On Reason and Temptation

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وَهْبُ بْنُ مُنَبّه قَالَ

Wahb ibn Munabbih said:

إِنِّي وَجَدْتُ فِيمَا انْزِلْ اللَّهُ عَلَى أَنْبِيَائِهِ

Indeed, I found in what Allah sent down to His prophets.

أَنَّ الْشَّيْطَانَ لَمْ يُكَابِدْ شَيْئًا أَشَدَّ عَلَيْهِ مِنْ مُؤْمِنٍ عَاقِلٍ

That the devil did not struggle more fiercely with anything than with a sensible believer.

وَأَنَّهُ يُكَابِدُ مِئَةَ جَاهِلٍ

And that he struggles against a hundred ignorant people.

فَيَسْتَجِرُّهُمْ حَتَّى يَرْكَبَ رَقَبَاتِهِمْ

So he drags them along until he rides on their necks.

فَيَنْقَادُونَ لَهُ حَيْثُ شَاءَ

and they submit to him wherever he wills

وَيُكَابِدُ الْمُؤْمِنُ الْعَاقِلُ فَيَتَصَعَّبُ عَلَيْهِ حَتَّى لَا يَنَالَ مِنْهُ شَيْئًا مِنْ حَاجَتِهِ

And he struggles with the sensible believer, making it so difficult for him that he obtains nothing of what he seeks.

وَقَالَ وَهْبُ لِإِزَالَةِ الْجَبَلَ صَخْرَةً صَخْرَةً

And Wahb said, 'To remove the mountain, rock by rock.'

وَحَجَرًا حَجَرًا أَيْسَرُ عَلَى الشَّيْطَانِ مِنْ مُكَابَدَةِ الْمُؤْمِنِ الْعَاقِلِ

Removing it stone by stone is easier for Satan than contending with the rational believer.

لِأَنَّهُ إِذَا كَانَ مُؤْمِنًا عَاقِلًا ذَا بَصِيرَةٍ فَهُوَ أَثْقَلُ عَلَى الشَّيْطَانِ مِنَ الْجِبَالِ

For if he is a believing, rational person with insight, he is harder for the devil than the mountains.

وَأَصْعَبُ مِنْ الْحَدِيدِ

And harder than iron.

وَأَنَّهُ لَيَزَاوِلُهُ بِكُلِّ حِيلَةٍ

And that he will assail him with every trick.

فَإِذا لَمْ يَقْدِرْ أَن يَسْتَزِلَّهُ قَالَ يَا وَيْلَهُ

So when he could not win him over, he would exclaim, "Woe to him."

مَا لَهُ وَلِهَذَا لَا طَاقَةَ لِيَّ بِهَذَا

I have no power over him or over this.

وَيَرْفُضُهُ وَيَتَحَوَّلُ إِلَى الْجَاهِل

He rejects him and turns to the ignorant man.

فَيَسْتَأْسِرُهُ وَيَتَمَكَّنُ مِنْ قِيَادِهِ

So he wins him over and becomes able to lead him.

حَتَّى يُسَلِّمُهُ إِلَى الْفَضَائِحِ الَّتِي يَتَعَجَّلُهَا

until he hands him over to the scandals he rushes into

فِي عَاجِلِ الدُّنْيَا كَالْجَلْدَ وَالرِّجَامَ وَالْحَلْقَ

In the immediate worldly life, such as flogging, stoning, and slitting the throat.

وَتَسْخِيمَ الْوُجُوهَ وَالْقَطْعَ وَالْصُلْبَ

and scorching of the faces, amputation, and crucifixion

وَإِنْ الرَّجُلَيْنِ لَا يَسْتَوِيَانِ فِي أَعْمَالِ الْبِرِّ

And indeed, the two men are not equal in deeds of righteousness,

وَيكون بَينهمَا كَمَا بَين الْمشرق وَالْمَغْرِب

And it will be between them as between the east and the west.

أَو أَبْعَدُ إِذا كَانَ أَحدهمَا أَعقل مِنَ الْآخَرِ

Or even farther, if one of them is more sensible than the other.

وَقَالَ لُقْمَان لِابْنِهِ يَا بُنَيَّ اِعْقِلْ عَن اللَّهِ

And Luqman said to his son, "O my son, be mindful of God."

فَإِنَّ أَعْقَلَ النَّاسِ عَنِ اللَّهِ أَحْسَنُهُمْ عَمَلًا

Indeed, the people most mindful of God are best in their deeds.

وَإِن الشَّيْطَان لَيَفِرُّ مِنَ الْعَاقِل

And indeed Satan flees from the sensible person.

وَمَا يَسْتَطِيعُ أَنْ يُكَابِدَهُ

And he cannot contend with him.

يَا بُنَيَّ مَا عَبْدُ اللَّهِ بِشَيْء أَفْضَلُ مِنَ الْعقل

O my son, no one has worshipped God by anything better than the intellect.

وَقَالَ لُقْمَان لِابْنِهِ يَا بُنَيَّ

And Luqman said to his son, "O my son."

مَا يَتِمُّ عَقْلُ اِمْرِئٍ حَتَّى يَكُونَ فِيهِ عَشَرُ خِصَالٍ

A person's intellect is not complete until he has ten qualities.

الْكِبْرُ مِنْهُ مَأْمُونٌ

Arrogance is safe from him.

وَ الرَّشْدُ فِيهِ مَأْمُولٌ

And sound judgment is hoped for in him.

يُصِيبُ مِنْ الدُّنْيَا الْقُوتَ

He receives sustenance from the world.

وَفَضْلُ مَالِهِ مَبْذُولٌ

And the virtue of his wealth is spent.

التَّواضُعُ أَحَبَّ إِلَيْهِ مِنَ الشَّرَفِ

Humility is more beloved to him than honor.

وَالْذُّلُّ أَحَبَّ إِلَيْهِ مِنَ الْعِزِّ

And humiliation is dearer to him than honor.

لَا يُسَامُ مَنْ طَلَبَ اَلْفِقْهَ طُولَ دَهْرِهِ

One should not reproach anyone who seeks jurisprudence throughout his life.

وَلَا يَتَبَرَّمُ مِنْ طَلَبِ الْحَوَائِجِ مِنْ قِبَلِهِ

And he does not become annoyed by the asking of needs from him.

يَسْتَكْثِرُ قَلِيلَ الْمَعْرُوفِ مِنْ غَيْرِهِ

He regards a small kindness from other than him as excessive.

وَيَسْتَقِلُّ كَثِيرُ الْمَعْرُوفِ مِنْ نَفْسِهِ

And he regards much good deed from his self as little.

وَالْخِصْلَةَ الْعَاشِرَة الَّتِي بهَا مَجْدُهُ وَأَعْلَى ذِكْرِهِ

And the tenth trait by which his glory and his mention is elevated.

أَنْ يَرَى جَمِيعُ أَهْلِ الدُّنْيَا خَيْرًا مِنْهُ

that all people of the world see good from him.

وَأَنَّهُ شَرُّهُمْ

And that he is the worst of them.

وَإِنْ رَأَى خَيْرًا مِنْهُ سَرَّهُ ذَلِكَ

And if he saw any good from him, that pleased him.

وَتَمَنَّى أَنْ يَلْحَقَ بِهِ

And he wished that it would befall him.

وَأَن رَأَى شَرًّا مِنْهُ قَالَ لَعَلَّ هَذَا يَنْجُوَ

And if he saw something bad from him, he would say, "Perhaps this will save him."

وَأَهْلِكُ أَنَا

And I will perish.

فَهُنَاكَ حِين اسْتكْمل الْعقل

Then there came a time when the intellect reached completion.

وَقَالَ لُقْمَانُ غَايَةُ الشَّرَفِ وَالسُّؤْدُدِ حُسْنُ الْعَقْلِ

Luqman said, 'The highest honor and distinction is a sound mind.'

وَمَنْ حَسُنَ عَقْلُهُ غَطَّى ذَلِكَ جَمِيعَ ذُنُوبِهِ

Whoever's judgment is sound, that covers all his sins.

وَأَصْلِحْ ذَلِكَ مَسَاوِئَهُ

And correct its faults.

وَرَضِيَ عَنْهُ مَوْلَاهُ

And his master was pleased with him.

وَقَالَ لُقْمَانُ لِابْنِهِ يَا بُنَيَّ

And Luqman said to his son, "O my son."

إِذا أردْت أَن تُؤَاخِيَ رَجُلًا فَأَغْضِبْهُ قِبَلَ ذَلِك

If you want to make a man your brother, then anger him before that.

فَإِنْ أَنْصَفَكَ عِنْدَ غَضَبِهِ

So if he treats you fairly when he is angry.

وَإِلَّا فاحذره

If not, then beware of him.