Nahj al-Balāgha

ومن كلام له (عليه السلام) في مثل ذلك

This also is in condemnation of the people of Baṣrah

أرْضُكُمْ قَرِيبَةٌ مِنَ المَاءِ، بَعِيدَةٌ مِنَ السَّماءِ، خَفَّتْ عُقُولُكُمْ، وَسَفِهَتْ حُلُومُكُمْ، فَأَنْتُمْ غَرَضٌ لِنَابِل، وَأُكْلَةٌ لاِكِل، وَفَرِيسَةٌ لِصائِد.

Your earth is close to the sea and away from the sky. Your wits have become light and your minds are full of folly. You are the aim of the archer, a morsel for the eater and an easy prey for the hunter.

ومن كلام له (عليه السلام) فيما ردّه على المسلمين من قطائع عثمان

After returning to the Muslims the land grants made by ‘Uthmān ibn ‘Affān, he said:

وَاللهِ لَوْ وَجَدْتُهُ قَدْ تُزُوِّجَ بِهِ النِّسَاءُ، وَمُلِكَ بِهِ الاْمَاءُ، لَرَدَدْتُهُ; فَإِنَّ في العَدْلِ سَعَةً، وَمَنْ ضَاقَ عَلَيْهِ العَدْلُ، فَالجَوْرُ عَلَيْهِ أَضيَقُ!

By Allāh, even if I had found that by such money women have been married or slave-maids have been purchased I would have returned it (to its owners) because there is wide scope in dispensation of justice, and he who finds it hard to act justly should find it harder to deal with injustice.

من كلام له (عليه السلام) لمّا بويع بالمدينة وفيها يخبر الناس بعلمه بما تؤول إليه أحوالهم وفيها يقسمهم إلى أقسام

Delivered when allegiance was sworn to him at Medina

ذِمَّتي بِمَا أَقُولُ رَهِينَةٌ وَأَنَا بِهِ زَعِيمٌ : إِنَّ مَنْ صَرَّحَتْ لَهُ العِبَرُ عَمَّا بَيْنَ يَدَيْهِ مِنَ المَثُلاتِ، حَجَزَهُ التَّقْوَى عَنْ تَقَحُّمِ الشُّبُهَاتِ. أَلاَ وَإِنَّ بَلِيَّتَكُمْ قَدْ عَادَتْ كَهَيْئَتِهَا يَوْمَ بَعَثَ اللهُ نَبِيَّهُ (صلى الله عليه وآله)،

The responsibility for what I say is guaranteed and I am answerable for it. He to whom experiences have clearly shown the past exemplary punishments (given by Allāh to peoples) is prevented by piety from falling into doubts. You should know that the same troubles have returned to you which existed when the Prophet was first sent.

وَالَّذِي بَعَثَهُ بِالحَقِّ لَتُبَلْبَلُنَّ بَلْبَلَةً، وَلَتُغَرْبَلُنَّ غَرْبَلَةً، وَلَتُسَاطُنَّ سَوْطَ القِدْرِ، حَتَّى يَعُودَ أَسْفَلُكُمْ أَعْلاَكُمْ، وَأَعْلاَكُمْ أَسْفَلَكُمْ، وَلَيَسْبِقَنَّ سَابِقُونَ كَانُوا قَصَّرُوا، وَلَيُقَصِّرَنَّ سَبَّاقُونَ كَانُوا سَبَقُوا.

By Allāh who sent the Prophet with faith and truth you will be severely subverted, bitterly shaken as in sieving and fully mixed as by spooning in a cooking pot till your low persons become high and high ones become low, those who were behind would attain forward positions and those who were forward would become backward.

وَاللهِ مَا كَتَمْتُ وَشْمَةً، وَلا كَذَبْتُ كِذْبَةً، وَلَقَدْ نُبِّئْتُ بِهذا المَقامِ وَهذَا اليَوْمِ. أَلاَ وَإِنَّ الخَطَايَا خَيْلٌ شُمُسٌ حُمِلَ عَلَيْهَا أَهْلُها، وَخُلِعَتْ لُجُمُهَا، فَتَقَحَّمَتْ بِهِمْ في النَّارِ.

By Allāh, I have not concealed a single word or spoken any lie and I had been informed of this event and of this time. Beware that sins are like unruly horses on whom their riders have been placed and their reins have been let loose so that they would jump with them in Hell.

أَلاَ وَإِنَّ التَّقْوَى مَطَايَا ذُلُلٌ، حُمِلَ عَلَيْهَا أَهْلُهَا، وَأُعْطُوا أَزِمَّتَها، فَأَوْرَدَتْهُمُ الجَنَّةَ. حَقٌّ وَبَاطِلٌ، وَلِكُلٍّ أَهْلٌ، فَلَئِنْ أَمِرَ البَاطِلُ لَقَدِيماً فَعَلَ، وَلَئِنْ قَلَّ الحقُّ لَرُبَّما وَلَعَلَّ، وَلَقَلَّمَا أَدْبَرَ شَيءٌ فَأَقْبَلَ!

Beware that piety is like trained horses on whom the riders have been placed with the reins in their hands, so that they would take the riders to Heaven. There is right and wrong and there are followers for each. If wrong dominates, it has (always) in the past been so, and if truth goes down that too has often occurred. It seldom happens that a thing that lags behind comes forward.

قال السيد الشريف: وأقول: إنّ في هذا الكلام الادنى من مواقع الاحسان ملا تبلغه مواقع الاستحسان، وإنّ حظ العجب منه أكثر من حظ العُجب به، وفيه ـ مع الحال التي وصفنا ـ زوائد من الفصاحة لا يقوم بها لسان، ولا يَطَّلع فَجها إنسان، ولا يعرف ما أقوله إلاّ من ضرب في هذه الصناعة بحق، وجرى فيها على عرق، ﴿وَمَا يَعْقِلُهَا إِلَّا الْعَالِمُونَ﴾.

ash-Sharif ar-Raḍī says: In this small speech there is more beauty than can be appreciated, and the quantity of amazement aroused by it is more than the appreciation accorded to it. Despite what we have stated it has so many aspects of eloquence that cannot be expressed nor can anyone reach its depth, and no one can understand what I am saying unless one has attained this art and known its details. “... No one appreciates it except those who know” (Qur’ān, 29:43)