أَخْبَرَنَا عَبْدُ اللَّهِ بْنُ مُحَمَّدٍ الْبَلْخِيُّ -وَهُوَ رَافِعٌ كَفَّيْهِ إِلَى السَّمَاءِ- قَالَ: اللَّهُمَّ إِنَّكَ تَعْلَمُ أَنِّي لَمْ أَرَ أَعْلَمَ مِنَ الْمَنْصُورِ بِمَا أَنْزَلْتَهُ، وَلَا أَرْحَمَ مِنْهُ بِمَنْ خَلَقْتَهُ! كُنْتُ مَعَهُ وَنَحْنُ عَلَى شَاطِئِ جَيْحُونَ، فَأَخَذَ بِيَدِي وَقَالَ: يَا بُنَيَّ! اسْتَعْمِلِ الْعَقْلَ فِي أُمُورِكَ كُلِّهَا، وَلَا يَغْلِبَنَّكَ عَلَيْهِ عَادَةٌ وَلَا شَهْوَةٌ وَلَا تَقْلِيدٌ، وَقَالَ: اعْمَلْ عَلَى عَقْلٍ تُعَدُّ عَامِلًا، وَلَا تَعْمَلْ عَلَى عَادَةٍ وَلَا شَهْوَةٍ وَلَا تَقْلِيدٍ، فَإِنَّ مَنْ عَمِلَ عَلَى شَيْءٍ مِنْ ذَلِكَ كَانَ عَمَلُهُ كَرَمَادٍ اشْتَدَّتْ بِهِ الرِّيحُ فِي يَوْمٍ عَاصِفٍ، لَا يَقْدِرُونَ مِمَّا كَسَبُوا عَلَى شَيْءٍ، إِنَّ اللَّهَ تَعَالَى يَقُولُ: ﴿وَقَدِمْنَا إِلَى مَا عَمِلُوا مِنْ عَمَلٍ فَجَعَلْنَاهُ هَبَاءً مَّنْثُورًا﴾[1].

Translation of the saying:

Abdullah ibn Muhammad Balkhi - while he had risen his hands toward the sky- informed us and said: Oh God! You know that I have not seen anyone more knowledgeable than Mansoor about what you have sent down, and have not seen anyone more compassionate toward those whom you have created! I was beside him while we were by the Jeyhun river, then he took my hand and said: Oh, my boy! Use intellect in all of your affairs and neither let the habit nor emotion nor imitation conquer you about them! And he said: act based on the intellect to be accounted as a doer, and do not act based on the habit or emotion or imitation; because someone who acts based on these factors, his action is similar to ashes in a stormy day that there remains nothing for them of what they have acquired! Indeed, the dignified God has said: “And we come for the deed they did and transform it into scattered dust”.