Drive away from you incoming anxieties through resolute...
Drive away from you incoming anxieties through resolute patience and the goodness of certainty. He who abandons moderation has deviated from the right path. A companion is like a relation. A true friend is one who observes the rights of friendship in one’s absence. Desire is the partner of blindness (of the heart). Often the distant one is closer than the near one, and the near one is more distant than the distant one. A real stranger is the one who has no friend.
The path of one who transgresses the truth becomes narrow. One who restricts himself to his own capacity retains it. The firmest cord that you take hold of is the cord between you and Allah, the Exalted. One who has no concern for you is your enemy. When greed is destruction, then giving up hope (of what one desires) is an attainment. Not every hidden defect becomes apparent nor is every opportunity seized.
Sometimes a person possessing sight misses his objective, while a blind person attains the right path. Put off doing evil because you can hasten to it whenever you wish. Cutting off relations with an ignorant person equals establishing relations with the wise. He who feels secure against (the deception of) time has been deceived by it, and he who attaches great importance to it has been belittled by it. Every one who shoots does not hit the target. When the ruler changes, times also change.
Make enquiries about the travelling companion before (embarking on) the journey, and about the neighbor before (purchasing) the house. Beware of uttering speech that causes laughter even though you report it from someone else. Commentary In this portion of the letter, Imam ‘Ali (as) refers to numerous pieces of wisdom, some of which will be dealt with here: 1. All Kinds Of Sustenance: Every creature, in order to survive, needs sustenance which is allocated by God.