Nahj al-Balāgha

وَلاَ يَخْشَعُ تَقِيَّةً؛ فَمَاتَ فِي فِتْنَتِهِ غَرِيراً، وَعَاشَ فِي هَفْوَتِهِ أسيراً، لَمْ يُفِدْ عِوَضاً، وَلَمْ يَقْضِ مُفْتَرَضاً. دَهِمَتْهُ فَجَعَاتُ الْمَنِيَّةِ فِي غُبَّرِ جِمَاحِهِ، وَسَنَنِ مِرَاحِهِ، فَظَلَّ سَادِراً، وَبَاتَ سَاهِراً فِي غَمَرَاتِ الاْلاَمِ، وَطَوَارِقِ الاْوْجَاعِ والاْسْقَامِ، بَيْنَ أَخ شَقِيق، وَوَالِد شَفِيق، وَدَاعِيَة بِالْوَيْلِ جَزَعاً، وَلاَدِمَة لِلصَّدْرِ قَلَقاً. وَالْمَرءُ فِي سَكْرَة مُلْهِية، وَغَمْرَة كَارِثَة، وَأَنَّة مُوجِعَة، وَجَذْبَة مُكْرِبَة وَسَوْقَة مُتْعِبَة.

He did not fear any evil nor got frightened of any apprehension. He died infatuated with his vices. He spent his short life in rubbish pursuits. He earned no reward nor did he fulfil any obligation. Fatal illness overtook him while he was still in his enjoyments and perplexed him. He passed the night in wakefulness in the hardships of griefs and prickings of pains and ailments in the presence of real brother, loving father, wailing mother, crying sister, while he himself was under maddening uneasiness, serious senselessness, fearful cries, suffocating pains, anguish of suffocating sufferings and the pangs of death.

ثُمَّ أُدْرِجَ فِي أَكْفَانِهِ مُبْلِساً، وَجُذِبَ مُنْقَاداً سَلِساً، ثُمَّ أُلْقِيَ عَلَى الاْعَوادِ رَجِيعَ وَصِب، وَنِضْوَ سَقَم، تَحْمِلُهُ حَفَدَةُ الْوِلْدَانِ، وَحَشَدَةُ الاْخْوَانِ، إِلَى دَارِ غُرْبَتِهِ، وَمُنْقَطَعِ زَوْرَتِهِ; حَتَّى إِذَا انْصَرَفَ الْمُشَيِّعُ، وَرَجَعَ الْمُتَفَجِّعُ أُقْعِدَ فِي حُفْرَتِهِ نَجِيّاً لِبَهْتَةِ السُّؤَالِ، وَعَثْرَةِ الامْتِحَانِ. وَأَعْظَمُ مَاهُنَالِكَ بَلِيَّةً نُزُلُ الْحَمِيم، وَتَصْلِيَةُ الْجَحِيمِ، وَفَوْرَاتُ السَّعِيرِ، وَسَوْراتُ السَّعِيرِ، لاَ فَتْرَةٌ مُرِيحَةٌ، وَلاَ دَعَةٌ مُزِيحَةٌ، وَلاَ قُوَّةٌ حَاجِزَةٌ، وَلاَ مَوْتَةٌ نَاجِزَةٌ، وَلاَ سِنَةٌ مُسَلِّيَةٌ، بَيْنَ أَطْوَارِ الْمَوْتَاتِ، وَعَذَابِ السَّاعَاتِ! إِنَّا بِاللهِ عَائِذُونَ!

Thereafter he was clad in the shroud while he remained quiet and thoroughly submissive to others. Then he was placed on planks in such a state that he had been down-trodden by hardships and thinned by ailments. The crowd of youngmen and helping brothers carried him to his house of loneliness where all connections of visitors are severed. Thereafter those who accompanied him went away and those who were wailing for him returned and then he was made to sit in his grave for terrifying questioning and slippery examination. The great calamity of that place is the hot water and entry into Hell, flames of eternal Fire and intensity of blazes. There is no resting period, no gap for ease, no power to intervene, no death to bring about solace and no sleep to make him forget pain. He rather lies under several kinds of deaths and moment-to-moment punishments. We seek refuge with Allāh.

عِبَادَ اللهِ، أَيْنَ الَّذِينَ عُمِّرُوا فَنَعِمُوا، وَعُلِّمُوا فَفَهِمُوا، وَأُنْظِرُوا فَلَهَوْا، وَسُلِّمُوا فَنَسُوا؟ أُمْهِلُوا طَوِيلاً، وَمُنِحُوا جَميِلاً، وَحُذِّرُوا ألِيماً، وَوُعِدُوا جَسِيماً! احْذَرُوا الذُّنُوبَ الْمُوَرِّطَةَ، وَالْعُيُوبَ الْمُسْخِطَةَ.

[The lesson to be learnt from those who have passed away] O creatures of Allāh! where are those who were allowed (long) ages to live and they enjoyed bounty. They were taught and they learnt; they were given time and they passed it in vain; they were kept healthy and they forgot (their duty). They were allowed long period (of life), were handsomely provided, were warned of grievous punishment and were promised big rewards. You should avoid sins that lead to destruction and vices that attract wrath (of Allāh).

أُولِي الاْبْصَارِ والاْسْمَاعِ، وَالْعَافِيَةِ وَالمَتَاعِ، هَلْ مِنْ مَنَاص أَوْ خَلاَص، أَوْ مَعَاذ أَوْ مَلاَذ، أَوْ فِرَار أَوْ مجاز أوْ مَحَار! أَمْ لاَ؟ ﴿فَأَنَّىٰ تُؤْفَكُونَ﴾! أَمْ أَيْنَ تُصْرَفُونَ! أَمْ بِمَاذَا تَغْتَرُّونَ؟ وَإِنَّمَا حَظُّ أَحَدِكُمْ مِنَ الاْرْضِ، ذَاتِ الطُّولِ وَالْعَرْضِ، قِيدُ قَدِّهِ، مُتَعَفِّراً عَلى خَدِّهِ!

O people who possess eyes and ears and health and wealth! Is there any place of protection, any shelter of safety, or asylum or haven, or occasion to run away or to come back (to this world)? If not, “how are you then turned away” (Qur’ān, 6:95; 10:34; 35:3; 40:62) and wither are you averting? By what things have you been deceived? Certainly, the share of every one of you from this earth is just a piece of land equal to his own stature and size where he would lie on his cheeks covered with dust. The present is an opportune moment for acting.

الاْنَ عِبَادَ اللهِ وَالْخِنَاقُ مُهْمَلٌ، وَالرُّوحُ مُرْسَلٌ، فِي فَيْنَةِ الاِرْشَادِ، وَرَاحَةِ الاْجْسَادِ، وَبَاحَةِ الاحْتِشَادِ، وَمَهَلِ الْبَقِيَّةِ، وَأُنُفِ الْمَشِيَّةِ، وَإِنْظَارِ التَّوْبَةِ، وَانْفِسَاحِ الْحَوْبَةِ قَبْلَ الضَّنْكِ وَالْمَضِيقِ، وَالرَّوْعِ وَالزُّهُوقِ، وَقَبْلَ قُدُومِ الْغَائِبِ المُنتَظَرِ، وَإِخْذَةِ الْعَزِيزِ الْمُقْتَدِرِ.

O creatures of Allāh, since the neck is free from the loop, and spirit is also unfettered, now you have time for seeking guidance; you are in ease of body; you can assemble in crowds, the rest of life is before you; you have opportunity of acting by will; there is opportunity for repentance, and peaceful circumstances. (But you should act) before you are overtaken by narrow circumstances and distress, or fear and weakness, before the approach of the awaited death and before seizure by the Almighty, the Powerful.

قال الشريف: وفي الخبر: أنّه (عليه السلام) لمّا خطب بهذه الخطبة اقشعرت لها الجلود، وبكت العيون، ورجفت القلوب. ومن الناس من يسمي هذه الخطبة: «الغراء».

as-Sayyid ar-Raḍī says: It is related that when Amīr al-mu’minin delivered this sermon people began to tremble, tears flowed from their eyes and their hearts were frightened. Some people call this sermon the Brilliant Sermon (al-Khuṭbatu’l-Gharrā’)

ومن كلام له (عليه السلام) في ذكر عمرو بن العاص

About ‘Amr ibn al-‘Āṣ

عَجَباً لاِبْنِ النَّابِغَةِ! يَزْعُمُ لاِهْلِ الشَّامِ أَنَّ فِيَّ دُعَابَةً، وَأَنِّي امْرُؤٌ تِلْعَابَةٌ: أُعَافِسُ وَأُمَارِسُ ! لَقَدْ قَالَ بَاطِلاً، وَنَطَقَ آثِماً. أَمَا ـ وَشَرُّ الْقَوْلِ الْكَذِبُ ـ إِنَّهُ لَيَقُولُ فَيَكْذِبُ، وَيَعِدُ فَيُخْلِفُ، وَيُسْأَلُ فَيَبْخَلُ، وَيَسْأَلُ فَيُلْحِفُ، وَيَخُونُ الْعَهْدَ، وَيَقْطَعُ الْاِلَّ فَإِذَا كَانَ عِنْدَ الْحَرْبِ فَأَيُّ زَاجِر وَآمِر هُوَ مَا لَمْ تَأْخُذِ السُّيُوفُ مَآخِذَهَا! فَإِذَا كَانَ ذلِكَ كَانَ أَكْبَرُ مَكيدَتِهِ أَنْ يَمْنَحَ الْقَوْمَ سُبَّتَهُ.

I am surprised at the son of an-Nābighah that he says about me among the people of Syria (ash-Shām) that I am a jester and that I am engaged in frolicks and fun. He said wrong and spoke sinfully. Beware, the worst speech is what is untrue. He speaks and lies. He promises and breaks the promise. He begs and sticks, but when someone begs from him he withholds miserly. He betrays the pledge and ignores kinship. When in a battle, he commands and admonishes but only uptil the swords do not come into action. When such a moment arrives his great trick is to turn naked [1] before his adversary.

أَمَا واللهِ إِنِّي لَـيَمْنَعُنِي مِنَ اللَّعِبِ ذِكْرُ الْموْتِ، وَإِنَّهُ لَيمَنَعُهُ مِنْ قَوْلِ الْحَقِّ نِسْيَانُ الاْخِرَةِ، إِنَّهُ لَمْ يُبَايعْ مُعَاوِيَةَ حَتَّى شَرَطَ لَهُ أَنْ يُؤْتِيَهُ أَتِيَّةً، وَيَرْضَخَ لَهُ عَلَى تَرْكِ الدِّينِ رَضِيخَةً.

By Allāh, surely the remembrance of death has kept me away from fun and play while obliviousness about the next world has prevented him from speaking truth. He has not sworn allegiance to Mu‘āwiyah without purpose; but has beforehand got him to agree that he will have to pay its price, and gave him an award for forsaking religion.

ومن خطبة له (عليه السلام) وفيها صفات ثمان من صفات الجلال

About the perfection of Allāh and counselling