٧٨. وَ مِنْ كَلَامٍ لَهُ (عليه السلام) لِلسَّائِلِ الشَّامِيِّ لَمَّا سَأَلَهُ أَ كَانَ مَسِيرُنَا إِلَى الشَّامِ بِقَضَاءٍ مِنَ اللَّهِ وَ قَدَرٍ بَعْدَ كَلَامٍ طَوِيلٍ هَذَا مُخْتَارُهُ:

78. A Syrian enquired from Amīr al-mu’minīn: Was our going to fight against the Syrians destined by Allāh? Amīr al-mu’minīn, peace be upon him, gave a detailed reply, a selection from which is hereunder:

وَيْحَكَ لَعَلَّكَ ظَنَنْتَ قَضَاءً لَازِماً وَقَدَراً حَاتِماً لَوْ كَانَ ذَلِكَ كَذَلِكَ لَبَطَلَ الثَّوَابُ وَالْعِقَابُ وَسَقَطَ الْوَعْدُ وَالْوَعِيدُ. إِنَّ اللَّهَ سُبْحَانَهُ أَمَرَ عِبَادَهُ تَخْيِيراً وَنَهَاهُمْ تَحْذِيراً وَكَلَّفَ يَسِيراً وَلَمْ يُكَلِّفْ عَسِيراً وَأَعْطَى عَلَى الْقَلِيلِ كَثِيراً وَلَمْ يُعْصَ مَغْلُوباً وَلَمْ يُطَعْ مُكْرِهاً وَلَمْ يُرْسِلِ الْأَنْبِيَاءَ لَعِباً وَلَمْ يُنْزِلِ الْكُتُبَ لِلْعِبَادِ عَبَثاً وَلَا خَلَقَ السَّمَاوَاتِ وَالْأَرْضَ وَمَا بَيْنَهُمَا بَاطِلًا (ذَٰلِكَ ظَنُّ الَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا ۚ فَوَيْلٌ لِّلَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا مِنَ النَّارِ).

Woe to you! You take it as a final and unavoidable destiny [1] (according to which we are bound to act). If it were so, there would have been no question of reward or chastisement and there would have been no sense in Allāh’s promises or warnings. (On the other hand) Allāh, the Glorified, has ordered His people to act by free will and has cautioned them and refrained them (from evil). He has placed easy obligations on them and has not put heavy obligations. He gives them much (reward) in return for little (action). He is disobeyed, not because He is overpowered. He is obeyed but not under force. He did not send prophets just for fun. He did not send down the Book for the people without purpose. He did not create the skies, the earth and all that is in between them in vain. That is the imagination of those who disbelieve; then woe to those who disbelieve - because of the fire. (Qur’ān, 38:27)

78. Un Damascène lui demande si sa campagne contre le pays de Cham est déterminée par Dieu; il lui répond brièvement:

Malheur à toi! Il se peut que tu crois au déterminisme [deux mots arabes sont utilisés ici: Al Qada' et Al Qadar. Al Qada' est la prescience divine des faits qui s’accomplissent en un lieu et temps déterminés. Al Qadar est l’accomplissement des choses lorsque leurs causes existent. Or, ni Al Qada’, ni Al Qadar n’obligent le serviteur à accomplir ses actes]. S’il en est ainsi, il n’y aura ni récompense, ni punition, ni promesse, ni admonition. Dieu, qu’ll soit loué, a donné Ses ordres à Ses serviteurs tout en leur donnant le choix, les a avertis de s’abstenir [du mal], leur a imposé des devoirs faisables sans grandes difficultés; pour ce peu qu’ll a demandé, il a donné beaucoup en contrepartie; Il ne veut pas être désobéi ou obéi à contre-cœur; Il n’a pas envoyé les Prophètes par divertissement, ni fait descendre le Livre sans but, ni créé les cieux et la terre -et ce qu’il y a entre eux- en vain. C’est l’opinion des athées; malheur à eux à cause du Feu!.

Nahj al-Balāgha

Chapter #78