Nahj al-Balāgha

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وهذا حين انتهاء الغاية بنا إلى قطع المختار من كلام أمير المؤمنين عليه السلام، حامدين للّه سبحانه على ما منّ به من توفيقنا لضم ما انتشر من أطرافه، و تقريب ما بعد من أقطاره. وتقرر العزم كما شرطنا أولا على تفضيل أوراق من البياض في آخر كل باب من الأبواب، ليكون لاقتناص الشارد، واستلحاق الوارد، وما عسى أن يظهر لنا بعد الغموض، ويقع إلينا بعد الشذوذ، وما توفيقنا إلا باللّه عليه توكلنا، وهو حسبنا ونعم الوكيل.

This is the end of our selection of the utterances of Amīr al-mu’minīn, peace be upon him, We are praiseful to Allāh, the Glorified, for having enabled us to collect the scattered utterances from various sides and to bring together from different places the material that was lying far away. We intend, as we stipulated in the beginning, to leave some blank pages at the end of every chapter for the insertion of whatever we may get and the addition of whatever comes to us, for it is possible that some material which is not in our view at present or which is not available may become known to us and fall in our hands. We have no ability save through Allāh. In Him we trust, and He is Sufficient for us. He is the best Supporter.

وذلك في رجب سنة أربع مائة من الهجرة،

This book was completed in the month of Rajab, in the year 400 A.H.

وصلى اللّه على سيدنا محمد خاتم الرسل، والهادي إلى خير السبل، وآله الطاهرين، وأصحابه نجوم اليقين.

May Allāh send blessings on our master Muḥammad the last of the prophets who guided us towards the best path, and his chaste descendants and his companions who are the stars of conviction.

٦٢. وَقَالَ (عليه ‏السلام): إِذَا حُيِّيْتَ بِتَحِيَّةٍ فَحَيِّ بِأَحْسَنَ مِنْهَا، وإِذَا أُسْدِيَتْ إِلَيْكَ يَدٌ فَكَافِئْهَا بِمَا يُرْبِي عَلَيْهَا، وَالْفَضْلُ مَعَ ذلِكَ لِلْبَادِئِ.

62. Amīr al-mu’minīn, peace be upon him, said: If you are met with a greeting, give better greetings in return. If a hand of help is extended to you, do a better favour in return, although the credit would remain with the one who was first.

٦٥. وَقَالَ (عليه ‏السلام): فَقْدُ الْأَحِبَّةِ غُرْبَةٌ.

65. Amīr al-mu’minīn, peace be upon him, said: A lack of friends means strangeness.

٦٨. وَقَالَ (عليه ‏السلام): الْعَفَافُ زِينَةُ الْفَقْرِ، والشُّكْرُ زِينَةُ الغِنَى.

68. Amīr al-mu’minīn, peace be upon him, said: Charity is the adornment of destitution while gratefulness (to Allāh) is the adornment of riches.

٧٠. وَقَالَ (عليه ‏السلام): لَا تَرَى الْجَاهِلَ إِلَّا مُفْرِطاً أَوْ مُفَرِّطاً.

70. Amīr al-mu’minīn, peace be upon him, said: You will not find an ignorant person but at one extreme or the other (i.e. a person who neglects or a person who exaggerates).

٧٣. وَقَالَ (عليه ‏السلام): مَنْ نَصَبَ نَفْسَهُ لِلنَّاسِ إِمَاماً فَلْيَبْدَأْ بِتَعْلِيمِ نَفْسِهِ قَبْلَ تَعْلِيمِ غَيْرِهِ، وَلْيَكُنْ تَأْدِيبُهُ بِسِيرَتِهِ قَبْلَ تَأْدِيبِهِ بِلِسَانِهِ، وَمُعَلِّمُ نَفْسِهِ وَمُؤَدِّبُهَا أَحَقُّ بِالْإِجْلَالِ مِنْ مُعَلِّمِ النَّاسِ وَمُؤَدِّبِهِمْ.

73. Amīr al-mu’minīn, peace be upon him, said: Whoever places himself as a leader of the people should commence with educating his own self before educating others; and his teaching should be by his own conduct before teaching by the tongue. The person who teaches and instructs his own self is more entitled to esteem then he who teaches and instructs others.

٧٦. وَقَالَ (عليه ‏السلام): إِنَّ الْأُمُورَ إذا اشْتَبَهَتْ اعْتُبِرَ آخِرُهَا بِأَوَّلِهَا.

76. Amīr al-mu’minīn, peace be upon him, said: If matters get mixed up then the last ones should be appreciated according to the previous one. [1]