ومن كتاب له (عليه السلام) إلى عمرو بن العاص

فَإِنَّكَ قَدْ جَعَلْتَ دِينَكَ تَبْعاً لِدُنْيَا امْرِئٍ ظَاهِرٍ غَيُّهُ، مَهْتُوكٍ سِتْرُهُ، يَشِينُ الْكَرِيمَ بِمَجْلِسِهِ، وَيُسَفِّهُ الْحَلِيمَ بِخِلْطَتِهِ، فَاتَّبَعْتَ أَثَرَهُ، وَطَلَبْتَ فَضْلَهُ، اتِّبَاعَ الْكَلْبِ لِلضِّرْغَامِ، يَلُوذُ إلَى مَخَالِبِهِ [يَلُوذُ بِمَخَالِبِهِ]، وَيَنْتَظِرُ مَا يُلْقَى إِلَيْهِ مِنْ فَضْلِ فَرِيسَتِهِ، فَأَذْهَبْتَ دُنْيَاكَ وَآخِرَتَكَ! وَلَوْ بِالْحَقِّ أَخَذْتَ أَدْرَكْتَ مَا طَلَبْتَ، فَإِنْ يُمَكِّنِّي اللهُ مِنْكَ وَمِنِ ابْنِ أَبِي سُفْيَانَ أَجْزِكُمَا بِمَا قَدَّمْتُمَا، وَإِنْ تُعْجِزَا وَتَبْقَيَا فَمَا أَمَامَكُمَا شَرٌ لَكُمَا، وَالسَّلَامُ.

You have surely made your religion subservient to the worldly seekings of a man whose misguidance is not a concealed affair and whose veil has been torn away. He mars an honourable man with his company and befools those who keep his society. You are following in his footsteps and seeking his favours like the dog that follows the lion looking at his paws and waiting for whatever remnants of his prey fall down to him. In this way, you have ruined your world as well as the next life, although if you had stuck to the right, you would have got what you were after. If Allāh grants me power over you and Ibn Abī Sufyān (Mu‘āwiyah), I shall award you both recompense of what you have done, but if you escape and survive then hereafter there is only evil for you both; and that is an end to the matter.

Extrait d'une lettre à ‘Amrou bin Al’aas

Tu as attaché ta foi à la solde d’une personne dont l’erreur est connue et le secret dévoilé, qui dépare le généreux dans sa cour et déshonore le magnanime par sa turpitude. Tu as suivi ses pas et demandé ses dons comme fait le chien devant le lion en se refigiant derrière ses griffes et en attendant qu’il lui jette les restes de sa proie. Tu as ainsi perdu ce monde et l’autre monde, alors que si tu avais agi selon la justice tu aurais acquis toutes tes demandes. Si Dieu me rendait victorieux contre toi et le fils de Abi Soufian [Mou’awiyat], je vous châtierai en conséquence. Si, par contre, je serais incapable de vous atteindre, ce qui vous attend ne saurait être que le malheur. Salut.

Nahj al-Balāgha

Chapter #39