The Peak of Eloquence · Hadith 1476 (#Passage #285)

وَلَا تَنْصِبَنَّ نَفْسَكَ لِحَرْبِ اللهِ، فَإِنَّهْ لَا يَدَ لَكَ بِنِقْمَتِهِ، وَلَا غِنَى بِكَ عَنْ عَفْوِهِ وَرَحْمَتِهِ. وَلَا تَنْدَمَنَّ عَلَى عَفْوٍ، وَلَا تَبْجَحَنَّ بِعُقُوبَةٍ، وَلَا تُسْرِعَنَّ إِلَى بَادِرَةٍ وَجَدْتَ مِنْهَا مَنْدُوحَةً، وَلَا تَقُولَنَّ: إِنِّي مُؤَمَّرٌ آمُرُ فَأُطَاعُ، فَإِنَّ ذلِكَ إِدْغَالٌ فِي الْقَلْبِ، وَمَنْهَكَةٌ لِلدِّينِ، وَتَقَرُّبٌ مِنَ الْغِيَرِ. وَإِذَا أَحْدَثَ لَكَ مَا أَنْتَ فِيهِ مِنْ سُلْطَانِكَ أُبَّهَةً أَوْ مَخِيلَةً، فَانْظُرْ إِلَى عِظَمِ مُلْكِ اللهِ فَوْقَكَ، وَقُدْرَتِهِ مَنْكَ عَلَى مَا لَا تَقْدِرُ عَلَيْهِ مِنْ نَفْسِكَ، فَإِنَّ ذلِكَ يُطَامِنُ إِلَيْكَ مِنْ طِمَاحِكَ، وَيَكُفُّ عَنْكَ مِنْ غَرْبِكَ، وَيَفِيءُ إِلَيْكَ بِمَا عَزَبَ عَنْكَ مِنْ عَقْلِكَ!

Do not set yourself to fight Allāh because you have no power before His power and you cannot do without His pardon and mercy. Do not repent of forgiving or be merciful in punishing. Do not act hastily during anger if you can find way out of it. Do not say: “I have been given authority, I should be obeyed when I order,” because it engenders confusion in the heart, weakens the religion and takes one near ruin. If the authority in which you are placed produces pride or vanity in you then look at the greatness of the realm of Allāh over you and His might the like of which might you do not even possess over yourself. This will curb your haughtiness, cure you of your high temper and bring back to you your wisdom which had gone away from you.

Gradings are classical jarḥ-wa-taʿdīl, name-matched to a rijāl index (not individually re-verified).