Section: Boldness

Taḥūṭuhum bi-kaff al-adhá wa-manʻ al-aydī al-ghālibah minhum, li-takūna lahum ka-al-ab al-raʼūf wa-yakūnū laka ka-al-awlād al-bararah; fa-innaka kāfil mustarʻá wa-masʼūl muʼākhadh , wa-qad qāla al-Nabī ṣallá Allāh ʻalayhi wa-sallam: « kullukum rāʻin wa-kullukum masʼūl ʻan raʻīyatihi » . Fa-lillāh ʻalayka fīhim ḥaqq , wa-li-al-sulṭān ʻalayka fīhim tabaʻah , fa-ightanim bihim shukr iḥsānika , wa-jammil bihim āthār sulṭānika, fa-inna al-dunyā ẓill al-ghamām wa-ḥulm al-niyām , wa-qad qīla: min al-dunyā ʻalá al-dunyā dalīl. Wa-ruwiya ʻan al-Nabī ṣallá Allāh ʻalayhi wa-sallam annahu qāla : « kun fī al-dunyā ka-annaka gharīb aw ʻābir sabīl ». Wa-qīla fī manthūr al-ḥikam: ʻūd al-ḥayāh fī kull yawm yuʻtaṣar , wa-qāla baʻḍ al-ḥukamāʼ : kull yawm yasūq ilá ghadihi , wa-kull imriʼ maʼkhūdh bi-jināyat lisānihi wa-yadihi , fa-ightanim ghaflat al-zamān, wa-intahiz furṣat al-imkān, wa-khudh min nafsika li-nafsika, wa-tazawwad min yawmika li-ghadika . Wa-kataba ḥakīm al-Rūm ilá al-Iskandar : lā taklab ʻalá al-dunyā fa-innaka qalīl al-baqāʼ fīhā . Wa-min aḥkam mā qīla fī hādhā al-maʻná qawl al-shāʻir :

Humūmuka bi-al-ʻayshi maqrūnatun ٭ fa-mā taqṭaʻu al-ʻaysha illā bihim Wa-ḥulwatu dunyāka masmūmatun ٭ fa-mā taʼkulu al-shahda illā bi-sum Idhā tamma amrun badā naqṣuhu ٭ tawaqqaʻ zawālan idhā qīla tam

Wa-lammā tāba Allāh taʻālá ʻalá Sulaymān bin Dāwūd ʻalayhimā al-ṣalāh wa-al-salām , wa-radda ʻalayhi mulkahu kataba ʻalá kursīyihi : idhā ṣaḥḥat al-ʻāfīyah nazala al-balāʼ , wa-idh atammat al-salāmah najama al-ʻaṭab, wa-idhā tamma al-amn ʻalā al-khawf

Faṣl

( al-iqdām )

(min mazāyā al-wazīr wa-ṣifātihi)

Fa-ammā al-faṣl al-thālith wa-huwa al-iqdām. Fa-huwa fī al-siyāsah aw fī sharṭayhā, wa-fī al-wizārah akfá naẓarayhā, bi-ẓafar al-iqdām wa-khaybat al-iḥjām. Wa-qad qīla fī manthūr al-ḥikam : bi-al-iqdām tartafiʻ al-aqdām ; wa-innamā yajib al-iqdām idhā ẓaharat asbābuhu min furṣah tantahizuhā aw qūwah tajiduhā , wa-qaṣadta abwābahu fī ibbānihi wa-ʻinda imkānihi , kamā qāla al-shāʻir:

Idhā mā atayta al-amra min ghayri bābihi ٭ ḍalalta wa-in taqṣudi ilá al-bābi tahtadī

Thumma tajmaʻ baynahumā bayna ḥazmika wa-ʻazmika , fa-al-ḥazm tadbīr al-umūr bi-mūjib al-raʼy ; wa-al-ʻazm tanfīdhuhā li-al-waqt al-muqaddar lahā ; fa-idhā takāmalat shurūṭ al-iqdām min hādhihi al-wujūh al-arbaʻah , lam yamnaʻ min al-ẓafar illā ʻawāʼiq al-qadar . Wa-qad qīla fī qadīm al-ḥikam : idhā ṭalaba ithnān ḥaẓẓan ẓafira bihi afḍaluhumā dīnan , fa-in istawayā fī al-dīn ẓafira bihi afḍaluhumā murūʼah , fa-in istawayā fī al-murūʼah ẓafira bihi aktharuhumā aʻwānan , fa-in istawayā fī al-aʻwān ẓafira bihi asʻaduhumā jaddan , fa-in inthalama min shurūṭ al-iqdām aḥaduhā ṣāra al-iqdām tagharruran yamnaʻ min ḥazm dhī al-lubb , wa-yaṣudd ʻan al-ẓafar mā lam yaghlib qadar , fa-mā al-aqdār bi-qiyās muʻtabar . Wa-qad qāla ḥakīm al-Hind : al-sabab alladhī yudrik bihi al-ʻājiz ḥājatahu , huwa alladhī yaḥūl bayna al-ḥāzim wa-ṭilbatihi , wa-qīla li-Abuzarjmihr mā aʻjab al-ashyāʼ ? Qāla : najāḥ al-jāhil wa-ikdāʼ al-ʻāqil . Wa-dakhala rajul ʻalá ʻAbdallāh bin Ṭāhir fa-qāla lahu : ayyuhā al-amīr mā alladhī lā yuḥtāj fīhi ilá ʻazm wa-lā ḥazm ? Fa-istamhalahu fī jawābihi thalāthat ayyām. Fa-ʻāda ilayhi baʻdahā wa-saʼalahu. Fa-qāla lahu : al-dawlah. Fa-qāla: ṣadaqta wa-mā akhraja hādhihi al-kalimah minka illā al-dawlah , wa-li-dhālika qīla fī manthūr al-ḥikam al-ḥaẓẓ yaʼtī man lā yaʼtīhi .

Wa-al-iqdām yanqasim qismayn : aḥaduhumā al-iqdām ʻalá ijtilāb al-manāfiʻ . Wa-al-thānī al-iqdām ʻalá dafʻ al-maḍārr .

Fa-ammā al-iqdām ʻalá ijtilāb al-manāfiʻ, fa-ḍarbān aḥaduhumā istiḍāfat mulk . Wa-al-thānī istizādat mawādd , fa-ammā istiḍāfat al-mulk , fa-yakūn bi-al-ḥazm wa-al-ʻazm , idhā iqtaranā bi-raghbah wa-rahbah , wa-la-an takūna bi-al-ightiyāl wa-al-iḥtiyāl , awlá min an takūna bi-al-qitāl, wa-li-dhālika qāla al-Nabī ṣallá Allāh ʻalayhi wa-sallam: « al-ḥarb khadʻah » . Wa-qīla fī amthāl al-ḥikam : arbaʻah lā yarkabuhā illā ahwaj , wa-lā yaslam minhā illā al-qalīl . Munājazat al-ḥarb , wa-rukūb al-baḥr , wa-shurb al-summ li-al-tajribah , wa-iʼtimān al-nisāʼ ʻalá al-sirr . Wa-ammā istizādat al-mawādd fa-yakūn bi-al-ʻadl wa-al-iḥsān , idhā iqtaranā bi-rifq wa-muyāsarah , li-takthur bihimā al-ʻimārah , wa-tatawaffar bihimā al-zirāʻah , fa-inna al-arḍ kunūz al-mulk , yastakhrijuhā aʻwān mutaṭawwiʻūn , yuqniʻuhum al-kaff ʻanhum , wa-yuqaṭṭiʻuhum al-ʻasf bihim , wa-qad qāla al-Nabī ṣallá Allāh ʻalayhi wa-sallam : « iltamisū al-rizq fī khabāyā al-arḍ ». Yaʻnī al-zarʻ wa-la-an tastamidda farʻan dārran yaʻumm khayruhu ; awlá min an tajtathth aṣlan munqaṭiʻan yaʻumm ḍararuhu , fa-lā nafād li-dārr , wa-lā labth li-munqaṭiʻ , wa-mā yufsiduhu illā al-mubādarah qabla awānihi , wa-al-ʻajalah qabla zamānihi , wa-qad qīla fī amthāl al-ḥikam : al-ḥuẓūẓ marātib , fa-lā taʻjal ʻalá thamarah lam tudrak , fa-innaka tanāluhā fī awānihā ʻadhbah , wa-al-mudabbir laka aʻlam bi-al-waqt alladhī taṣluḥ fīhi , fa-thiq bi-khiyaratihi laka , wa-lā taḥmil ḥawāʼij ʻumrika kullihi ʻalá yawmika , alladhī anta fīhi; fa-yaḍīq ʻalayka wa-yashghaluka al-qunūṭ ʻan tadībrika , fa-li-yaḥdhar al-ʻajalah , fa-yarāhu al-nās musīʼan ; wa-qad qīla li-baʻḍ al-ḥukamāʼ : man sharr al-nās ? Fa-qāla : man lā yubālī an yarāhu al-nās musīʼan .

Wa-ammā al-iqdām ʻalá dafʻ al-maḍārr , fa-ḍarbān : dafʻ mā ikhtalla min al-mulk wa-lahu sababān: nufūr wa-jawr , fa-idfaʻ ḍarar kull wāḥid minhumā bi-al-ḍidd min sababihi , fa-inna ʻilāj kull dāʼ bi-ḍiddihi min al-dawāʼ , fa-in kāna ikhtilāl al-mulk min al-ihmāl ayqaẓta lahu ʻazmaka wa-in kāna dhālika min al-ʻajz , istaʻmalta fīhi ḥazmaka , wa-in kāna naqṣ al-mawādd min al-nufūr, istaḥdathta fīhi rahbataka , wa-in kāna min al-jawr , aẓharta fīhi maʻdilataka , fa-in kāna ḥudūth dhālika fī al-mulk ṣādiran ʻanka , kunta muʼākhadhan bi-tafrīṭika fī al-ibtidāʼ , wa-mustadrikan li-taqṣīrika fī al-intihāʼ , jabarta isāʼataka bi-iḥsānika , wa-maḥawta qabīḥaka bi-jamīlika , wa-in kāna ḥudūthuhu min ghayrika , kānat jarīrat al-isāʼah ʻalayhi , wa-kāna ḥamd al-iḥsān laka , wa-bāna bika sūʼ atharuhu , wa-bāna bihi jamīl atharuka . Wa-qad rawá ʻAṭāʼ bin al-Sāyib ʻan abīhi ʻan Ibn ʻUmar ʻan al-Nabī