Nahj al-Balāgha

وَذَكَرْتَ أَنَّكَ زَائِرِي فِي الْمُهَاجِرِينَ وَالْأَنْصَارِ، وَقَدِ انْقَطَعَتِ الْهِجْرَةُ يَوْمَ أُسِرَ أَخُوكَ، فَإِنْ كَانَ فِيكَ [فِيهِ] عَجَلٌ فَاسْتَرْفِهْ، فَإِنِّي إِنْ أَزُرْكَ فَذلِكَ جَدِيرٌ أَنْ يَكُونَ اللهُ إِنَّمَا بَعَثَنِي إِلَيْكَ لِلنِّقْمَةِ مِنْكَ! وَإِنْ تَزُرْنِي فَكَمَا قَالَ أَخُو بَنِي أَسَدٍ: مُسْتَقْبِلِينَ رِيَاحَ الصَّيْفِ تَضْرِبُهُمْ * بِحَاصِبٍ بَيْنَ أَغْوَارٍ وَجُلْمُودِ

You also state that you are coming to me with a party of muhājirūn and anṣār, but hijrah came to an end on the day your brother was taken prisoner. If you are in a hurry, then wait a bit as I may come to meet you and that would be more befitting as that would mean that Allāh has appointed me to punish you. But if you come to me it would be as the poet of Banū Asad said: They are advancing against summer winds which are hurling stones on them in the highlands and lowlands

وَعِنْدِي السَّيْفُ الَّذِي أَعْضَضْتُهُ بِجَدِّكَ وَخَالِكَ وَأَخِيكَ فِي مَقَامٍ وَاحِدٍ، وَإِنَّكَ وَاللهِ مَا عَلِمْتُ الْأَغْلَفُ الْقَلْبِ، الْمُقَارِبُ الْعَقْلِ، وَالْأَوْلَى أَنْ يُقَالَ لَكَ: إِنَّكَ رَقِيتَ سُلَّماً أَطْلَعَكَ مَطْلَعَ سُوءٍ عَلَيْكَ لَا لَكَ، لِأَنَّكَ نَشَدْتَ غَيْرَ ضَالَّتِكَ، وَرَعَيْتَ غَيْرَ سَائِمَتِكَ، وَطَلَبْتَ أَمْراً لَسْتَ مِنْ أَهْلِهِ وَلَا فِي مَعْدِنِهِ.

(Remember) I have still the sword with which I dispatched your grandfather, your mother’s brother and your brother to one and the same place. By Allāh, I know what you are. Your heart is sheathed and your intelligence is weak. It is better to say that you have ascended to where you view a bad scene which is against you, not in your favour, because you are searching a thing lost by someone else, you are tending someone else’s cattle and you are hankering after a thing which is not yours nor have you any attachment with it.

فَمَا أَبْعَدَ قَوْلَكَ مِنْ فِعْلِكَ!! وَقَرِيبٌ مَا أَشْبَهْتَ مِنْ أَعْمَامٍ وَأَخْوَالٍ! حَمَلَتْهُمُ الشَّقَاوَةُ، وَتَمَنِّي الْبَاطِلِ، عَلَى الْجُحُودِ بِمُحَمَّدٍ (صلى الله عليه وآله) فَصُرِعُوا مَصَارِعَهُمْ حَيْثُ عَلِمْتَ، لَمْ يَدْفَعُوا عَظِيماً، وَلَمْ يَمْنَعُوا حَرِيماً، بِوَقْعِ سُيُوفٍ مَا خَلَا مِنْهَا الْوَغَى، وَلَمْ تُمَاشِهَا الْهُوَيْنَى.

How remote are your words from your actions, and how closely you resemble your paternal and maternal uncles who were led by their wickedness and love for wrong to oppose Muḥammad (may Allāh bless him and his descendants) and in consequence they were killed as you know. They could not put up a defence against the calamity and could not protect their place of safety from the striking of swords which abound in the battle and which do not show weakness.

وَقَدْ أَكْثَرْتَ فِي قَتَلَةِ عُثْمانَ، فَادْخُلْ فِيمَا دَخَلَ فِيهِ النَّاسُ، ثُمَّ حَاكِمِ الْقُوْمَ إِلَيَّ، أَحْمِلْكَ وَإِيَّاهُمْ عَلَى كِتَابِ اللهِ تَعَالَى. وَأَمَّا تِلْكَ الَّتِي تُرِيدُ فَإِنَّهَا خُدْعَةُ الصَّبِيِّ عَنِ اللَّبَنِ فِي أَوَّلِ الْفِصَالِ، وَالسَّلَامُ لِأَهْلِهِ.

You have said a lot about killing of ‘Uthman. You first join what the people have joined (i.e., allegiance) then seek a verdict about (the accused people) from me and I shall settle the matter between you and them according to the Book of Allāh, the Sublime. But what you are aiming at is just the fake nipple given to a child in the first days of stopping of nursing. Peace be on those who deserve it.

ومن كتاب له (عليه السلام) إليه معاوية أيضا

To Mu‘āwiyah

أَمَّا بَعْدُ، فَقَدْ آنَ لَكَ أَنْ تَنْتَفِعَ بِاللَّمْحِ الْبَاصِرِ مِنْ عِيَانِ الْأُمُورِ، فَقَدْ سَلَكْتَ مَدَارِجَ أَسْلَافِكَ بِادِّعَائِكَ الْأَبَاطِيلَ، وَإقْحَامِكَ غُرُورَ الْمَيْنِ وَالْأَكَاذِيبِ، وَبِانْتِحَالِكَ مَا قَدْ عَلَا عَنْكَ، وَابْتِزَازِكَ لِمَا قَدِ اخْتُزِنَ دُونَكَ، فِرَاراً مِنَ الْحَقِّ، وَجُحُوداً لِمَا هُوَ أَلْزَمُ لَكَ مِنْ لَحْمِكَ وَدَمِكَ، مِمَّا قَدْ وَعَاهُ سَمْعُكَ، وَمُلِئَ بِهِ صَدْرُكَ، ﴿فَمَاذَا بَعْدَ الْحَقِّ إِلَّا الضَّلَالُ﴾ الْمُبِينُ؟!، وَبَعْدَ الْبَيَانِ إِلَّا اللَّبْسُ؟ فَاحْذَرِ الشُّبْهَةَ وَاشْتِمالَهَا عَلَى لُبْسَتِهَا، فَإِنَّ الْفِتْنَةَ طَالَمَا أَغْدَفَتْ جَلَابِيبَهَا، وَأَغْشَتِ الْأَبْصَارَ ظُلْمَتُهَا.

Now, this is the time that you should derive benefit by observing a clear view of the main matters, because you have been treading in the path of your forefathers in making wrong claims, spreading false and untrue notions, claiming for yourself what is far above you and demanding what is not meant for you, because you want to run away from right and to revolt against what is more fastened to your flesh and blood namely what has been heard by the depth of your ears and has filled your chest. And after forsaking right there remains nothing except clear misguidance, and after disregarding a (clear) statement there is nothing except confusion. You should therefore guard (yourself) against doubts and its ill-effects of confusion, because for a long time mischief has spread its veils and its gloom has blinded your eyes.

وَقدْ أَتَانِي كِتَابٌ مِنْكَ ذُو أَفَانِينَ مِنَ الْقَوْلِ ضَعُفَتْ قُوَاهَا عَنِ السِّلْمِ، وَأَسَاطِيرَ لَمْ يَحُكْهَا مِنْكَ عِلْمٌ وَلَا حِلْمٌ، أَصْبَحْتَ مِنْهَا كَالْخَائِضِ فِي الدَّهَاسِ، وَالْخَابِطِ فِي الدِّيمَاسِ، وَتَرَقَّيْتَ إِلَى مَرْقَبَةٍ بَعِيدَةِ الْمَرَامِ، نَازِحَةِ الْأَعْلَامِ، تَقْصُرُ دوُنَهَا الْأَنُوقُ، وَيُحَاذَى بَهَا الْعَيُّوقُ.

I have received your letter [1] which is full of uncouth utterances which weaken the cause of peace and nonsensical expressions which have not been prepared with knowledge and forbearance. By reason of these things you have become like one who is sinking in a marsh or groping in a dark place. You have raised yourself to a position which is difficult to approach and devoid of any signs (to guide). Even the royal kite cannot reach it. It is parallel to the ‘Ayyūq (the star Capella), in height.

وَحَاشَ لِلَّهِ أَنْ تَلِيَ لِلْمُسْلِمِينَ بَعْدِي صَدْراً أَوْ وِرْداً، أَوْ أُجْرِيَ لَكَ عَلَى أَحَدٍ مِنْهُمْ عَقْداً أَوْ عَهْداً!!

May Allāh forbid that you be in charge of people's affairs after my assuming authority as Caliph, or that I issue an edict or document granting you authority over any one of them.

فَمِنَ الْآنَ فَتَدَارَكْ نَفْسَكَ، وَانْظُرْ لَهَا، فَإِنَّكَ إِنْ فَرَّطْتَ حَتَّى يَنْهَدَ إِلَيْكَ عِبَادُ اللهِ أُرْتِجَتْ عَلَيْكَ الْأُمُورُ وَمُنِعْتَ أَمْراً هُوَ مِنْكَ الْيَوْمَ مَقْبُولٌ، وَالسَّلَامُ.

Therefore, from now onwards guard yourself and be watchful, because if you recalcitrate till the people of Allāh (are forced to) rush upon you, then matters will be closed for you and whatever can be accepted from you today will not be accepted then; and that is an end to the matter.

ومن كتاب له (عليه السلام) إلى عبد الله بن العباس؛ وقد تقدم ذكره بخلاف هذه الرواية

To ‘Abdullāh ibn al-‘Abbās (This letter has already been included with a different version)