Maxim: Anūshirwān asked Buzurjmihr, “Whom would you most like to be the wisest of people?” He answered, “My enemy, once he has set himself against me.” The king said, “Why so?” He replied, “So that I may be secure from his harm. Everything cheapens when it increases—except intellect, for the more of it one has, the more highly he is esteemed.
Maxim: Someone asked Buzurjmihr, “What is the one thing a person inevitably needs and can never dispense with?” He said, “Intellect.” They then asked, “What is the measure of intellect?” He answered, “It is never found complete in any human being—how, then, can its measure be known?”
Maxim: One of the sages said, “All things depend on intellect, and intellect itself depends on experience. No enrichment is broader than intellect, and no poverty harsher than ignorance. The more knowledge a person acquires, the greater his need for intellect. In this regard a man is like a frail shepherd with a large flock—a parable for a scholar who lacks intellect.”
Maxim: The scholars said, “Intellect is a commander, and its troops are discernment, retention, and understanding. The delight of the soul is intellect, for through it the body is upheld. The soul is a lamp whose light is intellect, which then spreads throughout the entire body. An intelligent person never grieves, because he does nothing that would oblige regret, nor does he embark on an endeavor unbefitting someone of his stature.”
Maxim: Ibn ʿAbbās was asked, “Which is superior, intellect or refined conduct?” He replied, “Intellect, for intellect is from Allah Most High, whereas refined conduct is the servant’s own endeavor.” ʿAbd Allāh ibn al-Mubārak was asked the same—“Is intellect or refined conduct the better companion?” He said, “Intellect.” They said, “What is intellect?” He answered, “It is to learn knowledge and act upon it—to know that you must act; true intellect is that whenever you know, you act.”
The Prophet—Allah bless him and grant him peace—said, “Allah has not allotted His servants anything better than intellect. The sleep of the intelligent is better than the worship of the ignorant; the intelligent person who eats and drinks is better than the ignorant one who fasts; and the laughter of the intelligent is better than the weeping of the ignorant.”
Maxim: A man said to Euclid, “I will not rest until I destroy your life.” Euclid replied, “Nor will I rest until I have removed malice from your heart.”