Nahj al-Balāgha

اُفٍ لَكُمْ! لَقَدْ سَئِمْتُ عِتَابَكُمْ! أَرَضِيتُمْ بِالْحَيَاةِ الدُّنْيَا مِنَ الاْخِرَةِ عِوَضاً؟ وَبِالذُّلِّ مِنَ الْعِزِّ خَلَفاً؟ إِذَا دَعَوْتُكُمْ إِلَى جِهَادِ عَدُوِّكُمْ دَارَتْ أَعْيُنُكُمْز، كَأَنَّكُمْ مِنَ الْمَوْتِ فِي غَمْرَةٍ وَمِنَ الذُّهُولِ في سَكْرَةٍ، يُرْتَجُ عَلَيْكُمْ حَوَارِي فَتَعْمَهُونَ فَكَأَنَّ قُلُوبَكُمْ مَأْلُوسَةٌ فَأَنْتُمْ لاَ تَعْقِلُونَ. مَا أَنْتُمْ لي بِثِقَةٍ سَجِيسَ اللَّيَالي وَمَاأَنْتُمْ بِرُكْنٍ يُمَالُ بِكُمْ وَلاَزَوَافِرُ عِزٍّ يُفْتَقَرُ إِلَيْكُمْ. مَا أَنْتُمْ إِلاَّ كَإِبِلٍ ضَلَّ رُعَاتُهَا، فَكُلَّمَا جُمِعَتْ مِنْ جَانِبٍ انْتَشَرَتْ مِن آخَرَ،

Woe to you. I am tired of rebuking you. Do you accept this worldly life in place of the next life? Or disgrace in place of dignity? When I invite you to fight your enemy your eyes revolve as though you are in the clutches of death, and in the senselessness of last moments. My pleadings are not understood by you and you remain stunned. It is as though your hearts are affected with madness so that you do not understand. You have lost my confidence for good. Neither are you a support for me to lean upon, nor a means to honour and victory. Your example is that of the camels whose protector has disappeared, so that if they are collected from one side they disperse away from the other side.

لَبِئْسَ ـ لَعَمْرُ اللهِ ـ سُعْرُ نَارِ الْحَرْبِ أَنْتُمْ! تُكَادُونَ وَلاَ تَكِيدُونَ، وَتُنْتَقَصُ أَطْرَافُكُمْ فَلاَ تَمْتَعِضُونَ لاَ يُنَامُ عَنْكُمْ وَأَنْتُمْ في غَفْلَةٍ سَاهُونَ، غُلِبَ وَاللهِ الْمُتَخَاذِلُونَ! وَأيْمُ اللهِ إِنِّي لاَظُنُّ بِكُمْ أنْ لَوْ حَمِسَ الْوَغَىي، وَاسْتَحَرَّ الْمَوْتُ قَدِ انْفَرَجْتُمْ عَنِ ابْنِ أَبِي طَالِبٍ انْفِرَاجَ الرَّأْسِ

By Allāh, how bad are you for igniting flames of war. You are intrigued against but do not intrigue (against the enemy). Your boundaries are decreasing but you do not get enraged over it. Those against you do not sleep but you are unmindful. By Allāh, those who leave matters one for the other are subdued. By Allāh, I believed about you that if battle rages and death hovers around you, you will cut away from son of Abī Ṭālib like the severing of head from the trunk. [2]

وَاللهِ إِنَّ امْرَأً يُمَكِّنُ عَدُوَّهُ مِنْ نَفْسِهِ يَعْرُقُ لَحْمَهُ وَيَهْشِمُ عَظْمَهُ، وَيَفْرِي جِلْدَهُ، لَعَظِيمٌ عَجْزُهُ، ضَعِيفٌ ماضُمَّتْ عَلَيْهِ جَوَانِحُ صَدْرِهِ أَنْتَ فَكُنْ ذَاكَ إِنْ شِئْتَ، فَأَمَّا أَنَا فَوَاللهِ دُونَ أَنْ أُعْطِيَ ذلِكَ ضَرْبٌ بِالْمَشْرَفِيَّةِ تَطِيرُ مِنْهُ فَرَاشُ الْهَامِ وَتَطِيحُ السَّوَاعِدُ وَالاْقْدَامُ، وَيَفْعَلُ اللهُ بَعْدَ ذلِكَ مَا يَشَاءُ.

By Allāh, he who makes it possible for his adversary to so overpower him as to remove the flesh (from his bones), crush his bones and cut his skin into pieces, then it means that his helplessness is great and his heart surrounded within the sides of his chest is weak. You may become like this if you wish. But for me, before I allow it I shall use my sharp edged swords of al-Mashrafiyyah which would cut as under the bones of the head and fly away arms and feet. Thereafter, Allāh will do whatever He wills.

أَيُّهَا النَّاسُ! إِنَّ لِي عَلَيْكُمْ حَقّاً، وَلَكُمْ عَلَيَّ حَقٌّ: فَأَمَّا حَقُّكُمْ عَلَيَّ: فَالنَّصِيحَةُ لَكُمْ، وَتَوْفِيرُ فَيْئِكُمْ عَلَيْكُمْ، وَتَعْلِيمُكُمْ كَيْلا تَجْهَلُوا، وَتَأْدِيبُكُمْ كَيْما تَعْلَمُوا. وَأَمَّا حَقِّي عَلَيْكُمْ: فَالوَفَاءُ بِالبَيْعَةِ، وَالنَّصِيحَةُ في الْمَشْهَدِ وَالْمَغِيبِ، وَالاْجَابَةُ حِينَ أَدْعُوكُمْ، وَالطَّاعَةُ حِينَ آمُرُكُمْ.

O people, I have a right over you and you have a right over me. As for your right over me, that is to counsel you, to pay you your dues fully, to teach you that you may not remain ignorant and instruct you in behaviourism that you may act upon. As for my right over you, it is fulfilment of (the obligation of) allegiance, well-wishing in presence or in absence, response when I call you and obedience when I order you.

ومن خطبة له (عليه السلام) بعد التحكيم وما بلغه من أمر الحكمين وفيها حمد الله على بلائه، ثمّ بيان سبب البلوى

Amīr al-mu’minīn said after Arbitration. [1]

الْحَمْدُ للهِ وَإنْ أَتَى الدَّهْرُ بِالْخَطْبِ الْفَادِحِ وَالْحَدَثِ الْجَلِيلِ، وَأَشْهَدُ أَنْ لاَ إِلهَ إِلاّ اللهُ، لَيْسَ مَعَهُ إِلهٌ غَيْرُهُ، وَأَنَّ مُحَمَّداً عَبْدُهُ وَرَسُولُهُ صلى الله عليه وآله.

All praise is due to Allāh even though time has brought (for us) crushing calamity and great occurrence. And I stand witness that there is no god but Allāh the One, there is no partner for Him nor is there with Him any god other than Himself, and that Muhammad is His slave and His Prophet (May Allāh’s blessing and greeting be upon him and his progeny).

مَّا بَعْدُ، فَإِنَّ مَعْصِيَةَ النَّاصِحِ الشَّفِيقِ الْعَالِمِ الُْمجَرِّبِ تُورِثُ الْحَسْرَةَ، وَتُعْقِبُ النَّدَامَةَ، وَقَدْ كُنْتُ أَمَرْتُكُمْ في هذِهِ الْحُكُومَةِ أَمْرِي، وَنَخَلْتُ لَكُمْ مَخزُونَ رَأْيِي لَوْ كَانَ يُطَاعُ لِقَصِيرٍأَمْرٌ! فَأَبَيْتُمْ عَلَيَّ إِبَاءَ الُْمخَالِفِينَ الْجُفَاةِ، وَالمُنَابِذِينَ الْعُصَاةِ، حَتَّى ارْتَابَ النَّاصِحُ بِنُصْحِهِ، وَضَنَّ الزَّنْدُ بِقَدْحِهِچ، فَكُنْتُ وَإِيَّاكُمْ كَمَا قَالَ أَخُو هَوَازِنَ:

So now, certainly the disobedience of sympathetic counsellor who has knowledge as well as experience brings about disappointment and result in repentance. I had given you my orders about this arbitration and put before you my hidden view, if Qasir’s [2] orders were fulfilled but you rejected it (my orders) like rough opponents and disobedient insurgents till the counsellor himself fell in doubt about his counsel and the flint (of his wit) ceased to give flame. Consequently, mine and your position became as the poet of Hawāzin says:

أَمَرْتُكُمُ أَمْري بِمُنْعَرَجِ اللِّوَى *** فَلَمْ تَسْتَبِينُوا النُّصْحَ إِلاَّ ضُحَى الْغَدِ

I gave you my orders at Mun‘araji’l-liwã but you did not see the good of my counsel till the noon of next day (when it was too late). [3]

ومن خطبة له (عليه السلام) في تخويف أَهل النهروان

Warning the people of Nahrāwãn [1] of their fate

فَأَنَا نَذِيرٌ لَكُمْ أَنْ تُصْبِحُوا صَرْعَى بِأَثْنَاءِ هذَا النَّهَرِ، وَبِأَهْضَامِ هذَاالْغَائِطِ عَلَى غَيْرِ بَيِّنَةٍ مِنْ رَبِّكُمْ، وَلاَ سُلْطَانٍ مُبِينٍ مَعَكُمْ، قَدْ طَوَّحَتْ بِكُمُ الدَّارُ، وَاحْتَبَلَكُمُ الْمِقْدَارُ وَقَدْ كُنْتُ نَهَيْتُكُمْ عَنْ هذِهِ الْحُكُومَةِ فَأَبَيْتُمْ عَلَيَّ إِبَاءَ المخالفين، حَتَّى صَرَفْتُ رَأْيِي إِلَىْ هَوَاكُمْ، وَأَنْتُمْ مَعَاشِرُ أَخِفَّاءُ الْهَامِّ، سُفَهَاءُ الاْحْلاَمِ وَلَمْ آتِ ـ لاَ أَبَا لَكُمْ ـ بُجْراً وَلاَ أَرَدْتُ لَكُمْ ضُرّاً.

I am warning you that you will be killed on the bend of this canal and on the level of this low area while you will have no clear excuse before Allāh or any open authority with you. You have come out of your houses and then divine decree entangled you. I had advised you against this arbitration but you rejected my advice like adversaries and opponents till I turned my ideas in the direction of your wishes. You are a group whose heads are devoid of wit and intelligence. May you have no father! (Allāh’s woe be to you!) I have not put you in any calamity nor wished you harm.