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

  1. 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.

  1. 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.

  1. 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.

  1. 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.