Nahj al-Balāgha

٢٥٨. وَقَالَ (عليه ‏السلام): إِذَا أَمْلَقْتُمْ فَتَاجِرُوا اللهَ بِالصَّدَقَةِ.

258. Amīr al-mu’minīn, peace be upon him, said: When you fall in destitution, trade with Allāh through charity.

٢٦٠. وَقَالَ (عليه ‏السلام): كَمْ مِنْ مُسْتَدْرَجٍ بِالْإِحْسَانِ إِلَيْهِ، وَمَغْرُورٍ بِالسَّتْرِ عَلَيْهِ، وَمَفْتُونٍ بِحُسْنِ الْقَوْلِ فِيهِ، وَمَا ابْتَلَى اللهُ سُبْحَانَهُ أَحَداً بِمِثْلِ الْإِمْلَاءِ لَهُ.

260. Amīr al-mu’minīn, peace be upon him, said: There is many a man being gradually brought towards punishment by good treatment with him; many a man who remains in deceit because his evils are covered; and many a man who is in illusion because of good talk about him, while there is no greater ordeal by Allāh, the Glorified, than the giving of time.

قال السيد الرضى: وقد مَضى هذا الكلام فيما تقدم، إلاّ أن فيه هاهنا زيادة مفيدة

as-Sayyid ar-Raḍī says: This saying has appeared earlier as well but here it contains a beautiful and useful addition.

٢٦١. وقال (عليه السلام) لَمَّا بَلَغَهُ إِغَارَةُ أَصْحَابِ مُعَاوِيَةَ عَلَى الْأَنْبَارِ، فَخَرَجَ بِنَفْسِهِ مَاشِياً حَتَّى أَتَى النُّخَيْلَةَ وَأَدْرَكَهُ النَّاسُ وَقَالُوا: يَا أَمِيرَ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ نَحْنُ نَكْفِيكَهُمْ. فَقَالَ (عليه السلام) :

261. When the news of the attack of Mu‘āwiyah’s men on al-Anbār reached Amīr al-mu’minīn, peace be upon him, he himself came out walking till he reached an-Nukhaylah, where people overtook him and said: “O’ Amīr al-mu’minīn, we are enough for them,” then he said:

وَاللهِ مَا تَكْفُونَنِي أَنْفُسَكُمْ، فَكَيْفَ تَكْفُونَنِي غَيْرَكُمْ؟ إِنْ كَانَتِ الرَّعَايَا قَبْلِي لَتَشْكُوا حَيْفَ رُعَاتِهَا، وَإِنَّنِي الْيَوْمَ لَأَشْكُو حَيْفَ رَعِيَّتِي، كَأَنَّنِيَ الْمَقُودُ وَهُمُ الْقَادَةُ، أَوِ ألْمَوْزُوعُ وَهُمُ الْوَزَعَةُ.

You cannot be enough for me against yourselves, so how can you be enough for me against others? Before me the people used to complain of the oppression of their rulers but now I have to complain of the wrongful actions of my people; as though I am led by them and they are the leaders or that I am the subject and they are the rulers.

فلما قال (عليه السلام) هذا القول، في كلامٍ طويلٍ قد ذكرنا مختارَه في جملةِ الخُطَب، تقدّم إليه رجلان من أصحابه، فقال أحدهما: إنّي لا أملك إلا نفسي وأخي، فَمُرْنا بأمرك يا أميرالمؤمنين نُنْفِد له. فقال (عليه السلام): وأَيْنَ تَقَعَانِ مِمَّا أُريدُ؟

The narrator says: When Amīr al-mu’minīn, peace be upon him, uttered this during his long speech which we have included in the collection of sermons (No. 27), two men from his companions advanced towards him and one of them said : I rule no one except myself and my brother (Qur’ān, 5:25). So, order us with your command, O’ Amīr al-mu’minīn and we will accomplish it. Thereupon, Amīr al-mu’minīn, peace be upon him, said: How can you two accomplish what I aim at?

٢٦٢. وَقِيلَ: إِنَّ الْحَارِثَ بْنَ حَوْطٍ أَتَاهُ (عليه السلام) فَقَالَ: أَ تُرَانِی أَظُنُّ أَصْحَابَ الْجَمَلِ كَانُوا عَلَى ضَلَالَةٍ؟

262. It is said that al-Ḥārith ibn Ḥawṭ came to Amīr al-mu’minīn, and said: Do you believe I can ever imagine that the people of Jamal were in the wrong?

فَقَالَ (عليه السلام) : يَا حَارِثُ، إِنَّكَ نَظَرْتَ تَحْتَكَ وَلَمْ تَنْظُرْ فَوْقَكَ فَحِرْتَ إِنَّكَ لَمْ تَعْرِفِ الْحَقَّ فَتَعْرِفَ مَنْ أَتاهُ، وَلَمْ تَعْرِفِ الْبَاطِلَ فَتَعْرِفَ مَنْ أَتَاهُ.

Amīr al-mu’minīn, peace be upon him, said: O’ al-Ḥārith! You have seen below yourself but not above yourself, and so you have been confused. Certainly, you have not known right, so that you can recognize the righteous. And you have not known wrong, so that you can recognize the people of wrong!

فَقَالَ الْحَارِثُ: فَإِنِّي أَعْتَزِلُ مَعَ سَعِيدِ بْنِ مَالِكٍ وَعَبْدِ اللَّهِ بْنِ عُمَرَ.

Then al-Ḥārith said: In that case, I shall withdraw along with Sa‘d ibn Mālik and ‘Abdullāh ibn ‘Umar;

فَقَالَ (عليه السلام) : إِنَّ سَعِيداً وَعَبْدَ اللهِ بْنَ عُمَرَ لَمْ يَنْصُرَا الْحَقَّ، وَلَمْ يَخْذُلَا الْبَاطِلَ.

whereupon Amīr al-mu’minīn, peace be upon him, said: Verily, Sa‘d and ‘Umar have neither sided with Right nor forsaken Wrong. [1]