Nahj al-Balāgha

[هوان الدنيا :] أَلاَ وَإِنَّ هذِهِ الدُّنْيَا الَّتِي أَصْبَحْتُمْ تَتَمَنَّوْنَهَا وَتَرْغَبُونَ فِيهَا، وَأَصْبَحَتْ تُغْضِبُكُمْ وَتُرْضِيكُمْ، لَيْسَتْ بِدَارِكُمْ، وَلاَ مَنْزِلِكُمُ الَّذِي خُلِقْتُمْ لَهُ وَلاَ الَّذِي دُعِيتُمْ إِلَيْهِ، أَلاَ وَإِنَّهَا لَيْسَتْ بِبَاقِيَة لَكُمْ وَلاَ تَبْقَوْنَ عَلَيْهَا، وَهِيَ وَإِنْ غَرَّتْكُمْ مِنْهَا فَقَدْ حَذَّرَتْكُمْ شَرَّهَا،

[The behaviour of this world with its adherents :] Know that this world which you have started to covet and in which you are interested, and which sometimes enrages you and sometimes pleases you is not your (permanent) abode, nor the place of your stay for which you might have been created, nor one to which you have been invited. Know that it will not last for you nor will you live along with it. If anything out of this world deceives you (into attraction), its evils warn you too.

فَدَعُوا غُرُورَهَا لِتَحْذِيرِهَا، وَأَطْمَاعَهَا لِتَخْوِيفِهَا، وَسَابِقُوا فِيهَا إِلَى الدَّارِ الَّتي دعِيتُمْ إِلَيْهَا، وَانْصَرِفُوا بِقُلُوبِكُمْ عَنْهَا، وَلاَ يَخِنَّنَّ أَحَدُكُمْ خَنِينَ الاْمَةِ عَلَى مَا زُوِىَ عَنْهُ مِنْهَا، وَاسْتَتِمُّوا نِعْمَةَ اللهِ عَلَيْكُمْ بِالصَّبْرِ عَلَى طَاعَةِ اللهِ وَالْـمُحَافَظَةِ عَلَى مَا اسْتَحْفَظَكُمْ مِنْ كِتَابِهِ.

You should give up (the objects of) its deceits in favour of (the objects of) its warning and (the objects of) its attractions in favour of (the objects of) its terrors. And while here in it, advance towards that house to which you have been called, and turn away your hearts from the world. None of you should cry like a maid slave over anything which she has been deprived of. Seek the perfection of Allāh’s bounty over you by endurance in obedience to Allāh and in guarding what He has asked you to guard, namely His Book.

أَلاَ وَإِنَّهُ لاَ يَضُرُّكُمْ تَضْيِيعُ شَيْء مِنْ دُنْيَاكُمْ بَعْدَ حِفْظِكُمْ قَائِمَةَ دِينِكُمْ، أَلاَ وَإِنَّهُ لاَ يَنْفَعُكُمْ بَعْدَ تَضْيِيعِ دِينِكُمْ شَيْءٌ حَافَظْتُمْ عَلَيْهِ مِنْ أَمْرِ دُنْيَاكُمْ، أَخَذَ اللهُ بِقُلُوبِنَا وَقُلُوبِكُمْ إِلَى الْحَقِّ، وَأَلْهَمَنَا وَإِيَّاكُمُ الصَّبْرَ!

Know that the loss of anything of this world will not harm you, if you have guarded the principles of your religion. Know also that after the loss of your religion nothing of this world for which you have cared will benefit you. May Allāh carry our hearts and your hearts towards the right and may He grant us and you endurance.

ومن كلام له (عليه السلام) في معنى طلحة بن عبيد الله وقد قاله حين بلغه خروج طلحة والزبير إلى البصرة لقتاله

About Ṭalḥah ibn ‘Ubaydillāh. Delivered when he received the news that Ṭalḥah and az-Zubayr had already left for Baṣrah to fight against him.

قَدْ كُنْتُ وَمَا أُهَدَّدُ بالْحَرْبِ، وَلاَ أُرَهَّبُ بِالضَّرْبِ، وَأَنَا عَلَى مَا قَدْ وَعَدَني رَبِّي مِنَ النَّصْرِ. وَاللهِ مَا اسْتَعْجَلَ مُتَجَرِّداً لِلطَّلَبِ بِدَمِ عُثْمانَ إِلاَّ خَوْفاً مِنْ أَنْ يُطَالَبَ بِدَمِهِ، لاَنَّهُ مَظِنَّتُهُ، وَلَمْ يَكُنْ فِي الْقَومِ أَحْرَصُ عَلَيْهِ مِنْهُ، فَأَرَادَ أَنْ يُغَالِطَ بِمَا أَجْلَبَ فِيهِ لِيَلْتَبِسَ الاْمْرُ وَيَقَعَ الشَّكُّ.

As for me, I would never be frightened of fighting or be made to fear striking because I am satisfied with Allāh’s promise of support to me. By Allāh, Ṭalḥah has has hastened with drawn sworn to avenge ‘Uthmān’s blood for fear lest the demand for ‘Uthmān’s blood be made against himself, because the people’s idea in this matter is about him, and, in fact, he was the most anxious among them for his killing. Therefore, he has tried to create misunderstanding by collecting forces in order to confuse the matter and to create doubt.

وَوَاللهِ مَا صَنَعَ فِي أَمْرِ عُثْمانَ وَاحِدَةً مِنْ ثَلاَث: لَئِنْ كَانَ ابْنُ عَفَّانَ ظَالِماً ـ كَمَا كَانَ يَزْعُمُ ـ لَقَدْ كَانَ يَنْبَغِي لَهُ أَنْ يُوَازِرَ قَاتِلِيهِ وَأَنْ يُنَابِذَ نَاصِرِيهِ، وَلَئِنْ كَانَ مَظْلُوماً لَقَدْ كَانَ يَنْبَغِي لَهُ أَنْ يَكُونَ مِنَ المُنَهْنِهِينَ عَنْهُ وَالْمُعَذِّرِينَ فِيهِ، وَلَئِنْ كَانَ فِي شَكّ مِنَ الْخَصْلَتَيْنِ، لَقَدْ كَانَ يَنْبَغِي لَهُ أَنْ يَعْتَزِلَهُ وَيَرْكُدَ جَانِباً وَيَدَعَ النَّاسَ مَعَهُ، فَمَا فَعَلَ وَاحِدَةً مِنَ الثَّلاَثِ، وَجَاءَ بِأَمْر لَمْ يُعْرَفْ بَابُهُ، وَلَمْ تَسْلَمْ مَعَاذِيرُهُ.

By Allāh, he did not act in either of three ways about ‘Uthmān. If the son of ‘Affān (‘Uthmān) was in the wrong, as Ṭalḥah believed, it is necessary for him to support those who killed [1] him or to keep away from his supporters. If ‘Uthmān was the victim of oppression, then Ṭalḥah should have been among those who were keeping (the assaulters) away from him or were advancing pleas on his behalf. If he was in doubt about these two alternatives, then it was incumbent upon him to leave him (‘Uthmān) and retire aside and leave the men with him (to deal with him as they wished). But he adopted none of these three ways, and came out with a thing in which there is no good, and his excuses are not acceptable.

ومن خطبة له (عليه السلام) في الموعظة وبيان قرباه من رسول الله

Warning to neglectful people, and about the vastness of his own knowledge

أَيُّهَا الغَافِلُونَ غَيْرُ الْمَغْفُولِ عَنْهُمْ، وَالتَّارِكُونَ الْمَأْخُوذُ مِنْهُمْ، مَالي أَرَاكُمْ عَنِ اللهِ ذَاهِبِينَ، وَإِلَى غَيْرِهِ رَاغِبِينَ! كَأَنَّكُمْ نَعَمٌ أَرَاحَ بِهَا سَائِمٌ إلَى مَرْعىً وبيّ، وَمَشْرَب دَوِيّ، وَإنَّمَا هِيَ كَالْمَعْلُوفَةِ لِلْمُدَى لاَ تَعْرِفُ مَاذَا يُرَادُ بِهَا! إذَا أُحْسِنَ إلَيْهَا تَحْسَبُ يَوْمَهَا دَهْرَهَا، وَشِبَعَهَا أَمْرَهَا

O people who are (negligent of Allāh but) not neglected (by Allāh), and those who miss (doing good acts) but are to be caught. How is it that I see you becoming removed from Allāh and becoming interested in others? You are like the camel whom the grazier drives to a disease-stricken pasture and a disastrous watering place. They are like beasts who are fed in order to be slaughtered, but they do not know what is intended for them. When they are treated well they think that day to be their whole life, and eating their full to be their aim.

وَاللهِ لَوْ شِئْتُ أَنْ أُخْبِرَ كُلَّ رَجُل مِنْكُمْ بِمَخْرَجِهِ وَمَوْلِجِهِ وَجَمِيعِ شَأْنِهِ لَفَعَلْتُ، وَلكِنْ أَخَافُ أَنْ تَكْفُرُوا فيَّ بِرَسُولِ اللهِ (صلى الله عليه وآله). أَلاَ وَإِنِّي مُفْضِيهِ إلَى الْخَاصَّةِ مِمَّنْ يُؤْمَنُ ذلِكَ مِنْهُ. وَالَّذِي بَعَثَهُ بِالحَقِّ، وَاصْطَفَاهُ عَلَى الْخَلْقِ، مَا أَنْطِقُ إلاَّ صَادِقاً، وَقَدْ عَهِدَ إِلَيَّ بِذلِكَ كُلِّهِ، وَبِمَهْلِكِ مَنْ يَهْلِكُ، وَمَنْجَى مَنْ يَنْجُو، وَمَآلِ هذَا الاْمْرِ، وَمَا أَبْقَى شَيْئاً يَمُرُّ عَلَى رَأْسِي ألاَّ أَفْرَغَهُ فِي أُذُنَيَّ وَأَفْضَى بِهِ إِلَيَّ.

By Allāh, if I wish, I can tell every one of you from where he has come, where he has to go and all his affairs, but I fear lest you abandon the Messenger of Allāh - peace and blessing of Allāh be upon him and his progeny - in my favour. I shall certainly convey these things to the selected ones who will remain safe from that fear. By Allāh, Who deputed the Prophet with Right and distinguished him over creation. I do not speak save the truth. He (the Prophet) informed me of all this and also about the death of every one who dies, the salvation of every one who is granted salvation, and the consequences of this matter (the caliphate). He left nothing (that could) pass into my head with-out putting it in my ear and telling me about it. [1]

أَيُّهَا النَّاسُ، إِنِّي، وَاللهِ، مَا أَحُثُّكُمْ عَلَى طَاعَة إِلاَّ وَأَسْبِقُكُمْ إِلَيْهَا، وَلاَ أَنْهَا كُمْ عَنْ مَعْصِيَة إِلاَّ وَأَتَنَاهَى قَبْلَكُمْ عَنْهَا.

O people! By Allāh, I do not impel you to any obedience unless I practise it before you and do not restrain you from any disobedience unless I desist from it before you.