21ـ يَعْطِفُ الهَوى عََلَى الهُدى إذا عَطَفُوا الهُدى عَلَى الهَوى...
21ـ يَعْطِفُ الهَوى عََلَى الهُدى إذا عَطَفُوا الهُدى عَلَى الهَوى، ويَعْطِفُ الرَّأْيَ عَلَى القُرْآنِ إذا عَطَفُواالقُرآنَ عَلَى الرَّأْيِ. You have forgotten what you were reminded of and felt safe from that which you were warned about, so your opinion has gone astray and your affair has dispersed. 22ـ نَسِيتُمْ ما ذُكِّرْتُمْ، وأمِنْتُمْ ما حُذِّرْتُمْ فَتاهَ عَلَيْكُمْ رَأْيُكُمْ، وتَشَتَّتَ عَلَيْكُمْ أمْرُكُمْ.
Do you see (or observe) anyone other than a poor man suffering poverty, or a rich man who shows ingratitude in return for the blessings that Allah has bestowed on him, or a miser who denies the right of Allah in order to increase his wealth, or an unruly person who closes his ears [as if he is deaf] to all [wise] counsel.
By the One who sent Muhammad (s) with the Truth, you will verily be mixed [and shaken] a complete mixing, and sifted a total sieving and fully mixed as by a ladle in a cooking pot, until those who are low from among you become high and the high ones become low, and those who have fallen behind will come forward and those who are in front will fall behind.
24ـ وَالَّذي بَعَثَ مُحَمَّداً صلَّى اللّه عليه وآله وسلَّم بِالحَقِّ لَتُـبَلْبَلُنَّ بَلْبَلَةً، ولَتُغَرْبَلُنَّ غَرْبَلَةً، وَلَتُساطُنَّ سَوْطَ القِدْرِ، حَتّى يَعْلُوَ أسْفَلُكُمْ أعْلاكُمْ، وأعْلاكُمْ أسْفَلَكُمْ، وَلَيَسْبِقُنَّ سابِقُونَ، كانُوا قَصَّرُوا، ولَيُقَصِّرَنَّ سابِقُونَ كانُوا سَبَقُوا. The masses are not reformed except by justice. 25ـ اَلرَّعِيَّةُ لايُصْلِحُها إلاّ العَدْلُ. It was said to him (‘a): Verily nothing can reform the people of Kufa except the sword.
To this he (‘a) replied: If nothing but my destruction reforms them then may Allah not reform them! 26ـ قيلَ لَهُ ـ عَلَيْهِ السّلامُ ـ: إنَّ أهْلَ الكُوفَةِ لايُصْلِحُهُمْ إلاّ السَّيْفُ، فَقالَ ـعَلَيْهِ السّلام ـ: إنْ لَمْ يُصْلِحْهُمْ إلاّ إفْسادي فَلا أصْلَحَهُمُ اللّهُ. The bane of the masses is disobedience [to the rightful ruler]. 27ـ آفَةُ الرَّعِيَّةِ مُخالَفَةُ الطّاعَةِ. How many an owner of great wealth has been turned into a lowly pauper by [the passage of] time.
28ـ كَمْ مِنْ ذي ثَرْوَة خَطير صَيَّرَهُ الدَّهْرُ فَقيراً حَقيراً. How will you remain in your current state when time is [in the process of] transforming you?!