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 كتاب له (عليه السلام) إلى معاوية، جواباً عن كتابٍ منه إليه

In reply to a letter from Mu‘āwiyah. [1]

وَأَمَّا طَلَبُكَ إِلَيَّ الشَّامَ، فَإِنِّي لَمْ أَكُنْ لِأُعْطِيَكَ الْيَوْمَ مَا مَنَعْتُكَ أَمْسِ.

As for your demand to me to (hand over) Syria, I cannot give you today what I denied you yesterday.

وَأَمَّا قَوْلُكَ: إِنَّ الْحَرْبَ قَدْ أَكَلَتِ الْعَرَبَ إِلَّا حُشَاشَاتِ أَنْفُس بَقِيَتْ، أَلَا وَمَنْ أَكَلَهُ الْحَقُّ فَإِلَى الْجَنَّةِ، وَمَنْ أَكَلَهُ الْبَاطِلُ فَإِلَى النّارِ.

As regards your saying that the war has eaten up Arabia save its last breath, you should know that he whom right has eaten up goes to Paradise and he whom wrong has eaten up goes to Hell.

وَأَمَّا اسْتِوَاؤُنَا فِي الْحَرْبِ والرِّجَالِ، فَلَسْتَ بِأَمْضَى عَلَى الشَّكِّ مِنِّي عَلَى الْيَقِينِ، وَلَيْسَ أَهْلُ الشَّامِ بِأَحْرَصَ عَلَى الدُّنْيَا مِنْ أَهْلِ الْعِرَاقِ عَلَى الْآخِرَةِ.

As for our equality in (the art of) war and in (numbers of) men, certainly you cannot be more penetrating in doubtfulness (of belief) than I am in certainty (of belief), and the people of Syria are not more greedy for this world than the people of Iraq are for the next world.

وَأَمَّا قَوْلُكَ: إِنَّا بَنُو عَبْدِ مَنَافٍ، فَكَذلِكَ نَحْنُ، وَلكِنْ لَيْسَ أُمَيَّةُ كَهَاشِمٍ، وَلَا حَرْبٌ كَعَبْدِ الْمُطَّلِبِ، وَلَا أَبُوسُفْيَانَ كَأَبِي طَالِبٍ، وَلَا الْمُهَاجِرُ كَالطَّلِيقِ، وَلَا الصَّرِيحُ كَاللَّصِيقِ، وَلَا الْـمُحِقُّ كَالْمُبطِلِ، وَلَا الْمُؤْمِنُ كَالْمُدْغِلِ، وَلَبِئْسَ الْخَلَفُ خَلَفٌ يَتْبَعُ سَلَفاً هَوَى فِي نَارِ جَهَنَّمَ.

As for your saying that both of us are sons of ‘Abd Manāf, it is no doubt so, but Umayyah cannot be like Hāshim, nor Ḥarb like ‘Abd al-Muṭṭalib, nor can Abū Sufyān be like Abū Ṭālib. The muhājir (immigrant) cannot be a match for him who was set free (on the day of fall of Mecca), nor can one of pure descent be a match for him who has been adopted, nor the pursuer of truth be a match of the adherent to wrong, nor a believer be a match for a hypocrite. How bad are the successors who go on following their predecessors who have fallen in the fire of Hell!

وَفِي أَيْدِينَا بعْدُ فَضْلُ النُّبُوَّةِ الَّتِي أَذْلَلْنَا بِهَا الْعَزِيزَ، وَنَعَشْنَا بِهَا الذَّلِيلَ. وَلَمَّا أَدْخَلَ اللهُ الْعَرَبَ فِي دِينِهِ أَفْوَاجاً، وَأَسْلَمَتْ لَهُ هذِهِ الْأُمَّةُ طَوْعاً وَكَرْهاً، كُنْتُمْ مِمَّنْ دَخَلَ فِي الدِّينِ: إِمَّا رَغْبَةً وَإِمَّا رَهْبَةً، عَلَى حِينَ فَازَ أَهْلُ السَّبْقِ بِسَبْقِهِمْ، وَذَهَبَ الْمُهَاجِرُونَ الْأَوَّلُونَ بِفَضْلِهِمْ.

Besides that, we also have the distinction of prophethood among us, by virtue of which we subdued the strong and raised up the down-trodden. When Allāh made Arabia enter (the fold of) His religion, and the people submitted to it willingly or unwillingly, you were among those who entered the religion either from greed or from fear, at a time when those who had gone first had preceded and the first muhājirūn had acquired their (peculiar) distinction.

فَلاَ تَجْعَلَنَّ لِلشَّيْطَانِ فِيكَ نَصِيباً، وَلَا عَلَى نَفْسِكَ سَبِيلاً، وَالسَّلَامُ.

Now, do not allow Satan have a share with you nor let him have his sway over you; and that is an end to the matter.

Extrait d’une lettre adressé à Mou’avriyat en réponse à sa lettre

Quant à ta demande de t’octroyer le gouvernement du pays de Cham, il n’est pas question d’accepter aujourd’hui ce que j’ai refusé hier.

En réponse à ton allégation: la guerre a avalé les Arabes sauf quelques-uns qui en sont à l’abri, je dis que celui qui est tué en étant dans le droit chemin est allé au Paradis, et celui qui était dans l’erreur est allé au Feu.

Au sujet de l’équilibre des forces entre nous, je réponds que tu n’es pas, dans ton doute, plus fort que moi dans ma certitude, et que les gens de Cham ne sont pas avides de la vie terrestre plus que ne le sont les gens de I’Irak de la vie future.

Lorsque tu dis que nous descendons tous de Bani Abd Manaf [notre ancêtre commun,] tu oublies que Oumayya [les ancêtres de Mou’awiyat] n’égale pas en valeur Hachem [les ancêtres de ‘Ali], que Abou Soufian [le père de Mou’awiyat] est loin d’égaliser Abi Taleb [le père de ‘Ali], que le Mouhager [l’émigrant avec le Prophète] est supérieur à celui qui a été mis en liberté [le Jour du Fath de La Mecque], que le sang pur Pemporte sur l’adoption, que Payant-droit croyant l’emporte aussi sur le faux prétendant mécréant. Misérable descendance que celle qui suit son ascendance au Feu de la Géhenne!

C’est entre nos mains que se concentrent les mérites de la Révélation par laquelle nous avons avili les puissants et élevé les avilis. Lorsque Dieu fit entrer les Arabes dans sa religion, bon gré mal gré, vous étiez parmi ceux qui adoptèrent l’Islam soit par convoitise, soit par peur, tandis que les premiers Emigrés ont été parmi les premiers à avoir plus de mérites que les autres.

Ne laisse pas Satan s’accaparer de ton âme. Salut.

Nahj al-Balāgha

Book 2, Chapter 17