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

Poverty

Poverty-الفقر

  1. Poverty is beneficial for the believer, and gives him comfort from the jealousy of the neighbours, the flattery of the brothers and the domination of the ruler.

1ـ اَلفَقْرُ صَلاحُ المُؤمِنِ، ومُريحُهُ مِنْ حَسَدِ الجيرانِ،

وتَمَلُّقِ الإخْوانِ،وَ تَسَلُّطِ السُّلْطانِ.

  1. Verily poverty is disgracer for the soul, a confounder of the intellect, and a bringer of sorrows.

2ـ إنَّ الفَقْرَ مِذَلَّةٌ لِلنَّفْسِ، مِدْهَشَةٌ لِلْعَقْلِ، جالِبٌ

لِلْهُمُومِ.

  1. Poverty causes forgetfulness.

3ـ اَلفَقْرُ يُنسي.

  1. Poverty is the adornment of faith.

4ـ اَلفَقْرُ زينَةُ الإيمانِ.

  1. The grave is better than poverty.[^1]

5ـ اَلقَبْرُ خَيْرٌ مِنَ الفَقْرِ.

  1. Poverty with debt is [like] a red death.[^2]

6ـ اَلفَقْرُ مَعَ الدَّيْنِ اَلْمَوْتُ الأحْمَرُ.

  1. Poverty disables the astute one from [presenting] his argument.

7ـ اَلفَقْرُ يُخْرِسُ الفَطِنَ عَنْ حُجَّتِهِ.

  1. Poverty in one’s homeland is like being a stranger in it.

8ـ اَلفَقْرُ فِي الوَطَنِ غُرْبَةٌ.

  1. Extreme poverty is better than disgraceful affluence.

9ـ اَلفَقْرُ الفادِحُ أجْمَلُ مِنَ الغِنَى الفاضِحِ.

  1. True poverty and wealth are [determined] after presenting [the account of] one’s deeds before Allah, the Glorified.

10ـ اَلفَقْرُ والغِنى بَعْدَ العَرْضِ عَلَى اللّهِ سُبْحانَهُ.

  1. Love of poverty earns piety.

11ـ حُبُّ الفَقْرِ يَكْسِبُ الوَرَعَ.

  1. Many a poverty turns into with lasting affluence.

12ـ رُبَّ فَقْر عادَ بِالغِنَى الْباقي.

  1. The disadvantage of poverty is more praiseworthy than the arrogant insolence of wealth.

13ـ ضَرَرُ الفَقْرِ أحْمَدُ مِنْ أشَرِ الغِنى.

  1. Poverty of the soul is the worst poverty.

14ـ فَقْرُ النَّفْسِ شَرُّ الفَقْرِ.

  1. All [forms of] poverty can be redressed except the poverty of foolishness.

15ـ كُلُّ فَقْر يُسَدُّ إلاّ فَقْرَ الحُمْقِ.

  1. Whoever manifests his poverty, lowers his status.

16ـ مَنْ أظْهَرَ فَقْرَهُ أذَلَّ قَدْرَهُ.

  1. The hardships of poverty are preferable to facing humiliation.

17ـ مُقاساةُ الإقْلالِ، ولامُلاقاةُ الإذلالِ.

  1. There is no poverty with good management.

18ـ لافَقْرَ مَعَ حُسْنِ تَدْبير.

  1. The most apprising complaint is that which is enunciated by manifest affliction.

19ـ أبْلَغُ الشَّكوى ما نَطَقَ بِهِ ظاهِرُ البَلْوى.

  1. The little that one is in need of is better than the plenty that one is needless of.

20ـ قَليلٌ يُفْتَقَرُ إلَيْهِ خَيْرٌ مِنْ كَثير يُسْتَغْنى عَنْهُ.

  1. There is no shame in being far away from one’s hometown; the only shame is being indigent in one’s one hometown.

21ـ لَيْسَ فِي الغُرْبَةِ عارٌ، إنَّما العارُ فِي الوَطَنِ

اَلاِفْتِقارُ.

  1. One who pretends to be poor, becomes poor.

22ـ مَنْ تَفاقَرَ اِفْتَقَرَ.

  1. Displaying neediness gives rise to poverty.

23ـ إظْهارُ التَّباوُسِ يَجْلِبُ الفَقْرَ.

  1. Poverty with debt is the greatest wretchedness.

24ـ اَلفَقْرُ مَعَ الدَّيْنِ اَلشَّقاءُ الأكْبَرُ.

[^1]: This is the poverty that one does not bear patiently and leads to wretchedness in this world and the next.

[^2]: ‘Red death’ is a figure of speech that means a violent or bloody death.