Imam Shafi is one of the most well known scholars in Islamic history and is one of the founders of the four madhahib. His father sent him to a bedouin tribe to learn Arabic, which was common is Baghdad in those days.
I am roughly translating one my favourite qasida’s from his diwan.
Droplets of His Wisdom
دَعِ الأَيّامَ تَفعَلُ ما تَشاءُ
وَطِب نَفساً إِذا حَكَمَ القَضاءُ
Let time do whatever it wants, relax yourself on what fate has ordered.
وَلا تَجزَع لِحادِثَةِ اللَيالي
فَما لِحَوادِثِ الدُنيا بَقاءُ
Do not be anxious of what befalls you in the dead of night(sudden calamity), the problems of this world do not stay forever.
وَكُن رَجُلاً عَلى الأَهوالِ جَلداً
وَشيمَتُكَ السَماحَةُ وَالوَفاءُ
Be like a man who is strong infront of his surroundings, and has loyalty(trustworthiness) and generosity is his charachter.
وَإِن كَثُرَت عُيوبُكَ في البَرايا
وَسَرَّكَ أَن يَكونَ لَها غِطاءُ
And if your charachter’s flaws/weakness can be seen, then you should try to cover them all.
تَسَتَّر بِالسَخاءِ فَكُلُّ عَيبٍ
يُغَطّيهِ كَما قيلَ السَخاءُ
Cover it with generosity because it covers all flaws.
وَلا تُرِ لِلأَعادي قَطُّ ذُلّاً
فَإِنَّ شَماتَةَ الأَعدا بَلاءُ
And not feel resentment on your enemy, indeed the misfortune of an enemey is a great suffering.
وَلا تَرجُ السَماحَةَ مِن بَخيلٍ
فَما في النارِ لِلظَمآنِ ماءُ
And do not expect generosity from a greedy person, theres no water in fire for the thristy
وَرِزقُكَ لَيسَ يُنقِصُهُ التَأَنّي
وَلَيسَ يَزيدُ في الرِزقِ العَناءُ
Your laziness will not decrease your rizq nor will your hard work increase it.
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