Lessons from Nahjul Balagha [Electronic resources] نسخه متنی

Sermons
Sermon
119

SERMON 119

About the greatness of
Ahlu'l-bayt and the importance of the laws of Islam

By Allah, I have
knowledge of the conveyance of messages, fulfilment of promises
and of entire expressions. We the people of the house (of the
Prophet - Ahlu'l-bayt) possess the doors of wisdom and light of
governance. Beware that the paths of religion are one and its
highways are straight. He who follows them achieves (the aim) and
secures (the objective). And he who stood away from it went astray
and incurred repentance.

Do act for the day for
which provisions are stored, and when the intentions would be
tested. If a person's own intelligence which is present with him
does not help him, the wits (of others) which are remote from him
are more unhelpful and those which are away from him more useless.
Dread the fire whose flame is severe, whose hollow is deep, whose
dress is iron and whose drink is bloody pus. Beware! The(1)
good name of a man retained by Allah, the Sublime, among the
people is better than wealth inherited by those who would not
praise him.

(1).
If a person gives away something in his life time then the
recipient feels obliged to him. But if wealth is extracted by
force then the extractor does not feel himself under his
obligation, nor does he praise it. The same is the case of one who
dies. His successors think that whatever he had left behind was
their right and they should have received it. In this there is no
obligation of his to be acknowledged. But if he had done some good
act with this very wealth his name would have remained behind him
and people would have praised him also.

A Persian couplet
says:
Happy is he who is
remembered well after himself, for nothing save the name remains
after the man is dead.