الغَفلَةُ
NEGLIGENCE
التَّحذيرُ مِنَ الغَفلَةِ / Caution against Negligence
1ـ الإمامُ عليٌّ (عَلَيهِ الّسَلامُ): الغَفلَةُ ضَلالَةٌ.
1– Imam Ali (AS) said, ‘Negligence is deviation
[from the straight path].’
[Ghurar al-Hikam, no. 196]
2ـ الإمامُ عليٌّ (عَلَيهِ الّسَلامُ): فَيالَها حَسرَةً على كُلِّ ذِي غَفلَةٍ أن يكونَ عُمُرُهُ علَيهِ حُجّةً، وأن تُؤَدِّيَهُ أيّامُهُ إلَى الشِّقوَةِ!
2– Imam Ali (AS) said, ‘Pitiable indeed is every negligent person that his whole life can be used as evidence against him and that his days lead him to wretchedness!’
[Nahj al-Balagha, Sermon 64]
الغَفلَةُ
NEGLIGENCE
3ـ الإمامُ عليٌّ (عَلَيهِ الّسَلامُ): فَأفِقْ أيُّها السامِعُ مِن سَكرَتِكَ، واستَيقِظْ مِن غَفلَتِكَ، واختَصِر مِن عَجَلَتِكَ.
3– Imam Ali (AS) said, ‘So come to your senses, O listener, from your intoxication, wake up from your neglect, and reduce your hasty activity.’
[Nahj al-Balagha, Sermon 153]
4ـ الإمامُ عليٌّ (عَلَيهِ الّسَلامُ): أيُّها الناسُ غيرُ المَغفولِ عَنهُم، والتارِكونَ المَأخوذَ مِنهُم، مالي أراكُم عنِ اللّهِ ذاهِبينَ، وإلى غيرِهِ راغِبينَ ؟!
4– Imam Ali (AS) said, ‘O people who are not neglected
[by Allah] and yet who neglect that which will be taken to account from them - how is it that I see you moving away from Allah and longing for others?!’
[Nahj al-Balagha, Sermon 175]
5ـ الإمامُ عليٌّ (عَلَيهِ الّسَلامُ): كَم مِن غافِلٍ يَنسِجُ ثَوباً لِيَلبَسَهُ وإنّما هُو كَفَنُهُ! ويَبنِي بَيتا لِيَسكُنَهُ وإنّما هو مَوضِعُ قَبرِهِ!
5– Imam Ali (AS) said, ‘How many a negligent person weaves himself a garment in order that he might wear it whilst in reality it is his burial shroud, and who builds himself a house in which he may live but which is in fact his grave.’
[Bihar al-Anwar, v. 77, p. 401, no. 26]
6ـ الإمامُ الصّادقُ (عَلَيهِ الّسَلامُ): إن كانَ الشيطانُ عَدُوّاً فالغَفلَةُ لِماذا ؟!
6– Imam al-Sadiq (AS) said, ‘If Satan is indeed an enemy, then why the negligence?!’
[Bihar al-Anwar, v. 78, p. 190, no. 1]
ما يَمنَعُ الغَفلَةَ / That Which Prevents Negligence
7ـ رسولُ اللهِِ (صَلَّيَ اللهُ عَلَيهِ وَ آلِهِ): يا أباذرٍّ، هُمَّ بالحَسَنَةِ وإن لم تَعمَلْها ؛ لِكيلا تُكتَبَ مِن الغافِلينَ.
7– The Prophet (SAWA) said, ‘O Abu Dharr, intend to perform good actions even if you do not actually manage to perform them, so that you are not included amongst the negligent.’
[Makarim al-Akhlaq, v. 2, p. 378, no. 2661]
8ـ الإمامُ عليٌّ (عَلَيهِ الّسَلامُ): بِدَوامِ ذِكرِ اللّهِ تَنجابُ الغَفلَةُ.
8– Imam Ali (AS) said, ‘Through constant remembrance of Allah is negligence dispelled.’
[Ghurar al-Hikam, no. 4269]
9ـ الإمامُ عليٌّ (عَلَيهِ الّسَلامُ): إنَّ مَن عَرَفَ الأيّامَ لم يَغفُلْ عنِ الاستِعدادِ.
9– Imam Ali (AS) said, ‘Verily the one who knows the vicissitudes of time will not neglect preparation.’
[al-Tawhid, p. 74, no. 27]
10ـ الإمامُ الباقرُ (عَلَيهِ الّسَلامُ): أيّما مُؤمِنٍ حافَظَ علَى الصَّلواتِ المَفروضَةِ فَصَلاّها لِوَقتِها فَلَيسَ هذا مِن الغافِلينَ.
10– Imam al-Baqir (AS) said, ‘Verily any believer who is mindful of the obligatory prayers and prays them on time is not of the negligent ones.’
[al-Kafi, v. 3, p. 270, no. 14]
عَلاماتُ الغافِلِ / The Distinguishing Characteristics of a Negligent Person
11ـ لُقمانُ (عَلَيهِ الّسَلامُ) ـ لابنِهِ وهو يَعِظُهُ ـ: يابُنَيَّ، لِكُلِّ شَيءٍ علامةٌ يُعرَفُ بها ويُشهَدُ علَيها ... وللغافِلِ ثلاثُ علاماتٍ: السَّهوُ، واللَّهوُ، والنِّسيانُ.
11– Luqman (AS) said to his son, exhorting him: ‘O my son, everything has a distinguishing characteristic by which it is recognised and witnessed … the negligent person has three distinguishing characteristics: absent-mindedness, amusement, and forgetfulness.’
[al-Khisal, p. 121, no. 113]
12ـ الإمامُ الحسنُ (عَلَيهِ الّسَلامُ): الغَفلَةُ تَركُكَ المَسجِدَ، وطاعَتُكَ المُفسِدَ .
12– Imam al-Hasan (AS) said, ‘Negligence is
[manifest] in your abandonment of the mosque and in your obedience of the corrupt.’
[Bihar al-Anwar, v. 78, p. 115, no. 10]
آثارُ الغَفلَةِ / The Effects of Negligence
13ـ الإمامُ عليٌّ (عَلَيهِ الّسَلامُ): مَن طالَت غَفلَتُهُ تَعَجَّلَت هَلَكَتُهُ .
13- Imam Ali (AS) said, 'He who prolongs his negligence hastens his own destruction.'
[Ghurar al-Hikam, no. 8318]
14ـ الإمامُ عليٌّ (عَلَيهِ الّسَلامُ): مَن غَلَبَت علَيهِ الغَفلَةُ ماتَ قَلبُهُ.
14- Imam Ali (AS) said, 'The one who is overcome by negligence, his heart is dead.'
[Ghurar al-Hikam, no. 8430]
15ـ الإمامُ عليٌّ (عَلَيهِ الّسَلامُ): دَوامُ الغَفلَةِ يُعمِي البَصيرَةَ.
15- Imam Ali (AS) said, 'Continued negligence blinds insight.'
[Ghurar al-Hikam, no. 5146]
16ـ الإمامُ عليٌّ (عَلَيهِ الّسَلامُ): إيّاكَ والغَفلَةَ والاغتِرارَ بالمُهلَةِ ؛ فإنّ الغَفلَةَ تُفسِدُ الأعمالَ.
16- Imam Ali (AS) said, 'Beware of negligence and delusion about the respite
[that you have been given], for indeed negligence ruins deeds.'
[Ghurar al-Hikam, no. 2717]
مَدحُ التَّغافُلِ / The Praise of Feigning Negligence (or Ignorance)
17ـ الإمامُ عليٌّ (عَلَيهِ الّسَلامُ): إنّ العاقِلَ نِصفُهُ احتِمالٌ، ونِصفُهُ تَغافُلٌ.
17- Imam Ali (AS) said, 'Verily the man of intellect tolerates
[others' ignorance] half of the time and feigns ignorance himself the other half.'
[Ghurar al-Hikam, no. 2378]
18ـ الإمامُ عليٌّ (عَلَيهِ الّسَلامُ): مِن أشرَفِ أعمالِ (أحوالِ) الكَريمِ غَفلَتُهُ عمّا يَعلَمُ.
18- Imam Ali (AS) said, 'One of the noblest deeds of a kind person is feigning ignorance of that which he knows already.'
[Nahj al-Balagha, Saying 222]
19ـ الإمامُ الصّادقُ (عَلَيهِ الّسَلامُ): صَلاحُ حالِ التَّعايُشِ والتَّعاشُرِ مِلْءُ مِكيالٍ: ثُلثاهُ فِطنَةٌ وثُلثُهُ تَغافُلٌ .
19- Imam al-Sadiq (AS) said, 'The proper way to maintain a state of coexistence and mutual intimacy with people is according to a set measure, two thirds of which are to know each other very well and a third of which is to feign ignorance of each other's faults.'
[Tuhaf al-`Uqoul, no. 359]