Nahj al-Balāgha

وَلَقَدْ قَالَ رَسُولُ اللهِ (صلى الله عليه وآله): «لاَ يَسْتَقِيمُ إيمَانُ عَبْد حَتَّى يَسْتَقِيمَ قَلْبُهُ، وَلاَ يَسْتَقِيمُ قَلْبُهُ حَتَّى يَسْتَقِيمَ لِسَانُهُ»؛ فَمَنِ اسْتَطَاعَ مِنْكُمْ أَنْ يَلْقَى اللهَ سُبْحانَهُ وَهُوَ نَقِيُّ الرَّاحَةِ مِنْ دِمَاءِ الْمُسْلِمِينَ وَأَمْوَالِهِمْ، سَلِيمُ اللِّسَانِ مِنْ أَعْرَاضِهِمْ، فَلْيَفْعَلْ.

The Prophet of Allāh — peace and blessing of Allāh be upon him and his descendants — said: “The belief of a person cannot be firm unless his heart is firm, and his heart cannot be firm unless his tongue is firm.” So whoever of you can manage to meet Allāh, the Sublime, in such a position that his hands are unsmeared with the blood of Muslims and their property and his tongue is safe from exposing them, he should do so.

[تحريم البدع :] وَاعْلَمُوا عِبَادَ اللهِ أَنَّ الْمُؤمِنَ يَسْتَحِلُّ الْعَامَ مَا اسْتَحَلَّ عَاماً أَوَّلَ، وَيُحَرِّمُ الْعَامَ مَا حَرَّمَ عَاماً أَوَّلَ، وَأَنَّ مَا أَحْدَثَ النَّاسُ لاَ يُحِلُّ لَكُمْ شَيْئاً مِمَّا حُرِّمَ عَلَيْكُمْ، وَلكِنَّ الْحَلاَلَ مَا أَحَلَّ اللهُ، وَالْحَرَامَ مَا حَرَّمَ اللهُ، فَقَدْ جَرَّبْتُمُ الاْمْورَ وَضَرَّسْتُمُوهَا، وَوُعِظْتُمْ بِمَنْ كَانَ قَبْلَكُمْ، وَضُرِبَتِ الاْمْثَالُ لَكُم، وَدُعِيتُمْ إلَى الاْمْرِ الْوَاضِحِ; فَلاَ يَصَمُّ عَنْ ذلِكَ إلاَّ أَصَمُّ، وَلاَ يَعْمَى عَنْهُ إلاَّ أَعْمَى.

[Following the sunnah and refraining from innovation :] Know, O creatures of Allāh, that a believer should regard lawful this year what he regarded lawful in the previous year, and should consider unlawful this year what he considered unlawful in the previous year. Certainly people’s innovation cannot make lawful for you what has been declared unlawful; rather, lawful is that which Allāh has made lawful and unlawful is that which Allāh has made unlawful. You have already tested the matters and tried them; you have been preached by those before you. Illustrations have been drawn for you and you have been called to clear fact. Only a deaf man can remain deaf to all this, and only a blind man can remain blind to all this.

وَمَنْ لَمْ يَنْفَعْهُ اللهُ بِالْبَلاَءِ وَالتَّجَارِبِ لَمْ يَنْتَفِعْ بِشَيْء مِنَ الْعِظَةِ، وَأَتَاهُ الْتَّقْصِيرُ مِنْ أَمَامِه، حَتَّى يَعْرِفَ مَا أَنْكَرَ، وَيُنْكِرَ مَا عَرَفَ. وَإنَّمَا النَّاسُ رَجُلاَنِ: مُتَّبِعٌ شِرْعَةً، وَمُبْتَدِعٌ بِدْعَةً، لَيْسَ مَعَهُ مِنَ اللهِ سُبْحَانَهُ بُرْهَانُ سُنَّة، وَلاَ ضِياءُ حُجَّة.

He whom Allāh does not allow benefit from trials and experience cannot benefit from preaching. He will be faced with losses from in front, so that he will approve what is bad and disapprove what is good. People are of two categories - the follower of the sharī‘ah (religious laws), and the follower of the innovations to whom Allāh has not given any testimony by way of sunnah or the light of any plea.

[القرآن :] وَإِنَّ اللهَ سُبْحَانَهُ لَمْ يَعِظْ أَحَداً بِمِثْلِ هذَا الْقُرْآنِ، فَإِنَّهُ حَبْلُ اللهِ الْمَتِينُ، وَسَبَبُهُ الاْمِينُ، وَفِيهِ رَبِيعُ الْقَلْبِ، وَيَنَابِيعُ الْعِلْمِ، وَمَا لِلْقَلْبِ جَلاَءٌ غَيْرُهُ، مَعَ أَنَّهُ قَدْ ذَهَبَ الْمُتَذَكِّرُونَ، وَبَقِيَ النَّاسُونَ أَوِ الْمُتَنَاسُونَ. فَإِذَا رَأَيْتُمْ خَيْراً فَأَعِينُوا عَلَيْهِ، وَإِذَا رَأَيْتُمْ شَرّاً فَاذْهَبُوا عَنْهُ، فَإنَّ رَسُولَ اللهِ (صلى الله عليه وآله) كَانَ يَقُولُ: «يَابْنَ آدَمَ، اعْمَلِ الْخَيْرَ وَدَعِ الشَّرَّ، فَإِذَا أَنْتَ جَوَادٌ قَاصِدٌ»

[Guidance from the Holy Qur’ān :] Allāh the Glorified, has not counselled anyone on the lines of this Qur’ān, for it is the strong rope of Allāh and His trustworthy means. It contains the blossoming of the heart and springs of knowledge. For the heart there is no other gloss than the Qur’ān although those who remembered it have passed away while those who forgot or pretended to have forgotten it have remained. If you see any good give your support to it, but if you see evil evade it, because the Messenger of Allāh used to say: “O son of Adam, do good and evade evil; by doing so you will be treading correctly.”

[انواع الظلم :] أَلاَ وَإنَّ الظُّلْمَ ثَلاَثَةٌ: فَظُلْمٌ لاَ يُغْفَرُ، وَظُلْمٌ لاَ يُتْرَكُ، وظُلْمٌ مَغْفُورٌ لاَ يُطْلَبُ. فَأَمَّا الظُّلْمُ الَّذِي لاَ يُغْفَرُ فَالشِّرْكُ بِاللهِ، قَالَ اللهُ تَعَالَى: ﴿إِنَّ اللَّـهَ لَا يَغْفِرُ أَن يُشْرَكَ بِهِ﴾ وَأَمَّا الظُّلْمُ الَّذِي يُغْفَرُ فَظُلْمُ الْعَبْدِ نَفْسَهُ عِنْدَ بَعْضِ الْهَنَاتِ. وَأَمَّا الظُّلْمُ الَّذِي لاَ يُتْرَكُ فَظُلْمُ الْعِبَادِ بَعْضِهِمْ بَعْضاً. الْقِصَاصُ هُنَاكَ شَدِيدٌ، لَيْسَ هُوَ جَرْحاً بِالْمُدَى وَلاَ ضَرْباً بِالسِّيَاطِ، وَلكِنَّهُ مَا يُسْتَصْغَرُ ذلِكَ مَعَهُ. فَإِيَّاكُمْ وَالتَّلَوُّنَ فِي دِينِ اللهِ، فَإِنَّ جَمَاعَةً فِيَما تَكْرَهُونَ مِنَ الْحَقّ، خَيْرٌ مِنْ فُرْقَة فِيَما تُحِبُّونَ مِنَ الْبَاطِلِ، وَإِنَّ اللهَ سُبْحَانَهُ لَمْ يُعْطِ أَحَداً بِفُرْقَة خَيْراً مِمَّنْ مَضَى، وَلاَ مِمَّنْ بَقِيَ.

[Categories of oppression :] Know that injustice is of three kinds — one, the injustice that will not be forgiven, another, that will not be left unquestioned, and another that will be forgiven without being questioned. The injustice that will not be forgiven is duality of Allāh. Allāh has said: Verily Allāh forgiveth not that (anything) be associated with Him . . . (Qur’ān, 4:48, 116). The injustice that will be forgiven is the injustice a man does to himself by committing small sins; and the injustice that will not be left unquestioned is the injustice of men against other men. The retribution in such a case is severe. It is not wounding with knives, nor striking with whips, but it is so severe that all these things are small against it. You should therefore avoid change in the matter of Allāh’s religion for your unity in respect of a right which you dislike is better than your scattering away in respect of a wrong that you like. Certainly, Allāh the Glorified has not given any person, whether among the dead or among those who survive, any good from separation.

[لزوم الطاعة :] يَا أيُّهَا النَّاسُ طُوبى لِمَنْ شَغَلَهُ عَيْبُهُ عَنْ عُيُوبِ النَّاسِ، وَطُوبى لِمَنْ لَزِمَ بَيْتَهُ، وَأَكَلَ قُوتَهُ، وَاشْتَغَلَ بِطَاعَةِ رَبِّهِ، وَبَكَى عَلَى خَطِيئَتِهِ، فَكَانَ مِنْ نَفْسِهِ فِي شُغُل، وَالنَّاسُ مِنْهُ فِي رَاحَة!

O people, blessed is the man whose own shortcomings keep him away from (looking into) the shortcomings of others, and also blessed is the man who is confined to his house, eats his meal, buries himself in obeying his Allāh, and weeps over his sins, so that he is engaged in himself and people are in safety from him.

ومن كلام له (عليه السلام) في معنى الحكمين

About the two arbiters (after the battle of Ṣiffīn)

فأَجْمَعَ رَأْيُ مَلَئِكمْ عَلَى أَنِ اخْتَارُوا رَجُلَيْنِ، فَأَخَذْنَا عَلَيْهِمَا أَنْ يُجَعْجِعَا عِنْدَ الْقُرْآنِ، ولاَ يُجَاوِزَاهُ، وَتَكُونَ أَلْسِنَتُهُما مَعَهُ وَقُلُوبُهُمَا تَبَعَهُ، فَتَاهَا عَنْهُ، وَتَرَكَا الْحَقَّ وَهُمَا يُبْصِرَانِهِ، وَكَانَ الْجَوْرُ هَوَاهُمَا، وَالاْعْوِجَاجُ دَأْبَهُمَا، وَقَدْ سَبَقَ اسْتِثْنَاؤُنَا عَلَيْهِمَا فِي الْحُكْمِ بِالْعَدْلِ وَالْعَمَلِ بِالْحَقِّ سُوءَ رَأْيِهِمَا وَجَوْرَ حُكْمِهِمَا، وَالثِّقَةُ فِي أَيْدِينَا لاِنْفُسِنَا، حِينَ خَالفَا سَبِيلَ الْحَقِّ، وَأَتَيَا بِمَا لاَ يُعْرَفُ مِنْ مَعْكُوسِ الْحُكْمِ.

Your party had decided to select two persons, and so we took their pledge that they would act according to the Qur’ān and would not commit excess, that their tongues should be with it and that their hearts should follow it. But they deviated from it, abandoned what was right although they had it before their eyes. Wrong-doing was their desire, and going astray was their behaviour. Although we had settled with them to decide with justice, to act according to the light and without the interference of their evil views and wrong judgement. Now that they have abandoned the course of right and have come out with just the opposite of what was settled, we have strong ground (to reject their verdict).

ومن خطبة له (عليه السلام) في الشهادة و التقوى وقيل إنه خطبها بعد مقتل عثمان في أول خلافته

Praise of Allāh, transience of this world, and causes of the decline of Allāh’s blessings. (Delivered at the beginning of his caliphate after the killing of ‘Uthmān)

[اللّه و رسوله :] لاَ يَشْغَلُهُ شَأْنٌ، وَلاَ يُغَيِّرُهُ زَمَانٌ، وَلاَ يَحْوِيهِ مَكَانٌ، وَلاَ يَصِفُهُ لِسَانٌ، وَلاَ يَعْزُبُ عَنْهُ عَدَدُ قَطْرِ الْمَاءِ، وَلاَ نُجُومِ السَّماءِ، وَلاَسَوَافِي الرِّيحِ فِي الْهَوَاءِ، وَلاَ دَبِيبُ الـنَّمْلِ عَلَى الصَّفَا، وَلاَ مَقِيلُ الذَّرِّ فِي اللَّيْلَةِ الظَّلْمَاءِ. يَعْلَمُ مَسَاقِطَ الاْوْرَاقِ، وَخَفِيَّ طَرْفِ الاْحْدَاقِ.

One condition does not prevent Him from (getting into) another condition, time does not change Him, place does not locate him and the tongue does not describe Him. The number of drops of water, of stars in the sky, or of currents of winds in the air are not unknown to Him, nor the movements of ants on rocks, or the resting place of grubs in the dark night. He knows the places where leaves fall, and the secret movements of the pupils of the eyes.