Ghurar Al-Hikam Wa Durar Al-Kalim, Exalted Aphorisms And Pearls Of Speech
The Causes Of Downfall And Ruin
The causes of downfall and ruin-المهلكات والموبقات والمحرقات
- Three things cause [one’s] ruin: obedience to women, yielding to rage and submitting to lustful desires.
ـ ثَلاثٌ مُهْلِكاتٌ: طاعَةُ النِّساءِ، وطاعَةُ الغَضَبِ، وطاعَةُ الشَّهْوَةِ.
- Three things cause ruin: boldness in front of the ruler, trusting a disloyal person and tasting poison as an experiment [to see how effective it is!].
2ـ ثَلاثَةٌ مُهْلِكَةٌ: اَلجُرْأَةُ عَلَى السُّلْطانِ، وائْتِمانُ
الخَوّانِ، وشُرْبُ السَّمِ لِلتَّجْرِبَةِ.
- Three things break one’s spirit and cause downfall: poverty after wealth, humiliation after dignity and loss of loved ones.
3ـ ثَلاثٌ هُنَّ المُحْرِقاتُ المُوبِقاتُ: فَقْرٌ بَعْدَ غِنىً، وذُلٌّ
بَعْدَ عِزّ، وفَـقْدُ الأحِبَّةِ.
- Three things weaken one’s spirit: loss of loved ones, poverty in a strange land and unending hardship.
4ـ ثَلاثٌ يَهْدُونَ القُوى: فَقْدُ الأحِبَّةِ، والفَقْرُ فِي
الغُرْبَةِ، ودَوامُ الشِّدَّةِ.