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

Cognizance

Cognizance-المعرفة

1. Cognizance is perplexity and being devoid of it is dim-sightedness.

1ـ اَلمَعْرِفَةُ دَهَشٌ، والخُلُوُّ مِنْها غَطَشٌ.

2. The most excellent cognizance is the human being’s cognizance of himself.

2ـ أفْضَلُ المَعْرِفَةِ، مَعْرِفَةُ الإنْسانِ نَفْسَهُ.

3. Of all the people, the most cognizant of himself is the most fearful of his Lord.

3ـ أكْثَرُ النّاسِ مَعْرِفَةً لِنَفْسِهِ أخْوَفُهُمْ لِرَبِّهِ.

4. The person most cognizant of his age is the one who is not astonished by its events.

4ـ أعْرَفُ النّاسِ بِالزَّمانِ مَنْ لَمْ يَتَعَجَّبْ مِنْ أحْداثِهِ.

5. Cognizance is the light of the heart.

5ـ اَلمَعْرِفَةُ نُورُ القَلْبِ.

6. Cognizance is the successful attainment of [purification and] the sacred.

6ـ اَلمَعْرِفَةُ اَلفَوْزُ بِالقُدْسِ.

7. Cognizance is the evidence of excellence (or nobility).

7ـ اَلمَعْرِفَةُ بُرْهانُ الفَضْلِ(النُّبْلِ).

8. The fruit of cognizance is becoming averse to the evanescent abode.

8ـ ثَمَرَةُ المََعْرِفَةِ العُزُوفُ عَنْ دارِ الفَناءِ.

9. Many a cognizance leads to misguidance.

9ـ رُبَّ مَعْرِفَة أدَّتْ إلى تَضليل.

10. Allah is known by the revocation of resolutions, the undoing of binds and the relieving of hardship and affliction from the one whose intention is sincere.

10ـ عُرِفَ اللّهُ سُبْحانَهُ بِفَسْخِ العَزائِمِ، وحَلِّ العُقُودِ

11. The pinnacle of cognizance is fear [of Allah].

11 ـ غايَةُ المَعْرِفَةِ اَلخَشْيَةُ.

12. The pinnacle of cognizance is for a person to know himself.

12ـ غايَةُ المَعْرِفَةِ أنْ يَعْرِفَ المَرْءُ نَفْسَهُ.

13. It is a sufficient cognizance for a person to know himself.

13ـ كَفى بِالمَرْءِ مَعْرِفَةً أنْ يَعْرِفَ نَفْسَهُ.

14. The conception of cognizance is through learning knowledge.

14ـ لِقاحُ المَعْرِفَةِ دِراسَةُ العِلْمِ.

15. One whose cognizance is sound, his soul and his endeavour turns away from the evanescent world.

15ـ مَنْ صَحَّتْ مَعْرِفَتُهُ اِنْصَرَفَتْ عَنِ العالَمِ الفاني

16. The cognizance of a scholar is the devoutness through which Allah is worshipped, through it the human being gains obedience in his lifetime and a beautiful remembrance after his death.

16ـ مَعْرِفَةُ العالِمِ دينٌ يُدانُ، بِهِ يَكْسِبُ الإنْسانُ الطّاعَةَ

17. The smallest amount of cognizance leads to disinclination towards worldly pleasures (or corruption of one’s actions[^1]).

17ـ يَسيرُ المَعْرِفَةِ يُوجِبُ الزُّهْدَ (فَسادَ العَمَلِ) في

18. Meeting the people of cognizance is a means of strengthening the hearts and benefitting of wisdom.

18ـ لِقاءُ أهْلِ المَعْرِفَةِ عِمارَةُ القُلُوبِ ومُسْتَفادُ

19. One who is cognizant, refrains [from the forbidden].

19ـ مَنْ عَرَفَ كَفَّ.

20. It behoves the one who knows Allah, the Glorified, to desire that which is with Him.

20ـ يَنْبَغي لِمَنْ عَرَفَ اللّهَ سُبْحانَهُ أنْ يَرْغَبَ فيما

21. One who is cognizant of Allah, the Glorified, will never become wretched.

21ـ مَنْ عَرَفَ اللّهَ سُبْحانَهُ لَمْ يَشْقَ أبَداً.

22. One who relies on personal opinion and analogy in trying to know Allah goes astray and matters become confusing for him.

22ـ مَنِ اعْتَمَدَ عَلَى الرَّأْيِ والقِياسِ في مَعْرِفَةِ اللّهِ

23. Cognizance of Allah, the Glorified, is the highest cognizance.

23ـ مَعْرِفَةُ اللّهِ سُبْحانَهُ أعْلَى المَعارِفِ.

24. It behoves the one who is cognizant of Allah, the Glorified, not to make his heart devoid of hope in Him and fear of Him.

24ـ يَنْبَغي لِمَنْ عَرَفَ اللّهَ سُبْحانَهُ أنْ لايَخْلُوَ قَلْبُهُ

25. One who knows Allah believes in his oneness.[^2]

25ـ مَنْ عَرَفَ اللّهَ تَوَحَّدَ.

26. Whoever knows Allah, his cognizance is complete.

26 ـ مَنْ عَرَفَ اللّهَ كَمُلَتْ مَعْرِفَتُهُ.

[^1]: It is possible that the actions are corrupted because the cognizance is only little and thus incomplete.

[^2]: Or: One who knows Allah opts to remain alone.