Nahj al-Balāgha

ومن كلام له (عليه السلام) لابي ذر (رحمه الله) لمّا أخرج إلى الربذة

Delivered when Abū Dharr [1] was exiled towards ar-Rabadhah

يَا أَبَا ذَرٍّ، إِنَّكَ غَضِبْتَ للهِ، فَارْجُ مَنْ غَضِبْتَ لَهُ، إِنَّ الْقَوْمَ خَافُوكَ عَلَى دُنْيَاهُمْ، وَخِفْتَهُمْ عَلَى دِينِكَ، فَاتْرُكْ فِي أَيْدِيهِمْ مَا خَافُوكَ عَلَيْهِ، وَاهْرُبْ مِنهُمْ بِمَا خِفْتَهُمْ عَلَيْهِ; فَمَا أَحْوَجَهُمْ إِلَى مَا مَنَعْتَهُمْ، وأَغْنَاكَ عَمَّا مَنَعُوكَ! وَسَتَعْلَمُ مَنِ الرَّابحُ غَداً، وَالاْكْثَرُ حُسَّداً. وَلَوْ أَنَّ السَّماَوَاتِ وَالاْرَضِينَ كَانَتَا عَلَى عَبْد رَتْقاً، ثُمَّ اتَّقَى اللهَ، لَجَعَلَ اللهُ لَهُ مِنْهُمَا مَخْرَجاً! لاَ يُؤْنِسَنَّكَ إِلاَّ الْحَقُّ، وَلاَ يُوحِشَنَّكَ إِلاَّ الْبَاطِلُ، فَلَوْ قَبِلْتَ دُنْيَاهُمْ لاَحَبُّوكَ، وَلَوْ قَرَضْتَ مِنْهَا لاَمَّنُوكَ.

O Abū Dharr! You showed anger in the name of Allāh therefore have hope in Him for whom you became angry. The people were afraid of you in the matter of their (pleasure of this) world while you feared them for your faith. Then leave to them that for which they are afraid of you and get away from them taking away what you fear them about. How needy are they for what you dissuade them from and how heedless are you towards what they are denying you. You will shortly know who is the gainer tomorrow (on the Day of Judgement) and who is more enviable. Even if these skies and earth were closed to some individual and he feared Allāh, then Allāh would open them for him. Only rightfulness should attract you while wrongfulness should detract you. If you had accepted their worldly attractions they would have loved you and if you had shared in it they would have given you asylum.

ومن كلام له (عليه السلام) وفيه يبيّن سبب طلبه الحكم ويصف الامام الحقّ

Grounds for accepting the Caliphate and the qualities of a ruler and governor

أَيَّتُهَا النُّفُوسُ الْمُخْتَلِفَة، وَالْقُلُوبُ الْمُتَشَتِّتَةُ، الشَّاهِدَةُ أَبْدَانُهُمْ، وَالْغَائِبَةُ عَنْهُمْ عُقُولُهُمْ، أَظْأَرُكُمْ عَلَى الْحَقِّ وَأَنْتُمْ تَنْفِرُونَ عَنْهُ نُفُورَ الْمِعْزَى مِنْ وَعْوَعَةِ الاْسَدِ! هَيْهَاتَ أَنْ أَطْلَعَ بِكُمْ سَرَارَ الْعَدْلِ، أَوْ أُقِيمَ اعْوِجَاجِ الْحَقِّ.

O (people of) differing minds and divided hearts, whose bodies are present but wits are absent. I am leading you (amicably) towards truthfulness, but you run away from it like goats and sheep running away from the howling of a lion. How hard it is for me to uncover for you the secrets of justice, or to straighten the curve of truthfulness.

اللَّهُمَّ إِنَّكَ تَعْلَمُ أَنَّهُ لَمْ يَكُنِ الَّذِي كَانَ مِنَّا مُنَافَسَةً فِي سُلْطَان، وَلاَ الْتمَاسَ شِيء مِنْ فُضُولِ الْحُطَامِ، وَلكِنْ لِنَرِدَ الْمَعَالِمَ مِنْ دِينِكَ، وَنُظْهِرَ الاْصْلاَحَ فِي بِلاَدِكَ، فَيَأْمَنَ الْمَظْلُومُونَ مِنْ عِبَادِكَ، وَتُقَامَ الْمُعَطَّلَةُ مِنْ حُدُودِكَ.

O my Allāh! Thou knowest that what we did was not to seek power nor to acquire anything from the vanities of the world, We rather wanted to restore the signs of Thy religion and to usher prosperity into Thy cities so that the oppressed among Thy creatures might be safe and Thy forsaken commands might be established.

اللَّهُمْ إِنّي أَوَّلُ مَنْ أَنابَ، وَسَمِعَ وَأَجَابَ، لَمْ يَسْبِقْنِي إِلاَّ رَسُولُ اللهِ (صلى الله عليه وآله) بِالصَّلاَةِ.

O my Allāh! I am the first who leaned (towards Thee) and who heard and responded (to the call of Islam). No one preceded me in prayer (ṣalāt) except the Prophet.

وقَدْ عَلِمْتُمْ أَنَّهُ لاَ يَنْبَغِي أَنْ يَكُونَ عَلَى الْفُرُوجِ وَالدِّمَاءِ وَالمَغَانِمِ وَالاَحْكَامِ وَإِمَامَةِ الْمُسْلِمِينَ الْبَخِيلُ، فَتَكُونَ فِي أَمْوَالِهِمْ نَهْمَتُهُ، وَلاَ الْجَاهِلُ فَيُضِلَّهُمْ بِجَهْلِهِ، وَلاَ الْجَافِي فَيَقْطَعَهُمْ بِجَفَائِهِ، وَلاَ الجَائِفُ لِلدُّوَلِ فَيَتَّخِذَ قَوْماً دُونَ قَوْم، وَلاَ الْمُرْتَشِي فِي الْحُكْمِ فَيَذْهَبَ بِالْحُقُوقِ وَيَقِفَ بِهَا دُونَ المَقَاطِعِ، وَلاَ الْمَعطِّلُ لِلسُّنَّةِ فَيُهْلِكَ الاُمَّةَ.

You certainly know that he who is in charge of honour, life, booty (enforcement of), legal commandments and the leardership of the Muslims should not be a miser as his greed would aim at their wealth, nor be ignorant as he would then mislead there with his ignorance, nor be of rude behaviour who would estrange them with his rudeness, nor should he deal unjustly with wealth thus preferring one group over another, nor should he accept. a bribe while taking decisions, as he would forfeit (others) rights and hold them up without finality, nor should he ignore sunnah as he would ruin the people.

ومن خطبة له (عليه السلام) يعظ فيها ويزهد في الدنيا

Warning about death and counselling

[حمد اللَّه :] نَحْمَدُهُ عَلَى مَا أَخَذَ وَأَعْطَى، وَعَلَى مَا أَبْلَى وَابْتَلَى، الْبَاطِنُ لِكُلِّ خَفِيَّة، الْحَاضِرُ لِكُلِّ سَرِيرَة، العَالِمُ بِمَا تُكِنُّ الصُّدُورُ، وَمَا تَخُونُ الْعُيُونُ. وَنَشْهَدُ أَنْ لاَ إِلهَ غَيْرُهُ، وَأَنَّ مُحَمَّداً نَجِيبُهُ وَبَعِيثُهُ، شَهَادَةً يُوَافِقُ فِيهَا السِّرُّ الاْعْلاَنَ، وَالْقَلْبُ اللِّسَانَ.

We praise Him for whatever He takes or gives or whatever He inflicts on us or tries us with. He is aware of all that is hidden and He sees all that is concealed. He knows all that breasts contain or eyes hide. We render evidence that there is no god except He and that Muḥammad — peace be upon him and his progeny — has been chosen by Him and deputed by Him — evidence tendered both secretly and openly, by heart and by tongue.

ومنها في عظة الناس : فَإِنَّهُ وَاللهِ الْجِدُّ لاَ اللَّعِبُ، وَالْحَقُّ لاَ الْكَذِبُ، وَمَا هُوَ إِلاَّ الْمَوْتُ أَسْمَعَ دَاعِيهِ، وَأَعْجَلَ حَادِيهِ، فَلاَ يَغُرَّنَّكَ سَوَادُ النَّاسِ مِنْ نَفْسِكَ، فَقَدْ رَأَيْتَ مَنْ كَانَ قَبْلَكَ مِمَّنْ جَمَعَ الْمَالَ وَحَذِرَ الاْقْلاَلَ، وَأَمِنَ الْعَوَاقِبَ ـ طُولَ أَمَل وَاسْتِبْعَادَ أَجَل ـ كَيْفَ نَزَلَ بِهِ الْمَوْتُ فَأَزْعَجَهُ عَنْ وَطَنِهِ، وَأَخَذَهُ مِنْ مَأْمَنِهِ، مَحْمُولاً عَلَى أَعْوَادِ الْمَنَايَا يَتَعَاطَى بِهِ الرِّجَالُ الرِّجَالَ، حَمْلاً عَلَى المَنَاكِبِ وَإِمْسَاكاً بِالاْنَامِلِ.

[A part of the same sermon :] By Allāh, certainly it is reality not fun, truth not falsehood. It is none else than death. Its caller is making himself heard and its dragsman is making haste. The majority of the people should not deceive you. You have seen those who lived before you, amassed wealth, feared poverty and felt safe from its (evil) consequences, the longerity of desires and the (apparent) distance from death. How, then, death overtook them, turned them out of their homelands and took them out of their places of safety. They were borne on coffins, people were busy about them one after another, carrying them on their shoulders and supporting them with their hands.