Nahj al-Balāgha

ومن كلام له (عليه السلام) لمّا هرب مَصْقَلة بنُ هُبيرة الشيباني إلى معاوية، وكان قد ابتاع سَبْيَ بني ناجية من عامل أميرالمؤمنين (عليه السلام) وأعتقهم، فلمّا طالبه (عليه السلام) بالمال خاس به وهرب إلى الشام،

When Maṣqalah [1] ibn Hubayrah ash-Shaybāni fled to Mu‘āwiyah because he had purchased some prisoners of Banū Nājiyah from an executive of Amīr al-mu’minīn, but when he demanded the price latter avoided and ran to Syria, Amīr al-mu’minīn said:

قَبَّحَ اللهُ مَصْقَلَةَ! فَعَلَ فِعْلَ السَّادَةِ، وَفَرَّ فِرَارَ الْعَبِيدِ! فَمَا أَنْطَقَ مَادِحَهُ حَتَّى أَسْكَتَهُ، وَلاَ صَدَّقَ وَاصِفَهُ حَتَّى بَكَّتَهُ، وَلَو أَقَامَ لاَخَذْنَا مَيْسُورَهُ، وَانْتَظَرْنا بِمَالِهِ وُفُورَهُ.

Allah may be bad to Maṣqalah. He acted like the noble but fled away like a slave. Before his admirer could speak (about him) he silenced him and before his eulogist could testify to his good deeds he closed his mouth. If he had stayed behind we would have taken from him what he could easily pay and waited for the balance till his money increased.

ومن خطبة له (عليه السلام) وهو بعض خطبة طويلة خطبها يوم الفطر وفيها يحمد الله ويذم الدنيا:

About Allāh’s greatness and lowliness of this world

(حمد الله) ألْحَمْدُ للهِ غَيْرَ مَقْنُوط مِنْ رَحْمَتِهِ، وَلاَ مَخْلُوٍّ مِنْ نِعْمَتِهِ، وَلاَ مَأْيُوس مِنْ مَغْفِرَتِهِ، وَلاَ مُسْتَنْكَف عَنْ عِبَادَتِهِ، الَّذِي لاَ تَبْرَحُ مِنْهُ رَحْمَةٌ، وَلاَ تُفْقَدُ لَهُ نِعْمَةٌ.

Praise is due to Allāh from Whose mercy no one loses hope, from Whose bounty no one is deprived, from Whose forgiveness no one is disappointed and for Whose worship no one is too high. His mercy never ceases and His bounty is never missed.

(ذم الدنيا) وَالدُّنْيَا دَارٌ مُنِيَ لَهَا الْفَنَاءُ، وَلاِهْلِهَا مِنْهَا الْجَلاَءُ، وَهِيَ حُلْوَةٌ خَضِرَةٌ، قَدْ عُجِّلَتْ لِلطَّالِبِ، وَالْتَبَسَتْ بِقَلْبِ النَّاظِرِ; فَارْتَحِلُوا مِنْهَا بِأَحْسَنِ مَا بِحَضْرَتِكُمْ مِنَ الزَّادِ، وَلاَ تَسْأَلُوا فِيها فَوْقَ الْكَفَافِ، وَلاَ تَطْلُبُوا مِنْهَا أكْثَرَ مِنَ الْبَلاَغِ.

This world is a place for which destruction is ordained and for its inhabitants departure from here is destined. It is sweet and green. It hastens towards its seeker and attaches to the heart of the viewer. So depart from here with the best of provision available with you and do not ask herein more than what is enough and do not demand from it more than subsistence.

ومن كلام له (عليه السلام) عند عزمه على المسير إِلى الشام [وهو دعاء دعا به ربَّه عند وضع رجله في الركاب:]

When Amīr al-mu’minīn decided to march towards Syria (ash-Shām) he spoke these word :

اللَّهُمَّ إِنَّي أَعُوذُ بِكَ مِنْ وَعْثَاءِ السَّفَرِ، وَكَآبَةِ المُنْقَلَبِ، وَسُوءِ المَنظَرِ فِي الاْهْلِ وَالمَالِ والْوَلَدِ . اللَّهُمَّ أَنْتَ الصَّاحِبُ في السَّفَرِ، وَأَنْتَ الْخلِيفَةُ فِي الاْهْلِ، وَلاَ يَجْمَعُهُما غَيْرُكَ، لاِنَّ الْمُسْتَخْلَفَ لاَ يَكُونُ مُسْتَصْحَباً، وَالمُسْتَصْحَبُ لاَ يَكُونُ مُسْتَخْلَفاً.

My Allāh, I seek Thy protection from the hardships of journey, from the grief of returning and from the scene of devastation of property and men. O Allāh, Thou art the companion in journey and Thou art one who is left behind for (protection of the) family. None except Thee can join these two because one who is left behind cannot be a companion in journey nor one who is in company on a journey can at the same time be left behind.

قال السيد الشريف: أقول: وابتداء هذا الكلام مرويّ عن رسول الله (صلى الله عليه وآله)، وقد قفّاه (عليه السلام) بأبلغ كلام وتمّمه بأحسن تمام; من قوله: «ولا يجْمَعُهُمَا غَيْرُكَ» إلى آخر الفصل.

as-Sayyid ar-Raḍī says: The earlier part of this sermon is related from the Prophet but Amīr al-mu’minīn has completed it very aptly by adding most eloquent sentences at the end. This addition is from “None except Thee can join” upto the end.

ومن كلام له (عليه السلام) في ذكر الكوفة

About calamities befalling Kūfah

كَأَنَّي بِكِ يَاكُوفَةُ تُمَدِّينَ مَدَّ الاْدَيمِ الْعُكَاظِيِّ، تُعْرَكِينَ بِالنَّوَازِلِ، وَتُرْكَبِينَ بِالزَّلاَزِلِ، وَإِنَّي لاَعْلَمُ أَنَّهُ مَاأَرَادَ بِكِ جَبَّارٌ سُوءاً إِلاَّ ابْتَلاَهُ اللهُ بِشَاغِل، وَرَمَاهُ بِقَاتِل!

O Kūfah, as though I see you being drawn like the tanned leather of ‘Ukaẓi [1] in the market, you are being scraped by calamities and being ridden by severe troubles. I certainly [2] know that if any tyrant intends evil for you Allāh will afflict him with worry and fling him with a killer (set someone on him to kill him).