May Allāh have mercy on Abul-Ḥasan ’Ali ibn Abdil-’Azīz Al-Jurjāni, who said in his Meemiyyah:
8 March 2025 • 1.05K views
يَقُولُونَ لِي فِيكَ انْقِبَاضٌ وَإِنَّمَا ... رَأَوْا رَجُلًا عَنْ مَوْقِفِ الذُّلِّ أَحْجَمَا
They say I am reserved and withdrawn, but in truth,
They have only seen a man who refuses to stand in a place of humiliation.
أَرَى النَّاسَ مَنْ دَانَاهُمُ هَانَ عِنْدَهُمُ ... وَمَنْ أَكْرَمَتْهُ عِزَّةُ النَّفْسِ أُكْرِمَا
I see that those who lower themselves are belittled by others,
While those who uphold their dignity are honoured and esteemed.
وَلَمْ أَقْضِ حَقَّ الْعِلْمِ إِنْ كَانَ كُلَّمَا ... بَدَا طَمَعٌ صَيَّرْتُهُ لِي سُلَّمَا
I have not fulfilled the rights of knowledge if, whenever a desire arises,
I use it as a mere ladder to ascend.
إِذَا قِيلَ هَذِي مَنْهَلٌ قُلْتُ قَدْ أَرَى ... وَلَكِنَّ نَفْسَ الْحُرِّ تَحْتَمِلُ الظَّمَا
If I am told, ‘Here is a spring of water,’ I may acknowledge it,
But the soul of a free man endures thirst with patience.
وَلَمْ أَبْذُلَنْ فِي خِدْمَةِ الْعِلْمِ مُهْجَتِي ... لِأَخْدُمَ مَنْ لَاقِيتُ لَكِنْ لِأُخْدَمَا
I have not devoted my life to serving knowledge,
Only to end up serving those I meet—instead, I should be served.
أَأَشْقَى بِهِ غَرْسًا وَأَجْنِيهِ ذِلَّةً ... إِذًا فَاتِّبَاعُ الْجَهْلِ قَدْ كَانَ أَسْلَمَا
Shall I toil in cultivating it, only to reap humiliation?
If so, then following ignorance would have been a safer path.
وَلَوْ أَنَّ أَهْلَ الْعِلْمِ صَانُوهُ صَانَهُمْ ... وَلَوْ عَظَّمُوهُ فِي النُّفُوسِ لَعُظِّمَا
Had the people of knowledge preserved its honour, it would have honoured them,
And had they revered it in their hearts, it would have been held in high esteem.
وَلَكِنْ أَذَلُّوهُ فَهَانَ وَدَنَّسُوا ... مُحَيَّاهُ بِالْأَطْمَاعِ حَتَّى تَجَهَّمَا
But instead, they disgraced it, so it became degraded,
And they tainted its noble face with greed until it turned grim and sullen.
#أبيات_شعرية #الحكم #الزهد
#poetry #zuhd