وَكَيْفَ أَنْتَ صَانِعٌ إِذَا تَكَشَّفَتْ عَنْكَ جَلاَبِيبُ مَا أَنْتَ فِيهِ مِنْ دُنْيَا
What will you do when the coverings of this world in which you are wrapped are removed from you.
قَدْ تَبَهَّجَتْ بِزِينَتِهَا،
The world attracted you with its embellishment
وَخَدَعَتْ بِلَذَّتِهَا،
and deceived you with its pleasure.
دَعَتْكَ فَأَجَبْتَهَا،
It called you and you responded to it.
وَقَادَتْكَ فَاتَّبَعْتَهَا،
It led you and you followed it.
وَأَمَرَتْكَ فَأَطَعْتَهَا،
It commanded you and you obeyed it.
وَإِنَّهُ يُوشِكُ أَنْ يَقِفَكَ وَاقِفٌ عَلَى مَا لاَ يُنْجيِكَ مِنْهُ مِجَنٌّ،
Shortly an informer will inform you of things against which there will be no shield (to protect you).
فَاقْعَسْعَنْ هذَا الاْمْرِ،
Therefore, keep off from this affair,
وَخُذْ أُهْبَةَ الْحِسَابِ،
take heed of the accounting (on the Day of Judgement),
وَشَمِّرْ لِمَا قَدْ نَزَلَ بِكَ،
get ready for death that will soon overtake you
وَلاَ تُمَكِّنِ الْغُوَاةَ مِنْ سَمْعِكَ،
and do not give your ears to those who have gone astray.
وَإِلاَّ تَفْعَلْ أُعْلِمْكَ مَا أَغْفَلْتَ مِنْ نَفْسِكَ،
If you do not do so I shall recall to you whatever you have forgotten,
فَإِنكَ مُتْرَفٌ
because you are a man living in ease and luxury. (1)
قَدْ أَخَذَ الشَّيْطَانُ مِنْكَ مَأْخَذَهُ،
Satan has taken you in his clutches,
وَبَلَغَ فِيكَ أَمَلَهُ،
has secured his wishes in you
وَجَرَى مِنْكَ مَجْرَى الرُّوحِ وَالدَّمِ.
and has taken complete control of you like your soul and blood.
وَمَتَى كُنْتُمْ يَا مُعَاوِيَةُ سَاسَةَ الرَّعِيَّةِ،
O Mu'awiyah, when were you all protectors of the ruled
وَوُلاَةَ أَمْرِ الاْمَّةِ ؟
and guardians of the affairs of the people?
بِغَيْرِ قَدَم سَابِق،
Without any forward step
وَلاَ شَرَف بَاسِق،
or conspicuous distinction?
وَنَعُوذُ بِاللهِ مِنْ لُزومِ سَوَابِقِ الشَّقَاءِ،
We seek Allah's protection against the befalling of previous misfortunes,
وَأُحَذِّرُكَ أَنْ تَكُونَ مُتَمادِياً فِي غِرَّةِ الاْمْنِيَّةِ،
and I warn you lest you continue being deceived by desires
مُخْتَلِفَ الْعَلاَنِيَةِ والسَّرِيرَةِ.
and your appearance becomes different from your innerself.
وَقَدْ دَعَوْتَ إِلَى الْحَرْبِ،
You have called me to war.
فَدَعِ النَّاسَ جَانِباً
Better to leave the people on one side,
وَاخْرُجْ إِلَيَّ،
come out to me
وَأَعْفِ الْفَرِيقَينِ مِنَ الْقِتَالِ،
and spare both the parties from fighting
لِتَعْلَمَ أيُّنَا الْمَرِينُ عَلَى قَلْبِهِ،
so that it may be known who of us has a rusted heart,
وَالْمُغَطَّى عَلَى بَصَرِهِ!
and covered eyes.
فَأَنَا أَبُو حَسَن قَاتِلُ جَدِّكَ وَخَالِكَ وأَخِيكَ شَدْخاً يَوْمَ بَدْر،
I am Abu'l-Hasan who killed your granfather (2) your brother (3) and your uncle (4) by cutting them to pieces on the day of Badr.
ذلكَ السَّيْفُ مَعِي،
The same sword is with me
وَبِذلِكَ الْقَلْبِ أَلْقَى عَدُوِّي،
and I meet my adversary with the same heart.
مَا اسْتَبْدَلْتُ دِيناً،
I have not altered the religion
وَلاَ اسْتَحْدَثْتُ نَبِيّاً،
nor put up any new prophet.
وَإنِّي لَعَلَى الْمِنْهَاجِ الَّذِي تَرَكْتُمُوهُ طَائِعِينَ،
I am surely (treading) on that very highway which you had willingly foresaken (in the beginning)
وَدَخَلْتُمْ فِيهِ مُكْرَهِينَ.
and then adopted per force.
وَزَعَمْتَ أَنَّكَ جِئْتَ ثَائراً بِدَمِ عُثْمانَ،
You think you have come out seeking to revenge 'Uthman's blood.
وَلَقَدْ عَلِمْتَ حَيْثُ وَقَعَ دَمُ عُثْمانَ فَاطْلُبْهُ مِنْ هُنَاكَ
Certainly, you know how 'Uthman's blood was shed.
إِنْ كُنتَ طَالباً،
If you want to avenge it, avenge it there.
فَكَأَنِّي قدْ رَأَيْتُكَ تَضِجُّ مِنَ الْحَرْبِ إِذَا عَضَّتْكَ ضَجِيجَ آلْجِمَالِ بِالاْثْقَالِ،
It is as though I see that when war is cutting you with its teeth you cry like camels crying under a heavy load.
وَكَأَنِّي بِجَمَاعَتِكَ تَدْعُونِي جَزَعاً مِنَ الضَّرْبِ الْمُتَتَابِعِ،
And it is as though I see your party bewildered by the incessant striking of swords,
وَالْقَضَاءِ الْوَاقِعِ،
occurrence of death
وَمَصَارِعَ بَعْدَ مَصَارِعَ،
and falling of bodies after bodies,
إِلَى كِتَابِ اللهِ،
calling me towards the Qur'an (5)
وَهِيَ كَافِرةٌ جَاحِدَهٌ،
although they would themselves be either unbelievers, deniers of truth
أَوْ مُبَايِعَةٌ حَائِدَةٌ .
or breakers of allegiance after swearing it.
1. This is in reference to the verse: We sent no warner into any city except its man who lived at ease
said, "We disbelieve in the Message you have been sent with." (Qur'an, 34:34).
2. 'Utbah ibn Rabi'ah.
3. Hanzalah ibn Abi Sufyan.
4. al-Walid ibn 'Utbah.
5. This prophecy of Amir al-mu'minin is about the battle of Siffin. Herein he has depicted the whole picture in very few words. Thus, on one side Mu'awiyah was bewildered on account of the attacks of the Iraqis and was thinking to run away, and on the other, his army was crying under the constant onslaught of death, and, eventually, when there was no way of escape, they raised the Qur'an on spears and shouted for peace. By this device, the remaining persons saved their lives. "This prophecy" as lbn Abi'l-Hadid al-Mu'tazili says, "is either true prophetic keen eye of Amir al-mu'minin which is really a significant power,or it is an information through knowledge of the unknown ('ilmu'l -ghayb) which is too most significant and wonderful. However, both cases are in the state of extreme significance and wonderfulness." Ibn Abi'l-Hadid has further quoted the same prophecy from other letters of Amir al-mu'minin to Mu'awiyah. (Sharh Nahjul Balaghah al-balaghah, vol.15, pp.83-85) This prophecy cannot be attributed to imagination, guessing or the drawing of inference from events, nor can these details be ascertained by wit or far-reaching intelligence. Only he can disclose them whose source of information is either the Prophet's own revelation-bearing tongue or Divine inspiration.
