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 خطبة له (عليه السلام) في استنفار الناس إلى الشام [بعد فراغه من أمر الخوارج] [وفيها يتأفف بالناس، وينصح لهم بطريق السداد:]

To prepare the people for fighting with the people of Syria (ash-Shām) [1] Amīr al-mu’minīn said :

اُفٍ لَكُمْ! لَقَدْ سَئِمْتُ عِتَابَكُمْ! أَرَضِيتُمْ بِالْحَيَاةِ الدُّنْيَا مِنَ الاْخِرَةِ عِوَضاً؟ وَبِالذُّلِّ مِنَ الْعِزِّ خَلَفاً؟ إِذَا دَعَوْتُكُمْ إِلَى جِهَادِ عَدُوِّكُمْ دَارَتْ أَعْيُنُكُمْز، كَأَنَّكُمْ مِنَ الْمَوْتِ فِي غَمْرَةٍ وَمِنَ الذُّهُولِ في سَكْرَةٍ، يُرْتَجُ عَلَيْكُمْ حَوَارِي فَتَعْمَهُونَ فَكَأَنَّ قُلُوبَكُمْ مَأْلُوسَةٌ فَأَنْتُمْ لاَ تَعْقِلُونَ. مَا أَنْتُمْ لي بِثِقَةٍ سَجِيسَ اللَّيَالي وَمَاأَنْتُمْ بِرُكْنٍ يُمَالُ بِكُمْ وَلاَزَوَافِرُ عِزٍّ يُفْتَقَرُ إِلَيْكُمْ. مَا أَنْتُمْ إِلاَّ كَإِبِلٍ ضَلَّ رُعَاتُهَا، فَكُلَّمَا جُمِعَتْ مِنْ جَانِبٍ انْتَشَرَتْ مِن آخَرَ،

Woe to you. I am tired of rebuking you. Do you accept this worldly life in place of the next life? Or disgrace in place of dignity? When I invite you to fight your enemy your eyes revolve as though you are in the clutches of death, and in the senselessness of last moments. My pleadings are not understood by you and you remain stunned. It is as though your hearts are affected with madness so that you do not understand. You have lost my confidence for good. Neither are you a support for me to lean upon, nor a means to honour and victory. Your example is that of the camels whose protector has disappeared, so that if they are collected from one side they disperse away from the other side.

لَبِئْسَ ـ لَعَمْرُ اللهِ ـ سُعْرُ نَارِ الْحَرْبِ أَنْتُمْ! تُكَادُونَ وَلاَ تَكِيدُونَ، وَتُنْتَقَصُ أَطْرَافُكُمْ فَلاَ تَمْتَعِضُونَ لاَ يُنَامُ عَنْكُمْ وَأَنْتُمْ في غَفْلَةٍ سَاهُونَ، غُلِبَ وَاللهِ الْمُتَخَاذِلُونَ! وَأيْمُ اللهِ إِنِّي لاَظُنُّ بِكُمْ أنْ لَوْ حَمِسَ الْوَغَىي، وَاسْتَحَرَّ الْمَوْتُ قَدِ انْفَرَجْتُمْ عَنِ ابْنِ أَبِي طَالِبٍ انْفِرَاجَ الرَّأْسِ

By Allāh, how bad are you for igniting flames of war. You are intrigued against but do not intrigue (against the enemy). Your boundaries are decreasing but you do not get enraged over it. Those against you do not sleep but you are unmindful. By Allāh, those who leave matters one for the other are subdued. By Allāh, I believed about you that if battle rages and death hovers around you, you will cut away from son of Abī Ṭālib like the severing of head from the trunk. [2]

وَاللهِ إِنَّ امْرَأً يُمَكِّنُ عَدُوَّهُ مِنْ نَفْسِهِ يَعْرُقُ لَحْمَهُ وَيَهْشِمُ عَظْمَهُ، وَيَفْرِي جِلْدَهُ، لَعَظِيمٌ عَجْزُهُ، ضَعِيفٌ ماضُمَّتْ عَلَيْهِ جَوَانِحُ صَدْرِهِ أَنْتَ فَكُنْ ذَاكَ إِنْ شِئْتَ، فَأَمَّا أَنَا فَوَاللهِ دُونَ أَنْ أُعْطِيَ ذلِكَ ضَرْبٌ بِالْمَشْرَفِيَّةِ تَطِيرُ مِنْهُ فَرَاشُ الْهَامِ وَتَطِيحُ السَّوَاعِدُ وَالاْقْدَامُ، وَيَفْعَلُ اللهُ بَعْدَ ذلِكَ مَا يَشَاءُ.

By Allāh, he who makes it possible for his adversary to so overpower him as to remove the flesh (from his bones), crush his bones and cut his skin into pieces, then it means that his helplessness is great and his heart surrounded within the sides of his chest is weak. You may become like this if you wish. But for me, before I allow it I shall use my sharp edged swords of al-Mashrafiyyah which would cut as under the bones of the head and fly away arms and feet. Thereafter, Allāh will do whatever He wills.

أَيُّهَا النَّاسُ! إِنَّ لِي عَلَيْكُمْ حَقّاً، وَلَكُمْ عَلَيَّ حَقٌّ: فَأَمَّا حَقُّكُمْ عَلَيَّ: فَالنَّصِيحَةُ لَكُمْ، وَتَوْفِيرُ فَيْئِكُمْ عَلَيْكُمْ، وَتَعْلِيمُكُمْ كَيْلا تَجْهَلُوا، وَتَأْدِيبُكُمْ كَيْما تَعْلَمُوا. وَأَمَّا حَقِّي عَلَيْكُمْ: فَالوَفَاءُ بِالبَيْعَةِ، وَالنَّصِيحَةُ في الْمَشْهَدِ وَالْمَغِيبِ، وَالاْجَابَةُ حِينَ أَدْعُوكُمْ، وَالطَّاعَةُ حِينَ آمُرُكُمْ.

O people, I have a right over you and you have a right over me. As for your right over me, that is to counsel you, to pay you your dues fully, to teach you that you may not remain ignorant and instruct you in behaviourism that you may act upon. As for my right over you, it is fulfilment of (the obligation of) allegiance, well-wishing in presence or in absence, response when I call you and obedience when I order you.

Extrait d’un discours où il incite les gens à combattre les Damascènes (Mu’awiyat) après avoir vaincu les Kharîjites; il y exprime son ennui des siens et leur conseille le droit chemin

Ouf! J’en ai marre d’entendre vos reproches! Avez-vous accepté la vie terrestre comme substitut de l’autre vie, la basse condition au lieu de l’honneur? Si je vous appelle à corn- battre votre ennemi je lirai la peur dans vos yeux, comme si vous étiez des moribonds ou des ivrognes. Mon dialogue avec vous bloque votre entendement et vous devenez perplexes, comme si vos cœurs avaient un accès de folie qui le paralyse. Je n’ai plus confiance en vous, car vous n’êtes plus des arcanes de guerre dont j’ai besoin. Vous n’êtes que des chameaux dont les bergers ont erré: on les rassemble d’un côté et ils se dispersent de l’autre.

Par Dieu, vous êtes de pires combattants! On vous trompe et vous ne trompez personne. On conquiert les extrémités de vos terres et vous ne vous irritez pas. On ne pourra pas dormir avec tranquillité tant que vous faites des gardes négligents. Par Dieu, ceux qui s’abandonnent mutuellement sans secours seront vaincus! Parbleu! Je suis sûr, certes, que lorsque l’ange de la mort rôde autour de vous dans une bataille féroce, vous vous éloignez inévitablement de Ibn Abi Taleb.

Pardi! Quiconque permet à l’ennemi d’avaler sa chaire, de casser ses os et de déchirer sa peau est impuissant, inapte et incapable, ayant un cœur faible et pusillanime. Vous, vous pouvez être cela si vous voulez; quant à moi, je réagis par Pépée qui fait voler les têtes, les mains et les jambes, après quoi Dieu fera ce qu’il veut

Vous avez droit à mes conseils, à ma bonne gestion des deniers de l’Etat, à une instruction qui vous sauve de l’ignorance, et à une formation qui vous fournit la connaissance. Quant aux droits que j’ai sur vous, il y a le respect de votre serment d’allégeance, la fidélité en ma présence comme en mon absence, la réponse à mon appel et l’obéissance à mes ordres.

Nahj al-Balāgha

Book 1, Chapter 34