صِفاتُ العاقِلِ The Attributes of a Man of Intellect

34ـ رسولُ اللهِ‏ِ (صَلَّيَ اللهُ عَلَيهِ وَ آلِهِ): صِفَةُ العاقِلِ أن يَحلُمَ عَمَّن جَهِلَ عَلَيهِ ، ويَتَجاوَزَ عَمَّن ظَلَمَهُ ، ويَتَواضَعَ لِمَن هُوَ دونَهُ ، ويُسابِقَ مَن فَوقَهُ في طَلَبِ البِرِّ ، وإذا أرادَ أن يَتَكَلَّمَ تَدَبَّرَ ؛ فإنْ كانَ خَيراً تَكَلَّمَ فغَنِمَ ، وإن كانَ شَرّاً سَكَتَ فسَلِمَ ، وإذا عَرَضَت لَهُ فِتنَةٌ استَعصَمَ بِاللّه‏ِ وأمسَكَ يَدَهُ ولِسانَهُ ، وإذا رَأى فَضيلَةً انتَهَزَ بِها ، لا يُفارِقُه الحَياءُ ، ولا يَبدو مِنهُ الحِرصُ ، فتِلكَ عَشرُ خِصالٍ يُعرَفُ بِها العاقِلُ.

34– The Prophet (SAWA) said, ‘The attribute of a man of intellect is that he is clement towards one who behaves rashly with him, overlooks the fault of one who wrongs him, is humble even towards one who is lower than him in rank, tries to get ahead of those above him in his quest for good. Whenever he wishes to speak, he contemplates if what he wants to say is good, he says it and benefits as a result, and if it is bad, then he keeps quiet and remains safe as a result. When a temptation arises before him, he holds fast to Allah and guards his hand and his tongue if he sees virtue in it, he seizes it, neither losing his modesty thereat nor displaying any greed. These are ten qualities by which a man of intellect may be known.’[Tuhaf al-`Uqoul, no. 28]
 

35ـ رسولُ اللهِ (صَلَّيَ اللهُ عَلَيهِ وَ آلِهِ): أعقَلُ النّاسِ أشَدُّهُم مُداراةً لِلنّاسِ.

35– The Prophet (SAWA) said, ‘The most intelligent of people is he who is best at dealing with people.’[Amali al-Saduq, p. 28, no. 4]
 

36ـ الإمامُ عليٌ (عَلَيهِ الّسَلامُ): صَدرُ العاقِلِ صُندوقُ سِرِّهِ.

36– Imam Ali (AS) said, ‘The chest of a man of intellect is the strongbox of his secret.’[Nahj al-Balagha, Saying 6]
 

37ـ نهج البلاغة: قيل له [ الإمامُ عليٌّ (عَلَيهِ الّسَلامُ) ]: صِف لنا العاقل ، فقال: هُوَ الّذي يَضَعُ الشَّيءَ مَواضِعَهُ . فقيلَ: فَصِفْ لَنا الجاهِلَ ، فقالَ: قَد فَعَلتُ.

37– Imam Ali (AS) was asked to describe a man of intellect, to which he replied, ‘He is the one who puts things in their place.’ The he was asked, ‘So describe to us the ignorant man’, to which he replied, ‘I have already done so.’[Nahj al-Balagha, Saying 245]
 

38ـ الإمامُ الصّادقُ (عَلَيهِ الّسَلامُ): لا يُلسَعُ العاقِلُ مِن جُحرٍ مَرَّتَينِ .

38– Imam al-Sadiq (AS) said, ‘The man of intellect is never stung twice from the same hive.’[al-Ikhtisas, p. 245]
 

39ـ الكافي عن بَعضِ أصحابِنا رَفَعَهُ إلَى الإمامِ الصّادقِ (عَلَيهِ الّسَلامُ): قلتُ لهُ: مَا العقلُ؟ قالَ: ما عُبِدَ بِهِ الرَّحمنُ وَاكتُسِبَ بِهِ الجِنانُ . قالَ: قُلتُ: فَالّذي كانَ في مُعاوِيَةَ ؟ فقالَ: تِلكَ النَّكراءُ ، تِلكَ الشَّيطَنَةُ ، وهِيَ شَبيهَةٌ بِالعَقلِ ولَيسَت بِالعَقلِ .

39– Imam al-Sadiq (AS) was asked what the intellect was, to which he replied, ‘It is that with which The Beneficent God is worshipped and with which Paradise is attained.’ So the man asked, ‘So what about that which even Muawiya possessed’ He replied, ‘That is a vicious thing, that is devilry, and resembles intellect, though it is not intellect.’[al-Kafi, v. 1, p. 11, no. 3]
 

40ـ الإمامُ الصّادقُ (عَلَيهِ الّسَلامُ): عَلَى العاقِلِ أن يَكونَ عارِفا بِزَمانِهِ ، مُقبِلاً عَلى شَأنِهِ ، حافِظا لِلِسانِهِ.

40– Imam al-Sadiq (AS) said, ‘The man of intellect must be well aware of the times he lives in, attentive of his affairs and guarding of his tongue.’[al-Kafi, v. 2, p. 116, no. 20]
 

41ـ الإمامُ الكاظمُ (عَلَيهِ الّسَلامُ): إنَّ العاقِلَ لا يُحَدِّثُ مَن يَخافُ تَكذيبَهُ ، ولا يَسألُ مَن يَخافُ مَنعَهُ ، ولا يَعِدُ ما لا يَقدِرُ عَلَيهِ ، ولا يَرجو ما يُعَنَّفُ بِرَجائهِ ، ولا يَتَقَدَّمُ عَلى ما يَخافُ العَجزَ عَنهُ .

41– Imam al-Kazim (AS) said, ‘Verily the man of intellect never talks to one whom he fears will belie him, nor asks of one whom he fears will deny him, nor promises that which he is not able to fulfil, nor hopes for that which will dash his hopes, nor attempts to advance towards that which he fears he will be incapable of reaching.’[Tuhaf al-`Uqoul, no. 390]
 

42ـ الإمامُ الكاظمُ (عَلَيهِ الّسَلامُ): إنَّ العاقِلَ رَضِـيَ بِالدُّونِ مِنَ الدّنيا مَعَ الحِكمَةِ ، ولَم يَرضَ بِالدُّونِ مِنَ الحِكمَةِ مَعَ الدّنيا ؛ فَلِذلكَ رَبِحَت تِجارَتُهُم.

42– Imam al-Kazim (AS) said, ‘Verily the man of intellect contents himself with less worldly things when accompanied with wisdom, and does not content himself with less wisdom and more worldly things, and this is why their trade [of the transient for the permanent] profits them.’[al-Kafi, v. 1, p. 17, no. 12]