نامه 3: به شریح قاضی · Letter 3

و من كتاب له (عليه السلام) لشريح بن الحارث قاضيه

وَ رُوِيَ أَنَّ شُرَيْحَ بْنَ الْحَارِثِ قَاضِيَ أَمِيرِ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ (عليه السلام) اشْتَرَي عَلَي عَهْدِهِ دَاراً بِثَمَانِينَ دِينَاراً فَبَلَغَهُ ذَلِكَ فَاسْتَدْعَي شُرَيْحاً وَ قَالَ لَهُ: بَلَغَنِي أَنَّكَ ابْتَعْتَ دَاراً بِثَمَانِينَ دِينَاراً وَ كَتَبْتَ لَهَا كِتَاباً وَ أَشْهَدْتَ فِيهِ شُهُوداً.

فَقَالَ لَهُ شُرَيْحٌ: قَدْ كَانَ ذَلِكَ يَا أَمِيرَ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ، قَالَ فَنَظَرَ إِلَيْهِ نَظَرَ الْمُغْضَبِ، ثُمَّ قَالَ لَهُ:

يَا شُرَيْحُ: أَمَا إِنَّهُ سَيَأْتِيكَ مَنْ لَا يَنْظُرُ فِي كِتَابِكَ وَ لَا يَسْأَلُكَ عَنْ بَيِّنَتِكَ حَتَّي يُخْرِجَكَ مِنْهَا شَاخِصاً وَ يُسْلِمَكَ إِلَي قَبْرِكَ خَالِصاً فَانْظُرْ يَا شُرَيْحُ لَا تَكُونُ ابْتَعْتَ هَذِهِ الدَّارَ مِنْ غَيْرِ مَالِكَ أَوْ نَقَدْتَ الثَّمَنَ مِنْ غَيْرِ حَلَالِكَ فَإِذَا أَنْتَ قَدْ خَسِرْتَ دَارَ الدُّنْيَا وَ دَارَ الْآخِرَةِ. أَمَا إِنَّكَ لَوْ كُنْتَ أَتَيْتَنِي عِنْدَ شِرَائِكَ مَا اشْتَرَيْتَ لَكَتَبْتُ لَكَ كِتَاباً عَلَي هَذِهِ النُّسْخَةِ فَلَمْ تَرْغَبْ فِي شِرَاءِ هَذِهِ الدَّارِ بِدِرْهَمٍ فَمَا فَوْقُ.

وَ النُّسْخَةُ هَذِه: ِ

هَذَا مَا اشْتَرَي عَبْدٌ ذَلِيلٌ مِنْ مَيِّتٍ قَدْ أُزْعِجَ لِلرَّحِيلِ اشْتَرَي مِنْهُ دَاراً مِنْ دَارِ الْغُرُورِ مِنْ جَانِبِ الْفَانِينَ وَ خِطَّةِ الْهَالِكِينَ وَ تَجْمَعُ هَذِهِ الدَّارَ حُدُودٌ أَرْبَعَةٌ الْحَدُّ الْأَوَّلُ يَنْتَهِي إِلَي دَوَاعِي الْآفَاتِ وَ الْحَدُّ الثَّانِي يَنْتَهِي إِلَي دَوَاعِي الْمُصِيبَاتِ وَ الْحَدُّ الثَّالِثُ يَنْتَهِي إِلَي الْهَوَي الْمُرْدِي وَ الْحَدُّ الرَّابِعُ يَنْتَهِي إِلَي الشَّيْطَانِ الْمُغْوِي وَ فِيهِ يُشْرَعُ بَابُ هَذِهِ الدَّارِ اشْتَرَي هَذَا الْمُغْتَرُّ بِالْأَمَلِ مِنْ هَذَا الْمُزْعَجِ بِالْأَجَلِ هَذِهِ الدَّارَ بِالْخُرُوجِ مِنْ عِزِّ الْقَنَاعَةِ وَ الدُّخُولِ فِي ذُلِّ الطَّلَبِ وَ الضَّرَاعَةِ فَمَا أَدْرَكَ هَذَا الْمُشْتَرِي فِيمَا اشْتَرَي مِنْهُ مِنْ دَرَكٍ فَعَلَي مُبَلْبِلِ أَجْسَامِ الْمُلُوكِ وَ سَالِبِ نُفُوسِ الْجَبَابِرَةِ وَ مُزِيلِ مُلْكِ الْفَرَاعِنَةِ مِثْلِ كِسْرَي وَ قَيْصَرَ وَ تُبَّعٍ وَ حِمْيَرَ وَ مَنْ جَمَعَ الْمَالَ عَلَي الْمَالِ فَأَكْثَرَ وَ مَنْ بَنَي وَ شَيَّدَ وَ زَخْرَفَ وَ نَجَّدَ وَ ادَّخَرَ وَ اعْتَقَدَ وَ نَظَرَ بِزَعْمِهِ لِلْوَلَدِ إِشْخَاصُهُمْ جَمِيعاً إِلَي مَوْقِفِ الْعَرْضِ وَ الْحِسَابِ وَ مَوْضِعِ الثَّوَابِ وَ الْعِقَابِ إِذَا وَقَعَ الْأَمْرُ بِفَصْلِ الْقَضَاءِ وَ خَسِرَ هُنالِكَ الْمُبْطِلُونَ شَهِدَ عَلَي ذَلِكَ الْعَقْلُ إِذَا خَرَجَ مِنْ أَسْرِ الْهَوَي وَ سَلِمَ مِنْ عَلَائِقِ الدُّنْيَا.

It is related that Shurayh ibn al-Harith (al-Kindi) who was Amir al-Mu'minin's Qadi (judge) at Kufah during his tenure, purchased a house for eighty Dinars.When it became known to Amir al-Mu'minin he sent for him and said to him: "I have come to Know that you have purchased a house for eighty Dinars, and that you have written a document for it and put witnessing on it". Shurayh replied: "Yes, Amir al-Mu'minin, it is so." Amir al-Mu'minin cast an angry look at him and said to him: O Shurayh! Beware, shortly somebody (the angel of death) will come to you who will not look at the document, nor question you about your evidence but take you out of it far away and deposit you in your grave quite alone. Look! O' Shurayh, if you have purchased this house from money other than yours or paid the price from unlawful source, you have incurred loss of this world as well as of the next. If you had come to me at the time of purchase I would have written for you a document on this paper and then you would not have liked to purchase the house even for one Dirham, not to speak of more. That document is this :- This is about a purchase made by a humble slave (of Allah) from another slave ready to depart (for the next world). He has purchased a house out of houses of deceit in the area of mortals and the place of those liable to perish. This house has four bound-aries as follows: The first boundary is contiguous to sources of calamities; the second boundary adjoins the sources of distress; the third boundary adjoins devastating desire; and the fourth boundary adjoins deceitful Satan and towards this opens the door of this house. This house has been purchased by one who has been waylaid by desires from one who is being drive by death at the price of leaving the honour of contentment and entering into the humility of want and submissiveness. If the purchaser encounters some (evil) consequences of this transaction then it is for him who dismantles the bodies of monarchs, snatches the lives of despots, destroys the domain of Pharaoh like Kisras, Caesars, Tubbas and Himyars and all those who amass wealth upon wealth and go on increasing it, build high houses and decorate them and collect treasures and preserve them, as they claimed according to their own thinking, for children to take them to the place of accounting and judgement and the position of reward and punishment When the verdict will be passed those who stood on false-hood would then be the losers (Qur'an, 40:78). This document is witnessed by intelligence when it is free from the shackles of desires and away from the adormments of this world.