78 - الأمَلُ وَالأجَلُ‏

78. Expectation and Death

247.تنبيه الخواطر : رُويَ أنّهُ [رسول اللَّه‏] صلى اللَّه عليه وآله أخَذَ ثلاثةَ أعْوادٍ فَغَرَسَ عُوداً بين يَدَيْهِ والآخَرَ إلى‏ جَنْبِهِ ، وأمّا الثّالثُ فأبْعَدَهُ وقالَ : هَل تَدْرُونَ ما هذا ؟ قالوا : اللَّهُ ورسولُهُ أعْلَمُ . قالَ : هذا الإنسانُ ، وهذا الأجلُ ، وهذا الأملُ يَتَعاطاهُ ابنُ آدمَ ويَخْتَلِجُهُ الأجلُ دُونَ الأملِ .¹

247. It has been narrated that the Prophet (SAWA) took three sticks and set one of them in front of him, another one next to it, and the third far away from the two. He then asked, 'Do you know what this is?' to which they replied, 'Allah and His Messenger know better.' He said, 'This one is man, and this is death [next to it], while that one is expectation, which man entertains [about his long life], but death falls upon him prior to his expectation.' ²

248.الإمامُ عليٌّ عليه السلام : لو رأَى العبدُ أجلَهُ وسُرْعَتَهُ إلَيهِ أبْغَضَ الأملَ .³

248.Imam Ali (AS) said, 'If man were to see his death [approaching] and the speed at which it draws near to him, he would despise expectation.' ⁴

249.الإمامُ عليٌّ عليه السلام : الأملُ يُنْسي الأجَلَ .⁵

249.Imam Ali (AS) said, 'Expectation makes one forget death.' ⁶

250.الإمامُ عليٌّ عليه السلام : أقْرَبُ شَيْ‏ءٍ الأجلُ، أبْعَدُ شَيْ‏ءٍ الأملُ .⁷

250.Imam Ali (AS) said, 'The closest thing is death, and the remotest thing is expectation.' ⁸

251.الإمامُ عليٌّ عليه السلام : لا تَخْلو النَّفْسُ مِنَ الأملِ حتّى‏ تَدْخُلَ في الأجلِ‏⁹ .

251.Imam Ali (AS) said, 'A soul does not depart from expectation until it enters the realm of death.' ¹⁰

252.الإمامُ عليٌّ عليه السلام : ألَا وإنّكُمْ في أيّامِ أملٍ مِن وَرائهِ أجلٌ ، فَمَنْ عَمِلَ في أيّامِ أملِهِ قَبْلَ حُضُورِ أجلِهِ فَقَدْ نَفَعَهُ عَمَلُهُ ولَم يَضْرُرْهُ أجلُهُ .¹¹

252.Imam Ali (AS) said, 'Indeed you are in the days of expectation that is followed by death. So he who works in the days of his expectation before death arrives will benefit from his work and will not be hurt by death.' ¹²

253.الإمامُ الكاظمُ عليه السلام : لَو ظَهَرتِ الآجالُ افتَضَحَتِ الآمالُ .¹³

253.Imam al-Kazim (AS) said, 'If times of death were revealed, expectations would be debunked.' ¹⁴