هُمْ عَيْشُ الْعِلْمِ،
They are life for knowledge
وَمَوْتُ الْجَهْلِ،
and death for ignorance.
يُخْبِرُكُمْ حِلْمُهُمْ عَنْ عِلْمِهِمْ،
Their forbearance tells you of their knowledge,
وَظاهِرِكُمْ عَن باطِنِكُمْ
their outer self of their inner self,
وَصَمْتُهُمْ عَنْ حِكَمِ مَنْطِقِهِمْ،
and their silence of the wisdom of their speaking.
لاَ يُخَالِفُونَ الْحَقَّ
They do not go against right
وَلاَ يَخْتَلِفُونَ فِيهِ،
nor do they differ (among themselves) about it.
هُمْ دَعَائِمُ الاْسْلاَمِ،
They are the pillars of Islam
وَوَلاَئِجُ الاْعْتِصَامِ،
and the asylums of (its) protection.
بِهِمْ عَادَ الْحَقُّ فِي نِصَابِهِ،
With them right has returned to its position
وَانْزَاحَ الْبَاطِلُ عَنْ مُقَامِهِ،
and wrong has left its place
وَانْقَطَعَ لِسَانُهُ عَنْ مَنْبِتِهِ،
and its tongue is severed from its root.
عَقَلُوا الدِّينَ عَقْلَ وِعَايَة وَرِعَايَة،
They have understood the religion attentively and carefully,
لاَ عَقْلَ سَمَاع وَرِوَايَة،
not by mere heresy or from relaters,
فَإِنَّ رُوَاةَ الْعِلْمِ كَثِيرٌ،
because the relaters of knowledge are many
وَرُعَاتَهُ قَلِيلٌ.
but its understanders are few.
Alternative Sources for Sermon 238: Al-Kulayni, Rawdah, 386; al-Harrani, Tuhaf, 163.
