Intellect and Foolishness
عقل اور حماقت
أَغْنَى الْغِنَى الْعَقْلُ، وَأَكْبَرُ الْفَقْرِ الْحُمْقُ، وَأَوْحَشُ الْوَحْشَةِ الْعُجْبُ، وَأَكْرَمُ الْحَسَبِ حُسْنُ الْخُلُقِ.
سب سے بڑی دولت عقل ہے، اور سب سے بڑی فقیری (غریبی) حماقت ہے، اور سب سے بڑی وحشت غرور ہے، اور سب سے بڑی شرافت حسنِ اخلاق ہے۔
“The greatest wealth is Wisdom (Intellect); the greatest poverty is Foolishness; the worst loneliness is Vanity (Egoism); and the best nobility is Good Manners.”
Reflections: Imam Ali ؑ shifts the definition of status from material possessions to internal character. He explains that a person with a sound mind is never truly poor, whereas a fool—no matter how rich—is always in a state of loss. Furthermore, he warns that vanity and self-admiration isolate a person more than anything else, while beautiful manners are the truest sign of an honorable lineage.