Tradition

ما رَأَيْتٌ باكِياً اَحْسَنَ تَبَسُّماً مِنَ القَلَمِ!

Imam al-Sadiq (‘a) has said: “I have not seen anything weeping as beautifully as a pen when it smiles.”1

Brief Commentary

The pen is an amazing means of the expression of various human emotions and points of wisdom. It can be said that the pen is what gave rise to the concept of civilization and it is what allows society to function in such a smooth fashion.

The pen expresses the pain that people feel and it also expresses the vitality and life that is within them. It is the medium that expresses love, excitement, sorrow, and the very beauty of life. At the same time, if this pen falls into the hands of unworthy individuals, it weeps blood rather than ink, and its smile transforms into a cruel smirk which helps unseat the highest of human values and morals.

• 1. From the book: Lata’if wa Zara’if.