Nahj al-Balāgha

مَصَارِعُهُمْ دُونَ النُّطْفَةِ، وَاللهِ لاَ يُفْلِتُ مِنْهُمْ عَشَرَةٌ، وَلاَ يَهْلِكُ مِنْكُمْ عَشَرَةٌ.

Their falling place is on this side of the river. By Allāh, not even ten of them will survive while from your side not even ten will be killed. [1]

قال الشريف: يعني بالنطفة: ماء النهر، وهي أفصح كناية عن الماء وإن كان كثيراً جماً، وقد أشرنا إلى ذلك فيما تقدم عند مضيّ ما أشبهه.

as-Sayyid ar-Raḍī says: In this sermon “nuṭfah” implies the River Euphrates, and for water this is the nicest expression even though water may be much.

وقال (عليه السلام) لمّا قتل الخوارج فقيل له: يا أميرالمؤمنين، هلك القوم بأجمعهم، فقال:

When Amīr al-mu’minīn was told that the Khārijites had been totally killed, he said :

كَلاَّ وَالله، إِنَّهُمْ نُطَفٌ فِي أَصْلاَبِ الرِّجَالِ، وَقَرَارَاتِ النِّسَاءِ، كُلَّمَا نَجَمَ مِنْهُمْ قَرْنٌ قُطِعَ، حَتَّى يَكُونَ آخِرُهُمْ لُصُوصاً سَلاَّبِينَ.

By Allāh, no, not yet. They still exist in the loins of men and wombs of women. Whenever a chief would appear from among them he would be cut down till the last of them would turn thieves and robbers. [1]

وقال عليه السلام في الخوارج

Amīr al-mu’minīn also said concerning the Khārijites:

لاَ تَقْتُلُوا الْخَوَارِجَ بَعْدِي، فَلَيْسَ مَنْ طَلَبَ الْحَقَّ فَأَخْطَأَهُ، كَمَنْ طَلَبَ الْبَاطِلَ فَأَدْرَكَهُ.

Do not fight [1] the Khārijites after me, because one who seeks right but does not find it, is not like one who seeks wrong and finds it.

قال السيد الشريف: يعني معاوية وأصحابه.

as-Sayyid ar-Raḍī says: Amīr al-mu’minīn means Mu‘āwiyah and his men.

ومن كلام له (عليه السلام) لمّا خُوِّف من الغيلة

When Amīr al-mu’minīn was warned of being killed by deceit, he said:

وَإِنَّ عَلَيَّ مِنَ اللهِ جُنَّةً حَصِينةً، فَإِذَا جَاءَ يَوْمِي انْفَرَجَتْ عَنِّي وَأَسْلَمَتْنِي؛ فَحِينَئِذٍ لاَ يَطِيشُ السَّهْمُ وَلاَ يَبْرَأُ الْكَلْمُ.

Surely, there is a strong shield of Allāh over me. When my day would come it would get away from me and hand me over to death. At that time neither an arrow would go amiss nor a wound would heal up.

ومن خطبة له (عليه السلام) يحذر من فتنة الدنيا

About the transience of the world