Nahj al-Balaghah

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.

• Sayings · Avoiding involvement in civil strife#1

  ١. قال (عليه السلام): كُنْ فِي الْفِتْنَةِ كَابْنِ اللَّبُونِ، لاَ ظَهْرٌ فَيُرْكَبَ، وَلاَ ضَرْعٌ فَيُحْلَبَ.

  1. Amīr al-mu’minīn, peace be upon him, said: During civil disturbance be like an adolescent camel [1] who has neither a back strong enough for riding nor udders for milking.

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• Sayings · Consequences of greed, hardship disclosure, and uncontrolled speech#2

  ٢. وَقَالَ (عليه‏ السلام): أَزْرَى بِنَفْسِهِ مَنِ اسْتَشْعَرَ الطَّمَعَ وَرَضِيَ بِالذُّلِّ مَنْ كَشَفَ عَنْ ضُرِّهِ وَهَانَتْ عَلَيْهِ نَفْسُهُ مَنْ أَمَّرَ عَلَيْهَا لِسَانَهُ.

  2. Amīr al-mu’minīn, peace be upon him, said: He who adopts greed as a habit devalues himself; he who discloses his hardship agrees to humiliation; and he who allows his tongue to overpower his soul debases the soul.

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• Sayings · Miserliness, cowardice, and poverty as moral and social flaws#3

  ٣. وَقَالَ (عليه السلام): الْبُخْلُ عَارٌ وَالْجُبْنُ مَنْقَصَةٌ وَالْفَقْرُ يُخْرِسُ الْفَطِنَ عَنْ حُجَّتِهِ وَالْمُقِلُّ غَرِيبٌ فِي بَلْدَتِهِ.

  3. Amīr al-mu’minīn, peace be upon him, said: Miserliness is shame; cowardice is a defect; poverty disables an intelligent man from arguing his case; and a destitute person is a stranger in his home town.

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• Sayings · Virtues of patience, restraint, and submission to Allah#4

  ٤. وَقَالَ (عليه ‏السلام): الْعَجْزُ آفَةٌ وَالصَّبْرُ شَجَاعَةٌ وَالزُّهْدُ ثَرْوَةٌ وَالْوَرَعُ جُنَّةٌ وَنِعْمَ الْقَرِينُ الرِّضَى.

  4. Amīr al-mu’minīn, peace be upon him, said: Incapability is a catastrophe; endurance is bravery; abstinence is riches; self-restraint is a shield (against sin); and the best companion is submission (to Allāh’s will).

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• Sayings · Knowledge as venerable estate and clear thought#5

  ٥. وَقَالَ (عليه ‏السلام): الْعِلْمُ وِرَاثَةٌ كَرِيمَةٌ وَالْآدَابُ حُلَلٌ مُجَدَّدَةٌ وَالْفِكْرُ مِرْآةٌ صَافِيَةٌ.

  5. Amīr al-mu’minīn, peace be upon him, said: Knowledge is a venerable estate; good manners are new dresses; and thinking is clear mirror.

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• Sayings · Wisdom, friendship, and forbearance virtues#6

  ٦. وَقَالَ (عليه ‏السلام): صَدْرُ الْعَاقِلِ صُنْدُوقُ سِرِّهِ وَالْبَشَاشَةُ حِبَالَةُ الْمَوَدَّةِ وَالِاحْتِمَالُ قَبْرُ الْعُيُوبِ‏.

  6. Amīr al-mu’minīn, peace be upon him, said: The bosom of the wise is the safe of his secrets; cheerfulness is the bond of friendship; effective forbearance is the grave of short-comings.

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• Sayings · Wisdom, friendship, and forbearance virtues#7

  وَرُوِيَ أَنَّهُ قَالَ فِي الْعِبَارَةِ عَنْ هَذَا الْمَعْنَى أَيْضاً : الْمَسْأَلَةُ خِبَاءُ الْعُيُوبِ وَمَنْ رَضِيَ عَنْ نَفْسِهِ كَثُرَ السَّاخِطُ عَلَيْهِ.

  It is narrated that Amīr al-mu’minīn said in expressing this meaning that: Mutual reconciliation is the covering for short-comings; and he who admires himself attracts many opponents against him. [1]

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• Sayings · Charity as a cure and afterlife consequences#8

  ٧. وَقَالَ (عليه ‏السلام): الصَّدَقَةُ دَوَاءٌ مُنْجِحٌ، وَأَعْمَالُ الْعِبَادِ فِي عَاجِلِهِمْ، نُصْبُ أَعْيُنِهِمْ فِي آجِلِهِمْ.

  7. Amīr al-mu’minīn, peace be upon him, said: Charity is an effective cure, and the actions of people in their present life will be before their eyes in the next life. [1]

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• Sayings · Human anatomy's marvels in Islamic wisdom#9

  ٨. وَقَالَ (عليه ‏السلام): اعْجَبُوا لِهذَا الْإِنْسَانِ يَنْظُرُ بِشَحْمٍ وَيَتَكَلَّمُ بِلَحْمٍ وَيَسْمَعُ بِعَظْمٍ، وَيَتَنَفَّسُ مِنْ خَرْمٍ.

  8. Amīr al-mu’minīn, peace be upon him, said: How wonderful is man that sees with fat, talks with a piece of flesh, hears with a bone and breathes through a hole.

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• Sayings · Worldly favors distort merit and loss#10

  ٩. وَقَالَ (عليه ‏السلام): إِذَا أَقْبَلَتِ الدُّنْيَا عَلَى أَحَدٍ أَعَارَتْهُ مَحَاسِنَ غَيْرِهِ وَإِذَا أَدْبَرَتْ عَنْهُ سَلَبَتْهُ مَحَاسِنَ نَفْسِهِ.

  9. Amīr al-mu’minīn, peace be upon him, said: When this world advances towards anyone (with its favours) it attributes to him other’s good; and when it turns away from him it deprives him of his own good. [1]

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• Sayings · Exemplary conduct fostering love and respect#11

  ١٠. وَقَالَ (عليه ‏السلام): خَالِطُوا النَّاسَ مُخَالَطَةً إِنْ مِتُّمْ مَعَهَا بَكَوْا عَلَيْكُمْ وَإِنْ عِشْتُمْ حَنُّوا إِلَيْكُمْ.

  10. Amīr al-mu’minīn, peace be upon him, said: Meet people in such a manner that if you die they should weep for you and if you live they should long for you. [1]

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• Sayings · The virtue of pardoning adversaries when empowered#12

  ١١. وَقَالَ (عليه ‏السلام): إِذَا قَدَرْتَ عَلَى عَدُوِّكَ فَاجْعَلِ الْعَفْوَ عَنْهُ شُكْراً لِلْقُدْرَةِ عَلَيْهِ.

  11. Amīr al-mu’minīn, peace be upon him, said: When you gain power over your adversary pardon him by way of thanks for being able to overpower him. [1]

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• Sayings · The helplessness of lacking or losing true brothers#13

  ١٢. وَقَالَ (عليه ‏السلام): أَعْجَزُ النَّاسِ مَنْ عَجَزَ عَنِ اكْتِسَابِ الْإِخْوَانِ وَأَعْجَزُ مِنْهُ مَنْ ضَيَّعَ مَنْ ظَفِرَ بِهِ مِنْهُمْ.

  12. Amīr al-mu’minīn, peace be upon him, said: The most helpless of all men is he who cannot find a few brothers during his life, but still more helpless is he who finds such a brother but loses him. [1]

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• Sayings · Gratefulness for small favors#14

  ١٣. وَقَالَ (عليه ‏السلام): إِذَا وَصَلَتْ إِلَيْكُمْ أَطْرَافُ النِّعَمِ فَلَا تُنَفِّرُوا أَقْصَاهَا بِقِلَّةِ الشُّكْرِ.

  13. Amīr al-mu’minīn, peace be upon him, said: When you get (only) small favours do not push them away through lack of gratefulness.

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• Sayings · Abandonment by kin endears one to strangers#15

  ١٤. وَقَالَ (عليه ‏السلام): مَنْ ضَيَّعَهُ الْأَقْرَبُ أُتِيحَ لَهُ الْأَبْعَدُ.

  14. Amīr al-mu’minīn, peace be upon him, said: He who is abandoned by near ones is dear to remote ones.

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• Sayings · Mischief mongers' irreproachability#16

  ١٥. وَقَالَ (عليه ‏السلام): مَا كُلُّ مَفْتُونٍ يُعَاتَبُ.

  15. Amīr al-mu’minīn, peace be upon him, said: Every mischief monger cannot even be reproved. [1]

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• Sayings · Divine destiny governs all matters#17

  ١٦. وَقَالَ (عليه ‏السلام): تَذِلُّ الْأُمُورُ لِلْمَقَادِيرِ حَتَّى يَكُونَ الْحَتْفُ فِي التَّدْبِيرِ.

  16. Amīr al-mu’minīn, peace be upon him, said: All matters are subject to destiny, so much so that sometimes death results from effort.

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• Sayings · Dyeing hair in early versus established Islam#18

  ١٧. وَسُئِلَ (عليه ‏السلام) عَنْ قَوْلِ الرَّسُولِ (صلى‌ الله‌ عليه‌ وآله‌ وسلم): غَيِّرُوا الشَّيْبَ وَلَا تَشَبَّهُوا بِالْيَهُودِ. فَقَالَ (عليه ‏السلام):

  17. Amīr al-mu’minīn, peace be upon him, was asked to explain the saying of the Messenger of Allāh: “Banish your old age (by hair-dye) and do not acquire resemblance to the Jews.” Amīr al-mu’minīn replied:

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• Sayings · Dyeing hair in early versus established Islam#19

  إِنَّمَا قَالَ (صلى‌ الله‌ عليه‌ وآله‌ وسلم) ذَلِكَ وَالدِّينُ قُلٌّ فَأَمَّا الْآنَ وَقَدِ اتَّسَعَ نِطَاقُهُ وَضَرَبَ بِجِرَانِهِ فَامْرُؤٌ وَمَا اخْتَارَ.

  The Prophet (S) said this at a time when the religion was confined to a few, but now that its expanse has widened and it is firmly settled everyone is free in his action. [1]

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• Sayings · Abandoning right without supporting wrong#20

  ١٨. وَقَالَ (عليه ‏السلام) فِي الَّذِينَ اعْتَزَلُوا الْقِتَالَ مَعَهُ: خَذَلُوا الْحَقَّ، وَلَمْ يَنْصُرُوا الْبَاطِلَ.

  18. Amīr al-mu’minīn, peace be upon him, said about those who avoided fighting on his side: They abandoned right but did not support wrong. [1]

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