Nahj al-Balāgha

مِنْ عَبْدِ اللهِ عَلِيٍّ أَمِيرِ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ إِلَى مَنْ مَرَّ بِهِ الْجَيْشُ مِنْ جُبَاةِ الْخَرَاجِ وَعُمَّالِ الْبِلَادِ.

From the servant of Allāh ‘Alī, Amīr al-mu’minīn to all the collectors of revenue and officers of the realm through whose area the army passes.

أَمَّا بَعْدُ، فَإِنِّي قَدْ سَيَّرْتُ جُنُوداً هِيَ مَارَّةٌ بِكُمْ إِنْ شَاءَ اللهُ، وَقَدْ أَوْصَيْتُهُمْ بِمَا يَجِبُ لِلَّهِ عَلَيْهِمْ مِنْ كَفِّ الْأَذَى، وَصَرْفِ الشَّذَا، وَأَنَا أَبْرَأُ إِلَيْكُمْ وَإِلَى ذِمَّتِكُمْ مِنْ مَعَرَّةِ الْجَيْشِ، إِلَّا مِنْ جَوْعَةِ الْمُضْطَرِّ، لَا يَجِدُ عَنْهَا مَذْهَباً إلَى شِبَعِهِ. فَنَكِّلُوا مَنْ تَنَاوَلَ مِنْهُمْ شَيْئاً ظُلْماً عَنْ ظُلْمِهِمْ، وَكُفُّوا أَيْدِيَ سُفَهَائِكُمْ عَنْ مُضَادَّتِهِمْ [مُضَارَّتِهِمْ]، وَالتَّعَرُّضِ لَهُمْ فِيمَا اسْتَثْنَيْنَاهُ مِنْهُمْ.

Now, I have sent an army that will pass by you, if Allāh wills. I have instructed them about what Allāh has made obligatory on them, namely that they should avoid molestation and avert harm. I hold myself clear before you and those (unbelievers) who are under your protection from any annoyance committed by the army except when one is compelled by hunger and there is no other way of satisfying it. If anyone of them takes anything through force you should punish him. None of you should be foolish enough to obstruct them or intervene in matters which we have allowed them by way of exception.

وَأَنَا بَيْنَ أَظْهُرِ الْجَيْشِ، فَارْفَعُوا إِلَيَّ مَظَالِمَكُمْ، وَمَا عَرَاكُمْ مِمَّا يَغْلِبُكُمْ مِنْ أَمْرِهِمْ، وَ[مَا] لَا تُطِيقُونَ دَفْعَهُ إِلَّا بِاللهِ وَبِي،فَأَنَا أُغَيِّرْهُ بِمَعُونَةِ اللهِ، إِنْ شَاءَ اللهُ.

I am myself within the army. So, refer to me their high-handedness and any hardship which is caused by them and which you cannot avert except through Allāh and through me. I shall then avert it with the help of Allāh, if He so wills.

ومن كتاب له (عليه السلام) إلى كميل بن زياد النخعي وهو عامله على هيت ينكر عليه تركه دفع من يجتاز به من جيش العدو طالبا الغارة

To Kumayl ibn Ziyād an-Nakha‘ī, the Governor of Hit expressing displeasure on his inability to prevent the the enemy forces that passed through his area from marauding.

أَمَّا بَعْدُ، فَإِنَّ تَضْيِيعَ الْمَرْءِ مَا وُلِّيَ، وَتَكَلُّفَهُ مَا كُفِيَ، لَعَجْزٌ حَاضِرٌ، وَرَأْيٌ مُتَبَّرٌ، وَإِنَّ تَعَاطِيَكَ الْغَارَةَ عَلَى أَهْلِ قِرْقِيسِيَا، وَتَعْطِيلَكَ مَسَالِحَكَ الَّتِي وَلَّيْنَاكَ ـ لَيْسَ بِهَا مَنْ يَمْنعُهَا، وَلَا يَرُدُّ الْجَيْشَ عَنْهَا ـ لَرَأْيٌ شَعَاعٌ. فَقَدْ صِرْتَ جِسرْاً لِمَنْ أَرَادَ الْغَارَةَ مِنْ أَعْدَائِكَ عَلَى أَوْلِيَائِكَ، غَيْرَ شَدِيدِ الْمَنْكِبِ، وَلَا مَهِيبِ الْجَانِبِ، وَلَا سَادٍّ ثُغْرَةً، وَلَا كَاسِرٍ لِعَدُوٍّ شَوْكَةً، وَلَا مُغْنٍ عَنْ أَهْلِ مِصْرِهِ، وَلَا مُجْز عَنْ أَميِرِهِ.

Now, the neglecting by a man of what he has been made responsible for and doing what is to be done by others is a manifest weakness and a ruinous sight. Certainly, your advance on the people of Qarqīsiyā, and your leaving the arsenals over which we had set you, without anyone to protect them or to repulse the enemy force, savoured of shattered thinking. In this way, you served like a bridge for the enemy who came marauding on your allies while your arms were weak, you had no awe around you; you could not prevent the enemy from advancing; you could not break his might; you could not defend the people of your area and you could not discharge functions on behalf of your Imām.

ومن كتاب له (عليه السلام) إلى أهل مصر مع مالك الأشتر لما ولاه إمارتها

To the people of Egypt sent through Mālik al-Ashtar when he was made the Governor of that place

أَمَّا بَعْدُ، فَإِنَّ اللهَ سُبْحَانَهُ بَعَثَ مُحَمَّداً (صلى الله عليه وآله) نَذِيراً لِلْعَالَمِينَ، وَمُهَيْمِناً عَلَى الْمُرْسَلِينَ. فلمَّا مَضى (عليه السلام) تنَازَعَ الْمُسْلِمُونَ الْأَمْرَ مِنْ بَعْدِهِ.

Now, Allāh the Glorified, deputed Muḥammad (may Allāh bless him and his descendants) as a warner for all the worlds and a witness for all the prophets. When the Prophet expired, the Muslims quarreled about power after him.

فَوَاللهِ مَا كَانَ يُلْقَى فِي رُوعِي، وَلَا يَخْطُرُ بِبَالِي، أَنَّ الْعَرَبَ تُزْعِجُ هَذَا الْأَمْرَ مِنْ بَعْدِهِ (صلى الله عليه وآله) عَنْ أَهْلِ بَيْتِهِ، وَلَا أَنَّهُمْ مُنَحُّوهُ عَنِّي مِنْ بَعْدِهِ! فَمَا رَاعَنِي إِلَّا انْثِيَالُ النَّاسِ عَلَى فُلَانٍ يُبَايِعُونَهُ.

By Allāh, it never occurred to me, and I never imagined, that after the Prophet the Arabs would snatch away the caliphate from his Ahlu’l-bayt (the members of his house), nor that they would take it away from me after him, but I suddenly noticed people surrounding the man to swear him allegiance. [1]

فَأَمْسَكْتُ يَدِي حَتَّى رَأيْتُ رَاجِعَةَ النَّاسِ قَدْ رَجَعَتْ عَنِ الْإِسْلَامِ، يَدْعُونَ إِلَى مَحْقِ دِينِ مُحَمَّدٍ (صلى الله عليه وآله) فَخَشِيتُ إِنْ لَمْ أَنْصُرِ الْإِسْلَامَ وَأَهْلَهُ أَنْ أَرَى فِيهِ ثَلْماً أَوْ هَدْماً، تَكُونُ الْمُصِيبَةُ بِهِ عَلَيَّ أَعْظَمَ مِنْ فَوْتِ وِلَايَتِكُمُ الَّتِي إِنَّمَا هِيَ مَتَاعُ أَيَّامٍ قَلَائِلَ، يَزُولُ مِنْهَا مَا كَانَ، كَمَا يَزُولُ السَّرَابُ، أَوْ كَمَا يَتَقَشَّعُ السَّحَابُ، فَنَهَضْتُ فِي تِلْكَ الْأَحْدَاثِ حَتَّى زَاحَ الْبَاطِلُ وَزَهَقَ، وَاطْمَأَنَّ الدِّينُ وَتَنَهْنَهَ.

I therefore withheld my hand till I saw that many people were reverting from Islam and trying to destroy the religion of Muḥammad (may Allāh bless him and his descendants). I then feared that if I did not protect Islam and its people and there occurred in it a breach or destruction, it would mean a greater blow to me than the loss of power over you which was, in any case, to last for a few days of which everything would pass away as the mirage passes away, or as the cloud scuds away. Therefore, in these happenings I rose till wrong was destroyed and disappeared, and religion attained peace and safety.

( وَمِنْهُ:) إِنِّي وَاللهِ لَوْ لَقِيتُهُمْ وَاحِداً وَهُمْ طِلَاعُ الْأَرْضِ كُلِّهَا مَا بَالَيْتُ وَلَا اسْتَوْحَشْتُ، وَإِنِّي مِنْ ضَلَالِهِمُ الَّذِي هُمْ فِيهِ وَالْهُدَى الَّذِي أَنَا عَلَيْهِ لَعَلَى بَصِيرَةٍ مِنْ نَفْسِي وَيَقِينٍ مِنْ رَبِّي. وَإِنِّي إِلَى لِقَاءِ اللهِ لَمُشْتَاقٌ، وَلِحُسْنِ ثَوَابِهِ لَمُنْتَظِرٌ رَاجٍ، وَلَكِنَّنِي آسَى أَنْ يَلِيَ أَمْرَ هذِهِ الْأُمَّةِ سُفَهَاؤُهَا وَفُجَّارُهَا، فَيَتَّخِذُوا مَالَ اللهِ دُوَلًا، وَعِبَادَهُ خَوَلًا، وَالصَّالِحِينَ حَرْباً، وَالْفَاسِقِينَ حِزْباً، فَإِنَّ مِنْهُمُ الَّذِي قَدْ شَرِبَ فِيكُمُ الْحَرَامَ، وَجُلِدَ حَدّاً فِي الْإِسْلَامِ، وَإِنَّ مِنْهُمْ مَنْ لَمْ يُسْلِمْ حَتَّى رُضِخَتْ لَهُ عَلَى الْإِسْلَامِ الرَّضَائِخُ، فَلَوْ لَا ذلِكَ مَا أَكْثَرْتُ تَأْلِيبَكُمْ وَتَأنِيبَكُمْ، وَجَمْعَكُمْ وَتَحْرِيضَكُمْ، وَلَتَرَكْتُكُمْ إِذْ أَبَيْتُمْ وَوَنَيْتُمْ.

(A part of the same letter) By Allāh, if I had encountered them alone and they had been so numerous as to fill the earth to the brim, I would not have worried or become perplexed. I am clear in myself and possess conviction from Allāh about their misguidance and my guidance. I am hopeful and expectant that I willl meet Allāh and get His good reward. But I am worried that silly and wicked people will control the affairs of the entire community, with the result that they will grab the funds of Allāh as their own property and make His people slaves, [2] fight with the virtuous, and ally with the sinful. Indeed, there is among them he who drank (wine) unlawfully [3] and was whipped by way of punishment fixed by Islam, and there is he who did not accept Islam until he had secured financial gain through it. [4] If this had not been so I would not have insisted on gathering you, reprehending you, mobilizing you and urging you (for jihād) but if you refuse and show weakness I will leave you.