AhlulBayt News Agency

source : Hadith Net
Saturday

10 August 2024

6:10:53 AM
1477628

Nahj al-Balagha 12;

Importance of friendship and keeping friends

Selections from The Sayings and Preaching of Amir al-Muminin Ali ibn Abi Talib (Peace Be Upon Him) Including His Replies to Questions and Maxims Expressed for Various Purposes. Translated by Sayyid Ali Reza

Nahj al-Balagha Hadith n. 12

 

وَقَالَ (عليه ‏السلام):

 

Amir al-mu'minin, peace be upon him, said:

 

أَعْجَزُ النَّاسِ

 

The most helpless of all men is

 

مَنْ عَجَزَ عَنِ اكْتِسَابِ الْإِخْوَانِ

 

he who cannot find a few brothers during his life,

 

وَ أَعْجَزُ مِنْهُ

 

but still more helpless is

 

مَنْ ضَيَّعَ مَنْ ظَفِرَ بِهِ مِنْهُمْ

 

he who finds such a brother but loses him. 7

 

 

 

7. It is not difficult to attract others by good manners and cheerfulness and to befriend them by sweet speech because no physical exertion or mental worry is required for this: and after making friends it is still easier to maintain the friendship and good relations because for making friends some effort or other is needed while for maintaining it no difficulty is to be surmounted. Therefore, no one can be more wretched than the man who cannot even retain a thing which could be retained just by keeping away a frown from the face. The intention is that a man should meet everyone with good manners and cheerfulness so that people may like to associate with him and extend a hand of friendship towards him.


/129