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.
11 passages
١٤٧. وَمِنْ كَلَامٍ لَهُ (عليه السلام) لِكُمَيْلِ بْنِ زِيَادٍ النَّخَعِيِّ
147. Amīr al-mu’minīn’s Conversation with Kumayl Ibn Ziyād an-Nakha‘ī [1]
Open record →قَالَ كُمَيْلُ بْنُ زِيَادٍ: أَخَذَ بِيَدِي أَمِيرُ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ عَلِيُّ بْنُ أَبِي طَالِبٍ (عليه السلام)، فَأَخْرَجَنِي إِلَى الْجَبَّانِ فَلَمَّا أَصْحَرَ تَنَفَّسَ الصُّعَدَاءَ ثُمَّ قَالَ:
Kumayl ibn Ziyād has related: Amīr al-mu’minīn, peace be upon him, caught hold of my hand and took me to the graveyard. When he had passed through the graveyard and left the city behind, he breathed a deep sigh and said:
Open record →يَا كُمَيْل بْن زِيَادٍ، إِنَّ هذهِ الْقُلُوبَ أَوْعِيَةٌ فَخَيْرُهَا أَوْعَاهَا فَاحْفَظْ عَنِّي مَا أَقُولُ لَكَ:
O Kumayl, these hearts are containers. The best of them is that which preserves (its contents). So, preserve what I say to you:
Open record →النَّاسُ ثَلاَثَةٌ: فَعَالِمٌ رَبَّانِيٌّ وَمُتَعَلِّمٌ عَلَى سَبِيلِ نَجَاةٍ، وَهَمَجٌ رَعَاعٌ أَتْبَاعُ كُلِّ نَاعِقٍ يَمِيلُونَ مَعَ كُلِّ رِيحٍ، لَمْ يَسْتَضِيئُوا بِنُورِ الْعِلْمِ، وَلَمْ يَلْجَؤُوا إِلَى رُكْنٍ وَثِيقٍ.
People are of three types: One is the scholar and divine; then the seeker of knowledge who is also on the way to deliverance. Then (lastly) the common rot who run after every caller and bend in the direction of every wind. They seek no light from the effulgence of knowledge and do not take protection of any reliable support.
Open record →يَا كُمَيْلُ، الْعِلْمُ خَيْرٌ مِنَ الْمَالِ: الْعِلْمُ يَحْرُسُكَ وَأَنْتَ تَحْرُسُ المَالَ، وَالْمَالُ تَنْقُصُهُ النَّفَقَةُ، وَالْعِلْمُ يَزْكُوعَلَى الْإِنْفَاقِ، وَصَنِيعُ الْمَالِ يَزُولُ بِزَوَالِهِ.
O Kumayl, knowledge is better than wealth. Knowledge guards you, while you have to guard the wealth. Wealth decreases by spending, while knowledge multiplies by spending, and the results of wealth die as wealth decays.
Open record →يَا كُمَيْلَ بْنَ زِيَادٍ مَعْرِفَةُ الْعِلْمِ دِينٌ يُدَانُ بِهِ بِهِ يَكْسِبُ الْإِنْسَانُ الطَّاعَةَ فِى حَيَاتِهِ وَجَمِيلَ الْأُحْدُوثَةِ بَعْدَ وَفَاتِهِ وَ الْعِلْمُ حَاكِمٌ وَالْمَالُ مَحْكُومٌ عَلَيْهِ.
O Kumayl, knowledge is belief which is acted upon. With it man acquires obedience during his life and a good name after his death. Knowledge is the ruler while wealth is ruled upon.
Open record →يَا كُمَيْلُ هَلَكَ خُزَّانُ الْأَمْوَالِ وَهُمْ أَحْيَاءٌ وَ الْعُلَمَاءُ بَاقُونَ مَا بَقِيَ الدَّهْرُ أَعْيَانُهُمْ مَفْقُودَةٌ وَأَمْثَالُهُمْ فِى الْقُلُوبِ مَوْجُودَةٌ هَا إِنَّ هَاهُنَا لَعِلْماً جَمّاً وَأَشَارَ بِيَدِهِ إِلَى صَدْرِهِ لَوْ أَصَبْتُ لَهُ حَمَلَةً بَلَى أَصَبْتُ لَقِناً غَيْرَ مَأْمُونٍ عَلَيْهِ مُسْتَعْمِلًا آلَةَ الدِّينِ لِلدُّنْيَا وَمُسْتَظْهِراً بِنِعَمِ اللَّهِ عَلَى عِبَادِهِ وَبِحُجَجِهِ عَلَى أَوْلِيَائِهِ أَوْ مُنْقَاداً لِحَمَلَةِ الْحَقِّ لَا بَصِيرَةَ لَهُ فِى أَحْنَائِهِ يَنْقَدِحُ الشَّكُّ فِى قَلْبِهِ لِأَوَّلِ عَارِضٍ مِنْ شُبْهَةٍ.
O Kumayl, those who amass wealth are dead even though they may be living while those endowed with knowledge will remain as long as the world lives. Their bodies are not available but their figures exist in the hearts. Look, here is a heap of knowledge (and Amīr al-mu’minīn pointed to his bosom). I wish I could get someone to bear it. Yes, I did find (such a one); but either he was one who could not be relied upon. He would exploit the religion for worldly gains, and by virtue of Allāh’s favours on him he would domineer over the people and through Allāh’s pleas he would lord over His devotees. Or he was one who was obedient to the hearers of truth but there was no intelligence in his bosom. At the first appearance of doubt he would entertain misgivings in his heart.
Open record →أَلَا لَا ذَا وَلَا ذَاكَ أَوْ مَنْهُوماً بِاللَّذَّةِ سَلِسَ الْقِيَادِ لِلشَّهْوَةِ أَوْ مُغْرَماً بِالْجَمْعِ وَالِادِّخَارِ لَيْسَا مِنْ رُعَاةِ الدِّينِ فِى شَيْءٍ أَقْرَبُ شَيْءٍ شَبَهاً بِهِمَا الْأَنْعَامُ السَّائِمَةُ كَذَلِكَ يَمُوتُ الْعِلْمُ بِمَوْتِ حَامِلِيهِ.
So, neither this nor that was good enough. Either the man is eager for pleasures, easily led away by passions, or is covetous for collecting and hoarding wealth. Neither of them has any regard for religion in any matter. The nearest example of these is the loose cattle. This is the way that knowledge dies away with the death of its bearers.
Open record →اللَّهُمَّ بَلَى! لَا تَخْلُو الْأَرْضُ مِنْ قَائِمٍ لله بِحُجَّةٍ، إِمَّا ظَاهِراً مَشْهُوراً، وَإِمَّا خَائِفاً مَغْمُوراً لِئَلاَّ تَبْطُلَ حُجَجُ اللهِ وَبَيِّنَاتُهُ. وَكَمْ ذَا وَأَيْنَ أُولئِكَ؟ أُولئِكَ ـ وَاللَّهِ ـ الْأَقَلُّونَ عَدَداً، وَالْأَعْظَمُونَ عِنْدَ اللَّهِ قَدْراً، يَحْفَظُ اللهُ بِهِمْ حُجَجَهُ وَبَيِّنَاتِهِ، حَتَّى يُودِعُوهَا نُظَرَاءَهُمْ، وَيَزْرَعُوهَا فِي قُلُوبِ أَشْبَاهِهِمْ،
O My Allāh! Yes; but the earth is never devoid of those who maintain Allāh’s plea either openly and reputedly or, being afraid, as hidden in order that Allāh’s pleas and proofs should not be rebutted. How many are they and where are they? By Allāh, they are few in number, but they are great in esteem before Allāh. Through them Allāh guards His pleas and proofs till they entrust them to others like themselves and sow the seeds thereof in the hearts of those who are similar to them.
Open record →هَجَمَ بِهِمُ الْعِلْمُ عَلَى حَقِيقَةِ الْبَصِيرَةِ، وَبَاشَرُوا رُوحَ الْيَقِينِ، وَاسْتَلاَنُوامَا اسْتَوْعَرَهُ الْمُتْرَفُونَ وَأَنِسُوا بِمَا اسْتَوْحَشَ مِنْهُ الْجَاهِلُونَ، وَصَحِبُوا الدُّنْيَا بِأَبْدَانٍ أَرْوَاحُهَا مُعَلَّقَةٌ بِالْـمَحَلِّ الْأَعْلَى، أُولئِكَ خُلَفَاءُ اللهِ فِي أَرْضِهِ، وَالدُّعَاةُ إِلَى دِينِهِ،
Knowledge has led them to real understanding and so they have associated themselves with the spirit of conviction. They take easy what the easygoing regard as hard. They endear what the ignorant take as strange. They live in this world with their bodies here but their spirits resting in the high above. They are the vicegerents of Allah on His earth and callers to His religion.
Open record →آهِ آهِ شَوْقاً إِلَى رُؤْيَتِهِمْ! انْصَرِفْ (يَا كُمَيْلُ) إِذَا شِئْتَ.
Oh, oh, how I yearn to see them! Go away now, O Kumayl, wherever you wish!
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.