Masterpieces of Rhetoric Methood (nahj Al-balagha)

People of Greed and People of Poverty

You are in a time in which good doesn’t increase but turning away and eveil doesn’t increase but advent, and satan in destroying people but covert-ness.

Cast your glance over people wherever you like, Do you see but a poor man suffering from poverty, or a rich man who has changed Allah’s bounty into infidelity where are your good people? Where are your virtuous people? Where are your high-spirited men and generous men? Where are those of you who avoid deceit in their business and remain pure in their behaviour? Have they not all departed from this ignoble world? Have you not been left among people who are just like rubbish and so mean that the two lips cannot meet even to condemn them scornfully. Allah may curse those who advise good but they themselves avoid it, and those who desist others from evil but they themselves act upon it!

The ignorant Judge

About those who sit for judgement among people, but are not fit for it Till when he has quenched his thirst from a polluted water and treasurd up of cheap metals, he sits among people as a judge respons for explaining what ever is confusing to the others. If an ambiguous problem intercepted him he manages a shabby mean-ingless argument about it of his own accord and passes judge-ments on its basis. In this way he is entangled in the confusion of doubts as in the spider’s web, not knowing whether he was right or wrong. If he is right he fears lest he erred, and if he is wrong he hopes he is right. He is ignorant, wandering astray in ignorance.

He scatters the traditions as the wind scatters the dry leaves. Whatever he does not know he does not assume to be a knowledge it worth knowing. He does not think that there is beyond his reach a view. If anything is not clear to him he concealed it because of what he knows of his own ignorance. Lost lives are crying for help against his unjust verdicts, inheri-tances are grumbling against him.

I complain to Allah about a community who live ignorant and die misguided. For them nothing is more worthless than Qura’n if it is recited as it should be recited, nor anything more valuable than the Qur’an if its verses are misinterpreted, nor anything more vicious than virtue nor more virtuous than vice.

He Judges According to His view

When a problem is put before one of them he passes a judgement on it from his view. When exactly the same problem is placed before another one of them he passed on an opposite verdict. Then thses judges go to the Imam who had appointed them and he confirms all their verdicts, although their Allah is one, their Prophet is one, their Book (the Qur’an) is one.

Their learned Man is Hypoerite

Describing the people of his time:

Know that you are living at a time when those who speak of right are few, when tongues are blunt to utter the truth, and those who stick to the right are humiliated. The people of this time are engaged in disobedience. There youths are Quarralsome, their old men are sinful, their learned men are hypocrites. Their youngs do not respect their elders, and their rich men do don’t provide for the destitute.

They act through doubts

It is not that every man with a heart is intelligent, every ear does not listen, and every eye does not see. I wonder, and why shouldn’t I wonder, about the faults of these groups who have introduced alterations in their religious proofs,. They act on the doubts and tread in (the way of) their desires. For them good is whatever they consider good and evil is whatever they consider evil., their resort for resolving distress is to themselves. Their confidence in regard to dubious matters is in their own opinions as if everyone of them is the leader (Imam) of himself. As if he has decided himself he considers it to have been taken through reliable sources and solid bonds.

Scold the self

O’ slaves of Allah, weigh yourselves before you are weighed, and call it to account yourselves before you are called to account. Breath before the suffocation of the throat. Be submissive before you are harshly driven. Know that He who is not helped in acting as his own adviser and scold then no one else can (effectively) be his adviser and scold.

Beware

Speaking to his son, Al-Hasan:

O’ my son, you should avoid making friends with a fool because he may intend to benefit you but may harm you; you should avoid making friends with a miser because he withdraws from you when you need him most; you should avoid making friends with a sinful person because he sells you for nought; and you should avoid making friends with a liar because he is like a mirage, he shows you remote things as near and near things as remote.

Agreement And Disagreement

O’ people do not feel desolated in the path of right because of the fewress of its runners, because people have thronged round a table (of this world) whose satiety doesn’t last, but whose hunger lasts for a long time.

O’ people contentnees and anger is what gathers people to be treated as one community.

O’ people he who treads the clear path reaches the spring of water, and whoever disobeys he falls into misdirection it strays into waterless desert.

Hypocrisy and Injustice

Beware from destroying your morals and changing them. Certainly the tongue of a believer is after his heart, while the heart of a hypocrite is after his tongue; because when a believer intends to say some thing, he thinks it over in his mind. If it is good he discloses it, but if it is bad he lets it remain concealed. While a hypocrite speaks whatever comes to his tongue, without knowing what is in his favour and what goes against him, As for the injustice That will not be left unquestioned, it is the injustice of slaves against one another. For your unity in respect of a right which you dislike is better than you scattering away in respect of a wrong that you like. Blessed is the man whose own defects keep him from the defects of others, so that he is engaged in himself and people are in comfort of him.

The Tribe

O’ people! Surely no one can do without his tribe and their defence by hands and tongues. They are the most of all people to keep him and can ward off from him his troubles, and they are the most kind to him when tribulations befall him. Whoever holds up his hands from his kinsmen, they loose only one hand, but at the time of his need many hands remain held up from helping him.

The dispostions

Describing man’s disposition It (the heart) has the drugs of wisdom and things contrary to wisdom. If hope is widened to it, eagerness humiliates it and when covetousness increases greed ruins it. If anger rises in it a serious rage develops. If it is blessed with pleasure, it forgets to be cautious. If it is frightened precaution busied it. If he feels secure inadvertence leads him astray. If it earns wealth, luxury spoils him. If trouble befalls it, impatience disgraces it. If it faces starvation, distress overtakes it. If hunger attacks it weakness cripples it. If he eats to the excess, dyspepsia pains it. Thus, every shortness is harmful to it and every excess is spoiling to it.

Time and its people

At a time when virtue is dominant in the world and among people, if a person entertains an evil intention about another person of whom nothing evil has been seen, then he has done unjust. And at a time when corruption is dominant in the world and among people, if a man entertains a good intention about another person he has flung himself in danger.

Many a Fasting Person

On fasting and prayer

Many a fasting person of whose fast gain nothing but just hunger and thirst, and many an offerer of prayers of whose prayer gains nothing but wakefulness and hardship. The sleep and not fasting of the tactful (God-knowing) is far better.

Categories of People

From a sermon describing the bad natures of the people of his time O’ people we have been borne in such a wrongful and thankless period wherein the virtuous is deemed vicious and the oppressor goes on advancing in his excesses. We do not make use of what we know and do not ask of what we do not know. We do not fear calamity till it befalls. People are of four categories: among them is that who is not prevented from mischief but by his low position, bluntness of his edge and paucity of wealth.

Then there is he who has drawn his sword, openly commits mischief, and has devoted himself to securing wealth, leading troops, rising on the pulpit and has allowed his faith to perish. How bad is the trading that you allow (enjoy-ment) of this world to be a price for yourself. And among them is he who seeks this world through actions meant for the next world, but does not seek the next world through actions of this world. He keeps his body calm (in dignity), raises short steps, tucked up his clothes, embellishes his body for trust – worthiness and uses the position of Allah’s veiling as a means have held him back from seeking authority. This keeps down his position and he has named it contentment and he clothes himself with the robe of asceticism.

Then there remain a few men in whose case the remem-brance of their return (to Allah on doomsday) has cast down their eyes, and the fear of resurrection has shed their tears. Some of them are scared away and dispersed; some are frightened and oppressed; some are quiet as if muzzled; some are praying sincerely, some are grief-stricken and pain-ridden whom fear has confined to namelessness and humilliation has covered them.

They preached till they became tired, they were oppressed till they were disgraced and they were killed till they remained few in number. So learn from those who preceded you before those who follow you learn from you, and refuse it realizing its uglyness as it has refused those who has been more enchanted by it than you.

With every wind

Describing the people of his time:

The common riftraff who run after every caller and bend in the direction of every wind. They haven’t been enlightened by knowledge and haven’t sought shelter in a secure locality.

Many a small person overcomes a big one.

Avoid speaking during meetings of fear, since fear bewilders the mind from which you acquire, and engages it with protecting the self rather than protecting the doctrine that you like to support. Also avoid anger from the one who compels you to it, because anger spoils the thought and prevents from verification. Avoid the sessions which does not allow justice in the equality between you and your apponent in matter of attention and listening, and their holders have no morals that prevent them from passing an unjust judgement in your favour or against you. Avoid speaking to him who does not understand you as he makes you tired. Avoid undervaluating the opponent since it prevents caution. Many a small person overcomes a big one.

His lamp at Night was the Moon

A wonderful speech about Muhammed and christ Certainly, in the Prophet of Allah – peace and blessing of Allah be upon him and his progency – was sufficient example for you and a proof concerning the meanness of the world, its defects, the multitude of its disgraces and its evils, as its sides has been folded for him, while its flanks had been spread for others; he was weaned from its milk and turned away from its adornments.

If I desire I will tell you about Isa (Christ) son of Maryam (Mary). He used a stone as his pillow, put on coarse clothes, and ate rough food. His condiment was hunger. His lamp at night was the moon. His shade during winter was just the expanse of earth eastward and westward. His fruits and flowers were only what grows from the earth for the cattle. He had no wife to allure him, nor wealth to deviate, nor greed to humilliate him. His two feet were his mount and his two hands were his servant.

Like Christ’s Manner

It is related by Nawf Al-Bikali that: I saw that one night Amir Al-Ma’minin, peace be upon him, came out of his bed and looked at the stars, then he said to me: O’ Nawf, are you awake or sleeping? I said: “I am awake, O’ Amir Al-Mu’minin.” Then he said:

Blessed be those who abstain from this world and are eager for the next world. They have taken this earth as a floor; its dust a bed-cloth; and its water a perfume; they took the Qur’an as their undercloth and supplicate as their blanket and then they are cut off from the world like Isa (Chirst).

Do not say of what you Do not know

The qualities of the virtuous:

O’ slaves of Allah, the most beloved slave of Allah is he who has enjoined upon himself justice. The first step of his justice is the rejection of desires from his heart. He describes right and acts according to it. There is no good which he has not aimed at nor any likely place (of virtue). O’ people, do not say what you do not know, because most of the right lies in what you deny. Accept the apologize of one against whom you have no argument.

Their speech is to the point, their Gait is Humble.

It is related that a comparrion of Ibn Abi Talib called Hammam said: O’ Amir Al-Muminin, describe to me the pious men in such a way as though I see them” . Imam avoided the reply, then he spoke of the pious wonderful speech, some of which is:

Now then, Allah, the Glorified, the sublime had created the creatures (its things) without any need for their obedience and safe from their sinning, because the sin of anyone who sins does not harm Him nor does the obedience of anyone who obeys benefits Him. He has distributed among them their livelihood, and has assigned them their positions in the world. Thus the God-fearing in it are the people of virtues.

Their speech is to the point, their dress is moderate and their gait is humble. They keep their eyes closed to what Allah has made unlawful for them, and they put their ears to that knowledge which is beneficial to them. They remain in the time of trials as though they remain in comfort. If there had not been fixed periods (of life) ordained for each, their spirits would not have remained in their bodies even for the twinkling of an eye.

They are not satisfied with their meagre good acts and do not regard their major acts as great. They always blame themselves and are afraid of their deeds. When anyone of them is spoken of highly, he says: “I know myself better than others, and my Lord knows better than I know. O’ Allah, do not deal with me accord-ing to what they say, and make me better than they think of me and forgive me which they do not know.”

One of the symptom of anyone of them is that you find that he has determination along with leniency, faith with conviction, moderation in riches devotion in worship, endurance in starva-tion, endurance in hardship, vitality in guidance and abstain from greed. He transfuses knowledge with forbearance, and speech with action. Good is expected from him. Evil from him is not feared,.

He forgives him who is unjust to him. He gives to him who deprives him, and he behaves well with him who behaves ill with him. Indecent speech is far from him, his speech is lenient, his virtues are ever present. He does not commit unjust to him whom he hates, and does not commit sin for the sake of him whom he loves.

He admits truth before evidence is brought against him. He does not call others bad names, he does not cause harm to his neighbour, he does not feel happy at others’ misfortunes, he doesnot enter into wrong, and does not go out of right. He suffers of himself while others feel at rest of him, and makes people feel safe from himself. His keeping away is not by way of vanity or feeling of greatness, nor his nearness by way of deceit and cheating.

His keeping away from others is by way of asceticism and purification, and his nearness to those to whom he draws near by way of lenience and mercifulness.