Nahj al-Balaghah
The sermons, letters and sayings attributed to Imam Ali, read from the published Shia library edition with the Arabic and the published English translation side by side.
Topical chapters
Numbers below are this edition's record sequence. Short sayings and long sermons are both split into records, so a sequence number is not the printed sermon, letter or saying number.
16 passages
ومن كتاب له (عليه السلام) إلى بعض عماله
To one of his officers.
Open record →أَمَّا بَعْدُ، فَإِنَّ دَهَاقِينَ أَهْلِ بَلَدِكَ شَكَوْا مِنْكَ غِلْظَةً وَقَسْوَةً، وَاحْتِقَاراً وَجَفْوَةً، وَنَظَرْتُ فَلَمْ أَرَهُمْ أَهْلاً لِأَنْ يُدْنَوْا لِشِرْكِهِمْ، وَلَا أَنْ يُقْصَواْ وَيُجْفَوْا لِعَهْدِهِمْ، فَالْبَسْ لَهُمْ جِلْبَاباً مِنَ اللِّينِ تَشُوبُهُ بِطَرَفٍ مِنَ الشِّدَّةِ، وَدَاوِلْ لَهُمْ بَيْنَ الْقَسْوَةِ وَالرَّأْفَةِ، وَامْزُجْ لَهُمْ بَيْنَ التَّقْرِيبِ وَالْإِدْنَاءِ، وَالْإِبْعَادِ وَالْإِقْصَاءِ، إِنْ شَاءَ اللَّهُ.
Now, the cultivators [1] (dahāqīn, plural of dīhqān) of your city have complained of your strictness, hard heartedness, humiliating treatment and harshness. I thought over it and found that since they are unbelievers they cannot be brought near nor kept away or treated severely because of the pledge with them. Behave with them in between strictness and softness and adopt for them a mingling or remoteness and aloofness with nearness and closeness if Allāh so wills.
Open record →ومن كتاب له (عليه السلام) إلى بعض عماله
To one of his officers
Open record →أَمَّا بَعْدُ، فَقَدْ بَلَغَنِي عَنْكَ أَمْرٌ، إِنْ كُنْتَ فَعَلْتَهُ فَقَدْ أَسْخَطْتَ رَبَّكَ، وَعَصَيْتَ إِمَامَكَ، وَأَخْزَيْتَ أَمَانَتَكَ.
Now, I have come to know such a thing about you that if you have done so then you have displeased your Lord, disobeyed your Imām and betrayed your trust.
Open record →بَلَغَنِي أَنَّكَ جَرَّدْتَ الْأَرْضَ فأَخَذْتَ مَا تَحْتَ قَدَمَيْكَ، وَأَكَلْتَ مَا تَحْتَ يَدَيْكَ، فَارْفَعْ إِلَيَّ حِسَابَكَ، وَاعْلَمْ أَنَّ حِسَابَ اللهِ أَعْظَمُ مِنْ حِسَابِ النَّاسِ، وَالسَّلَامُ.
I have come to know that you have razed the ground and taken away whatever was under your feet and devoured what ever was in your hands. Send me your account and know that the accounting to Allāh will be severer than that to the people; and that is an end to the matter.
Open record →ومن كتاب له (عليه السلام) إلى بعض عماله
To one of his officers
Open record →أَمَّا بَعْدُ، فَإِنِّي كُنْتُ أَشْرَكْتُكَ فِي أَمَانَتِي، وَجَعَلْتُكَ شِعَارِي وَبِطَانَتِي، وَلَمْ يَكُنْ رَجُلٌ مِنْ أَهْلِي أَوْثَقَ مِنْكَ فِي نَفَسِي، لِمُوَاسَاتِي وَمُوَازَرَتِي وَأَدَاءِ الْأَمَانَةِ إِلَيَّ. فَلَمَّا رَأَيْتَ الزَّمَانَ عَلَى ابْنِ عَمِّكَ قَدْ كَلِبَ، وَالْعَدُوَّ قَدْ حَرِبَ، وَأَمَانَةَ النَّاسِ قَدْ خَزِيَتْ، وَهذهِ الْأُمَّةَ قَدْ فَتَنَتْ وَشَغَرَتْ، قَلَبْتَ لِابْنِ عَمِّكَ ظَهْرَ الْمجَنِّ، فَفَارَقْتَهُ مَعَ الْمُفَارِقِينَ، وَخَذَلْتَهُ مَعَ الْخَاذِلِينَ، وَخُنْتَهُ مَعَ الْخَائِنِينَ، فَلَا ابْنَ عَمِّكَ آسَيْتَ، وَلَا الْأَمَانَةَ أَدَّيْتَ.
Now, I had made you a partner in my trust, and made you my chief man. And for me no other person from my kinsmen was more trustworthy than you in the matter of sympathizing with me, assisting and respecting my trusts. But when you saw that time had attacked your cousin, the enemy had waged war, the trust of the people was being humiliated, and the whole community was trackless and disunited, you turned your back against your cousin and forsook him when others forsook him, you abandoned him when others abandoned him, and you betrayed him when others betrayed him. Thus, you showed no sympathy to your cousin, nor discharged the trust.
Open record →وَكَأَّنكَ لَمْ تَكُنِ اللهَ تُرِيدُ بِجِهَادِكَ، وَكَأَنَّكَ لَمْ تَكُنْ عَلَى بَيِّنَةٍ مِنْ رَبِّكَ، وَكَأَنَّكَ إِنَّمَا كُنْتَ تَكِيدُ هذِهِ الْأُمَّةَ عَنْ دُنْيَاهُمْ، وَتَنْوِي غِرَّتَهُمْ عَنْ فَيْئِهِمْ! فَلَمَّا أَمْكَنَتْكَ الشِّدَّةُ فِي خِيَانَةِ الْأُمَّةِ، أَسْرَعْتَ الْكَرَّةَ، وَعَاجَلْتَ الْوَثْبَةَ، وَاخْتَطَفْتَ مَا قَدَرْتَ عَلَيْهِ مِنْ أَمْوَالِهِمُ الْمَصُونَةِ لِأَرَامِلِهِمْ وَأَيْتَامِهِمُ، اخْتِطَافَ الذِّئْبِ الْأَزَلِّ دَامِيَةَ الْمِعْزَى الْكَسِيرَةَ، فَحَمَلْتَهُ إِلَى الْحِجَازِ رَحيِبَ الصَّدْرِ بِحَمْلِهِ، غَيْرَ مُتَأَثِّم مِنْ أَخْذِهِ، كَأَنَّكَ ـ لَا أَبَا لِغَيْرِكَ ـ حَدَرْتَ إِلَى أَهْلِكَ تُرَاثَكَ مِنْ أَبِيكَ وَأُمِّكَ.
It seems as if you do not want (to please) Allāh by your jihād, and as if you do not stand upon a clear sign from your Lord, and as if you have been playing tricks with this ummah (Muslim community) to earn (the pleasure of) this world and watching for the moment of their neglectfulness to usurp their share of the wealth. As soon as it was possible for you to misappropriate the ummah’s trust, you hastened to turn around and attack (them), and made a swift leap to snatch away whatever you could from their property meant for their widows and their orphans as a wolf snatches a wounded and helpless goat. Then, you happily loaded it off to the Ḥijāz without feeling guilty for having appropriated it. Allāh’s woe be to your ill-wishers; it was as though you were sending to your family what you had inherited from your father and mother.
Open record →فَسُبْحَانَ اللهِ! أَمَا تُؤْمِنُ بِالْمَعَادِ؟ أَوَ مَا تَخَافُ نِقَاشَ الْحِسَابِ؟
Glory be to Allāh! Do you not believe in the Day of judgement, or do you not fear the exaction of account?
Open record →أَيُّهَا الْمَعْدُودُ كَانَ عِنْدَنَا مِنْ ذَوِي [أُولِي] الْأَلْبَابِ، كَيْفَ تُسِيغُ شَرَاباً وَطَعَاماً، وَأَنْتَ تَعْلَمُ أَنَّكَ تَأْكُلُ حَرَاماً، وَتَشْرَبُ حَرَاماً، وَتَبْتَاعُ الْإِمَاءَ وَتَنْكِحُ النِّسَاءَ مِنْ مَالِ [أَمْوَالِ] الْيَتَامَى وَالْمَسَاكِينِ وَالْمُؤْمِنِينَ وَالْـمُجَاهِدِينَ، الَّذِينَ أَفَاءَ اللهُ عَلَيْهِمْ هذِهِ الْأَمْوَالَ، وَأَحْرَزَ بِهِمْ هذِهِ الْبِلَادَ.
O’ you who were counted by us among the men possessed of mind, how can you enjoy food and drink when you know that you are eating the unlawful and drinking the unlawful. You are purchasing slavemaids and wedding women with the money of the orphans, the poor, the believers and the participants in jihād to whom Allāh had dedicated this money and through whom He had strengthened these cities.
Open record →فَاتَّقِ اللهَ، وَارْدُدْ إِلَى هَؤُلَاءِ الْقَوْمِ أمَوَالَهُمْ، فإِنَّكَ إِنْ لَمْ تَفْعَلْ ثُمَّ أَمْكَنَنِي اللهُ مِنْكَ لَأُعْذِرَنَّ إِلَى اللهِ فِيكَ، وَلَأَضْرِبَنَّكَ بِسَيْفِي الَّذِي مَا ضَرَبْتُ بِهِ أَحَداً إِلَّا دَخَلَ النَّارَ!
Fear Allāh and return to these people their properties. If you do not do so and Allāh grants me power over you I shall excuse myself before Allāh about you and strike you with my sword with which I did not strike anyone but that he went to Hell.
Open record →وَوَاللهِ لَوْ أَنَّ الْحَسَنَ وَالْحُسَيْنَ فعَلاَ مِثْلَ الَّذِي فَعَلْتَ، مَا كَانَتْ لَهُمَا عِنْدِي هَوَادَةٌ، وَلَا ظَفِرَا مِنِّي بِإِرَادَةٍ، حَتَّى آخُذَ الْحَقَّ مِنْهُمَا، وَأُزِيحَ الْبَاطِلَ عَنْ مَظْلَمَتِهِمَا.
By Allāh, even if Ḥasan and Ḥusayn had done what you did there would have been no leniency with me for them and they could not have won their way with me till I had recovered from them the right and destroyed the wrong produced by their unjust action.
Open record →وَأُقْسِمُ بِاللهِ رَبِّ الْعَالَمِينَ مَا يَسُرُّنِي أَنَّ مَا أَخَذْتَهُ مِنْ أَمْوَالِهِمْ حَلاَلٌ لِي، أَتْرُكُهُ مِيرَاثاً لِمَنْ بَعْدِي،
I swear by Allāh, the Lord of all beings, that I would not be pleased to regard their money which you have appropriated as lawful for me and to leave it to my successors by way of inheritance.
Open record →فَضَحِّ رُوَيْداً، فَكَأنَّكَ قَدْ بَلَغَتَ الْمَدَى، وَدُفِنْتَ تَحْتَ الثَّرَى، وَعُرِضَتْ عَلَيْكَ أَعْمَالُكَ بِالْـمَحَلِّ الَّذِي يُنَادِي الظَّالِمُ فِيهِ بِالْحَسْرَةِ، وَيَتَمَنَّى الْمُضَيِّعُ فِيهِ الرَّجْعَةَ، ﴿وَلَاتَ حِينَ مَنَاصٍ﴾.
Mind yourself and consider for a while as though you had reached the end of life and had been buried under the earth. Then your actions will be presented before you in the place where the oppressor cries “Alas” while he who wasted his life yearns for return (to the world), but time was none to escape. (Qur’ān, 38:3)
Open record →ومن كتاب له (عليه السلام) إلى بعض عماله
To One of his Officers
Open record →أَمَّا بَعْدُ، فَإِنَّكَ مِمَّنْ أَسْتَظْهِرُ بِهِ عَلَى إِقَامَةِ الدِّينِ، وَأَقْمَعُ بِهِ نَحْوَةَ الْأَثِيمِ، وَأَسُدُّ بِهِ لَهَاةَ الثَّغْرِ الْـمَخُوفِ. فَاسْتَعِنْ بِاللهِ عَلَى مَا أَهَمَّكَ، وَاخْلِطِ الشِّدَّةَ بِضِغْثٍ مِنَ اللِّينِ، وَارْفُقْ مَا كَانَ الرِّفْقُ أَرْفَقَ، وَاعْتَزِمْ بِالشِّدَّةِ حِينَ لَا تُغْنِي عَنْكَ إِلَّا الشِّدَّةُ، وَاخْفِضْ لِلرَّعِيَّةِ جَنَاحَكَ، وَابْسِطْ لَهُمْ وَجْهَكَ وَأَلِنْ لَهُمْ جَانِبَكَ، وَآسِ بَيْنَهُمْ فِي اللَّحْظَةِ وَالنَّظْرَةِ، وَالْإِشَارَةِ وَالتَّحِيَّةِ، حَتَّى لَا يَطْمَعَ الْعُظَمَاءُ فِي حَيْفِكَ، وَلَا يَيْأَسَ الضُّعَفَاءُ مِنْ عَدْلِكَ، وَالسَّلَامُ.
Now, you are surely one of those whose help I take in establishing religion and with whose help I break the haughtiness of the sinful and guard critical boundaries. You should seek Allāh’s help in whatever causes you anxiety. Add a little harshness to the mixture of leniency and remain lenient where leniency is more appropriate. Adopt harshness when you cannot do without harshness. Bend your wings (in humbleness) before the subjects. Meet them with your face broad and keep yourself lenient (in behaviour) with them. Treat them equally in looking at them with half eyes or full eyes, in signalling and in greeting so that the great should not expect transgression on your part and the weak should not lose hope in your justice; and that is an end to the matter.
Open record →No licensed commentary edition has been cleared for reproduction, so the reader shows the text without it. No licensed recording is connected, so none is offered.