Letters
To his governor in Basra
أَمَّا بَعْدُ، فَإِنَّ الْمَرْءَ قَدْ يَسُرُّهُ دَرَكُ مَا لَمْ يَكُنْ لِيَفُوتَهُ، وَيَسُوؤُهُ فَوْتُ مَا لَمْ يَكُنْ لِيُدْرِكَهُ، فَلْيَكُنْ سُرُورُكَ بِمَا نِلْتَ مِنْ آخِرَتِكَ، وَلْيَكُنْ أسَفُكَ عَلَى مَا فَاتَكَ مِنْهَا، وَمَا نِلْتَ مِنْ دُنْيَاكَ فَلاَ تُكْثِرْ بِهِ فَرَحاً، وَمَا فَاتَكَ مِنْهَا فَلاَ تَأْسَ عَلَيْهِ جَزَعاً، وَلْيَكُنْ هَمُّكَ فِيَما بَعْدَ الْمَوْتِ.
Let it be known to you that sometimes a man gets pleased at securing a thing which he was not going to miss at all and gets displeased at missing a thing which he would not in any case get. Your pleasure should be about what you secure in respect of your next life and your grief should be for what you miss in respect thereof. Do not be much pleased on what you secure from this world, nor get extremely grieved over what you miss out of it. Your worry should be about what is to come after death.
Letters
His will shortly before his death
ومن كلام له (عليه السلام) قاله قبيل موته على سبيل الوصية لما ضربه ابن ملجم لعنه الله
Instructions made shortly before his death when he had been fatally wounded by a blow from the sword of (‘Abd ar-Raḥmān) Ibn Muljam (the curse of Allāh be upon him).
وَصِيَّتِي لَكُمْ: أَنْ لَّا تُشْرِكُوا بِاللهِ شَيْئاً، وَمُحَمَّدٌ (صلى الله عليه وآله) فَلاَ تُضَيِّعُوا سُنَّتَهُ، أَقِيمُوا هذَيْنِ الْعَمُودَينِ، وَأَوْقِدُوا هَذَيْنِ الْمِصْبَاحَيْنِ وَخَلَاكُمْ ذَمٌّ.
I enjoin upon you as my dying wish not to regard anything by way of partner with Allāh, not to disregard the sunnah of Muḥammad (may Allāh bless him and his descendants), establish these two pillars and light these two lamps. You will then be free from evil.
أَنَا بِالْأَمْسِ صَاحِبُكُمْ، وَالْيَوْمَ عِبْرَةٌ لَكُمْ، وَغَداً مُفَارِقُكُمْ، إِنْ أَبْقَ فَأَنَا وَلِيُّ دَمِي، وَإِنْ أَفْنَ فَالْفَنَاءُ مِيعَادِي، وَإِنْ أَعْفُ فَالْعَفْوُ لِي قُرْبَةٌ، وَهُوَ لَكُمْ حَسَنَةٌ، فَاعْفُوا ﴿أَلَا تُحِبُّونَ أَن يَغْفِرَ اللهُ لَكُمْ﴾.
Yesterday I was your companion and today I am (just) a lesson for you, while tomorrow I shall be leaving you. If I survive I shall be the master of my blood (to avenge or not to avenge it), and if I die then death is a promised event. If I forgive, it is for me a means of nearness (to Allāh) and for you a good act. Therefore, do forgive. What! Love you not that Allāh should forgive you? (Qur’ān, 24:22)
وَاللهِ مَا فَجَأَنِي مِنَ الْمَوْتِ وَارِدٌ كَرِهْتُهُ، وَلَا طَالِعٌ أَنْكَرْتُهُ، وَمَا كُنْتُ إِلَّا كَقَارِب وَرَدَ، وَطَالِب وَجَدَ، ﴿وَمَا عِندَ اللهِ خَيْرٌ لِّلْأَبْرَارِ﴾
By Allāh, this sudden death is not an event that I dislike, nor is it an accident that I hate. I am just like a night traveller who reaches the spring (in the morning) or like or seeker who secures (his aim): And whatever is with Allāh is the best for the righteous ones. (Qur’ān, 3:198)
قال السيد الشريف رضي الله عته : أقول: وقد مضى بعض هذا الكلام فيما تقدّم من الخطب، إلّا أنّ فيه هاهنا زيادة أوجبت تكريره.
as-Sayyid ar-Raḍī says: A part of this utterance has already appeared in the sermons but it was found necessary to record it again because of some additional matter.
Letters
His will upon his return from Siffin
ومن وصية له (عليه السلام) بما يعمل في أمواله كتبها بعد منصرفه من صفين
Amīr al-mu’minīn’s will as to how his property should be dealt with. He wrote it on return from Ṣiffīn.
هذَا مَا أَمَرَ بِهِ عَبْدُ اللهِ عَلِيُّ بْنُ أَبِي طَالِبٍ أَمِيرُ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ فِي مَالِهِ، ابْتِغَاءَ وَجْهِ اللهِ، لِيُولِجَهُ بِهِ الْجَنَّةَ، وَيُعْطِيَهُ الْأَمَنَةَ.
This is what ‘Alī ibn Abī Ṭālib, the slave of Allāh has laid down about his property, in pursuance of seeking Allāh’s pleasure so that He may by virtue of it give him entry into Paradise and accord him peace.
منها : فَإِنَّهُ يَقُومُ بِذلِكَ الْحَسنُ بْنُ عَلِيٍّ، يأْكُلُ مِنْهُ بِالْمَعْرُوفِ، وَيُنْفِقُ مِنْهُ فِي بِالْمَعْرُوفِ، فَإِنْ حَدَثَ بِحَسَنٍ حَدَثٌ وَحُسَيْنٌ حَيٌّ، قَامَ بِالْأَمْرِ بَعْدَهُ، وَأَصْدَرَهُ مَصْدَرَهُ.
A part of the same : It will be administered by Ḥasan ibn ‘Alī. He will take from it a suitable portion for his livelihood and spend it on charity. If something happens to Ḥasan, and Ḥusayn survives he will adminster it after Ḥasan, and deal with it accordingly.
وَإِنَّ لِابْنَيْ فَاطِمَةَ مِنْ صَدَقَةِ عَلِيٍّ مِثْلَ الَّذِي لِبَنِي عَلِيٍّ، وَإِنِّي إِنَّمَا جَعَلْتُ الْقِيَامَ بِذَلِكَ إِلَى ابْنَيْ فَاطِمَةَ ابْتِغَاءَ وَجْهِ اللهِ، وَقُرْبَةً إِلَى رَسُولِ اللهِ (صلى الله عليه وآله)، وَتَكْرِيماً لِحُرْمَتِهِ، وَتَشْرِيفاً لِوُصْلَتِهِ
In the charitable estate of the two sons of Fāṭimah they have the same rights as the all (other) sons of ‘Alī. I have laid down the (functions of) administration of the two sons of Fāṭimah in order to seek the pleasure of Allāh and nearness to the Messenger of Allāh (may Allāh bless him and his descendants) with due regard for his honour and consideration of his kinship.
