Nahj al-Balāgha

لِلَّهِ بلادُ فُلاَن، فَلَقَدْ قَوَّمَ الاْوَدَ، وَدَاوَى الْعَمَدَ، وَأَقَامَ السُّنَّةَ، وَخَلَّفَ الْفِتْنَةَ! ذَهَبَ نَقِيَّ الثَّوْبِ، قَلِيلَ الْعَيْبِ، أَصَابَ خَيْرَهَا، وَسَبَقَ شَرَّهَا، أَدَّى إِلَى اللهِ طَاعَتَهُ، وَاتَّقَاهُ بِحَقِّهِ، رَحَلَ وَتَرَكَهُمْ فِي طُرُق مَتَشَعِّبَة، لاَ يَهْتَدِي بِهَا الضَّالُّ، وَلاَ يَسْتَيْقِنُ الْمُهْتَدِي.

May Allāh reward such and such man 1 who straightened the curve, cured the disease, abandoned mischief and established the sunnah. He departed (from this world) with untarnished clothes and little shortcomings. He achieved good (of this world) and remained safe from its evils. He offered Allāh’s obedience and feared Him as He deserved. He went away and left the people in dividing ways wherein the misled cannot obtain guidance and the guided cannot attain certainty.

ومن كلام له (عليه السلام) في وصف بيعته بالخلافة قال الشريف: وقد تقدم مثله بألفاظ مختلفة

About allegiance to Amīr al-mu’minīn for the Caliphate (A similar sermon in somewhat different version has already appeared earlier)

وَبَسَطْتُمْ يَدِي فَكَفَفْتُهَا، وَمَدَدْتُمُوهَا فَقَبَضْتُهَا، ثُمَّ تَدَاكَكْتُمْ عَلَيَّ تَدَاكَّ الاْبِلِ الْهِيمِ عَلَى حِيَاضِهَا يَوْمَ وِرْدِهَا، حَتَّى انْقَطَعَتِ النَّعْلُ، وَسَقَطَ الرِّدَاءُ، وَوُطِىءَ الضَّعِيفُ، وَبَلَغَ مِنْ سُرُورِ النَّاسِ بِبَيْعَتِهِمْ إِيَّايَ أَنِ ابْتَهَجَ بِهَا الصَّغِيرُ، وَهَدَجَ إِلَيْهَا الْكَبِيرُ، وَتَحَامَلَ نَحْوَهَا الْعَلِيلُ، وَحَسَرَتْ إِلَيْهَا الْكِعَابُ.

You drew out my hand towards you for allegiance but I held it back and you stretched it but I contracted it. Then you crowed over me as the thirsty camels crowd on the watering cisterns on their being taken there, so much so that shoes were torn, shoulder-cloths fell away and the weak got trampled, and the happiness of people on their allegiance to me was so manifested that small children felt joyful, the old staggered (up to me) for it, the sick too reached for it helter skelter and young girls ran for it without veils.

ومن خطبة له (عليه السلام) في مقاصد أخرى

Advice about fear of Allāh, and an account of those who remain apprehensive of death and adopt abstemiousness

فَإِنَّ تَقْوَى اللهِ مِفْتَاحُ سَدَاد، وَذَخِيرَةُ مَعَاد، وَعِتْقٌ منْ كلِّ مَلَكَة، وَنَجَاةٌ مِنْ كلِّ هَلَكَة، بِهَا يَنْجَحُ الطَّالِبُ، وَيَنْجُوا الْهَارِبُ، وَتُنَالُ الرَّغَائِبُ.

Certainly, fear of Allāh is the key to guidance, provision for the next world, freedom from every slavery and deliverance from all ruin. With its help the seeker succeeds and he who makes for safety escapes and achieves his aims.

[فضل العمل :] فَاعْمَلُوا وَالْعَمَلُ يُرْفَعُ، وَالتَّوْبَةُ تَنْفَعُ، وَالدُّعَاءُ يُسْمَعُ، وَالْحَالُ هَادِئَةٌ، وَالاْقْلامُ جَارِيَةٌ. وَبَادِرُوا بِالاْعْمَالِ عُمُراً نَاكسِاً، أَوْ مَرَضاً حَابِساً، أَوْ مَوْتاً خَالِساً، فَإِنَّ الْمَوْتَ هَادِمُ لَذَّاتِكُمْ، وَمُكَدِّرُ شَهَوَاتِكُمْ، وَمُبَاعِدُ طِيَّاتِكُمْ،

Perform (good) acts while such acts are being raised (up to Allāh), while repentance can be of benefit, prayer can be heard, conditions are peaceful and the pens (of the two angels) are in motion (to record the actions). Hasten towards (virtuous) actions before the change of age (to oldness), lingering illness or snatching death (overtakes you). Certainly, death will end your enjoyments, mar your pleasures and remove your objectives.

زَائِرٌ غَيْرُ مَحْبُوب، وَقِرْنٌ غَيْرُ مَغْلُوب، وَوَاترٌ غَيْرُ مَطْلُوب، قَدْ أَعْلَقَتْكُمْ حَبَائِلُهُ، وَتَكَنَّفَتْكُمْ غَوَائِلُهُ، وَأَقْصَدَتْكُمْ مَعَابِلُهُ، وَعَظُمَتْ فِيكُمْ سَطْوَتُهُ، وَتَتَابَعَتْ عَلَيْكُمْ عَدْوَتُهُ، وَقَلَّتْ عَنْكُمْ نَبْوَتُهُ.

It is an unwanted visitor, an invincible adversary and an unaccounting killer. Its ropes have entrapped you, its evils have surrounded you, its arrowheads have aimed at you, its sway over you is great, its oppression on you is continuous and the chance of its missing you is remote.

فَيُوشِكُ أَنْ تَغْشَاكُمْ دَوَاجِى ظُلَلِهِ، وَاحْتِدَامُ عِلَلِهِ، وَحَنَادِسُ غَمَرَاتِهِ، وَغَوَاشِي سَكَرَاتِهِ، وَأَلِيمُ إِرْهَاقِهِ، وَدُجُوُّ أَطْبَاقِهِ، وَجُشُوبَةُ مَذَاقِهِ؛

Very soon you will be overwhelmed with the gloom of its shades, the severity of its illness, the darkness of its distresses, the nonsense utterances of its pangs, the grief of its destruction, the darkness of its encompassment and the unwholesomeness of its taste.

فَكَأَنْ قَدْ أَتْاكُمْ بَغْتَةً فَأَسْكَتَ نَجِيَّكُمْ، وَفَرَّقَ نَدِيَّكُمْ، وَعَفَّى آثَارَكُمْ، وَعَطَّلَ دِيَارَكُمْ، وَبَعَثَ وُرَّاثَكُمْ، يَقْتَسِمُونَ تُرَاثَكُمْ، بَيْنَ حَمِيم خَاصٍّ لَمْ يَنْفَعْ، وَقَرِيب مَحْزُون لَمْ يَمْنَعْ، وَآخَرَ شَامِت لَمْ يَجْزَعْ.

It will seem as if it has come to you all of a sudden, silenced those who were whispering to you, separated your group, destroyed your doings, devastated your houses and altered your successors to distribute your estate among the chief relatives, who did not give you any benefit, or the grieved near ones who could not protect (you), or those rejoicers who did not lament (you).

[فضل الجد :] فَعَلَيْكُمْ بِالْجِدِّ وَالاجْتِهَادِ، وَالتَّأَهُّبِ وَالاسْتِعْدَادِ، وَالتَّزَوُّدِ فِي مَنْزِلِ الزَّادِ. وَلاَ تَغُرَّنَّكُمُ الدُّنْيَا كَمَا غَرَّتْ مَنْ كَانَ قَبْلَكُمْ مِنَ الاْمَمِ الْمَاضِيَةِ، وَالْقُرُونِ الْخَالِيَةِ، الَّذِينَ احْتَلَبُوا دِرَّتَهَا، وَأصَابُوا غِرَّتَهَا، وَأَفْنَوْا عِدَّتَهَا، وَأَخْلَقُوا جِدَّتَهَا،

Therefore, it is upon you to strive, make effort, equip yourself, get ready and provide yourself from the place of provision. And let not the life of this world deceive you as it deceived those before you among the past people and by-gone periods -- those who extracted its milk, benefited from its neglectfulness, passed a long time and turned its new things into old (by living long).