Creation of Universe

Age of Ignorance, Household of Muhammad, hypocrites

Shaqshaqiya (literally, "roar of the camel"), in which Alī lays out his claim to the caliphate and his superiority over his predecessors

His far-sightedness and his steadfastness in Islam

When Abbas and Abu Sufyan offered to pay allegiance to him for the caliphate after Muhammad''s death

On being advised not to chase Talha and Zubayr for fighting

The hypocrites

About Zubayr at a time for which it was appropriate

Cowardice of his enemies in the Battle of the Camel

Talha and Zubayr

When he gave the standard of the Battle of the Camel to his son Mohammad

When, after his victory in the Battle of the Camel, one of his comrades said, "I wish my brother had been present and he too would have seen what success and victory God had given you"

Condemning the people of Basra

Also in condemnation of the people of Basra

After resuming the land grants made by Uthman

Delivered when the people of Madina swore allegiance to him

About those who sit for dispensation of justice among people but are not fit for it

In disparagement of contradictory views among Muslim jurists

Treachery and hypocrisy of al-Ashath al-Kindi

Death and taking lessons from it

Advice to keep light in this world

About those who accused him of killing Uthman

Keeping aloof from envy, and good behavior towards kin

Exhorting people for jihad

When his men were overpowered by Muawiya''s men

People after Muhammad''s death, the settlement between Muawiya and Amr ibn al-As

The transient nature of this world and importance of the next world

About those who found pretexts at the time of jihad

In connection with Uthman''s killing

Before the Battle of the Camel, he sent Ibn Abbas to Zubayr to advise him back to obedience

Disparagement of the world and categories of people

At the time of setting for the Battle of the Camel

Exhorting people to fight against the people of Syria

After arbitration

Warning the people of Nahrawan of their fate

His steadfastness and precedence in Islam

In disparagement of those in doubt

In disparagement of those who shrink from fighting

In response to the slogan of Kharijites: "Judgment belongs to God alone"

In condemnation of treason

Heart''s desires and hopes

In response to a suggestion of war

When Masqala defected to Syria

The greatness of God and the lowliness of this world

When he decided to march towards Syria

Calamities befalling Kufa

At the time of marching towards Syria

God''s greatness and sublimity

Admixture of right and wrong

When his men were prevented from taking water from the River Euphrates

Reward and punishment in the next world

On the description of the Day of Sacrifice

On the swear of allegiance

When his men showed impatience on his delay in giving them permission to fight in Siffin

Steadiness on the battlefield

Muawiya swallows whatever he gets and craves for what he does not get

Addressing the Kharijites

When he was told that the Kharijites had crossed the bridge of Nahrawan

When he was told that the Kharijites had been totally annihilated

Do not fight the Kharijites after me!

When he was warned of being killed by deceit

Transience of this world

Decline and destruction of this world

Attributes of God

Ways of fighting

On hearing the account of what took place in Saqifah of Bani-Sa''ida

When Mohammad ibn Abi Bakr, governor of Egypt, was overpowered and killed

Admonishing his companions for careless behavior

In the morning of the day he was fatally struck with a sword

In condemnation of the people of Iraq

Praise for Muhammad

When Hasan and Husayn interceded on behalf of Marwan

When the elective committee (or shura) decided to swear allegiance to Uthman

When he learned that the Umayyads blamed him for killing Uthman

Preaching and counseling

Banu Umayyad

One of his supplications

Prophecy of astrologers

Shortcomings of women

Way of preaching and counseling

World and its people

Al-Gharra (literally, "the brilliant"), in which Ali enjoined people to piety

Amr ibn al-As

Perfection of God and counseling

Preparing for the hereafter by following God''s commandments

Faithful and unfaithful believers

Factions of community

Holy Prophet

God''s attributes and some advice

Al-Ashbaah (literally, "the skeletons"), in which Ali talked about the creation of the universe

When people decided to swear allegiance to him after the murder of Uthman

Annihilation of the Kharijites, mischief mongering of the Umayyads, vastness of his own knowledge

God''s praise and eulogy of the prophets

Age of Ignorance and Muhammad''s efforts to disseminate God''s message

In eulogy of Muhammad

Admonishing his companions

Oppression of the Umayyads

Abstinence of the world and vicissitudes of time

Muhammad and his descendants

ومن كلام له (عليه السلام) وقد سأله سائل عن أحاديث البدع وعما في أيدي الناس من اختلاف الخبر فقال (عليه السلام)

Someone [1] asked Amīr al-mu’minīn about concocted traditions and contradictory sayings of the Prophet current among the people, whereupon he said:

إنَّ فِي أَيْدِي النَّاسِ حَقّاً وَبَاطِلاً، وَصِدْقاً وَكَذِباً، وَنَاسِخاً وَمَنْسُوخاً، وَعَامّاً وَخَاصّاً، وَمُحْكَماً وَمُتَشَابِهاً، وَحِفْظاً وَوَهْماً، وَقَدْ كُذِبَ عَلَى رَسُولِ اللهِ (صلى الله عليه وآله وسلم) عَلَى عَهْدِهِ، حَتَّى قَامَ خَطِيباً، فَقَالَ: «مَنْ كَذَبَ عَلَيَّ مُتَعَمِّداً فَلْيَتَبَوَّأْ مَقْعَدَهُ مِنَ النَّارِ».

Certainly what is current among the people is both right and wrong, true and false, repealing and repealed, general and particular, definite and indefinite, exact and surmised. Even during the Prophet’s days false sayings had been attributed to him, so much so that he had to say during his sermon that, “Whoever attributes falsehoods to me makes his abode in Hell.”

وَإِنَّمَا أَتَاكَ بِالْحَدِيثِ أَرْبَعَةُ رِجَال لَيْسَ لَهُمْ خَامِسٌ:

Those who relate traditions are of four categories, [2] no more.

[المنافقون :] رَجُلٌ مُنَافِقٌ مُظْهِرٌ لِلاْيمَانِ، مُتَصَنِّعٌ بِالاْسْلاَمِ، لاَيَتَأَثَّمُ وَلاَ يَتَحَرَّجُ، يَكْذِبُ عَلَى رَسُولِ اللهِ (صلى الله عليه وآله) مُتَعَمِّداً، فَلَوْ عَلِمَ النَّاسُ أَنَّهُ مُنَافِقٌ كَاذِبٌ لَمْ يَقْبَلُوا مِنْهُ، وَلَمْ يُصَدِّقُوا قَوْلَهُ، وَلكِنَّهُمْ قَالُوا: صَاحِبُ رَسُولِ اللهِ (صلى الله عليه وآله) رآهُ، وَسَمِعَ مِنْهُ، وَلَقِفَ عَنْهُ، فَيَأْخُذُونَ بِقَوْلِهِ،

[First : The hypocrites :] The hypocrite is a person who makes a show of faith and adopts the appearance of a Muslim; he does not hesitate in sinning nor does he keep aloof from vice; he wilfully attributes false things against the Messenger of Allāh - may Allāh bless him and his descendants. If people knew that he was a hypocrite and a liar, they would not accept anything from him and would not confirm what he says. Rather they say that he is the companion of the Prophet, has met him, heard (his sayings) from him and acquired (knowledge) from him. They therefore accept what he says.

وَقَدْ أَخْبَرَكَ اللهُ عَنِ الْمُنَاقفِقِينَ بِمَا أَخْبَرَكَ، وَوَصَفَهُمْ بِمَا وَصَفَهُمْ بِهِ لَكَ، ثُمَّ بَقُوا بَعْدَهُ (عليه السلام)، فَتَقرَّبُوا إِلَى أَئِمَّةِ الضَّلاَلَةِ، وَالدُّعَاةِ إِلَى النَّارِ بِالزُّورِ وَالْبُهْتَانِ، فَوَلَّوهُمُ الاْعْمَالَ، وَجَعَلُوهُمْ عَلَى رِقَابِ النَّاسِ، وَأَكَلُوا بِهِمُ الدُّنْيَا، وَإِنَّمَا النَّاسُ مَعَ الْمُلُوكِ وَالدُّنْيَا، إِلاَّ مَنْ عَصَمَ اللهُ، فَهذَا أَحَدُ الاْرْبَعَةِ.

Allāh too had warned you well about the hypocrites and described them fully to you. They have continued after the Holy Prophet. They gained positions with the leaders of misguidance and callers towards Hell through falsehoods and slanderings. So, they put them in high posts and made them officers over the heads of the people, and amassed wealth through them. People are always with the rulers and after this world, except those to whom Allāh affords protection. This is the first of the four categories.

[الخاطئون :] وَرَجُلٌ سَمِعَ مِنْ رَسُولِ اللهِ (صلى الله عليه وآله) شَيْئاً لَمْ يَحْفَظْهُ عَلَى وَجْهِهِ، فَوَهِمَ فِيهِ، وَلَمْ يَتَعَمَّدْ كَذِباً، فَهُوَ فِي يَدَيْهِ، يَرْوِيهِ وَيَعْمَلُ بِهِ، وَيَقُولُ: أَنَا سَمِعْتُهُ مِنْ رَسُولِ اللهِ (صلى الله عليه وآله)، فَلَوْ عَلِمَ الْمُسْلِمُونَ أَنَّهُ وَهِمَ فِيهِ لَمْ يَقْبَلُوهُ مِنْهُ، وَلَوْ عَلِمَ هُوَ أَنَّهُ كَذلِكَ لَرَفَضَهُ.

[Second: Those who are mistaken :] Then there is the individual who heard (a saying) from the Holy Prophet but did not memorise it as it was, but surmised it. He does not lie wilfully. Now, he carries the saying with him and relates it, acts upon it and claims that: “I heard it from the Messenger of Allāh.” If the Muslims come to know that he has committed a mistake in it, they will not accept it from him, and if he himself knows that he is on the wrong he will give it up.

[اهل الشبهة :] وَرَجُلٌ ثَالِثٌ، سَمِعَ مِنْ رَسُولِ اللهِ (صلى الله عليه وآله) شَيْئاً يَأْمُرُ بِهِ، ثُمَّ نَهَى عَنْهُ وَهُوَ لاَ يَعْلَمُ، أَوْ سَمِعَهُ يَنْهَىُ عَنْ شَيْء، ثُمَّ أَمَرَ بِهِ وَهُوَ لايَعْلَمُ، فَحَفِظَ المَنسُوخَ، وَلَمْ يَحْفَظِ النَّاسِخَ، فَلَوْ عَلِمَ أَنَّهُ مَنْسُوخٌ لَرَفَضَهُ، وَلَوْ عَلِمَ الْمُسْلِمُونَ إذْ سَمِعُوهُ مِنْهُ أَنَّهُ مَنْسُوخٌ لَرَفَضُوهُ.

[Third: Those who are ignorant :] The third man is he who heard the Prophet ordering to do a thing and later the Prophet refrained the people from doing it, but this man did not know it, or he heard the Prophet refraining people from a thing and later he allowed it, but this man did not know it. In this way he retained in his mind what had been repealed, and did not retain the repealing tradition. If he knew that it had been repealed he would reject it, or if the Muslims knew, when they heard it from him, that it had been repealed they would reject it.

[الصادقون الحافظون :] وَآخَرُ رَابِعٌ، لَمْ يَكْذِبْ عَلَى اللَّهِ، وَلَا عَلَى رَسُولِهِ، مُبْغِضٌ لِلْكَذِبِ، خَوْفاً مِنَ اللَّهِ، وَتَعْظِيماً لِرَسُولِ اللَّهِ (صلى الله عليه وآله)، وَلَمْ يَهِمْ، بَلْ حَفِظَ مَا سَمِعَ عَلَى وَجْهِهِ، فَجَاءَ بِهِ عَلَى مَا سَمِعَهُ، لَمْ يَزِدْ فِيهِ وَلَمْ يَنْقُصْ مِنْهُ، وَ حَفِظَ النَّاسِخَ فَعَمِلَ بِهِ، وَحَفِظَ الْمَنْسُوخَ فَجَنَّبَ عَنْهُ، وَعَرَفَ الْخَاصَّ وَالْعَامَّ، وَالْمُحْكَمَ وَالْمُتَشَابِهَ، فَوَضَعَ كُلَّ شَيْ‏ءٍ مَوْضِعَهُ.

[Fourth: Those who memorise truthfully :] The last, namely the fourth man, is he who does not speak a lie against Allāh or against His Prophet. He hates falsehood out of fear for Allāh and respect for the Messenger of Allāh, and does not commit mistakes, but retains (in his mind) exactly what he heard (from the Prophet), and he relates it as he heard it without adding anything or omitting anything. He heard the repealing tradition, he retained it and acted upon it, and he heard the repealed tradition and rejected it. He also understands the particular and the general, and he knows the definite and indefinite, and gives everything its due position.

وَقَدْ كَانَ يَكُونُ مِنْ رَسُولِ اللهِ (صلى الله عليه وآله) الْكَلاَمُ لَهُ وَجْهَانِ: فَكَلاَمٌ خَاصٌّ، وَكَلاَمٌ عَامٌّ، فَيَسْمَعُهُ مَنْ لاَ يَعْرِفُ مَا عَنَى اللهُ بِهِ، وَلاَ مَا عَنَى بِهِ رَسُولُ اللهِ (صلى الله عليه وآله) فَيَحْمِلُهُ السَّامِعُ، وَيُوَجِّهُهُ عَلَى غَيْرِ مَعْرِفَة بِمَعْنَاهُ، وَمَا قُصِدَ بِهِ، وَمَا خَرَجَ مِنْ أَجْلِهِ،

The sayings of the Prophet used to be of two types. One was particular and the other common. Sometimes a man would hear him but he would not know what Allāh, the Glorified, meant by it or what the Messenger of Allāh meant by it. In this way the listener carries it and memorises it without knowing its meaning and its real intention, or what was its reason.

وَلَيْسَ كُلُّ أَصْحَابِ رَسُولِ اللهِ (صلى الله عليه وآله) مَنْ كَانَ يَسْأَلُهُ وَيَسْتَفْهِمُهُ، حَتَّى إِنْ كَانُوا لَيُحِبُّونَ أَنْ يَجِيءَ الاْعْرَابِيُّ أَوْ الطَّارِىءُ، فَيَسَأَلَهُ (عليه السلام) حَتَّى يَسْمَعُوا، وَكَانَ لاَ يَمُرُّ بِي مِنْ ذلِكَ شَيْءٌ إِلاَّ سَأَلْتُ عَنْهُ وَحَفِظْتُهُ.

Among the companions of the Messenger of Allāh all were not in the habit of putting him questions and ask him the meanings, indeed they always wished that some Bedouin or stranger might come and ask him (peace be upon him) so that they would also listen. Whenever any such thing came before me, I asked him about its meaning and preserved it.

فَهذِهِ وَجُوهُ مَا عَلَيْهِ النَّاسُ فِي اخْتِلاَفِهِمْ، وَعِلَلِهِمْ فِي رِوَايَاتِهِمْ.

These are the reasons and grounds of differences among the people in their traditions.

Extrait de ses paroles où ü parle des hérésies et des différents types d’hommes

Les hommes détiennent en leurs mains le vrai et le faux, la vérité et le mensonge, l’abrogeant et l’abrogé, le général et le particulier, l’univoque et l’équivoque, le mémorable et l’imaginable. Au temps du Prophète, on a raconté des mensonges à son égard, ce qui l’obligea à faire un discours dans lequel il dit; «Celui qui délibérément ment à mon sujet aura sa place réservée dans le Feu».

J’évoque ici quatre types de personnes qui n’ont pas un cinquième:

[Les hypocrites :] Un homme hypocrite qui montre sa foi; affecte qu’il est musulman; ne craint ni le péché, ni le crime; ment délibérément à l’Envoyé de Dieu. Si les hommes savaient qu’il est un menteur sumois, ils ne l’auraient pas admis, ni cru à ses paroles. Mais ils auraient dit: un compagnon du Prophète l’a vu, entendu et pris des choses de sa main. Et ceux qui l’entendaient croyaient en lui.

Dieu vous a raconté un tas de choses sur les hypocrites, en vous les décrivant. Mais ils sont restés dans la communauté après la mort du Prophète. Us ont cherché à se mettre en rapport avec les imams de l’erreur et avec ceux qui conduisent les gens au Feu par la force et le mensonge. C’est ainsi qu’ils sont devenus des gouverneurs qui subjuguent les gens et amassent des fortunes.

[Les pécheurs :] Un autre type d’homme est représenté par celui qui a entendu le Prophète parler mais n’a pas bien retenu ses paroles et s’est trompé indélibérément. Avec bonne foi il affirme avoir entendu les soi-disant paroles de la bouche de l’Envoyé de Dieu, Si les musulmans connaissaient qu’il s’était trompé ils n’auraient pas accepté ses dires, ni lui non plus!

[Les gens de l’équivoque :] Quant au troisième type, il s’agit d’un homme qui a entendu le Prophète ordonner une chose qu’il a interdite par la suite sans que cet homme soit mis au courant de l’interdiction. Il en est de même des interdictions qui seront permises ultérieurement par le Prophète. Cet homme connaît l’abrogé et ignore l’abrogeant. S’il avait su que telle expression a été abrogée, il ne l’aurait pas retenue. Et les musulmans sont dans le même cas que lui.

[Les véridiques avant bonne mémoire :] L’homme du quatrième type ne ment ni à Dieu, ni à son Prophète. Il hait te mensonge car il a la crainte de Dieu et la vénération du Prophète dans son coeur. Il ne s’est pas trompé et a retenu par cœur ce qu’il a entendu, le rapportant par la suite sans augmentation ni diminution. Il connaît les textes abrogeants et les applique et est au courant de ce qui a été abrogé et s’en éloigne. Il sait faire une distinction entre une proposition générale et une autre particulière, et entre ce qui est univoque ou précis et ce qui est équivoque ou ambigu, mettant chaque nuance à sa place.

Il arrivait parfois au Prophète de proférer des proies qui pouvaient porter deux aspects différents; particulier et général. Celui qui les entendait ne comprenait pas ce que Dieu, par la bouche du Prophète, voulait exactement dire. Il les acceptait telles quelles, sans se demander ni sur leur sens sémantique, ni sur leur but, ni sur leur contexte.

Les compagnons du Prophète n’étaient pas tous habitués à lui poser des questions pour demander des éclaircissements. Quelques-uns aimaient à voir un bédouin ou un inconnu lui poser à l’improviste des questions, afin qu’ils puissent entendre la réponse. Quant à moi, je n’ai laissé aucune question en suspend; je lui demandais des réponses claires et strictes, et j’ai retenu toutes ses réponses.

Ce que je viens d’exposer explique les différences des attitudes, des opinions et des comportements chez les gens et les défauts des interprétations de quelques-uns parmi eux.

Nahj al-Balāgha

Book 1, Chapter 210