Detestability of Laziness

عَدُوُّ الْعَمَلِ الْكَسَلُ.

“Abu ‘Abd Allah (a.s.), has said, ’Laziness is an enemy of work.’”

قَالَ أَبِي ع لِبَعْضِ وُلْدِهِ‌ إِيَّاكَ وَ الْكَسَلَ وَ الضَّجَرَ فَإِنَّهُمَا يَمْنَعَانِكَ مِنْ حَظِّكَ مِنَ الدُّنْيَا وَ الْآخِرَةِ.

2. Sahl ibn Ziyad has narrated from ibn Mahbub from Sa‘d ibn abu Khalaf from abu al-Hassan, Musa, ‘Alayhi al-Salam, who has said the following: “Abu al-Hassan, Musa has said, ‘My father, ‘Alayhi al-Salam, once said to a certain one of his sons, “Beware of laziness and impatience; these two can deprive you of your share

مَنْ كَسِلَ عَنْ طَهُورِهِ وَ صَلَاتِهِ فَلَيْسَ فِيهِ خَيْرٌ لِأَمْرِ آخِرَتِهِ وَ مَنْ كَسِلَ عَمَّا يُصْلِحُ بِهِ أَمْرَ مَعِيشَتِهِ فَلَيْسَ فِيهِ خَيْرٌ لِأَمْرِ دُنْيَاهُ.

“Abu ‘Abd Allah (a.s.), has said, ‘If one feels lazy to cleansing himself and to take wudu’ for Salat (prayer), there is nothing good in him in regards to his affairs in the hereafter. One who feels lazy in organizing his living conditions, there is nothing good in him for his worldly life.’”

إِنِّي لَأُبْغِضُ الرَّجُلَ أَوْ أُبْغِضُ لِلرَّجُلِ أَنْ يَكُونَ كَسْلَاناً [كَسْلَانَ‌] عَنْ أَمْرِ دُنْيَاهُ وَ مَنْ كَسِلَ عَنْ أَمْرِ دُنْيَاهُ فَهُوَ عَنْ أَمْرِ آخِرَتِهِ أَكْسَلُ.

“Abu Ja’far (a.s.), has said, ‘I dislike a man -or dislike for a man- who is lazy in his worldly affairs. One who is lazy in his worldly affairs is lazier in the affairs of his hereafter.’”

إِيَّاكَ وَ الْكَسَلَ وَ الضَّجَرَ فَإِنَّكَ إِنْ كَسِلْتَ لَمْ تَعْمَلْ وَ إِنْ ضَجِرْتَ لَمْ تُعْطِ الْحَقَّ.

5. A number of our people have narrated from Ahmad ibn Muhammad from ibn Faddal from Sama‘ah ibn Mehran from abu al-Hassan, Musa (a.s.), who has said the following: “Abu al-Hassan, Musa (a.s.), has said, ‘Beware of laziness and impatience; with laziness you do not work and with impatience you do not yield to the truth.

لَا تَسْتَعِنْ بِكَسْلَانَ وَ لَا تَسْتَشِيرَنَّ عَاجِزاً[1].

“Abu ‘Abd Allah (a.s.), has said, ‘Do not seek help from a lazy person and you must not consult a helpless one.’”

سَمِعْتُ أَبَا عَبْدِ اللَّهِ ع يَقُولُ‌ تَجَنَّبُوا الْمُنَى فَإِنَّهَا تُذْهِبُ بَهْجَةَ مَا خُوِّلْتُمْ وَ تَسْتَصْغِرُونَ بِهَا مَوَاهِبَ اللَّهِ تَعَالَى عِنْدَكُمْ وَ تُعْقِبُكُمُ الْحَسَرَاتِ فِيمَا وَهَّمْتُمْ بِهِ أَنْفُسَكُمْ‌[1].

“I heard abu ‘Abd Allah (a.s.), saying, ‘Avoid wishing (daydreaming); it destroys the beauty of Allah’s favors to you and causes to suffer feeling of failure in your daydreaming and what you imagined.’”

قَالَ أَمِيرُ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ ع‌ إِنَّ الْأَشْيَاءَ لَمَّا ازْدَوَجَتْ ازْدَوَجَ الْكَسَلُ وَ الْعَجْزُ فَنُتِجَا بَيْنَهُمَا الْفَقْرَ[2].

“Amir al-Mu’minin (a.s.), has said, ‘When things (works) double, laziness and failure join hands, and they both give birth to poverty.’”

كَتَبَ أَبُو عَبْدِ اللَّهِ ع إِلَى رَجُلٍ مِنْ أَصْحَابِهِ أَمَّا بَعْدُ فَلَا تُجَادِلِ الْعُلَمَاءَ وَ لَا تُمَارِ السُّفَهَاءَ فَيُبْغِضَكَ الْعُلَمَاءُ وَ يَشْتِمَكَ السُّفَهَاءُ وَ لَا تَكْسَلْ عَنْ مَعِيشَتِكَ فَتَكُونَ كَلًّا عَلَى غَيْرِكَ أَوْ قَالَ عَلَى أَهْلِكَ‌[3].

“Abu ‘Abd Allah (a.s.), once wrote to one of his companions the following: . . thereafter take notice of the following. You must not excessively argue with the scholars, you must not verbally quarrel with the dimwitted ones; the scholars will hate you and the dimwitted ones will abuse you. You must not be lazy in the w

كَانَ أَمِيرُ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ صَلَوَاتُ اللَّهِ عَلَيْهِ يَحْتَطِبُ وَ يَسْتَقِي وَ يَكْنُسُ وَ كَانَتْ فَاطِمَةُ سَلَامُ اللَّهِ عَلَيْهَا تَطْحَنُ وَ تَعْجِنُ وَ تَخْبِزُ.

“Amir al-Mu’minin (a.s.), would bring firewood, water and sweep the house. Fatimah al- Zahra’, ‘Alayha al-Salam, would grind wheat, make dough and bake.”