سَمِعْتُ أَبَا عَبْدِ اللَّهِ ع يَقُولُ احْذَرُوا أَهْوَاءَكُمْ كَمَا تَحْذَرُونَ أَعْدَاءَكُمْ فَلَيْسَ شَيْءٌ أَعْدَى لِلرِّجَالِ مِنِ اتِّبَاعِ أَهْوَائِهِمْ وَ حَصَائِدِ أَلْسِنَتِهِمْ[1].
“I heard Abu ‘Abdillah (a.s.) saying, ‘Be afraid of your desires just as you fear your enemies. Nothing is a more dangerous enemy to men than following their desires and what their tongues harvest.’”
قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ص يَقُولُ اللَّهُ عَزَّ وَ جَلَّ وَ عِزَّتِي وَ جَلَالِي وَ عَظَمَتِي وَ كِبْرِيَائِي وَ نُورِي وَ عُلُوِّي وَ ارْتِفَاعِ مَكَانِي لَا يُؤْثِرُ عَبْدٌ هَوَاهُ عَلَى هَوَايَ إِلَّا شَتَّتُّ عَلَيْهِ أَمْرَهُ[2] وَ لَبَّسْتُ عَلَيْهِ دُنْيَاهُ وَ شَغَلْتُ قَلْبَهُ بِهَا وَ لَمْ أُؤْتِهِ مِنْهَا إِلَّا مَا قَدَّرْتُ لَهُ وَ عِزَّتِي وَ جَلَالِي وَ عَظَمَتِي وَ نُورِي وَ عُلُوِّي وَ ارْتِفَاعِ مَك
2. A number of our people have narrated from Ahmad ibn Muhammad ibn Khalid from his father from ‘Abd Allah ibn al-Qasim from abu Hamza from abu la’ far (a.s.) who has said the following: “The Messenger of Allah has said, ‘Allah, the Most Majestic, the Most Holy, has said, ‘By My Majesty, Glory, Greatness, Supremacy, My
قَالَ أَمِيرُ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ ع إِنَّمَا أَخَافُ عَلَيْكُمُ اثْنَتَيْنِ- اتِّبَاعَ الْهَوَى وَ طُولَ الْأَمَلِ أَمَّا اتِّبَاعُ الْهَوَى فَإِنَّهُ يَصُدُّ عَنِ الْحَقِّ وَ أَمَّا طُولُ الْأَمَلِ فَيُنْسِي الْآخِرَةَ.
‘I am afraid for you from two things: following your desires and your never ending hopes of worldly matters; following of desires obstructs one from the truth and never ending hope in worldly matters makes one forget the hereafter.’”
قَالَ لِي أَبُو الْحَسَنِ ع اتَّقِ الْمُرْتَقَى السَّهْلَ إِذَا كَانَ مُنْحَدَرُهُ وَعْراً[1] قَالَ وَ كَانَ أَبُو عَبْدِ اللَّهِ ع يَقُولُ لَا تَدَعِ النَّفْسَ وَ هَوَاهَا- فَإِنَّ هَوَاهَا فِي رَدَاهَا[2] وَ تَرْكُ النَّفْسِ وَ مَا تَهْوَى أَذَاهَا وَ كَفُّ النَّفْسِ عَمَّا تَهْوَى دَوَاهَا.
“Abu al-Hassan (a.s.) once said to me, ‘Beware of an easy climb up that has a very deep and steep climb down.’ “The narrator has said that Abu ‘Abd Allah (a.s.) would say, ‘Do not leave the soul with its desires unguarded; its desires are to destroy it. Leaving the soul with its desires unguarded is hurting the soul, h