Nahj al-Balāgha

فَاتَّقِ اللهَ، وَارْدُدْ إِلَى هَؤُلَاءِ الْقَوْمِ أمَوَالَهُمْ، فإِنَّكَ إِنْ لَمْ تَفْعَلْ ثُمَّ أَمْكَنَنِي اللهُ مِنْكَ لَأُعْذِرَنَّ إِلَى اللهِ فِيكَ، وَلَأَضْرِبَنَّكَ بِسَيْفِي الَّذِي مَا ضَرَبْتُ بِهِ أَحَداً إِلَّا دَخَلَ النَّارَ!

Fear Allāh and return to these people their properties. If you do not do so and Allāh grants me power over you I shall excuse myself before Allāh about you and strike you with my sword with which I did not strike anyone but that he went to Hell.

وَوَاللهِ لَوْ أَنَّ الْحَسَنَ وَالْحُسَيْنَ فعَلاَ مِثْلَ الَّذِي فَعَلْتَ، مَا كَانَتْ لَهُمَا عِنْدِي هَوَادَةٌ، وَلَا ظَفِرَا مِنِّي بِإِرَادَةٍ، حَتَّى آخُذَ الْحَقَّ مِنْهُمَا، وَأُزِيحَ الْبَاطِلَ عَنْ مَظْلَمَتِهِمَا.

By Allāh, even if Ḥasan and Ḥusayn had done what you did there would have been no leniency with me for them and they could not have won their way with me till I had recovered from them the right and destroyed the wrong produced by their unjust action.

وَأُقْسِمُ بِاللهِ رَبِّ الْعَالَمِينَ مَا يَسُرُّنِي أَنَّ مَا أَخَذْتَهُ مِنْ أَمْوَالِهِمْ حَلاَلٌ لِي، أَتْرُكُهُ مِيرَاثاً لِمَنْ بَعْدِي،

I swear by Allāh, the Lord of all beings, that I would not be pleased to regard their money which you have appropriated as lawful for me and to leave it to my successors by way of inheritance.

فَضَحِّ رُوَيْداً، فَكَأنَّكَ قَدْ بَلَغَتَ الْمَدَى، وَدُفِنْتَ تَحْتَ الثَّرَى، وَعُرِضَتْ عَلَيْكَ أَعْمَالُكَ بِالْـمَحَلِّ الَّذِي يُنَادِي الظَّالِمُ فِيهِ بِالْحَسْرَةِ، وَيَتَمَنَّى الْمُضَيِّعُ فِيهِ الرَّجْعَةَ، ﴿وَلَاتَ حِينَ مَنَاصٍ﴾.

Mind yourself and consider for a while as though you had reached the end of life and had been buried under the earth. Then your actions will be presented before you in the place where the oppressor cries “Alas” while he who wasted his life yearns for return (to the world), but time was none to escape. (Qur’ān, 38:3)

ومن كتاب له (عليه السلام) إلى عمر بن أبي سلمة المخزومي وكان عامله على البحرين، فعزله، واستعمل النعمان بن عجلان الزرقي مكانه

To ‘Umar ibn Abī Salamah al-Makhzūmī (foster son of the Holy Prophet from Umm al-mu’minīn, Umm Salamah) who was Amīr al-mu’minīn’s Governor of Bahrain, but whom he removed and replaced by an-Nu‘mān ibn Ajlān az-Zuraqī.

أَمَّا بَعْدُ، فَإِنِّي قَدْ وَلَّيْتُ النُعْمَانَ بْنَ عَجْلاَنَ الزُّرَقيَّ عَلَى الْبَحْرَيْنِ، وَنَزَعْتُ يَدَكَ، بِلَا ذَمٍّ لَكَ، وَلَا تَثْرِيبٍ عَلَيْكَ، فَلَقَدْ أَحْسَنْتَ الْوِلَايَةَ، وَأَدَّيْتَ الْأَمَانَةَ، فَأَقْبِلْ غَيْرَ ظَنِينٍ، وَلَا مَلُومٍ، وَلَا مُتَّهَمٍ، وَلَا مَأْثُومٍ، فَقَدْ أَرَدْتُ الْمَسِيرَ إِلَى ظَلَمَةِ أَهْلِ الشَّامِ، وَأَحْبَبْتُ أَنْ تَشْهَدَ مَعِي، فَإِنَّكَ مِمَّنْ أَسْتَظْهِرُ بِهِ عَلَى جِهَادِ الْعَدُوِّ، وَإِقَامَةِ عَمُودِ الدِّيِنِ، إِنْ شَاءَ اللهُ.

Now, I have posted an-Nu‘mān ibn ‘Ajlān az-Zuraqī at Bahrain and have released you from that position without anything bad from you nor reproach on you, because you managed the governorship well and discharged the obligations. Therefore, proceed to me when you are neither suspected nor rebuked, neither blamed nor guilty. I have just intended to proceed towards the recalcitrant of Syria and desired that you should be with me because you are among those on whom I rely in fighting the enemy and erecting the pillars of religion, if Allāh wills.

ومن كتاب له (عليه السلام) إلى مصقلة بن هبيرة الشيباني وهو عامله على أردشير خُرة

To Masqalah ibn Hubayrah ash-Shaybānī, the Governor of Ardashīr Khurrah (Iran).

بَلَغَنِي عَنْكَ أَمْرٌ إِنْ كُنْتَ فَعَلْتَهُ فَقَدْ أَسْخَطْتَ إِلهَكَ، وَأَغْضَبْتَ [وَعَصَيْتَ] إِمَامَكَ: أَنَّكَ تَقْسِمُ فَيْءَ الْمُسْلِمِينَ الَّذِي حَازَتْهُ رِمَاحُهُمْ وَخُيُولُهُمْ، وَأُرِيقَتْ عَلَيْهِ دِمَاؤُهُمْ، فِيمَنِ اعْتَامَكَ مِنْ أَعْرَابِ قَوْمِكَ،

I have come to know concerning you a matter which if you have done it you have displeased your Allāh and disobeyed your Imam. You are distributing among the Arabs (Bedouins) of your kin who tend towards you the property of the Muslims which they collected by dint of their spears and horses and on which their blood was shed.

فَوَالَّذِي فَلَقَ الْحَبَّةَ، وَبَرَأَ النَّسَمَةَ، لَئِنْ كَانَ ذَلِكَ حَقّاً لَتَجِدَنَّ بِكَ [لَكَ] عَلَيَّ هَوَاناً، وَلَتَخِفَّنَّ عِنْدِي مِيزَاناً، فَلَا تَسْتَهِنْ بِحَقِّ رَبِّكَ، وَلَا تُصْلِحْ دُنْيَاكَ بِمَحْقِ دِينِكَ، فَتَكُونَ مِنَ الْأَخْسَرِينَ أَعْمَالًا.

By Allāh Who germinated the seed and created living beings, if this is true you will be humbled in my view and you will become light in weight. Therefore, do not treat lightly the obligations of your Lord and do not reform your world by ruining your religion, since then you will be among losers by the way of (your) actions.

أَلَا وَإِنَّ حَقَّ مَنْ قِبَلَكَ وَقِبَلَنَا مِنَ الْمُسْلِمِينَ فِي قِسْمَةِ هذَا الْفَيْءِ سَوَاءٌ، يَرِدُونَ عِنْدِي عَلَيْهِ، وَيَصْدُرُونَ عَنْهُ.

Know that the right of those Muslims who are around you and those who are around me in this property is equal. For that reason they come to me and take from it.