَمَّدٌ حَمَلَ عِلْمَ الشَّافِعِيِّ وَمَذْهَبَهُ وَفَارَقَ مَذْهَبَ مَالِكٍ، إِلَّا أَنَّ الْبُوَيْطِيَّ كَانَ أَزْهَدَ وَأَوْرَعَ، فَحَمَلَ الشَّافِعِيَّ نُصْحُهُ لِلدِّينِ وَالنَّصِيحَةُ لِلْمُسْلِمِينَ، وَلَمْ يُدَاهِنْ فِي ذَلِكَ بِأَنْ وَجَّهَ الْأَمْرَ إِلَى أَبِي يَعْقُوبَ، وَآثَرَهُ لِأَنَّهُ كَانَ أَوْلَى.

waqad kāna muḥammadun ḥamala ʿilma al-shāfiʿiyyi wamadhhabahu wafāraqa madhhaba mālikin, ʾillā ʾanna al-buwayṭiyya kāna ʾazhada waʾawraʿa, faḥamala al-shāfiʿiyya nuṣḥuhu li-l-dīni wa-al-naṣīḥatu li-l-muslimīna, walam yudāhin fī dhālika biʾan wajjaha al-ʾamra ʾilā ʾabī yaʿqūba, waʾātharahu liʾannahu kāna ʾawlā.

Muḥammad had taken up al-Shāfiʿī’s learning and school and left Mālik’s school. But al-Buwayṭī was more renunciant and scrupulous. Al-Shāfiʿī was moved by sincere concern for religion and sincere counsel for Muslims; he did not compromise in directing the position to Abū Yaʿqūb and preferring him, because he was more entitled to it.

فَلَمَّا قُبِضَ الشَّافِعِيُّ رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُ انْتَقَلَ مُحَمَّدُ بْنُ عَبْدِ الْحَكَمِ مَذْهَبَهُ، وَفَارَقَ أَصْحَابَهُ وَرَجَعَ إِلَى مَالِكٍ، وَرَوَى كُتُبَ أَبِيهِ عَنْ مَالِكٍ، وَتَفَقَّهَ فِيهَا، فَهُوَ الْيَوْمَ مِنْ كِبَارِ أَصْحَابِ مَالِكٍ رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُ.

falammā qubiḍa al-shāfiʿiyyu raḍiya Allāhu ʿanhu intaqala muḥammadu bnu ʿabdi al-ḥakami madhhabahu, wafāraqa ʾaṣḥābahu warajaʿa ʾilā mālikin, warawā kutuba ʾabīhi ʿan mālikin, watafaqqaha fīhā, fahuwa al-yawma min kibāri ʾaṣḥābi mālikin raḍiya Allāhu ʿanhu.

When al-Shāfiʿī, God be pleased with him, died, Muḥammad ibn ʿAbd al-Ḥakam changed his school, parted from his companions, and returned to Mālik. He transmitted his father’s books from Mālik and studied their jurisprudence. Today he is counted among the foremost followers of Mālik, God be pleased with him.

وَأَخْمَلَ الْبُوَيْطِيُّ رَحِمَهُ اللَّهُ نَفْسَهُ وَاعْتَزَلَ عَنِ النَّاسِ بِالْبُوَيْطَةِ مِنْ سَوَادِ مِصْرَ، وَصَنَّفَ كِتَابَ الْأُمِّ الَّذِي يُنْسَبُ الْآنَ إِلَى الرَّبِيعِ بْنِ سُلَيْمَانَ وَيُعْرَفُ بِهِ، وَإِنَّمَا هُوَ جَمْعُ الْبُوَيْطِيِّ لَمْ يَذْكُرْ نَفْسَهُ فِيهِ، وَأَخْرَجَهُ إِلَى الرَّبِيعِ فَزَادَ فِيهِ، وَأَظْهَرَهُ وَسَمِعَهُ مِنْهُ.

waʾakhmala al-buwayṭiyyu raḥimahu Allāhu nafsahu wa-iʿtazala ʿani al-nāsi bi-al-buwayṭati min sawādi miṣra, waṣannafa kitāba al-ʾummi alladhī yunsabu al-ʾāna ʾilā al-rabīʿi bni sulaymāna wayuʿrafu bihi, waʾinnamā huwa jamʿu al-buwayṭiyyi lam yadhkur nafsahu fīhi, waʾakhrajahu ʾilā al-rabīʿi fazāda fīhi, waʾaẓharahu wasamiʿahu minhu.

Al-Buwayṭī, God have mercy on him, kept himself obscure and withdrew from people at al-Buwayṭa in the Egyptian countryside. He compiled the Book of al-Umm, now attributed to al-Rabīʿ ibn Sulaymān and known by his name. It was actually al-Buwayṭī’s compilation, in which he did not name himself; he passed it to al-Rabīʿ, who added to it, made it public, and heard it from him.

وَقَدْ كَانَ الْبُوَيْطِيُّ حُمِلَ فِي الْمِحْنَةِ وَرُفِعَ مِنْ مِصْرَ إِلَى السُّلْطَانِ، وَحُبِسَ فِي شَأْنِ الْقُرْآنِ، فَحَدَّثَنَا عَنِ الرَّبِيعِ قَالَ: كَتَبَ إِلَيَّ الْبُوَيْطِيُّ مِنَ السِّجْنِ يَحُثُّنِي عَلَى الْمَجَالِسِ، وَيَأْمُرُنِي بِالْمُوَاظَبَةِ عَلَى الْعِلْمِ وَالرِّفْقِ بِالْمُتَعَلِّمِينَ وَالْإِقْبَالِ عَلَيْهِمْ، وَأَنْ أَتَوَاضَعَ لَهُمْ.

waqad kāna al-buwayṭiyyu ḥumila fī al-miḥnati warufiʿa min miṣra ʾilā al-sulṭāni, waḥubisa fī shaʾni al-qurʾāni, faḥaddathanā ʿani al-rabīʿi qāla: kataba ʾilayya al-buwayṭiyyu mina al-sijni yaḥuththunī ʿalā al-majālisi, wayaʾmurunī bi-al-muwāẓabati ʿalā al-ʿilmi wa-al-rifqi bi-al-mutaʿallimīna wa-al-ʾiqbāli ʿalayhim, waʾan ʾatawāḍaʿa lahum.

Al-Buwayṭī was taken away during the inquisition, brought from Egypt before the ruler, and imprisoned over the question of the Qurʾan. It was related to us from al-Rabīʿ, who said: “Al-Buwayṭī wrote to me from prison, urging me to hold teaching gatherings, persist in learning, treat students gently, attend to them, and be humble toward them.”

وَقَالَ: كَثِيرًا مَا كُنْتُ أَسْمَعُ الشَّافِعِيَّ رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُ يَقُولُ: أُهِينُ لَهُمْ نَفْسِي لِكَيْ يُكْرِمُونَهَا ... وَلَنْ تُكْرَمَ النَّفْسُ الَّتِي لَا تُهِينُهَا.

waqāla: kathīran mā kuntu ʾasmaʿu al-shāfiʿiyya raḍiya Allāhu ʿanhu yaqūlu: ʾuhīnu lahum nafsī likay yukrimūnahā ... walan tukrama al-nafsu allatī lā tuhīnuhā.

He said: “Often I heard al-Shāfiʿī, God be pleased with him, say: I humble my soul before them so that they may honor it; the soul you do not humble will never be honored.”

وَأَوْصَى بَعْضُ السَّلَفِ ابْنَهُ فَقَالَ: يَا بُنَيَّ، لَا تَصْحَبْ مِنَ النَّاسِ إِلَّا مَنْ إِنِ افْتَرَقْتَ قَرُبَ مِنْكَ، وَإِذَا اسْتَغْنَيْتَ لَمْ يَطْمَعْ فِيكَ، وَإِنْ عَلَتْ مَرْتَبَتُهُ لَمْ يَرْتَفِعْ عَلَيْكَ، إِنْ تَذَلَّلْتَ لَهُ صَانَكَ، وَإِنِ احْتَجْتَ لَهُ مَانَكَ، وَإِنِ اجْتَمَعْتَ مَعَهُ زَانَكَ، فَإِنْ لَمْ تَجِدْ هَذَا فَلَا تَصْحَبَنَّ أَحَدًا.

waʾawṣā baʿḍu al-salafi ibnahu faqāla: yā bunayya, lā taṣḥab mina al-nāsi ʾillā man ʾini iftaraqta qaruba minka, waʾidhā istaghnayta lam yaṭmaʿ fīka, waʾin ʿalat martabatuhu lam yartafiʿ ʿalayka, ʾin tadhallalta lahu ṣānaka, waʾini iḥtajta lahu mānaka, waʾini ijtamaʿta maʿahu zānaka, faʾin lam tajid hādhā falā taṣḥabanna ʾaḥadan.

One of the early generations advised his son: “My son, accompany only someone who draws near when you are apart, does not covet your wealth when you are prosperous, and does not look down on you when his rank rises; who protects you when you humble yourself, supports you when you need him, and adorns you when you are together. If you cannot find such a person, accompany no one.”

وَمِنْ حَقِّ الْأُخُوَّةِ فِي اللَّهِ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ مَا نُقِلَ إِلَيْنَا مِنْ سِيرَةِ السَّلَفِ، قَالَ: كَانَ الرَّجُلُ يَجِيءُ إِلَى مَنْزِلِ أَخِيهِ مِنْ حَيْثُ لَا يَعْلَمُ، فَيَقُولُ لِأَهْلِهِ: هَلْ عِنْدَكُمْ دَقِيقٌ، أَلَكُمْ زَيْتٌ، تَحْتَاجُونَ إِلَى كَذَا؟ فَإِنْ قَالُوا: لَيْسَ عِنْدَنَا، اشْتَرَى لَهُمْ مَصَالِحَهُمْ.

wamin ḥaqqi al-ʾukhuwwati fī Allāhi ʿazza wajalla mā nuqila ʾilaynā min sīrati al-salafi, qāla: kāna al-rajulu yajīʾu ʾilā manzili ʾakhīhi min ḥaythu lā yaʿlamu, fayaqūlu liʾahlihi: hal ʿindakum daqīqun, ʾalakum zaytun, taḥtājūna ʾilā kadhā? faʾin qālū: laysa ʿindanā, ishtarā lahum maṣāliḥahum.

Among the rights of brotherhood in God, Mighty and Majestic, is what has reached us of the early generations’ conduct. A man would go to his brother’s home without his knowledge and ask his family, “Do you have flour? Have you oil? Do you need such-and-such?” If they said, “We do not have it,” he bought what they needed.

قَالَ: وَلَمْ يَكُنِ الْأَخُ يُفَرِّقُ بَيْنَ عِيَالِهِ وَعِيَالِ أَخِيهِ، يُقَاسِمُهُمُ الْمُؤُونَةَ. قَالَ: وَيَلْقَى أَخَاهُ فَلَا يُعْلِمُهُ بِشَيْءٍ مِنْ ذَلِكَ.

qāla: walam yakuni al-ʾakhu yufarriqu bayna ʿiyālihi waʿiyāli ʾakhīhi, yuqāsimuhumu al-muʾūnata. qāla: wayalqā ʾakhāhu falā yuʿlimuhu bishayʾin min dhālika.

A brother would make no distinction between his own dependents and his brother’s, sharing their expenses. He would then meet his brother and tell him nothing of it.

وَأَمَّا سَعِيدُ بْنُ أَبِي عَرُوبَةَ فَكَانَ يُعَلِّقُ كُلَّ ثَوْبٍ عِنْدَهُ عَلَى الْحَبْلِ، وَيُظْهِرُ كُلَّ صِنْفٍ مِنْ طَعَامٍ فَيَصُفُّهُ، وَرُبَّمَا اشْتَرَى الْمَسْلُوخَ فَيُعَلِّقُهُ، وَيَفْتَحُ بَابَهُ وَيَدْخُلُ عَلَيْهِ إِخْوَانُهُ فِي اللَّهِ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ.

waʾammā saʿīdu bnu ʾabī ʿarūbata fakāna yuʿalliqu kulla thawbin ʿindahu ʿalā al-ḥabli, wayuẓhiru kulla ṣinfin min ṭaʿāmin fayaṣuffuhu, warubbamā ishtarā al-maslūkha fayuʿalliquhu, wayaftaḥu bābahu wayadkhulu ʿalayhi ʾikhwānuhu fī Allāhi ʿazza wajalla.

Saʿīd ibn Abī ʿArūba used to hang all his clothing on a line and display every kind of food in rows. Sometimes he bought a skinned carcass and hung it up. He opened his door, and his brothers in God, Mighty and Majestic, came in.

فَكَانَ مَنْ أَرَادَ طَعَامًا أَكَلَ، وَمَنِ اشْتَهَى لَحْمًا قَطَعَ وَشَوَى أَوْ طَبَخَ، وَمَنِ احْتَاجَ

fakāna man ʾarāda ṭaʿāman ʾakala, wamani ishtahā laḥman qaṭaʿa washawā ʾaw ṭabakha, wamani iḥtāja

Whoever wanted food ate; whoever desired meat cut some off and roasted or cooked it; whoever needed

الْجُزْءُ الثَّانِي، الصَّفْحَةُ ٣٨٢

al-juzʾu al-thānī, al-ṣafḥatu 382

Volume Two, page 382

إِلَى ثَوْبٍ لَبِسَ مِنْ غَيْرِ إِذْنٍ وَلَا مُؤَامَرَةٍ، قَدْ عَرَفُوا ذَلِكَ مِنْ أَخْلَاقِهِ، وَكَانَ مِثْلَهُ جَمَاعَةٌ مُتَخَلِّقِينَ بِهَذِهِ الْأَخْلَاقِ.

ʾilā thawbin labisa min ghayri ʾidhnin walā muʾāmaratin, qad ʿarafū dhālika min ʾakhlāqihi, wakāna mithlahu jamāʿatun mutakhalliqīna bi-hādhihi al-ʾakhlāqi.

a garment put it on without permission or consultation. They knew this was his disposition. A number of others had cultivated the same qualities.

وَقَدْ جَعَلَ اللَّهُ تَبَارَكَ وَتَعَالَى الْأُلْفَةَ بَيْنَ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ مِنْ آيَاتِهِ، وَتَمَدَّحَ بِوَصْفِهَا وَلَمْ يَكِلْهَا إِلَى الرَّسُولِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ، فَقَالَ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ: ﴿وَأَلَّفَ بَيْنَ قُلُوبِهِمْ وَلَوْ أَنْفَقْتَ مَا فِي الْأَرْضِ جَمِيعًا مَا أَلَّفْتَ بَيْنَ قُلُوبِهِمْ وَلَكِنَّ اللَّهَ أَلَّفَ بَيْنَهُمْ إِنَّهُ عَزِيزٌ حَكِيمٌ﴾، الْأَنْفَالِ: ٦٣.

waqad jaʿala Allāhu tabāraka wataʿālā al-ʾulfata bayna al-muʾminīna min ʾāyātihi, watamaddaḥa biwaṣfihā walam yakilhā ʾilā al-rasūli ṣallā Allāhu ʿalayhi wasallama, faqāla ʿazza wajalla: ﴿waʾallafa bayna qulūbihim walaw ʾanfaqta mā fī al-ʾarḍi jamīʿan mā ʾallafta bayna qulūbihim wa-lākinna Allāha ʾallafa baynahum ʾinnahu ʿazīzun ḥakīmun﴾, al-ʾanfāli: 63.

God, Blessed and Exalted Is He, made affection between believers one of His signs, praised Himself through its description, and did not entrust it to the Messenger, God bless him and grant him peace. He, Mighty and Majestic, said: “He joined their hearts; and had you spent all that is on earth, you could not have joined their hearts, but God joined them. He is Mighty, Wise” (al-Anfāl 8:63).

أَيْ: عَزِيزٌ لَا يُؤَلِّفُ غَيْرُهُ مَا فَرَّقَ، وَلَا يُفَرِّقُ سِوَاهُ مَا أَلَّفَ، حَكِيمٌ تَفَرَّدَ بِالْحُكْمِ فِي التَّأْلِيفِ، كَمَا تَوَحَّدَ بِالتَّوْحِيدِ بِالتَّعْرِيفِ.

ʾay: ʿazīzun lā yuʾallifu ghayruhu mā farraqa, walā yufarriqu siwāhu mā ʾallafa, ḥakīmun tafarrada bi-al-ḥukmi fī al-taʾlīfi, kamā tawaḥḥada bi-al-tawḥīdi bi-al-taʿrīfi.

That is, Mighty: no other joins what He has separated or separates what He has joined. Wise: He alone exercises judgment in joining hearts, just as He alone is singled out in the affirmation of His oneness through making Himself known.

وَمَعْنًى آخَرُ: عَزِيزٌ عَزَّزَ الْأُلْفَةَ وَعَظَّمَهَا عِنْدَ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ، حَكِيمٌ جَعَلَهَا فِي الْحِكْمَةِ مَعَ الْحُكَمَاءِ مِنَ الصَّالِحِينَ.

wamaʿnan ʾākharu: ʿazīzun ʿazzaza al-ʾulfata waʿaẓẓamahā ʿinda al-muʾminīna, ḥakīmun jaʿalahā fī al-ḥikmati maʿa al-ḥukamāʾi mina al-ṣāliḥīna.

Another meaning: Mighty, in that He made affection precious and exalted it among believers; Wise, in that He placed it within wisdom among the wise of the righteous.

وَنَظَرَ أَبُو الدَّرْدَاءِ إِلَى ثَوْرَيْنِ يَحْرُثَانِ فِي فَدَّانٍ، فَوَقَفَ أَحَدُهُمَا يَحُكُّ جَسَدَهُ فَوَقَفَ الْآخَرُ، فَبَكَى أَبُو الدَّرْدَاءِ فَقَالَ لَهُ: هَكَذَا الْإِخْوَانُ فِي اللَّهِ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ، يَعْمَلَانِ لِلَّهِ تَبَارَكَ وَتَعَالَى وَيَتَعَاوَنَانِ عَلَى أَمْرِ اللَّهِ، فَإِذَا وَقَفَ أَحَدُهُمَا وَقَفَ الْآخَرُ لِوُقُوفِهِ.

wanaẓara ʾabū al-dardāʾi ʾilā thawrayni yaḥruthāni fī faddānin, fawaqafa ʾaḥaduhumā yaḥukku jasadahu fawaqafa al-ʾākharu, fabakā ʾabū al-dardāʾi faqāla lahu: hākadhā al-ʾikhwānu fī Allāhi ʿazza wajalla, yaʿmalāni li-llāhi tabāraka wataʿālā wayataʿāwanāni ʿalā ʾamri Allāhi, faʾidhā waqafa ʾaḥaduhumā waqafa al-ʾākharu liwuqūfihi.

Abū al-Dardāʾ watched two oxen plowing a field. One stopped to scratch its body, and the other stopped too. Abū al-Dardāʾ wept and said to his companion: “So are brothers in God, Mighty and Majestic. They work for God, Blessed and Exalted Is He, and help one another in God’s command; when one stops, the other stops because he has stopped.”

وَكَانَ أَكْثَرُ عِبَادَةِ أَبِي الدَّرْدَاءِ التَّفَكُّرَ، وَكَانَ يَقُولُ: إِنِّي لَأَدْعُو لِأَرْبَعِينَ مِنْ إِخْوَانِي فِي سُجُودِي أُسَمِّيهِمْ بِأَسْمَائِهِمْ.

wakāna ʾaktharu ʿibādati ʾabī al-dardāʾi al-tafakkura, wakāna yaqūlu: ʾinnī laʾadʿū liʾarbaʿīna min ʾikhwānī fī sujūdī ʾusammīhim biʾasmāʾihim.

Most of Abū al-Dardāʾ’s worship consisted in reflection. He used to say: “I pray for forty of my brothers in my prostration, naming each by name.”

وَقَدْ جَاءَ فِي الْحَدِيثِ: دُعَاءُ الْأَخِ لِأَخِيهِ بِالْغَيْبِ لَا يُرَدُّ، وَيَقُولُ الْمَلَكُ: وَلَكَ مِثْلُ هَذَا. وَفِي لَفْظٍ آخَرَ يَقُولُ اللَّهُ تَبَارَكَ وَتَعَالَى: بِكَ أَبْدَأُ. وَالْحَدِيثُ الْمَشْهُورُ: يُسْتَجَابُ لِلْمَرْءِ فِي أَخِيهِ مَا لَا يُسْتَجَابُ لَهُ فِي نَفْسِهِ.

waqad jāʾa fī al-ḥadīthi: duʿāʾu al-ʾakhi liʾakhīhi bi-al-ghaybi lā yuraddu, wayaqūlu al-malaku: walaka mithlu hādhā. wafī lafẓin ʾākhara yaqūlu Allāhu tabāraka wataʿālā: bika ʾabdaʾu. wa-al-ḥadīthu al-mashhūru: yustajābu li-l-marʾi fī ʾakhīhi mā lā yustajābu lahu fī nafsihi.

A report says: “A brother’s prayer for his absent brother is not rejected, and the angel says, ‘May you have the same.’” Another wording has God, Blessed and Exalted Is He, say: “I begin with you.” The well-known report says: “A person receives an answer to a prayer for his brother that he does not receive for himself.”

فَمِنْ وَاجِبِ الْأُخُوَّةِ تَخْصِيصُهُ وَإِفْرَادُهُ بِالدُّعَاءِ، وَالِاسْتِغْفَارُ لَهُ فِي الْغَيْبِ، فَلَوْ لَمْ يَكُنْ مِنْ بَرَكَةِ الْأُخُوَّةِ إِلَّا هَذَا كَانَ كَثِيرًا.

famin wājibi al-ʾukhuwwati takhṣīṣuhu waʾifrāduhu bi-al-duʿāʾi, wa-al-istighfāru lahu fī al-ghaybi, falaw lam yakun min barakati al-ʾukhuwwati ʾillā hādhā kāna kathīran.

One of brotherhood’s obligations is to single a brother out in prayer and seek forgiveness for him in his absence. Even if this were brotherhood’s only blessing, it would be much.

وَكَانَ مُحَمَّدُ بْنُ يُوسُفَ الْأَصْبَهَانِيُّ يَقُولُ: وَأَيْنَ مِثْلُ الْأَخِ الصَّالِحِ؟ أَهْلُكَ يَقْتَسِمُونَ مِيرَاثَكَ وَهُوَ مُنْفَرِدٌ بِحَسْرَتِكَ، مُهْتَمٌّ بِمَا قَدَّمْتَ، يَدْعُو لَكَ فِي ظُلْمَةِ اللَّيْلِ وَأَنْتَ تَحْتَ أَطْبَاقِ الثَّرَى.

wakāna muḥammadu bnu yūsufa al-ʾaṣbahāniyyu yaqūlu: waʾayna mithlu al-ʾakhi al-ṣāliḥi? ʾahluka yaqtasimūna mīrāthaka wahuwa munfaridun biḥasratika, muhtammun bimā qaddamta, yadʿū laka fī ẓulmati al-layli waʾanta taḥta ʾaṭbāqi al-tharā.

Muḥammad ibn Yūsuf al-Aṣbahānī used to say: “Where can you find the like of a righteous brother? Your family divide your inheritance while he grieves for you alone, concerned about what you have sent ahead, praying for you in the darkness of night while you lie beneath layers of earth.”

فَقَدْ أَشْبَهَ الْأَخُ الصَّالِحُ الْمَلَائِكَةَ، لِأَنَّهُ جَاءَ فِي الْخَبَرِ: إِذَا مَاتَ الْعَبْدُ قَالَ النَّاسُ: مَا خَلَّفَ؟ وَقَالَتِ الْمَلَائِكَةُ: مَا قَدَّمَ؟ يَفْرَحُونَ بِمَا قَدَّمَ مِنْ خَيْرٍ وَيُشْفِقُونَ عَلَيْهِ.

faqad ʾashbaha al-ʾakhu al-ṣāliḥu al-malāʾikata, liʾannahu jāʾa fī al-khabari: ʾidhā māta al-ʿabdu qāla al-nāsu: mā khallafa? waqālati al-malāʾikatu: mā qaddama? yafraḥūna bimā qaddama min khayrin wayushfiqūna ʿalayhi.

A righteous brother thus resembles the angels. A report says: “When a servant dies, people ask, ‘What did he leave behind?’ The angels ask, ‘What did he send ahead?’” They rejoice in the good he has sent ahead and feel compassion for him.

وَقَالَ بَعْضُ الْعُلَمَاءِ: لَوْ لَمْ يَكُنْ فِي اتِّخَاذِ الْإِخْوَانِ إِلَّا أَنَّ أَحَدَهُمْ يَبْلُغُهُ مَوْتُ أَخِيهِ فَيَتَرَحَّمُ عَلَيْهِ وَيَدْعُو لَهُ، فَلَعَلَّهُ يُغْفَرُ لَهُ بِحُسْنِ نِيَّتِهِ لَهُ.

waqāla baʿḍu al-ʿulamāʾi: law lam yakun fī ittikhādhi al-ʾikhwāni ʾillā ʾanna ʾaḥadahum yablughuhu mawtu ʾakhīhi fayataraḥḥamu ʿalayhi wayadʿū lahu, falaʿallahu yughfaru lahu biḥusni niyyatihi lahu.

One scholar said: “Even if the only benefit of acquiring brothers were that one hears of his brother’s death, asks mercy for him, and prays for him, perhaps the deceased would be forgiven through his brother’s good intention toward him.”

وَيُقَالُ: مَنْ بَلَغَهُ مَوْتُ أَخِيهِ فَتَرَحَّمَ عَلَيْهِ وَاسْتَغْفَرَ لَهُ، كَأَنَّهُ شَهِدَ جِنَازَتَهُ وَصَلَّى عَلَيْهِ. وَقَدْ رَوَيْنَا عَنْ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ: مَثَلُ الْمَيِّتِ فِي قَبْرِهِ مَثَلُ الْغَرِيقِ يَتَعَلَّقُ بِكُلِّ شَيْءٍ، يَنْتَظِرُ دَعْوَةً مِنْ وَلَدٍ أَوْ وَالِدٍ أَوْ أَخٍ.

wayuqālu: man balaghahu mawtu ʾakhīhi fataraḥḥama ʿalayhi wa-istaghfara lahu, kaʾannahu shahida jināzatahu waṣallā ʿalayhi. waqad rawaynā ʿan rasūli Allāhi ṣallā Allāhu ʿalayhi wasallama: mathalu al-mayyiti fī qabrihi mathalu al-gharīqi yataʿallaqu bikulli shayʾin, yantaẓiru daʿwatan min waladin ʾaw wālidin ʾaw ʾakhin.

It is said: “Whoever hears of his brother’s death, asks mercy for him, and seeks forgiveness for him is as though he attended his funeral and prayed over him.” We have transmitted from God’s Messenger, God bless him and grant him peace: “The dead person in his grave is like a drowning man clinging to anything, waiting for a prayer from a child, a parent, or a brother.”

وَإِنَّهُ لَيَدْخُلُ عَلَى قُبُورِ الْأَمْوَاتِ مِنْ دُعَاءِ الْأَحْيَاءِ مِنَ الْأَنْوَارِ أَمْثَالُ الْجِبَالِ. وَيُقَالُ: الدُّعَاءُ لِلْأَمْوَاتِ بِمَنْزِلَةِ الْهَدَايَا لِلْأَحْيَاءِ فِي الدُّنْيَا.

waʾinnahu layadkhulu ʿalā qubūri al-ʾamwāti min duʿāʾi al-ʾaḥyāʾi mina al-ʾanwāri ʾamthālu al-jibāli. wayuqālu: al-duʿāʾu li-l-ʾamwāti bimanzilati al-hadāyā li-l-ʾaḥyāʾi fī al-dunyā.

“Through the prayers of the living, lights like mountains enter the graves of the dead.” It is said: “Prayers for the dead are like gifts for the living in this world.”

قَالَ: فَيَدْخُلُ الْمَلَكُ عَلَى الْمَيِّتِ مَعَهُ طَبَقٌ مِنْ نُورٍ، عَلَيْهِ مِنْدِيلٌ مِنْ نُورٍ فَيَقُولُ: هَذِهِ هَدِيَّةٌ مِنْ عِنْدِ أَخِيكَ فُلَانٍ، مِنْ عِنْدِ قَرِينِكَ فُلَانٍ. قَالَ: فَيَفْرَحُ بِذَلِكَ، كَمَا يَفْرَحُ الْحَيُّ بِالْهَدِيَّةِ.

qāla: fayadkhulu al-malaku ʿalā al-mayyiti maʿahu ṭabaqun min nūrin, ʿalayhi mindīlun min nūrin fayaqūlu: hādhihi hadiyyatun min ʿindi ʾakhīka fulānin, min ʿindi qarīnika fulānin. qāla: fayafraḥu bi-dhālika, kamā yafraḥu al-ḥayyu bi-al-hadiyyati.

He said: “The angel enters upon the dead person carrying a tray of light covered by a cloth of light and says, ‘This is a gift from your brother so-and-so, from your companion so-and-so.’ He rejoices in it as a living person rejoices in a gift.”

فَقَدْ كَانَ الْإِخْوَانُ يُوصُونَ إِخْوَانَهُمْ بَعْدَهُمْ بِدَوَامِ الدُّعَاءِ لَهُمْ، وَيَرْغَبُونَ فِي ذَلِكَ لِحُسْنِ يَقِينِهِمْ وَصِدْقِ نِيَّاتِهِمْ، وَإِنَّ أَعْظَمَ الْحَسْرَةِ مَنْ خَرَجَ مِنَ الدُّنْيَا وَلَمْ يُؤَاخِ أَخًا فِي اللَّهِ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ،

faqad kāna al-ʾikhwānu yūṣūna ʾikhwānahum baʿdahum bidawāmi al-duʿāʾi lahum, wayarghabūna fī dhālika liḥusni yaqīnihim waṣidqi niyyātihim, waʾinna ʾaʿẓama al-ḥasrati man kharaja mina al-dunyā walam yuʾākhi ʾakhan fī Allāhi ʿazza wajalla,

Brothers therefore used to charge those who survived them to keep praying for them, desiring this because of their sound certainty and sincere intentions. The greatest regret belongs to one who leaves this world without having made a brother in God, Mighty and Majestic,

الْجُزْءُ الثَّانِي، الصَّفْحَةُ ٣٨٣

al-juzʾu al-thānī, al-ṣafḥatu 383

Volume Two, page 383

فَيُدْرِكَ بِذَلِكَ فَضَائِلَ الْمُؤَاخَاةِ وَيَنَالَ بِهِ مَنَازِلَ الْمُحِبِّينَ عِنْدَ اللَّهِ تَعَالَى. وَمِنْ أَشَدِّ النَّاسِ وَحْشَةً فِي الدُّنْيَا مَنْ لَمْ يَكُنْ لَهُ خَلِيلٌ يَأْنَسُ بِهِ وَصَدِيقُ صِدْقٍ يَسْكُنُ إِلَيْهِ.

fayudrika bi-dhālika faḍāʾila al-muʾākhāti wayanāla bihi manāzila al-muḥibbīna ʿinda Allāhi taʿālā. wamin ʾashaddi al-nāsi waḥshatan fī al-dunyā man lam yakun lahu khalīlun yaʾnasu bihi waṣadīqu ṣidqin yaskunu ʾilayhi.

and thereby attained the excellences of brotherhood and the stations of those who love before God Most High. Among the loneliest people in this world is someone without an intimate friend whose company comforts him or a true friend with whom he finds rest.

كَمَا قَالَ عَلِيٌّ عَلَيْهِ السَّلَامُ: وَغَرِيبٌ مَنْ لَمْ يَكُنْ لَهُ حَبِيبٌ، وَلَا يُوحِشَنَّكَ مِنْ صَدِيقٍ سُوءُ ظَنٍّ. وَأَنْشَدَ بَعْضُ الشُّيُوخِ لِبَعْضِهِمْ:

kamā qāla ʿaliyyun ʿalayhi al-salāmu: wagharībun man lam yakun lahu ḥabībun, walā yūḥishannaka min ṣadīqin sūʾu ẓannin. waʾanshada baʿḍu al-shuyūkhi libaʿḍihim:

As ʿAlī, peace be upon him, said: “A stranger is one who has no beloved. Let no suspicion estrange you from a friend.” One of the shaykhs recited verses by another:

وَلَيْسَ غَرِيبًا مَنْ تَنَاءَتْ دِيَارُهُ ... وَلَكِنْ مَنْ يُجْفَى فَذَاكَ غَرِيبٌ / وَمَنْ كَانَ ذَا عَهْدٍ قَدِيمٍ وَذَا وَفَا ... فَلَوْ جَاوَزَ السَّدَّيْنِ فَهُوَ قَرِيبٌ.

walaysa gharīban man tanāʾat diyāruhu ... wa-lākin man yujfā fadhāka gharībun / waman kāna dhā ʿahdin qadīmin wadhā wafā ... falaw jāwaza al-saddayni fahuwa qarībun.

The stranger is not the one whose home lies far away; the one treated coldly is the stranger. Whoever keeps an old covenant and remains faithful is near, even if he passes beyond the two barriers.

وَقِيلَ لِسُفْيَانَ الثَّوْرِيِّ: بِمَنْ تَأْنَسُ؟ فَقَالَ: بِقَيْسِ بْنِ الرَّبِيعِ، وَمَا رَأَيْتُهُ مُنْذُ سَنَتَيْنِ. وَكَانَ بَعْضُهُمْ يَقُولُ: أَنَا بِمَوَدَّةِ مَنْ غَابَ عَنِّي مِنْ بَعْضِ إِخْوَانِي أَوْثَقُ مِنِّي بِمَوَدَّةِ مَنْ يَغْدُو عَلَيَّ وَيَرُوحُ فِي كُلِّ يَوْمٍ مَرَّتَيْنِ.

waqīla lisufyāna al-thawriyyi: biman taʾnasu? faqāla: biqaysi bni al-rabīʿi, wamā raʾaytuhu mundhu sanatayni. wakāna baʿḍuhum yaqūlu: ʾanā bimawaddati man ghāba ʿannī min baʿḍi ʾikhwānī ʾawthaqu minnī bimawaddati man yaghdū ʿalayya wayarūḥu fī kulli yawmin marratayni.

Sufyān al-Thawrī was asked: “Whose company comforts you?” He answered: “Qays ibn al-Rabīʿ’s, though I have not seen him for two years.” One used to say: “I trust the affection of some absent brothers more than that of someone who comes to me morning and evening, twice every day.”

وَقَالَ مُحَمَّدُ بْنُ دَاوُدَ: قُرْبُ الْقُلُوبِ عَلَى بُعْدِ الْمَزَارِ خَيْرٌ مِنْ قُرْبِ الدِّيَارِ مِنَ الدِّيَارِ.

waqāla muḥammadu bnu dāwūda: qurbu al-qulūbi ʿalā buʿdi al-mazāri khayrun min qurbi al-diyāri mina al-diyāri.

Muḥammad ibn Dāwūd said: “Nearness of hearts despite the distance between visits is better than houses standing near other houses.”

وَلْيَتَّقِ أَنْ يُعَاشِرَ أَخَاهُ بِخَمْسِ خِصَالٍ فَلَيْسَتْ مِنَ الْأَدَبِ وَلَا الْمُرُوءَةِ: أَوَّلُهَا أَلَّا يُلْزِمَهُ بِمَا يَكْرَهُ مِمَّا يَشُقُّ عَلَيْهِ، وَالثَّانِيَةُ أَلَّا يَسْمَعَ فِيهِ بَلَاغَةً وَلَا يُصَدِّقَ عَلَيْهِ مَقَالَةً، وَالثَّالِثَةُ أَلَّا يُكْثِرَ مَسْأَلَتَهُ مِنْ أَيْنَ تَجِيءُ وَإِلَى أَيْنَ تَذْهَبُ.

walyattaqi ʾan yuʿāshira ʾakhāhu bikhamsi khiṣālin falaysat mina al-ʾadabi walā al-murūʾati: ʾawwaluhā ʾallā yulzimahu bimā yakrahu mimmā yashuqqu ʿalayhi, wa-al-thāniyatu ʾallā yasmaʿa fīhi balāghatan walā yuṣaddiqa ʿalayhi maqālatan, wa-al-thālithatu ʾallā yukthira masʾalatahu min ʾayna tajīʾu waʾilā ʾayna tadhhabu.

One should guard against five ways of dealing with a brother, for they belong neither to good manners nor noble conduct. First, do not impose disliked and burdensome things upon him. Second, do not listen to a report against him or believe an accusation about him. Third, do not constantly ask him, “Where are you coming from?” and “Where are you going?”

وَأَنْ لَا يَتَجَسَّسَ عَلَيْهِ وَلَا يَتَحَسَّسَ عَنْهُ، وَالْفَرْقُ بَيْنَهُمَا أَنَّ التَّجَسُّسَ يَكُونُ فِي قَفْوِ الْآثَارِ، وَالتَّحَسُّسَ يَكُونُ فِي تَطَلُّعِ الْأَخْبَارِ، فَقَدْ رَوَيْنَا كَرَاهَةَ هَذِهِ الْخَمْسِ فِي سِيرَةِ السَّلَفِ.

waʾan lā yatajassasa ʿalayhi walā yataḥassasa ʿanhu, wa-al-farqu baynahumā ʾanna al-tajassusa yakūnu fī qafwi al-ʾāthāri, wa-al-taḥassusa yakūnu fī taṭalluʿi al-ʾakhbāri, faqad rawaynā karāhata hādhihi al-khamsi fī sīrati al-salafi.

Nor should he spy on him or pry about him. The distinction is that spying follows someone’s traces, while prying seeks out reports about him. We have transmitted disapproval of these five practices in accounts of the early generations.

وَقَالَ مُحَمَّدُ بْنُ سِيرِينَ: لَا تُلْزِمْ أَخَاكَ بِمَا يَشُقُّ عَلَيْهِ. وَقَالَ مُجَاهِدٌ: إِذَا رَأَيْتَ أَخَاكَ فِي طَرِيقٍ فَلَا تَسْأَلْهُ مِنْ أَيْنَ جِئْتَ وَلَا أَيْنَ تَذْهَبُ، فَلَعَلَّهُ أَنْ يَصْدُقَكَ فِي ذَلِكَ أَوْ يَكْذِبَكَ، فَتَكُونَ قَدْ حَمَلْتَهُ عَلَى الْكَذِبِ.

waqāla muḥammadu bnu sīrīna: lā tulzim ʾakhāka bimā yashuqqu ʿalayhi. waqāla mujāhidun: ʾidhā raʾayta ʾakhāka fī ṭarīqin falā tasʾalhu min ʾayna jiʾta walā ʾayna tadhhabu, falaʿallahu ʾan yaṣduqaka fī dhālika ʾaw yakdhibaka, fatakūna qad ḥamaltahu ʿalā al-kadhibi.

Muḥammad ibn Sīrīn said: “Do not burden your brother with what is hard for him.” Mujāhid said: “If you see your brother on the road, do not ask him where he has come from or where he is going. He may tell you the truth or lie to you, and you may thereby have driven him to lie.”

وَرَوَيْنَا أَنَّ حَكِيمًا جَاءَ إِلَى حَكِيمٍ فَقَالَ: جِئْتُكَ خَاطِبًا إِلَيْكَ مَوَدَّتَكَ. فَقَالَ: إِنْ جَعَلْتَ مَهْرَهَا ثَلَاثًا فَعَلْتُ. قَالَ: وَمَا هُنَّ؟ قَالَ: لَا تُخَالِفْنِي فِي أَمْرٍ، وَلَا تَقْبَلْ عَلَيَّ بَلَاغَةً، وَلَا تُعْطِيَنَّ فِيَّ رِشْوَةً. فَقَالَ: قَدْ فَعَلْتُ. قَالَ: قَدْ آخَيْتُكَ.

warawaynā ʾanna ḥakīman jāʾa ʾilā ḥakīmin faqāla: jiʾtuka khāṭiban ʾilayka mawaddataka. faqāla: ʾin jaʿalta mahrahā thalāthan faʿaltu. qāla: wamā hunna? qāla: lā tukhālifnī fī ʾamrin, walā taqbal ʿalayya balāghatan, walā tuʿṭiyanna fiyya rishwatan. faqāla: qad faʿaltu. qāla: qad ʾākhaytuka.

We have transmitted that one sage came to another and said: “I have come to ask for your affection in marriage.” He answered: “If you make three things its dowry, I agree.” He asked, “What are they?” He said: “Do not oppose me in a matter, accept no report against me, and give no bribe against me.” He answered, “I agree.” He said, “Then I have made you my brother.”

وَأَمَّا التَّجَسُّسُ وَالتَّحَسُّسُ فَقَدْ نَهَى اللَّهُ وَرَسُولُهُ عَنْهُمَا، وَجَعَلَهُمَا رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ مِنْ شَرْطِ الْأُخُوَّةِ مَعَ تَرْكِ التَّدَابُرِ وَالتَّقَاطُعِ، فَقَدْ رَوَيْنَا فِي الْخَبَرِ السَّائِرِ: لَا تَجَسَّسُوا وَلَا تَحَسَّسُوا، وَلَا تَقَاطَعُوا وَلَا تَدَابَرُوا، وَكُونُوا عِبَادَ اللَّهِ إِخْوَانًا.

waʾammā al-tajassusu wa-al-taḥassusu faqad nahā Allāhu warasūluhu ʿanhumā, wajaʿalahumā rasūlu Allāhi ṣallā Allāhu ʿalayhi wasallama min sharṭi al-ʾukhuwwati maʿa tarki al-tadāburi wa-al-taqāṭuʿi, faqad rawaynā fī al-khabari al-sāʾiri: lā tajassasū walā taḥassasū, walā taqāṭaʿū walā tadābarū, wakūnū ʿibāda Allāhi ʾikhwānan.

As for spying and prying, God and His Messenger forbade them. God’s Messenger, God bless him and grant him peace, made their avoidance a condition of brotherhood, together with refraining from turning one’s back and severing ties. We have transmitted the widely circulated report: “Do not spy or pry; do not sever ties or turn your backs on one another. Be brothers, servants of God.”

الْمُقَاطَعَةُ فِي الشَّهَادَةِ أَنْ تَقْطَعَ مُوَاصَلَتَهُ، وَتَنْحَرِفَ عَنْ جَرَيَانِ عَادَتِهِ، وَالتَّدَابُرُ فِي الْغَيْبِ مَأْخُوذٌ مِنْهُ إِذَا وَلَّاكَ الدُّبُرَ، أَيْ لَا تُدَابِرْهُ إِلَّا بِمَا يُحِبُّ، كَمَا تَكُونُ لَهُ فِي الْمُقَابَلَةِ، كَمَا أُخِذَتِ الْغِيبَةُ مِنَ الْغَيْبِ أَيْ لَا تَخْلُفْهُ فِي غَيْبِهِ بِمَا يَكْرَهُ.

al-muqāṭaʿatu fī al-shahādati ʾan taqṭaʿa muwāṣalatahu, watanḥarifa ʿan jarayāni ʿādatihi, wa-al-tadāburu fī al-ghaybi maʾkhūdhun minhu ʾidhā wallāka al-dubura, ʾay lā tudābirhu ʾillā bimā yuḥibbu, kamā takūnu lahu fī al-muqābalati, kamā ʾukhidhati al-ghībatu mina al-ghaybi ʾay lā takhlufhu fī ghaybihi bimā yakrahu.

Severing ties concerns what is visible: cutting off contact and departing from the customary course of the relationship. Turning one’s back concerns absence, from the expression for someone turning his back to you: deal with him when his back is turned only as he would like, just as you do face to face. Similarly, backbiting, ghība, derives from absence, ghayb: do not act behind his back in ways he dislikes.

وَقَدْ كَانَ الْإِخْوَانُ يَتَبَايَتُونَ عَلَى الْعُلُومِ وَالْأَعْمَالِ، وَعَلَى التِّلَاوَةِ وَالْأَذْكَارِ، وَبِهَذِهِ الْمَعَانِي تَحْسُنُ الصُّحْبَةُ وَتَحِقُّ الْمَحَبَّةُ، وَكَانُوا يَجِدُونَ مِنَ الْمَزِيدِ مِنْ ذَلِكَ وَالنَّفْعِ بِهِ فِي الْعَاجِلِ وَالْآجِلِ مَا لَا يَجِدُونَهُ فِي التَّخَلِّي وَالِانْفِرَادِ، مِنْ تَحْسِينِ الْأَخْلَاقِ وَتَلْقِيحِ الْعُقُولِ وَمُذَاكَرَةِ الْعُلُومِ.

waqad kāna al-ʾikhwānu yatabāyatūna ʿalā al-ʿulūmi wa-al-ʾaʿmāli, waʿalā al-tilāwati wa-al-ʾadhkāri, wabi-hādhihi al-maʿānī taḥsunu al-ṣuḥbatu wataḥiqqu al-maḥabbatu, wakānū yajidūna mina al-mazīdi min dhālika wa-al-nafʿi bihi fī al-ʿājili wa-al-ʾājili mā lā yajidūnahu fī al-takhallī wa-al-infirādi, min taḥsīni al-ʾakhlāqi watalqīḥi al-ʿuqūli wamudhākarati al-ʿulūmi.

Brothers used to spend nights together in learning, practice, recitation, and remembrances. Through these things companionship becomes good and love is made real. They found growth and benefit, now and hereafter, that they did not find in withdrawal and solitude: refining character, enriching minds, and discussing knowledge.

وَهَذَا لَا يَصِحُّ إِلَّا لِأَهْلِهِ، وَهُمْ أَهْلُ سَلَامَةِ الصُّدُورِ وَالرِّضَا بِالْمَيْسُورِ مَعَ وُجُودِ الرَّحْمَةِ، وَفَقْدِ الْحَسَدِ، وَوَجْدِ التَّنَاصُرِ، وَعَدَمِ التَّظَاهُرِ، وَسُقُوطِ التَّكَلُّفِ، وَدَوَامِ التَّآلُفِ، فَإِذَا عُدِمَتْ هَذِهِ الْخِصَالُ فَفِي وُجُودِ أَضْدَادِهَا تَقِلُّ الْمُبَايَنَةُ. وَقَدْ قِيلَ: مَنْ سَقَطَتْ

wa-hādhā lā yaṣiḥḥu ʾillā liʾahlihi, wahum ʾahlu salāmati al-ṣudūri wa-al-riḍā bi-al-maysūri maʿa wujūdi al-raḥmati, wafaqdi al-ḥasadi, wawajdi al-tanāṣuri, waʿadami al-taẓāhuri, wasuqūṭi al-takallufi, wadawāmi al-taʾālufi, faʾidhā ʿudimat hādhihi al-khiṣālu fafī wujūdi ʾaḍdādihā taqillu al-mubāyanatu. waqad qīla: man saqaṭat

This is sound only for those suited to it: people of untroubled hearts, content with what is readily available, possessing mercy, free of envy, mutually supportive, without posturing, free of strained formality, and constant in affection. When these qualities are absent, their opposites are present and estrangement diminishes. It has been said: “When someone’s

الْجُزْءُ الثَّانِي، الصَّفْحَةُ ٣٨٤

al-juzʾu al-thānī, al-ṣafḥatu 384

Volume Two, page 384

كُلْفَتُهُ دَامَتْ صُحْبَتُهُ وَأُلْفَتُهُ، وَمَنْ قَلَّتْ مُؤُونَتُهُ دَامَتْ مَوَدَّتُهُ. وَقَالَ عَلِيٌّ عَلَيْهِ السَّلَامُ: شَرُّ الْأَصْدِقَاءِ مَنْ تَكَلَّفَ لَهُ.

kulfatuhu dāmat ṣuḥbatuhu waʾulfatuhu, waman qallat muʾūnatuhu dāmat mawaddatuhu. waqāla ʿaliyyun ʿalayhi al-salāmu: sharru al-ʾaṣdiqāʾi man takallafa lahu.

strained formality falls away, his companionship and affection endure; when someone’s demands are few, his friendship endures.” ʿAlī, peace be upon him, said: “The worst friend is one for whom one must put on a display.”

وَقَالَ يُونُسُ النَّبِيُّ عَلَيْهِ السَّلَامُ لَمَّا زَارَهُ إِخْوَانُهُ فَقَدَّمَ إِلَيْهِمْ خُبْزَ شَعِيرٍ وَجَزَّ لَهُمْ مِنْ بَقْلٍ كَانَ زَرَعَهُ، وَقَالَ: لَوْلَا أَنَّ اللَّهَ تَبَارَكَ وَتَعَالَى لَعَنَ الْمُتَكَلِّفِينَ لَتَكَلَّفْتُ لَكُمْ.

waqāla yūnusu al-nabiyyu ʿalayhi al-salāmu lammā zārahu ʾikhwānuhu faqaddama ʾilayhim khubza shaʿīrin wajazza lahum min baqlin kāna zaraʿahu, waqāla: lawlā ʾanna Allāha tabāraka wataʿālā laʿana al-mutakallifīna latakallaftu lakum.

When his brothers visited the prophet Jonah, peace be upon him, he set barley bread before them and cut some greens he had grown. He said: “Were it not that God, Blessed and Exalted Is He, has cursed those who put on elaborate displays, I would have done so for you.”

وَرَوَيْنَا عَنْ نَبِيِّنَا صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ: أَنَا وَالْأَتْقِيَاءُ مِنْ أُمَّتِي بُرَاءُ مِنَ التَّكَلُّفِ. فَجُمْلَةُ التَّكَلُّفِ هُوَ عَمَلُ مَا لَا نِيَّةَ لِلْعَبْدِ فِيهِ، وَدُخُولُ الْعَبْدِ فِيمَا لَا يَعْنِيهِ وَتَعَاطِيهِ مَا قَدْ كُفِيَهُ.

warawaynā ʿan nabiyyinā ṣallā Allāhu ʿalayhi wasallama: ʾanā wa-al-ʾatqiyāʾu min ʾummatī burāʾu mina al-takallufi. fajumlatu al-takallufi huwa ʿamalu mā lā niyyata li-l-ʿabdi fīhi, wadukhūlu al-ʿabdi fīmā lā yaʿnīhi wataʿāṭīhi mā qad kufiyahu.

We have transmitted from our Prophet, God bless him and grant him peace: “I and the God-conscious of my community are free of affected formality.” In general, this affectation is doing something without a sincere intention, entering into what does not concern one, and taking on what has already been taken care of for one.

وَمَعَ وُجُودِ الْحَسَدِ وَكُمُونِ الْغِلِّ، وَهُوَ ثُبُوتُ الْحِقْدِ، تَكُونُ الْمُبَايَنَةُ، وَفِي التَّطَاوُلِ وَالتَّظَاهُرِ تَقَعُ الْمُجَانَبَةُ، وَمَعَ الْخُبْثِ وَالْمَكْرِ تَكُونُ الْمُنَافَرَةُ، وَهَذَا كُلُّهُ يُذْهِبُ الْأُلْفَةَ وَيَنْقُصُ الْمَحَبَّةَ وَيُبْطِلُ فَضِيلَةَ الْأُخُوَّةِ.

wamaʿa wujūdi al-ḥasadi wakumūni al-ghilli, wahuwa thubūtu al-ḥiqdi, takūnu al-mubāyanatu, wafī al-taṭāwuli wa-al-taẓāhuri taqaʿu al-mujānabatu, wamaʿa al-khubthi wa-al-makri takūnu al-munāfaratu, wa-hādhā kulluhu yudhhibu al-ʾulfata wayanquṣu al-maḥabbata wayubṭilu faḍīlata al-ʾukhuwwati.

Envy and concealed malice, meaning settled rancor, produce estrangement. Arrogance and posturing lead to avoidance; wickedness and deceit lead to mutual aversion. All this removes affection, diminishes love, and nullifies brotherhood’s excellence.

وَقَالَ بَعْضُ أَهْلِ الْبَيْتِ: أَثْقَلُ إِخْوَانِي عَلَيَّ مَنْ أَحْتَشِمُهُ وَيَحْتَشِمُنِي. وَقَالَ بَعْضُ السَّلَفِ: كَانُوا لَا يَغْتَنِمُونَ وَلَا يَحْتَشِمُونَ.

waqāla baʿḍu ʾahli al-bayti: ʾathqalu ʾikhwānī ʿalayya man ʾaḥtashimuhu wayaḥtashimunī. waqāla baʿḍu al-salafi: kānū lā yaghtanimūna walā yaḥtashimūna.

One of the People of the Household said: “The most burdensome of my brothers is one before whom I feel constrained and who feels constrained before me.” One of the early generations said: “They neither took advantage of one another nor stood on ceremony.”

وَسُئِلَ الْحَسَنُ عَنِ الصَّدِيقِ الَّذِي أَكَلَ مَالَهُ بِغَيْرِ إِذْنٍ مِنْهُ فَقَالَ: مَنِ اسْتَرَاحَتْ إِلَيْهِ النَّفْسُ وَسَكَنَ إِلَيْهِ الْقَلْبُ، فَإِذَا كَانَ كَذَلِكَ فَلَا إِذْنَ لَهُ فِي مَالِهِ.

wasuʾila al-ḥasanu ʿani al-ṣadīqi alladhī ʾakala mālahu bighayri ʾidhnin minhu faqāla: mani istarāḥat ʾilayhi al-nafsu wasakana ʾilayhi al-qalbu, faʾidhā kāna kadhālika falā ʾidhna lahu fī mālihi.

Al-Ḥasan was asked about the friend whose property one had consumed without his permission. He answered: “Someone in whose company the soul rests and with whom the heart is at peace. If he is such a person, no permission is required concerning his property.”

وَسُئِلَ ذُو النُّونِ عَنِ الْأُنْسِ فَقَالَ: أَنْ تَأْنَسَ بِكُلِّ وَجْهٍ صَبِيحٍ وَكُلِّ صَوْتٍ فَصِيحٍ، وَاللَّهُ تَبَارَكَ وَتَعَالَى فِيمَا بَيْنَكَ وَبَيْنَ ذَلِكَ.

wasuʾila dhū al-nūni ʿani al-ʾunsi faqāla: ʾan taʾnasa bikulli wajhin ṣabīḥin wakulli ṣawtin faṣīḥin, wa-Allāhu tabāraka wataʿālā fīmā baynaka wabayna dhālika.

Dhū al-Nūn was asked about intimate ease. He answered: “To find delight in every beautiful face and every eloquent voice, with God, Blessed and Exalted Is He, between you and all of it.”

وَإِذَا عَلِمْتَ أَنَّ أَخَاكَ يُسَرُّ بِأَخْذِكَ مِنْ رَحْلِهِ وَمِلْكِهِ، أَوْ عَلِمْتَ أَنَّهُ لَا يَكْرَهُ ذَلِكَ إِنْ فَعَلْتَهُ، حَلَّ لَكَ أَنْ تَأْخُذَ، وَإِنْ كَانَ لَمْ يَأْذَنْ لَكَ لِأَنَّ عِلْمَكَ يَقُومُ مَقَامَ إِذْنِهِ، وَعَلَامَةُ هَذَا مِنْكَ انْشِرَاحُ صَدْرِكَ بِذَلِكَ وَخِفَّتُهُ عَلَى قَلْبِكَ، فَذَلِكَ دَلِيلٌ عَلَى سُرُورِهِ بِهِ.

waʾidhā ʿalimta ʾanna ʾakhāka yusarru biʾakhdhika min raḥlihi wamilkihi, ʾaw ʿalimta ʾannahu lā yakrahu dhālika ʾin faʿaltahu, ḥalla laka ʾan taʾkhudha, waʾin kāna lam yaʾdhan laka liʾanna ʿilmaka yaqūmu maqāma ʾidhnihi, waʿalāmatu hādhā minka inshirāḥu ṣadrika bi-dhālika wakhiffatuhu ʿalā qalbika, fa-dhālika dalīlun ʿalā surūrihi bihi.

If you know your brother is pleased when you take from his belongings and property, or know that he would not dislike it, you may take even without his express permission, because your knowledge stands in its place. The sign of this in you is an open breast and a light heart about it; that indicates his pleasure in it.

وَعَلَى قِيَاسِهِ مَنْ عَلِمْتَ مِنَ النَّاسِ أَنَّهُ يَكْرَهُ تَنَاوُلَكَ مِنْ مَالِهِ شَيْئًا، أَوْ عَرَفْتَهُ يَبْخَلُ ضَنَانَةً بِمَا فِي يَدَيْهِ، فَإِنِّي أَكْرَهُ لَكَ أَنْ تَأْكُلَ مِنْ مَالِهِ شَيْئًا وَإِنْ أَذِنَ لَكَ بَعْدَ أَنْ تَعْلَمَ أَنَّ الْأَحَبَّ إِلَيْهِ أَلَّا تَأْخُذَ.

waʿalā qiyāsihi man ʿalimta mina al-nāsi ʾannahu yakrahu tanāwulaka min mālihi shayʾan, ʾaw ʿaraftahu yabkhalu ḍanānatan bimā fī yadayhi, faʾinnī ʾakrahu laka ʾan taʾkula min mālihi shayʾan waʾin ʾadhina laka baʿda ʾan taʿlama ʾanna al-ʾaḥabba ʾilayhi ʾallā taʾkhudha.

By the same reasoning, if you know someone dislikes your taking anything of his property, or know that he is miserly and clings to what he possesses, I disapprove of your consuming any of his property even if he gives permission, once you know that he would prefer you not to take it.

فَفِي الْوَرَعِ وَإِنْ أَعْطَاكَ أَلَّا تَقْبَلَ، فَإِنَّ بَذْلَهُ مَعَ عِلْمِكَ بِأَمْرِهِ لَغْوٌ لَا حَقِيقَةَ لَهُ، وَدَلِيلُ ذَلِكَ ضِيقُ صَدْرِكَ بِهِ، وَوُجُودُ الْحِشْمَةِ وَالْوَحْشَةِ فِي الْقَلْبِ.

fafī al-waraʿi waʾin ʾaʿṭāka ʾallā taqbala, faʾinna badhlahu maʿa ʿilmika biʾamrihi laghwun lā ḥaqīqata lahu, wadalīlu dhālika ḍīqu ṣadrika bihi, wawujūdu al-ḥishmati wa-al-waḥshati fī al-qalbi.

Scrupulousness requires that you decline even if he gives it, for his offer, when you know his true disposition, is empty and without substance. The sign is constriction in your breast and constraint and estrangement in your heart.

فَقَدْ جَاءَ فِي الْأَثَرِ: الْإِثْمُ حَوَّازُ الْقَلْبِ. وَجَاءَ: الْإِثْمُ مَا حَاكَ فِي صَدْرِكَ، وَالْبِرُّ حُسْنُ الْخُلُقِ، وَالْبِرُّ مَا سَكَنَتْ إِلَيْهِ النَّفْسُ وَاطْمَأَنَّ بِهِ الْقَلْبُ، فَقَدْ جَاءَتْ هَذِهِ الْأَلْفَاظُ فِي أَحَادِيثَ مُتَفَرِّقَةٍ.

faqad jāʾa fī al-ʾathari: al-ʾithmu ḥawwāzu al-qalbi. wajāʾa: al-ʾithmu mā ḥāka fī ṣadrika, wa-al-birru ḥusnu al-khuluqi, wa-al-birru mā sakanat ʾilayhi al-nafsu wa-iṭmaʾanna bihi al-qalbu, faqad jāʾat hādhihi al-ʾalfāẓu fī ʾaḥādītha mutafarriqatin.

A tradition says: “Sin seizes the heart.” Another says: “Sin is what troubles your breast; righteousness is good character; and righteousness is what gives the soul rest and the heart assurance.” These expressions occur in separate reports.

وَعَلَى مَا ذَكَرْنَاهُ أَنَّ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ أَكَلَ مِنْ لَحْمِ بَرِيرَةَ تُصُدِّقَ بِهِ عَلَيْهَا وَكَانَتْ غَائِبَةً لَمَّا عَلِمَ أَنَّهُ يَسُرُّهَا، فَلَمْ يَنْتَظِرْ إِذْنَهَا، فَعَلَى ضِدِّ ذَلِكَ فِي الْقِيَاسِ مَا ذَكَرْنَاهُ.

waʿalā mā dhakarnāhu ʾanna rasūla Allāhi ṣallā Allāhu ʿalayhi wasallama ʾakala min laḥmi barīrata tuṣuddiqa bihi ʿalayhā wakānat ghāʾibatan lammā ʿalima ʾannahu yasurruhā, falam yantaẓir ʾidhnahā, faʿalā ḍiddi dhālika fī al-qiyāsi mā dhakarnāhu.

In keeping with what we have said, God’s Messenger, God bless him and grant him peace, ate some meat that had been given to Barīra in charity while she was absent, because he knew it would please her. He did not wait for her permission. The converse of that reasoning is what we have just described.

وَنَظَرَ هَاشِمٌ الْأَوْقَصُ إِلَى الْحَسَنِ وَهُوَ يَأْكُلُ مِنْ جُونٍ لِبَقَّالٍ، مِنْ هَذِهِ بُسْرَةً وَمِنْ هَذِهِ تِينَةً، فَقَالَ لَهُ: يَا أَبَا سَعِيدٍ، تَأْكُلُ مِنْ مَالِ الرَّجُلِ بِغَيْرِ إِذْنِهِ؟ فَقَالَ: يَا لُكَعُ، اتْلُ عَلَيَّ آيَةَ الْأَكْلِ.

wanaẓara hāshimun al-ʾawqaṣu ʾilā al-ḥasani wahuwa yaʾkulu min jūnin libaqqālin, min hādhihi busratan wamin hādhihi tīnatan, faqāla lahu: yā ʾabā saʿīdin, taʾkulu min māli al-rajuli bighayri ʾidhnihi? faqāla: yā lukaʿu, utlu ʿalayya ʾāyata al-ʾakli.

Hāshim al-Awqaṣ saw al-Ḥasan eating from a grocer’s baskets, a fresh date from this one and a fig from that. He asked him: “Abū Saʿīd, do you eat a man’s property without his permission?” He answered: “You fool, recite the verse about eating to me.”

ثُمَّ قَرَأَ الْحَسَنُ: ﴿وَلَا عَلَى أَنْفُسِكُمْ أَنْ تَأْكُلُوا مِنْ بُيُوتِكُمْ﴾، النُّورِ: ٦١، إِلَى قَوْلِهِ تَعَالَى: ﴿أَوْ صَدِيقِكُمْ﴾، النُّورِ: ٦١.

thumma qaraʾa al-ḥasanu: ﴿walā ʿalā ʾanfusikum ʾan taʾkulū min buyūtikum﴾, al-nūri: 61, ʾilā qawlihi taʿālā: ﴿ʾaw ṣadīqikum﴾, al-nūri: 61.

Then al-Ḥasan recited: “Nor is there blame upon yourselves for eating from your houses” (al-Nūr 24:61), through the words of God Most High, “or your friend’s” (al-Nūr 24:61).

وَقَدْ كَانَ أَصْحَابُ مُحَمَّدِ بْنِ وَاسِعٍ وَفَرْقَدٍ السَّنْجِيِّ يَدْخُلُونَ مَنْزِلَهُ فَيَأْكُلُونَ مِنْ غَيْرِ أَنْ يُؤْذَنَ لَهُمْ وَيَقُولُ: ذَكَّرْتُمُونِي أَخْلَاقَ قَوْمٍ مَضَوْا، هَكَذَا كُنَّا.

waqad kāna ʾaṣḥābu muḥammadi bni wāsiʿin wafarqadin al-sanjiyyi yadkhulūna manzilahu fayaʾkulūna min ghayri ʾan yuʾdhana lahum wayaqūlu: dhakkartumūnī ʾakhlāqa qawmin maḍaw, hākadhā kunnā.

The companions of Muḥammad ibn Wāsiʿ and Farqad al-Sanjī used to enter his house and eat without being given permission. He would say: “You have reminded me of the conduct of people now gone; that is how we used to be.”

قَالَ: وَكُنَّا نَدْخُلُ عَلَى أَبِي سُلَيْمَانَ الدَّارَانِيِّ، فَيُقَدِّمُ إِلَيْنَا الطَّيِّبَاتِ وَلَا يَأْكُلُ مَعَنَا وَيَقُولُ: إِنَّمَا خَبَأْتُهُ لَكُمْ. فَقُلْنَا:

qāla: wakunnā nadkhulu ʿalā ʾabī sulaymāna al-dārāniyyi, fayuqaddimu ʾilaynā al-ṭayyibāti walā yaʾkulu maʿanā wayaqūlu: ʾinnamā khabaʾtuhu lakum. faqulnā:

He said: “We used to visit Abū Sulaymān al-Dārānī, who served us delicious foods without eating with us, saying, ‘I saved it for you.’ We said:

الْجُزْءُ الثَّانِي، الصَّفْحَةُ ٣٨٥

al-juzʾu al-thānī, al-ṣafḥatu 385

Volume Two, page 385

تُطْعِمُنَا الشَّهَوَاتِ وَلَا تَأْكُلُهَا؟ فَقَالَ: لَا آكُلُهَا لِأَنِّي قَدْ تَرَكْتُ أَكْلَهَا، وَأُقَدِّمُهَا إِلَيْكُمْ لِأَنِّي أَعْلَمُ أَنَّكُمْ تَشْتَهُونَهَا.

tuṭʿimunā al-shahawāti walā taʾkuluhā? faqāla: lā ʾākuluhā liʾannī qad taraktu ʾaklahā, waʾuqaddimuhā ʾilaykum liʾannī ʾaʿlamu ʾannakum tashtahūnahā.

‘You feed us delicacies but do not eat them?’ He answered: ‘I do not eat them because I have given up eating them, and I offer them to you because I know you desire them.’”

وَقَالَ: كُنَّا نُبَايِتُ إِبْرَاهِيمَ بْنَ أَدْهَمَ فِي الْمَصِّيصَةِ وَفِي قُرَى السَّوَاحِلِ، فَكَانَ يَكْسِرُ لَنَا الصَّنَوْبَرَ وَالْبُنْدُقَ وَاللَّوْزَ لَيْلَهُ أَجْمَعَ وَيَقُولُ: كُلُوا. فَقُلْنَا: لَوْ أَقْبَلْتَ عَلَى صَلَاتِكَ وَتَرَكْتَ هَذَا؟ فَيَقُولُ: هَذَا أَفْضَلُ.

waqāla: kunnā nubāyitu ʾibrāhīma bna ʾadhama fī al-maṣṣīṣati wafī qurā al-sawāḥili, fakāna yaksiru lanā al-ṣanawbara wa-al-bunduqa wa-al-lawza laylahu ʾajmaʿa wayaqūlu: kulū. faqulnā: law ʾaqbalta ʿalā ṣalātika watarakta hādhā? fayaqūlu: hādhā ʾafḍalu.

He said: “We spent nights with Ibrāhīm ibn Adham in al-Maṣṣīṣa and the coastal villages. He would crack pine nuts, hazelnuts, and almonds for us all night, saying, ‘Eat.’ We said, ‘Why not attend to your prayer and leave this?’ He answered, ‘This is better.’”

وَكَانَ بَعْضُ النَّاسِ يَفْجَؤُهُ الضَّيْفُ، فَلَا يَكُونُ عِنْدَهُ مَا يُقَدِّمُهُ إِلَيْهِ، فَيَذْهَبُ إِلَى مَنْزِلِ أَخِيهِ، فَيَأْخُذُ خُبْزًا وَقِدْرًا قَدْ كَانَ طَبَخَهَا، فَيَحْمِلُهُ إِلَى ضَيْفِهِ، فَيَلْقَاهُ أَخُوهُ بَعْدَ ذَلِكَ فَيَسْتَحْسِنُهُ مِنْهُ وَيَأْمُرُهُ بِفِعْلِ مِثْلِ ذَلِكَ فِي كُلِّ نَائِبَةٍ.

wakāna baʿḍu al-nāsi yafjaʾuhu al-ḍayfu, falā yakūnu ʿindahu mā yuqaddimuhu ʾilayhi, fayadhhabu ʾilā manzili ʾakhīhi, fayaʾkhudhu khubzan waqidran qad kāna ṭabakhahā, fayaḥmiluhu ʾilā ḍayfihi, fayalqāhu ʾakhūhu baʿda dhālika fayastaḥsinuhu minhu wayaʾmuruhu bifiʿli mithli dhālika fī kulli nāʾibatin.

Sometimes a person received an unexpected guest and had nothing to serve him. He would go to his brother’s house, take bread and a pot of cooked food, and carry it to his guest. His brother would meet him afterward, approve of what he had done, and tell him to do the same whenever such a need arose.

وَقَالَ بَعْضُ الْعُلَمَاءِ: إِذَا عَمِلَ الرَّجُلُ فِي مَنْزِلِ أَخِيهِ أَرْبَعَ خِصَالٍ فَقَدْ تَمَّ أُنْسُهُ بِهِ: إِذَا أَكَلَ عِنْدَهُ، وَدَخَلَ الْخَلَاءَ، وَنَامَ وَصَلَّى. فَذَكَرْتُ هَذِهِ الْحِكَايَةَ لِبَعْضِ أَشْيَاخِنَا فَقَالَ: صَدَقَ، بَقِيَتْ خَصْلَةٌ. قُلْتُ: مَا هِيَ؟ قَالَ: مَعَهَا وَجَامَعَ.

waqāla baʿḍu al-ʿulamāʾi: ʾidhā ʿamila al-rajulu fī manzili ʾakhīhi ʾarbaʿa khiṣālin faqad tamma ʾunsuhu bihi: ʾidhā ʾakala ʿindahu, wadakhala al-khalāʾa, wanāma waṣallā. fadhakartu hādhihi al-ḥikāyata libaʿḍi ʾashyākhinā faqāla: ṣadaqa, baqiyat khaṣlatun. qultu: mā hiya? qāla: maʿahā wajāmaʿa.

One scholar said: “When a man does four things in his brother’s house, his ease with him is complete: eats there, uses the privy, sleeps, and prays.” I mentioned this account to one of our shaykhs, who said: “True; one quality remains.” I asked, “What is it?” He answered: “Along with those, having intercourse.”

فَإِذَا فَعَلَ هَذَا فَقَدْ تَمَّ أُنْسُهُ بِهِ، لِأَنَّ هَذِهِ الْخَمْسَ لِأَجْلِهَا يُتَّخَذُ الْبُيُوتُ، وَيَقَعُ الِاسْتِخْفَاءُ لِمَا فِيهَا مِنَ التَّبَذُّلِ وَالْعَوْرَةِ، وَلَوْلَاهَا كَانَتْ بُيُوتُ اللَّهِ سُبْحَانَهُ أَرْوَحَ وَأَطْيَبَ.

faʾidhā faʿala hādhā faqad tamma ʾunsuhu bihi, liʾanna hādhihi al-khamsa liʾajlihā yuttakhadhu al-buyūtu, wayaqaʿu al-istikhfāʾu limā fīhā mina al-tabadhdhuli wa-al-ʿawrati, walawlāhā kānat buyūtu Allāhi subḥānahu ʾarwaḥa waʾaṭyaba.

When he has done this, his ease with him is complete, for these five things are the reason houses are taken, and privacy is sought because they involve informality and bodily exposure. Were it not for them, the houses of God, Glorified Is He, would be more restful and pleasant.

فَفِي الْأُنْسِ بِالْأَخِ وَارْتِفَاعِ الْحِشْمَةِ مِنْ هَذِهِ الْخَمْسِ مِثَالُ حَالِ الْأُنْسِ فِي الْوَحْدَةِ بِالنَّفْسِ مِنْ غَيْرِ عَيْبٍ مِنْ عَائِبٍ وَلَا ضِدٍّ، لَكِنْ مِنِ اتِّفَاقِ جِنْسٍ، وَهَذَا لَعَمْرِي نِهَايَةُ الْأُنْسِ ذَاتًا.

fafī al-ʾunsi bi-al-ʾakhi wa-irtifāʿi al-ḥishmati min hādhihi al-khamsi mithālu ḥāli al-ʾunsi fī al-waḥdati bi-al-nafsi min ghayri ʿaybin min ʿāʾibin walā ḍiddin, lākin mini ittifāqi jinsin, wa-hādhā laʿamrī nihāyatu al-ʾunsi dhātan.

Being at ease with a brother and free of embarrassment over these five things resembles the ease one feels alone with oneself, without criticism from a critic or opposition from an adversary, through an affinity of kind. This, by my life, is the very limit of intimate ease.

فَأَمَّا الْخَامِسَةُ، وَهُوَ قَوْلُ شَيْخِنَا: وَجَامَعَ، فَعَلَى ذَلِكَ يَصْلُحُ أَنْ يُسْتَدَلَّ لَهُ بِقَوْلِ الْعَرَبِ فِي تَسْلِيمِهِمْ وَتَرْحِيبِهِمْ: مَرْحَبًا وَأَهْلًا وَسَهْلًا، أَيْ لَكَ عِنْدَنَا مَرْحَبٌ، وَهُوَ السَّعَةُ فِي الْقَلْبِ وَالْمَكَانِ، وَلَكَ عِنْدَنَا أَهْلٌ تَأْنَسُ بِهِمْ بِلَا وَحْشَةٍ مِنَّا.

faʾammā al-khāmisatu, wahuwa qawlu shaykhinā: wajāmaʿa, faʿalā dhālika yaṣluḥu ʾan yustadalla lahu biqawli al-ʿarabi fī taslīmihim watarḥībihim: marḥaban waʾahlan wasahlan, ʾay laka ʿindanā marḥabun, wahuwa al-saʿatu fī al-qalbi wa-al-makāni, walaka ʿindanā ʾahlun taʾnasu bihim bilā waḥshatin minnā.

As for the fifth, our shaykh’s words “and has intercourse,” support may be found in the Arabs’ greeting and welcome: marḥaban wa-ahlan wa-sahlan. That is: with us you have ample room, spaciousness in heart and place; with us you have a family whose company comforts you, without estrangement from us.

وَسَهْلًا أَيْ لَكَ عِنْدَنَا سُهُولَةٌ، ذَلِكَ يَسْهُلُ عَلَيْنَا وَلَا يَشْتَدُّ، فَهُوَ سُهُولَةُ اللِّقَاءِ وَسُهُولَتُهُ مِنَ الْأَخْلَاقِ فِي الِالْتِقَاءِ.

wasahlan ʾay laka ʿindanā suhūlatun, dhālika yashulu ʿalaynā walā yashtaddu, fahuwa suhūlatu al-liqāʾi wasuhūlatuhu mina al-ʾakhlāqi fī al-iltiqāʾi.

And sahlan means: with us you have ease; this comes easily to us and is no burden. It means an easy welcome and easy manners in meeting.

وَاعْلَمْ أَنَّ لِلنَّاسِ فِي التَّعَارُفِ سَبْعَ مَقَامَاتٍ بَعْضُهَا فَوْقَ بَعْضٍ، فَأَوَّلُ ذَلِكَ الْمَعْرِفَةُ عَنِ الرُّؤْيَةِ أَوِ السَّمْعِ فَقَطْ، فَلِهَذَا حُرْمَةُ الْإِسْلَامِ وَحَقُّ الْعَامَّةِ. ثُمَّ الْمُجَاوَرَةُ وَلَهُ حَقُّ الْجِوَارِ، وَهُوَ ثَانِي حُقُوقِ الْإِسْلَامِ، وَهَذَا هُوَ الْجَارُ الْجُنُبُ.

wa-iʿlam ʾanna li-l-nāsi fī al-taʿārufi sabʿa maqāmātin baʿḍuhā fawqa baʿḍin, faʾawwalu dhālika al-maʿrifatu ʿani al-ruʾyati ʾawi al-samʿi faqaṭ, fali-hādhā ḥurmatu al-ʾislāmi waḥaqqu al-ʿāmmati. thumma al-mujāwaratu walahu ḥaqqu al-jiwāri, wahuwa thānī ḥuqūqi al-ʾislāmi, wa-hādhā huwa al-jāru al-junubu.

Know that people have seven stations of acquaintance, one above another. First comes knowing someone only by sight or hearing: this carries the inviolability of Islam and the general public’s rights. Then comes being neighbors, with the right of neighborliness, a second right alongside Islam; this is the “distant neighbor.”

ثُمَّ الْمُرَافَقَةُ فِي طَرِيقٍ أَوْ سَفَرٍ، وَهَذَا هُوَ الصَّاحِبُ بِالْجَنْبِ فِي أَحَدِ الْوَجْهَيْنِ مِنَ الْآيَةِ، فَلِهَذَا ثَلَاثَةُ حُقُوقٍ لِأَنَّهُ قَدْ جَمَعَ حُرْمَةَ الْإِسْلَامِ وَحُرْمَةَ الْجِوَارِ وَزَادَ عَلَيْهَا بِأَنَّهُ ابْنُ سَبِيلٍ.

thumma al-murāfaqatu fī ṭarīqin ʾaw safarin, wa-hādhā huwa al-ṣāḥibu bi-al-janbi fī ʾaḥadi al-wajhayni mina al-ʾāyati, fali-hādhā thalāthatu ḥuqūqin liʾannahu qad jamaʿa ḥurmata al-ʾislāmi waḥurmata al-jiwāri wazāda ʿalayhā biʾannahu ibnu sabīlin.

Then comes accompanying someone on a road or journey: this is the “companion at your side” according to one of the verse’s two interpretations. He has three rights, combining Islam’s inviolability, the right of neighborliness, and the added right of being a traveler.

ثُمَّ الصُّحْبَةُ وَهِيَ الْمُلَازَمَةُ وَالِاتِّبَاعُ، فَهَذَا فَوْقَ ذَلِكَ. ثُمَّ الصَّدَاقَةُ وَهِيَ حَقِيقَةُ الْأُخُوَّةِ، وَمَعَهَا تَكُونُ الْمُعَاشَرَةُ، وَهُوَ اسْمٌ تَكُونُ مَعَهُ الْمُخَالَطَةُ وَتُوجَدُ فِيهِ الْمُؤَانَسَةُ، وَهُوَ يُحْكَمُ بِالْمُزَاوَرَةِ وَالْمُبَايَتَةِ وَالْمُؤَاكَلَةِ، وَهَذَا جُمْلَةُ الْعِشْرَةِ.

thumma al-ṣuḥbatu wahiya al-mulāzamatu wa-al-ittibāʿu, fa-hādhā fawqa dhālika. thumma al-ṣadāqatu wahiya ḥaqīqatu al-ʾukhuwwati, wamaʿahā takūnu al-muʿāsharatu, wahuwa ismun takūnu maʿahu al-mukhālaṭatu watūjadu fīhi al-muʾānasatu, wahuwa yuḥkamu bi-al-muzāwarati wa-al-mubāyatati wa-al-muʾākalati, wa-hādhā jumlatu al-ʿishrati.

Then comes companionship, constant attendance and following, which stands higher. Then comes friendship, the reality of brotherhood, with which comes close association: a term implying mingling and intimate ease, made firm through visiting, spending nights together, and sharing food. This comprises close association.

فَالْمُعَاشَرَةُ مَأْخُوذَةٌ مِنَ الْعَشِيرِ، وَهُوَ الْخَلِيطُ الْمُقَارِبُ، وَلِذَلِكَ سُمِّيَ الزَّوْجُ عَشِيرًا فِي قَوْلِ النَّبِيِّ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ: وَيَكْفُرْنَ الْعَشِيرَ.

fa-al-muʿāsharatu maʾkhūdhatun mina al-ʿashīri, wahuwa al-khalīṭu al-muqāribu, wali-dhālika summiya al-zawju ʿashīran fī qawli al-nabiyyi ṣallā Allāhu ʿalayhi wasallama: wayakfurna al-ʿashīra.

Muʿāshara, close association, derives from ʿashīr, a close associate. Hence the husband is called ʿashīr in the words of the Prophet, God bless him and grant him peace: “And they are ungrateful to the husband.”

وَقَدْ قَالَ اللَّهُ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ فِي تَسْمِيَةِ الْمُعَاشِرِ وَفِي قُرْبِهِ: ﴿لَبِئْسَ الْوَلِيُّ وَلَبِئْسَ الْعَشِيرُ﴾، الْحَجِّ: ١٣، يَعْنِي ابْنَ الْعَمِّ الْمُخْتَلِطَ بِهِ.

waqad qāla Allāhu ʿazza wajalla fī tasmiyati al-muʿāshiri wafī qurbihi: ﴿labiʾsa al-waliyyu walabiʾsa al-ʿashīru﴾, al-ḥajji: 13, yaʿnī ibna al-ʿammi al-mukhtaliṭa bihi.

God, Mighty and Majestic, named the close associate and his proximity in the words, “What an evil protector, what an evil companion!” (al-Ḥajj 22:13), meaning a paternal cousin who mixes closely with him.

فَقِيلَ مِنْهُ مُعَاشَرَةٌ عَلَى زِنَةِ مُفَاعَلَةٍ لِأَنَّهُ شَيْءٌ يَقَعُ بَيْنَ اثْنَيْنِ لَا مَحَالَةَ، كَانَ كُلُّ وَاحِدٍ قَدْ فَعَلَ مِثْلَهُ، أَيْ يَفْعَلُ هَذَا مِثْلَ مَا يَفْعَلُ هَذَا، مِثْلَ الْمُضَارَبَةِ وَالْمُقَاتَلَةِ وَالْمُشَاتَمَةِ، إِذَا فَعَلَ كُلُّ وَاحِدٍ بِصَاحِبِهِ كَفِعْلِهِ بِهِ. ثُمَّ الْأُخُوَّةُ فَوْقَ الصَّدَاقَةِ، وَهَذَا لَا يَكَادُ يَكُونُ إِلَّا بَيْنَ النُّظَرَاءِ فِي

faqīla minhu muʿāsharatun ʿalā zinati mufāʿalatin liʾannahu shayʾun yaqaʿu bayna ithnayni lā maḥālata, kāna kullu wāḥidin qad faʿala mithlahu, ʾay yafʿalu hādhā mithla mā yafʿalu hādhā, mithla al-muḍārabati wa-al-muqātalati wa-al-mushātamati, ʾidhā faʿala kullu wāḥidin biṣāḥibihi kafiʿlihi bihi. thumma al-ʾukhuwwatu fawqa al-ṣadāqati, wa-hādhā lā yakādu yakūnu ʾillā bayna al-nuẓarāʾi fī

From it comes muʿāshara, on the reciprocal pattern mufāʿala, because it necessarily occurs between two people, each doing something like the other: one does as the other does. It is like exchanging blows, fighting, or trading insults, when each does to his companion what the companion does to him. Above friendship comes brotherhood, which scarcely exists except between equals in

الْجُزْءُ الثَّانِي، الصَّفْحَةُ ٣٨٦

al-juzʾu al-thānī, al-ṣafḥatu 386

Volume Two, page 386

الْحَالِ، وَالْمُتَقَارِبِينَ فِي الْحُسْنِ وَالْمَعَانِي، بِأَنْ يُوجَدَ فِي أَحَدِهِمَا مِنَ الْقَلْبِ وَالْهِمَّةِ وَالْعِلْمِ وَالْخُلُقِ مَا يُوجَدُ فِي الْآخَرِ وَإِنْ تَفَاوَتَا، كَمَا قَالَ تَبَارَكَ وَتَعَالَى: ﴿إِنَّ الْمُبَذِّرِينَ كَانُوا إِخْوَانَ الشَّيَاطِينِ﴾، الْإِسْرَاءِ: ٢٧.

al-ḥāli, wa-al-mutaqāribīna fī al-ḥusni wa-al-maʿānī, biʾan yūjada fī ʾaḥadihimā mina al-qalbi wa-al-himmati wa-al-ʿilmi wa-al-khuluqi mā yūjadu fī al-ʾākhari waʾin tafāwatā, kamā qāla tabāraka wataʿālā: ﴿ʾinna al-mubadhdhirīna kānū ʾikhwāna al-shayāṭīni﴾, al-ʾisrāʾi: 27.

spiritual state and those close in goodness and inward qualities: one possesses something of the heart, aspiration, knowledge, and character found in the other, even if they differ in degree. As He, Blessed and Exalted Is He, said: “The squanderers are brothers of devils” (al-Isrāʾ 17:27).

وَلَيْسُوا مِنْ جِنْسِهِمْ وَلَا عَلَى وَصْفِهِمْ فِي الْخِلْقَةِ، وَلَكِنْ لَمَّا تَشَابَهَتْ قُلُوبُهُمْ وَأَحْوَالُهُمْ آخَى بَيْنَهُمْ، فَهَذِهِ أُخُوَّةُ الْحَالِ وَهِيَ حَقِيقَةُ الصَّدَاقَةِ.

walaysū min jinsihim walā ʿalā waṣfihim fī al-khilqati, wa-lākin lammā tashābahat qulūbuhum waʾaḥwāluhum ʾākhā baynahum, fa-hādhihi ʾukhuwwatu al-ḥāli wahiya ḥaqīqatu al-ṣadāqati.

They are neither of the same species nor alike in bodily creation, but because their hearts and states resembled one another, He called them brothers. This is brotherhood of state, the reality of friendship.

ثُمَّ الْمَحَبَّةُ وَهِيَ خَاصِّيَّةُ الْأُخُوَّةِ، وَهَذَا يَجْعَلُهُ اللَّهُ تَبَارَكَ وَتَعَالَى مِنَ الْأُلْفَةِ وَيُوجِدُهُ مِنَ الْأُنْسِ فِي الْقُلُوبِ، يَتَوَلَّاهُ بِصُنْعِهِ وَلَا يُوَلِّيهِ غَيْرَهُ، وَهَذَا ارْتِيَاحُ الْقُلُوبِ وَانْشِرَاحُ الصُّدُورِ وَوَجْدُ السُّرُورِ، وَفَقْدُ الْوَحْشَةِ وَزَوَالُ الْحِشْمَةِ.

thumma al-maḥabbatu wahiya khāṣṣiyyatu al-ʾukhuwwati, wa-hādhā yajʿaluhu Allāhu tabāraka wataʿālā mina al-ʾulfati wayūjiduhu mina al-ʾunsi fī al-qulūbi, yatawallāhu biṣunʿihi walā yuwallīhi ghayrahu, wa-hādhā irtiyāḥu al-qulūbi wa-inshirāḥu al-ṣudūri wawajdu al-surūri, wafaqdu al-waḥshati wazawālu al-ḥishmati.

Then comes love, the special quality of brotherhood. God, Blessed and Exalted Is He, creates it through affection and brings it into being as intimate ease in hearts. He undertakes it by His own doing and entrusts it to no one else. It is the heart’s glad relief, the breast’s opening, the experience of joy, the absence of estrangement, and the end of constraint.

ثُمَّ الْخَلِيلُ وَهَذَا فَوْقَ الْحَبِيبِ، وَلَا يَكُونُ هَذَا إِلَّا فِي عَاقِلَيْنِ عَالِمَيْنِ عَارِفَيْنِ عَلَى مِعْيَارٍ وَاحِدٍ وَطَرِيقٍ وَاحِدٍ، وَهَذَا أَعَزُّ مَوْجُودٍ وَأَغْرَبُ مَعْهُودٍ.

thumma al-khalīlu wa-hādhā fawqa al-ḥabībi, walā yakūnu hādhā ʾillā fī ʿāqilayni ʿālimayni ʿārifayni ʿalā miʿyārin wāḥidin waṭarīqin wāḥidin, wa-hādhā ʾaʿazzu mawjūdin waʾaghrabu maʿhūdin.

Then comes the intimate friend, above the beloved. This exists only between two intelligent, learned knowers who share one measure and one path. It is the rarest thing found and the most extraordinary thing known.

وَالْخُلَّةُ مَأْخُوذَةٌ مِنْ تَخَلُّلِ الْأَسْرَارِ، وَمَعَهَا تَكُونُ حَقِيقَةُ الْحُبِّ وَالْإِيثَارِ، فَكُلُّ خَلِيلٍ حَبِيبٌ، وَلَيْسَ كُلُّ حَبِيبٍ خَلِيلًا، لِأَنَّ الْخُلَّةَ تَحْتَاجُ إِلَى فَضْلِ عَقْلٍ وَمَزِيدِ عِلْمٍ وَقُوَّةِ تَمْكِينٍ، وَقَدْ لَا يُوجَدُ ذَلِكَ فِي كُلِّ مَحْبُوبٍ، فَلِذَلِكَ عَزَّ طَلَبُهُ وَجَلَّ وَصْفُهُ.

wa-al-khullatu maʾkhūdhatun min takhalluli al-ʾasrāri, wamaʿahā takūnu ḥaqīqatu al-ḥubbi wa-al-ʾīthāri, fakullu khalīlin ḥabībun, walaysa kullu ḥabībin khalīlan, liʾanna al-khullata taḥtāju ʾilā faḍli ʿaqlin wamazīdi ʿilmin waquwwati tamkīnin, waqad lā yūjadu dhālika fī kulli maḥbūbin, fali-dhālika ʿazza ṭalabuhu wajalla waṣfuhu.

Khulla, intimate friendship, derives from the interpenetration of secrets. With it come the reality of love and preference for another. Every intimate friend is beloved, but not every beloved is an intimate friend: khulla requires exceptional intelligence, additional knowledge, and strong spiritual establishment, which may not be found in every beloved. Hence it is hard to seek and exalted in description.

وَقَدْ رَفَعَ اللَّهُ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ نَبِيَّهُ مُحَمَّدًا صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ فِي مَقَامِ الْمَحَبَّةِ، فَأَعْطَاهُ الْخُلَّةَ لِيُلْحِقَهُ بِمَقَامِ إِبْرَاهِيمَ، فَكَانَتِ الْخُلَّةُ مَزِيدَ الْمَحَبَّةِ.

waqad rafaʿa Allāhu ʿazza wajalla nabiyyahu muḥammadan ṣallā Allāhu ʿalayhi wasallama fī maqāmi al-maḥabbati, faʾaʿṭāhu al-khullata liyulḥiqahu bimaqāmi ʾibrāhīma, fakānati al-khullatu mazīda al-maḥabbati.

God, Mighty and Majestic, raised His Prophet Muḥammad, God bless him and grant him peace, within the station of love, granting him intimate friendship to join him to Abraham’s station. Thus intimate friendship was an increase beyond love.

وَمِنْهُ مَا رُوِيَ عَنِ النَّبِيِّ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ: لَوْ كُنْتُ مُتَّخِذًا مِنَ الْخَلْقِ خَلِيلًا لَاتَّخَذْتُ أَبَا بَكْرٍ خَلِيلًا، وَلَكِنْ صَاحِبُكُمْ خَلِيلُ اللَّهِ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ.

waminhu mā ruwiya ʿani al-nabiyyi ṣallā Allāhu ʿalayhi wasallama: law kuntu muttakhidhan mina al-khalqi khalīlan la-ittakhadhtu ʾabā bakrin khalīlan, wa-lākin ṣāḥibukum khalīlu Allāhi ʿazza wajalla.

Related to this is the report from the Prophet, God bless him and grant him peace: “Were I to take an intimate friend from among creatures, I would take Abū Bakr as an intimate friend. But your companion is the intimate friend of God, Mighty and Majestic.”

فَلَمَّا اتَّخَذَهُ خَلِيلًا لَمْ يَصْلُحْ أَنْ يُشْرِكَ فِي خُلَّةِ الْخَالِقِ خُلَّةَ الْخَلْقِ، ثُمَّ قَالَ: وَلَكِنْ أُخُوَّةُ الْإِسْلَامِ، فَأَوْقَفَهُ مَعَ الْأُخُوَّةِ لِأَنَّ فِيهَا مُشَارَكَةً فِي الْحَالِ كَمَا فَعَلَ بِعَلِيٍّ عَلَيْهِ السَّلَامُ، وَعَدَلَ بِهِ عَنِ النُّبُوَّةِ كَمَا عَدَلَ بِأَبِي بَكْرٍ عَنِ الْخُلَّةِ.

falammā ittakhadhahu khalīlan lam yaṣluḥ ʾan yushrika fī khullati al-khāliqi khullata al-khalqi, thumma qāla: wa-lākin ʾukhuwwatu al-ʾislāmi, faʾawqafahu maʿa al-ʾukhuwwati liʾanna fīhā mushārakatan fī al-ḥāli kamā faʿala biʿaliyyin ʿalayhi al-salāmu, waʿadala bihi ʿani al-nubuwwati kamā ʿadala biʾabī bakrin ʿani al-khullati.

Once He had taken him as an intimate friend, it was not fitting to associate friendship with creatures with friendship of the Creator. He then said, “But the brotherhood of Islam,” leaving Abū Bakr at brotherhood, since it entails a shared state, as he did with ʿAlī, peace be upon him. He withheld prophethood from ʿAlī as he withheld intimate friendship from Abū Bakr.

وَفِي الْحَدِيثِ الْآخَرِ أَنَّ النَّبِيَّ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ صَعِدَ الْمِنْبَرَ فَرِحًا مُسْتَبْشِرًا فَقَالَ: أَلَا إِنَّ اللَّهَ تَبَارَكَ وَتَعَالَى قَدِ اتَّخَذَنِي خَلِيلًا كَمَا اتَّخَذَ إِبْرَاهِيمَ خَلِيلًا، فَأَنَا حَبِيبُ اللَّهِ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ وَأَنَا خَلِيلُ اللَّهِ.

wafī al-ḥadīthi al-ʾākhari ʾanna al-nabiyya ṣallā Allāhu ʿalayhi wasallama ṣaʿida al-minbara fariḥan mustabshiran faqāla: ʾalā ʾinna Allāha tabāraka wataʿālā qadi ittakhadhanī khalīlan kamā ittakhadha ʾibrāhīma khalīlan, faʾanā ḥabību Allāhi ʿazza wajalla waʾanā khalīlu Allāhi.

Another report relates that the Prophet, God bless him and grant him peace, ascended the pulpit joyful and radiant with good news, saying: “God, Blessed and Exalted Is He, has taken me as an intimate friend as He took Abraham as an intimate friend. I am the beloved of God, Mighty and Majestic, and I am God’s intimate friend.”

وَلَيْسَ قَبْلَ الْمَعْرِفَةِ اسْمٌ يُوجِبُ حُكْمًا إِلَّا ظَاهِرُ الْإِسْلَامِ، وَلَا بَعْدَ الْخَلِيلِ وَصْفٌ يُعْرَفُ إِلَّا نَعْتُ مُحِبٍّ، ثُمَّ تَتَزَايَدُ الْحُرُمَاتُ فِي الْأُخُوَّاتِ مَا بَيْنَ الْمَعْرِفَةِ وَالْخُلَّةِ، وَتَعْظُمُ الْحُقُوقُ بِطُولِ الصُّحْبَةِ وَجَمِيلِ الْعِشْرَةِ، وَيُقَالُ: صُحْبَةُ سَنَةٍ أُخُوَّةٌ وَمَعْرِفَةُ عَشْرِ سِنِينَ قَرَابَةٌ.

walaysa qabla al-maʿrifati ismun yūjibu ḥukman ʾillā ẓāhiru al-ʾislāmi, walā baʿda al-khalīli waṣfun yuʿrafu ʾillā naʿtu muḥibbin, thumma tatazāyadu al-ḥurumātu fī al-ʾukhuwwāti mā bayna al-maʿrifati wa-al-khullati, wataʿẓumu al-ḥuqūqu biṭūli al-ṣuḥbati wajamīli al-ʿishrati, wayuqālu: ṣuḥbatu sanatin ʾukhuwwatun wamaʿrifatu ʿashri sinīna qarābatun.

Before acquaintance, no name entails a specific claim except outward membership in Islam; beyond intimate friendship, no known description remains except that of one who loves. The claims of brotherhood increase between acquaintance and intimate friendship, and rights grow with long companionship and gracious association. It is said: “A year’s companionship is brotherhood; ten years’ acquaintance is kinship.”

قَدْ ضَمَّ اللَّهُ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ الصَّدِيقَ إِلَى الْأَهْلِ وَوَصَلَهُ بِهِمْ، ثُمَّ رَفَعَ الْأَخَ وَقَدَّمَهُ عَلَى الصَّدِيقِ، وَهُوَ قَوْلُهُ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ: ﴿أَوْ مَا مَلَكْتُمْ مَفَاتِحَهُ﴾، النُّورِ: ٦١.

qad ḍamma Allāhu ʿazza wajalla al-ṣadīqa ʾilā al-ʾahli wawaṣalahu bihim, thumma rafaʿa al-ʾakha waqaddamahu ʿalā al-ṣadīqi, wahuwa qawluhu ʿazza wajalla: ﴿ʾaw mā malaktum mafātiḥahu﴾, al-nūri: 61.

God, Mighty and Majestic, joined the friend to family and linked him with them, then raised the brother and placed him before the friend in the words of God, Mighty and Majestic: “Or those whose keys you possess” (al-Nūr 24:61).

كَانَ الْأَخُ يَدْفَعُ مَفَاتِحَ خَزَائِنِهِ إِلَى أَخِيهِ، وَيَتَصَرَّفُ فِي الْحَضَرِ وَيَتَقَلَّبُ فِي السَّفَرِ، وَيَقُولُ لِأَخِيهِ: حُكْمُكَ فِيمَا أَمْلِكُ كَحُكْمِي، وَمِلْكِي لَهُ كَمِلْكِكَ، فَكَانَ أَخُوهُ يَتَضَايَقُ وَيَتَحَرَّجُ فَيُقَتِّرُ عَلَى نَفْسِهِ لِأَجْلِ غَيْبَةِ أَخِيهِ، وَيَقُولُ: لَوْ كَانَ حَاضِرًا لَاتَّسَعْتُ وَأَكَلْتُ رَغَدًا.

kāna al-ʾakhu yadfaʿu mafātiḥa khazāʾinihi ʾilā ʾakhīhi, wayataṣarrafu fī al-ḥaḍari wayataqallabu fī al-safari, wayaqūlu liʾakhīhi: ḥukmuka fīmā ʾamliku kaḥukmī, wamilkī lahu kamilkika, fakāna ʾakhūhu yataḍāyaqu wayataḥarraju fayuqattiru ʿalā nafsihi liʾajli ghaybati ʾakhīhi, wayaqūlu: law kāna ḥāḍiran la-ittasaʿtu waʾakaltu raghadan.

A brother would hand over the keys of his stores to his brother, then go about his affairs at home or travel, saying: “Your authority over what I own is like mine; my ownership is like yours.” His brother, however, felt constrained and scrupulous, limiting himself because the owner was absent and saying, “If he were here, I would take more freely and eat abundantly.”

لِلْوَرَعِ الَّذِي فِيهِ وَالنُّصْحِ وَالْإِيثَارِ لِأَخِيهِ، فَرَحِمَ اللَّهُ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ تَضَايُقَهُمْ وَشَكَرَ تَوَرُّعَهُمْ، فَأَطْلَقَ لَهُمُ الْإِذْنَ وَوَسَّعَ عَلَيْهِمْ فِي الْأَكْلِ فَقَالَ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ: ﴿وَلَا عَلَى أَنْفُسِكُمْ﴾، النُّورِ: ٦١، أَيْ: لَا إِثْمَ وَلَا ضِيقَ أَنْ تَأْكُلُوا مِنْ بُيُوتِكُمْ أَوْ بُيُوتِ آبَائِكُمْ.

li-l-waraʿi alladhī fīhi wa-al-nuṣḥi wa-al-ʾīthāri liʾakhīhi, faraḥima Allāhu ʿazza wajalla taḍāyuqahum washakara tawarruʿahum, faʾaṭlaqa lahumu al-ʾidhna wawassaʿa ʿalayhim fī al-ʾakli faqāla ʿazza wajalla: ﴿walā ʿalā ʾanfusikum﴾, al-nūri: 61, ʾay: lā ʾithma walā ḍīqa ʾan taʾkulū min buyūtikum ʾaw buyūti ʾābāʾikum.

He did this from scrupulousness, sincere concern, and preference for his brother. God, Mighty and Majestic, had mercy on their constraint and rewarded their scrupulousness, granting them permission and latitude in eating. He, Mighty and Majestic, said, “Nor upon yourselves” (al-Nūr 24:61): that is, there is no sin or restriction in eating from your own houses or your fathers’ houses.

الْجُزْءُ الثَّانِي، الصَّفْحَةُ ٣٨٧

al-juzʾu al-thānī, al-ṣafḥatu 387

Volume Two, page 387

ثُمَّ نَسَقَ الْأَقَارِبَ عَلَى تَرْتِيبِ الْأَحْكَامِ، وَضَمَّ إِلَيْهِمُ الْأَخَ لَمَّا وَصَفَهُ بِتَمْلِيكِهِ مَفَاتِحَهُ أَخَاهُ، فَأَقَامَ ذَلِكَ مَقَامَ مِلْكِ أَخِيهِ لِأَنَّهُ أَقَامَ أَخَاهُ مَقَامَهُ، فَقَالَ تَعَالَى: ﴿أَوْ مَا مَلَكْتُمْ مَفَاتِحَهُ﴾، النُّورِ: ٦١، ثُمَّ أَخَّرَ الصَّدِيقَ بَعْدَهُ إِذْ لَمْ يَكُنْ بِحَقِيقَةِ وَصْفِهِ.

thumma nasaqa al-ʾaqāriba ʿalā tartībi al-ʾaḥkāmi, waḍamma ʾilayhimu al-ʾakha lammā waṣafahu bitamlīkihi mafātiḥahu ʾakhāhu, faʾaqāma dhālika maqāma milki ʾakhīhi liʾannahu ʾaqāma ʾakhāhu maqāmahu, faqāla taʿālā: ﴿ʾaw mā malaktum mafātiḥahu﴾, al-nūri: 61, thumma ʾakhkhara al-ṣadīqa baʿdahu ʾidh lam yakun biḥaqīqati waṣfihi.

He then listed relatives in the order of their legal claims and included the brother through the description of entrusting him with the keys. He treated this as equivalent to the brother’s ownership, since the owner had put his brother in his own place. He, Most High, said, “Or those whose keys you possess” (al-Nūr 24:61), then placed the friend afterward, since the friend did not fully possess that quality.

ثُمَّ قَالَ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ: ﴿لَيْسَ عَلَيْكُمْ جُنَاحٌ أَنْ تَأْكُلُوا جَمِيعًا﴾، النُّورِ: ٦١، بِحَضْرَةِ الْإِخْوَانِ أَوْ أَشْتَاتًا فِي حَالِ تَفَرُّقِهِمْ، فَسَوَّى بَيْنَ غَيْبَتِهِمْ وَشُهُودِهِمْ لِتَسْوِيَةِ إِخْوَانِهِمْ بَيْنَهُمْ وَبَيْنَ أَمْلَاكِهِمْ، وَاسْتِوَاءِ قُلُوبِهِمْ مَعَ أَلْسِنَتِهِمْ فِي الْبَذْلِ وَالْمَحَبَّةِ لِتَنَاوُلِ الْمَبْذُولِ.

thumma qāla ʿazza wajalla: ﴿laysa ʿalaykum junāḥun ʾan taʾkulū jamīʿan﴾, al-nūri: 61, biḥaḍrati al-ʾikhwāni ʾaw ʾashtātan fī ḥāli tafarruqihim, fasawwā bayna ghaybatihim washuhūdihim litaswiyati ʾikhwānihim baynahum wabayna ʾamlākihim, wa-istiwāʾi qulūbihim maʿa ʾalsinatihim fī al-badhli wa-al-maḥabbati litanāwuli al-mabdhūli.

Then He, Mighty and Majestic, said: “There is no blame upon you for eating together” (al-Nūr 24:61), in the brothers’ presence, or separately when they are apart. He made absence and presence equal because the brothers gave them equal access to their property, their hearts agreeing with their tongues in generosity and in wishing the offered goods to be taken.

وَهَذَا تَحْقِيقُ وَصْفِهِ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ لَهُمْ فِي قَوْلِهِ تَعَالَى: ﴿وَأَمْرُهُمْ شُورَى بَيْنَهُمْ﴾، الشُّورَى: ٣٨. وَقَالَ بَعْضُ الْأُدَبَاءِ: إِذَا ائْتَلَفَ الْإِخْوَانُ جَمَاعَةً، ثُمَّ اجْتَمَعَ بَعْضُهُمْ عَلَى لَذَّةٍ وَفُقِدَ الْبَعْضُ، نَقَصَ مِنَ اللَّذَّةِ بِمِقْدَارِ مَنْ نَقَصَ مِنْهُمْ، وَهَذَا يَكُونُ بِوُجُودِ الْأُنْسِ بِهِمْ وَمُوَاصَلَةِ الذِّكْرِ.

wa-hādhā taḥqīqu waṣfihi ʿazza wajalla lahum fī qawlihi taʿālā: ﴿waʾamruhum shūrā baynahum﴾, al-shūrā: 38. waqāla baʿḍu al-ʾudabāʾi: ʾidhā iʾtalafa al-ʾikhwānu jamāʿatan, thumma ijtamaʿa baʿḍuhum ʿalā ladhdhatin wafuqida al-baʿḍu, naqaṣa mina al-ladhdhati bimiqdāri man naqaṣa minhum, wa-hādhā yakūnu biwujūdi al-ʾunsi bihim wamuwāṣalati al-dhikri.

This realizes the description of them given by God, Mighty and Majestic, in the words of God Most High: “Their affair is consultation among them” (al-Shūrā 42:38). One man of letters said: “When brothers form an affectionate group, then some gather for a pleasure while others are absent, the pleasure diminishes in proportion to those missing.” This comes from the ease they find together and continually remembering one another.

وَرَوَيْنَا أَنَّ مَالِكَ بْنَ دِينَارٍ وَمُحَمَّدَ بْنَ وَاسِعٍ دَخَلَا مَنْزِلَ الْحَسَنِ وَكَانَ غَائِبًا، فَأَخْرَجَ مُحَمَّدُ بْنُ وَاسِعٍ سَلَّةً فِيهَا طَعَامٌ مِنْ تَحْتِ السَّرِيرِ فَجَعَلَ يَأْكُلُ، فَدَخَلَ الْحَسَنُ فَقَالَ: هَكَذَا كُنَّا لَا يَحْتَشِمُ بَعْضُنَا مِنْ بَعْضٍ.

warawaynā ʾanna mālika bna dīnārin wamuḥammada bna wāsiʿin dakhalā manzila al-ḥasani wakāna ghāʾiban, faʾakhraja muḥammadu bnu wāsiʿin sallatan fīhā ṭaʿāmun min taḥti al-sarīri fajaʿala yaʾkulu, fadakhala al-ḥasanu faqāla: hākadhā kunnā lā yaḥtashimu baʿḍunā min baʿḍin.

We have transmitted that Mālik ibn Dīnār and Muḥammad ibn Wāsiʿ entered al-Ḥasan’s house while he was absent. Muḥammad ibn Wāsiʿ brought out a basket of food from under the couch and began eating. Al-Ḥasan entered and said: “This is how we used to be, without constraint before one another.”

وَاعْلَمْ أَنَّهُ لَيْسَ بَيْنَ الْأَخَوَيْنِ وَالصَّاحِبَيْنِ رِيَاءٌ فِي أَعْمَالِهِمَا، وَإِنْ تَرَاءَى بِرَأْيِ الْعَيْنِ أَعْمَالُهُمْ لَهُمْ ثَوَابُ السِّرِّ وَالْخَلْوَةِ، لِأَنَّهُمَا كَالْأَهْلِ فِي الْحَضَرِ وَكَالصَّحَابَةِ فِي السَّفَرِ.

wa-iʿlam ʾannahu laysa bayna al-ʾakhawayni wa-al-ṣāḥibayni riyāʾun fī ʾaʿmālihimā, waʾin tarāʾā biraʾyi al-ʿayni ʾaʿmāluhum lahum thawābu al-sirri wa-al-khalwati, liʾannahumā ka-al-ʾahli fī al-ḥaḍari waka-al-ṣaḥābati fī al-safari.

Know that between two brothers or companions there is no ostentation in their deeds. Even when their actions are visible to the eye, they receive the reward of secrecy and solitude, because they are like family at home and companions on a journey.

وَلَيْسَ بَيْنَ الرَّجُلِ وَأَهْلِ بَيْتِهِ وَلَا بَيْنَ الْمُسَافِرِ وَرُفَقَائِهِ رِيَاءٌ وَلَا سُمْعَةٌ، وَلَا عَلَيْهِ مِنْهُمُ اخْتِفَاءٌ وَلَا خَلْوَةٌ، فَإِنْ صَحِبَهُ أَخُوهُ هَذَا فِي سَفَرٍ كَانَتْ حُرْمَتُهُ عَلَيْهِ أَلْزَمَ وَحَقُّهُ أَوْجَبَ، فَيَنْبَغِي أَلَّا يُخَالِفَهُ وَلَا يَعْتَرِضَ عَلَيْهِ.

walaysa bayna al-rajuli waʾahli baytihi walā bayna al-musāfiri warufaqāʾihi riyāʾun walā sumʿatun, walā ʿalayhi minhumu ikhtifāʾun walā khalwatun, faʾin ṣaḥibahu ʾakhūhu hādhā fī safarin kānat ḥurmatuhu ʿalayhi ʾalzama waḥaqquhu ʾawjaba, fayanbaghī ʾallā yukhālifahu walā yaʿtariḍa ʿalayhi.

There is neither ostentation nor reputation-seeking between a man and his household or between a traveler and his companions, and he need not hide from them or seek seclusion. If this brother accompanies him on a journey, his claim is more binding and his right more obligatory; one should neither oppose him nor object to him.

إِنْ أَحَبَّ النُّزُولَ فِي مَنْزِلٍ لَمْ يَكْرَهْ أَخُوهُ ذَلِكَ، وَإِنِ اخْتَارَ أَحَدُهُمَا الرَّحِيلَ لَمْ يُحِبَّ الْآخَرُ الْمَقَامَ، وَإِنْ سَارَ أَحَدُهُمَا لَمْ يَقِفْ صَاحِبُهُ، وَإِنِ اسْتَرَاحَ الْآخَرُ وَقَفَ لَهُ رَفِيقُهُ، وَإِنِ اشْتَرَى شَيْئًا لَمْ يَنْهَهُ عَنْهُ، وَلَا يَسْتَأْثِرْ بِمَطْعُومٍ وَلَا مَشْرُوبٍ بَلْ يُؤْثِرْهُ بِذَيْنِكَ.

ʾin ʾaḥabba al-nuzūla fī manzilin lam yakrah ʾakhūhu dhālika, waʾini ikhtāra ʾaḥaduhumā al-raḥīla lam yuḥibba al-ʾākharu al-maqāma, waʾin sāra ʾaḥaduhumā lam yaqif ṣāḥibuhu, waʾini istarāḥa al-ʾākharu waqafa lahu rafīquhu, waʾini ishtarā shayʾan lam yanhahu ʿanhu, walā yastaʾthir bimaṭʿūmin walā mashrūbin bal yuʾthirhu bidhaynika.

If he wishes to stop at a place, his brother should not dislike it. If one chooses to leave, the other should not prefer to stay. If one moves on, his companion should not stop; if the other rests, his companion should stop for him. If he buys something, the other should not forbid it. One should not reserve food or drink for oneself, but give the other preference in both.

وَفِي الْخَبَرِ: مَا اصْطَحَبَ اثْنَانِ قَطُّ إِلَّا كَانَ أَحَبُّهُمَا إِلَى اللَّهِ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ أَرْفَقَهُمَا بِصَاحِبِهِ.

wafī al-khabari: mā iṣṭaḥaba ithnāni qaṭṭu ʾillā kāna ʾaḥabbuhumā ʾilā Allāhi ʿazza wajalla ʾarfaqahumā biṣāḥibihi.

A report says: “Whenever two people keep company, the dearer of them to God, Mighty and Majestic, is the gentler toward his companion.”

وَرَوَيْنَا أَيْضًا عَنْ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ أَنَّهُ دَخَلَ غَيْضَةً مَعَ بَعْضِ أَصْحَابِهِ، فَاجْتَنَى مِنْهَا سِوَاكَيْنِ مِنْ أَرَاكٍ، أَحَدُهُمَا مُعْوَجٌّ وَالْآخَرُ مُسْتَقِيمٌ، فَحَبَسَ الْمُعْوَجَّ لِنَفْسِهِ وَدَفَعَ الْمُسْتَقِيمَ إِلَى صَاحِبِهِ.

warawaynā ʾayḍan ʿan rasūli Allāhi ṣallā Allāhu ʿalayhi wasallama ʾannahu dakhala ghayḍatan maʿa baʿḍi ʾaṣḥābihi, fa-ijtanā minhā siwākayni min ʾarākin, ʾaḥaduhumā muʿwajjun wa-al-ʾākharu mustaqīmun, faḥabasa al-muʿwajja linafsihi wadafaʿa al-mustaqīma ʾilā ṣāḥibihi.

We have also transmitted that God’s Messenger, God bless him and grant him peace, entered a thicket with one of his companions and picked two tooth-sticks from an arāk tree, one crooked and the other straight. He kept the crooked one and gave the straight one to his companion.

فَقَالَ: يَا رَسُولَ اللَّهِ، أَنْتَ كُنْتَ أَحَقَّ بِالْمُسْتَقِيمِ. فَقَالَ: مَا مِنْ صَاحِبٍ يَصْحَبُ صَاحِبًا وَلَوْ سَاعَةً مِنْ نَهَارٍ إِلَّا سَأَلَهُ اللَّهُ عَنْ صُحْبَتِهِ، هَلْ أَقَامَ فِيهِ حَقَّ اللَّهِ تَعَالَى أَوْ أَضَاعَهُ؟

faqāla: yā rasūla Allāhi, ʾanta kunta ʾaḥaqqa bi-al-mustaqīmi. faqāla: mā min ṣāḥibin yaṣḥabu ṣāḥiban walaw sāʿatan min nahārin ʾillā saʾalahu Allāhu ʿan ṣuḥbatihi, hal ʾaqāma fīhi ḥaqqa Allāhi taʿālā ʾaw ʾaḍāʿahu?

He said: “Messenger of God, you had the greater right to the straight one.” He replied: “No companion accompanies another, even for an hour of the day, without God asking him about that companionship: did he uphold in it the right of God Most High, or neglect it?”

وَمَنْ كَانَ نَاظِرًا فِي أُخُوَّةِ أَخِيهِ أَوْ فِي صُحْبَتِهِ إِلَى كَثْرَةِ أَعْمَالِهِ، أَوْ وَاقِفًا مَعَ أَكْمَلِ أَحْوَالِهِ، دَلَّ عَلَى جَهْلِهِ بِهَذَا الطَّرِيقِ الَّذِي يَنْفُذُ إِلَى التَّحْقِيقِ لِأَنَّهَا تَحُولُ، وَإِنَّمَا الْمُعَوَّلُ عَلَى حَقَائِقِ الْقُلُوبِ وَسَلَامَةِ الْعُقُولِ لِأَنَّ إِلَيْهَا الْأَمْرَ مَرْدُودٌ.

waman kāna nāẓiran fī ʾukhuwwati ʾakhīhi ʾaw fī ṣuḥbatihi ʾilā kathrati ʾaʿmālihi, ʾaw wāqifan maʿa ʾakmali ʾaḥwālihi, dalla ʿalā jahlihi bi-hādhā al-ṭarīqi alladhī yanfudhu ʾilā al-taḥqīqi liʾannahā taḥūlu, waʾinnamā al-muʿawwalu ʿalā ḥaqāʾiqi al-qulūbi wasalāmati al-ʿuqūli liʾanna ʾilayhā al-ʾamra mardūdun.

Someone who evaluates his brotherhood or companionship by the quantity of the other’s deeds, or fixes upon his most perfect states, shows ignorance of this path that leads to realization, for those things change. Reliance rests upon the realities of hearts and the soundness of minds, since the matter ultimately returns to them.

فَإِنِ اقْتَرَنَ إِلَى جَهْلِهِ نَقْصُ مَعْرِفَةِ الْآخَرِ دَلَّ عَلَيْهِ التَّزَيُّنَ لَهُ وَالتَّصَنُّعَ عِنْدَهُ لِتَعْلُوَ مَنْزِلَتُهُ وَيَحْسُنَ عِنْدَهُ أَثَرُهُ، فَيُدْخِلُهُ ذَلِكَ فِي الشِّرْكِ وَيُخْرِجُهُ الشِّرْكُ عَنْ حَقِيقَةِ التَّوْحِيدِ، فَتَزِلُّ قَدَمٌ بَعْدَ ثُبُوتِهَا وَيَسْقُطُ مِنْ عَيْنِ

faʾini iqtarana ʾilā jahlihi naqṣu maʿrifati al-ʾākhari dalla ʿalayhi al-tazayyuna lahu wa-al-taṣannuʿa ʿindahu litaʿluwa manzilatuhu wayaḥsuna ʿindahu ʾatharuhu, fayudkhiluhu dhālika fī al-shirki wayukhrijuhu al-shirku ʿan ḥaqīqati al-tawḥīdi, fatazillu qadamun baʿda thubūtihā wayasquṭu min ʿayni

If the other’s deficient understanding joins his ignorance, it directs him toward adorning himself for him and putting on a display before him, to raise his standing and improve the impression he makes. This draws him into associating others with God, which takes him out of the reality of divine oneness. A foot then slips after standing firm, and he falls from the regard of

الْجُزْءُ الثَّانِي، الصَّفْحَةُ ٣٨٨

al-juzʾu al-thānī, al-ṣafḥatu 388

Volume Two, page 388

مَوْلَاهُ، فَلَا يَتَوَلَّاهُ، لِأَنَّ النَّفْسَ مُبْتَلَاةٌ بِحُبِّ الثَّنَاءِ وَالْمَدْحِ وَإِثْبَاتِ الْمَنْزِلَةِ بِإِظْهَارِ الْوَصْفِ، فَيَكُونُ هَذَا الصَّاحِبُ حِينَئِذٍ مِنْ أَشْأَمِ النَّاسِ عَلَيْهِ وَأَضَرِّهِمْ لَهُ، وَيَصِيرُ أَحَدُهُمَا بَلَاءً عَلَى صَاحِبِهِ.

mawlāhu, falā yatawallāhu, liʾanna al-nafsa mubtalātun biḥubbi al-thanāʾi wa-al-madḥi waʾithbāti al-manzilati biʾiẓhāri al-waṣfi, fayakūnu hādhā al-ṣāḥibu ḥīnaʾidhin min ʾashʾami al-nāsi ʿalayhi waʾaḍarrihim lahu, wayaṣīru ʾaḥaduhumā balāʾan ʿalā ṣāḥibihi.

his Master, who no longer takes him into His care. The soul is tested by love of praise and commendation and by the wish to establish its standing through displaying its qualities. Such a companion then becomes one of the most disastrous and harmful people for him; each becomes a trial for the other.

فَلْيُفَارِقْهُ حِينَئِذٍ لِأَنَّهُ جَاهِلٌ وَلَا يَصْحَبْهُ، فَإِنَّهُ يَجِدُ النُّقْصَانَ وَتَدْخُلُ عَلَيْهِ الْآفَاتُ بِمُقَارَنَتِهِ، فَلْيَنْفَرِدْ بِنَفْسِهِ فَيَصْدُقْ فِي حَالِهِ، عَالِيَةً كَانَتْ أَوْ دَنِيئَةً، وَضِيعَةً كَانَتْ أَمْ رَفِيعَةً، مِنْ غَيْرِ مُقَارَنَةِ أَحَدٍ وَلَا مُبَايَنَةٍ، فَهُوَ خَيْرٌ لَهُ وَأَحْمَدُ عَاقِبَةً.

falyufāriqhu ḥīnaʾidhin liʾannahu jāhilun walā yaṣḥabhu, faʾinnahu yajidu al-nuqṣāna watadkhulu ʿalayhi al-ʾāfātu bimuqāranatihi, falyanfarid binafsihi fayaṣduq fī ḥālihi, ʿāliyatan kānat ʾaw danīʾatan, waḍīʿatan kānat ʾam rafīʿatan, min ghayri muqāranati ʾaḥadin walā mubāyanatin, fahuwa khayrun lahu waʾaḥmadu ʿāqibatan.

Let him then leave that ignorant person and cease accompanying him, for association with him brings decline and exposes him to defects. Let him be alone and truthful in his own state, high or low, humble or exalted, without comparing himself with anyone or setting himself apart. That is better for him and has a more praiseworthy outcome.

وَهَذَا بَابٌ لَطِيفٌ قَدْ هَلَكَ فِيهِ خَلْقٌ كَثِيرٌ عَلَى ضَرْبَيْنِ: مِنْهُمْ مَنْ صَاحَبَ وَآخَى وَبَايَتَ عَلَى هَذِهِ الْعِلَلِ فَسَاكَنَهَا، وَمَعَ هَذِهِ الْآفَاتِ فَقَارَنَهَا لِضَعْفِ يَقِينِهِ وَقُوَّةِ هَوَاهُ، وَكِبَرِ النَّاسِ فِي عَيْنِهِ وَعِظَمِ قَدْرِ الدُّنْيَا مِمَّا يَنَالُهُ مِنْهُمْ فِي قَلْبِهِ، فَهَلَكَ بِالتَّزَيُّنِ وَالتَّصَنُّعِ وَأَهْلَكَ أَخَاهُ بِنَحْوِ ذَلِكَ.

wa-hādhā bābun laṭīfun qad halaka fīhi khalqun kathīrun ʿalā ḍarbayni: minhum man ṣāḥaba waʾākhā wabāyata ʿalā hādhihi al-ʿilali fasākanahā, wamaʿa hādhihi al-ʾāfāti faqāranahā liḍaʿfi yaqīnihi waquwwati hawāhu, wakibari al-nāsi fī ʿaynihi waʿiẓami qadri al-dunyā mimmā yanāluhu minhum fī qalbihi, fahalaka bi-al-tazayyuni wa-al-taṣannuʿi waʾahlaka ʾakhāhu binaḥwi dhālika.

This is a subtle matter in which many have perished, in two ways. Some formed companionship and brotherhood and spent nights together with these faults, accepting and living alongside them because of weak certainty, strong desire, the greatness of people in their eyes, and the importance in their hearts of the worldly things they received from them. They perished through adornment and affectation and similarly ruined their brothers.

وَالضَّرْبُ الثَّانِي مِنَ الْمُتَعَبِّدِينَ الْمَعْرُوفِينَ بِالسِّتْرِ وَالصَّلَاحِ، خَافُوا وَلَمْ يُحِبُّوا أَنْ يُظْهَرُوا عَلَى حَالِهِمْ كَرَاهَةَ الذَّمِّ وَخِيفَةَ النَّقْصِ لَهُمْ، فَلَمْ يُحِبُّوا أَنْ يُخْتَبَرُوا بِالْمُبَايَنَةِ وَلَا يَنْكَشِفُوا فِي الْمُصَاحَبَةِ، وَلَا تُعْرَفَ أَحْوَالُهُمْ بِطُولِ الْمُمَارَسَةِ.

wa-al-ḍarbu al-thānī mina al-mutaʿabbidīna al-maʿrūfīna bi-al-sitri wa-al-ṣalāḥi, khāfū walam yuḥibbū ʾan yuẓharū ʿalā ḥālihim karāhata al-dhammi wakhīfata al-naqṣi lahum, falam yuḥibbū ʾan yukhtabarū bi-al-mubāyanati walā yankashifū fī al-muṣāḥabati, walā tuʿrafa ʾaḥwāluhum biṭūli al-mumārasati.

The second group consisted of devout people known for reserve and righteousness. They feared having their true condition discovered, disliking blame and fearing loss of standing. They did not wish to be tested through distance, exposed through companionship, or known through long familiarity.

وَأَحَبُّوا مَعَ ذَلِكَ أَنْ يُشَارَ إِلَيْهِمْ مِنْ بَعِيدٍ وَيُتَوَهَّمَ فِيهِمُ الْعِبَادَةُ مِنْ غَيْرِ طُولِ مُلَاقَاةٍ، فَأَظْهَرُوا التَّفَرُّدَ وَالْعُزْلَةَ وَتَرَكُوا الْمُبَايَنَةَ وَالصُّحْبَةَ وَأَنْكَرُوا هَذَا وَعَابُوهُ.

waʾaḥabbū maʿa dhālika ʾan yushāra ʾilayhim min baʿīdin wayutawahhama fīhimu al-ʿibādatu min ghayri ṭūli mulāqātin, faʾaẓharū al-tafarruda wa-al-ʿuzlata watarakū al-mubāyanata wa-al-ṣuḥbata waʾankarū hādhā waʿābūhu.

Yet they wanted to be pointed out from afar and imagined to be devoted worshippers without prolonged encounters. They therefore displayed solitude and seclusion, abandoned separation and companionship, and condemned and faulted the latter.

يُرِيدُونَ أَنْ يَبِينُوا بِذَلِكَ عَنْ نُظَرَائِهِمْ وَيَنْفَرِدُوا بِهِ عَنْ جُمْلَةِ الْخَلْقِ بِدَعْوَى الْحَالِ، لِيَخْتَصُّوا بِغَيْرِهَا عِنْدَهُمْ مِنْ غَيْرِ حَالٍ، وَلَا انْقِطَاعٍ إِلَى اللَّهِ سُبْحَانَهُ وَلَا اشْتِغَالٍ، وَلِقِلَّةِ مَعْرِفَةِ الْعَامَّةِ بِأَحْوَالِ الصَّادِقِينَ.

yurīdūna ʾan yabīnū bi-dhālika ʿan nuẓarāʾihim wayanfaridū bihi ʿan jumlati al-khalqi bidaʿwā al-ḥāli, liyakhtaṣṣū bighayrihā ʿindahum min ghayri ḥālin, walā inqiṭāʿin ʾilā Allāhi subḥānahu walā ishtighālin, waliqillati maʿrifati al-ʿāmmati biʾaḥwāli al-ṣādiqīna.

They wished thereby to distinguish themselves from their peers and stand apart from all people by claiming a spiritual state, to gain a special standing beyond it in people’s eyes without possessing such a state, devotion to God, Glorified Is He, or occupation with Him, relying on the public’s limited knowledge of the states of the truthful.

فَهَلَكَ أَيْضًا بِالْمُبَايَنَةِ وَغُرْبَةِ الْحَالِ وَتَرْكِ السُّنَّةِ مِنْ إِجَابَةِ الدَّعْوَى وَمُخَالَطَةِ الْأُمَّةِ كِبْرًا وَتَطَاوُلًا عَلَى الْعَامَّةِ، وَتَمْوِيهًا مِنْهُمْ عَلَى مَنْ لَا يَعْرِفُ سِيرَةَ الْأُمَّةِ.

fahalaka ʾayḍan bi-al-mubāyanati waghurbati al-ḥāli watarki al-sunnati min ʾijābati al-daʿwā wamukhālaṭati al-ʾummati kibran wataṭāwulan ʿalā al-ʿāmmati, watamwīhan minhum ʿalā man lā yaʿrifu sīrata al-ʾummati.

Such a person also perished through aloofness, the strangeness of his state, and abandoning the Sunna of accepting invitations and mingling with the community, out of pride and superiority toward ordinary people and deception of those who did not know the community’s way.

وَأَوْهَمَ بِذَلِكَ أَنَّهُ مَشْغُولٌ عَنْهُ بِسُلُوكِ الطَّرِيقِ، لِعِلْمِهِ أَنَّهُمْ لَا يَعْرِفُونَ مَحَجَّةَ التَّحْقِيقِ، وَلَعَلَّهُ مَشْغُولٌ بِهِمْ وَأَنَّهُمْ وَسَاوِسُ قَلْبِهِ، وَهُوَ فِي ذَلِكَ مُنْكَشِفٌ لِلصَّادِقِينَ ظَاهِرٌ جَلِيٌّ لِلْعَارِفِينَ.

waʾawhama bi-dhālika ʾannahu mashghūlun ʿanhu bisulūki al-ṭarīqi, liʿilmihi ʾannahum lā yaʿrifūna maḥajjata al-taḥqīqi, walaʿallahu mashghūlun bihim waʾannahum wasāwisu qalbihi, wahuwa fī dhālika munkashifun li-l-ṣādiqīna ẓāhirun jaliyyun li-l-ʿārifīna.

He gave the impression that walking the path kept him too occupied for others, knowing that they did not recognize the road of realization. Yet perhaps it was they who occupied him and filled his heart with whisperings. In this he lay exposed before the truthful, plain and evident to the knowers.

وَقَدْ جَاءَ فِي مُخَالَطَةِ الْمُسْلِمِينَ وَفِي الْأَكْلِ مَعَ الْإِخْوَانِ وَالِاخْتِلَاطِ بِالْعَامَّةِ، وَالْمَشْيِ فِي الْأَسْوَاقِ وَاشْتِرَاءِ الْحَوَائِجِ وَحَمْلِهَا لِلتَّوَاضُعِ مَا يَكْثُرُ رَسْمُهُ وَيَطُولُ وَصْفُهُ، وَكَذَلِكَ كَانَ سِيرَةُ الصَّحَابَةِ وَشِيمَةُ التَّابِعِينَ بِإِحْسَانٍ.

waqad jāʾa fī mukhālaṭati al-muslimīna wafī al-ʾakli maʿa al-ʾikhwāni wa-al-ikhtilāṭi bi-al-ʿāmmati, wa-al-mashyi fī al-ʾaswāqi wa-ishtirāʾi al-ḥawāʾiji waḥamlihā li-l-tawāḍuʿi mā yakthuru rasmuhu wayaṭūlu waṣfuhu, wa-kadhālika kāna sīratu al-ṣaḥābati washīmatu al-tābiʿīna biʾiḥsānin.

So much has been transmitted about mingling with Muslims, eating with brothers, associating with ordinary people, walking in markets, buying necessities, and carrying them in humility that recording it would be extensive and describing it lengthy. Such was the conduct of the Companions and the disposition of those who followed them with excellence.

مِنْهُمْ عُمَرُ رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُ كَانَ يَحْمِلُ الْقِرْبَةَ عَلَى ظَهْرِهِ لِأَهْلِهِ، وَعَلِيٌّ رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُ كَانَ يَحْمِلُ التَّمْرَ وَالْمِلْحَ فِي ثَوْبِهِ وَيَدِهِ وَيَقُولُ: لَا يَنْقُصُ الْكَامِلَ مِنْ كَمَالِهِ ... مَا جَرَّ مِنْ نَفْعٍ إِلَى عِيَالِهِ.

minhum ʿumaru raḍiya Allāhu ʿanhu kāna yaḥmilu al-qirbata ʿalā ẓahrihi liʾahlihi, waʿaliyyun raḍiya Allāhu ʿanhu kāna yaḥmilu al-tamra wa-al-milḥa fī thawbihi wayadihi wayaqūlu: lā yanquṣu al-kāmila min kamālihi ... mā jarra min nafʿin ʾilā ʿiyālihi.

Among them was ʿUmar, God be pleased with him, who carried a waterskin on his back for his family. ʿAlī, God be pleased with him, carried dates and salt in his garment and hand, saying: “Whatever benefit a complete man brings his dependents does not diminish his completeness.”

وَمِنْهُمْ أُبَيٌّ وَابْنُ مَسْعُودٍ وَحُذَيْفَةُ وَأَبُو هُرَيْرَةَ، كَانُوا يَحْمِلُونَ حُزَمَ الْحَطَبِ وَجُرَبَ الدَّقِيقِ عَلَى أَكْتَافِهِمْ وَظُهُورِهِمْ.

waminhum ʾubayyun wa-ibnu masʿūdin waḥudhayfatu waʾabū hurayrata, kānū yaḥmilūna ḥuzama al-ḥaṭabi wajuraba al-daqīqi ʿalā ʾaktāfihim waẓuhūrihim.

Among them were Ubayy, Ibn Masʿūd, Ḥudhayfa, and Abū Hurayra, who carried bundles of firewood and sacks of flour on their shoulders and backs.

وَسَيِّدُ الْمُرْسَلِينَ وَإِمَامُ الْمُتَّقِينَ وَرَسُولُ رَبِّ الْعَالَمِينَ مُحَمَّدٌ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ كَانَ يَشْتَرِي الشَّيْءَ فَيَحْمِلُهُ بِنَفْسِهِ، فَيَقُولُ لَهُ صَاحِبُهُ: أَعْطِنِي أَحْمِلْهُ عَنْكَ، فَيَقُولُ: صَاحِبُ الشَّيْءِ أَحَقُّ بِحَمْلِهِ.

wasayyidu al-mursalīna waʾimāmu al-muttaqīna warasūlu rabbi al-ʿālamīna muḥammadun ṣallā Allāhu ʿalayhi wasallama kāna yashtarī al-shayʾa fayaḥmiluhu binafsihi, fayaqūlu lahu ṣāḥibuhu: ʾaʿṭinī ʾaḥmilhu ʿanka, fayaqūlu: ṣāḥibu al-shayʾi ʾaḥaqqu biḥamlihi.

The master of the messengers, leader of the God-conscious, and Messenger of the Lord of all worlds, Muḥammad, God bless him and grant him peace, would buy something and carry it himself. His companion would say, “Give it to me; I will carry it for you.” He would answer: “The owner of a thing has the greater right to carry it.”

وَكَانَ الْحَسَنُ بْنُ عَلِيٍّ عَلَيْهِمَا السَّلَامُ يَمُرُّ عَلَى السُّؤَّالِ فِي الطَّرِيقِ، وَبَيْنَ أَيْدِيهِنَّ كِسَرٌ مُلْقَاةٌ فِي الْأَرْضِ، فَيُسَلِّمُ عَلَيْهِمْ فَيَقُولُونَ: هَلُمَّ

wakāna al-ḥasanu bnu ʿaliyyin ʿalayhimā al-salāmu yamurru ʿalā al-suʾʾāli fī al-ṭarīqi, wabayna ʾaydīhinna kisarun mulqātun fī al-ʾarḍi, fayusallimu ʿalayhim fayaqūlūna: halumma

Al-Ḥasan ibn ʿAlī, peace be upon them both, would pass beggars on the road with pieces of bread laid on the ground before them. He would greet them with peace, and they would say: “Come to

الْجُزْءُ الثَّانِي، الصَّفْحَةُ ٣٨٩

al-juzʾu al-thānī, al-ṣafḥatu 389

Volume Two, page 389

الْغَدَاءَ يَا ابْنَ بِنْتِ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ، فَيَثْنِي رِجْلَهُ عَنْ بَغْلَتِهِ وَيَنْزِلُ، فَيَقْعُدُ مَعَهُمْ عَلَى الْأَرْضِ وَيَأْكُلُ، ثُمَّ يَرْكَبُ وَيَقُولُ: إِنَّ اللَّهَ تَبَارَكَ وَتَعَالَى لَا يُحِبُّ الْمُسْتَكْبِرِينَ.

al-ghadāʾa yā ibna binti rasūli Allāhi, fayathnī rijlahu ʿan baghlatihi wayanzilu, fayaqʿudu maʿahum ʿalā al-ʾarḍi wayaʾkulu, thumma yarkabu wayaqūlu: ʾinna Allāha tabāraka wataʿālā lā yuḥibbu al-mustakbirīna.

lunch, son of the daughter of God’s Messenger.” He would swing his leg off his mule and dismount, sit with them on the ground, and eat. Then he would remount and say: “God, Blessed and Exalted Is He, does not love the arrogant.”

ثُمَّ يَدْعُوهُمْ بَعْدَ ذَلِكَ إِلَى مَنْزِلِهِ فَيَقُولُ لِلْخَادِمِ: هَلُمِّي مَا كُنْتِ تَدَّخِرِينَ، فَيَأْكُلُونَ مَعَهُ.

thumma yadʿūhum baʿda dhālika ʾilā manzilihi fayaqūlu li-l-khādimi: halummī mā kunti taddakhirīna, fayaʾkulūna maʿahu.

Afterward he would invite them to his house and tell the servant: “Bring out what you have been saving,” and they would eat with him.

وَرَوَيْنَا فِي الْإِسْرَائِيلِيَّاتِ أَنَّ حَكِيمًا مِنَ الْحُكَمَاءِ صَنَّفَ ثَلَاثَمِائَةٍ وَسِتِّينَ مُصَنَّفًا فِي الْحِكْمَةِ حَتَّى ظَنَّ أَنَّهُ نَالَ مَنْزِلَةً عِنْدَ اللَّهِ تَعَالَى، فَأَوْحَى اللَّهُ إِلَى نَبِيِّهِ: قُلْ لِفُلَانٍ: إِنَّكَ قَدْ مَلَأْتَ الْأَرْضَ نِفَاقًا، وَإِنِّي لَا أَقْبَلُ مِنْ نِفَاقِكَ شَيْئًا.

warawaynā fī al-ʾisrāʾīliyyāti ʾanna ḥakīman mina al-ḥukamāʾi ṣannafa thalāthamiʾatin wasittīna muṣannafan fī al-ḥikmati ḥattā ẓanna ʾannahu nāla manzilatan ʿinda Allāhi taʿālā, faʾawḥā Allāhu ʾilā nabiyyihi: qul lifulānin: ʾinnaka qad malaʾta al-ʾarḍa nifāqan, waʾinnī lā ʾaqbalu min nifāqika shayʾan.

We have transmitted among Israelite traditions that a sage composed three hundred and sixty works of wisdom, until he thought he had gained a station before God Most High. God revealed to His prophet: “Tell so-and-so: You have filled the earth with hypocrisy, and I accept none of your hypocrisy.”

قَالَ: فَتَخَلَّى وَانْفَرَدَ فِي سَرَبٍ تَحْتَ الْأَرْضِ وَقَالَ: قَدْ بَلَغْتُ مَحَبَّةَ رَبِّي. فَأَوْحَى اللَّهُ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ إِلَى النَّبِيِّ: قُلْ لَهُ: إِنَّكَ لَمْ تَبْلُغْ رِضَايَ.

qāla: fatakhallā wa-infarada fī sarabin taḥta al-ʾarḍi waqāla: qad balaghtu maḥabbata rabbī. faʾawḥā Allāhu ʿazza wajalla ʾilā al-nabiyyi: qul lahu: ʾinnaka lam tablugh riḍāya.

He withdrew and lived alone in an underground passage, saying: “I have attained my Lord’s love.” God, Mighty and Majestic, revealed to the prophet: “Tell him: You have not attained My pleasure.”

قَالَ: فَدَخَلَ الْأَسْوَاقَ وَخَالَطَ الْعَامَّةَ وَجَالَسَهُمْ وَأَكَلَ الطَّعَامَ بَيْنَهُمْ وَمَشَى فِي الْأَسْوَاقِ مَعَهُمْ، فَأَوْحَى اللَّهُ تَبَارَكَ وَتَعَالَى: الْآنَ حِينَ بَلَغْتَ رِضَايَ.

qāla: fadakhala al-ʾaswāqa wakhālaṭa al-ʿāmmata wajālasahum waʾakala al-ṭaʿāma baynahum wamashā fī al-ʾaswāqi maʿahum, faʾawḥā Allāhu tabāraka wataʿālā: al-ʾāna ḥīna balaghta riḍāya.

He then entered the markets, mixed with ordinary people, sat with them, ate among them, and walked through the markets with them. God, Blessed and Exalted Is He, revealed: “Now you have attained My pleasure.”

فَلَوْ أَيْقَنَ الْيَائِسُ الْمُتَصَنِّعُ لِلْخَلْقِ، الْأَسِيرُ فِي أَيْدِيهِمْ، الرَّهِينُ لِنَظَرِهِمْ، أَنَّ الْخَلْقَ لَا يَنْقُصُونَ مِنْ رِزْقٍ وَلَا يَزِيدُونَ فِي عُمْرٍ وَلَا يَرْفَعُونَ عِنْدَ اللَّهِ وَلَا يَضَعُونَ لَدَيْهِ، وَأَنَّ هَذَا كُلَّهُ بِيَدِ اللَّهِ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ لَا يَمْلِكُهُ سِوَاهُ، وَلَوْ سَمِعَ خِطَابَ الْمَوْلَى لَاسْتَرَاحَ مِنْ جَهْدِ الْبَلَاءِ.

falaw ʾayqana al-yāʾisu al-mutaṣanniʿu li-l-khalqi, al-ʾasīru fī ʾaydīhim, al-rahīnu linaẓarihim, ʾanna al-khalqa lā yanquṣūna min rizqin walā yazīdūna fī ʿumrin walā yarfaʿūna ʿinda Allāhi walā yaḍaʿūna ladayhi, waʾanna hādhā kullahu biyadi Allāhi ʿazza wajalla lā yamlikuhu siwāhu, walaw samiʿa khiṭāba al-mawlā la-istarāḥa min jahdi al-balāʾi.

If the despairing person who puts on a show for creatures, captive in their hands and hostage to their gaze, were certain that creatures neither diminish provision, lengthen life, raise anyone before God, nor lower anyone before Him, and that all this lies in the hand of God, Mighty and Majestic, possessed by no one else; if he heard his Master’s address, he would find rest from the strain of affliction.

إِذْ يَقُولُ اللَّهُ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ: ﴿إِنَّ الَّذِينَ تَدْعُونَ مِنْ دُونِ اللَّهِ﴾، الْأَعْرَافِ: ١٩٤، لَا يَمْلِكُونَ لَكُمْ رِزْقًا فَابْتَغُوا عِنْدَ اللَّهِ الرِّزْقَ وَاعْبُدُوهُ، مَعَ قَوْلِهِ تَعَالَى: ﴿إِنَّ الَّذِينَ تَدْعُونَ مِنْ دُونِ اللَّهِ عِبَادٌ أَمْثَالُكُمْ﴾، الْأَعْرَافِ: ١٩٤.

ʾidh yaqūlu Allāhu ʿazza wajalla: ﴿ʾinna alladhīna tadʿūna min dūni Allāhi﴾, al-ʾaʿrāfi: 194, lā yamlikūna lakum rizqan fa-ibtaghū ʿinda Allāhi al-rizqa wa-uʿbudūhu, maʿa qawlihi taʿālā: ﴿ʾinna alladhīna tadʿūna min dūni Allāhi ʿibādun ʾamthālukum﴾, al-ʾaʿrāfi: 194.

For God, Mighty and Majestic, says: “Those whom you call upon apart from God” (al-Aʿrāf 7:194) “possess no provision for you, so seek provision with God and worship Him,” together with the words of God Most High: “Those whom you call upon apart from God are servants like you” (al-Aʿrāf 7:194).

فَلَوْ عَقَلَ ذَلِكَ لَطَرَحَ الْخَلْقَ عَنْ قَلْبِهِ اشْتِغَالًا بِمُقَلِّبِهِ، وَلَأَعْرَضَ عَنِ النَّاسِ بِهَمِّهِ نَظَرًا مِنْهُ إِلَى مُهِمِّهِ، وَأَظْهَرَ حَالَهُ وَكَشَفَ أَمْرَهُ تَقَوِّيًا بِرَبِّهِ وَغِنْيَةً بِعِلْمِهِ.

falaw ʿaqala dhālika laṭaraḥa al-khalqa ʿan qalbihi ishtighālan bimuqallibihi, walaʾaʿraḍa ʿani al-nāsi bihammihi naẓaran minhu ʾilā muhimmihi, waʾaẓhara ḥālahu wakashafa ʾamrahu taqawwiyan birabbihi waghinyatan biʿilmihi.

If he understood this, he would cast creatures out of his heart and occupy himself with the One who turns it. He would turn his concern away from people and attend to his true concern, revealing his condition and making his affairs plain, drawing strength from his Lord and sufficiency from His knowledge.

فَلَمْ يُبَالِ أَنْ يَرَاهُ النَّاسُ عَلَى كُلِّ حَالٍ يَرَاهُ فِيهِ مَوْلَاهُ، إِذَا كَانَ لَا يَعْبُدُ إِلَّا إِيَّاهُ وَلَا يَضُرُّهُ وَلَا يَنْفَعُهُ سِوَاهُ، فَعَمِلَ مَا يُصْلِحُهُ وَإِنْ كَانَ عِنْدَ النَّاسِ يَضَعُهُ، وَسَعَى فِيمَا يَحْتَاجُ إِلَيْهِ وَإِنْ كَانَ عِنْدَ الْمَوْلَى يُزْرِي عَلَيْهِ.

falam yubāli ʾan yarāhu al-nāsu ʿalā kulli ḥālin yarāhu fīhi mawlāhu, ʾidhā kāna lā yaʿbudu ʾillā ʾiyyāhu walā yaḍurruhu walā yanfaʿuhu siwāhu, faʿamila mā yuṣliḥuhu waʾin kāna ʿinda al-nāsi yaḍaʿuhu, wasaʿā fīmā yaḥtāju ʾilayhi waʾin kāna ʿinda al-mawlā yuzrī ʿalayhi.

He would not care if people saw him in any state in which his Master sees him, since he worships only Him and none besides Him harms or benefits him. He would do what sets him right even if it lowers him before people, and pursue what he needs even if it disparages him before the Master.

وَلَكِنْ ضَعُفَ يَقِينُهُ فَقَوِيَ إِلَى الْخَلْقِ نَظَرُهُ، وَأَحَبَّ أَنْ يَسْتُرَ عَنْهُمْ خَبَرَهُ لِإِثْبَاتِ الْمَنْزِلَةِ عِنْدَهُمْ، وَلِاسْتِخْرَاجِ الْجَاهِ لِنَفْسِهِ، فَيَفْخَرَ بِالْخُيَلَاءِ وَالْعُجْبِ.

wa-lākin ḍaʿufa yaqīnuhu faqawiya ʾilā al-khalqi naẓaruhu, waʾaḥabba ʾan yastura ʿanhum khabarahu liʾithbāti al-manzilati ʿindahum, walistikhrāji al-jāhi linafsihi, fayafkhara bi-al-khuyalāʾi wa-al-ʿujbi.

But his certainty weakened, and his regard for creatures grew strong. He wished to conceal his true condition from them to establish a standing among them and secure prestige for himself, boasting in vanity and self-admiration.

فَمَوَّهَ بِحَالٍ عَلَى مَنْ لَا حَالَ لَهُ، وَوَهَّمَ بِمَقَامٍ عِنْدَ مَنْ لَيْسَ لَهُ مَقَامٌ، وَاعْتَقَدُوا فَضْلَهُ بِذَلِكَ لِنَقْصِهِمْ، وَتَوَهَّمُوا بِهِ عِلْمَهُ لِجَهْلِهِمْ، وَلَوْ صَدَقُوا اللَّهَ لَكَانَ خَيْرًا لَهُمْ.

famawwaha biḥālin ʿalā man lā ḥāla lahu, wawahhama bimaqāmin ʿinda man laysa lahu maqāmun, wa-iʿtaqadū faḍlahu bi-dhālika linaqṣihim, watawahhamū bihi ʿilmahu lijahlihim, walaw ṣadaqū Allāha lakāna khayran lahum.

He disguised himself with a spiritual state before those who had none and suggested a station before those without a station. Their own deficiency led them to believe in his excellence, and their ignorance led them to imagine his knowledge. Had they been truthful with God, it would have been better for them.

حَدَّثُونَا عَنْ يُونُسَ بْنِ عَبْدِ الْأَعْلَى قَالَ: قَالَ لِيَ الشَّافِعِيُّ رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُ: وَاللَّهِ مَا أَقُولُ لَكَ إِلَّا نُصْحًا، إِنَّهُ لَيْسَ إِلَى السَّلَامَةِ مِنَ النَّاسِ سَبِيلٌ، فَانْظُرْ مَا يُصْلِحُكَ فَافْعَلْهُ.

ḥaddathūnā ʿan yūnusa bni ʿabdi al-ʾaʿlā qāla: qāla liya al-shāfiʿiyyu raḍiya Allāhu ʿanhu: wa-Allāhi mā ʾaqūlu laka ʾillā nuṣḥan, ʾinnahu laysa ʾilā al-salāmati mina al-nāsi sabīlun, fa-unẓur mā yuṣliḥuka fa-ifʿalhu.

They related to us from Yūnus ibn ʿAbd al-Aʿlā, who said: “Al-Shāfiʿī, God be pleased with him, told me, ‘By God, I speak only to counsel you sincerely: there is no way to be safe from people. Look to what sets you right, and do it.’”

وَحَدَّثُونَا عَنِ الثَّوْرِيِّ قَالَ: رِضَا النَّاسِ غَايَةٌ لَا تُدْرَكُ، فَأَحْمَقُ النَّاسِ مَنْ طَلَبَ مَا لَا يُدْرَكُ. وَقَدْ قَالَ بَعْضُ الْحُكَمَاءِ فِي مَعْنَاهُ قَوْلًا مَنْظُومًا: مَنْ رَاقَبَ النَّاسَ مَاتَ غَمًّا ... وَفَازَ بِاللَّذَّةِ الْجَسُورُ.

waḥaddathūnā ʿani al-thawriyyi qāla: riḍā al-nāsi ghāyatun lā tudraku, faʾaḥmaqu al-nāsi man ṭalaba mā lā yudraku. waqad qāla baʿḍu al-ḥukamāʾi fī maʿnāhu qawlan manẓūman: man rāqaba al-nāsa māta ghamman ... wafāza bi-al-ladhdhati al-jasūru.

They related to us from al-Thawrī, who said: “People’s approval is an unattainable goal; the most foolish person pursues what cannot be attained.” One of the sages expressed the meaning in verse: “Whoever watches people dies of grief; the bold win enjoyment.”

وَنَظَرَ أَبُو مُحَمَّدٍ سَهْلٌ إِلَى رَجُلٍ مِنَ الْفُقَرَاءِ فَقَالَ لَهُ: اعْمَلْ كَذَا وَكَذَا. فَقَالَ: يَا أُسْتَاذُ، لَا أَقْدِرُ عَلَى هَذَا لِأَجْلِ النَّاسِ. فَالْتَفَتَ إِلَى أَصْحَابِهِ فَقَالَ: لَا يَنَالُ الْعَبْدُ حَقِيقَةً مِنْ هَذَا الْأَمْرِ حَتَّى يَكُونَ بِأَحَدِ وَصْفَيْنِ:

wanaẓara ʾabū muḥammadin sahlun ʾilā rajulin mina al-fuqarāʾi faqāla lahu: iʿmal kadhā wakadhā. faqāla: yā ʾustādhu, lā ʾaqdiru ʿalā hādhā liʾajli al-nāsi. fa-iltafata ʾilā ʾaṣḥābihi faqāla: lā yanālu al-ʿabdu ḥaqīqatan min hādhā al-ʾamri ḥattā yakūna biʾaḥadi waṣfayni:

Abū Muḥammad Sahl looked at one of the spiritual poor and told him: “Do such-and-such.” He answered: “Master, I cannot do this because of people.” Sahl turned to his companions and said: “A servant attains no reality of this matter until he possesses one of two qualities:

عَبْدٌ يُسْقِطُ النَّاسَ عَنْ عَيْنِهِ فَلَا يَرَى فِي الدَّارِ إِلَّا هُوَ وَخَالِقُهُ، وَأَنَّ أَحَدًا لَا يَقْدِرُ أَنْ يَضُرَّهُ وَلَا يَنْفَعَهُ، أَوْ عَبْدٌ أَسْقَطَ النَّاسَ عَنْ قَلْبِهِ فَلَا يُبَالِي بِأَيِّ حَالٍ يَرَوْنَهُ.

ʿabdun yusqiṭu al-nāsa ʿan ʿaynihi falā yarā fī al-dāri ʾillā huwa wakhāliquhu, waʾanna ʾaḥadan lā yaqdiru ʾan yaḍurrahu walā yanfaʿahu, ʾaw ʿabdun ʾasqaṭa al-nāsa ʿan qalbihi falā yubālī biʾayyi ḥālin yarawnahu.

“Either he lets people fall from his sight, seeing in the abode only himself and his Creator and knowing that no one can harm or benefit him; or he has let people fall from his heart and does not care in what condition they see him.”

الْجُزْءُ الثَّانِي، الصَّفْحَةُ ٣٩٠

al-juzʾu al-thānī, al-ṣafḥatu 390

Volume Two, page 390

وَحَدَّثُونَا عَنْ إِمَامِ الْأَئِمَّةِ الْحَسَنِ بْنِ يَسَارٍ الْبَصْرِيِّ رَحِمَهُ اللَّهُ أَنَّ رَجُلًا قَالَ لَهُ: يَا أَبَا سَعِيدٍ، إِنَّ قَوْمًا يَحْضُرُونَ مَجْلِسَكَ لَيْسَ بُغْيَتُهُمُ الْفَائِدَةُ مِنْكَ، وَلَا الْأَخْذُ عَنْكَ، إِنَّمَا هَمُّهُمْ تَتَبُّعُ سَقَطِ كَلَامِكَ وَتَعَنُّتُكَ فِي السُّؤَالِ لِيَعِيبُوكَ بِذَلِكَ.

waḥaddathūnā ʿan ʾimāmi al-ʾaʾimmati al-ḥasani bni yasārin al-baṣriyyi raḥimahu Allāhu ʾanna rajulan qāla lahu: yā ʾabā saʿīdin, ʾinna qawman yaḥḍurūna majlisaka laysa bughyatuhumu al-fāʾidatu minka, walā al-ʾakhdhu ʿanka, ʾinnamā hammuhum tatabbuʿu saqaṭi kalāmika wataʿannutuka fī al-suʾāli liyaʿībūka bi-dhālika.

They related to us concerning the imam of imams, al-Ḥasan ibn Yasār al-Baṣrī, God have mercy on him, that a man told him: “Abū Saʿīd, some people attend your gathering without seeking benefit or learning from you. Their only concern is to track slips in your speech and harass you with questions, so that they can find fault with you.”

فَتَبَسَّمَ الْحَسَنُ ثُمَّ قَالَ: هَوِّنْ عَلَيْكَ يَا ابْنَ أَخِي، فَإِنِّي حَدَّثْتُ نَفْسِي بِسُكْنَى الْجِنَانِ فَطَمِعَتْ، وَحَدَّثْتُ نَفْسِي بِمُعَانَقَةِ الْحُورِ الْحِسَانِ فَطَمِعَتْ، وَحَدَّثْتُ نَفْسِي بِمُجَاوَرَةِ الرَّحْمَنِ فَطَمِعَتْ.

fatabassama al-ḥasanu thumma qāla: hawwin ʿalayka yā ibna ʾakhī, faʾinnī ḥaddathtu nafsī bisuknā al-jināni faṭamiʿat, waḥaddathtu nafsī bimuʿānaqati al-ḥūri al-ḥisāni faṭamiʿat, waḥaddathtu nafsī bimujāwarati al-raḥmāni faṭamiʿat.

Al-Ḥasan smiled and said: “Take it easy, my nephew. I spoke to my soul of dwelling in the Gardens, and it hoped; I spoke to it of embracing the beautiful houris, and it hoped; I spoke to it of dwelling near the All-Merciful, and it hoped.”

وَمَا حَدَّثْتُ نَفْسِي قَطُّ بِالسَّلَامَةِ مِنَ النَّاسِ، لِأَنِّي قَدْ عَلِمْتُ أَنَّ خَالِقَهُمْ وَرَازِقَهُمْ وَمُحْيِيَهُمْ وَمُمِيتَهُمْ لَمْ يَسْلَمْ مِنْهُمْ، فَكَيْفَ أُحَدِّثُ نَفْسِي بِالسَّلَامَةِ مِنْهُمْ؟

wamā ḥaddathtu nafsī qaṭṭu bi-al-salāmati mina al-nāsi, liʾannī qad ʿalimtu ʾanna khāliqahum warāziqahum wamuḥyiyahum wamumītahum lam yaslam minhum, fakayfa ʾuḥaddithu nafsī bi-al-salāmati minhum?

“But I have never spoken to my soul of being safe from people, for I know that their Creator, Provider, Giver of life, and Giver of death has not been spared by them. How could I speak to my soul of being spared by them?”

وَبِمَعْنَاهُ مَا رُوِيَ عَنْ مُوسَى صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ أَنَّهُ قَالَ: يَا رَبِّ، احْبِسْ عَنِّي أَلْسِنَةَ النَّاسِ. فَقَالَ اللَّهُ تَبَارَكَ وَتَعَالَى: يَا مُوسَى، هَذَا شَيْءٌ لَمْ أَفْعَلْهُ لِنَفْسِي فَكَيْفَ أَفْعَلُهُ بِكَ؟ وَفِي لَفْظٍ آخَرَ: لَوْ خَصَصْتُ بِهَذَا أَحَدًا لَخَصَصْتُ بِهِ نَفْسِي.

wabimaʿnāhu mā ruwiya ʿan mūsā ṣallā Allāhu ʿalayhi wasallama ʾannahu qāla: yā rabbi, iḥbis ʿannī ʾalsinata al-nāsi. faqāla Allāhu tabāraka wataʿālā: yā mūsā, hādhā shayʾun lam ʾafʿalhu linafsī fakayfa ʾafʿaluhu bika? wafī lafẓin ʾākhara: law khaṣaṣtu bi-hādhā ʾaḥadan lakhaṣaṣtu bihi nafsī.

A similar meaning is related from Moses, God bless him and grant him peace, who said: “Lord, restrain people’s tongues from me.” God, Blessed and Exalted Is He, replied: “Moses, this is something I have not done for Myself; how should I do it for you?” Another wording says: “Had I singled anyone out for this, I would have singled Myself out.”

وَقَدْ كَانَ أَبُو الدَّرْدَاءِ رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُ يَقُولُ: مَا مِنْ يَوْمٍ أُصْبِحُ فِيهِ حَيًّا وَأُمْسِي وَلَا يَرْمِينِي فِيهِ النَّاسُ بِدَاهِيَةٍ إِلَّا عَدَدْتُهُ نِعْمَةً مِنَ اللَّهِ تَعَالَى عَلَيَّ. وَأَنْشَدَ: وَإِنَّ امْرَأً يُمْسِي وَيُصْبِحُ سَالِمًا ... مِنَ النَّاسِ إِلَّا مَا جَنَى لَسَعِيدٌ.

waqad kāna ʾabū al-dardāʾi raḍiya Allāhu ʿanhu yaqūlu: mā min yawmin ʾuṣbiḥu fīhi ḥayyan waʾumsī walā yarmīnī fīhi al-nāsu bidāhiyatin ʾillā ʿadadtuhu niʿmatan mina Allāhi taʿālā ʿalayya. waʾanshada: waʾinna imraʾan yumsī wayuṣbiḥu sāliman ... mina al-nāsi ʾillā mā janā lasaʿīdun.

Abū al-Dardāʾ, God be pleased with him, used to say: “Any day I pass from morning to evening alive without people hurling some dreadful accusation at me, I count as a blessing from God Most High.” He recited: “A man who reaches evening and morning safe from people, except for what he himself has earned, is indeed fortunate.”

وَأَوْحَى اللَّهُ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ إِلَى عُزَيْرٍ: إِنْ لَمْ تَطِبْ نَفْسًا بِأَنْ أَجْعَلَكَ عِلْكًا فِي أَفْوَاهِ الْمَاضِغِينَ لَمْ أَكْتُبْكَ عِنْدِي مِنَ الْمُتَوَاضِعِينَ. وَمِثْلَهُ رَوَيْنَا عَنْ عِيسَى عَلَيْهِ السَّلَامُ أَنَّهُ كَانَ يَقُولُ: يَا مَعْشَرَ الْحَوَارِيِّينَ، إِنْ أَرَدْتُمْ أَنْ تَكُونُوا إِخْوَانًا فَوَطِّنُوا نُفُوسَكُمْ عِنْدَ الْعَدَاوَةِ وَالْبَغْضَاءِ مِنَ النَّاسِ.

waʾawḥā Allāhu ʿazza wajalla ʾilā ʿuzayrin: ʾin lam taṭib nafsan biʾan ʾajʿalaka ʿilkan fī ʾafwāhi al-māḍighīna lam ʾaktubka ʿindī mina al-mutawāḍiʿīna. wamithlahu rawaynā ʿan ʿīsā ʿalayhi al-salāmu ʾannahu kāna yaqūlu: yā maʿshara al-ḥawāriyyīna, ʾin ʾaradtum ʾan takūnū ʾikhwānan fawaṭṭinū nufūsakum ʿinda al-ʿadāwati wa-al-baghḍāʾi mina al-nāsi.

God, Mighty and Majestic, revealed to ʿUzayr: “If you cannot willingly accept My making you chewing gum in the mouths of those who chew, I will not record you among the humble before Me.” Similarly, we have transmitted that Jesus, peace be upon him, used to say: “Disciples, if you wish to be brothers, prepare yourselves for people’s enmity and hatred.”

وَقَدْ جَعَلَ اللَّهُ تَبَارَكَ وَتَعَالَى فِي الْمُخَالَطَةِ لِلْمُؤْمِنِينَ مِنَ الْبَرَكَةِ مَا لَوْ لَمْ يَجِئْ فِيهِ الْأَثَرُ إِلَّا هَذَا كَانَ فِيهِ كِفَايَةٌ.

waqad jaʿala Allāhu tabāraka wataʿālā fī al-mukhālaṭati li-l-muʾminīna mina al-barakati mā law lam yajiʾ fīhi al-ʾatharu ʾillā hādhā kāna fīhi kifāyatun.

God, Blessed and Exalted Is He, has placed such blessing in mingling with believers that, even if no tradition on the subject had come except the following, it would suffice.

وَرَوَيْنَا أَنَّ النَّبِيَّ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ لَمَّا طَافَ بِالْبَيْتِ عَدَلَ إِلَى زَمْزَمَ لِيَشْرَبَ مِنْهَا، فَإِذَا التَّمْرُ الْمُنَقَّعُ فِي الْحِيَاضِ الْأَدَمِ قَدْ مَغَثَهُ النَّاسُ بِأَيْدِيهِمْ وَهُمْ يَتَنَاوَلُونَ مِنْهُ يَشْرَبُونَ، فَاسْتَسْقَى مِنْهُ فَقَالَ: اسْقُونِي.

warawaynā ʾanna al-nabiyya ṣallā Allāhu ʿalayhi wasallama lammā ṭāfa bi-al-bayti ʿadala ʾilā zamzama liyashraba minhā, faʾidhā al-tamru al-munaqqaʿu fī al-ḥiyāḍi al-ʾadami qad maghathahu al-nāsu biʾaydīhim wahum yatanāwalūna minhu yashrabūna, fa-istasqā minhu faqāla: isqūnī.

We have transmitted that after the Prophet, God bless him and grant him peace, circumambulated the House, he turned toward Zamzam to drink. There were dates steeped in leather basins, which people had worked with their hands while taking some to drink. He asked for a drink from it, saying: “Give me some.”

فَقَالَ الْعَبَّاسُ: يَا رَسُولَ اللَّهِ، إِنَّ هَذَا النَّبِيذَ شَرَابٌ قَدْ مُغِثَ وَحِيضَ بِالْأَيْدِي، أَفَلَا آتِيكَ أَنْظَفَ مِنْ هَذَا فِي جَرٍّ مُخَمَّرٍ فِي الْبَيْتِ؟ فَقَالَ: لَا، اسْقُونِي مِنْ هَذَا الَّذِي يَشْرَبُ مِنْهُ النَّاسُ، أَلْتَمِسُ بَرَكَةَ أَيْدِي الْمُسْلِمِينَ، فَشَرِبَ.

faqāla al-ʿabbāsu: yā rasūla Allāhi, ʾinna hādhā al-nabīdha sharābun qad mughitha waḥīḍa bi-al-ʾaydī, ʾafalā ʾātīka ʾanẓafa min hādhā fī jarrin mukhammarin fī al-bayti? faqāla: lā, isqūnī min hādhā alladhī yashrabu minhu al-nāsu, ʾaltamisu barakata ʾaydī al-muslimīna, fashariba.

Al-ʿAbbās said: “Messenger of God, this date infusion has been worked and stirred by people’s hands. Shall I bring you something cleaner from a covered jar in the house?” He replied: “No; give me this from which people drink. I seek the blessing of Muslims’ hands.” Then he drank.

وَرَوَيْنَا فِي خَبَرٍ آخَرَ: قِيلَ: يَا رَسُولَ اللَّهِ، الْوُضُوءُ مِنْ جَرٍّ مُخَمَّرٍ أَحَبُّ إِلَيْكَ أَوْ مِنْ هَذِهِ الْمَطَاهِرِ الَّتِي يَتَطَهَّرُ مِنْهَا النَّاسُ؟ فَقَالَ: بَلْ مِنْ هَذِهِ الْمَطَاهِرِ الْتِمَاسَ بَرَكَةِ أَيْدِي الْمُسْلِمِينَ.

warawaynā fī khabarin ʾākhara: qīla: yā rasūla Allāhi, al-wuḍūʾu min jarrin mukhammarin ʾaḥabbu ʾilayka ʾaw min hādhihi al-maṭāhiri allatī yataṭahharu minhā al-nāsu? faqāla: bal min hādhihi al-maṭāhiri iltimāsa barakati ʾaydī al-muslimīna.

We have transmitted another report in which he was asked: “Messenger of God, do you prefer ablution from a covered jar or from these basins in which people purify themselves?” He answered: “From these basins, seeking the blessing of Muslims’ hands.”

وَرَوَيْنَا فِي الْخَبَرِ: إِذَا الْتَقَى الْمُسْلِمَانِ فَتَصَافَحَا فَتَبَسَّمَ أَحَدُهُمَا إِلَى صَاحِبِهِ تَحَاتَّتْ ذُنُوبُهُمَا كَمَا يَتَحَاتُّ وَرَقُ الشَّجَرِ. وَفِي لَفْظِ الْحَدِيثِ الْآخَرِ: قُسِمَتْ بَيْنَهُمَا مِائَةُ رَحْمَةٍ، تِسْعَةٌ وَتِسْعُونَ لِآنَسِهِمَا بِصَاحِبِهِ وَأَحْسَنِهِمَا بِشْرًا.

warawaynā fī al-khabari: ʾidhā iltaqā al-muslimāni fataṣāfaḥā fatabassama ʾaḥaduhumā ʾilā ṣāḥibihi taḥāttat dhunūbuhumā kamā yataḥāttu waraqu al-shajari. wafī lafẓi al-ḥadīthi al-ʾākhari: qusimat baynahumā miʾatu raḥmatin, tisʿatun watisʿūna liʾānasihimā biṣāḥibihi waʾaḥsanihimā bishran.

We have transmitted in a report: “When two Muslims meet, shake hands, and one smiles at the other, their sins fall away as leaves fall from a tree.” Another wording says: “A hundred mercies are divided between them, ninety-nine going to the one more at ease with his companion and more cheerful toward him.”

وَرَوَيْنَا فِي الْخَبَرِ: خَيْرُ الْأَصْحَابِ عِنْدَ اللَّهِ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ أَرْفَقُهُمْ بِصَاحِبِهِ، وَخَيْرُ الْجِيرَانِ أَرْفَقُهُمْ بِجَارِهِ.

warawaynā fī al-khabari: khayru al-ʾaṣḥābi ʿinda Allāhi ʿazza wajalla ʾarfaquhum biṣāḥibihi, wakhayru al-jīrāni ʾarfaquhum bijārihi.

We have transmitted in a report: “The best companions before God, Mighty and Majestic, are those gentlest with their companions, and the best neighbors are those gentlest with their neighbors.”

وَإِيَّاكَ أَنْ تَصْحَبَ جَاهِلًا فَتَجْهَلَ بِصُحْبَتِهِ، أَوْ غَافِلًا عَنْ مَوْلَاهُ مُتَّبِعًا لِهَوَاهُ فَيَصُدَّكَ عَنْ سَبِيلِهِ فَتَرْدَى، كَمَا قَالَ سُبْحَانَهُ وَتَعَالَى: ﴿فَاسْتَقِيمَا وَلَا تَتَّبِعَانِّ سَبِيلَ الَّذِينَ لَا

waʾiyyāka ʾan taṣḥaba jāhilan fatajhala biṣuḥbatihi, ʾaw ghāfilan ʿan mawlāhu muttabiʿan lihawāhu fayaṣuddaka ʿan sabīlihi fatardā, kamā qāla subḥānahu wataʿālā: ﴿fa-istaqīmā walā tattabiʿānni sabīla alladhīna lā

Beware of accompanying an ignorant person and becoming ignorant through his company, or someone heedless of his Master and following his desires, who may turn you from His path so that you perish. As He, Glorified and Exalted Is He, said: “Remain upright, both of you, and do not follow the path of those who do not

الْجُزْءُ الثَّانِي، الصَّفْحَةُ ٣٩١

al-juzʾu al-thānī, al-ṣafḥatu 391

Volume Two, page 391

يَعْلَمُونَ﴾، يُونُسَ: ٨٩، فَأَوَّلُ الِاسْتِقَامَةِ صُحْبَةُ الْعُلَمَاءِ بِاللَّهِ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ. وَقَالَ تَعَالَى: ﴿وَلَا تُطِعْ مَنْ أَغْفَلْنَا قَلْبَهُ عَنْ ذِكْرِنَا وَاتَّبَعَ هَوَاهُ﴾، الْكَهْفِ: ٢٨.

yaʿlamūna﴾, yūnusa: 89, faʾawwalu al-istiqāmati ṣuḥbatu al-ʿulamāʾi bi-Allāhi ʿazza wajalla. waqāla taʿālā: ﴿walā tuṭiʿ man ʾaghfalnā qalbahu ʿan dhikrinā wa-ittabaʿa hawāhu﴾, al-kahfi: 28.

know” (Yūnus 10:89). The beginning of uprightness is companionship with those who know God, Mighty and Majestic. He, Most High, said: “Do not obey someone whose heart We have made heedless of Our remembrance and who follows his desire” (al-Kahf 18:28).

وَقَالَ تَعَالَى: ﴿فَلَا يَصُدَّنَّكَ عَنْهَا مَنْ لَا يُؤْمِنُ بِهَا وَاتَّبَعَ هَوَاهُ فَتَرْدَى﴾، طه: ١٦، أَيْ فَتَكُونَ رَدِيًّا، وَقِيلَ: فَتَهْلِكَ. وَقَالَ تَعَالَى: ﴿فَأَعْرِضْ عَمَّنْ تَوَلَّى عَنْ ذِكْرِنَا﴾، النَّجْمِ: ٢٩.

waqāla taʿālā: ﴿falā yaṣuddannaka ʿanhā man lā yuʾminu bihā wa-ittabaʿa hawāhu fatardā﴾, Ṭā Hā: 16, ʾay fatakūna radiyyan, waqīla: fatahlika. waqāla taʿālā: ﴿faʾaʿriḍ ʿamman tawallā ʿan dhikrinā﴾, al-najmi: 29.

He, Most High, said: “Let not one who disbelieves in it and follows his desire turn you away from it, lest you perish” (Ṭā Hā 20:16), meaning that you become ruined; another explanation is, “you are destroyed.” He, Most High, said: “Turn away from whoever turns away from Our remembrance” (al-Najm 53:29).

فَفِي دَلِيلِهِ الْإِقْبَالُ بِالصُّحْبَةِ عَلَى مَنْ أَقْبَلَ إِلَى ذِكْرِهِ تَعَالَى، وَالْإِعْرَاضُ عَمَّنْ أَعْرَضَ عَنْ وَجْهِهِ، فَلَا تَصْحَبَنَّ إِلَّا مُقْبِلًا عَلَيْهِ كَمَا قَالَ اللَّهُ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ: ﴿وَاتَّبِعْ سَبِيلَ مَنْ أَنَابَ إِلَيَّ﴾، لُقْمَانَ: ١٥.

fafī dalīlihi al-ʾiqbālu bi-al-ṣuḥbati ʿalā man ʾaqbala ʾilā dhikrihi taʿālā, wa-al-ʾiʿrāḍu ʿamman ʾaʿraḍa ʿan wajhihi, falā taṣḥabanna ʾillā muqbilan ʿalayhi kamā qāla Allāhu ʿazza wajalla: ﴿wa-ittabiʿ sabīla man ʾanāba ʾilayya﴾, luqmāna: 15.

This indicates turning in companionship toward those who turn toward the remembrance of God Most High, and turning away from those who turn away from His countenance. Accompany only someone turned toward Him, as God, Mighty and Majestic, said: “Follow the path of whoever turns to Me” (Luqmān 31:15).

وَإِيَّاكَ أَنْ تَصْحَبَ مِنَ النَّاسِ خَمْسَةً: الْمُبْتَدِعَ وَالْفَاسِقَ وَالْجَاهِلَ وَالْحَرِيصَ عَلَى الدُّنْيَا وَالْكَثِيرَ الْغِيبَةِ لِلنَّاسِ، فَإِنَّ هَؤُلَاءِ مَفْسَدَةٌ لِلْقُلُوبِ مَذْهَبَةٌ لِلْأَحْوَالِ، مُضِرَّةٌ فِي الْحَالِ وَالْمَآلِ.

waʾiyyāka ʾan taṣḥaba mina al-nāsi khamsatan: al-mubtadiʿa wa-al-fāsiqa wa-al-jāhila wa-al-ḥarīṣa ʿalā al-dunyā wa-al-kathīra al-ghībati li-l-nāsi, faʾinna hāʾulāʾi mafsadatun li-l-qulūbi madhhabatun li-l-ʾaḥwāli, muḍirratun fī al-ḥāli wa-al-maʾāli.

Beware of accompanying five kinds of people: the innovator, the sinner, the ignorant, the person greedy for this world, and the frequent backbiter. They corrupt hearts, dissipate spiritual states, and bring harm now and in the outcome.

وَقَدْ كَانَ سُفْيَانُ الثَّوْرِيُّ رَحِمَهُ اللَّهُ يَقُولُ: النَّظَرُ إِلَى وَجْهِ الْأَحْمَقِ خَطِيئَةٌ مَكْتُوبَةٌ. وَقَالَ سَعِيدُ بْنُ الْمُسَيِّبِ: لَا تَنْظُرُوا إِلَى الظَّلَمَةِ فَتَحْبَطَ أَعْمَالُكُمُ الصَّالِحَةُ.

waqad kāna sufyānu al-thawriyyu raḥimahu Allāhu yaqūlu: al-naẓaru ʾilā wajhi al-ʾaḥmaqi khaṭīʾatun maktūbatun. waqāla saʿīdu bnu al-musayyibi: lā tanẓurū ʾilā al-ẓalamati fataḥbaṭa ʾaʿmālukumu al-ṣāliḥatu.

Sufyān al-Thawrī, God have mercy on him, used to say: “Looking at a fool’s face is a recorded sin.” Saʿīd ibn al-Musayyib said: “Do not look toward oppressors, lest your righteous deeds be nullified.”

وَلَكِنْ قَدْ كَانَ صَعْصَعَةُ بْنُ صُوحَانَ يَقُولُ: إِذَا لَقِيتَ الْمُؤْمِنَ فَخَالِطْهُ مُخَالَطَةً، وَإِذَا لَقِيتَ الْمُنَافِقَ فَخَالِفْهُ مُخَالَفَةً. وَقَدْ قَالَ أَحْسَنُ الْوَاصِفِينَ فِي وَصْفِ أَوْلِيَائِهِ الْمُتَّقِينَ: وَإِذَا خَاطَبَهُمُ الْجَاهِلُونَ قَالُوا سَلَامًا.

wa-lākin qad kāna ṣaʿṣaʿatu bnu ṣūḥāna yaqūlu: ʾidhā laqīta al-muʾmina fakhāliṭhu mukhālaṭatan, waʾidhā laqīta al-munāfiqa fakhālifhu mukhālafatan. waqad qāla ʾaḥsanu al-wāṣifīna fī waṣfi ʾawliyāʾihi al-muttaqīna: waʾidhā khāṭabahumu al-jāhilūna qālū salāman.

Ṣaʿṣaʿa ibn Ṣūḥān, however, used to say: “When you meet a believer, mingle with him; when you meet a hypocrite, differ from him.” The Best of Those Who Describe said of His God-conscious friends: “When the ignorant address them, they say, ‘Peace.’”

أَيْ سَلَامَةً، الْأَلِفُ بَدَلٌ مِنَ الْهَاءِ لِازْدِوَاجِ الْكَلِمِ، وَالْمَعْنَى أَيْ سَلِمْنَا مِنْ إِثْمِكُمْ وَسَلِمْتُمْ مِنْ شَرِّنَا.

ʾay salāmatan, al-ʾalifu badalun mina al-hāʾi lizdiwāji al-kalimi, wa-al-maʿnā ʾay salimnā min ʾithmikum wasalimtum min sharrinā.

That is, salāma, safety: the alif replaces the hāʾ to match the surrounding words. The meaning is: “We are safe from your sin, and you are safe from our harm.”

وَقَدْ كَانَ أَبُو الدَّرْدَاءِ يَقُولُ فِي زَمَانِهِ: كَانَ النَّاسُ وَرَقًا لَا شَوْكَ فِيهِ، وَهُمُ الْيَوْمَ شَوْكٌ لَا وَرَقَ فِيهِ، إِنْ نَاقَدْتَهُمْ نَاقَدُوكَ، وَإِنْ تَرَكْتَهُمْ لَمْ يَتْرُكُوكَ، فَأَقْرِضْهُمْ مِنْ عِرْضِكَ لِيَوْمِ فَقْرِكَ.

waqad kāna ʾabū al-dardāʾi yaqūlu fī zamānihi: kāna al-nāsu waraqan lā shawka fīhi, wahumu al-yawma shawkun lā waraqa fīhi, ʾin nāqadtahum nāqadūka, waʾin taraktahum lam yatrukūka, faʾaqriḍhum min ʿirḍika liyawmi faqrika.

Abū al-Dardāʾ used to say in his time: “People were leaves without thorns; today they are thorns without leaves. If you criticize them, they criticize you; if you leave them alone, they do not leave you alone. Lend them some of your honor against the day of your poverty.”

وَكَانَ يَقُولُ: كُلَّ يَوْمٍ أُصْبِحُ لَا يَرْمِينِي النَّاسُ فِيهِ بِدَاهِيَةٍ أَعُدُّهُ نِعْمَةً مِنَ اللَّهِ تَعَالَى عَلَيَّ. وَقَالَ حَكِيمُ الْحُكَمَاءِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ: مَنْ خَالَطَ النَّاسَ وَصَبَرَ عَلَى أَذَاهُمْ أَفْضَلُ مِمَّنْ لَمْ يُخَالِطْهُمْ وَلَمْ يَصْبِرْ عَلَى أَذَاهُمْ.

wakāna yaqūlu: kulla yawmin ʾuṣbiḥu lā yarmīnī al-nāsu fīhi bidāhiyatin ʾaʿudduhu niʿmatan mina Allāhi taʿālā ʿalayya. waqāla ḥakīmu al-ḥukamāʾi ṣallā Allāhu ʿalayhi wasallama: man khālaṭa al-nāsa waṣabara ʿalā ʾadhāhum ʾafḍalu mimman lam yukhāliṭhum walam yaṣbir ʿalā ʾadhāhum.

He used to say: “Every day I awaken without people hurling a dreadful accusation at me, I count as a blessing from God Most High.” The wisest of the wise, God bless him and grant him peace, said: “Someone who mingles with people and patiently bears their harm is better than someone who neither mingles with them nor patiently bears their harm.”

وَقَالَ الْعَلَّامُ ذُو الْجَلَالِ وَالْإِكْرَامِ: ﴿أُولَئِكَ يُؤْتَوْنَ أَجْرَهُمْ مَرَّتَيْنِ بِمَا صَبَرُوا وَيَدْرَؤُونَ بِالْحَسَنَةِ السَّيِّئَةَ﴾، الْقَصَصِ: ٤٥، أَيْ يَدْفَعُونَ بِالْكَلَامِ الْحَسَنِ السَّيِّئَ. وَقَالَ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ فِي الْكَلَامِ الْمُفَسِّرِ: ﴿ادْفَعْ بِالَّتِي هِيَ أَحْسَنُ﴾، فُصِّلَتْ: ٣٤، يَعْنِي بِالْكَلِمَةِ الْحُسْنَى.

waqāla al-ʿallāmu dhū al-jalāli wa-al-ʾikrāmi: ﴿ʾulāʾika yuʾtawna ʾajrahum marratayni bimā ṣabarū wayadraʾūna bi-al-ḥasanati al-sayyiʾata﴾, al-qaṣaṣi: 45, ʾay yadfaʿūna bi-al-kalāmi al-ḥasani al-sayyiʾa. waqāla ʿazza wajalla fī al-kalāmi al-mufassiri: ﴿idfaʿ bi-allatī hiya ʾaḥsanu﴾, fuṣṣilat: 34, yaʿnī bi-al-kalimati al-ḥusnā.

The All-Knowing, Possessor of Majesty and Honor, said: “They are given their reward twice for their patience, and repel evil with good” (al-Qaṣaṣ 28:45): that is, they repel bad speech with good speech. He, Mighty and Majestic, said in explanation, “Repel with what is better” (Fuṣṣilat 41:34), meaning with the better word.

﴿فَإِذَا الَّذِي بَيْنَكَ وَبَيْنَهُ عَدَاوَةٌ كَأَنَّهُ وَلِيٌّ حَمِيمٌ﴾، فُصِّلَتْ: ٣٤، ثُمَّ قَالَ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ: وَمَا يُلَقَّاهَا، يَعْنِي الْكَلِمَةَ، ﴿إِلَّا الَّذِينَ صَبَرُوا﴾، فُصِّلَتْ: ٣٥، أَيْ عَلَى أَمْرِ اللَّهِ تَعَالَى وَعَلَى الْغَيْظِ وَعَنِ الْغَضَبِ.

﴿faʾidhā alladhī baynaka wabaynahu ʿadāwatun kaʾannahu waliyyun ḥamīmun﴾, fuṣṣilat: 34, thumma qāla ʿazza wajalla: wamā yulaqqāhā, yaʿnī al-kalimata, ﴿ʾillā alladhīna ṣabarū﴾, fuṣṣilat: 35, ʾay ʿalā ʾamri Allāhi taʿālā waʿalā al-ghayẓi waʿani al-ghaḍabi.

“Then the one between whom and you there was enmity will be as a devoted friend” (Fuṣṣilat 41:34). Then He, Mighty and Majestic, said: “None is granted it,” meaning the word, “except those who are patient” (Fuṣṣilat 41:35), patient in obeying God Most High, in enduring provocation, and in restraining anger.

﴿وَمَا يُلَقَّاهَا إِلَّا ذُو حَظٍّ عَظِيمٍ﴾، فُصِّلَتْ: ٣٥، أَيْ مِنَ الْحِلْمِ وَالْعِلْمِ، وَقِيلَ: ذُو حَظٍّ عَظِيمٍ عِنْدَ اللَّهِ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ مِنَ النَّصِيبِ وَالْجَزَاءِ.

﴿wamā yulaqqāhā ʾillā dhū ḥaẓẓin ʿaẓīmin﴾, fuṣṣilat: 35, ʾay mina al-ḥilmi wa-al-ʿilmi, waqīla: dhū ḥaẓẓin ʿaẓīmin ʿinda Allāhi ʿazza wajalla mina al-naṣībi wa-al-jazāʾi.

“None is granted it except one possessing a great share” (Fuṣṣilat 41:35), that is, of forbearance and knowledge. Another explanation is: one possessing a great portion and reward before God, Mighty and Majestic.

وَقَدْ قَالَ لُقْمَانُ الْحَكِيمُ قَوْلًا مُتَوَسِّطًا: يَا بُنَيَّ، لَا تَكُنْ حُلْوًا فَتُبْلَعَ، وَلَا مُرًّا فَتُلْفَظَ. الْمَعْنَى: لَا تُمَكِّنِ النَّاسَ مِنْ نَفْسِكَ وَلَا تُتَابِعْهُمْ فِي كُلِّ شَيْءٍ فَلَا يُبْقُوا عَلَيْكَ وَيَنْبَسِطُوا إِلَيْكَ، وَلَا تُنَافِرْهُمْ وَتُخَالِفْهُمْ فِي كُلِّ شَيْءٍ فَيُجَانِبُوكَ وَيَرْفُضُوكَ فَيَقَعُوا فِيكَ.

waqad qāla luqmānu al-ḥakīmu qawlan mutawassiṭan: yā bunayya, lā takun ḥulwan fatublaʿa, walā murran fatulfaẓa. al-maʿnā: lā tumakkini al-nāsa min nafsika walā tutābiʿhum fī kulli shayʾin falā yubqū ʿalayka wayanbasiṭū ʾilayka, walā tunāfirhum watukhālifhum fī kulli shayʾin fayujānibūka wayarfuḍūka fayaqaʿū fīka.

Luqmān the Wise expressed a middle course: “My son, be neither so sweet that you are swallowed nor so bitter that you are spat out.” That is: do not put yourself entirely at people’s disposal or follow them in everything, lest they spare you nothing and take liberties with you. Nor repel and oppose them in everything, lest they avoid and reject you and speak against you.

وَقَالَ بَعْضُ السَّلَفِ: لَا تَصْحَبْ إِلَّا مُرِيدًا، وَكُلُّ خَلِيلٍ لَا يُرِيدُ مَا تُرِيدُ فَانْبِذْ عَنْكَ صُحْبَتَهُ. وَقَالَ بَعْضُ عُلَمَاءِ الْعَرَبِ: الصَّاحِبُ كَالرُّقْعَةِ فِي الثَّوْبِ، إِنْ لَمْ تَكُنْ مِنْ جِنْسِهِ شَانَتْهُ.

waqāla baʿḍu al-salafi: lā taṣḥab ʾillā murīdan, wakullu khalīlin lā yurīdu mā turīdu fa-inbidh ʿanka ṣuḥbatahu. waqāla baʿḍu ʿulamāʾi al-ʿarabi: al-ṣāḥibu ka-al-ruqʿati fī al-thawbi, ʾin lam takun min jinsihi shānathu.

One of the early generations said: “Accompany only a seeker; cast off the company of any intimate friend who does not seek what you seek.” One of the Arab scholars said: “A companion is like a patch on a garment: if it is not of the same kind, it disfigures it.”

وَقَالَ بَعْضُ الْحُكَمَاءِ: كُلُّ إِنْسَانٍ مَعَ شَكْلِهِ كَمَا أَنَّ كُلَّ طَيْرٍ مَعَ جِنْسِهِ. وَقَدْ كَانَ

waqāla baʿḍu al-ḥukamāʾi: kullu ʾinsānin maʿa shaklihi kamā ʾanna kulla ṭayrin maʿa jinsihi. waqad kāna

One of the sages said: “Every person keeps with his like, just as every bird keeps with its kind.” And

الْجُزْءُ الثَّانِي، الصَّفْحَةُ ٣٩٢

al-juzʾu al-thānī, al-ṣafḥatu 392

Volume Two, page 392

مَالِكُ بْنُ دِينَارٍ يَقُولُ مِثْلَ هَذَا، وَقَدْ لَا يَتَّفِقُ اثْنَانِ فِي عِشْرَةٍ وَدَوَامِ صُحْبَةٍ إِلَّا وَفِي أَحَدِهِمَا وَصْفٌ مِنَ الْآخَرِ، وَإِنَّ أَشْكَالَ النَّاسِ كَأَجْنَاسِ الطَّيْرِ.

māliku bnu dīnārin yaqūlu mithla hādhā, waqad lā yattafiqu ithnāni fī ʿishratin wadawāmi ṣuḥbatin ʾillā wafī ʾaḥadihimā waṣfun mina al-ʾākhari, waʾinna ʾashkāla al-nāsi kaʾajnāsi al-ṭayri.

Mālik ibn Dīnār used to say something similar: two people do not agree in close association and lasting companionship unless one shares a quality with the other. Human types are like kinds of birds.

قَالَ: وَرَأَى يَوْمًا غُرَابًا مَعَ حَمَامَةٍ فَعَجِبَ مِنْ ذَلِكَ وَقَالَ: كَيْفَ اتَّفَقَا وَلَيْسَا مِنْ شَكْلٍ؟ قَالَ: ثُمَّ طَارَا فَإِذَا هُمَا أَعْرَجَانِ، فَقَالَ: مِنْ هَهُنَا اتَّفَقَا.

qāla: waraʾā yawman ghurāban maʿa ḥamāmatin faʿajiba min dhālika waqāla: kayfa ittafaqā walaysā min shaklin? qāla: thumma ṭārā faʾidhā humā ʾaʿrajāni, faqāla: min hāhunā ittafaqā.

One day he saw a crow with a dove, marveled, and said: “How have they come together when they are not of one kind?” Then they flew, and both proved lame. He said: “That is what brought them together.”

وَيُقَالُ: إِذَا اصْطَحَبَ اثْنَانِ بُرْهَةً مِنَ الزَّمَانِ وَلَمْ يَتَشَاكَلَا فِي الْحَالِ فَلَا بُدَّ أَنْ يَفْتَرِقَا. وَقَدْ أَنْشَدَنَا بَعْضُ الْعَرَبِ لِبَعْضِ الْحُكَمَاءِ فِي مَعْنَاهُ: وَقَائِلٍ لِمَا تَفَرَّقْتُمَا ... فَقُلْتُ قَوْلًا فِيهِ إِنْصَافُ / لَمْ يَكُ مِنْ شَكْلِي فَفَارَقْتُهُ ... وَالنَّاسُ أَشْكَالٌ وَآلَافُ.

wayuqālu: ʾidhā iṣṭaḥaba ithnāni burhatan mina al-zamāni walam yatashākalā fī al-ḥāli falā budda ʾan yaftariqā. waqad ʾanshadanā baʿḍu al-ʿarabi libaʿḍi al-ḥukamāʾi fī maʿnāhu: waqāʾilin limā tafarraqtumā ... faqultu qawlan fīhi ʾinṣāfu / lam yaku min shaklī fafāraqtuhu ... wa-al-nāsu ʾashkālun waʾālāfu.

It is said: “When two keep company for a while without resembling one another in state, they must eventually part.” One of the Arabs recited to us a sage’s verses on this theme: Someone asked, “Why did you part?” I answered with fairness: “He was not of my kind, so I left him. People have their kinds and their affinities.”

وَقَدْ رَوَيْنَا فِي حَدِيثٍ: إِنَّ الْأَرْوَاحَ جُنُودٌ مُجَنَّدَةٌ، فَمَا تَعَارَفَ مِنْهَا ائْتَلَفَ وَمَا تَنَاكَرَ مِنْهَا اخْتَلَفَ، تَلْتَقِي فَتَشَامُّ فِي الْهَوَاءِ. قِيلَ: مَعْنَاهُ فِي الْمَذْهَبِ وَالْخُلُقِ.

waqad rawaynā fī ḥadīthin: ʾinna al-ʾarwāḥa junūdun mujannadatun, famā taʿārafa minhā iʾtalafa wamā tanākara minhā ikhtalafa, taltaqī fatashāmmu fī al-hawāʾi. qīla: maʿnāhu fī al-madhhabi wa-al-khuluqi.

We have transmitted in a report: “Spirits are marshaled hosts: those that recognize one another come together, and those that find one another alien differ. They meet and scent one another in the air.” It was said that this refers to their outlook and character.

وَفِي هَذَا الْخَبَرِ زِيَادَةٌ: وَلَوْ أَنَّ مُؤْمِنًا دَخَلَ إِلَى مَجْلِسٍ فِيهِ مِائَةُ مُنَافِقٍ وَفِيهِ مُؤْمِنٌ وَاحِدٌ، لَجَاءَ حَتَّى يَجْلِسَ إِلَيْهِ، وَلَوْ أَنَّ مُنَافِقًا دَخَلَ إِلَى مَجْلِسٍ فِيهِ مِائَةُ مُؤْمِنٍ وَفِيهِ مُنَافِقٌ وَاحِدٌ، لَجَاءَ حَتَّى يَجْلِسَ إِلَيْهِ.

wafī hādhā al-khabari ziyādatun: walaw ʾanna muʾminan dakhala ʾilā majlisin fīhi miʾatu munāfiqin wafīhi muʾminun wāḥidun, lajāʾa ḥattā yajlisa ʾilayhi, walaw ʾanna munāfiqan dakhala ʾilā majlisin fīhi miʾatu muʾminin wafīhi munāfiqun wāḥidun, lajāʾa ḥattā yajlisa ʾilayhi.

The report has an addition: “If a believer entered a gathering containing a hundred hypocrites and one believer, he would come and sit beside that believer. If a hypocrite entered a gathering containing a hundred believers and one hypocrite, he would come and sit beside that hypocrite.”

وَقَدْ ذُكِرَ لِهَذَا الْحَدِيثِ سَبَبٌ عَلَى مَا ذَكَرْنَاهُ، وَهُوَ أَنَّ امْرَأَةً عَطَّارَةً كَانَتْ بِالْمَدِينَةِ مِنْ أُحُدٍ، فَقَدِمَتِ امْرَأَةٌ مِنْ مَكَّةَ عَطَّارَةٌ وَكَانَتْ مَزَّاحَةً، فَقَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ: عَلَى مَنْ نَزَلَتْ؟ قِيلَ: عَلَى فُلَانَةَ، فَقَالَ: الْأَرْوَاحُ جُنُودٌ مُجَنَّدَةٌ.

waqad dhukira li-hādhā al-ḥadīthi sababun ʿalā mā dhakarnāhu, wahuwa ʾanna imraʾatan ʿaṭṭāratan kānat bi-al-madīnati min ʾuḥudin, faqadimati imraʾatun min makkata ʿaṭṭāratun wakānat mazzāḥatan, faqāla rasūlu Allāhi ṣallā Allāhu ʿalayhi wasallama: ʿalā man nazalat? qīla: ʿalā fulānata, faqāla: al-ʾarwāḥu junūdun mujannadatun.

An occasion for this report has been mentioned, in keeping with what we said. A woman who sold perfume, from Uḥud, was in Medina. A woman perfume seller came from Mecca who was fond of joking. God’s Messenger, God bless him and grant him peace, asked: “With whom has she lodged?” He was told, “With so-and-so.” He said: “Spirits are marshaled hosts.”

وَبَعْضُ الْعُلَمَاءِ يَقُولُ: إِنَّ اللَّهَ خَلَقَ الْأَرْوَاحَ فَفَلَقَ بَعْضَهَا فِلَقًا، وَقَدَّرَ بَعْضَهَا قِدَرًا، ثُمَّ أَطَافَهَا حَوْلَ عَرْشِهِ، فَأَيُّ رُوحَيْنِ مِنْ فِلْقَتَيْنِ تَعَارَفَا هُنَاكَ فَالْتَقَيَا تَوَاصَلَا هَهُنَا فِي الدُّنْيَا وَتَرَافَقَا.

wabaʿḍu al-ʿulamāʾi yaqūlu: ʾinna Allāha khalaqa al-ʾarwāḥa fafalaqa baʿḍahā filaqan, waqaddara baʿḍahā qidaran, thumma ʾaṭāfahā ḥawla ʿarshihi, faʾayyu rūḥayni min filqatayni taʿārafā hunāka fa-iltaqayā tawāṣalā hāhunā fī al-dunyā watarāfaqā.

Some scholars say: “God created spirits, splitting some into portions and measuring others into measures, then caused them to circle His Throne. Any two spirits from two portions that recognized and met one another there form ties and companionship here in this world.”

وَأَيُّ رُوحَيْنِ مِنْ قِدْرَتَيْنِ أَوْ فِلْقَةٍ وَقِدْرَةٍ اخْتَلَفَا ثَمَّ وَتَنَاكَرَا هُنَاكَ فَاخْتَلَفَا فِي الْجَوَلَانِ، فَإِنَّ هَذَيْنِ إِذَا ظَهَرَا الْيَوْمَ تَبَايَنَا وَتَنَافَرَا، فَهَذَا تَأْوِيلُ الْخَبَرِ عِنْدَهُ.

waʾayyu rūḥayni min qidratayni ʾaw filqatin waqidratin ikhtalafā thamma watanākarā hunāka fa-ikhtalafā fī al-jawalāni, faʾinna hādhayni ʾidhā ẓaharā al-yawma tabāyanā watanāfarā, fa-hādhā taʾwīlu al-khabari ʿindahu.

“Any two spirits from two measures, or from a portion and a measure, that differed there and found one another alien, differing in their circling, are estranged and mutually averse when they appear in this life.” This is his interpretation of the report.

فَمَا تَعَارَفَ مِنْهَا أَيْ فِي الطَّوَافِ فَتَقَابَلَا تَعَارَفَا هَهُنَا وَتَرَافَقَا ائْتَلَفَا، وَمَا تَنَاكَرَا ثَمَّ فِي الْجَوَلَانِ فَتَدَابَرَا تَنَاكَرَا هَهُنَا الْيَوْمَ فِي الْخُلُقِ وَالْحَالِ لَمَّا ظَهَرَا فَاخْتَلَفَا.

famā taʿārafa minhā ʾay fī al-ṭawāfi fataqābalā taʿārafā hāhunā watarāfaqā iʾtalafā, wamā tanākarā thamma fī al-jawalāni fatadābarā tanākarā hāhunā al-yawma fī al-khuluqi wa-al-ḥāli lammā ẓaharā fa-ikhtalafā.

“Those that recognized one another” means in that circling and turned toward each other: here they recognize each other, keep company, and unite. Those that found each other alien in the circling and turned their backs find one another alien here in character and state when they appear, and so differ.

وَلَيْسَ الِائْتِلَافُ يَقَعُ بِنَفْسِ الِاجْتِمَاعِ وَوَقْتِ الِاتِّفَاقِ، فَإِنَّمَا الِائْتِلَافُ يَكُونُ بِمُجَانَسَةِ الْحَالِ وَمُشَاكَلَةِ الْأَخْلَاقِ، لِأَنَّهُمْ شَبَّهُوا أَجْنَاسَ النَّاسِ بِأَجْنَاسِ الطَّيْرِ.

walaysa al-iʾtilāfu yaqaʿu binafsi al-ijtimāʿi wawaqti al-ittifāqi, faʾinnamā al-iʾtilāfu yakūnu bimujānasati al-ḥāli wamushākalati al-ʾakhlāqi, liʾannahum shabbahū ʾajnāsa al-nāsi biʾajnāsi al-ṭayri.

Harmony does not arise merely from being together or coinciding at one time; it comes through affinity of state and similarity of character. For they compared human kinds to kinds of birds.

وَقَدْ يَتَّفِقُ الطَّيْرَانِ مِنْ جِنْسَيْنِ وَيَتَجَامَعَانِ فِي مَكَانٍ، فَلَا يَكُونُ ذَلِكَ ائْتِلَافًا فِي الْحَقِيقَةِ وَلَا اتِّفَاقًا فِي الْخَلِيقَةِ لِتَبَايُنِهِمَا فِي التَّشَاكُلِ، وَلَا يَتَبَيَّنُ ذَلِكَ فِي الِاجْتِمَاعِ وَإِنَّمَا يَتَبَيَّنُ فِي الطَّيَرَانِ إِذَا طَارَا مَعًا.

waqad yattafiqu al-ṭayrāni min jinsayni wayatajāmaʿāni fī makānin, falā yakūnu dhālika iʾtilāfan fī al-ḥaqīqati walā ittifāqan fī al-khalīqati litabāyunihimā fī al-tashākuli, walā yatabayyanu dhālika fī al-ijtimāʿi waʾinnamā yatabayyanu fī al-ṭayarāni ʾidhā ṭārā maʿan.

Two birds of different kinds may happen to gather in one place without real harmony or agreement of disposition, because they lack likeness. This does not become clear while they are together, but becomes clear in flight when they fly together.

فَأَمَّا إِذَا ارْتَفَعَ أَحَدُهُمَا وَوَقَعَ الْآخَرُ وَعَلَا أَحَدُهُمَا وَقَصُرَ الْآخَرُ، فَلَا بُدَّ مِنِ افْتِرَاقٍ حِينَئِذٍ لِفَقْدِ التَّشَاكُلِ، وَلَا بُدَّ مِنْ مُبَايَنَةٍ لِعَدَمِ التَّجَانُسِ عِنْدَ الطَّيَرَانِ، فَهَذَا مِثَالُ مَا ذَكَرْنَاهُ مِنَ الِافْتِرَاقِ لِعَدَمِ حَقِيقَةِ تَشَاكُلِ الْحَالِ وَالْوَصْفِ بَعْدَ الِاتِّفَاقِ.

faʾammā ʾidhā irtafaʿa ʾaḥaduhumā wawaqaʿa al-ʾākharu waʿalā ʾaḥaduhumā waqaṣura al-ʾākharu, falā budda mini iftirāqin ḥīnaʾidhin lifaqdi al-tashākuli, walā budda min mubāyanatin liʿadami al-tajānusi ʿinda al-ṭayarāni, fa-hādhā mithālu mā dhakarnāhu mina al-iftirāqi liʿadami ḥaqīqati tashākuli al-ḥāli wa-al-waṣfi baʿda al-ittifāqi.

If one rises and the other descends, one soars and the other falls short, they must part for lack of likeness and separate because their flight lacks affinity. This illustrates what we said about separation after an initial agreement when there is no real similarity of state and quality.

وَاعْلَمْ أَنَّ الِائْتِلَافَ وَالِاخْتِلَافَ يَقَعُ بَيْنَ اثْنَيْنِ إِذَا اشْتَرَكَا وَافْتَرَقَا فِي أَرْبَعَةِ مَعَانٍ: إِذَا اسْتَوَيَا فِي الْعُقُودِ، وَاشْتَرَكَا فِي الْحَالِ، وَتَقَارَبَا فِي الْعِلْمِ وَاتَّفَقَا فِي الْأَخْلَاقِ.

wa-iʿlam ʾanna al-iʾtilāfa wa-al-ikhtilāfa yaqaʿu bayna ithnayni ʾidhā ishtarakā wa-iftaraqā fī ʾarbaʿati maʿānin: ʾidhā istawayā fī al-ʿuqūdi, wa-ishtarakā fī al-ḥāli, wataqārabā fī al-ʿilmi wa-ittafaqā fī al-ʾakhlāqi.

Know that harmony and difference arise between two people through sharing or differing in four matters: being alike in convictions, sharing a spiritual state, being close in knowledge, and agreeing in character.

فَإِنِ اجْتَمَعَا فِي هَذِهِ الْأَرْبَعِ فَهِيَ التَّشَاكُلُ وَالتَّجَانُسُ، وَمَعَهُ يَكُونُ الِائْتِلَافُ وَالِاتِّفَاقُ، وَإِنِ اخْتَلَفَا فِي جَمِيعِهَا فَهُوَ التَّبَاعُدُ وَالتَّضَادُّ وَعِنْدَهُ يَكُونُ التَّبَايُنُ وَالِافْتِرَاقُ، وَإِنِ اتَّفَقَا فِي بَعْضِهَا وَاخْتَلَفَا

faʾini ijtamaʿā fī hādhihi al-ʾarbaʿi fahiya al-tashākulu wa-al-tajānusu, wamaʿahu yakūnu al-iʾtilāfu wa-al-ittifāqu, waʾini ikhtalafā fī jamīʿihā fahuwa al-tabāʿudu wa-al-taḍāddu waʿindahu yakūnu al-tabāyunu wa-al-iftirāqu, waʾini ittafaqā fī baʿḍihā wa-ikhtalafā

If they share all four, that is likeness and affinity, accompanied by harmony and agreement. If they differ in all of them, that is distance and opposition, accompanied by estrangement and separation. If they agree in some and differ

الْجُزْءُ الثَّانِي، الصَّفْحَةُ ٣٩٣

al-juzʾu al-thānī, al-ṣafḥatu 393

Volume Two, page 393

فِي الْبَعْضِ كَانَ بَعْضُ الِاتِّفَاقِ وَبَعْضُ الِاخْتِلَافِ، فَيُوجَدُ مِنَ الِائْتِلَافِ بِمِقْدَارِ مَا وُجِدَ مِنَ التَّعَارُفِ، وَيُوجَدُ مِنَ الِاخْتِلَافِ نَحْوَ مَا فُقِدَ مِنَ الِاتِّفَاقِ، وَهَذَا هُوَ تَنَاكُرُ الْأَرْوَاحِ لِتَبَاعُدِ نَشْأَتِهَا وَتَشَامِّهَا فِي الْهَوَاءِ، وَذَلِكَ الْأَوَّلُ هُوَ تَعَارُفُ الْأَرْوَاحِ بِقُرْبِ التَّشَامِّ بِاجْتِمَاعِ الْأَوْصَافِ.

fī al-baʿḍi kāna baʿḍu al-ittifāqi wabaʿḍu al-ikhtilāfi, fayūjadu mina al-iʾtilāfi bimiqdāri mā wujida mina al-taʿārufi, wayūjadu mina al-ikhtilāfi naḥwa mā fuqida mina al-ittifāqi, wa-hādhā huwa tanākuru al-ʾarwāḥi litabāʿudi nashʾatihā watashāmmihā fī al-hawāʾi, wa-dhālika al-ʾawwalu huwa taʿārufu al-ʾarwāḥi biqurbi al-tashāmmi bijtimāʿi al-ʾawṣāfi.

in others, there is some agreement and some difference. Harmony is found in proportion to mutual recognition, and difference in proportion to the missing agreement. This is the estrangement of spirits because of the distance between their origins and their scenting of one another in the air. The former is their mutual recognition through closeness in scenting, when their qualities come together.

حُدِّثْتُ عَنْ يَعْقُوبَ ابْنِ أَخِي مَعْرُوفٍ رَحِمَهُمَا اللَّهُ قَالَ: جَاءَ الْأَسْوَدُ بْنُ سَالِمٍ إِلَى عَمِّي مَعْرُوفٍ وَكَانَ مُؤَاخِيًا لَهُ فَقَالَ: إِنَّ بِشْرَ بْنَ الْحَارِثِ رَحِمَهُ اللَّهُ يُحِبُّ مُؤَاخَاتَكَ، وَهُوَ يَسْتَحْيِي أَنْ يُشَافِهَكَ بِذَلِكَ.

ḥuddithtu ʿan yaʿqūba ibni ʾakhī maʿrūfin raḥimahumā Allāhu qāla: jāʾa al-ʾaswadu bnu sālimin ʾilā ʿammī maʿrūfin wakāna muʾākhiyan lahu faqāla: ʾinna bishra bna al-ḥārithi raḥimahu Allāhu yuḥibbu muʾākhātaka, wahuwa yastaḥyī ʾan yushāfihaka bi-dhālika.

It was related to me from Yaʿqūb, Maʿrūf’s nephew, God have mercy on them both, who said: “Al-Aswad ibn Sālim came to my uncle Maʿrūf, with whom he had formed brotherhood, and said, ‘Bishr ibn al-Ḥārith, God have mercy on him, wishes to become your brother, but is too shy to tell you face to face.’”

وَقَدْ أَرْسَلَنِي إِلَيْكَ يَسْأَلُكَ أَنْ تَعْقِدَ لَهُ فِيمَا بَيْنَكَ وَبَيْنَهُ أُخُوَّةً يَحْتَسِبُهَا وَيَعْتَدُّ بِهَا، إِلَّا أَنَّهُ يَشْتَرِطُ فِيهَا شُرُوطًا: لَا يُحِبُّ أَنْ يَشْتَهِرَ بِذَلِكَ، وَلَا يَكُونَ بَيْنَكَ وَبَيْنَهُ مُزَاوَرَةٌ وَلَا مُلَاقَاةٌ، فَإِنَّهُ يَكْرَهُ كَثْرَةَ الِالْتِقَاءِ.

waqad ʾarsalanī ʾilayka yasʾaluka ʾan taʿqida lahu fīmā baynaka wabaynahu ʾukhuwwatan yaḥtasibuhā wayaʿtaddu bihā, ʾillā ʾannahu yashtariṭu fīhā shurūṭan: lā yuḥibbu ʾan yashtahira bi-dhālika, walā yakūna baynaka wabaynahu muzāwaratun walā mulāqātun, faʾinnahu yakrahu kathrata al-iltiqāʾi.

“He has sent me to ask you to establish a brotherhood between you and him, for which he may hope for reward and on which he may rely. But he makes conditions: he does not want it publicized, and there should be no visiting or meeting between you, since he dislikes frequent encounters.”

فَقَالَ مَعْرُوفٌ رَحِمَهُ اللَّهُ: أَمَّا أَنَا فَلَوْ أَحْبَبْتُ وَاحِدًا لَمْ أُحِبَّ أَنْ أُفَارِقَهُ لَيْلًا وَلَا نَهَارًا، وَلَزُرْتُهُ فِي كُلِّ وَقْتٍ وَلَآثَرْتُهُ عَلَى نَفْسِي فِي كُلِّ حَالٍ.

faqāla maʿrūfun raḥimahu Allāhu: ʾammā ʾanā falaw ʾaḥbabtu wāḥidan lam ʾuḥibba ʾan ʾufāriqahu laylan walā nahāran, walazurtuhu fī kulli waqtin walaʾāthartuhu ʿalā nafsī fī kulli ḥālin.

Maʿrūf, God have mercy on him, said: “As for me, if I loved someone, I would not wish to part from him by night or day. I would visit him at every time and prefer him to myself in every condition.”

ثُمَّ ذَكَرَ مِنْ فَضْلِ الْأُخُوَّةِ وَالْحُبِّ فِي اللَّهِ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ أَحَادِيثَ كَثِيرَةً، ثُمَّ قَالَ فِيهَا: وَقَدْ آخَى رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ بَيْنَهُ وَبَيْنَ عَلِيٍّ عَلَيْهِ السَّلَامُ، فَشَارَكَهُ فِي الْعِلْمِ وَقَاسَمَهُ فِي الْبُدْنِ وَأَنْكَحَهُ أَفْضَلَ بَنَاتِهِ وَأَحَبَّهُنَّ إِلَيْهِ، وَخَصَّهُ بِذَلِكَ لِمُؤَاخَاتِهِ.

thumma dhakara min faḍli al-ʾukhuwwati wa-al-ḥubbi fī Allāhi ʿazza wajalla ʾaḥādītha kathīratan, thumma qāla fīhā: waqad ʾākhā rasūlu Allāhi ṣallā Allāhu ʿalayhi wasallama baynahu wabayna ʿaliyyin ʿalayhi al-salāmu, fashārakahu fī al-ʿilmi waqāsamahu fī al-budni waʾankaḥahu ʾafḍala banātihi waʾaḥabbahunna ʾilayhi, wakhaṣṣahu bi-dhālika limuʾākhātihi.

He then cited many reports about the excellence of brotherhood and love in God, Mighty and Majestic, including: “God’s Messenger, God bless him and grant him peace, established brotherhood between himself and ʿAlī, peace be upon him. He shared knowledge with him, divided the sacrificial camels with him, married him to the finest and dearest of his daughters, and singled him out for this because of their brotherhood.”

وَإِنِّي أُشْهِدُكَ أَنِّي قَدْ عَقَدْتُ لَهُ أُخُوَّةً بَيْنِي وَبَيْنَهُ وَأَعْتَقِدُهُ أَخًا فِي اللَّهِ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ لِرِسَالَتِهِ وَلِمَسْأَلَتِكَ، عَلَى أَنْ لَا يَزُورَنِي إِنْ كَرِهَ ذَلِكَ وَلَكِنِّي أَزُورُهُ مَتَى أَحْبَبْتُ، وَآمُرُهُ بِلِقَائِي فِي مَوَاضِعَ نَلْتَقِي فِيهَا، وَآمُرُهُ أَنْ لَا يُخْفِيَ عَلَيَّ شَيْئًا مِنْ شَأْنِهِ وَأَنْ يُطْلِعَنِي عَلَى جَمِيعِ أَحْوَالِهِ.

waʾinnī ʾushhiduka ʾannī qad ʿaqadtu lahu ʾukhuwwatan baynī wabaynahu waʾaʿtaqiduhu ʾakhan fī Allāhi ʿazza wajalla lirisālatihi walimasʾalatika, ʿalā ʾan lā yazūranī ʾin kariha dhālika walākinnī ʾazūruhu matā ʾaḥbabtu, waʾāmuruhu biliqāʾī fī mawāḍiʿa naltaqī fīhā, waʾāmuruhu ʾan lā yukhfiya ʿalayya shayʾan min shaʾnihi waʾan yuṭliʿanī ʿalā jamīʿi ʾaḥwālihi.

“I call you to witness that I have established brotherhood between myself and him and regard him as a brother in God, Mighty and Majestic, in response to his message and your request. He need not visit me if he dislikes it, but I will visit him when I wish. I instruct him to meet me in places where we meet, and I instruct him to conceal none of his affairs from me and to let me know all his conditions.”

قَالَ: فَانْصَرَفَ بِذَلِكَ أَسْوَدُ بْنُ سَالِمٍ فَأَخْبَرَ بِهِ بِشْرًا فَرَضِيَ بِذَلِكَ وَسُرَّ بِهِ. فَهَذَا أَسْوَدُ بْنُ سَالِمٍ أَحَدُ عُقَلَاءِ النَّاسِ وَفُضَلَائِهِمْ، فَكَانَ فِيهِ اتِّسَاعٌ لِلْأَصْحَابِ وَصَبْرٌ عَلَيْهِمْ.

qāla: fa-inṣarafa bi-dhālika ʾaswadu bnu sālimin faʾakhbara bihi bishran faraḍiya bi-dhālika wasurra bihi. fa-hādhā ʾaswadu bnu sālimin ʾaḥadu ʿuqalāʾi al-nāsi wafuḍalāʾihim, fakāna fīhi ittisāʿun li-l-ʾaṣḥābi waṣabrun ʿalayhim.

Aswad ibn Sālim left with this answer and informed Bishr, who accepted it and was delighted. This Aswad ibn Sālim was one of the intelligent and excellent among people, generous in making room for companions and patient with them.

وَهُوَ الَّذِي أَشَارَ مَعْرُوفٌ بِهِ عَلَى الرَّجُلِ الَّذِي سَأَلَهُ مُسْتَشِيرًا فَقَالَ: يَا أَبَا مَحْفُوظٍ، هَذَانِ الرَّجُلَانِ إِمَامَا هَذَا الْبَلَدِ، فَأَشِرْ عَلَيَّ أَيَّهُمَا أَصْحَبُ، فَإِنِّي أُرِيدُ أَنْ أَتَأَدَّبَ بِهِ: أَحْمَدَ بْنَ حَنْبَلٍ أَوْ بِشْرَ بْنَ الْحَارِثِ رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُمَا؟

wahuwa alladhī ʾashāra maʿrūfun bihi ʿalā al-rajuli alladhī saʾalahu mustashīran faqāla: yā ʾabā maḥfūẓin, hādhāni al-rajulāni ʾimāmā hādhā al-baladi, faʾashir ʿalayya ʾayyahumā ʾaṣḥabu, faʾinnī ʾurīdu ʾan ʾataʾaddaba bihi: ʾaḥmada bna ḥanbalin ʾaw bishra bna al-ḥārithi raḍiya Allāhu ʿanhumā?

He was the man Maʿrūf recommended to someone who sought his counsel, saying: “Abū Maḥfūẓ, these two men are the imams of this city. Advise me which to accompany, for I wish to learn good conduct from him: Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal or Bishr ibn al-Ḥārith, God be pleased with them both?”

قَالَ لَهُ مَعْرُوفٌ: لَا تَصْحَبْ أَحَدَهُمَا، فَإِنَّ أَحْمَدَ صَاحِبُ حَدِيثٍ، وَفِي الْحَدِيثِ اشْتِغَالٌ بِالنَّاسِ، فَإِنْ صَحِبْتَهُ ذَهَبَ مَا تَجِدُ فِي قَلْبِكَ مِنْ حَلَاوَةِ الذِّكْرِ وَحُبِّ الْخَلْوَةِ.

qāla lahu maʿrūfun: lā taṣḥab ʾaḥadahumā, faʾinna ʾaḥmada ṣāḥibu ḥadīthin, wafī al-ḥadīthi ishtighālun bi-al-nāsi, faʾin ṣaḥibtahu dhahaba mā tajidu fī qalbika min ḥalāwati al-dhikri waḥubbi al-khalwati.

Maʿrūf told him: “Accompany neither of them. Aḥmad is a scholar of reports, and reports involve being occupied with people. If you accompany him, the sweetness of remembrance and love of solitude you find in your heart will disappear.”

وَأَمَّا بِشْرٌ فَلَا يَتَفَرَّغُ لَكَ وَلَا يُقْبِلُ عَلَيْكَ شُغْلًا بِحَالِهِ، وَلَكِنِ اصْحَبْ أَسْوَدَ بْنَ سَالِمٍ فَإِنَّهُ يَصْلُحُ لَكَ وَيُقْبِلُ عَلَيْكَ. فَفَعَلَ الرَّجُلُ ذَلِكَ فَانْتَفَعَ بِهِ، وَإِنَّمَا ضَمَّهُ مَعْرُوفٌ رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُ إِلَى الْأَسْوَدِ دُونَهُمَا لِأَنَّهُ كَانَ أَلْيَقَ بِحَالِهِ وَأَشْبَهَ بِوَصْفِهِ.

waʾammā bishrun falā yatafarraghu laka walā yuqbilu ʿalayka shughlan biḥālihi, walākini iṣḥab ʾaswada bna sālimin faʾinnahu yaṣluḥu laka wayuqbilu ʿalayka. fafaʿala al-rajulu dhālika fa-intafaʿa bihi, waʾinnamā ḍammahu maʿrūfun raḍiya Allāhu ʿanhu ʾilā al-ʾaswadi dūnahumā liʾannahu kāna ʾalyaqa biḥālihi waʾashbaha biwaṣfihi.

“As for Bishr, he cannot free himself for you or attend to you, being occupied with his own state. Accompany Aswad ibn Sālim instead: he will suit you and give you his attention.” The man did so and benefited. Maʿrūf, God be pleased with him, directed him to al-Aswad rather than the other two because he better suited his state and resembled his disposition.

وَكَذَلِكَ رَوَيْنَا فِي حَدِيثِ الْمُؤَاخَاةِ الَّذِي آخَى فِيهِ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ بَيْنَ أَصْحَابِهِ، فَآخَى بَيْنَ اثْنَيْنِ شَكْلَيْنِ فِي الْعِلْمِ وَالْحَالِ، آخَى بَيْنَ أَبِي بَكْرٍ وَعُمَرَ، وَبَيْنَ عُثْمَانَ وَعَبْدِ الرَّحْمَنِ وَهُمَا نَظِيرَانِ.

wa-kadhālika rawaynā fī ḥadīthi al-muʾākhāti alladhī ʾākhā fīhi rasūlu Allāhi ṣallā Allāhu ʿalayhi wasallama bayna ʾaṣḥābihi, faʾākhā bayna ithnayni shaklayni fī al-ʿilmi wa-al-ḥāli, ʾākhā bayna ʾabī bakrin waʿumara, wabayna ʿuthmāna waʿabdi al-raḥmāni wahumā naẓīrāni.

Likewise, we have transmitted in the account of the brotherhoods established by God’s Messenger, God bless him and grant him peace, among his companions, that he paired two alike in knowledge and spiritual state. He joined Abū Bakr and ʿUmar, and ʿUthmān and ʿAbd al-Raḥmān, who were peers.

وَآخَى بَيْنَ سَلْمَانَ وَأَبِي الدَّرْدَاءِ وَهُمَا شَكْلَانِ فِي الْعِلْمِ وَالزُّهْدِ، وَآخَى بَيْنَ عَمَّارٍ وَسَعْدٍ وَكَانَا نَظِيرَيْنِ، وَآخَى بَيْنَ عَلِيٍّ وَبَيْنَهُ رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُمْ أَجْمَعِينَ، وَصَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَى سَيِّدِنَا مُحَمَّدٍ وَآلِهِ أَجْمَعِينَ.

waʾākhā bayna salmāna waʾabī al-dardāʾi wahumā shaklāni fī al-ʿilmi wa-al-zuhdi, waʾākhā bayna ʿammārin wasaʿdin wakānā naẓīrayni, waʾākhā bayna ʿaliyyin wabaynahu raḍiya Allāhu ʿanhum ʾajmaʿīna, waṣallā Allāhu ʿalā sayyidinā muḥammadin waʾālihi ʾajmaʿīna.

He joined Salmān and Abū al-Dardāʾ, alike in knowledge and renunciation; ʿAmmār and Saʿd, who were peers; and ʿAlī and himself. God be pleased with them all, and God bless our master Muḥammad and all his family.

وَهَذَا مِنْ أَعْلَى فَضَائِلِهِ لِأَنَّ عِلْمَهُ مِنْ عِلْمِهِ، وَحَالَهُ مِنْ

wa-hādhā min ʾaʿlā faḍāʾilihi liʾanna ʿilmahu min ʿilmihi, waḥālahu min

This is among ʿAlī’s highest excellences, for his knowledge derives from the Prophet’s knowledge, and his state from

الْجُزْءُ الثَّانِي، الصَّفْحَةُ ٣٩٤

al-juzʾu al-thānī, al-ṣafḥatu 394

Volume Two, page 394

وَصْفِهِ، ثُمَّ آخَى بَيْنَ الْغَنِيِّ وَالْفَقِيرِ لِيَعْتَدِلَا فِي الْحَالِ، وَلِيَعُودَ الْغَنِيُّ عَلَى أَخِيهِ الْفَقِيرِ بِالْمَالِ.

waṣfihi, thumma ʾākhā bayna al-ghaniyyi wa-al-faqīri liyaʿtadilā fī al-ḥāli, waliyaʿūda al-ghaniyyu ʿalā ʾakhīhi al-faqīri bi-al-māli.

the Prophet’s qualities. He then joined rich and poor in brotherhood so that their circumstances might become balanced and the rich might assist their poor brothers with wealth.

قَالَ أَبُو سُلَيْمَانَ الدَّارَانِيُّ لِأَحْمَدَ بْنِ أَبِي الْحَوَارِيِّ: إِذَا آخَيْتَ أَحَدًا فِي هَذَا الزَّمَانِ فَلَا تُعَاتِبْهُ عَلَى أَمْرٍ تَكْرَهُهُ مِنْهُ، فَإِنَّكَ لَا تَأْمَنُ أَنْ يُعَنِّيَكَ بِشَرٍّ مِنَ الْأَمْرِ الْأَوَّلِ. قَالَ أَحْمَدُ: فَجَرَّبْتُهُ فَوَجَدْتُهُ كَمَا قَالَ.

qāla ʾabū sulaymāna al-dārāniyyu liʾaḥmada bni ʾabī al-ḥawāriyyi: ʾidhā ʾākhayta ʾaḥadan fī hādhā al-zamāni falā tuʿātibhu ʿalā ʾamrin takrahuhu minhu, faʾinnaka lā taʾmanu ʾan yuʿanniyaka bisharrin mina al-ʾamri al-ʾawwali. qāla ʾaḥmadu: fajarrabtuhu fawajadtuhu kamā qāla.

Abū Sulaymān al-Dārānī told Aḥmad ibn Abī al-Ḥawārī: “If you make someone your brother in this age, do not reproach him for something you dislike in him; you cannot be sure he will not trouble you with something worse than the first offense.” Aḥmad said: “I tested this and found it as he said.”

وَقَالَ بَعْضُ الْعُلَمَاءِ: الصَّبْرُ عَلَى مَضَضِ الْأَخِ خَيْرٌ مِنْ مُعَاتَبَتِهِ، وَمُعَاتَبَتُهُ خَيْرٌ مِنَ الْقَطِيعَةِ، وَالْقَطِيعَةُ أَحْسَنُ مِنَ الْوَقِيعَةِ. وَقَالَ بَعْضُهُمْ: كَدَرُ الْجَمَاعَةِ خَيْرٌ مِنْ صَفْوِ الْفُرْقَةِ.

waqāla baʿḍu al-ʿulamāʾi: al-ṣabru ʿalā maḍaḍi al-ʾakhi khayrun min muʿātabatihi, wamuʿātabatuhu khayrun mina al-qaṭīʿati, wa-al-qaṭīʿatu ʾaḥsanu mina al-waqīʿati. waqāla baʿḍuhum: kadaru al-jamāʿati khayrun min ṣafwi al-furqati.

One scholar said: “Patiently bearing the pain caused by a brother is better than reproaching him; reproaching him is better than breaking ties; breaking ties is better than slandering him.” Another said: “The cloudiness of togetherness is better than the clarity of separation.”

وَمَثَلُ الْأُخُوَّةِ مَثَلُ الزُّجَاجَةِ الرَّقِيقَةِ مَا لَمْ تَحْفَظْهَا وَتُوَقِّهَا كَانَتْ مُعَرَّضَةً لِلْآفَاتِ، وَاسْتِتْمَامُ الْإِخَاءِ إِلَى خَيْرِ الْوَفَاةِ أَشَدُّ مِنِ ابْتِدَائِهَا فِي حَالِ الْحَيَاةِ.

wamathalu al-ʾukhuwwati mathalu al-zujājati al-raqīqati mā lam taḥfaẓhā watuwaqqihā kānat muʿarraḍatan li-l-ʾāfāti, wa-istitmāmu al-ʾikhāʾi ʾilā khayri al-wafāti ʾashaddu mini ibtidāʾihā fī ḥāli al-ḥayāti.

Brotherhood is like a thin glass vessel: unless you preserve and protect it, it is exposed to damage. Bringing brotherhood to a good completion at death is harder than beginning it during life.

وَقَالَ بَعْضُ الْأُدَبَاءِ: النَّاسُ أَرْبَعَةٌ: فَوَاحِدٌ حُلْوٌ كُلُّهُ فَهَذَا لَا يُشْبَعُ مِنْهُ، وَآخَرُ كُلُّهُ مُرٌّ وَهَذَا لَا يُؤْكَلُ مِنْهُ، وَاحِدٌ فِيهِ حُمُوضَةٌ فَخُذْ مِنْ هَذَا قَبْلَ أَنْ يَأْخُذَ مِنْكَ، وَآخَرُ فِيهِ مُلُوحَةٌ فَخُذْ مِنْهُ إِذِ احْتَجْتَ إِلَيْهِ.

waqāla baʿḍu al-ʾudabāʾi: al-nāsu ʾarbaʿatun: fawāḥidun ḥulwun kulluhu fa-hādhā lā yushbaʿu minhu, waʾākharu kulluhu murrun wa-hādhā lā yuʾkalu minhu, wāḥidun fīhi ḥumūḍatun fakhudh min hādhā qabla ʾan yaʾkhudha minka, waʾākharu fīhi mulūḥatun fakhudh minhu ʾidhi iḥtajta ʾilayhi.

One man of letters said: “People are of four kinds: one is entirely sweet, and one never has enough of him; another is entirely bitter, and nothing can be eaten from him; one has sourness, so take from him before he takes from you; another has saltiness, so take from him when you need him.”

وَقَالَ بَعْضُ الْأَئِمَّةِ: النَّاسُ أَرْبَعَةٌ فَاصْحَبْ ثَلَاثَةً وَلَا تَصْحَبْ وَاحِدًا: رَجُلٌ يَدْرِي وَيَدْرِي أَنَّهُ يَدْرِي، فَهَذَا عَالِمٌ فَاتَّبِعْهُ، وَرَجُلٌ يَدْرِي وَلَا يَدْرِي أَنَّهُ يَدْرِي، فَهَذَا نَائِمٌ فَنَبِّهُوهُ.

waqāla baʿḍu al-ʾaʾimmati: al-nāsu ʾarbaʿatun fa-iṣḥab thalāthatan walā taṣḥab wāḥidan: rajulun yadrī wayadrī ʾannahu yadrī, fa-hādhā ʿālimun fa-ittabiʿhu, warajulun yadrī walā yadrī ʾannahu yadrī, fa-hādhā nāʾimun fanabbihūhu.

One of the imams said: “People are of four kinds; accompany three, but not the fourth. A man knows and knows that he knows: he is learned, so follow him. A man knows but does not know that he knows: he is asleep, so wake him.”

وَرَجُلٌ لَا يَدْرِي وَيَدْرِي أَنَّهُ لَا يَدْرِي، فَهَذَا جَاهِلٌ فَعَلِّمُوهُ، وَرَجُلٌ لَا يَدْرِي وَلَا يَدْرِي أَنَّهُ لَا يَدْرِي، فَهَذَا مُنَافِقٌ فَاجْتَنِبُوهُ.

warajulun lā yadrī wayadrī ʾannahu lā yadrī, fa-hādhā jāhilun faʿallimūhu, warajulun lā yadrī walā yadrī ʾannahu lā yadrī, fa-hādhā munāfiqun fa-ijtanibūhu.

“A man does not know and knows that he does not know: he is ignorant, so teach him. A man does not know and does not know that he does not know: he is a hypocrite, so avoid him.”

وَمِثْلُ هَذَا الرَّابِعِ قَوْلُ سَهْلٍ: مَا عُصِيَ اللَّهُ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ بِمَعْصِيَةٍ شَرٍّ مِنَ الْجَهْلِ، وَأَعْظَمُ مِنَ الْجَهْلِ الْجَهْلُ بِالْجَهْلِ.

wamithlu hādhā al-rābiʿi qawlu sahlin: mā ʿuṣiya Allāhu ʿazza wajalla bimaʿṣiyatin sharrin mina al-jahli, waʾaʿẓamu mina al-jahli al-jahlu bi-al-jahli.

Concerning this fourth kind is Sahl’s saying: “God, Mighty and Majestic, has never been disobeyed through a fault worse than ignorance; greater than ignorance is ignorance of one’s ignorance.”

وَقَالَ بَعْضُ الْأُدَبَاءِ: النَّاسُ ثَلَاثَةٌ فَاصْحَبْ رَجُلَيْنِ وَاهْرُبْ مِنَ الثَّالِثِ: رَجُلٌ أَعْلَمُ مِنْكَ فَاصْحَبْهُ تَتَعَلَّمْ مِنْهُ، وَرَجُلٌ أَنْتَ أَعْلَمُ مِنْهُ يَقْبَلُ مِنْكَ فَاصْحَبْهُ تُعَلِّمْهُ، وَرَجُلٌ مُعْجَبٌ بِنَفْسِهِ لَا عِلْمَ عِنْدَهُ وَلَا تَعَلُّمَ فَاهْرُبْ مِنْ هَذَا.

waqāla baʿḍu al-ʾudabāʾi: al-nāsu thalāthatun fa-iṣḥab rajulayni wa-uhrub mina al-thālithi: rajulun ʾaʿlamu minka fa-iṣḥabhu tataʿallam minhu, warajulun ʾanta ʾaʿlamu minhu yaqbalu minka fa-iṣḥabhu tuʿallimhu, warajulun muʿjabun binafsihi lā ʿilma ʿindahu walā taʿalluma fa-uhrub min hādhā.

One man of letters said: “People are of three kinds. Accompany two and flee the third: someone more learned than you, whom you accompany to learn from; someone less learned who accepts from you, whom you accompany to teach; and someone impressed with himself who has neither knowledge nor willingness to learn. Flee this last one.”

وَقَالَ مُحَمَّدُ بْنُ الْحَنَفِيَّةِ رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُ: لَيْسَ بِلَبِيبٍ مَنْ لَمْ يُعَاشِرْ بِالْمَعْرُوفِ مَنْ لَا يَجِدُ مِنْ مُعَاشَرَتِهِ بُدًّا، حَتَّى يَجْعَلَ اللَّهُ لَهُ مِنْهُ فَرَجًا، فَمُعَامَلَةُ غَيْرِ تَقِيٍّ وَمُخَالَطَتُهُ أَحْوَالُ الِاضْطِرَارِ، وَمُعَاشَرَةُ التَّقِيِّ وَمُصَافَاتُهُ مِنْ أَحْسَنِ الْإِحْسَانِ.

waqāla muḥammadu bnu al-ḥanafiyyati raḍiya Allāhu ʿanhu: laysa bilabībin man lam yuʿāshir bi-al-maʿrūfi man lā yajidu min muʿāsharatihi buddan, ḥattā yajʿala Allāhu lahu minhu farajan, famuʿāmalatu ghayri taqiyyin wamukhālaṭatuhu ʾaḥwālu al-iḍṭirāri, wamuʿāsharatu al-taqiyyi wamuṣāfātuhu min ʾaḥsani al-ʾiḥsāni.

Muḥammad ibn al-Ḥanafiyya, God be pleased with him, said: “A person is not intelligent if he fails to treat decently someone whose company he cannot avoid, until God provides him relief from him. Dealing and mingling with an impious person belongs to circumstances of necessity; associating with a pious person and sharing sincere affection with him belongs to the finest goodness.”

وَكَانَ أَبُو مِهْرَانَ يَقُولُ: أَخْرُجُ مِنْ مَنْزِلِي فَأَنَا بَيْنَ ثَلَاثَةٍ، إِنْ لَقِيتُ مَنْ هُوَ أَعْلَمُ مِنِّي فَهُوَ يَوْمُ فَائِدَتِي أَتَعَلَّمُ مِنْهُ، وَإِنْ لَقِيتُ مَنْ هُوَ مِثْلِي فَهُوَ يَوْمُ مُذَاكَرَتِي، وَإِنْ لَقِيتُ مَنْ هُوَ دُونِي فَهُوَ يَوْمُ مَثُوبَتِي أُعَلِّمُهُ فَأَحْتَسِبُ فِيهِ الْأَجْرَ.

wakāna ʾabū mihrāna yaqūlu: ʾakhruju min manzilī faʾanā bayna thalāthatin, ʾin laqītu man huwa ʾaʿlamu minnī fahuwa yawmu fāʾidatī ʾataʿallamu minhu, waʾin laqītu man huwa mithlī fahuwa yawmu mudhākaratī, waʾin laqītu man huwa dūnī fahuwa yawmu mathūbatī ʾuʿallimuhu faʾaḥtasibu fīhi al-ʾajra.

Abū Mihrān used to say: “When I leave my house, I face three possibilities. If I meet someone more learned than I, it is a day of benefit: I learn from him. If I meet my equal, it is a day of discussion. If I meet someone below me, it is a day of reward: I teach him, seeking recompense from God.”

وَقَالَ أَبُو جَعْفَرٍ مُحَمَّدُ بْنُ عَلِيٍّ لِابْنِهِ جَعْفَرِ بْنِ مُحَمَّدٍ عَلَيْهِمُ السَّلَامُ: لَا تَصْحَبَنَّ مِنَ النَّاسِ خَمْسَةً، وَاصْحَبْ مَنْ شِئْتَ: الْكَذَّابَ فَإِنَّكَ مِنْهُ عَلَى غَرَرٍ، وَهُوَ مِثْلُ السَّرَابِ يُقَرِّبُ مِنْكَ الْبَعِيدَ وَيُبْعِدُ مِنْكَ الْقَرِيبَ.

waqāla ʾabū jaʿfarin muḥammadu bnu ʿaliyyin libnihi jaʿfari bni muḥammadin ʿalayhimu al-salāmu: lā taṣḥabanna mina al-nāsi khamsatan, wa-iṣḥab man shiʾta: al-kadhdhāba faʾinnaka minhu ʿalā ghararin, wahuwa mithlu al-sarābi yuqarribu minka al-baʿīda wayubʿidu minka al-qarība.

Abū Jaʿfar Muḥammad ibn ʿAlī told his son Jaʿfar ibn Muḥammad, peace be upon them: “Do not accompany five kinds of people; accompany whomever else you wish. Avoid the liar, for with him you are exposed to deception: he is like a mirage, bringing the distant near and making the near distant.”

وَالْأَحْمَقَ فَإِنَّكَ لَسْتَ مِنْهُ عَلَى شَيْءٍ، يُرِيدُ أَنْ يَنْفَعَكَ فَيَضُرُّكَ، وَالْبَخِيلَ فَإِنَّهُ يَقْطَعُ بِكَ أَحْوَجَ مَا تَكُونُ إِلَيْهِ، وَالْجَبَانَ فَإِنَّهُ يُسْلِمُكَ وَمَالَهُ وَنَفْسَهُ عِنْدَ الشِّدَّةِ، وَالْفَاجِرَ فَإِنَّهُ يَبِيعُكَ بِأَكْلَةٍ أَوْ بِأَقَلَّ مِنْهَا. قُلْتُ: وَمَا أَقَلُّ مِنْهَا؟ قَالَ: الطَّمَعُ.

wa-al-ʾaḥmaqa faʾinnaka lasta minhu ʿalā shayʾin, yurīdu ʾan yanfaʿaka fayaḍurruka, wa-al-bakhīla faʾinnahu yaqṭaʿu bika ʾaḥwaja mā takūnu ʾilayhi, wa-al-jabāna faʾinnahu yuslimuka wamālahu wanafsahu ʿinda al-shiddati, wa-al-fājira faʾinnahu yabīʿuka biʾaklatin ʾaw biʾaqalla minhā. qultu: wamā ʾaqallu minhā? qāla: al-ṭamaʿu.

“Avoid the fool, for you can rely on nothing from him: he means to benefit you and harms you. Avoid the miser, who abandons you when you need him most; the coward, who surrenders you, his property, and himself in hardship; and the wicked, who sells you for a meal or less.” I asked, “What is less than that?” He answered: “The hope of one.”

رَوَيْنَا عَنْ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ أَنَّ رَجُلًا صَحِبَهُ فِي طَرِيقٍ فَدَخَلَ النَّبِيُّ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ غَيْضَةً، فَاجْتَنَى سِوَاكَيْنِ مِنْ أَرَاكٍ أَحَدُهُمَا مُعْوَجٌّ وَالْآخَرُ مُسْتَقِيمٌ، فَأَخَذَ الْمُعْوَجَّ وَأَعْطَى صَاحِبَهُ الْمُسْتَقِيمَ.

rawaynā ʿan rasūli Allāhi ṣallā Allāhu ʿalayhi wasallama ʾanna rajulan ṣaḥibahu fī ṭarīqin fadakhala al-nabiyyu ṣallā Allāhu ʿalayhi wasallama ghayḍatan, fa-ijtanā siwākayni min ʾarākin ʾaḥaduhumā muʿwajjun wa-al-ʾākharu mustaqīmun, faʾakhadha al-muʿwajja waʾaʿṭā ṣāḥibahu al-mustaqīma.

We have transmitted from God’s Messenger, God bless him and grant him peace, that a man accompanied him on a road. The Prophet, God bless him and grant him peace, entered a thicket and picked two tooth-sticks from an arāk tree, one crooked and the other straight. He took the crooked one and gave his companion the straight one.

فَقَالَ الرَّجُلُ: أَنْتَ أَحَقُّ بِالْمُسْتَقِيمِ مِنِّي. فَقَالَ النَّبِيُّ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ: مَا مِنْ صَاحِبٍ يَصْحَبُ رَجُلًا

faqāla al-rajulu: ʾanta ʾaḥaqqu bi-al-mustaqīmi minnī. faqāla al-nabiyyu ṣallā Allāhu ʿalayhi wasallama: mā min ṣāḥibin yaṣḥabu rajulan

The man said: “You have more right to the straight one than I do.” The Prophet, God bless him and grant him peace, replied: “No companion accompanies a man,

الْجُزْءُ الثَّانِي، الصَّفْحَةُ ٣٩٥

al-juzʾu al-thānī, al-ṣafḥatu 395

Volume Two, page 395

وَلَوْ سَاعَةً مِنْ نَهَارٍ إِلَّا سَأَلَهُ اللَّهُ عَنْ صُحْبَتِهِ، هَلْ أَدَّى فِيهَا حَقَّ اللَّهِ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ أَمْ لَا، فَكَرِهْتُ أَنْ يَكُونَ لَكَ عَلَيَّ حَقٌّ لَمْ أُؤَدِّهِ.

walaw sāʿatan min nahārin ʾillā saʾalahu Allāhu ʿan ṣuḥbatihi, hal ʾaddā fīhā ḥaqqa Allāhi ʿazza wajalla ʾam lā, fakarihtu ʾan yakūna laka ʿalayya ḥaqqun lam ʾuʾaddihi.

even for an hour of the day, without God asking him about his companionship: did he fulfill in it the right of God, Mighty and Majestic, or not? I disliked that you should have a right over me that I had not fulfilled.”

وَاعْلَمْ أَنَّ الْأُخُوَّةَ فِي اللَّهِ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ وَالْمَحَبَّةَ فِي اللَّهِ تَعَالَى وَحُسْنَ الصُّحْبَةِ كَانَتْ طَرَائِقَ السَّلَفِ الصَّالِحِ، قَدْ دَرَسَتِ الْيَوْمَ مَحَاجُّهَا وَعَفَتْ آثَارُهَا، فَمَنْ عَمِلَ بِهَا فَقَدْ أَحْيَاهَا، وَمَنْ أَحْيَاهَا كَانَ لَهُ مِثْلُ أَجْرِ مَنْ عَمِلَ بِهَا.

wa-iʿlam ʾanna al-ʾukhuwwata fī Allāhi ʿazza wajalla wa-al-maḥabbata fī Allāhi taʿālā waḥusna al-ṣuḥbati kānat ṭarāʾiqa al-salafi al-ṣāliḥi, qad darasati al-yawma maḥājjuhā waʿafat ʾāthāruhā, faman ʿamila bihā faqad ʾaḥyāhā, waman ʾaḥyāhā kāna lahu mithlu ʾajri man ʿamila bihā.

Know that brotherhood in God, Mighty and Majestic, love in God Most High, and good companionship were the paths of the righteous early generations. Today their roads have faded and their traces have been effaced. Whoever practices them revives them, and whoever revives them receives a reward like that of those who practice them.

فَمَنْ رَزَقَهُ اللَّهُ أَخًا صَالِحًا تَطْمَئِنُّ بِهِ نَفْسُهُ وَيَصْلُحُ مَعَهُ قَلْبُهُ فَهِيَ نِعْمَةٌ مِنَ اللَّهِ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ مُضَافَةٌ إِلَى مَحَاسِنِ نِعَمِهِ، وَالْحَمْدُ لِلَّهِ وَحْدَهُ وَصَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَى سَيِّدِنَا مُحَمَّدٍ وَآلِهِ.

faman razaqahu Allāhu ʾakhan ṣāliḥan taṭmaʾinnu bihi nafsuhu wayaṣluḥu maʿahu qalbuhu fahiya niʿmatun mina Allāhi ʿazza wajalla muḍāfatun ʾilā maḥāsini niʿamihi, wa-al-ḥamdu li-llāhi waḥdahu waṣallā Allāhu ʿalā sayyidinā muḥammadin waʾālihi.

When God grants someone a righteous brother with whom his soul finds peace and his heart is set right, that is a blessing from God, Mighty and Majestic, added to His beautiful blessings. Praise belongs to God alone, and God bless our master Muḥammad and his family.