وَقُلْتُAnd I saidلَكُمْto you،,عِنْدَwhenإِشْفَاقِيmy compassionعَلَيْكُمْon you::
And I said to you, out of my compassion for you:
««إِنَّIndeedلِلْغِنَىfor wealthسُكْرًاintoxication،,وَإِنَّand indeedلِلْمَالِfor moneyنَزْوَةًa caprice،,فَمَنْso whoeverلَمْnotيَحْفَظْprotectsالْغِنَىwealthمِنْfromسُكْرِintoxicationالْغِنَىof wealth،,فَقَدْcertainlyأَضَاعَهُhe lost it؛;
“Indeed wealth has intoxication, and money has a caprice. Whoever does not guard wealth against its intoxication has certainly lost it; and whoever does not bind money with the fear of poverty has neglected it.”
وَمَنْand whoeverلَمْnotيَرْتَبِطْbindsالْمَالُmoneyبِخَوْفِwith fearالْفَقْرِof poverty،,فَقَدْcertainlyأَهْمَلَهُhe neglected it»”..
And whoever does not bind money with the fear of poverty has neglected it.”
فَعِبْتُمُونِيThen you blamed meبِذَلِكَfor that؛;
And you blamed me for that.
وَقَالَAnd saidزَيْدُZaydبْنُibnجَبَلَةَJabala««١1»»::
And Zayd ibn Jabala said:
««لَيْسَnotأَحَدٌanyoneأَفْقَرُpoorerمِنْthanغَنِيٍّa rich manأَمِنَwho is safeالْفَقْرَfrom poverty،,وَسُكْرُand intoxicationالْغِنَىof wealthأَشَدُّis more severeمِنْthanسُكْرِintoxicationالْخَمْرِof wine»”..
“No one is poorer than a rich man who feels safe from poverty, and the intoxication of wealth is more severe than the intoxication of wine.”
وَقُلْتُمْAnd you said::
And you said:
««قَدْindeedلَزِمَhe has adheredالْحَثُّurgingعَلَىonالْحُقُوقِrights،,وَالتَّزْهِيدُand asceticismفِيinالْفُضُولِexcess،,حَتَّىuntilصَارَhe has comeيَسْتَعْمِلُto useذَلِكَthatفِيinأَشْعَارِهِhis poems،,بَعْدَafterرَسَائِلِهِhis epistles،,وَفِيand inخُطَبِهِhis sermons،,بَعْدَafterسَائِرِthe rest ofكَلَامِهِhis speech؛;
“He has persistently urged duties and discouraged excess, until he has come to use that in his poems, after his epistles, and in his sermons, after the rest of his speech;
فَمِنْso amongذَلِكَthatقَوْلُهُhis sayingفِيinيَحْيَىYahyaبْنِibnخَالِدٍKhalid::
Among that is his saying concerning Yahya ibn Khalid:
عَدُوُّAn enemyتِلَادِof inheritedالْمَالِwealthفِيمَاin whatيَنُوبُهُbefalls him،,مَنُوعٌwithholderإِذَاwhenمَاwhatمَنَعَهُhe withholds itكَانَhe isأَحْزَمَاmost prudent
An enemy of inherited wealth when it befalls him, a withholder; when he withholds, he is most prudent.
!!
!
وَمِنْAnd amongذَلِكَthatقَوْلُهُhis sayingفِيinمُحَمَّدِMuhammadبْنِibnزِيَادٍZiyad::
And among that is his saying concerning Muhammad ibn Ziyad:
وَخَلِيقَتَانِAnd two qualities::تَقًىpietyوَفَضْلٌand virtueتُحَرِّمُforbidإِهَانَةًhumiliation،,فِيinحَقِّهِhis due،,لِلْمَالِof money!!
And two qualities: piety and virtue forbid any humiliation, in his due, of money!
وَعِبْتُمُونِيAnd you blamed meحِينَwhenزَعَمْتُI claimedأَنِّيthat Iأُقَدِّمُpreferالْمَالَmoneyعَلَىoverالْعِلْمِknowledge؛;
And you blamed me when I claimed that I prefer money over knowledge;
لِأَنَّbecauseالْمَالَmoneyبِهِby itيُغَاثُis aidedالْعَالِمُthe scholar،,وَبِهِand by itتَقُومُare sustainedالنُّفُوسُsouls،,قَبْلَbeforeأَنْthatتَعْرِفَthey knowفَضِيلَةَthe virtueالْعِلْمِof knowledge،,
because by money the scholar is aided, and by it souls are sustained before they know the virtue of knowledge.
وَأَنَّand thatالْأَصْلَthe rootأَحَقُّis more worthyبِالتَّفْضِيلِof preferenceمِنَthanالْفَرْعِthe branch،,وَأَنِّيand that Iقُلْتُsaid::
and that the root is more worthy of preference than the branch, and that I said:
««وَإِنْand althoughكُنَّاwe areنَسْتَبِينُwe discernالْأُمُورَmattersبِالنُّفُوسِby souls،,فَإِنَّاyet weبِالْكِفَايَةِby sufficiencyنَسْتَبِينُwe become clear،,وَبِالْخِلَّةِand by need««٢2»»نَعْمَىwe live in plenty»”..
“And although we discern matters by souls, yet by sufficiency we become clear, and by need we live in plenty.”
وَقُلْتُمْAnd you said::
And you said:
««وَكَيْفَand howتَقُولُdo you sayهَذَاthis،,وَقَدْwhen indeedقِيلَit was saidلِرَئِيسِto the chiefالْحُكَمَاءِof philosophersوَمُقَدَّمِand leaderالْأُدَبَاءِof writers::
“And how do you say this, when it was said to the chief of philosophers and leader of writers:
الْعُلَمَاءُthe scholarsأَفْضَلُare betterأَمِorالْأَغْنِيَاءُthe rich؟?
Are the scholars better or the rich?
قَالَHe said::بَلِratherالْعُلَمَاءُthe scholars،,
He said: 'Rather the scholars.'
قِيلَIt was said::فَمَاso whyبَالُis the matterالْعُلَمَاءِof scholarsيَأْتُونَthey comeأَبْوَابَto the doorsالْأَغْنِيَاءِof the rich،,أَكْثَرَmoreمِمَّاthan whatيَأْتِيcomesالْأَغْنِيَاءُthe richأَبْوَابَto the doorsالْعُلَمَاءِof scholars؟?
It was said: 'So why do scholars come to the doors of the rich more than the rich come to the doors of scholars?'
قَالَHe said::لِمَعْرِفَةِbecause of knowledgeالْعُلَمَاءِof the scholarsبِفَضْلِof the virtueالْغِنَىof wealth،,وَلِجَهْلِand because of ignoranceالْأَغْنِيَاءِof the richبِفَضْلِof the virtueالْعِلْمِof knowledge»”..
He said: 'Because the scholars know the virtue of wealth, and the rich are ignorant of the virtue of knowledge.'”
فَقُلْتُSo I said::حَالُهُمَاtheir conditionهِيَit isالْفَاصِلَةُthe distinguisherبَيْنَهُمَاbetween them؛;
So I said: 'Their condition is what distinguishes between them;'
وَكَيْفَand howيَسْتَوِيcan be equalشَيْءٌa thingتَرَىyou seeحَاجَةَthe needالْجَمِيعِof allإِلَيْهِto it،,وَشَيْءٌand a thingيُغْنِيmakes independentبَعْضُهُمْsome of themفِيهِin itعَنْfromبَعْضٍothers»”؟?
And how can a thing to which you see the need of all be equal to a thing in which some of them can do without others?'
وَعِبْتُمُونِيAnd you blamed meحِينَwhenقُلْتُI said::««إِنَّIndeedفَضْلَthe virtueالْغَنِيِّof the richعَلَىoverالْقُوتِsubsistence،,إِنَّمَاonlyهُوَit isكَفَضْلِlike the virtueالْآلَةِof the tool
And you blamed me when I said: 'Indeed the virtue of the rich over subsistence is only like the virtue of the tool...'