أ أَيُّهَا النَّاسُ إِنَّهُ مَنْ نَظَرَ فِي عَيْبِ نَفْسِهِ...

أ أَيُّهَا النَّاسُ إِنَّهُ مَنْ نَظَرَ فِي عَيْبِ نَفْسِهِ اشْتَغَلَ عَنْ عَيْبِ غَيْرِهِ وَ مَنْ رَضِيَ بِرِزْقِ اللَّهِ لَمْ يَأْسَفْ عَلَى مَا فِي يَدِ غَيْرِهِ وَ مَنْ سَلَّ سَيْفَ الْبَغْيِ قُتِلَ بِهِ وَ مَنْ حَفَرَ لِأَخِيهِ بِئْراً وَقَعَ فِيهَا وَ مَنْ هَتَكَ حِجَابَ غَيْرِهِ انْكَشَفَ عَوْرَاتُ بَيْتِهِ وَ مَنْ نَسِيَ زَلَلَهُ اسْتَعْظَمَ زَلَلَ غَيْرِهِ وَ مَنْ أُعْجِبَ بِرَأْيِهِ ضَلَّ وَ مَنِ اسْتَغْنَى بِعَقْلِهِ زَلَّ وَ مَنْ تَكَبَّرَ عَلَى النَّاسِ ذَلَّ وَ مَنْ سَفِهَ عَلَى النَّاسِ شُتِمَ وَ مَنْ خَالَطَ الْأَنْذَالَ حُقِّرَ وَ مَنْ حَمَلَ مَا لَا يُطِيقُ عَجَزَ O you people!

The one who looks at his own faults will be too pre-occupied to look at the faults of the others, and the one who is contented with the sustenance of Allah -azwj will not despair upon what is in the hands of the others, and the one who unsheathes the sword of rebellion will be killed by it, and the one who drills a pit for his brother will fall into it himself, and the one who discloses the veiled (privacy) of others will uncover the privacy of his own house, and the one who forgets his own mistakes will magnify the mistakes of the others, and the one who wonders at his own opinion will go astray, and the one who considers himself to be needless due to his intellect will make mistakes, and the one who is arrogant to the people will be humiliated, and the one who is a fool to the people will be hated, and the one who mixes with the villains will be degraded, and the one who burdens himself with what he cannot endure will be frustrated.

أَيُّهَا النَّاسُ إِنَّهُ لَا مَالَ هُوَ أَعْوَدُ مِنَ الْعَقْلِ وَ لَا فَقْرَ هُوَ أَشَدُّ مِنَ الْجَهْلِ وَ لَا وَاعِظَ هُوَ أَبْلَغُ مِنَ النُّصْحِ وَ لَا عَقْلَ كَالتَّدْبِيرِ وَ لَا عِبَادَةَ كَالتَّفَكُّرِ وَ لَا مُظَاهَرَةَ أَوْثَقُ مِنَ الْمُشَاوَرَةِ وَ لَا وَحْشَةَ أَشَدُّ مِنَ الْعُجْبِ وَ لَا وَرَعَ كَالْكَفِّ عَنِ الْمَحَارِمِ وَ لَا حِلْمَ كَالصَّبْرِ وَ الصَّمْتِ O you people!

There is no wealth more valuable than the intellect, and no poverty which is more intense than the ignorance, and no preacher which is more profound than the sound advice, and no reasoning like the contemplation, and no worship like the pondering, and no demonstration more reliable than the consultation, and no isolation more severe than the self-conceit, nor piety like refraining from the Prohibitions, and no forbearance like patience and silence.

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