Peak of Eloquence Nahjul Balagha By Imam Ali ibn Abu Talib - English Translation - Letter 28

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In Reply to Mu`awiyah, One of His Most Elegant Writings:

Now, your letter has reached me wherein you recall that Allah chose Muhammad (h) for His religion and helped him through those

companions who assisted him. Strange things about you have remained concealed (by theirony of fate) from us, since you have started telling us of Allah’s trials for us and His bounties through [the kinship to] our Prophet (h). In this regard, you are like one who carries dates to Hajar, or who challenges his own master to a duel in archery.

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You think that so-and-so are the most distinguished persons in Islam. You have said such a thing with which, were it true, you have nothing to do, but if it is not so, then the defect in it will not affect you. And what are you going to do with the question of who is better and who is worse, or who is the ruler and who is the ruled? What do the freed ones and their sons have to do with distinguishing between the first Muhajirun and determining their status or defining their ranks? What a pity! The sound of an arrow is being produced by what is not a real arrow, and he against whom the judgement is to be passed is seated to judge! O mankind! Why do you not see your own lameness and thus remain within the bounds, and why do you not realize the shortness of your measure and stay back where destiny has placed you?! You have no concern with the defeat of the defeated or with the victory of the victor.

You are wandering in bewilderment, straying from the right path. Do you not realize it? I am not giving you any news: I am just recounting Allah’s bounty, namely that a number of people from among the Muhajirun (immigrants from Mecca) and the Ansar (helpers) fell as martyrs in the way of Allah the Sublime and that each of them is distinguished (on that account). But when one of us secures martyrdom, he is named the chief of martyrs, and the Messenger of Allah grants him the special honor of saying seventy takbir (Allahu Akbar) during his funeral prayer. Do you not know that a number of people lost their hands in the way of Allah and that everyone is distinguished (on that account)? But when the same thing takes place to one of us [such as Ja’fer al-Tayyar], he is given the title “the flier in Paradise” and “the two-winged one”? Had not Allah forbidden self -praise, the writer would have mentioned numerous distinctions which the believer knows fully well and which the ears of the listeners do not wish to forget.

Better leave those whose arrows miss themark. We [Ahl al-Bayt (x)] are the direct recipients of our Lord’s favors while others receive

favors from us after that. In spite of our established honor and well-known superiority over people, we did not stay away from mingling with you, intermarrying with you like equals although you are not so. And how could you be so when (our status is that) among us is the Prophet (h)

while among you is his opponent, among us is the lion of Allah while among you is the lion of the opposing groups, among us are the two masters of the youths of Paradise while among you are the children of Hell, among us is the choicest of all the women of the worlds while among you is the bearer of firewood, any many more distinctions on our side while shortcomings [abound] on yours?!

Our Islam is well-known and our (greatness in the ) pre-Islamic period too cannot be denied. Whatever remains has been mentioned in the words of Allah, the most Glorified One, the Sublime: “... blood relatives have the better claim with regard to one another according to the Book of Allah” (Holy Quran, 33: 6).

He (Allah) the Sublime, also says the following: “Verily, of men the nearest to Abraham are surely those who followed him and this Prophet (Muhammad [h]) and those who believe, and verily, Allah, is the Guardian of the faithful” (Holy Quran, 3: 68).

Thus, we are superior firstly because of kinship and, secondly, because of obedience [of the Almighty]. At the saqifa (of Banu Sa’idah), the Muhajirun contended kinship with the Messenger of Allah against the Ansar, scoring over them. If that success was based on kinship, then the right will be ours better than yours; otherwise, the Ansar’s contention stands.

You think that I have been jealous of every caliph and have revolted against them all. Even if this is so, it is not an offence against you and, therefore, I owe you no explanation. This is a matter for which no blame comes to you.