Let the days do as they will, and keep your…
Quote
Let the days do as they will, and keep your soul at ease when fate decides.
Arabic original
دع الأيام تفعل ما تشاء، وطب نفسا إذا حكم القضاء.
What it means
The poem encourages steadiness when events lie beyond our control. Serenity is a way to face hardship; it can accompany practical action rather than replace it with resignation.
The story behind this quote
This line opens a wisdom poem traditionally attributed to al-Shafi‘i. The collection transmitted under his name is later, so that attribution must be distinguished from the text’s presence in the source.
The text follows its opening with advice about hardship, courage and generosity. Its wisdom concerns how to behave amid unstable circumstances. The requested calm therefore addresses inward attitude, while the other recommendations leave a place for action and relationships with other people.
The source
دع الأيام تفعل ما تشاء, مطلع القصيدة
The text appears in the indicated source. A traditional attribution remains distinct from proof of authorship: see the context.
More quotes by Al-Shafi‘i
Offer me your advice when I am alone, and spare me advice before a crowd.
Staying in one place brings no ease to a thoughtful, cultivated person: leave home and travel.