Nahj al-Balāgha

اعْلَمُوا، عِبَادَ اللهِ، أَنَّ عَلَيْكُمْ رَصَداً مِنْ أَنْفُسِكُمْ، وَعُيُوناً مِنْ جَوَارِحِكُمْ، وَحُفَّاظَ صِدْق يَحْفَظُونَ أَعْمَالَكُمْ، وَعَدَدَ أَنْفَاسِكُمْ، لاَ تَسْتُرُكُمْ مِنْهُمْ ظُلْمَةُ لَيْل دَاج، وَلاَ يُكِنُّكُمْ مِنْهُمْ بَابٌ ذُورِتَاج، وَإِنَّ غَداً مِنَ الْيَوْمِ قَرِيبٌ.

Know, O creatures of Allāh! that your ownself is a guard over you; your limbs are watchmen and truthful vigil-keepers who preserve (the record of) your actions and the numbers of your breaths. The gloom of the dark night cannot conceal you from them, nor can closed doors hide you from them. Surely tomorrow is close to today.

يَذْهَبُ الْيَوْمُ بِمَا فِيهِ، وَيَجِيءُ الْغَدُ لاَ حِقاً بِهِ، فَكَأَنَّ كُلَّ امْرِىء مِنْكُمْ قَدْ بَلَغَ مِنَ الاْرْضِ مَنْزِلَ وَحْدَتِهِ، وَمَخَطَّ حُفْرَتِهِ، فَيَالَهُ مِنْ بَيْتِ وَحْدَة، وَمَنْزِلِ وَحْشَة، وَمُفْرَدِ غُرْبَة! وَكَأَنَّ الصَّيْحَةَ قَدْ أَتَتْكُمْ، وَالسَّاعَةَ قَدْ غَشِيَتْكُمْ، وَبَرَزْتُمْ لَفَصْلِ الْقَضَاءِ، قَدْ زَاحَتْ عَنْكُمُ الاْبَاطِيلُ، وَاضْمَحَلَّتْ عَنْكُمُ الْعِلَلُ، وَاسْتَحَقَّتْ بِكُمُ الْحَقَائِقُ، وَصَدَرَتْ بِكُمُ الاْمُورُ مَصَادِرَهَا، فَاتَّعِظُوا بِالْعِبَرِ، وَاعْتَبِرُوا بَالْغِيَرِ، وَانْتَفِعُوا بِالنُّذُرِ.

Today will depart with all that it has and tomorrow will come in its wake. It is as though every one of you has reached that place on earth where he would be alone, namely the location of his grave. So, what to say of the lonely house, the solitary place of staying and the solitary exile . It is as though the cry (of the Horn) has reached you, the Hour has overtaken you and you have come out (of your graves) for the passing of judgement. (The curtains of) falsehood have been removed from you and your excuses have become weak. The truth about you has been proved. All your matters have proceeded to their consequences. Therefore, you should (now) take counsel from examples, learn lessons from vicissitudes and take advantage of the warners.

ومن خطبة له (عليه السلام) يُنَبِّهُ فيها على فضل الرسول الأعظم وفضل القرآن ثم حال دولة بني أمية

About the Holy Prophet and the Holy Qur’ān

[النبي والقرآن :] أَرْسَلَهُ عَلَى حِينِ فَتْرَة مِنَ الرُّسُلِ، وَطُولِ هَجْعَة مِنَ الاْمَمِ، وَانْتِقَاض مِنَ الْمُبْرَمِ، فَجَاءَهُمْ بِتَصْدِيقِ الَّذِي بَيْنَ يَدَيْهِ، وَالنُّورِ الْمُقْتَدَى بِهِ. ذلِكَ الْقُرْآنُ فَاسْتَنْطِقُوهُ، وَلَنْ يَنْطِقَ، وَلَكِنْ أُخْبِرُكُمْ عَنْهُ: أَلاَ إِنَّ فِيهِ عِلْمَ مَا يَأْتي، وَالْحَدِيثَ عَنِ الْمَاضِي، وَدَوَاءَ دَائِكُمْ، وَنَظْمَ مَا بَيْنَكُمْ.

Allāh deputed the Prophet at a time when there had been no prophets for some time. People had been in slumber for a long time and the twist of the rope had loosened. The Prophet came with (a Book containing) testification to what (books) were already there and also with a light to be followed. It is the Qur’ān. If you ask it to speak it won’t do so; but I will tell you about it. Know that it contains knowledge of what is to come about, stories of the past, cure for your ills and regulation for whatever faces you.

منها في دولة بنى أمية : فَعِنْدَ ذلِكَ لاَ يَبْقَى بَيْتُ مَدَر وَلاَ وَبَر إِلاَّ وَأَدْخَلَهُ الظَّلَمَةُ تَرْحَةً، وَأَوْلَجُوا فِيهِ نِقْمَةً، فَيَوْمَئِذ لاَ يَبْقَى لَهُمْ فِي السَّماءِ عَاذِرٌ، وَلاَ فِي الاْرْضِ نَاصِرٌ. أَصْفَيْتُمْ بِالاْمْرِ غَيْرَ أَهْلِهِ، وَأَوْرَدْتُمُوهُ غَيْرَ مَوْرِدِهِ، وَسَيَنْتَقِمُ اللهُ مِمَّنْ ظَلَمَ، مَأْكَلاً بِمَأْكَل، وَمَشْرَباً بِمَشْرَب، مِنْ مَطَاعِمِ الْعَلْقَمِ، وَمَشَارِبِ الصَّبِرِوَالْمَقِرِ، وَلِبَاسِ شِعَارِ الْخَوْفِ، وَدِثَارِ السَّيْفِ

[A part of the same sermon About the autocracy of the Umayyads :] At that time there will remain no house or tent but oppressors would inflict it with grief and inject sickness in it. On that day no one in the sky will listen to their excuse and no one on the earth will come to their help. You selected for the governance (caliphate) one who is not fit for it, and you raised him to a position which was not meant for him. Shortly Allāh will take revenge from every one who has oppressed, food for food and drink for drink, namely (they will be given) colocynth for eating, myrrh and aloes for drinking, and fear for an inner and the sword for an outer covering.

وَإِنَّمَا هُمْ مَطَايَا الْخَطِيئَاتِ وَزَوَامِلُ الاْثَامِ. فَأُقْسِمُ، ثُمَّ أُقْسِمُ، لَتَنَخَّمَنَّهَا أُمَيَّةُ مِنْ بَعْدِي كَمَا تُلْفَظُ النُّخَامَةُ، ثُمَّ لاَ تَذُوقُهَا وَلاَ تَطْعَمُ بِطَعْمِهَا أَبَداً مَا كَرَّ الْجَدِيدَانِ

They are nothing but carrier-beasts laden with sins and camels laden with evil deeds. I swear and again swear that the Umayyads will have to spit out the caliphate as phlegm is spat and there after they will never taste it nor relish its flavour so long as day and night rotate.

ومن خطبة له (عليه السلام) يبيّن فيها حسن معاملته لرعيّته

Good behaviour with people and ignoring their faults

وَلَقَدْ أَحْسَنْتُ جِوَارَكُمْ، وَأَحَطْتُ بِجُهْدِي مِنْ وَرَائِكُمْ، وَأَعْتَقْتُكُمْ مِنْ رَبَقِ الذُّلِّ، وَحَلَقِ الضَّيْمِ، شُكْراً مِنِّي لِلْبِرِّ الْقَلِيلِ، وَإِطْرَاقاً عَمَّا أَدْرَكَهُ الْبَصَرُ، وَشَهِدَهُ الْبَدَنُ، مِنَ الْمُنْكَرِ الْكَثِيرِ.

I lived as a good neighbour to you and tried my best to look after you, and I freed you from the snare of humbleness and the fetters of oppression through my gratefulness for the little good (from your side) and closed my eyes to your many misdeeds which my eyes had observed and my body had witnessed.

ومن خطبة له (عليه السلام) في عظمة الله وحمده وذكر الأنبياء

Greatness and Praise of Allāh

[عظمة اللّه :] أَمْرُهُ قَضَاءٌ وَحِكْمَةٌ، وَرِضَاهُ أَمَانٌ وَرَحْمَةٌ، يَقْضِي بِعِلْم، وَيَعْفُو بحِلْم.

[Greatness of Allāh :] Allāh’s verdict is judicious and full of wisdom. His pleasure implies protection and mercy. He decides with knowledge and forgives with forebearance.