34ـ اَلأمَلُ لا غايَةَ لَهُ.

34ـ اَلأمَلُ لا غايَةَ لَهُ. Hope is an intimate companion. 35ـ اَلأملُ رَفيقٌ مُونِسٌ. Hope is a cheater, deceiver, and harmer. 36ـ اَلأملُ خادِعٌ، غارٌّ، ضارٌّ. Hope corrupts [one’s] actions and wastes [one’s] lifetime. 37ـ اَلأملُ يُفْسِدُ العَمَلَ، ويُفنِي الأجَلَ. Aspirations blind the eyes of insight. 38ـ اَلأمانيُّ تُعْمي عُيُونَ البَصائِرِ. Aspirations beguile you, and in the presence of reality, they abandon you. 39ـ اَلأمانيُّ تَخْدَعُكَ، وعِنْدَ الحَقائقِِ تَدَعُكَ.

Verily I am fighting against my hopes and waiting for my death. 40ـ إنّي مُحاربُ أمَلي، ومُنْتَظِرُ أجَلي. Verily you will not reach what you hope for and will never surpass death, so be conscious of Allah and be moderate in your desires. 41ـ إنّكَ لَنْ تَبْلُغَ أمَلَكَ، وَلَنْ تَعدُوَ أجَلَكَ، فَاتَّقِ اللّهَ، وأجْمِلْ في الطَّلَبِ. If you are deceived by hopes, you will surely be annihilated by the fast approaching death and will have lost [the opportunity to perform] good deeds.

42ـ إنَّكُمْ إنِ اغْتَرَرْتُمْ بِالآمالِ، تَخَرَّمَتْكُمْ بَوادِرُ الآجالِ وقَدْ ماتَتْكُمُ الأعْمالُ. The bane of hopes is the coming of death. 43ـ آفَةُ الآمالِ حُضُورُ الآجالِ. The bane of hope is death. 44ـ آفَةُ الأمَلِ اَلأجَلُ. With the realization of hopes, it becomes easier to overcome [one’s] fears. 45ـ بِبُلُوغِ الآمالِ يَهُونُ رُكُوبُ الأهْوالِ. The worst habit is hoping [for too much] as it wastes one’s lifetime and causes one to lose [the opportunity to perform good] deeds.

46ـ بِئْسَ الشّيمَةُ الأمَلُ يُفْنِي الأجَلَ، ويُفَوِّتُ العَمَلَ. Keep away from vain hopes, for they take away the delight of the blessings of Allah from you and make them seem small and insignificant, thereby increasing your lack of gratitude. 47ـ تَجَنَّبُوا المُنى، فإنَّها تَذْهَبُ بِبَهجَةِ نِعَمِ اللّهِ عِنْدَكُمْ، وتُلْزِمُ إسْتِصْغارَها لَدَيْكُمْ، وَعلى قِلَّةِ الشُّكرِ مِنْكُمْ. The fruit of hope is corruption of deeds. 48ـ ثَمَرَةُ الأمَلِ فَسادُ العَمَلِ.

The product of aspirations is regret (and its fruit is loss). 49ـ حاصِلُ الأمانِي، الأسَفُ (وَ ثَمرَتُهُ التَّلَفُ). How close death is to hope! 50ـ ما أقْرَبَ الأجَلَ مِنَ الأمَلِ. How corrupting is hope for deeds! 51ـ ما أفْسَدَ الأمَلَ لِلْعَمَلِ. How severing is death for hope! 52ـ ما أقْطعَ الأجَلَ للأمَلِ. No one lengthens his hopes except that he [also] curtails his actions. 53ـ ما أطالَ أحدٌ في الأمَلِ إلاّ قَصَّـَر فِي العَمَلِ. What is the matter with you?