Ghurar Al-Hikam Wa Durar Al-Kalim, Exalted Aphorisms And Pearls Of Speech

Begging And Asking People

Begging And Asking People السُؤال والطّلب عن الناس

  1. Begging weakens the tongue of the speaker, breaks the heart of the courageous hero, puts the free honourable one in the position of a humbled slave, takes away the radiance of one’s face and wipes out one’s sustenance.

1ـ السُّؤالُ يُضْعِفُ لِسانَ المُتَكَلِّمِ، ويَكْسِرُ قَلْبَ الشُّجاعِ

البَطَلِ، وَيُوقِفُ الحُرَّ العَزيْزِ مَوْقِفَ العَبْدِ الذَّليلِ، ويُذْهِبُ بَهاءَ الوَجْهِ، ويَمْحَقُ الرِّزْقَ.

  1. Begging is the collar of humiliation, it takes the honour away from the honourable and the stature away from the noble.

2ـ المَسْئَلَةُ طَوْقُ المَذَلَّةِ، تَسْلُبُ العَزيزَ عِزَّهُ،

والحَسيبَ حَسَبَهُ.

  1. Humiliation [and disgrace] is in asking from people.

3ـ الذُّلُّ في مَسْئَلَةِ النَّاسِ.

  1. Begging is the key to poverty.

4ـ المَسْئَلَةُ مِفْتاحُ الفَقْرِ.

  1. The bane of asking [others] is lack of success [in getting what one asks for].

5ـ آفَةُ الطَّلَبِ عَدَمُ النَّجاحِ.

  1. If you want to be obeyed [or your request to be granted] then ask for that which is feasible.

6ـ إذا أرَدْتَ أنْ تُطاعَ فَاسْأَلْ ما يُسْتَطاعُ.

  1. Let your request be for a thing, the charm of which will last for you long after the negative consequences [of your asking] have ended.

7ـ لِيَكُنْ مَسْألَتُكَ ما يَبْقى لَكَ جَمالُهُ ويُنْفى عَنْكَ

وَبالُهُ.

  1. One who asks properly is aided.

8ـ مَنْ أحْسَنَ المَسْألَةَ أُسْعِفَ.

  1. Whoever asks [from] other than Allah deserves to be deprived.

9ـ مَنْ سَألَ غَيْرَ اللّهِ اِسْتَحَقَ الحِرْمانَ.

  1. One who increases his requests from people is humiliated.

10ـ مَنْ أكْثَرَ مَسْئَلَةَ النَّاسِ ذَلَّ.

  1. One who asks for that which he does not deserve is faced with deprivation.

11ـ مَنْ سَألَ ما لايَسْتَحِقُّ قُوبِلَ بِالحِرمانِ.

  1. One who repeats his request to the people, they get irritated by him.

12ـ مَنْ تَكَرَّرَ سُؤالُهُ لِلنَّاسِ ضَجَرُوهُ.

  1. One who asks for that which is above his rank deserves to be deprived.

13ـ مَنْ سَألَ فَوْقَ قَدْرِهِ اِسْتَحَقَّ الحِرْمانَ.

  1. When one does not protect his dignity from [the humiliation of] asking you, then preserve your honour by not turning him away.

14ـ مَنْ لَمْ يَصُنْ وَجْهَهُ عَنْ مَسْألَتِكَ فَأكْرِمْ وَجْهَكَ عَنْ

رَدِّهِ.

  1. Your countenance is like frozen water that is melted by asking; so [be careful and] consider whose presence you are melting it in.

15ـ وَجْهُكَ ماءٌ جامِدٌ يُقَطِّرُهُ السُّؤالُ، فَانْظُرْ عِنْدَ مَنْ

تُقَطِّرُهُ.

  1. Do not ask the one from whom you fear deprival.

16ـ لا تَسْألْ مَنْ تَخافُ مَنْعَهُ.

  1. Never turn away the beggar, even if he exceeds the limits.

17ـ لاتَرُدَّنَّ السَّائِلَ وَإنْ أسْرَفَ.

  1. Do not turn away the beggar and safeguard your magnanimity by not depriving him.

18ـ لا تَرُدَّ السَّائِلَ وصُنْ مُرُوَّتَكَ عَنْ حِرْمانِهِ.

  1. There is no humiliation like asking [for something from others].

19ـ لا ذُلَّ كَالطَّلَبِ.

  1. There is nothing more tormenting than having to ask from the ignorant out of desperation.

20ـ لا شَيْءَ أوْجَعُ مِنَ الاِضْطِرارِ إلى مَسْئَلَةِ الأغْمارِ.

  1. Verily you are in greater need of the reward for that which you give than the asker is [in need] of that which he takes from you.

21ـ إنَّكُمْ إلى إجْراءِ (جَزاءِ) ما أعْطَيْتُمْ أشَدُّ حاجَةً مِنَ

السَّائِلِ إلى ما أخَذَ مِنْكُمْ.

  1. Verily you will gain more joy by [the reward of] what you have given than the one who seeks from you gains in what he has received from you.

22ـ إنَّكُمْ أغْبَطُ بِما بَذَلْتُمْ مِنَ الرَّاغِبِ إلَيْكُمْ فيما

وَصَلَهُ مِنْكُمْ.

  1. Give the beggar before he asks, for indeed if you make it necessary for him to ask, then you will have taken from his dignity that which is greater than what you have given him.

23ـ اِبْدأِ السّائِلَ بِالنَّوالِ قَبْلَ السُّؤالِ، فَإنَّكَ إنْ

أحْوَجْتَهُ إلى سُؤالِكَ أخَذْتَ مِنْ حُرِّ وَجْهِهِ أفْضَلَ مِمّا أعْطَيْتَهُ.

  1. Give your wealth generously to the one who has sacrificed his self-respect for you, for indeed the sacrificing of self-respect cannot be matched by anything.

24ـ أُبْذُلْ مالَكَ لِمَنْ بَذَلَ لَكَ وَجْهَهُ، فَإنَّ بَذْلَ

الوَجْهِ لايُوازِيهِ شَيْءٌ.

  1. Give generously when you are asked.

25ـ اِسْمَحُوا إذا سُئِلْتُمْ.

  1. Seeking one’s need from he who is not worthy [of being asked] is harder than death.

26ـ أشَدُّ مِنَ المَوْتِ طَلَبُ الحاجَةِ مِنْ غَيْرِ أهْلِها.

  1. What an evil trait importunity is!

27ـ بِئْسَ الشّيمَةُ الإلحاحُ.

  1. Sacrificing one’s dignity by begging is greater [in value] than the extent of one’s need, even if it is great and even if it is granted.

28ـ بَذْلُ ماءِ الوَجْهِ فِي الطَّلَبِ أعْظَمُ مِنْ قَدْرِ الحاجَةِ

وإنْ عَظُمَتْ وَأُنْجِحَ فيهَا الطَّلَبُ.

  1. Sacrificing one’s dignity in front of the wicked is the greatest death.

29 ـ بَذْلُ الوَجْهِ إلَى اللِّئامِ اَلمَوْتُ الأكْبَـرُ.