كَانَ أَمِيرُ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ ( عليه السلام ) يَقُولُ إِنَّمَا الدَّهْرُ ثَلَاثَةُ أَيَّامٍ أَنْتَ فِيمَا بَيْنَهُنَّ مَضَى أَمْسِ بِمَا فِيهِ فَلَا يَرْجِعُ أَبَداً فَإِنْ كُنْتَ عَمِلْتَ فِيهِ خَيْراً لَمْ تَحْزَنْ لِذَهَابِهِ وَ فَرِحْتَ بِمَا اسْتَقْبَلْتَهُ مِنْهُ وَ إِنْ كُنْتَ قَدْ فَرَّطْتَ فِيهِ فَحَسْرَتُكَ شَدِيدَةٌ لِذَهَابِهِ وَ تَفْرِيطِكَ فِيهِ وَ أَنْتَ فِي يَوْمِكَ الَّذِي أَصْبَحْتَ فِيهِ مِنْ غَدٍ فِي غِرَّةٍ وَ لَا تَدْرِي لَعَلَّكَ لَا تَبْلُغُهُ وَ إِنْ بَلَغْتَهُ لَعَلَّ حَظَّكَ فِيهِ فِي التَّفْرِيطِ مِثْلُ حَظِّكَ فِي الْأَمْسِ الْمَاضِي عَنْكَ فَيَوْمٌ مِنَ الثَّلَاثَةِ قَدْ مَضَى أَنْتَ فِيهِ مُفَرِّطٌ وَ يَوْمٌ تَنْتَظِرُهُ لَسْتَ أَنْتَ مِنْهُ عَلَى يَقِينٍ مِنْ تَرْكِ التَّفْرِيطِ وَ إِنَّمَا هُوَ يَوْمُكَ الَّذِي أَصْبَحْتَ فِيهِ وَ قَدْ يَنْبَغِي لَكَ أَنْ عَقَلْتَ وَ فَكَّرْتَ فِيمَا فَرَّطْتَ فِي الْأَمْسِ الْمَاضِي مِمَّا فَاتَكَ فِيهِ مِنْ حَسَنَاتٍ أَلَّا تَكُونَ اكْتَسَبْتَهَا وَ مِنْ سَيِّئَاتٍ أَلَّا تَكُونَ أَقْصَرْتَ عَنْهَا وَ أَنْتَ مَعَ هَذَا مَعَ اسْتِقْبَالِ غَدٍ عَلَى غَيْرِ ثِقَةٍ مِنْ أَنْ تَبْلُغَهُ وَ عَلَى غَيْرِ يَقِينٍ مِنِ اكْتِسَابِ حَسَنَةٍ أَوْ مُرْتَدَعٍ عَنْ سَيِّئَةٍ مُحْبِطَةٍ فَأَنْتَ مِنْ يَوْمِكَ الَّذِي تَسْتَقْبِلُ عَلَى مِثْلِ يَوْمِكَ الَّذِي اسْتَدْبَرْتَ فَاعْمَلْ عَمَلَ رَجُلٍ لَيْسَ يَأْمُلُ مِنَ الْأَيَّامِ إِلَّا يَوْمَهُ الَّذِي أَصْبَحَ فِيهِ وَ لَيْلَتَهُ فَاعْمَلْ أَوْ دَعْ وَ اللَّهُ الْمُعِينُ عَلَى ذَلِكَ .
Translation
Ali Bin Ibrahim, from his father and a number of our companions, from Sahl Bin Ziyad, altogether from Al Hassan Bin Mahboub, from Ali Bin Raib, from Abu Hamza, (It has been narrated) from Ali<sup>asws</sup> Bin Al-Husayn<sup>asws</sup> having said: ‘Amir Al-Momineen<sup>asws</sup> was saying: ‘But rather the eras are three – (Past, present and future) – days you are (living in). Yesterday passed away with whatever was in it and it will not be returning, ever! So if you had worked good during it, you will not grieve of its going away and you will be happy with what is coming in the future of it. But if you had wasted (your time) during it, your regret of its going away would be intense due to your wasting (your time) during it. And you are (now) in your day in which you have come to be in a surprise from the coming morning and you do not know, perhaps you may not reach it, and if you do reach it, perhaps your share in it regarding the wastage would be similar to your share (of wastage) during yesterday, the past from you. So one day from the three has passed (yesterday) and you wasted in it, and a day you are awaiting for (tomorrow), with you not being upon a certainty from it from leaving the wasting, and rather it is your day which you have come to be in (today), and it is befitting for you that you use your intellect and think regarding what you wasted during the yesterday past from what was lost from you during it, from the performance of the good deeds you did not happen to earn and from the evil deeds you did not happen to be deficient from. And you are with this with the welcoming of the future of tomorrow upon without a certainty that you will reach it, and upon without a certainty from earning good eeds or turning away from the evil deeds, frustrated. Thus you are from your day which you are welcoming (tomorrow) upon a similar (state) of your day which has gone behind you (yesterday). Therefore perform the work of a man who does not hope from the days except for his day which he has come to be in (today) and his night. So, either work or let it be, and Allah<sup>azwj</sup> is the Aider upon that’.
Compiled by Shaykh Muhammad ibn Ya'qub al-Kulayni
Source
License: Free for educational and research use (Thaqalayn Data API)
Provided for research and educational purposes. Original source: Thaqalayn Project. Open License.