٢٦١. وقال (عليه السلام) لَمَّا بَلَغَهُ إِغَارَةُ أَصْحَابِ مُعَاوِيَةَ عَلَى الْأَنْبَارِ، فَخَرَجَ بِنَفْسِهِ مَاشِياً حَتَّى أَتَى النُّخَيْلَةَ وَأَدْرَكَهُ النَّاسُ وَقَالُوا: يَا أَمِيرَ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ نَحْنُ نَكْفِيكَهُمْ. فَقَالَ (عليه السلام) :

261. When the news of the attack of Mu‘āwiyah’s men on al-Anbār reached Amīr al-mu’minīn, peace be upon him, he himself came out walking till he reached an-Nukhaylah, where people overtook him and said: “O’ Amīr al-mu’minīn, we are enough for them,” then he said:

وَاللهِ مَا تَكْفُونَنِي أَنْفُسَكُمْ، فَكَيْفَ تَكْفُونَنِي غَيْرَكُمْ؟ إِنْ كَانَتِ الرَّعَايَا قَبْلِي لَتَشْكُوا حَيْفَ رُعَاتِهَا، وَإِنَّنِي الْيَوْمَ لَأَشْكُو حَيْفَ رَعِيَّتِي، كَأَنَّنِيَ الْمَقُودُ وَهُمُ الْقَادَةُ، أَوِ ألْمَوْزُوعُ وَهُمُ الْوَزَعَةُ.

You cannot be enough for me against yourselves, so how can you be enough for me against others? Before me the people used to complain of the oppression of their rulers but now I have to complain of the wrongful actions of my people; as though I am led by them and they are the leaders or that I am the subject and they are the rulers.

فلما قال (عليه السلام) هذا القول، في كلامٍ طويلٍ قد ذكرنا مختارَه في جملةِ الخُطَب، تقدّم إليه رجلان من أصحابه، فقال أحدهما: إنّي لا أملك إلا نفسي وأخي، فَمُرْنا بأمرك يا أميرالمؤمنين نُنْفِد له. فقال (عليه السلام): وأَيْنَ تَقَعَانِ مِمَّا أُريدُ؟

The narrator says: When Amīr al-mu’minīn, peace be upon him, uttered this during his long speech which we have included in the collection of sermons (No. 27), two men from his companions advanced towards him and one of them said : I rule no one except myself and my brother (Qur’ān, 5:25). So, order us with your command, O’ Amīr al-mu’minīn and we will accomplish it. Thereupon, Amīr al-mu’minīn, peace be upon him, said: How can you two accomplish what I aim at?

261. Lorsque l’Envoyé de Dieu sut que les gens de Mou’awiyat eurent attaqué Al Anbar, Il se mit à marcher jusqu’à atteindre Al Nukhailat [en Irak], Ses partisans le suivirent et dirent: ô Prince des Croyants, nous mus occuperons d'eux, et de répondre:

Comment allez-vous vous occuper d’eux si vous êtes nonchalants envers moi? Avant moi, les sujets se plaignaient de l’injustice de leurs dirigeants; aujourd’hui je me plains de l’injustice de mes sujets, comme si j’étais un subalterne gouverné tandis qu’ils sont les chefs qui gouvernent.

Nahj al-Balāgha

Chapter #261