Preface

In the Name of the Merciful Allah

Imam Ali and Nahj-ul-Balaghah

Nahj-ul-Balaghah, a collection of Imam Ali’s sermons, letters and short sayings, is an authentic book after the holy Quran and before Al-Sahifah Al-Sajjadiah which is a collection of the prayers of Imam Al-Sajjad, the forth Imam of Shi’ite.

Imam Ali bin Abitalib (23 B.H.- 40 A.H.= 598-661 A.D.) who was the first Imam and successor of the holy prophet Mohammad (peace be upon him and his progeny) was a great and distinguished personality of the early Islamic period. He was son-in-law of the holy prophet and the closest person to him. He was prophet’s companion since his childhood to the last moments of the prophet’s life. He converted Islam when he was just ten-year-old and was trained under the divine supervision of the prophet, his mentor.

It is impossible to write in a few lines about the character and disposition of a person about whom have been written thousands of books by Western, Eastern, Muslims and non-Muslims writers and researchers. Here, I would like to show just a drop of an ocean to the readers of his works, Nahj-ul-Balaghah.

George Jordac (1926- ), a Lebanese Christian writer who is expert in Arabic literatures and was professor of the Zahrat-ul-Ehsan faculty of Beirut, has created the best works on the character and disposition of Imam Ali. His book namely “Al-Imam Ali, Saut-ul-Idalat-el-Insaniyah” (Imam Ali: The Voice of Human Justice) in 5 volumes which contain more than 1300 pages have been derived from Nahj-ul-Balaghah. He says that he has read this precious book 200 times and naturally every time he has discovered new pearls in the depths of this endless ocean.

This profound and beautiful presentation of Imam Ali and his work by George Jordac has been translated to many languages, and many scholars and writers have written admiring forewords for it 30 of which have been quoted in the end of the 5th. volume.

Imam Ali, however, was admired by both his friends and competitors. Umar bin Khattab (581-644 A.D.), the second caliph, once said: ‘All women have been barren to give birth to a person like Ali’. Mo’aviyyah bin Abisofyan (602-680 A.D.) describing his generosity said: If Ali has two houses, one of which full of gold and the other full of straw, he would first donate all gold.

It is narrated that once a time Imam Ali’s brother, Aqil bin Abitalib, came and requested him to pay him something more than his quota from treasury. Imam Ali, instead of money, brought near him a peace of fire. When he avoided and asked him why, he said that you are avoiding fire of this world, how can I bear the fire of the hereafter?

On the base of such different attributes, Zamakhshari, Mahmud bin Umar (1075-1144 A.D.) the great Sunni scholar says that Imam Ali gathered all contradictories attributes in his nature, while it is impossible for common people.

It is also narrated that when Mo’aviyyah in a battle overcame Ali’s army, ordered to stop water on Ali’s army, but when the case changed to vise versa, Imam Ali forbade strictly doing so.

Thus Imam Ali was kind even to his enemies. It is very popular that when he was wounded by the sword of Ibne Muljam, Abd Al-Rahman, who was arrested and imprisoned in Imam Ali’s residence, he was advising his sons not have misbehavior with him. When he was served with a little of food, he used to ask if they have served Ibne Muljam with his food?

In the middle of nights, Ali, in disguise, was carrying foodstuff to the poor’s house. They did not know who he was until he was martyred and carrying foodstuff stopped.

It is, however, correct indeed that Imam Ali lived in a society which did not understood him and could not find out his exalted values.

Anyhow, Nahj-ul-Balaghah, can be considered as a window for a better understanding of Imam Ali’s thoughts, ideas and characters.

The present book Nahj-ul-Balaghah or ‘method of eloquence’ is a precious work compiled by Al-Sharif Al-Razi, Ab-ul-Hassan Mohammad bin Hussain (968-1015 A.D.) who has collected Imam Ali’s sermons, letters and short sayings from old Islamic text and sources. Since thousand years ago, the book has been best source for main Islamic sciences.

Recently, some of the researchers found another copy of the book in the Vatican library named ‘Nuzhat-ul-Absar wa Mahasen-ul-Athar’ which was collected, before Nahj-ul-Balaghah, by Abu-Al-Hassan Ali bin Mahdi Al-Tabari Al-Mamtiri (893-970 A.D.). This copy which has recently been published by Majma-ul-Taqrib's publication in Tehran (ISBN:978-964-167-000-1) contains some more sermons, letters and short sayings.

Nahj-ul-Balagha, however, contains many valuable topics such as history, theology, philosophy, sociology, psychology, ethics, politics, military, natural sciences and forecasting etc. The wisely words of this valuable book attract every one’s mind and place a deep influence on it.

This is not only George Jordac who read and studied this book 200 times. Ibne Abi Al-Hadid, Ezz-ul-Din Abd-ul-Hamid Al-Mo’tazeli (1190-1257 A.D.) a great Sunni scholar and one of the commentators of Nahj-ul-Balagha, explaining the sermon number 221 on the situation of the human being after his death (starting with ‘Multiplication distracted you…’ 102nd. Surah of the holy Quran, says: ‘I swear by whom all nations swear, since 50 years ago I found this sermon hitherto, I have read it more than thousand times and in every time my heart faced with a new fear, awfulness and advise’.

Thus, Nahj-ul-Balagha has always attracted the attention of every body in every nock and corner. It has been translated into many languages and many scholars have written lengthy and detailed comments and explanation for it. One of the lengthiest comment belongs to Ibne Meitham Al-Bahrani, Kamal-ul-din Meitham bin Ali (1238-1290 A.D.) a Shi’ite Scholar who compiled his work in 4 great volumes as the long comment. He also compiled two other comments named them respectively the medium and the small comments. Ibne Abi Al-Hadid Al-Mo’tazeli, a Sunni scholar, compiled his comment in 20 volumes.

Now, thanks to Dr. George Grigore (1958- ) professor of the Arabic literatures in the Faculty of Foreign Languages of the Bucharest University, who for the first time translated Nahj-ul-Balagha in Romanian language. He has already translated the holy Quran to the same language as well. No doubt his noble works will serve Romanian nation to become more acquainted with the Islamic culture and civilization and will create a bridge between Romani and the Islamic world.

Mohammad Bagher Ansari

Ex-imam & Director of the Islamic Centre Hamburg/Germany

Tehran, 23,06,1429 A.H., 27 June 2008,