THE THIRTY-THIRD DISCOURSE On the four types of men

There are four kinds of men. One is who has no tongue and no heart and he is a man of ordinary position, dull and lowly, who d6es not count with God and one who has nothing good in him. He and people like him are like chaff which has no weight, unless God covers them with His mercy and guides their heart towards faith in Himself, and moves the organs of their body in obedience to Himself. Beware that we do not become one of them and do not entertain them nor mind them nor yet stand among them. These are the people who incur the chastisement and wrath and anger of God; they are the inhabitants of fire and its inmates. We seek refuge in God from them. You should, on the contrary, be equipped with Divine knowledge and be among the teachers of good and guides for religion and its leaders and inviters to it. Therefore, beware that you should come to them and invite them to obedience to God and warn them against sinning against God. Thus you will be a fighter in the cause of God and will be given the rewards of prophets and messengers of God. The Holy Prophet (may peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said to Ali: "If God gives guidance to one person through your guiding him, it is better for you than that on which the sun rises." The other kind of person has got a tongue but no heart; he speaks on wisdom but does not act according to it. He calls people to God but himself flees from Him. He abhors defects in others but he himself persists with similar defects in himself. He shows to others his piety but contends with God by committing major sins. And when he is alone he is like a wolf in clothes. Here is a person against whom the Holy Prophet has warned. He said: 'The thing to be most afraid of, and which I am afraid of in respect of my followers, is the evil learned men." We seek refuge in God from such learned men. So you should keep away from such a man and run away from him, lest you should be carried away by the sweetness of his talk and then the fire of his sin will burn you and the filth of his inner self and his heart should kill you. There is a third kind of man who has a heart but no tongue and he is a believer. God has screened him away from His creation and hung round him His curtains, and given him an insight into the blemishes of his own self and enlightened his heart and made him aware of the mischiefs of mixing with people, and of the evil of talking and speaking and who has become sure that safety is in silence and retirement in a corner, as the Holy Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said: "Whoever kept silent attained to salvation." And as further he has said: "Surely the service of God consists often parts, nine of which are in silence." Thus this man is a friend of God in His secrets, protected, possessing safety and plenty of intelligence, companion of the Beneficent God, blessed with His favours and as for good, everything good is with him. Therefore, you must keep company with such a man and mix with him and render him service and endear yourself to him by fulfilling the needs which he may feel, and provide him with things which will give ease and comfort. If you do these things God will love you and choose you and include you in the company of His friends and pious servants together with His blessings, if it pleases Him. The fourth kind of man is one who is invited to the world invisible, clothed in dignity, as it is related in the tradition: "Whoever learns and acts upon his learning and imparts it to others is invited to the world invisible and made great." Such a man is possessed of the knowledge of God and His sign and his heart is made the repository of the rare things of His knowledge and He intimates to him such secrets as He has kept hidden from others, and He has selected him and drawn him towards Himself, and guided him and raised him towards Himself, and expanded his heart for the acceptance of these secrets and points of knowledge, and made him a worker in His cause and are inviter of God's servants to the path of virtue, and a warner against the chastisement of evil deeds and an argument of God in their midst, a guide and a rightly-guided man, an intercessor and one whose intercession has been accepted, a truthful man and one who verifies the truth of others, a deputy of God's prophets and messengers, may the blessings of God be on them. So this man is the end and culminating point of mankind and there is no station above this, except that of prophethood. It is your duty to beware that you do not oppose such a man and be averse to him and avoid accepting him; and be attentive towards what he says and admonishes. So, verily, safety lies in what such a man says and also in his company, and destruction and misguidance be in what is besides him; except such men to whom God gives power and assistance towards truth and mercy. I have divided mankind for you (into four divisions). Now, you have to look at your ownself if you have an observant mind, and save yourself in the light of it, if you are anxious to save it, having love for it. May God guide you and us towards what He loves and is pleased with, in this world and the hereafter!