Chapter Two: rare sayings that pass current as proverbs

wa-al-jazaʻ ashadd min ḍajarika al-awwal bi-al-aḍʻāf wa-lākin idhā daʻatka nafsuka ilá rafḍ al-dunyā wa-hiya muqbilah ʻalayka fa-asriʻ ijābatahā ilá dhālika fa-innahā zahādah . wa-tamassak fī kull al-umūr bi-ḥabl al-ḥazm wa-al-ijtihād wa-isʼal Allāh tawfīq al-thabāt wa-al-sadād

al-Faṣl al-thānī

fīmā yajrī majrá al-amthāl al-sāʼirah min al-kalimāt al-nādirah maḥāsin al-akhlāq . kunūz al-arzāq . ṣafāʼ al-akhlāq . min baqāʼ al-aʻrāq . al-sharaf bi-al-himam al-ʻāliyah lā bi-al-rimam al-bāliyah . al-faḍl bi-al-shahāmah wa-al-ʻamal lā bi-al-fakhāmah wa-al-ṭalal . lā samīr ka-al-ʻilm wa-lā ẓahīr ka-al-ḥilm . man ghazurat ʻawārifuhu kathurat maʻārifuhu . al-salāmah maʻa al-istiqāmah . al-jahl maṭīyah man rakibahā saqaṭa wa-man ṣaḥibahā ḥabiṭa . man ʻadala ʻan sabīl al-salāmah ḥaṣala ʻalá ṭūl al-nadāmah . iṣṭināʻ al-arādhil simah fī wujūh al-afāḍil . kufrān al-niʻam ʻunwān al-niqam . al-ḥurr idhā zalla istaṭāla wa-idhā malaka aqāla . al-karīm man akrama al-aḥrār . wa-al-kabīr man ṣaghghara al-dīnār . al-sūdad bi-kathrat al-atbāʻ wa-kathrat al-atbāʻ bi-kathrat al-iṣṭināʻ . thamarat al-adab al-ʻaql al-rājiḥ wa-thamarat al-ʻilm al-ʻamal al-ṣāliḥ . lā yaqaʻu fī al-biʼr illā man ḥafara wa-lā yaḥīqu al-makr al-sayyiʼ illā bi-man makara . man amina min al-zamān khānahu wa-man yuʻaẓẓim ʻalayhi ahānahu . man iqtaṣada fī al-ghiná wa-al-faqr fa-qad istaʻadda li-nawāʼib al-dahr . min al-tawaqqī tark al-ifrāṭ fī al-tawaqqī . lā budda lil-jawād min kabwah wa-lil-sayf min nabwah wa-lil-ḥalīm min hafwah . al-intiqām ʻadl wa-al-tajāwuz faḍl . khayr al-mizāḥ lā yunāl wa-sharruhu lā yuqāl . bādir ilá al-ʻamal wa-kadhdhib al-amal wa-lā ḥaẓẓ al-ajal . al-talaṭṭuf fī al-ḥīlah khayr min al-wasīlah . al-iʻtibār yajlū min al-baṣar ẓulmat al-ightirār . al-ghiná tark al-muná . man ṣāraʻa al-ḥaqq dhalla wa-man aʻjaba bi-raʼyihi ḍalla . laysa min al-ʻadl surʻat al-ʻadhl . al-ḥurr ʻabd idhā ṭamiʻa wa-al-ʻabd ḥurr idhā qaniʻa . man ishtadda sharahuhu ẓahara safahuhu . sharr al-nās man yaʻmalu kārihan wa-yaʼkulu fārihan . niʻma al-muwāzarah al-mushāwarah . biʼsa al-istiʻdād al-istibdād . dawlat al-jāhil ʻibrat al-ʻāqil . al-ʻāqil yanẓuru bi-ʻaqlihi wa-khāṭirihi wa-al-jāhil yanẓuru bi-ʻaynihi wa-nāẓirihi . man dhakara al-manīyah nasiya al-umnīyah . man iktafá bi-al-kafāf iktasá bi-al-ʻafāf . ʻarriḍ lil-karīm wa-ṣarriḥ lil-laʼīm . man lam tahuzzahu qalīl al-ishārah lam tanfaʻhu kathrat al-ʻibārah . baʻḍ al-ḥilm madhallah wa-baʻḍ al-istiqāmah madallah . man ahāna filsahu ṣāna nafsahu . idhā barazat al-ʻuqūl kathurat al-fuḍūl . zawāl al-duwal bi-iṣṭināʻ al-sifal rubba furṣah tuʼaddī ilá ghuṣṣah . rubba ḥujjah taʼtī ʻalá muhjah . rubba dam huwa safkuhu fam . man ṭalabahu al-qadar lam yunjihi al-ḥadhar . lā takhdaʻannaka al-dunyā bi-khadāʼiʻihā wa-lā taftinannaka bi-wadāʼiʻihā . al-ruqād ʻan hawl al-maʻād maqṭaʻah lil-zād al-ʻudhr min ṣighar al-qadr . li-kull najm ufūl wa-li-kull zahrah dhubūl ʻinda taṣḥīḥ al-ḍamāʼir tughtafar al-kabāʼir . al-rifq yafukku ḥadd al-mukhālafah unẓur ilá al-dunyā iʻtibāran lā ightirāran . wa-iʻmal al-birr bidāran lā intiẓāran lā taddakhir ʻamal al-yawm ilá al-ghad . fa-inna kull yawm yaʼtī bi-mashāghilihi al-ṣidq amānah wa-al-kadhib khiyānah . al-ṣiḥḥah biḍāʻah wa-al-tawānī iḍāʻah . liqāʼ al-ikhwān jalāʼ al-aḥzān . al-layl wa-al-nahār yaʻmalān fīka fa-iʻmal fīhimā lā taṭlub mujāzāt akhīka wa-law ḥaththa al-turāb bi-fīka . ākhir al-ṣabr awwal al-faraj . khamīr al-raʼy khayr min faṭīrihi . man thaqula ʻalá ṣadīqihi khaffa ʻalá ʻaduwwihi . man raḍiya ʻan nafsihi akthara al-sākhiṭīn ʻalayhi al-rifq adná sabab lil-rizq . yā ḥabbadhā al-waḥdah min anīs idhā khashīta āfat al-jalīs . niʻma al-tijārah al-shukr . lā ʻudhr maʻa al-iṣrār . lā ṣiḥḥah maʻa al-nahm . lā ṣadāqah maʻa al-ḥasad . lā rāḥah maʻa al-ḥirṣ . lā ʻudhr maʻa al-kibr . ṣadruka awsaʻ li-sirrika rubba akh lam talidʹhu ummuka . tarawwa taḥzum fa-idhā istawḍaḥta fa-iʻzim . intahiz al-furṣah qabla an taʻūda ghuṣṣah . mughālabat al-ḥaqq min ghalabat al-ḥumq . al-dunyā duwal tabnīhā al-aqdār wa-yahdimuhā al-layl wa-al-nahār . al-kutub aṣdāf al-ḥikam asad ḥaṭūm khayr min sulṭān ẓalūm wa-sulṭān ẓalūm khayr min fitnah tadūm . idhā ʻaẓumat al-qudrah qallat al-shahwah al-muṣṭalī bi-al-nār aʻlam bi-ḥarrihā . rubba ṣaghīr hājahu kabīr . rubba ghamm yadibbu taḥta surūr . sa-tusāq ilá mā anta lāq . al-bakhīl ḥārith niʻmatihi wa-khāzin li-warathatihi . li-kull imriʼ min dunyāhu mā yunfiq li-ukhrāhu . tajarraʻ min ʻaduwwika al-ghuṣṣah ḥattá tajida al-furṣah . lā khayr fī man lā taʻiẓhu al-tajārib . al-aḥmaq man yaʼkulu mā yajidu thumma yasʼalu mā lā yajidu . man bālagha fī al-khuṣūmah ẓalama wa-man qaṣṣara fīhā ẓulima . al-ḥasūd lā yanālu sharafan wa-lā yufāriqu asafan . qillat maʻrifat al-insān li-ʻuyūbihi akbar dhunūbihi . aḥḍar al-nās jawāban man lā yaghḍab . awḍaʻ al-nās man ʻamila ʻalá al-rahbah . fakhr al-marʼ bi-faḍlihi lā bi-aṣlihi . lā yaqūmu ʻan al-ghaḍab . badhl al-iʻtidhār . al-sharr yuṭfiʼ nār al-ʻadāwah laysa kull uns mawaddah . wa-lā kull inqibāḍ waḥshah lā taqul mā lā taʻlam wa-lā tunāziʻ fīmā lā taʻlam . rutbat al-ʻilm aʻlá al-rutab . ghulām ʻāqil khayr min shaykh jāhil . humūm al-marʼ bi-qadr himamihi . qīmat al-marʼ himmatuhu . fī taqallub al-aḥwāl tuʻraf jawāhir al-rijāl . adab al-marʼ khayr min dhahabihi jawlat al-bāṭil sāʻah wa-jawlat al-ḥaqq ilá yawm al-sāʻah . ghaḍab al-jāhil fī qawlihi wa-ghaḍab al-ʻāqil fī fiʻlihi . ẓill al-aʻraj aʻwaj . farʻ al-shayʼ yukhbiru ʻan aṣlihi . ashqá al-nās man lahu ʻaduww ʻāqil . min murūʼat al-rajul naqāʼ thawbihi . wilāyat al-aḥmaq sarīʻat al-zawāl . lā faqr lil-ʻāqil wa-lā karāmah lil-kādhib lā thanāʼ maʻa al-kibr . wa-lā sharaf maʻa sūʼ al-khulq wa-lā dāʼ aʻyá min al-jahl . wa-lā karam aʻazz min al-tuqá idhā tamma al-ʻaql naqaṣa al-kalām . afqar al-faqr al-ḥumq wa-aghná al-ghiná al-ʻaql awḥash al-waḥshah al-ʻujb . īmān al-marʼ yuʻraf bi-aymānihi . akhūka man wāsāka fī al-shiddah ikhfāʼ al-shadāʼid min al-murūʼah barakat al-ʻumr fī ḥusn al-ʻamal jud bimā tajid . ḥurima al-wafāʼ . ʻalá man lā aṣl lahu khaf Allāh taʼman ghayrahu . al-gharīb man laysa lahu ḥabīb . ṣadīq musāʻid ʻaḍud wa-sāʻid wa-mimmā-jāʼa fī al-ʻiẓah * al-faqr khayr min ghinan lā yanfaʻu idhā ʻanna baḥrun lam yajuz lī al-tayammumu * wa-ʻinda ṣafwi al-layālī yaḥduthu al-kadaru wa-qad ʻarafat rīḥa al-luyūthi al-bahāʼimu * bi-jabhati al-ʻayri yaghdū ḥāfiru al-farasi . mā lil-ʻabīdi ʻan al-mawālī maṣdaru * al-faḍlu mā shahidat al-aʻdāʼu bihi * al-durru yaqṭaʻuhu jafāʼu al-ḥālibi al-najḥu yaʼnafu bayna al-ʻajzi wa-al-ḍajari * inna al-waʻīda silāḥu al-ʻājizi al-ḥumqu al-marʼu yuṣliḥuhu al-jalīsu al-ṣāliḥu * al-laythu lā yaṣluḥu al-ʻuqbá idhā wathabā innī bimā anā bālin minhu maḥsūdu * inna al-usūda ḥalīmuhā ghaḍbānu * wa-man sāmaḥa al-ayyāma ṭāba ḥanānuhu * wa-man nāqasha al-ikhwāna qalla ṣadīquhu * wa-inna fasāda al-raʼyi an yataraddadā * al-nāsu khilāfun idhā lam yughtafar idhā lam tajid bi-al-māli ḥādathaka al-dahru * al-mawtu mustaʻjilun yaʼtī ʻalá mahali ʻalayka bi-al-ḥifẓi dūna al-jamʻi min kutubin * li-kulli imriʼin min dahrihi mā taʻawwadā idhā ʻaẓuma al-maṭlūbu qalla al-musāʻidu * laysa al-takaḥḥulu fī al-ʻaynayni ka-al-kuḥli . lā nafkharu illā bi-al-ṣadīqi al-ʻāqili * wa-man wajada al-iḥsāna qaydan taqayyadā * wa-lam ara ka-al-tawāḍuʻi fī ʻulūwin * fa-ka-annahā wa-ka-annahum aḥlāmun * Allāhu fardun yuḥibbu al-farda fa-infarid . al-ʻumru munqariḍun wa-al-dahru khawwānu * wa-kullu yawmin maḍá baʻḍun min al-ajali * matá yastaqīmu al-ẓillu wa-al-ʻūdu aʻwaju * ʻinda al-shadāʼidi