Nahj al-Balāgha

ومن كتاب له (عليه السلام) إلى معاوية

To Mu‘āwiyah

أَمَّا بَعْدُ، فَإِنِّي عَلَى التَّرَدُّدِ فِي جَوَابِكَ، وَالِاسْتِمَاعِ إِلَى كِتَابِكَ، لَمُوَهِّنٌ رَأْيِي، وَمُخَطِّئٌ فِرَاسَتي. وَإِنَّكَ إِذْ تُحَاوِلُنِي الْأُمُورَ وَتُرَاجِعُنِي السُّطُورَ، كَالْمُسْتَثْقِلِ النَّائِمِ تَكْذِبُهُ أَحْلَامُهُ، وَالْمُتَحَيِّرِ الْقَائِمِ يَبْهَظُهُ مَقَامُهُ، لَا يَدْرِي أَ لَهُ مَا يَأَتِي أَمْ عَلَيْهِ؟ وَلَسْتَ بِهِ غَيْرَ أَنَّهُ بِكَ شَبِيهٌ.

Now, (in) exchanging replies and listening to your letters my view has been weak and my intelligence has been erring. When you refer your demands to me and expect me to send you written replies, you are like one who is in deep slumber while his dreams contradict him, or one who stands perplexed and overwhelmed, not knowing whether whatever comes to him is for him or against him. You are not such a man but he is (to some extent) like you (as you are worse than him).

وَأُقْسِمُ بِاللَّهِ إِنَّهُ لَوْ لَا بَعْضُ الِاسْتِبْقَاءِ لَوَصَلَتْ إِلَيْكَ مِنِّي قَوَارِعُ، تَقْرَعُ الْعَظْم، وَتَهْلِسُ اللَّحْمَ!

I swear by Allāh that, had it not been for (my) giving you time, you would have faced from me catastrophe that would have crushed the bones and removed the flesh.

وَاعْلَمْ أَنَّ الشَّيْطَانَ قَدْ ثَبَّطَكَ عَنْ أَنْ تُرَاجِعَ أَحْسَنَ أُمُورِكَ، وَتَأْذَنَ لِمَقَالِ نَصِيحَتِكَ، وَالسَّلَامُ لِأَهْلِهِ.

Know that Satan has prevented you from turning to good actions and listening to the words of counsels. Peace be upon those who deserve it.

ومن حلف له (عليه السلام) كتبه بين ربيعة واليمن، نقل من خط هشام بن الكلبي

Written by Amīr al-mu’minīn as a protocol between the tribes of Rabī‘ah and the people of Yemen. Taken from the writing of Hishām ibn (Muḥammad) al-Kalbī.

هَذَا مَا اجْتَمَعَ عَلَيْهِ أَهْلُ الْـيَمَنِ حَاضِرُهَا وَبَادِيهَا، وَرَبِيعَةُ حَاضِرُهَا وَبَادِيهَا: أَنَّهُمْ عَلَى كِتَابِ اللهِ يَدْعُونَ إِلَيْهِ، وَيَأْمُرُونَ بِهِ، وَيُجِيبُونَ مَنْ دَعَا إِلَيْهِ وَأَمَرَ بِهِ، لَا يَشْتَرُونَ بِهِ ثَمَناً، وَلَا يَرْضَوْنَ بِهِ بَدَلًا، وَأَنَّهُمْ يَدٌ وَاحِدَةٌ عَلَى مَنْ خَالَفَ ذَلِكَ وَتَرَكَهُ، أَنْصَارٌ بَعْضُهُمْ لِبَعْضٍ، دَعْوَتُهُمْ وَاحِدَةٌ، لَا يَنْقُضُونَ عَهْدَهُمْ لِمَعْتَبَةِ عَاتِبٍ، وَلَا لِغَضَبِ غَاضِبٍ، وَلَا لِاسْتِذْلَالِ قَوْمٍ قَوْماً، وَلَا لِمَسَبَّةِ قَوْمٍ قَوْماً! عَلَى ذَلِكَ شَاهِدُهُمْ وَغَائِبُهُمْ، وَسَفِيهُهُمْ وَعَالِمُهُمْ، وَحَلِيمُهُمْ وَجَاهِلُهُمْ. ثُمَّ إِنَّ عَلَيْهِمْ بِذَلِكَ عَهْدَ اللهِ وَمِيثَاقَهُ، إنَّ عَهْدَ اللهِ كَانَ مَسْئُولًا.

This indenture contains what the people of Yemen, including the townsmen and nomads, and the tribes of Rabī‘ah, including the townsmen and nomads, have agreed upon: that they will adhere to the Book of Allāh, will call to it and order according to it and will respond to whoever calls to it and orders according to it. They will not sell it for any price nor accept any alternative for it. They will join hands against anyone who opposes it and abandons it. They will help one another. Their voice will be one. They will not break their pledge on account of the rebuke of a rebuker, the wrath of an angry person, the humiliating treatment of one group to the other, or the use of abusive terms by one party against the other. This pledge is binding on those of them who are present and those of them who are absent; those of them who are forbearing and those of them who are foolish; those of them who are learned and those of them who are ignorant. Along with this the pledge of Allāh is also binding on them, and the pledge of Allāh is to be accounted for.

وَكَتَبَ عَلِيُّ بْنُ أَبِي طَالِبٍ.

Written by: ‘Alī ibn Abī Ṭālib.

ومن كتاب له (عليه السلام) إلى معاوية في أول ما بويع له، ذكره الواقدي في كتاب الجمل

To Mu‘āwiyah, soon after Amīr al-mu’minīn was sworn in. (Muḥammad ibn ‘Umar) al-Wāqidī has mentioned this in his “Kitāb al-Jamal”

مِنْ عَبْدِ اللهِ عَلِيٍّ أَمِيرِ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ إِلَى مُعَاوِيَةَ بْنِ أَبِي سُفْيَانَ:

From the servant of Allāh, ‘Alī Amīr al-mu’minīn to Mu‘āwiyah son of Abū Sufyān :

أَمَّا بَعْدُ، فَقَدْ عَلِمْتَ إِعْذَارِي فِيكُمْ، وَإِعْرَاضِي عَنْكُمْ، حَتَّى كَانَ مَا لَا بُدَّ مِنْهُ وَلَا دَفْعَ لَهُ، وَالْحَدِيثُ طَوِيلٌ، وَالْكَلَامُ كَثِيرٌ، وَقَدْ أَدْبَرَ مَا أَدْبَرَ، وَأَقْبَلَ مَا أَقْبَلَ، فَبَايِعْ مَنْ قِبَلَكَ، وَأَقْبِلْ إِلَيَّ فِي وَفْدٍ مِنْ أَصْحَابِكَ، وَالسَّلَامُ.

Now, you are aware of my excuses before you people and my shunning you till that happened which was inevitable and which could not be prevented. The story is long and much is to be said. What was to pass has passed and what was to come has come. Therefore, secure (my) allegiance from those who are with you and come in a deputation of your people to me; and that is an end to the matter.