Nahj al-Balāgha

وَاللهَ اللهَ فِي الْجِهَادِ بِأَمْوَالِكُمْ وَأَنْفُسِكُمْ وَأَلْسِنَتِكُمْ فِي سَبِيلِ اللهِ.

(Fear) Allāh (and) keep Allāh in view in the matter of jihād with the help of your property, lives and tongues in the way of Allāh.

وَعَلَيْكُمْ بِالتَّوَاصُلِ وَالتَّبَاذُلِ، وَإِيَّاكُمْ وَالتَّدَابُرَ وَالتَّقَاطُعَ. لَا تَتْرُكُوا الْأَمْرَ بِالْمَعْرُوفِ وَالنَّهْيَ عَنِ الْمُنْكَرِ فَيُوَلَّى عَلَيْكُمْ أَشْرَارُكُمْ، ثُمَّ تَدْعُونَ فَلَا يُسْتَجَابُ لَكُمْ.

You should keep to a respect for kinship and spending for others. Avoid turning away from one another and severing mutual relations. Do not give up bidding for good and forbidding from evil lest the mischievous gain positions over you, and then if you will pray, the prayers will not be granted.

ثمّ قال: يَا بَنِي عَبْدِ الْمُطَّلِبِ، لَا أُلْفِيَنَّكُمْ تَخُوضُونَ دِمَاءَ الْمُسْلِمِينَ خَوْضاً، تَقُولُونَ: قُتِلَ أَمِيرُ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ. أَلَا لَا تَقْتُلُنَّ بِي إِلَّا قَاتِلِي.

Then he said: O’ sons of ‘Abd al-Muṭṭalib, certainly I do not wish to see you plunging harshly into the blood of Muslims shouting “Amīr al-mu’minīn has been killed.” Beware, do not kill on account of me except my killer.

انْظُرُوا إِذَا أَنَا مِتُّ مِنْ ضَرْبَتِهِ هَذِهِ، فَاضْرِبُوهُ ضَرْبَةً بِضَرْبَةٍ، وَلَا يُمَثَّلُ [تُمَثِّلُوا] بِالرَّجُلِ، فَإِنِّي سَمِعْتُ رَسُولَ اللهِ (صلى الله عليه وآله) يَقُولُ : «إِيَّاكُمْ وَالْمُثْلَةَ وَلَوْ بَالْكَلْبِ الْعَقُورِ».

Wait till I die by his (Ibn Muljam’s) existing stroke. Then strike him one stroke for his stroke and do not dismember the limbs of the man, for I have heard the Messenger of Allah (s) saying, “Avoid cutting limbs even though it may be a rabid dog.”

ومن كتاب له (عليه السلام) إلى معاوية

To Mu‘āwiyah

فَإِنَّ الْبَغْيَ وَالزُّورَ يُوتِغَانِ الْمَرْء فِي دِينِهِ وَدُنْيَاهُ، وَيُبْدِيَانِ خَلَلَهُ عِنْدَ مَنْ يَعِيبُهُ، وَقَدْ عَلِمْتُ أَنَّكَ غَيْرُ مُدْرِكٍ مَا قُضِيَ فَوَاتُهُ، وَقَدْ رَامَ أَقْوَامٌ أَمْراً بِغَيْرِ الْحَقِّ، فَتَأَوَّلوا [فَتَأَلَّوْا] عَلَى اللهِ فَأَكْذَبَهُمْ، فَاحْذَرْ يَوْماً يُغْتَبطُ فِيهِ مَنْ أَحْمَدَ عَاقِبَةَ عَمَلِهِ، وَيَنْدَمُ مَنْ أَمْكَنَ الشَّيْطَانَ مِنْ قِيَادِهِ فَلَمْ يُجَاذِبْهُ.

Surely, revolt and falsehood abase a man in his religious as well as worldly matters and manifest his shortcomings before his critic. You know that you cannot catch what is destined to remain away from you. Many people had aims other than right (ones) and began to swear by Allāh (that they will attain their goal) but He falsified them. Therefore, fear the Day when happy is he who made his end happy (by good actions) while repentant is he who allowed Satan to lead him and did not resist him.

وَقَدْ دَعَوْتَنَا إِلَى حُكْمِ الْقُرْآنِ وَلَسْتَ مِنْ أَهْلِهِ، وَلَسْنَا إِيَّاكَ أَجَبْنَا، وَلَكِنَّا أَجَبْنَا الْقُرْآنَ فِي حُكْمِهِ، وَالسَّلَامُ.

You called us to a settlement through the Qur’ān although you were not a man of the Qur’ān, and we responded to the Qur’ān through its judgement, and not to you; and that is an end to the matter.

ومن كتاب له (عليه السلام) إلى معاوية أيضا

To Mu‘āwiyah

أَمَّا بَعْدُ، فَإِنَّ الدُّنْيَا مَشْغَلَةٌ عَنْ غَيْرِهَا، وَلَمْ يُصِبْ صَاحِبُهَا مِنْهَا شَيْئاً إِلَّا فَتَحَتْ لَهُ حِرْصاً عَلَيْهَا، وَلَهَجاً بِهَا، وَلَنْ يَسْتَغْنِيَ صَاحِبُهَا بِمَا نَالَ فِيهَا عَمَّا لَمْ يَبْلُغْهُ مِنْهَا، وَمِنْ وَرَاءِ ذلِكَ فِرَاقُ مَا جَمَعَ، وَنَقْضُ مَا أَبْرَمَ! وَلَوِ اعْتَبَرْتَ بِمَا مَضَى حَفِظْتَ مَا بَقِيَ، وَالسَّلَامُ.

So now, this world turns away from the next one. He who is devoted to it achieves nothing from it except that it increases his greed and coveting for it. He who is devoted to it is not satisfied with what he gets from it because of what he has not got. Eventually, there is separation from what has been amassed, and a breaking of what has been strengthened. If you take a lesson from the past you can be safe in the future; and that is an end to the matter.

ومن كتاب له (عليه السلام) إلى أمرائه على الجيوش

To the officers of his army