immediate worldly harm. for even if he experiences bitterness and ugliness in his affairs from controlling and suppressing his desires its aftermath will be followed by sweetness and delight which will make him happy and increase his pleasure and comfort therein although the burden of enduring the struggle against desires and suppressing lusts will be lightened for him with habit especially if that is done gradually by training himself and taking it first by preventing a little of the desires and leaving some of what he desires for what reason and opinion dictate then he seeks more of that until that becomes in him a match for character and habit and his lustful self is humbled and becomes accustomed to submitting to the rational self. then that increases and becomes confirmed when he is happy with the consequences that come back to him from controlling his desires and benefiting from his opinion and reason and managing his affairs with them and people praising him for that and their longing for a state like his. as for its being and speech it is from itself. as for its distance from pain it is due to its distance from being and corruption. as for its joy in its place and its world it is due to its liberation from mixing with the body and being in the physical world. and that when it departs from the body and it has not acquired these meanings and has not known the physical world as it should be known but rather it was longing for it and keen on being in it it did not leave its place and did not cease to be attached to something of it and it did not cease due to the circulation of being and corruption in the body in which it is in continuous successive pains and many harmful worries. this is a summary of the opinion of plato and before him the imaginative and deified socrates. and further there is no worldly opinion at all except that it requires something of restraining passion and desires and does not allow their neglect and procrastination. so restraining passion and its deterrence is obligatory in every opinion and with every rational person and in every religion. so let the rational person observe these meanings with the eye of his mind and make them part of his concern and worry. if he does not acquire from this book the highest ranks and stations in this matter then he should at least cling to even the lowest stations of it and this is the opinion of those who believe that controlling desires should be to the extent that it does not bring immediate worldly harm. for even if he experiences bitterness and ugliness in the beginnings of his affairs from controlling desires and suppressing them then its aftermath will be sweetness and delight that he will rejoice in and increase his pleasure and comfort therein although the burden of bearing the struggle against desires and suppressing lusts will be lightened for him with habit especially if that is done gradually by training himself and taking it first by preventing a little of the lusts and leaving some of what he desires for what reason and opinion require then he seeks more from that until that becomes in him a match for character and habit and his lustful self is humbled and becomes accustomed to submitting to the rational self. then this increases and becomes more evident when he is pleased with the consequences that come back to him from controlling his desires and benefiting from his opinion and mind and managing his affairs with them and people praising him for that and their longing for a situation similar to his.
ضررا عاجلا دنيائيا. فإنه وإن تجرع في صدور أموره من زم الهوى وقمعه مرارة وبشاعة فستعقبه أردافها حلاوة ولذاذة يغتبط بها ويعظم بها سروره وارتياحه عندها، مع أن المؤونة في احتمال مغالبة الهوى وقمع الشهوات ستخف عليه بالاعتياد ولا سيما إذا كان ذلك على تدريج بأن يعود نفسه ويأخذها أولا بمنع اليسير من الشهوات وترك بعض ما تهوى لما يوجبه العقل والرأي، ثم يروم من ذلك ما هو أكثر حتى يصير ذلك فيه مقارنا للخلق والعادة وتذل نفسه الشهوانية وتعتاد الانقياد للنفس الناطقة. ثم يزداد ذلك ويتأكد عند سروره بالعواقب العائدة عليه من زم هواه وانتفاعه برأيه وعقله وسياسة أموره بهما ومدح الناس له على ذلك واشتياقهم إلى مثل حاله. يوية والنطق فلها من ذاتها، وأما بعدها عن الألم فلبعدها عن الكون والفساد، وأما اغتباطها بمكانها وعالمها فلتخلصها من مخالطة الجسم والكون في العالم الجسداني. وأنه متى كانت مفارقتها للجسد وهي لم تكتسب هذه المعاني ولم تعرف العالم الجسداني حق معرفته بل كانت تشتاق إليه وتحرص على الكون فيه لم تبرح مكانها ولم تزل متعلقة بشيء منه، ولم تزل لتداول الكون والفساد للجسد الذي هي فيه في آلام متصلة مترادفة وهموم جمة مؤذية. فهذه جملة من رأي فلاطن ومن قبله سقراط المتخلي المتأله. وبعد فما من رأي دنيائي قط إلا ويوجب شيئا من زم الهوى والشهوات ولا يطلق إهمالها وإمراجها، فزم الهوى وردعه واجب في كل رأي وعند كل عاقل وفي كل دين. فليلاحظ العاقل هذه المعاني بعين عقله ويجعلها من همه وباله. وإن هو لم يكتسب من هذا الكتاب أعلى الرتب والمنازل في هذا الباب فلا أقل من أن يتعلق ولو بأخس المنازل منه، وهو رأي من رأي زم الهوى بمقدار ما لا يجلب ضررا عاجلا دنيائيا. فإنه وإن تجرع في صدور أموره من زم الهوى وقمعه مرارة وبشاعة فستعقبه أردافها حلاوة ولذاذة يغتبط بها ويعظم بها سروره وارتياحه عندها، مع أن المؤونة في احتمال مغالبة الهوى وقمع الشهوات ستخف عليه بالاعتياد ولا سيما إذا كان ذلك على تدريج بأن يعود نفسه ويأخذها أولا بمنع اليسير من الشهوات وترك بعض ما تهوى لما يوجبه العقل والرأي، ثم يروم من ذلك ما هو أكثر حتى يصير ذلك فيه مقارنا للخلق والعادة وتذل نفسه الشهوانية وتعتاد الانقياد للنفس الناطقة. ثم يزداد ذلك ويتأكد عند سروره بالعواقب العائدة عليه من زم هواه وانتفاعه برأيه وعقله وسياسة أموره بهما ومدح الناس له على ذلك واشتياقهم إلى مثل حاله.