Tradition

لاتُشْغِلْ قَلْبَكَ الْهَمَّ عَلَى مافاتَ فَيُشْغِلَكَ عَنِ الاْسْتِعْدادِ بِما هُوَ آت.

Imam ‘Ali (‘a) is narrated to have said: “Do not busy your heart with sorrow over what has passed or else you will not be sufficiently prepared for what is to come (in the future).”1

Brief Commentary

There is virtually no one who has never committed any mistakes in their lives or who has not had missed opportunities. In reality, people can be divided into two main groups: There are those who are always sorrowful over what has taken place in the past and they expend a great deal of energy reminiscing over what could have been.

The second group is composed of those who consider what is past to be past and they basically let go of what took place beforehand, only taking lesson from these events for their future. They then mobilize all of their energy and power towards building their today and their future life. There is no doubt that the best method of living is in what Imam ‘Ali (‘a) has mentioned in this tradition.

• 1. Narrated from Ghurar al-Hikam, p. 289.