فَمَا طِلَابُكَ لِقَوْمٍ إِنْ كُنْتَ عَالِماً عَابُوكَ وَ...

فَمَا طِلَابُكَ لِقَوْمٍ إِنْ كُنْتَ عَالِماً عَابُوكَ وَ إِنْ كُنْتَ جَاهِلًا لَمْ يُرْشِدُوكَ وَ إِنْ طَلَبْتَ الْعِلْمَ قَالُوا مُتَكَلِّفٌ مُتَعَمِّقٌ وَ إِنْ تَرَكْتَ طَلَبَ الْعِلْمِ قَالُوا عَاجِزٌ غَبِيٌ‏ وَ إِنْ تَحَقَّقْتَ لِعِبَادَةِ رَبِّكَ قَالُوا مُتَصَنِّعٌ مُرَاءٍ So what is your -asws demand (need) for a people, if you -asws were to be a scholar they will fault you -asws , and if you were to be ignorant they will not guide you -asws , and if you -asws were to seek the knowledge they would say, ‘A skilled pretender’, and if you -asws were to neglect seeking the knowledge they would say -asws , ‘A stupid frustrated one’, and if you -asws were to worship your -asws Lord -azwj , they would say, ‘A hypocritical show-off’.

وَ إِنْ لَزِمْتَ الصَّمْتَ قَالُوا أَلْكَنُ- وَ إِنْ نَطَقْتَ قَالُوا مِهْذَارٌ وَ إِنْ أَنْفَقْتَ قَالُوا مُسْرِفٌ وَ إِنِ اقْتَصَدْتَ قَالُوا بَخِيلٌ وَ إِنِ احْتَجْتَ إِلَى مَا فِي أَيْدِيهِمْ صَارَمُوكَ‏ وَ ذَمُّوكَ وَ إِنْ لَمْ تَعْتَدَّ بِهِمْ كَفَّرُوكَ And if you -asws were to stick to silence they would say, ‘Inarticulate’, and if you -asws were to speak they would say, ‘A chatterbox’, and if you -asws were to spend they would say, ‘An extravagant’, and if you -asws were to be moderate they would say, ‘Stingy’, and if you were to be needy to what is in their hands they would cut you off and condemn you, and if you don’t transgress against them they would not believe you.

فَهَذِهِ صِفَةُ أَهْلِ زَمَانِكَ‏ فَأَصْغَاكَ‏ مَنْ فَرَغَ عَنْ جَوْرِهِمْ وَ أَمِنَ مِنَ الطَّمَعِ فِيهِمْ فَهُوَ مُقْبِلٌ عَلَى شَأْنِهِ مُدَارٍ لِأَهْلِ زَمَانِهِ So, these are characteristics of the people of your -asws time. He will listen to you -asws , one who is free from their tyranny and is safe from the greed regarding them, so he is facing upon his matter being polite to the people of his time (An extract,).