لِسَعِيدِto Sa'idبْنِibnحَاتِمٍ:Hatim:
To Sa'id ibn Hatim:
«احْذَرِBeware ofالنِّعْمَةَthe blessingكَحَذَرِكَas your cautionمِنَfromالْمَعْصِيَةِ،sin,
"Beware of the blessing as you would beware of sin,
وَلَهِيَand it isأَخْوَفُهُمَاthe more fearful of the twoعَلَيْكَfor youعِنْدِي»in my view."
and it is the more fearful of the two for you in my view."
وَقَالَ:And he said:
And he said:
«أُحَذِّرُكُمْI warn youعَاقِبَةَof the consequenceالْفَرَاغِof leisureفَإِنَّهُfor itأَجْمَعُmore comprehensiveلِأَبْوَابِfor the doorsالْمَكْرُوهِof detestable thingsمِنَthanالشُّغْلِ»occupation."
"I warn you of the consequence of leisure, for it gathers the doors of disliked things more than occupation does."
وَقَالَAnd saidأَكْثَمُAkthamبْنُibnصَيْفِيِّ1Sayfi
And Aktham ibn Sayfi [1] said:
«مَاNotأُحِبُّI loveأَنِّيthat Iمُكَفَّىam sparedكُلَّallأَمْرِmatterالدُّنْيَا»of the world."
"I do not love that I am spared all the matters of the world."
قَالُوا:They said:
They said:
«وَإِنْEven ifأَسْمَنْتَyou became fatوَأَلْبَنْتَ2and had milk
"Even if you became fat and had milk [2]?"
قَالَ:He said:
He said:
«نَعَمْYes,أَكْرَهُI dislikeعَادَةَthe habitالْعَجْزِ»of incapacity."
"Yes, I dislike the habit of incapacity."
أَفَتَرَانِيDo you think Iأَدَعُabandonوَصَايَاthe counselsالْأَنْبِيَاءِof the prophetsوَقَوْلَand the sayingsالْخُلَفَاءِof the caliphsوَتَأْدِيبَand the disciplineالْعَرَبِ،of the Arabs,وَآخُذَand acceptبِقَوْلِكَ؟!your saying?!
Do you think I would abandon the counsels of the prophets, the sayings of the caliphs, and the discipline of the Arabs, and accept your saying?!
[[طَرَائِفُAnecdotesشَتَّىmiscellaneous]]
[Miscellaneous Anecdotes]
وَتَغَدَّىAnd lunchedمُحَمَّدُMuhammadبْنُibnالْأَشْعَثِ3al-Ash'athعِنْدَat the place ofيَحْيَىYahyaبْنِibnخَالِدٍ،Khalid,
And Muhammad ibn al-Ash'ath [3] lunched at Yahya ibn Khalid's place,
فَتَذَاكَرُواand they discussedالزَّيْتَolive oilوَفَضْلَand the superiorityمَاof whatبَيْنَهُbetween itوَبَيْنَandالسَّمْنِ،ghee,وَفَضْلَand the superiorityمَاof whatبَيْنَbetweenالْأَنْفَاقِthe expendituresوَزَيْتِand oilالْمَاءِ4of water
and they discussed olive oil and the superiority of what is between it and ghee, and the superiority of what is between expenditures and oil of water [4].
فَقَالَAnd saidمُحَمَّدٌ:Muhammad:
And Muhammad said:
«عِنْدِيI haveزَيْتٌoilلَمْnotيَرَhas seenالنَّاسُpeopleمِثْلَهُ»like it."
"I have oil that people have not seen its like."
قَالَSaidيَحْيَى:Yahya:
Said Yahya:
«لَاNoيُؤْتَىwill be broughtمِنْهُfrom itبِشَيْءٍ»؟anything?"
"Will nothing be brought from it?"
فَدَعَاThen calledمُحَمَّدٌMuhammadغُلَامَهُhis servantفَقَالَ:and said:
Then Muhammad called his servant and said:
«إِذَاIfدَخَلْتَyou enterالْخِزَانَةَ،the storeroom,فَانْظُرِthen look atالْجَرَّةَthe jarالرَّابِعَةَthe fourthعَنْtoيَمِينِكَyour rightإِذَاwhenدَخَلْتَ،you enter,فَجِئْنَاthen bring usمِنْهُfrom itبِشَيْءٍ»something."
"If you enter the storeroom, look at the fourth jar to your right when you enter, and bring us something from it."
قَالَSaidيَحْيَى:Yahya:
Said Yahya:
«مَاNotيُعْجِبُنِيpleases meالسَّيِّدُthe masterيَعْرِفُknowsمَوْضِعَthe placeزَيْتِهِof his oilوَزَيْتُونِهِ»and his olives."
"It does not please me that the master knows the location of his oil and his olives."
وَقَرَّبَAnd presentedخَبَّازُthe bakerأَسَدِof AsadبْنِibnعَبْدِAbdاللهِAllahإِلَيْهِ،to him,وَهُوَwhile heعَلَىwas overخُرَاسَانَ،Khurasan,شِوَاءًroast meatقَدْindeedأَنْضَجَهُhe had ripened/cooked itنُضْجًاthoroughly
And the baker of Asad ibn Abdallah presented to him, while he was over Khurasan, a roast that he had cooked thoroughly.
وَكَانَAnd he wasيُعْجِبُهُpleased byمَاwhatرَطُبَ5was moistمِنَofالشِّوَاءِ؛the roast;
And he was pleased by what was moist [5] of the roast;
فَقَالَso he saidلِخَبَّازِهِ:to his baker:
so he said to his baker:
«أَتَظُنُّDo you thinkأَنَّthatصَنِيعَكَyour makingيَخْفَىis hiddenعَلَيَّ؟from me?إِنَّكَIndeed youلَسْتَare notتُبَالِغُexaggeratingفِيinإِنْضَاجِهِcooking itلِتُطَيِّبَهُ،to make it good,وَلَكِنْbutتَسْتَحْلِبُyou extractجَمِيعَallدُسْمِهِ،its grease,فَتَنْتَفِعَso you benefitبِذَلِكَfrom thatمِنْهُ»from it."
"Do you think that your making is hidden from me? You are not exaggerating in cooking it to make it good, but you extract all its grease, so you benefit from that from it."
فَبَلَغَتْAnd it reachedأَخَاهُhis brotherفَقَالَ:and he said:
And it reached his brother, and he said:
«رُبَّMany aجَهْلٍignoranceخَيْرٌis betterمِنْthanعِلْمٍ»knowledge."
"Many an ignorance is better than knowledge."
Footnotes
- 1.أَكْثَمُ بْنُ صَيْفِيِّ: حَكِيمٌ مِنْ حُكَمَاءِ الْعَرَبِ، وَيُضْرَبُ بِهِ الْمَثَلُ فِي الْحِكْمَةِ.
Aktham ibn Sayfi: a sage from the sages of the Arabs, and proverbs are made about him in wisdom.
- 2.أَيْ: إِنْ صِرْتَ ذَا مَالٍ وَثَرْوَةٍ مِنْ سِمَنٍ وَلَبَنٍ.
That is, if you become wealthy and rich from fat and milk.
- 3.مُحَمَّدُ بْنُ الْأَشْعَثِ: أَمِيرٌ مِنْ بَنِي أُمَيَّةَ، كَانَ عَلَى بَعْضِ الْبِلَادِ.
Muhammad ibn al-Ash'ath: a commander from Banu Umayyah, who was over some regions.
- 4.الْأَنْفَاقُ: جَمْعُ نَفَقَةٍ، وَزَيْتُ الْمَاءِ: مَا يَتَحَلَّبُ مِنَ الزَّيْتِ الْخَاصِّ بِالْمَاءِ؟ وَالْمَقْصُودُ الْمُبَالَغَةُ.
al-anfaq is plural of nafaqah (expenditure), and oil of water: what oozes from the oil special to water? And the meaning is exaggeration.
- 5.الرَّطْبُ مِنَ الشِّوَاءِ: مَا لَمْ يَجِفَّ وَبَقِيَ فِيهِ مَاءٌ.
The moist of the roast: what has not dried up and still contains water.