أَمَّا بَعْدُ، فَإِنَّ عَيْنِي ـ بِالْمَغْرِبِ ـ كَتَبَ إِلَيَّ
My spy in the West has written (1) to me
يُعْلِمُنِي أَنَّهُ وُجِّهَ إِلَى المَوْسِمِ أُنَاسٌ مِنْ أَهْلِ الشَّامِ،
telling me that some people of Syria have been sent for hajj
الْعُمْيِ الْقُلُوبِ،
who are blind of heart,
الصُمِّ الاْسْمَاعِ،
deaf of ears
الْكُمْهِ الاْبْصَارِ،
and devoid of eyesight.
الَّذِينَ يَلْتَمِسُونَ الْحَقَّ بِالبَاطِلِ،
They confound the truth with vanity,
وَيُطِيعُونَ الْـمَخْلُوقَ فِي مَعْصِيَةِ الْخَالِقِ،
obey men in disobeying Allah,
وَيَحْتَلِبُونَ الدُّنْيَا دَرَّهَا بِالدِّينِ،
claim the milk of the world in the name of religion,
وَيَشْتَرُونَ عَاجِلَهَا بِآجِلِ الاْبْرَارِ الْمُتَّقِينَ،
and trade in the pleasures of this world by forsaking the rewards of the virtuous and the God- fearing.
وَلَنْ يَفُوزَ بِالْخَيْرِ إِلاَّ عَامِلُهُ،
No one achieves good except he who acts for it,
وَلاَ يُجْزَى جَزَاءَ الشَّرِّ إِلاَّ فَاعِلُهُ.
and no one is awarded the recompense of evil except he who commits it.
فَأَقِمْ عَلَى مَا فِي يَدَيْكَ قِيَامَ الْحَازِمِ الصَّلِيبِ،
Therefore, behave yourself in your duties like an intelligent, experienced,
وَالنَّاصِحِ اللَّبِيبِ،
well-wishing and wise man
التَّابِعِ لِسُلْطَانِهِ،
who follows his superior
الْمُطِيعِ لاِمَامِهِ.
and is obedient to his Imam.
وَإِيَّاكَ وَمَا يُعْتَذَرُ مِنْهُ،
You should avoid what you may have to explain.
وَلاَ تَكُنْ عِنْدَ النَّعْمَاءِ بَطِراً، وَلاَ عِنْدَ الْبَأْسَاءِ فَشِلاً،
Do not be exultant and assume superiority in riches nor lose courage in distress;
وَالسَّلاَمُ.
and that is an end to the matter.
1. Mu'awiyah sent some men in the garb of pilgrims to Mecca in order to create sensation in the peaceful atmosphere of the place, by taking common men into their confidence, by a show of piety and God-fearing and then convincing them that 'Ali ibn Abi Talib has instigated the people against 'Uthman and in the end succeeded in getting him killed. In this way, they were to hold him responsible for the killing of 'Uthman and to turn the people against him, and also to incline the people towards him (Mu'a- wiyah) by mentioning the greatness of his character, the sublimity of his manners and stories of his generosity. But when the men whom Amir al-mu'- minin had put on the job gave him the information, he wrote this letter to Qutham ibn al-'Abbas to keep an eye on their movements and to put a stop to their mischief - mongerings.
