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

Secret And Confidential Discussions

Secret And Confidential Discussions السّـرُّ والنّجوى

1. Protect your affair and do not give away your secret in marriage to whoever proposes!

1ـ اِحْفَظْ أمْرَكَ، ولا تُنْكِحْ خاطِباً سِرَّكَ.

2. Keep your secret to yourself and neither entrust it to a judicious one who may err nor to an ignorant one who may betray [your trust].

2ـ اِنْفَرِدْ بِسِرِّكَ، وَلا تُودِعْهُ حازِماً فَيَزِلَّ، ولاجاهِلاً

3. The best secret discussion is that which is founded on religion and God-wariness, and is based on following the path of guidance and opposing vain desires.

3ـ أفْضَلُ النَّجْوى، ماكانَ علَى الدّينِ والتُّقى، وأسْفَرَ عَنِ

4. Man is more protective of his secret.

4ـ اَلمَرْءُ أحْفَظُ لِسِـرِّهِ.

5. Divulging [secrets] is the trait of outsiders [not that of believing Muslims].

5ـ اَلإذاعَةُ شيمَةُ الأغْيارِ.

6. Divulging the secret that has been entrusted to you is a [form of] betrayal.

6ـ إذاعَةُ سِرّ أُودِعْتَهُ غَدْرٌ.

7. Three people are not to be trusted with a secret: the woman, the telltale and the fool.

7ـ ثَلاثٌ لا يُسْتَوْدَعْنَ سِرّاً: المَرْأةُ، والنَّمّامُ،وَ

8. Your secret is a source of happiness for you if you conceal it but if you divulge it, it is your destruction.

8ـ سِرُّكَ سُرُورُكَ إنْ كَتَمْتَهُ وإنْ أذَعْتَهُ كانَ ثُبُوركَ.

9. He who divulges his secrets does not remain safe.

9ـ لا يَسْلَمُ مَنْ أذاعَ سِرَّهُ.

10. Your secret is your prisoner but if you divulge it, you become its prisoner.

10ـ سِرُّكَ أسيرُكَ فَإنْ أفْشَيْتَهُ صِرْتَ أسيرَهُ.

11. Be stingy with your secrets and do not divulge the secret that has been entrusted to you, for indeed divulging [it] is betrayal.

11ـ كُنْ بِأسْرارِكَ بَخيلاً، وَلا تُذِعْ سِرّاً أُودِعْتَهُ، فَإنَّ

12. Every time the keepers of secrets increase, [chances of] its divulgence becomes greater.

12ـ كُلَّما كَثُرَ خُزّانُ الأسْرارِ كَثُرَ ضِياعُها.

13. One who conceals the secret [that has been entrusted to him] is loyal and trustworthy.

13ـ كاتِمُ السِّـرِّ وَفيٌّ أمينٌ.

14. If a person were to use his intellect, he would protect his secret from the one who has revealed [another’s secret] to him and would not inform anyone of it.

14ـ لَوْ عَقَلَ المَرْءُ عَقْلَهُ لأحْرَزَ سِـرَّهُ عَمَّنْ أفْشاهُ

15. One who reveals your secret has ruined your affair.

15ـ مَنْ أفْشى سِرَّكَ ضَيَّعَ أمْرَكَ.

16. One who conceals his secret has the choice [of doing as he wills with it] in his hand.

16ـ مَنْ كَتَمَ سِرَّهُ كانَتِ الخِيَرَةُ بِيَدِهِ.

17. One who entrusts his secret to an unreliable person has forfeited his secret.

17ـ مَنْ أسَرَّ إلى غَيْرِ ثِقَة ضَيَّعَ سِرَّهُ.

18. One who divulges a secret that has been entrusted to him has betrayed [a trust].

18ـ مَنْ أفْشى سِرّاً أُسْتُودِعَهُ (أُودِعَهُ) فَقَدْ خانَ.

19. Whoever is weak in keeping his own secret, he will be even weaker in keeping the secret of others.

19ـ مَنْ ضَعُفَ عَنْ سِرِّهِ (شَرِّهِ) فَهُوَ عَنْ سِرِّ غَيْرِهِ

20. One who is too weak to protect his [own] secret will not be strong enough to protect the secret of others.

20ـ مَنْ ضََعُفَ عَنْ حِفْظِ سِرِّهِ لَمْ يَقْوَ لِسِرِّ غَيْرِهِ.

21. One who safeguards his secret from you has actually accused you [of being untrustworthy].

21ـ مَنْ حَصَّنَ سِرَّهُ مِنْكَ فَقَدِ اتَّهَمَكَ.

22. From the ugliest form of betrayal is divulging a secret.

22ـ مِنْ أقْبَحِ الغَدْرِ إذاعَةُ السِّـرِّ.

23. I have never blamed anyone for divulging my secret when I was more unaccommodating of it than him [by revealing it to him in the first place].

23ـ مالُمْتُ أحَداً على إذاعَةِ سِـرّي إذْ كُنْتُ بِهِ أضْيَقَ

24. The basis of a secret is its concealment.

24ـ مِلاكُ السِّـرِّ سَتْـرُهُ.

25. Do not entrust your secret to one who has no trustworthiness.

25ـ لا تُوْدِعَنَّ سِرَّكَ مَنْ لا أمانَةَ لَهُ.

26. Do not confide in the one who would divulge your secret.

26ـ لاتَثِقْ بِمَنْ يُذيعُ سِرَّكَ.

27. Do not inform your wife and your servant about your secret as they will [use it to] subjugate you.

27ـ لا تُطْلِعْ زَوْجَكَ،وَ عَبْدَكَ عَلى سِـرِّكَ، فَيَسْتَرِقّاكَ.

28. Do not confide in the ignorant one with any secret that he is unable to conceal.

28ـ لا تُسِرَّ إلَى الجاهِلِ شَيْئاً لا يُطيقُ كِتْمانَهُ.

29. One whose breast cannot accommodate his secret has no preservation (or prudence).

29ـ لا حِرْزَ(لاحَزْمَ) لِمَنْ لا يَسَعُ سِرَّهُ صَدْرُهُ.

30. The speech of every gathering is [supposed to be] rolled up with its carpet.

30ـ حَديثُ كُلِّ مَجْلِس يُطْوى مَعَ بِساطِهِ.

31. If you gain confidence in your close friend then safeguard some of your affairs and conceal some of your secrets [from him], for it is possible that you may regret [revealing it all to him] sometime in the future.

31ـ إنِ اسْتَنَمْتَ إلى وَدُودِكَ فَأحْرِزْ لَهُ مِنْ أمْرِكَ