Nahj al-Balāgha

۳۶۸. وَقَالَ (عليه ‏السلام): إِنَّ اللهَ سُبْحَانَهُ وَضَعَ الثَّوَابَ عَلَى طَاعَتِهِ، وَالْعِقَابَ عَلَى مَعْصِيَتِهِ، ذِيَادَةً لِعِبَادِهِ عَنْ نِقْمَتِهِ، وَحِيَاشَةً لَهُمْ إلَى جَنِّتِهِ.

368. Amīr al-mu’minīn, peace be upon him, said: Allāh, the Glorified, has laid down reward for obedience to Him and punishment for committing sins against Him in order to save men from His chastisement and to drive them towards Paradise.

۳۷۰. وَرُوِيَ أَنَّهُ (عليه السلام) قَلَّمَا اعْتَدَلَ بِهِ الْمِنْبَرُ إِلَّا قَالَ أَمَامَ الْخُطْبَةِ:

370. It is related that it was seldom that Amīr al-mu’minīn, peace be upon him, ascended the pulpit and did not utter the following before his sermon:

أَيُّهَا النَّاسُ، اتَّقُوا اللهَ، فَمَا خُلِقَ امْرُؤٌ عَبَثاً فَيَلْهُوَ وَلَا تُرِكَ سُدىً فَيَلْغُوَ وَمَا دُنْيَاهُ الَّتي تَحَسَّنَتْ لَهُ بِخَلَفٍ مِنَ الْآخِرَةِ الَّتي قَبَّحَها سُوءُ النَّظَرِ عِنْدَهُ، وَمَا الْمَغْرُورُ الَّذِي ظَفِرَ مِنَ الدُّنْيَا بأَعْلَى هِمَّتِهِ كَالْآخَرِ الَّذِي ظَفِرَ مِنَ الْآخِرَةِ بِأَدْنَى سُهْمَتِهِ.

O’ people, fear Allāh for man has not been created for naught so that he may waste himself, nor has he been left uncared for so that he may commit nonsensical acts. This world which appears beautiful to him cannot be the replacement of the next world which appears bad in his eyes, nor is the vain person who is successful in this world through his high courage like him who is successful in the next world even to a small extent.

۳۷۳. وَرَوَى ابْنُ جَرِيرٍ الطَّبَرِيُّ فِي تَارِيخِهِ عَنْ عَبْدِ الرَّحْمَنِ بْنِ أَبِي لَيْلَى الْفَقِيهِ. وَكَانَ مِمَّنْ خَرَجَ لِقِتَالِ الْحَجَّاجِ مَعَ ابْنِ الْأَشْعَثِ. أَنَّهُ قَالَ فِيمَا كَانَ يَحُضُّ بِهِ النَّاسَ عَلَى الْجِهَادِ: إِنِّي سَمِعْتُ عَلِيّاً رَفَعَ اللَّهُ دَرَجَتَهُ فِي الصَّالِحِينَ وَأَثَابَهُ ثَوَابَ الشُّهَدَاءِ وَالصِّدِّيقِينَ، يَقُولُ يَوْمَ لَقِينَا أَهْلَ الشَّامِ:

373. Ibn Jarīr aṭ-Ṭabarī has, in his history (vol. 2, p. 1086; also Ibn al-Athīr in his history, vol. 4, p. 478), related from ‘Abd ar-Raḥmān ibn Abī Laylā, al-faqīh (the theologian), who was one of those who had risen with (‘Abd ar-Raḥmān ibn Muḥammad) Ibn al-Ash‘ath to fight al-Ḥajjāj (ibn Yusuf ath-Thaqafī), that he (Ibn Abī Laylā) was exhorting people to jihād by recalling: On the occasion of encounter with the people of Syria I heard Amīr al-mu’minīn, may Allāh exalt his degree of rank among the righteous and may He reward him the reward of martyrs and men of truth, saying:

أَيُّهَا الْمُؤْمِنُونَ، إِنَّهُ مَنْ رَأَى عُدْوَاناً يُعْمَلُ بِهِ وَمُنْكَراً يُدْعَى إِلَيْهِ، فَأَنْكَرَهُ بِقَلْبِهِ فَقَدْ سَلِمَ وَبَرِىءَ وَمَنْ أَنْكَرَهُ بِلِسَانِهِ فَقَدْ أُجِرَ وَهُوَ أَفْضَلُ مِنْ صَاحِبِهِ، وَمَنْ أَنْكرَهُ بِالسَّيْفِ لِتَكُونَ كَلِمَةُ اللهِ هِيَ الْعُلْيَا وَكَلِمَةُ الظَّالِمِينَ هِيَ السُّفْلَى، فَذلِكَ الَّذِي أَصَابَ سَبيلَ الْهُدَى، وَقَامَ عَلَى الطَّريق، وَنَوَّرَ فِي قَلْبِهِ الْيَقِينُ.

O’ believers, whoever observes excesses being committed and people being called towards evil and disapproves it with his heart is safe and free from responsibility for it, and whoever disapproves of it with his tongue would be rewarded and he is in a higher position than the former but whoever disapproves it with his sword in order that the word of Allāh may remain superior and the word of the oppressors may remain inferior, catches hold of the path of guidance and stands on the right way, while his heart is lighted with conviction.

۳۷۶. وَقَالَ (عليه ‏السلام): إِنَّ الْحَقَّ ثَقِيلٌ مَرِيءٌ وَإِنَّ الْبَاطِلَ خَفِيفٌ وَبِيءٌ.

376. Amīr al-mu’minīn, peace be upon him, said: Certainly, right is weighty and wholesome while wrong is light and epidemical.

۳۸۰. وَقَالَ (عليه ‏السلام): رُبَّ مُسْتَقْبِلٍ يَوْماً لَيْسَ بِمُسْتَدْبِرِهِ وَمَغْبُوطٍ فِي أَوَّلِ لَيْلِهِ قَامَتْ بَوَاكِيهِ فِي آخِرِهِ.

380. Amīr al-mu’minīn, peace be upon him, said: Many a man faces a day after which he finds no day and many a man is in an enviable position in the earlier part of the night but is wept over by bewailing women in its later part.

۳۸۳. وَقَالَ (عليه ‏السلام): احْذَرْ أَنْ يَرَاكَ اللهُ عِنْدَ مَعْصِيَتِهِ، وَيَفْقِدَكَ عِنْدَ طَاعَتِهِ، فَتَكُونَ مِنَ الْخَاسِرِينَ، وَإِذَا قَوِيتَ فَاقْوَ عَلَى طَاعَةِ اللهِ، وَإِذَا ضَعُفْتَ فاضْعُفْ عَنْ مَعْصِيَةِ اللهِ.

383. Amīr al-mu’minīn, peace be upon him, said: Fear lest Allāh sees you while committing His sins or misses you when it is time to obey Him and as a result thereof you become a loser. Therefore, when you are strong be strong in obeying Allāh and when you are weak be weak in committing sins of Allāh.

۳۸۵. وَقَالَ (عليه ‏السلام): مِنْ هَوَانِ الدُّنْيَا عَلَى اللهِ أَنَّهُ لَا يُعْصَى إِلَّا فِيهَا، وَلَا يُنَالُ مَا عِنْدَهُ إِلَّا بِتَرْكِهَا.

385. Amīr al-mu’minīn, peace be upon him, said: It is (the proof of the) humbleness of the world before Allāh that He is disobeyed only herein and His favours cannot be achieved except by abandoning it.

۳۸۸. وَقَالَ (عليه ‏السلام): أَلَا وإِنَّ مِنَ الْبَلاَءِ الْفَاقَةَ وَأَشَدُّ مِنَ الْفَاقَةِ مَرَضُ الْبَدَنِ، وَأشدُّ مِنْ مَرَضِ الْبَدَنِ مَرَضُ الْقَلْبِ.

388. Amīr al-mu’minīn, peace be upon him, said: Beware that destitution is a calamity, but worse than destitution is ailment of the body, while worse than bodily ailment is the disease of the heart.