The Discipline of Foresight

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اِعْلَمْ أَنَّ مُطْلَقَ الْهَوَى يَدْعُو إِلَى اللَّذَّةِ الْحَاضِرَةِ مِنْ غَيْرِ فِكْرٍ فِي عَاقِبَةٍ

Know that unchecked desire calls towards immediate pleasure without considering the consequences.

وَيَحُثُّ عَلَى نَيْلِ الشَّهَوَاتِ عَاجِلًا

It urges the immediate attainment of desires.

وَإِنْ كَانَتْ سَبَبًا لِلْأَلَمِ وَالْأَذَى فِي الْعَاجِلِ وَمَنْعِ لَذَّاتٍ فِي الْآجِلِ

Even if it causes pain and harm immediately and deprives pleasure in the future.

فَأَمَّا الْعَاقِلُ فَإِنَّهُ يَنْهَى نَفْسَهُ عَنْ لَذَّةٍ تُعَقِّبُ أَلَمًا

As for the rational person, he restrains himself from pleasure that is followed by pain.

وَشَهْوَةٍ تُوَرِّثُ نَدَمًا

And from desire that leads to regret.

وَكَفَى بِهَذَا الْقَدْرِ مَدْحًا لِلْعَقْلِ وَذَمًّا لِلْهَوَى

This alone is sufficient to praise reason and criticize desire.

أَلَا تَرَى أَنَّ الطِّفْلَ يُؤْثِرُ مَا يَهْوَى وَإِنْ أَدَّاهُ إِلَى التَّلَفِ

Do you not see that a child prefers what he desires, even if it leads to his ruin?

فَيَفْضُلُ الْعَاقِلُ عَلَيْهِ بِمَنْعِ نَفْسِهِ مِنْ ذَٰلِكَ

Thus, a rational person is superior by restraining himself from it.

وَقَدْ يَقَعُ التَّسَاوِي بَيْنَهُمَا فِي الْمَيْلِ بِالْهَوَى

And there may be equality between them in inclination towards desire.

وَبِهَذَا الْقَدْرِ فُضِّلَ الْآدَمِيُّ عَلَى الْبَهَائِمِ

This is why humans are preferred over animals.

أَعْنِي مَلَكَةَ الْإِرَادَةِ

I mean the faculty of will.

لِأَنَّ الْبَهَائِمَ وَاقِفَةٌ مَعَ طِبَاعِهَا لَا نَظَرَ لَهَا إِلَى عَاقِبَةٍ وَلَا فِكْرَ فِي مَآلٍ

Because animals remain with their nature, without regard to consequences and without thinking of their fate.

فَهِيَ تَتَنَاوَلُ مَا يَدْعُوهَا إِلَيْهِ الطَّبْعُ مِنَ الْغِذَاءِ إِذَا حَضَرَ

They consume what their nature calls them to when food is present.

وَتَفْعَلُ مَا تَحْتَاجُ إِلَيْهِ مِنَ الرَّوَثِ وَالْبَوْلِ أَيَّ وَقْتٍ اتَّفَقَ

And they perform what they need like defecation and urination at any time.

وَالْآدَمِيُّ يَمْتَنِعُ عَنْ ذَٰلِكَ بِقَهْرِ عَقْلِهِ لِطَبْعِهِ

And the human refrains from that by subduing his nature with reason.

وَإِذَا عَرَفَ الْعَاقِلُ أَنَّ الْهَوَى يَصِيرُ غَالِبًا

If the rational person knows that desire becomes dominant,

وَجَبَ عَلَيْهِ أَنْ يَرْفَعَ كُلَّ حَادِثَةٍ إِلَى حَاكِمِ الْعَقْلِ

He must refer every occurrence to the judge of reason.

فَإِنَّهُ سَيُشِيرُ عَلَيْهِ بِالنَّظَرِ فِي الْمَصَالِحِ الْآجِلَةِ

For it will guide him to consider long-term benefits.

وَيَأْمُرُهُ عِنْدَ وُقُوعِ الشُّبْهَةِ بِاسْتِعْمَالِ الْأَحْوَطِ فِي كَفِّ الْهَوَى

And it will instruct him, when in doubt, to use the safer option to curb desire.

إِلَى أَنْ يَتَيَقَّنَ السَّلَامَةَ مِنَ الشَّرِّ فِي الْعَاقِبَةِ

until he is certain of safety from harm in the end.

وَيَنْبَغِي لِلْعَاقِلِ أَنْ يَتَمَرَّنَ عَلَى دَفْعِ الْهَوَى الْمَأْمُونِ الْعَوَاقِبِ

The rational person should train himself to resist even desire whose consequences are safe.

لِيَسْتَمِرَّ بِذَٰلِكَ عَلَى تَرْكِ مَا تُؤْذِي غَايَتُهُ

So that he continues to refrain from what has harmful outcomes.

وَلْيَعْلَمِ الْعَاقِلُ أَنَّ مُدْمِنِي الشَّهَوَاتِ يَصِيرُونَ إِلَى حَالَةٍ لَا يَلْتَذُّونَهَا

Let the rational person know that those addicted to desires end up in a state where they no longer enjoy them.

وَهُمْ مَعَ ذَٰلِكَ لَا يَسْتَطِيعُونَ تَرْكَهَا

Yet they are unable to give them up.

لِأَنَّهَا قَدْ صَارَتْ عِنْدَهُمْ كَالْعَيْشِ الِاضْطِرَارِيِّ

Because they have become for them like a basic need of life.

وَلِهَذَا تَرَى مُدْمِنَ الْخَمْرِ وَالْجِمَاعِ لَا يَلْتَذُّ بِذَلِكَ عُشْرَ الْتِذَاذِ مَنْ لَمْ يُدْمِنْ

This is why you see that the addict to wine and intimacy does not enjoy it even a tenth as much as one who is not addicted.

غَيْرَ أَنَّ الْعَادَةَ تَقْتَضِيهِ ذَٰلِكَ

However, habit necessitates that.

فَيُلْقِي نَفْسَهُ فِي الْمَهَالِكِ لِنَيْلِ مَا يَقْتَضِيهِ تَعَوُّدُهُ

So he throws himself into danger to obtain what his habit demands.

وَلَوْ زَالَ رَيْنُ الْهَوَى عَنْ بَصَرِ بَصِيرَتِهِ لَرَأَى أَنَّهُ قَدْ شَقِيَ مِنْ حَيْثُ قَدَّرَ السَّعَادَةَ وَاغْتَمَّ مِنْ حَيْثُ ظَنَّ الْفَرَحَ وَأَلِمَ مِنْ حَيْثُ أَرَادَ اللَّذَّةَ

If the veil of desire were lifted from the eyes of his insight, he would see that he is miserable where he thought he was happy, grieved where he thought he was joyous, and in pain where he sought pleasure.