Nahj al-Balāgha

فَإِنِّي أُوصِيكَ بِتَقْوَى اللهِ أَيْ بُنَيَّ، وَلُزُومِ أَمْرِهِ، وَعِمَارَةِ قَلْبِكَ بِذِكْرِهِ، وَالِاعْتِصَامِ بِحَبْلِهِ، وَأَيُّ سَبَبٍ أَوْثَقُ مِنْ سَبَبٍ بَيْنَكَ وَبَيْنَ اللهِ إِنْ أَنْتَ أَخَذْتَ بِهِ.

I advise you to fear Allāh, O my child, abide by His commands, fill your heart with remembrance of Him and cling to hope from Him. No connection is more reliable than the connection between you and Allāh provided you take hold of it.

أَحْيِي قَلْبَكَ بِالْمَوْعِظَةِ، وَأَمِتْهُ بِالزَّهَادَةِ، وَقَوِّهِ بِالْيَقِينِ، وَنَوِّرْهُ بِالْحِكْمَةِ، وَذَلِّلْهُ بِذِكْرِ الْمَوْتِ، وَقَرِّرْهُ بِالْفَنَاءِ، وَبَصِّرْهُ فَجَائِعَ الدُّنْيَا، وَحَذِّرْهُ صَوْلَةَ الدَّهْرِ، وَفُحْشَ تَقَلُّبِ اللَّيَالِي وَالْأَيَّامِ، وَاعْرِضْ عَلَيْهِ أَخْبَارَ الْمَاضِينَ، وَذَكِّرْهُ بِمَا أَصَابَ مَنْ كَانَ قَبْلَكَ مِنَ الْأَوَّلِينَ، وَسِرْ فِي دِيَارِهِمْ وَآثَارِهِمْ، فَانْظُرْ فِيمَا فَعَلُوا وَعَمَّا انْتَقَلُوا، وَأَيْنَ حَلُّوا وَنَزَلُوا، فَإِنَّكَ تَجِدْهُمُ قَدِ انْتَقَلُوا عَنِ الْأَحِبَّةِ، وَحَلُّوا دِيَارَ الْغُرْبَةِ، وَكَأَنَّكَ عَنْ قَلِيلٍ قَدْ صِرْتَ كَأَحَدِهِمْ.

Enliven your heart with preaching, kill it by denial, energise it with firm belief, enlighten it with wisdom, humiliate it by recalling death, make it believe in mortality, make it see the misfortunate of this world, make it fear the authority of the time and the severity of some changes during the nights and the days, place before it the events of past people, recall to it what befell those who were before you and walk among their cities and ruins, then see what they did and from what they have gone away and where they have gone and stayed. You will find that they departed from (their) friends and remain in loneliness. Shortly, you too will be like one of them.

فَأَصْلِحْ مَثْوَاكَ، وَلَا تَبِعْ آخِرَتَكَ بِدُنْيَاكَ، وَدَعِ الْقَوْلَ فِيمَا لَا تَعْرِفُ، وَالْخِطَابَ فِيمَا لَمْ تُكَلَّفْ، وَأَمْسِكْ عَنْ طَرِيقٍ إِذَا خِفْتَ ضَلاَلَتَهُ فَإِنَّ الْكَفَّ عِنْدَ حَيْرَةِ الضَّلاَلِ خَيْرٌ مِنْ رُكُوبِ الْأَهْوَالِ.

Therefore, plan for your place of stay and do not sell your next life with this world. Give up discussing what you do not know and speaking about what does not concern you. Keep off the track from which you fear to go astray because refraining (from moving) when there is fear of straying is better than embarking on dangers.

وَأْمُرْ بِالْمَعْرُوفِ تَكُنْ مِنْ أَهْلِهِ، وَأَنْكِرِ الْمُنْكَرَ بِيَدِكَ وَلِسَانِكَ، وَبَايِنْ مَنْ فَعَلَهُ بِجُهْدِكَ، وَجَاهِدْ فِي اللهِ حَقَّ جِهَادِهِ، وَلَا تَأْخُذْكَ فِي اللهِ لَوْمَةُ لَائِمٍ، وَخُضِ الْغَمَرَاتِ لِلْحَقِّ حَيْثُ كَانَ، وَتَفَقَّهْ فِي الدِّينِ، وَعَوِّدْ نَفْسَكَ التَّصَبُّرَ عَلَى الْمَكْرُوهِ، وَنِعْمَ الْخُلُقُ التَّصَبُّرُ فِي الْحَقِّ! وَأَلْجِئْ نَفْسَكَ فِي أُمُورِكَ كُلِّهَا إِلَى إِلهِكَ، فَإِنَّكَ تُلْجِئُهَا إِلَى كَهْفٍ حَرِيز، وَمَانِع عَزِيزٍ. وَأَخْلِصْ فِي الْمَسْأَلَةِ لِرَبِّكَ، فَإِنَّ بِيَدِهِ الْعَطَاءَ وَالْحِرْمَانَ، وَأَكْثِرِ الِاسْتِخَارَةَ،

Ask others to do good; you will thus be among the good doers. Desist others from evil with your action as well as your speech and keep off, to the best of your ability, from he who commits it. Struggle for Allāh as is His due; and the reviling of a reviler should not deter you in matters of Allāh. Leap into dangers for the sake of right wherever it be. Acquire insight into religious law. Habituate yourself to endure hardships since the best trait of character is endurance in matters of right. In all your affairs resign yourself to your Allāh, because you will thus be resigning yourself to a secure shelter and a strong protector. You should ask only from your Lord because in His hand is all the giving and depriving. Seek good (from Allāh) as much as you can.

وَتَفَهَّمْ وَصِيَّتِي، وَلَا تَذْهَبَنَّ عَنْكَ صَفْحاً، فَإِنَّ خَيْرَ الْقَوْلِ مَا نَفَعَ. وَاعْلَمْ أَنَّهُ لَا خَيْرَ فِي عِلْمٍ لَا يَنْفَعُ، وَلَا يُنْتَفَعُ بِعِلْمٍ لَا يَحِقُّ تَعَلُّمُهُ.

Understand my advice an do not turn away from it, because the best saying is that which benefits. Know that there is no good in that knowledge which does not benefit, and if knowledge is not made use of then its acquisition is not justified.

أَيْ بُنَيَّ، إِنِّي لَمَّا رَأَيْتُنِي قَدْ بَلَغْتُ سِنّاً، وَرَأَيْتُنِي أَزْدَادُ وَهْناً، بَادَرْتُ بِوَصِيَّتِي إِلَيْكَ، وَأَوْرَدْتُ خِصَالًا مِنْهَا قَبْلَ أَنْ يَعْجَلَ بِي أَجَلِي دُونَ أَنْ أُفْضِيَ إِلَيْكَ بِمَا فِي نَفْسِي، أَوْ أَنْ أُنْقَصَ فِي رَأْيِي كَمَا نُقِصْتُ فِي جِسْمِي، أَوْ يَسْبِقَنِي إِلَيْكَ بَعْضُ غَلَبَاتِ الْهَوَى وَفِتَنِ الدُّنْيَا، فَتَكُونَ كَالصَّعْبِ النَّفُورِ. وَإِنَّمَا قَلْبُ الْحَدَثِ كَالْأَرْضِ الْخَالِيَةِ مَا أُلْقِيَ فِيهَا مِنْ شَيْ‏ءٍ قَبِلَتْهُ، فَبَادَرْتُكَ بِالْأَدَبِ قَبْلَ أَنْ يَقْسُوَ قَلْبُكَ، وَيَشْتَغِلَ لُبُّكَ، لِتَسْتَقْبِلَ بِجِدِّ رَأْيِكَ مِنَ الْأَمْرِ مَا قَدْ كَفَاكَ أَهْلُ التَّجَارِبِ بُغْيَتَهُ وَتَجْرِبَتَهُ، فَتَكُونَ قَدْ كُفِيتَ مَؤُونَةَ الطَّلَبِ، وَعُوفِيتَ مِنْ عِلاَجِ التَّجْرِبَةِ، فَأَتَاكَ مِنْ ذلِكَ مَا قَدْ كُنَّا نَأْتِيهِ، وَاسْتَبَانَ لَكَ مَا رُبَّمَا أَظْلَمَ عَلَيْنَا مِنْهُ.

O’ my child, when I noticed that I was of goodly age and noticed that I was increasing in weakness I hastened with my will for you and wrote down salient points of it lest death overtook me before I divulged to you what I have in my heart, or lest my wit be affected as my body has been affected, or the forces of passions or the mischiefs of the world overtake you making you like a stubborn camel. Certainly, the heart of a young man is like uncultivated land. It accepts whatever is strewn on it. So, I hastened to mould you properly before your heart hardened up and your mind became occupied, so that you might be ready to accept through your intelligence the results of the experience of others and be saved from going through these experiences yourself. In this way, you would avoid the hardship of seeking them and the difficulties of experimenting. Thus, you are getting to know what we had experienced and even those things are becoming clear to you which we might have missed.

أَيْ بُنَيَّ، إِنِّي وَإِنْ لَمْ أَكُنْ عُمِّرْتُ عُمُرَ مَنْ كَانَ قَبْلِي، فَقَدْ نَظَرْتُ فِي أَعْمَالِهِمْ ، وَفَكَّرْتُ فِي أَخْبَارِهِمْ ، وَسِرْتُ فِي آثَارِهِمْ، حَتَّى عُدْتُ كَأَحَدِهِمْ، بَلْ كَأَنِّي بِمَا انْتَهَى إِلَيَّ مِنْ أُمُورِهِمْ قَدْ عُمِّرْتُ مَعَ أَوَّلِهِمْ إِلَى آخِرِهِمْ، فَعَرَفْتُ صَفْوَ ذلِكَ مِنْ كَدَرِهِ، وَنَفْعَهُ مِنْ ضَرَرِهِ، فَاسْتَخْلَصْتُ لَكَ مِنْ كُلِّ أَمْرٍ نَخِيلَهُ، وَتَوَخَّيْتُ لَكَ جَمِيلَهُ، وَصَرَفْتُ عَنْكَ مَجْهُولَهُ، وَرَأَيْتُ حَيْثُ عَنَانِي مِنْ أَمْرِكَ مَا يَعْنِي الْوَالِدَ الشَّفِيقَ، وَأَجْمَعْتُ عَلَيْهِ مِنْ أَدَبِكَ أَنْ يَكُونَ ذلِكَ وَأَنْتَ مُقْبِلُ الْعُمُرِ وَمُقْتَبَلُ الدَّهْرِ، ذُو نِيَّة سَلِيمَة، وَنَفْسٍ صَافِيَةٍ، وَأَنْ أَبْتَدِئَكَ بِتَعْلِيمِ كِتَابِ اللهِ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ وَتَأْوِيلِهِ، وَشَرَائِعِ الْإِسْلَامِ وَأَحْكَامِهِ ، وَحَلاَلِهِ وَحَرَامِهِ، لَا أُجَاوِزُ ذلِكَ بِكَ إِلَى غَيْرِهِ. ثُمَّ أَشْفَقْتُ أَنْ يَلْتَبِسَ عَلَيْكَ مَا اخْتَلَفَ النَّاسُ فِيهِ مِنْ أَهْوَائِهِمْ وَآرَائِهِمْ مِثْلَ الَّذِي الْتَبَسَ عَلَيْهِمْ، فَكَانَ إِحْكَامُ ذَلِكَ عَلَى مَا كَرِهْتُ مِنْ تَنْبِيهِكَ لَهُ أَحَبَّ إِلَيَّ مِنْ إِسْلاَمِكَ إِلَى أَمْرٍ لَا آمَنُ عَلَيْكَ بِهِ الْهَلَكَةَ وَرَجَوْتُ أَنْ يُوَفِّقَكَ اللهُ فِيهِ لِرُشْدِكَ، وَأَنْ يَهْدِيَكَ لِقَصْدِكَ، فَعَهِدْتُ إِلَيْكَ وَصِيَّتِي هذِهِ.

O’ my child, even though I have not reached the age which those before me have, yet I looked into their behaviour and thought over events of their lives. I walked among their ruins till I was as one of them. In fact, by virtue of those of their affairs that have become known to me it is as though I have lived with them from the first to the last. I have therefore been able to discern the impure from the clean and the benefit from the harm. I have selected for you the choicest of those matters and collected for you their good points and have kept away from you their useless points. Since I feel for your affairs as a loving father should feel and I aim at giving you training, I thought it should be at a time when you are advancing in age and new on the stage of the world, possessing upright intention and clean heart and that I should begin with the teaching of the Book of Allāh, to Whom belongs Might and Majesty, and its interpretation, the laws of Islam and its commands, its lawful matters and unlawful matters and that I should not go beyond these for you. Then I feared lest you should get confused as other people had been confused on account of their passions and (different) views. Therefore, in spite of my dislike for you being so warned, I thought it better for me to make this position strong rather than leave you in a position where I do not regard you safe from falling into destruction. I hoped that Allāh would help you in your straightforwardness and guide you in your resoluteness. Consequently, I wrote this piece of my will for you.

وَاعْلَمْ يَا بُنَيَّ أَنَّ أَحَبَّ مَا أَنْتَ آخِذٌ بِهِ إِلَيَّ مِنْ وَصِيَّتِي تَقْوَى اللهِ وَالِاقْتِصَارُ عَلَى مَا فَرَضَهُ اللهُ عَلَيْكَ، وَالْأَخْذُ بِمَا مَضَى عَلَيْهِ الْأَوَّلُونَ مِنْ آبَائِكَ، وَالصَّالِحُونَ مِنْ أَهْلِ بَيْتِكَ، فَإِنَّهُمْ لَمْ يَدَعُوا أَنْ نَظَرُوا لِأَنْفُسِهِمْ كَمَا أَنْتَ نَاظِرٌ، وَفَكَّرُوا كَمَا أَنْتَ مُفَكِّرٌ، ثُمَّ رَدَّهُمْ آخِرُ ذلِكَ إِلَى الْأَخْذِ بِمَا عَرَفُوا، وَالْإِمْسَاكِ عَمَّا لَمْ يُكَلَّفُوا، فَإِنْ أَبَتْ نَفْسُكَ أَنْ تَقْبَلَ ذلِكَ دُونَ أَنْ تَعْلَمَ كَمَا عَلِمُوا فَلْيَكُنْ طَلَبُكَ ذلِكَ بَتَفَهُّم وَتَعَلُّم، لَا بِتَوَرُّطِ الشُّبُهَاتِ، وَعُلَقِ الْخُصُومَاتِ.

Know O’ my child, that what I love most for you to adopt from my will is to fear Allāh, to confine yourself to what Allāh has made obligatory on you, and to follow the actions of your forefathers and the virtuous people of your household, because they did not fall short in seeing for themselves what you will see for yourself, and they did about their affairs as you would like to think (about your affairs). Thereafter, their thinking led them to discharge the obligations they came to know of and to desist from what they were not required to do. If your heart does not accept this without acquiring knowledge as they acquired it, then your search should first be by way of understanding and learning and not by falling into doubts or getting entangled in quarrels.

وَابْدَأْ قَبْلَ نَظَرِكَ فِي ذلِكَ بِالِاسْتِعَانَةِ بِإِلهِكَ، وَالرَّغْبَةِ إِلَيْهِ فِي تَوْفِيقِكَ، وَتَرْكِ كُلِّ شَائِبَةٍ أَوْلَجَتْكَ فِي شُبْهَةٍ، أَوْ أَسْلَمَتْكَ إِلَى ضَلَالَةٍ. فَإِنْ أَيْقَنْتَ أَنْ قَدْ صَفَا قَلْبُكَ فَخَشَعَ، وَتَمَّ رَأْيُكَ فَاجْتَمَعَ، وَكَانَ هَمُّكَ فِي ذلِكَ هَمّاً وَاحِداً، فَانْظُرْ فِيمَا فَسَّرْتُ لَكَ، وَإِنْ أنت لَمْ يَجْتَمِعْ لَكَ مَا تُحِبُّ مِنْ نَفْسِكَ، وَفَرَاغِ نَظَرِكَ وَفِكْرِكَ، فَاعْلَمْ أَنَّكَ إِنَّمَا تَخْبِطُ الْعَشْوَاءِ، وَتَتَوَرَّطُ الظَّلْمَاءَ. وَلَيْسَ طَالِبُ الدِّينِ مَنْ خَبَطَ أَوْ خَلَطَ، وَالْإِمْسَاكُ عَنْ ذلِكَ أَمْثَلُ.

And before you probe into this, you should begin by seeking your Allāh’s help and turning to Him for competence and keeping aloof from everything that throws you into doubt or flings you towards misguidance. When you have made sure that your heart is clean and humble and your thoughts have come together and you have only one thought which is about this matter, then you will see what I have explained to you; but if you have not been able to achieve that peace of observation and thinking which you would like to have, then know that you are only stamping the ground like a blind she-camel and falling into darkness while a seeker of religion should not grope in the dark or create confusion. It is better to avoid this.

فَتَفَهَّمْ يَا بُنَيَّ وَصِيَّتِي، وَاعْلَمْ أَنَّ مَالِكَ الْمَوْتِ هُوَ مَالِكُ الْحَيَاةِ، وَأَنَّ الْخَالِقَ هُوَ الْمُمِيتُ، وَأَنَّ الْمُفْنِيَ هُوَ الْمُعِيدُ، وَأَنَّ الْمُبْتَلِيَ هُوَ الْمُعَافِي، وَأَنَّ الدُّنْيَا لَمْ تَكُنْ لِتَسْتَقِرَّ إِلَّا عَلَى مَا جَعَلَهَا اللهُ عَلَيْهِ مِنَ النَّعْمَاءِ، وَالِابْتِلَاءِ، وَالْجَزَاءِ فِي الْمَعَادِ، أَوْ مَا شَاءَ مِمَّا لَا تَعْلَمُ، فَإِنْ أَشْكَلَ عَلَيْكَ شَيْءٌ مِنْ ذلِكَ فَاحْمِلْهُ عَلَى جَهَالَتِكَ، فَإِنَّكَ أَوَّلُ مَا خُلِقْتَ بِهِ جَاهِلًا ثُمَّ عُلِّمْتَ، وَمَا أَكْثَرَ مَا تَجْهَلُ مِنَ الْأَمْرِ، وَيَتَحَيَّرُ فِيهِ رَأْيُكَ، وَيَضِلُّ فِيهِ بَصَرُكَ ثُمَّ تُبْصِرُهُ بَعْدَ ذلِكَ! فَاعْتَصِمْ بِالَّذِي خَلَقَكَ وَرَزَقَكَ وَسَوَّاكَ، وَلْيَكُنْ لَهُ تَعَبُّدُكَ، وَإِلَيْهِ رَغْبَتُكَ، وَمِنْهُ شَفَقَتُكَ.

Appreciate my advice, O’ my child, and know that He Who is the Master of death is also the Master of life, that the Creator causes death as well; that He Who destroys is also the restorer of life and that He Who inflicts disease is also the curer. This world continues in the way Allāh has made it with regard to its pleasures, trials, rewards on the Day of Judgement and all that He wishes and you do not know. If anything of this advice is not understood by you then attribute it to your ignorance of it, because when you were first born you were born ignorant. Thereafter, you acquired knowledge. There are many matters of which you are ignorant and in which your sight first wonders and your eye wanders then after this you see them. Therefore, cling to Him Who created you, fed you and put you in order. Your worship should be for Him, your eagerness should be towards Him and your fear should be of Him.