الْعُذْرُThe excuseالْمَبْسُوطُdetailed
The detailed excuse
عَرَفْتُمْYou knewوَلَاand notبِوَاجِبِwith the dutyالْحُرْمَةِof reverenceقُمْتُمْyou stood
You knew, but you did not fulfill the duty of reverence.
وَلَوْAnd ifكَانَwasذِكْرُthe mentionالْعُيُوبِof faultsبِرًّاpietyوَفَضْلًاand virtueلَرَأَيْنَاwe would seeأَنَّthatفِيinأَنْفُسِنَاourselvesعَنْfromذَلِكَthatشُغُلًاan occupation
And if mentioning faults were piety and virtue, we would find ourselves too busy for that.
وَإِنَّAnd indeedمِنْofأَعْظَمِthe greatestالشَّقْوَةِwretchednessوَأَبْعَدِand most distantمِنَfromالسَّعَادَةِhappinessأَلَّاthat notيَزَالُhe continuesيَتَذَكَّرُrememberingزَلَلَ2the slipsالْمُعَلِّمِينَof the teachersوَيَتَنَاسَىand forgettingسُوءَthe badnessاسْتِمَاعِof listeningالْمُتَعَلِّمِينَof the learnersوَيَسْتَعْظِمُand deeming greatغَاطَthe errorالْعَاذِلِينَ3of the blamersوَلَاand notيَحْفِلُhe caresبِعَمَدِ4about the intentionalالْمَعْذُولِينَof the excused
And indeed, from the greatest wretchedness and the most distant from happiness is that one continues to remember the slips of the teachers, forgets the poor listening of the learners, deems great the error of the blamers, and does not care about the deliberate actions of the excused.
عِبْتُمُونِيYou blamed meبِقَوْلِيfor my sayingلِخَادِمِيto my servantأَجِيدِيperfectعَجْنَهُits kneadingخَمِيرًاas leavened doughكَمَاasأَجَدْتِهِyou perfected itفَطِيرًاas unleavened doughلِيَكُونَso that it beأَطْيَبَbetterلِطَعْمِهِfor its tasteوَأَزِيدَand I increaseفِيinرَيْعِهِits yield
You blamed me for my saying to my servant: 'Perfect its kneading as leavened dough as you perfected it as unleavened dough, so that it be better in taste and I increase its yield.'
وَقَدْAnd indeedقَالَsaidعُمَرُUmarبْنُson ofالْخَطَّابِAl-Khattabرَضِيَmay be pleasedاللَّهُGodعَنْهُwith himوَرَحِمَهُand may He have mercy on himلِأَهْلِهِto his familyامْلِكُواcontrolالْعَجِينَthe doughفَإِنَّهُfor itأَرْيَعُmore productiveالطَّحِينَيْنِfor the two flours
And indeed Umar ibn Al-Khattab, may God be pleased with him and have mercy on him, said to his family: 'Control the dough, for it is more productive for the two flours.'
وَعِبْتُمْAnd you blamedعَلَيَّmeقَوْلِيmy sayingمَنْwhoeverلَمْnotيَعْرِفْknowsمَوَاقِعَthe placesالسَّرَفِ5of extravaganceفِيinالْمَوْجُودِthe availableالرَّخِيصِcheapلَمْnotيَعْرِفْknowsمَوَاقِعَthe placesالِاقْتِصَادِof economyفِيinالْمُمْتَنِعِthe scarceالْغَالِيexpensive
And you blamed me for my saying: 'Whoever does not know the places of extravagance in the available cheap, does not know the places of economy in the scarce expensive.'
فَلَقَدْFor indeedأَتَيْتُI cameمِنْfromمَاءِwaterالْوُضُوءِof ablutionبِكَيْلَةٍwith a measureيَدُلُّindicatesحَجْمُهَاits sizeعَلَىonمَبْلَغِthe amountالْكِفَايَةِof sufficiencyوَأَشَفَّand slightly moreمِنَthanالْكِفَايَةِsufficiencyفَلَمَّاand whenصِرْتُI becameإِلَىtoتَفْرِيقِdistributingأَجْزَائِهِits partsعَلَىonالْأَعْضَاءِthe limbsوَإِلَىand toالتَّوْفِيرِsavingعَلَيْهَاon themمِنْfromوَظِيفَةِthe allowanceالْمَاءِof waterوَجَدْتُI foundفِيinالْأَعْضَاءِthe limbsفَضْلًاan excessعَلَىoverالْمَاءِthe waterفَعَلِمْتُso I knewأَنَّthatلَوْifكُنْتُI wasمَكَّنْتُI had enabledالِاقْتِصَادَthe economyفِيinأَوَائِلِهِits beginningsوَرَغِبْتُand I desiredعَنِaway fromالتَّهَاوُنِthe negligenceبِهِwith itفِيinابْتِدَائِهِits beginningلَخَرَجَwould have come outآخِرُهُits endعَلَىonكِفَايَةِthe sufficiencyأَوَّلِهِof its beginningوَلَكَانَand it would have beenنَصِيبُthe shareالْعُضْوِof the limbالْأَوَّلِthe firstكَنَصِيبِlike the shareالْآخَرِof the other
For indeed I came with a measure of water for ablution whose size indicates the amount of sufficiency and slightly more than sufficiency. When I came to distributing its parts among the limbs and saving on them from the water allowance, I found the limbs had excess over the water, so I knew that had I practiced economy at its beginnings and refrained from negligence at its start, its end would have come out according to the sufficiency of its beginning, and the share of the first limb would have been like the share of the other.
فَعِبْتُمُونِيSo you blamed meبِذَلِكَfor thatوَشَنَّعْتُمُوهُand you condemned itبِجَهْدِكُمْwith your effortوَقَبَّحْتُمُوهُand you made it ugly
So you blamed me for that, condemned it with all your effort, and made it seem ugly.
وَقَدْAnd indeedقَالَsaidالْحَسَنُ6Al-Hasanعِنْدَatذِكْرِthe mentionالسَّرَفِof extravaganceإِنَّهُindeed itلَيَكُونُisفِيinالْمَاعُونَيْنِ7the two provisionsالْمَاءِwaterوَالْكَلَأِand pastureفَلَمْso he did notيَرْضَbe satisfiedبِذِكْرِwith mentioningالْمَاءِwater
And indeed Al-Hasan said when mentioning extravagance: 'Indeed it occurs in the two provisions: water and pasture.' So he was not satisfied with mentioning water alone.
Footnotes
- 1.العذر المبسوط: أي الاعتذار المفصل.
The detailed excuse: i.e., the detailed apology.
- 2.زَلَلَ: أي أخطاء.
Slips: i.e., mistakes.
- 3.غَاطَ الْعَاذِلِينَ: أي خطأ اللائمين.
The error of the blamers: i.e., the mistake of those who criticize.
- 4.بِعَمَدِ: أي بتعمد.
Intentional: i.e., deliberately.
- 5.السَّرَفِ: أي الإسراف.
Extravagance: i.e., excess.
- 6.الْحَسَنُ: هو الحسن البصري.
Al-Hasan: He is Al-Hasan al-Basri.
- 7.الْمَاعُونَيْنِ: أي الشيئين اللذين ينتفع بهما.
The two provisions: i.e., the two things from which benefit is derived.