Nahj al-Balāgha

[حمد الله :] الْحَمْدُ لله الَّذِي لاَ تُوَارِي عَنْهُ سَمَاءٌ سَمَاءً، وَلاَ أَرْضٌ أَرْضاً.

Praise be to Allāh from whose view one sky does not conceal another sky nor one earth another earth.

[منها في يوم الشورى :] وَقَالَ قَائِلٌ: إِنَّكَ يابْنَ أبِي طَالِب عَلَى هذَا الاْمْرِ لَحَرِيصٌ. فَقُلْتُ: بَلْ أَنْتُمْ وَاللهِ أحْرَصُ وَأَبْعَدُ، وَأَنَا أَخَصُّ وَأَقْرَبُ، وَإِنَّمَا طَلَبْتُ حَقّاً لِي وَأَنْتُمْ تَحُولُونَ بَيْنِي وَبَيْنَهُ، وَتَضْرِبُونَ وَجْهِي دُونَهُ، فَلَمَّا قَرَّعْتُهُ بِالْحُجَّةِ فِي الْملاءِ الْحَاضِرِينَ هَبَّ كَأَنَّهُ بُهِتَ لاَ يَدْرِي مَا يُجِيبُنِي بِهِ!

[A part of the same sermon About the Consultative Committee after the death of ‘Umar ibn al-Khaṭṭāb :] Someone [1] said to me, “O ’ son of Abī Ṭālib, you are eager for the caliphate.” Then I told him: “Rather, you are, by Allāh, more greedy, although more remote, while I am more suited as well as nearer. I have demanded it as my right, while you are intervening between me and it, and you are turning my face from it.” When I knocked at his ears with arguments among the crowd of those present he was startled as if he was stunned not knowing what reply to give me about it.

[الاستنصار على قريش :] اللَّهُمَّ إنَّي أَسْتَعْدِيكَ عَلى قُرَيْش وَمَنْ أَعَانَهُمْ! فَإِنَّهُمْ قَطَعُوا رَحِمِي، وَصَغَّرُوا عَظِيمَ مَنْزِلَتِي، وَأَجْمَعُوا عَلَى مُنَازَعَتِي أَمْراً هُوَ لِي. ثُمَّ قَالُوا: أَلاَ إنَّ فِي الْحَقِّ أَنْ تَأْخُذَهُ، وَفِي الْحَقِّ أَنْ تَتْرُكَهُ.

[Seeking aid against the Quraysh :] O my Allāh ! I seek Thy succour against the Quraysh and those who are assisting them, because they are denying me (the rights of) kinship, have lowered my high position, and are united in opposing me in the matter (of the caliphate) which is my right, and then they said, “Know that the rightful thing is that you have it and also that you may leave it.” [2]

[منها في ذكر أصحاب الجمل :] فَخَرَجُوا يَجُرُّونَ حُرْمَةَ رَسُولِ اللهِ (صلى الله عليه وآله) كَمَا تُجَرُّ الاْمَةُ عِنْدَ شِرَائِهَا، مُتَوَجِّهِينَ بِهَا إِلَى الْبَصْرَةِ، فَحَبَسَا نِسَاءَ هُمَا فِي بُيُوتِهِمَا، وَأَبْرَزَا حَبِيس رَسُولِ اللهِ (صلى الله عليه وآله) لَهُمَا وَلِغَيْرِهِمَا، فِي جَيْش مَا مِنْهُمْ رَجُلٌ إِلاَّ وَقَدْ أَعْطَانِي الطَّاعَةَ، وَسَمَحَ لِي بِالْبَيْعَةِ، طَائِعاً غَيْرَ مُكْرَه، فَقَدِمُوا عَلَى عَامِلِي بِهَا وَخُزَّانِ بَيْتِ مَالِ الْمُسْلِمِينَ وَغَيْرِهِمْ مِنْ أَهْلِهَا، فَقَتَلُوا طَائِفَةً صَبْراً، وَطَائِفَةً غَدْراً.

[A part of the same sermon Describing the people of Jamal :] They (Ṭalḥah, az-Zubayr and their supporters) came out dragging the wife of the Messenger of Allāh — the peace and blessing of Allāh be upon him and his descendants — just as a maidslave is dragged for sale. They took her to Baṣrah where those two (Ṭalḥah and az-Zubayr) put their own women in their houses but exposed the wife of the Messenger of Allāh to themselves and to others in the army in which there was not a single individual who had not offered me his obedience and sworn to me allegiance quite obediently, without any compulsion. Here in Baṣrah they approached my governor and treasurers of the public treasury and its other inhabitants. They killed some of them in captivity and others by treachery.

فَوَاللهِ لَوْ لَمْ يُصِيبُوا مِنَ الْمُسْلِمِينَ إِلاَّ رَجُلاً وَاحِداً مُعْتَمِدِينَ لِقَتْلِهِ، بِلاَ جُرْم جَرَّهُ، لَحَلَّ لي قَتْلُ ذلِكَ الْجَيْشِ كُلِّهِ، إِذْ حَضَرُوهُ فَلَمْ يُنْكِرُوا، وَلَمْ يَدْفَعُوا عَنْهُ بِلِسَان وَلاَ يَد. دَعْ مَا أَنَّهُمْ قَدْ قَتَلُوا مِنَ الْمُسْلِمِينَ مِثْلَ الْعِدَّةِ الَّتِي دَخَلُوا بِهَا عَلَيْهِمْ!

By Allāh, even if they had wilfully killed only one individual from among the Muslims without any fault, it would have been lawful for me to kill the whole of this army because they were present in it but did not disagree with it nor prevented it by tongue or hand, not to say that they killed from among the Muslims a number equal to that with which they had marched on them.

ومن خطبة له (عليه السلام) في رسول الله (صلى الله عليه وآله وسلم) ومن هو جدير بأن يكون للخلافة وفي هوان الدنيا

On eligibility for the Caliphate

[رسول الله :] أَمِينُ وَحْيِهِ، وَخَاتَمُ رُسُلِهِ، وَبَشِيرُ رَحْمَتِهِ، وَنَذِيرُ نِقْمَتِهِ.

The Prophet is the trustee of Allāh’s revelation, the Last of His Prophets, the giver of tidings of His mercy and the warner for His chastisement.

[الجدير بالخلافة :] أَيُّهَا النَّاسُ، إنَّ أَحَقَّ النَّاسِ بِهذَا الاْمْرِ أَقْوَاهُمْ عَلَيْهِ، وَأَعْلَمُهُمْ بِأَمْرِ اللهِ فِيهِ، فَإِنْ شَغَبَ شَاغِبٌ اسْتُعْتِبَ، فَإِنْ أَبَى قُوتِلَ.

O people, the most rightful of all persons for this matter (namely the caliphate) is he who is most competent among them to maintain it, and he who knows best Allāh’s commands about it. If any mischief is created by a mischief-monger, he will be called upon to repent. If he refuses, he will be fought.

وَلَعَمْرِي، لَئِنْ كَانَتِ الاْمَامَةُ لاَ تَنْعَقِدُ حَتَّى يَحْضُرَهَا عَامَّةُ النَّاسِ، فـمَا إِلَى ذلك سَبِيلٌ، وَلكِنْ أَهْلُهَا يَحْكُمُونَ عَلَى مَنْ غَابَ عَنْهَا، ثُمَّ لَيْسَ لِلشَّاهِدِ أَنْ يَرْجِعَ، وَلاَ لِلغَائِبِ أَنْ يَخْتَارَ. أَلاَ وَإِنَّي أُقَاتِلُ رَجُلَيْنِ: رَجُلاً ادَّعَى مَا لَيْسَ لَهُ، وَآخَرَ مَنَعَ الَّذِي عَلَيْهِ.

By my life, [1] if the question of Imāmah was not to be decided unless all the people were present, then there would be no such case. But those who agreed about it imposed the decision on those who were absent, so much so that he who was present could not dissent and the one who was absent could not choose (any one else). Know that I shall fight two persons — one who claims what is not his and the other who ignores what is obligatory upon him.

أُوصِيكُمْ عياد اللهِ بَتَقْوَى اللهِ، فَإنَّهـا خَيْرُ مَا تَوَاصَى الْعِبَادُ بِهِ، وَخَيْرُ عَوَاقِبِ الاْمُورِ عِنْدَ اللهِ، وَقَدْ فُتِحَ بَابُ الْحَرْبِ بَيْنَكُمْ وَبَيْنَ أَهْلِ الْقِبْلَةِ، وَلاَ يَحْمِلُ هذَا الْعَلَمَ إِلاَّ أَهْلُ الْبَصَرِ والصَّبْرِ وَالْعِلْمِ بِمَوَاضِعِ الْحَقِّ، فَامْضُوا لِمَا تُؤْمَرُونَ بِهِ، وَقِفُوا عِنْدَ مَا تُنْهَوْنَ عَنْهُ، وَلاَ تَعْجَلُوا فِي أَمْر حَتَّى تَتَبَيَّنُوا، فَإِنَّ لَنَا مَعَ كُلِّ أَمْر تُنْكِرُونَهُ غِيَراً

[The need for sagacity in fighting against Muslims :] O creatures of Allāh! I advise you to have fear of Allāh because it is the best advice to be mutually given by persons, and the best of all things before Allāh. The door of war has been opened between you and the other Muslims. And this banner will be borne only by him who is a man of sight, of endurance and of knowledge of the position of rightfulness. Therefore, you should go ahead with what you are ordered and desist from what you are refrained. Do not make haste in any matter till you have clarified it. For in the case of every matter which you dislike we have a right to change it.