Nahj al-Balāgha

وَلاَ يَخْفَى عَلَيْهِ مِنْ عِبَادِهِ شُخُوصُ لَحْظَة، وَلاَ كُرُورُلَفْظَة، وَلاَ ازْدِلاَفُ رَبْوَة، وَلاَ انْبِسَاطُ خُطْوَة فِي لَيْل دَاج، وَلاَ غَسَق سَاج، يَتَفَيَّأُ عَلَيْهِ الْقَمَرُ الْمُنِيرُ، وَتَعْقُبُهُ الشَّمْسُ ذَاتُ النُّورِ فِي الْكُرُورِ وَالاْفُولِ، وَتَقْلِيبِ الاْزْمِنَةِ وَالدُّهُورِ، مِنْ إِقْبَالِ لَيْل مُقْبِل، وَإِدْبَارِ نَهَار مُدْبِر، قَبْلَ كُلِّ غَايَة وَمُدَّة، وَكُلِّ إِحْصَاء وَعِدَة،

The gazing of people’s eyes is not hidden from Him, nor the repetition of words, nor the glimpse of hillocks, nor the tread of a footstep in the dark night or in the deep gloom, where the shining moon casts its light and the effulgent sun comes in its wake, through its setting and appearing again and again with the rotation of time and periods, by the approach of the advancing night or the passing away of the running day. He precedes every extremity and limit, and every counting and numbering.

تَعَالَى عَمَّا يَنْحَلُهُ الْمحَدِّدُونَ مِنْ صِفَاتِ الاْقْدَارِ وَنِهَايَاتِ الاْقْطَارِ، وَتَأَثُّلِ الْمَسَاكِنِ، وَتَمَكُّنِ الاْمَاكِنِ; فَالْحَدُّ لِخَلْقِهِ مَضْرُوبٌ، وَإِلَى غَيْرهِ مَنْسُوبٌ.

He is far above what those whose regard is limited attribute to Him, such as the qualities of measure, having extremities, living in houses and dwelling in abodes, because limits are meant for creation and are attributable only to other than Allāh.

[ابتداع المخلوقين :] لَمْ يَخْلُقِ الاْشْيَاءَ مِنْ أُصُول أَزَلِيَّة، وَلاَ مِنْ أَوَائِلَ أَبَدِيَّة، بَلْ خَلَقَ مَا خَلَقَ فَأَقَامَ حَدَّهُ، وَصَوَّرَ مَا صَوَّرَ فَأَحْسَنَ صُورَتَهُ، لَيْسَ لِشَيْء مِنْهُ امْتِنَاعٌ، وَلاَ لَهُ بِطَاعَةِ شَيْء انْتِفَاعٌ، عِلْمُهُ بِالاْمْوَاتِ الْمَاضِينَ كَعِلْمِهِ بِالاْحْيَاءِ الْبَاقِينَ، وَعِلْمُهُ بِمَا فِي السماوَاتِ الْعُلَى كَعِلْمِهِ بِمَا فِي الاْرَضِينَ السُّفْلَى.

[Allāh, the Originator from nought :] He did not create things from eternal matter nor after every existing examples, but He created whatever He created and then He fixed limits thereto, and He shaped whatever He shaped and gave the best shape thereto. Nothing can disobey Him, but the obedience of something is of no benefit to Him. His knowledge about those who died in the past is the same as His knowledge about the remaining survivers, and His knowledge about whatever there is in the high skies is like His knowledge of whatever there is in the low earth.

منها : أَيُّهَا الْـمَخْلُوقُ السَّوِيُّ، وَالْمُنْشَأُ الْمَرْعِىُّ، فِي ظُلُمَاتِ الاْرْحَامِ، وَمُضَاعَفَاتِ الاْسْتَارِ، بُدِئْتَ ﴿مِن سُلَالَةٍ مِّن طِينٍ﴾، وَوُضِعْتَ ﴿فِي قَرَارٍ مَّكِينٍ. إِلَىٰ قَدَرٍ مَّعْلُومٍ﴾ وَأَجَل مَقْسُوم، تَمُورُ فِي بَطْنِ أُمِّكَ جَنِيناً لاَ تُحِيرُ دُعَاءً، وَلاَ تَسْمَعُ نِدَاءً،

[A part of the same sermon (about man’s creation, and pointing towards the requirements of life) :] O creature who has been equitably created and who has been nurtured and looked after in the darkness of wombs with multiple curtains. You were originated from the essence of clay (Qur’ān, 23:12) and placed in a still place for a known length (Qur’ān, 77:21-22) and an ordained time. You used to move in the womb of your mother as an embryo, neither responding to a call nor hearing any voice.

ثُمَّ أُخْرِجْتَ مِنْ مَقَرِّكَ إِلَى دَار لَمْ تَشْهَدْهَا، وَلَمْ تَعْرِفْ سُبُلَ مَنَافِعِهَا; فَمَنْ هَدَاكَ لاِجْتِرَارِ الْغِذَاءِ مِنْ ثَدْيِ أُمِّكَ؟ وَعَرَّفَكَ عِنْدَ الْحَاجَةِ مَوَاضِعَ طَلَبِكَ وَإِرَادَتِكَ؟! هَيْهَاتَ، إِنَّ مَنْ يَعْجِزُ عَنْ صِفَاتِ ذِي الْهَيْئَةِ وَالاْدَوَاتِ فَهُوَ عَنْ صِفَاتِ خَالِقِهِ أَعْجَزُ، وَمِنْ تَنَاوُلِهِ بِحُدُودِ الْمخْلُوقِينَ أَبْعَدُ!

Then you were taken out from your place of stay to a place you had not seen, and you were not acquainted with the means of awaiting its benefits, or with who guided you to eke out your sustenance from the udder of your mother, and, when you were in need, appraised you of the location of what you required or aimed at. Alas ! Certainly he who is unable to understand the qualities of a being with shape and limbs is the more unable to understand the qualities of the Creator and the more remote from appreciating Him through the limitations of creatures.

ومن كلام له (عليه السلام) لما اجتمع الناس اليه وشكوا ما نقموه على عثمان وسألوه مخاطبته واستعتابه لهم، فدخل (عليه السلام) على عثمان فقال:

When people went to Amīr al-mu’minīn in a deputation and complained to him through what they had to say against ‘Uthmān, and requested him to speak to him on their behalf and to admonish him for their sake, he went to see him and said: [1]

إِنَّ النَّاسَ وَرَائي، وَقَدِ اسْتَسْفَرُوني بَيْنَكَ وَبَيْنَهُمْ، وَوَاللهِ مَا أَدْرِي مَا أَقُولُ لَكَ! مَا أَعْرِفُ شَيْئاً تَجْهَلُهُ، وَلاَ أَدُلُّكَ عَلَى أَمْر لاَ تَعْرِفُهُ، إِنَّكَ لَتَعْلَمُ مَا نَعْلَمُ، مَا سَبَقْنَاكَ إِلَى شَيْء فَنُخْبِرَكَ عَنْهُ، وَلاَ خَلَوْنَا بِشَيْء فَنُبَلِّغَكَهُ، وَقَدْ رَأَيْتَ كَمَا رَأَيْنَا، وَسَمِعْتَ كَمَا سَمِعْنَا، وَصَحِبْتَ رَسُولَ الله(صلى الله عليه وآله) كَمَا صَحِبْنَا. وَمَا ابْنُ أَبِي قُحَافَةَ وَلاَ ابْنُ الْخَطَّابِ بِأَوْلَى بِعَمَلِ الْحَقِّ مِنْكَ، وَأَنْتَ أَقْرَبُ إِلَى رَسُولِ اللهِ(صلى الله عليه وآله) وَشِيجَةَ رَحِم مِنْهُمَا، وَقَدْ نِلْتَ مَنْ صَهْرِهِ مَا لَمْ يَنَالاَ.

The people are behind me and they have made me an ambassador between you and themselves; but by Allāh, I do not know what to say to you. I know nothing (in this matter) which you do not know, nor can I lead you to any matter of which you are not aware. You certainly know what we know, we have not come to know anything before you which we could tell you; nor did we learn anything in secret which we should convey to you. You have seen as we have seen and you have heard as we have heard. You sat in the company of the Prophet of Allāh as we did. (Abū Bakr) Ibn Abī Quḥāfah and (‘Umar) Ibn al-Khaṭṭāb were no more responsible for acting righteously than you, since you are nearer than both of them to the Prophet of Allāh through kinship, and you also hold relationship to him by marriage which they do not hold.

فَاللهَ اللهَ فِي نَفْسِكَ! فَإِنَّكَ ـ وَاللهِ ـ مَا تُبَصَّرُ مِنْ عَمىً، وَلاَ تُعَلّمُ مِنْ جَهْل، وَإِنَّ الْطُّرُقَ لَوَاضِحَةٌ، وَإِنَّ أَعْلاَمَ الدِّينِ لَقَائِمَةٌ. فَاعْلَمْ أَنَّ أَفْضَلَ عِبَادِاللهِ عِنْدَ اللهِ إِمَامٌ عَادِلٌ، هُدِيَ وَهَدَي، فَأَقَامَ سُنَّةً مَعْلُومَةً، وَأَمَاتَ بِدْعَةً مَجْهُولَةً، وَإِنَّ السُّنَنَ لَنَيِّرَةٌ، لَهَا أَعْلاَمٌ،

Then (fear) Allāh, in your own self; for, by Allāh, you are not being shown anything as if you are blind or being apprised of anything as if you are ignorant. The ways are clear while the banners of faith are fixed. You should know that among the creatures of Allāh, the most distinguished person before Allāh is the just Imām who has been guided (by Allāh) and guides others. So, he stands by the recognized ways of the Prophet’s behaviour and destroys unrecognized innovations. The (Prophet’s) ways are clear and they have signs, while innovations are also clear and they too have signs.

وَإِنَّ الْبِدَعَ لَظَاهِرَةٌ، لَهَا أَعْلاَمٌ، وَإِنَّ شَرَّ النَّاسِ عِنْدَاللهِ إِمَامٌ جَائِرٌ ضَلَّ وَضُلَّ بِهِ، فَأَمَاتَ سُنَّةً مَأْخُوذَةً، وَأَحْيَا بِدْعَةً مَتْرُوكَةً. وَإِني سَمِعْتُ رَسُولَ اللهِ (صلى الله عليه وآله) يَقُولُ: «يُؤْتَى يَوْمَ الْقِيَامَةِ بِالاْمَامِ الْجَائِرِ وَلَيْسَ مَعَهُ نَصِيرٌ وَلاَ عَاذِرٌ، فَيُلْقَى فِي نَارِ جَهَنَّمَ، فَيَدُورُ فِيهَا كَمَا تَدُورُ الرَّحَى، ثُمَّ يَرْتَبِطُ فِي قَعْرِهَا.»

Certainly, the worst man before Allāh is the oppressive Imām who has gone astray and through whom others go astray. He destroys the accepted sunnah and revives abandoned innovations. I heard the Messenger of Allāh saying: “On the Day of Judgement the oppressive Imām will be brought without anyone to support him or anyone to advance excuses on his behalf, and then he will be thrown into Hell where he will rotate as the hand-mill rotates, then (eventually) he will be confined to its hollow.”

وَإِني أَنْشُدُكَ اللهَ أنْ تَكُونَ إِمَامَ هذِهِ الاْمَّةِ الْمَقْتُولَ، فَإِنَّهُ كَانَ يُقَالُ: يُقْتَلُ فِي هذِهِ الاْمَّةِ إِمَامٌ يَفْتَحُ عَلَيْهَا الْقَتْلَ وَالْقِتَالَ إِلى يَوْمِ الْقُيَامَةِ، وَيَلْبِسُ أُمُورَهَا عَلَيْهَا، وَيَبُثُّ الْفِتَنَ فِيهَا، فَلاَ يُبْصِرُونَ الْحَقَّ مِنَ الْبَاطِلِ، يَمُوجُونَ فِيهَا مَوْجاً، وَيَمْرُجُونَ فِيهَا مَرْجاً. فَلاَ تَكُونَنَّ لِمَرْوَانَ سَيِّقَةً يَسُوقُكَ حَيْثُ شَاءَ بَعْدَ جَلاَلَ السِّنِّ وَتَقَضِّي الْعُمُرِ.

I swear to you by Allāh that you should not be that Imām of the people who will be killed because it has been said that, “An Imām of this people will be killed after which killing and fighting will be made open for them till the Day of Judgement, and he will confuse their matters and spread troubles over them. As a result, they will not discern truth from wrong. They will oscillate like waves and would be utterly misled.” You should not behave as the carrying beast for Marwān so that he may drag you wherever he likes, despite (your) seniority of age and length of life.