Then he -asws said: ‘O Zuhry!

Then he -asws said: ‘O Zuhry! One whose intellect is deficient, it is very easy for him to end up in destruction.’ Then he -asws said: ‘O Zuhry! You should consider all the Muslims like members of your household, the elderly like your father, the young ones like your children, and the equals of age as your brothers. Which of you would like to be unjust to? And which one of them would you like to send curses to? And which one of them would you like to expose?

وَ إِنْ عَرَضَ لَكَ إِبْلِيسُ لَعَنَهُ اللَّهُ- بِأَنَّ لَكَ فَضْلًا عَلَى أَحَدٍ مِنْ أَهْلِ الْقِبْلَةِ- فَانْظُرْ إِنْ كَانَ أَكْبَرَ مِنْكَ فَقُلْ: قَدْ سَبَقَنِي بِالْإِيمَانِ وَ الْعَمَلِ الصَّالِحِ، فَهُوَ خَيْرٌ مِنِّي وَ إِنْ كَانَ أَصْغَرَ مِنْكَ، فَقُلْ: قَدْ سَبَقْتُهُ بِالْمَعَاصِي وَ الذُّنُوبِ فَهُوَ خَيْرٌ مِنِّي وَ إِنْ كَانَ تِرْبُكَ فَقُلْ: أَنَا عَلَى يَقِينٍ مِنْ ذَنْبِي، وَ فِي شَكٍّ مِنْ أَمْرِهِ، فَمَا لِي أَدَعُ يَقِينِي لِشَكِّي‏ وَ إِنْ رَأَيْتَ الْمُسْلِمِينَ يُعَظِّمُونَكَ وَ يُوَقِّرُونَكَ وَ يُبَجِّلُونَكَ- فَقُلْ: هَذَا فَضْلٌ أَحْدَثُوهُ‏ وَ إِنْ رَأَيْتَ مِنْهُمْ (جَفَاءً وَ انْقِبَاضاً عَنْكَ- فَقُلْ: هَذَا الَّذِي) أَحْدَثْتُهُ فَإِنَّكَ إِذَا فَعَلْتَ ذَلِكَ، سَهَّلَ اللَّهُ عَلَيْكَ عَيْشَكَ، وَ كَثُرَ أَصْدِقَاؤُكَ، وَ قَلَّ أَعْدَاؤُكَ، وَ فَرِحْتَ بِمَا يَكُونُ مِنْ بِرِّهِمْ، وَ لَمْ تَأْسَفْ عَلَى مَا يَكُونُ مِنْ جَفَائِهِمْ.

وَ اعْلَمْ: أَنَّ أَكْرَمَ النَّاسِ عَلَى النَّاسِ- مَنْ كَانَ خَيْرُهُ عَلَيْهِمْ فَائِضاً، وَ كَانَ عَنْهُمْ مُسْتَغْنِياً مُتَعَفِّفاً، وَ أَكْرَمُ النَّاسِ بَعْدَهُ عَلَيْهِمْ مَنْ كَانَ عَنْهُمْ مُتَعَفِّفاً، وَ إِنْ كَانَ إِلَيْهِمْ مُحْتَاجاً، فَإِنَّمَا أَهْلُ الدُّنْيَا (يَعْشَقُونَ الْأَمْوَالَ) ، فَمَنْ لَمْ يُزَاحِمْهُمْ فِيمَا يَعْشَقُونَهُ كَرُمَ عَلَيْهِمْ، وَ مَنْ لَمْ يُزَاحِمْهُمْ فِيهَا وَ مَكَّنَهُمْ مِنْهَا أَوْ مِنْ بَعْضِهَا- كَانَ أَعَزَّ [عَلَيْهِمْ‏] وَ أَكْرَمَ.

And if Iblees -la –curse be on him – were to present to you that you are somehow more virtuous than them, then look at the elder one from among them and think that he is ahead of you in faith and good deeds and he is better than you and your virtues are less than his. And when you look at the younger one, you should think that you have committed more sins and so he too is better than you.

And when you look at the one equal in age to you then think that you have conviction of sins that you have committed but you are not sure of his sins so you cannot be better than him as you only have doubts over his sins but certainty over yours.

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