al-Sharīf al-Raḍī · The paradoxical nature and vulnerabilities of the human heart
١٠٨. وَقَالَ (عليه السلام): لَقَدْ عُلِّقَ بِنِيَاطِ هَذَا الْإِنْسَانِ بَضْعَةٌ هِيَ أَعْجَبُ مَا فِيهِ وَ ذَلِكَ الْقَلْبُ وَذَلِكَ أَنَّ لَهُ مَوَادَّ مِنَ الْحِكْمَةِ وَأَضْدَاداً مِنْ خِلَافِهَا فَإِنْ سَنَحَ لَهُ الرَّجَاءُ أَذَلَّهُ الطَّمَعُ وَإِنْ هَاجَ بِهِ الطَّمَعُ أَهْلَكَهُ الْحِرْصُ وَإِنْ مَلَكَهُ الْيَأْسُ قَتَلَهُ الْأَسَفُ وَإِنْ عَرَضَ لَهُ الْغَضَبُ اشْتَدَّ بِهِ الْغَيْظُ وَإِنْ أَسْعَدَهُ الرِّضَى نَسِيَ التَّحَفُّظَ وَإِنْ غَالَهُ الْخَوْفُ شَغَلَهُ الْحَذَرُ وَإِنِ اتَّسَعَ لَهُ الْأَمْرُ اسْتَلَبَتْهُ الْغِرَّةُ وَإِنْ أَفَادَ مَالًا أَطْغَاهُ الْغِنَى وَإِنْ أَصَابَتْهُ مُصِيبَةٌ فَضَحَهُ الْجَزَعُ وَإِنْ عَضَّتْهُ الْفَاقَةُ شَغَلَهُ الْبَلَاءُ وَإِنْ جَهَدَهُ الْجُوعُ قَعَدَ بِهِ الضَّعْفُ وَإِنْ أَفْرَطَ بِهِ الشِّبَعُ كَظَّتْهُ الْبِطْنَةُ فَكُلُّ تَقْصِيرٍ بِهِ مُضِرٌّ وَكُلُّ إِفْرَاطٍ لَهُ مُفْسِدٌ.
108. Amīr al-mu’minīn, peace be upon him, said: In man there is a piece of flesh attached to him with a vein and it is the strangest thing in him. It is the heart. It has a store of wisdom and things contrary to wisdom. If it sees a ray of hope, eagerness humiliates it and when eagerness increases, greed ruins it. If disappointment overtakes it, grief kills it. If anger rises in it, a serious rage develops. If it is blessed with pleasure, it forgets to be cautious. If it becomes fearing, it becomes heedless. If peace extends all round, it becomes neglectful. If it earns wealth, freedom from care puts it in the wrong. If trouble befalls it, impatience makes it humble. If it faces starvation, distress overtakes it. If hunger attacks it, weakness makes it sit down. If its eating increases, heaviness of stomach pains it. Thus, every shortness is harmful to it and every excess is injurious to it.
Translation: Sayed Ali Raza — published with the edition, reproduced verbatim.
This edition publishes no authenticity assessment for this narration. SacredTwo does not assign one.
Persian rendering (AI)
No published Persian translation of this edition is available. This rendering is produced by SacredTwo's model and is not a published translation.
AI-assisted translation — not a verified published translation.