Nahjul Balagha and Inter-Religious Understanding 9788185199641, 8185199647

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AND INTER-RELIGIOUS UNDERSTANDING

With Foreword by:

H.E. ALI REZA SHEIKH ATTAR Ambassador of the Islamic Republic of Iran in India

Editors: PROF. SHAH MOHAMMAD WASEEM DR. S. ALI MOHAMMAD NAQAVI

Renaissance Publishing House Delhi-110 051

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ISBN 81-85199-64-7 Rs. 500/© Culture House of the Islamic Republic of Iran, New Delhi First Published in 1997 Publihsed by Renaissance Publishing House C-69, JitarNagar, Delhi-110051 (India). Printed at D.K. Fine Art Press Pvt. Ltd., Delhi, India Composed by : Akram Parvez Jacket Concept and Design by : Majid Ahmady All Rights Reserved. No portion of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted without prior permission of the publishers. The views expressed in the articles belong exclusively to their writers.

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CONTENTS Foreword H E. Ali Raza Sheikh Attar Introduction 1. 2.

Presidential Address Dr. B.N. Pande Inaugural Address H.E. H. Rafsanjani, Hon'ble President o f Iran

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1-12 13-16

3.

Message H.E. Dr. S.D. Sharma,Hon'ble President o f India 17-19

4.

Address Hojjatul Islam Syed Jamaluddin Deenparwar

20-23

Speech Prof AM . Khusro

24-25

Valedictory Address H.E. Boroujerdi

26-28

The Latest Edition of Nahjul Balagha Allama Azizullah Attarudi

29-31

Nahjul Balagha: An Analysis Hojjatul Islam Syed Zeeshan Hyder Jawadi

32-49

5. 6. 7. 8. 9.

The Relevance of Nahjul Balagha to Contemporary Life Dr. (Mrs.) Ismat LateefMehdi 50-55

10. The Concept of God in Nahjul Balagha Late Professor Majid Ali Khan

56-61

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11. Concept of Society in Nahjul Balagha Prof Syeda Jafar

62-71

12. The Ideal of Inter-Religious Understanding Swami Brahmasthananda

72-79

13. Nahjul Balagha and the Inter-Religious Understanding Dr. Joseph Al-Hashim 80-112 14. Nahjul Balagha and the Unity of Religions Dr. Sulaiman Kitani

113-120

15. Imam Ali on the Limits and Conditinos of True Religious Understanding Dr. James W. Morris 121-133 16. The Concept of Islamic Society in Nahjul Balagha Dr. Sadiq Naqvi 134-140 17. The Concept of Man in Nahjul Balagha Prof. Syed Anwar Kabir

141-148

18. A Manifesto for Human Affairs in Nahjul Balagha Dr. R.K. Mishra 149-159 19. Human Values in Nahjul Balagha Dr. S. Musi Raza

160-173

20. Human Values in Nahjul Balagha Ms. Amena Nakavi

174-177

21. Human Dignity and Human Rights in Islam With Special Reference to Nahjul Balagha Firdous A. Wani

178-199

22. Hazrat Ali (A.S.) and the Reconstruction of Society P rof S.J.R. Bilgrami 200-209 23. Socio-Economic Justice With Particular Reference to Nahjul Balagha Prof. S.M. Waseem 210-229

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24. Hazrat Ali's (A.S.) Principles of Administration Professor Zafar Ahmad Nizami 230-240 25. The Idea of an Imam-Ruler in Nahjul Balagha and its Influence on Al-Farabi's Political Philosophy Prof (Dr.) M S. Khan 241-243 26. Some Spiritual Dimensions of Nahjul Balagha Hamidullah Marazi 244-254 27. Terrestrial Realities in Nahjul Balagha Maulana Hasan Abbas Fitrat

255-264

28. Literary Merits of Nahjul Balagha and its Impact on Art and Culture Dr. S. Abdul Bari

265-280

29. Sources of Ali's Knowledge and Nahjul Balagha Maulana Raza Agha 281-288 Index

289-302

FOREWORD In the Name o f God, The Most Gracious, The Most Merciful In 1992, when I was coming to India to take up my new assign­ ment as the Ambassador of the Islamic Republic of Iran in New Delhi, a friend of mine, who had paid numerous visits to India and had made various studies on this land, told me that I was soon about to enter a land, which- although from time to time has seen religious conflicts, being the result of the ignorance of those groups which have allowed their minds to be dominated, exploited, and driven by their sentiments- is a land where one could find many knowledgeable men who are the followers of a host of different faiths and beliefs, and whose sense of justice, freedom and religious tolerance, is second to none in the world. My first day in India, unfortunately, coincided with the sad event of the demolition of the "Baberi Mosque". But a few days later, when I presented my credentials to H.E. Dr. Shankar Dayal Sharma, the Hon'ble President of India, I had the opportunity to listen to His Excellency's scholarly and learned speech on Islam and Hazrat Ali (PBUH). It was then that I truly realised the au­ thenticity and purport of my friend's remarks. After this occasion, during my numerous meetings with the people drawn from different walks of life and following different reli­ gions and faiths, my friend's claim was proven more and more. The presence of Hindu, Christian, Buddhist, Jain and Zoroas-

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trian sages in Muslim festivals and festivities, and the speeches delivered by these people on different occasions viz., Sirat-un Nabi (life and teachings of the holy Prophet), Youm-e-Ali (Ali Day), and on the holy Qur'an, Islam and Islamic leaders, are probably the best proofs of such a claim. Then, late in 1993 when I participated in a magnificent gathering, a Seminar on Nahjul Balagha, chaired by my dear learned friend, Professor A.M. Khusro, and convened at Hyderabad in collabo­ ration with the Consulate General of the Islamic Republic of Iran, Hyderabad, and with the active cooperation of brother-in-Islam Seyed Abbas Mosavi, President of Imam-e-Zamin Association, I had a pleasant and valuable opportunity to listen to some of the best interpretations of Nahjul Balagha delivered by the Hindu and Christian clerics and priests as well as Sunni and Shia scholars. It was during the same Seminar that the idea of convening an International Conference in New Delhi with the same title, but covering a wider perspective, sparked in my mind: A conference by means of which we could on the one hand show the nature of liberalism of Indian thinkers, and on the other prove the ample and high extent of the global acceptability of the thoughts of Imam Ali (PBUH) to those men and women who believe in the exalted human values. I shared this desire with my dear friends including: Mr. Sibte Razi, Dr. B.N. Pande, Dr. Mozafar Burai, Hakim Abdul Hamid, Late Dr. Majid Ali Khan and Mr. Ausaf Ali. Faced with their views and a welcoming reply, we then decided to embark upon doing the needful by constituting a Committee and holding a meeting to prepare forthe conference. This committee in addition to the above mentioned persons included the following: 1. Prof. A.R. Kidwai, Hon'ble Governor of Bihar. 2. Prof. A.M. Khusro, Chancellor, Aligarh Muslim

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University. 3. Justice Sardar Ali Khan, Chairman, Minorities Commis­ sion of India. 4. Qazi Mujahidul Islam Qasmi, Islamic Fiqh Academy (India). 5. Dr. Kalbe Sadiq, Depty Chairman, Muslim Personal Law Board. 6. Mr. K.M. Khan, Member of Parliament. 7. Mr. Syed Ammar Rizvi, Ex-minister of U.P. 8. Prof. Tahir Mahmood, Dean, Faculty of Law, University of Delhi. 9. Dr. Baseer Ahmad Khan, Head, Department of Islamic Studies, Jamia Hamdard. 10. Dr. S. Ali Mohammad Naqvi, Secretary, MadinatulUloom, Aligarh. 11. Mr. S. Abbas Moosavi, President, Imam Zamin (PBUH) Taleemi Waqf, Hyderabad. During the deliberations of the Committee the arrangements as regard the announcement of the Conference, call for and the mode of selecting the papers, and also the invitation to both the Indian and foreign scholars, were made. The prevailing idea during the sittings of the Committee was that the message of human qualities as put forward by Hazrat Ali (PBUH) should not be exhibited only by Shias. Further, the allencompassing ideas of such qualities and values should be dis­ cussed and exhibited not only by Muslims alone, Shias and Sunnis, but also by the scholars of different religions and faiths. Inspired by this idea, the Committee decided to select and invite the scholars from among the followers of different religions anci

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faiths. The presence of H.E. Hashemi Rafsanjani, Hon'ble President of the Islamic Republic of Iran, in India at the invitation of his coun­ terpart H.E. Dr. Sharma, in April, 1995, was an auspicious occa­ sion to inaugurate the Congress on Nahjul Balagha. This was so because his presence not only as Head of the State but also as a well-versed scholar of Nahjul Balagha, who has devoted years in studying this book, gave a special value and glamour to this Con­ gress. The International Congress on Nahjul Balagha was inaugurated on 17th April, 1995, at the Andhra Pradesh Bhawan, New Delhi, by H.E. Mr. Rafsanjani. Delivering his inaugural address, he spoke on the "Message o f Nahjul Balagha and its Effect on the Social Life o f Man". After the reading of the Message of the Hon'ble President of In­ dia, which contained glorification and laudation of the human and educational values given in Nahjul Balagha, and the personality of Hazrat Ali (PBUH), Dr. B.N. Pande, the eminent historian, Ghandi's friend, and an outstanding freedom fighter, spoke on the theme. During the three days and five Sessions of the Congress a good number of papers were presented and valuable discussions were made on this great book. As seen in the topics of the selected papers, the accentuation of the Conference has been on Nahjul Balagha as a book which fo­ cuses on the social and political life of man culminating in the exaltation and development of free people, who while opposing injustices and oppressions, believe in the free exchange of ideas and thoughts in an amiable, healthy and congenial environment. Ali's (PBUH) message in Nahjul Balagha is directed both to the rulers and the ordinary people. It is a treasure book which has

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also delineated the duties of scholars and teachers. It has drawn up things which are expected from the businessmen, soldiers, clerks, parents, children, and men and women in general, briefly all the components of an ideal society. And, all this is done in an effective and practical language. In other words, Hazrat Ali (PBUH) has not resorted to mere sloganeering which is either beyond the practical capacity of ordinary and average people, or is something incomprehensible. On the contrary, the chaste, noble and eloquent language of Nahjul Balagha inspired by the holy Qur’an and the Sunnah (Tradition) of the Prophet of Islam (PBUH), has put forth a practical commandment and formula for the en­ richment of man's individual and social life, as well as of an ideal society. Nahjul Balagha gives proper attention to both the individual and social dimensions of man. And, therefore, the book speaks of and encompasses a wide variety of topics and issues, some of which are : (i) the spiritual development and mental elevation of man, (ii) the social relations, (iii) the act of governance, (iv) the rela­ tion between the followers of different religions, and (v) critique of contemporary society and issues, and many many more topics, regarding the Creator, the holy Messengers, the last Infallible holy Prophet, his progeny, His creations, man, animals and birds, etc. Nahjul Balagha (The Peak of Eloquence) is a collection of Ora­ tions, Sermons, Letters, Sayings and Prayers of the Commander of the Faithfuls, Imam Ali (PBUH). This collection is indisput­ ably the most prime, the most precious and the most priceless, in fact, unparralled. It is below the word of God, and above the word of man. What is now available to us as Nahjul Balagha, is only a part of the discourses and writings of Hazrat Ali (PBUH) during the four years and seven months of his Caliphate, which was compiled by Sayed Shareef al-Razi in 400 A.H. The long lapse of time, i.e., about 1400 years, from the time of the dis­

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courses of Ali (PBUH) and almost 1000 years from the date of the compilation by Sayed al-Razi, has not made the collection outdated. On the contrary with the passage of time and the emer­ gence of new sciences and novel ideas and thoughts, the value of this book in social, political, ethical, educational and many many other domains, has come to increase more than before. It is occasionally thought that the sole driving force and modera­ tion behind Syed Shareef al-Razi's compilation of this precious collection was only the elegance and the eloquence of the lan­ guage used by Hazrat Ali (PBUH). History, of course, acknowl­ edges the fact that the charming eloquence and versality of the utterances of Hazrat Ali (PBUH) during his caliphate, motivated some to memorise and write his (PBUH) utterances and discourses. However, Sayed Shareef al-Razi's preface on Nahjul Balagha wherein he has laid special stress both on the deep and profound meanings of Hazrat Ali's (PBUH) orations and writings, and the eloquence of his discourses, belies such ideas regarding the moti­ vations of the compiler of Nahjul Balagha. Moreover, "Nahj" means the clear and bright path and "Balagha” means putting precepts and sublime ideas into the most compact and most elegant sentences. Therefore, Nahjul Balagha contains a number of thought provoking and sublime ideas in the mould of the most beautiful and the sweetest sentences. And, it is in this light that after the holy Qur'an and the sayings and preaching of the holy Prophet of Islam (PBUH), Nahjul Balagha is considered as a miracle of one of those, educated at the Alma Mater of Islam. Therefore, Nahjul Balagha is important not only because of its eloquent language and it literary dimensions, but also because of the profound semantic load of its precious contents. In older times the literary style of Nahjul Balagha was of great interest to scholars, but now the attention is more drawn to the

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deep meanings of this great book. Some commentators of Nahjul Balagha refer to it as "Akh-ulQur’an" (The brother of the holy Qur'an).1And some others have stated that save the holy Qur'an, which is the creation of non­ human, Nahjul Balagha occupies the first place among human made literature, which contains the deepest and the most beauti­ ful ideas. Looked from another angle, Nahjul Balagha has come out of the heart of the school of Qur'an and is the manifestation of its holy Verses. Those who are knowledgeable and know about the method and style of Nahjul Balagha, believe that all sentences of this noble book are, in fact, an interpretation of the holy Qur’an and mani­ festation of the pure school of Islamic thought. And, he has not said anything which does not drive inspiration from the holy Qur'an, or is not based upon its teachings. Nothing else was ex­ pected from Hazrat Ali (PBUH) who was the first disciple of the holy Qur'an and the faithful companion of the holy Prophet (PBUH), who was very dear to him. And, probably this statement of the holy Prophet (PBUH) that "Ali is with Qur'an and Qur'an is with Ali; they will not separate from each other till they reach me at the fountain of Kauthar", is an indication towards the same fact. The thoughts and worldview of Ali (PBUH), and his practical attitude, become quite clear from the text and sentences of Nahjul Balagha. In fact, this book which sheds enough light upo^i Imam Ali's (PBUH) great personality, is a mirror-image of a perfect divine man. He says, "a man is hidden below his tongue and is recognised by his talk."2 It is for these reasons that times have failed to produce another man like him; though the reflection of his personality can be found in Nahjul Balagha, which should be followed. Ali (PBUH) can be found in this book of love, wisdom, eloquence, political thoughts, guidance, logic, devotion and hu­

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manity. It is* said that except the divinity of the holy Qur'an all other qualities of that book are found in Nahjul Balagha. It will not be an exaggeration if Nahjul Balagha is considered a book of guidance after the holy Qur'an. Its admonition and exhortation serve as the moral teacher of man. Its orders and instructions are manifestation of the sovereighty of Islamic justice, and also a source of guidance for human societies for all ages. These like the holy Qur'an, have not become obsolete. Instead, they brighten increasingly with the passage of time. Found in this book are the most delicate expressions and most fiery discourses. The effect and influence of Hazrat Ali's (PBUH) words on human soul is so deep that men are unable to explain these. The most famous commentator of Nahjul Balagha, Ibne-AbilHadeed, who himself was a great Sunni scholar following Motazelite line of thought, pointed out about the value of the peer­ less sayings of Ali (PBUH) by emphasising that none from the hundreds of the companions and followers of the holy Prophet (PBUH) commanded the power of expression with an eloquence and clarity like that of Hazrat Ali (PBUH).3Now, more than ten thousand sayings of Ali (A.S.) have been compiled in the book titled "Ghorar-Ul-Hekam Wa Durar-Ul-KelamnA by the divine scholar Abi A1 Fatah Naseruddeen Abdul Wahid Aamadi. These sayings are matchless from the point of the diversity of deep hu­ man and social thoughts. Fortunately, due to the efforts of schol­ ars, many of the statements, letter and discourses, have been se­ lected from their original sources and many of his sayings which are not found in Nahjul Balagha, or have been recorded in that book in an incomplete form, have been compiled in the book en­ titled "Masadir-e-Nahjul BalaghaM. In this regard mention should be made of a book "Istinad-e-Nahjul Balagha" written by a great scholar of Indisi, late Mr. Imtiaz

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Ali Khan Arshi. The book has been translated into Arabic by Ustad Aamir Ansari (an Indian). This precious work was first published in the magazine "Seqafatul-Hind", Vol.8, No.4 Decem­ ber, 1958, at Delhi, and was profusely praised by the scholars of all Islamic countries. The same priceless book was translated into Persian by Dr. Seyed Mortaza Ayatollah Zadeh Shirazi, and was for the first time published together with its commentaries and margin notes in the year 1363 Solar Hijra (1964 A.D.) by the Amir Kabir Publications of Iran. Till now a large number of translations and commentaries of Nahjul Balagha have been published in many languages. Some people claim that the number of such books has reached 350? The com­ mentary of Ibne-Abil-Hadeed is the novel one. Though written in 2 volumes, it reflects only a few aspects of the realities of this noble book, and a lot of wisdom and secrets like the treasures in the earth or pearls in the oyster, have escaped the attention. Even now there are a number of Muslims who do not know any­ thing about Nahjul Balagha except its name. It is due to the fact that till now this book could not attain its proper place and value among the human societies, especially die Islamic world. Regret­ tably the lack of knowledge of its thought and values, which have been explained in this book, is clearly felt in the Muslim societies especially the political thinkers and the administrators in them. Truly, while describing the likenesses between the holy Qur'an and Nahjul Balagha, one more likeness should be added: It, too like the holy Qur'an, has been abandoned; and, that except among a few wise and knowledgeable thinkers, its value and status has remained without being understood, and that its teachings are not followed. As holy Qur'an says: "Then the Messenger will say: O' my Lord! Truly my people treated this Qur'an with neglect." It is hoped that with the publication of this volume containing the addresses and speeches delivered, and die papers presented, and

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convening of many more more conferences and seminars like this International Nahjul Balagha Congress in future, more produc­ tive efforts will be made for the popularisation of this invaluable book. This in itself would be a great service for the progress and development of our human society. Ali Reza Sheikh Attar, Ambassador of the Islamic Republic of Iran in India

REFERENCES 1 The Relation of Nahjul Balagha with Qur'an, p.27. 2. The meaning is that a man's worth can be known by his speech, because the speech of every person is indicative of his mind and manners, and by virtue of it his feelings and temperament can be very easily assessed. In other words, a man is hidden under his tongue; unless he speaks none can know his worth and value. 3. Muqaddama Sharah (Preface to the Commentary of) Ibne AbilHadeed, vol.I, p.34. 4. Selections of knowledge and pearls of sayings. 5. Nahjul Balagha wa Gerd Aawarand-e-Aan, Article on Syed alRazi compiler of Nahjul Balagha, written by Ali Dawani, p. 127.

INTRODUCTION Consider the present day world scenario and you would find that the sobbing humanity, due to its strangulation at the hand of a continuing lack and denial of opportunities to the weak and the down-trodden, maldistribution of wealth and income opportuni­ ties, undue domination by the arrogant and the exploiter, and the suppression of the voice of reason, aiming at justice and truth, is desparately longing for a just world order. If one ponders over the solution, he will rightly express that the world utterly needs shunning the evils of exploitation, exploit­ ative domination, hatred, and feelings of ill-will. To help develop a cohesive and humane world and a code of conduct for 'mutual living* inter-religious understanding on a sustained basis, is es­ sentially required. It was, therefore, quite appropriate that H.E. Sheikh Attar, the Hon’ble Ambassador of the Islamic Re­ public of Iran in India thought of holding an International Con­ gress on "Nahjul Balagha and Inter-Religious Understanding', to deliberate, understand and propagate the good message of Nahjul Balagha to help bring humanity in unison by developing a com­ pact understanding to help solve the problems, besetting recon­ struction and all-around progress of society. The Congress which was held at New Delhi in India from 17-19 April, 1995, facilitated assembling of experts, statesmen and knowledgeable persons for a common cause. This International Congress was inaugurated by H.E. Hojjatul-

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Islam Hashemi Rafsanjani, President of the Islamic Republic of Iran, who in his inaugural address, while speaking on the mes­ sage of Nahjul Balagha and its effects on the social life of man, stressed at the teachings of Nahjul Balagha and their propaga­ tion, saying: "I earnestly hope and pray that this Congress of yours would lead to the fulfilment of our wishes in a country that has well performed, and follows the philosophy of peaceful coexist­ ence with peoples and countries." The International Congress on Nahjul Balagha received an in­ spiring message from H.E. Dr. Shankar Dayal Sharma, Hon’ble President of India, saying among other things that “Hazrat Ali’s (PBUH) preachings are venerated for their moral and ethical val­ ues. They are literary expressions. Their message is universal: Follow the righteous path, promoting good and resisting vice. Imam Ali (PBUH) makes us realise that the world is transient, that we are accountable for our actions. Though articulated in a specific historical context, these messages have a relevance unrestricted by time or space.” Dr. B.N. Pande, an eminent historian, Gandhi’s friend, freedom fighter and an Ex-Governor, in his Welcome Address on behalf of the Reception Committee, thanked H E. Hashemi Rafsanjani, for inaugurating the Congress. He while highlighting the various fac­ ets of the personality and life of Hazrat Ali (PBUH), by quoting Gibbons, Masudi and Justice Amir Ali and elaborating different qualities of Hazrat Ali (PBUH), his honoured family and prog­ eny, said that Hazrat Ali (PBUH) was friend and companion to the holy Prophet (PBUH), his knowledge of the Sunnah and the holy Qur’an, his faith in and practice of doing justice, his vision, valour, his knowledge and his governance, drew sustenance from Allah. The Valedictory Address was given by H.E. Boroujerdi, the Deputy Foreign Minister of the Islamic Republic of Iran, who, while re­

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ferring to the already existing warm and friendly relations be­ tween India and the Islamic Republic of Iran, and praying for a just world order, progress and peace, said: "When we find that most of the persons writing about him [Hazrat Ali (PBUH)] are related to non-Muslim societies, it provides further evidence that Hazrat Ali (PBUH) considered all human beings equal. His advices were not related to any particular society or community." Prominent persons including Hojjatul Islam Syed Jamaluddin Deenparver, Chairman, Nahjul Balagha Foundation, Tehran, Is­ lamic Republic of Iran, Prof. A.M. Khusro, and Allama Azizullah Atarodi from the Islamic Republic of Iran, spoke at different ses­ sions of the Congress. Hojattul Islam Deenparvar stressed: “The only issue before the contemporary man is to free himself from the shackles of blood sucking power monagers in the world. To­ day, more than eighty per cent of the world income is taken away by only twenty per cent of the so-called modernised and educated ones in the world. To him: “The life and teachings of Imam Ali are the bacon light in this world suffering with favouritism, un­ due concessions and pervading injustices adversely affecting the social, economic and cultural life of man, and his well-being.” He, therefore, wanted that “we should give serious thought to the values contained in the orations, letters, and short sayings, given in Nahjul Balagha, for sustaining a peaceful, tranquil and just world where all can live as honourable members of the family of man...” Professor Khusro, eminent Indian economist and former ViceChancellor, and Chancellor, Aligaifa Muslim University, Aligarh, India, opined: “If Hazrat Ali’s teachings and ideas which we are hearing today, could be well propagated 50 to 60 years ago, it must have given its deep impact on Indian society... Nahjul Bal­ agha lays emphasis on value system and humanity. I hope we will study it further and propagate it further”.

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Needless to remind that the longing and the cry of the contempo­ rary man for human values, equality and tolerance, and above all truth and justice, go to prove that man is in search of a healthy world order based upon values and principles, But, where are these values and principles? We are proud of the scientific and technological achievements of man, but we are sorry for his plights amidst plentiful ease. The misunderstandings, exploitation, de­ ceit, tyranny, suppression and exploitation of the weak by the stronger, and domination of the poor and the destitute by the rich and the wealthy; and the claims and counterclaims regarding the practicability of the solutions of the contemporary world prob­ lems, all invite us to establish hormonial relations, brotherhood, peace and above all the rule of justice, to the advantage of differ­ ent peoples practising different faiths and having different be­ liefs. Hence, Inter-Religion Understanding is sine qua non for the happiness of man. This brings us to the question of a model role. Needless to say that values and principles are abstract phenom­ ena. Hence, we need to emulate and follow the life and preachings of those who practised what they preached. One such great hu­ man being who lived in the 6th century A.D., was Ali ibn Abi Talib (PBUH), who was just and pious in the divinely ordained way, the one who declared: “By Allah, I would rather like to pass night in wakefulness on the thorns of (a bush called) So’ada’an or to be driven in chains as a prisoner rather than meet Allah and His Prophet (PBUH) on the Day of Judgement as an oppressor over any person or a usurper of anything out of the worldly wealth. And, how can I oppress any one for (the sake of a life) that is fast moving towards extinction and is to remain under the earth for a long time. (Sermon No.221). To his Governor- designate to Egypt, Malik al-Ashtar an-Nakha’i, he instructed: “Do justice to Allah and do justice to the people as against yourself, your near ones and those of your subjects for

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whom you have a linking, because if you do not do so you would be oppressing...”, and that “Keep Allah in view in respect of the lowest class consisting of those who have little means, the poor and the destitute, the penniless and the disabled... Take care of the affairs of those of them who do not approach you being *of unsightly appearance or those whom people regard low.” To Aswad bin Qateeba, the Governor of Hulwan he wrote: “If the actions of a governor follow passions he would be greatly hampered injus­ tice”. Further, the same Imam declared: ”... I want to eat the kind of food which the poorest of the realm can afford at least once a day. I shall improve it after I have improved their standard of living. I want to live, feel and suffer like them.” Ponder over his words of wisdom: “... the mainstay of religion and world are four class of persons - the scholar who acts on his knowledge, the ignorant who does not feel ashamed of learning , the generous who is not niggardly in his favours and the destitute who does hot sell his next life with his worldly benefits. Conse­ quently, when the scholar would waste his knowledge, the igno­ rant would feel shame in learning; and when the generous would be niggardly with his favours, the destitute would sell his next life with the worldly benefits." (Short Saying No.372) The Leader of the Faithfuls and the Pious ones, Hazrat Ali (PBUH) was a tough warrior, yet he was a soft-hearted man and a kind guardian of the state. A man of profound vision, he believed in the dignity of labour. He was a writer, a jurist and a judge, and at the same time a peasant and a worker in the field. To understand Hazrat Ali (PBUH), his world-vision and his love and concern for humanity, reference may be made to his sermons, orations, letters and short sayings, compiled in a book called Nahjul Balagha (Peak of Eloquence) by Abul Hasan Syed Mohammad Sharif al-Razi son of Abu Ahmed Syed Hasan, and younger brother of Syed al-Murtuza, a great theologian and poet. Sharif al-Razi was

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bom in Baghdad (Iraq), then vying with Cairo and Cardova for supremacy in arts, science, literature, philosophy and languages. The sermons, orations, letters and sayings of Imam Ali, have been and are highly valued and venerated in the world of scholars, re­ searchers, statesmen and social workers, etc. According to the famous book of biographers, Rejal al-Kabir.; Zaid ibn Wahab alJehny (90 A.H.) was the first person to collect these in a book form. Thus, during the first century of Hijrah and after thirty years of Hazrat Ali’s assassination by Ibn Muljim, his sermons, letters and sayings etc., were collected, quoted and preserved. Refer to the book and you would find a treasure, scattered through­ out its pages, divine views and practical solutions for the terres­ trial problems, and the pure and dedicated ways to achieve a suc­ cessful Hereafter. The International Congress on "Nahjul Balagha and Inter-Reli­ gious Understanding" has been a very valuable effort, the first o f its kind in India, to rediscover the truth in a land which is reli­ gious and God fearing i.e., the glorious India. It was a step in the right direction to identify the problems and solve them in the light of the sermons, advices, and instructions given by Hazrat Ali (PBUH) for mankind irrespective of faith, caste, colour, and creed. The Aims and Objectives of the Congress were: A) To promote Inter-Religious Understanding: There is an ur­ gent need to promote inter-religious understanding. Imam Ali was one of those religious figures who is equally revered by different religious traditions. While he is the first Imam o f Shias and fourth Caliph of Ahl-e-Sunnat, Sufis consider him the founder of their tradition. Christians like Carlyle, George Jurdac and Juiji Zaidan, have produced pioneering work on Imam Ali. Swami Vivekananda, Mahatma Gandhi and Jawaharlal Nehru, have paid great homage to him. The first com­

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mentators of Nahjul Balagha were great Sunni scholars like Ibn Abil-Hadid and Mohammad Abdouh. It seems befitting that a major goal of the Congress on Imam Ali and Nahjul Balagha should be the promotion of inter-religious understand­ ing. B) To bring together on one platform eminent leaders and schol­ ars of different religions for initiating a joint effort to seek knowledge, brotherhood, peace and justice for humanity. C) To popularise thpihoughts of Imam Ali for better understand­ ing and awareness of the universal message of truth and broth­ erhood. In the technical sessions a number of eminent scholars of differ­ ent faiths and from different parts of the world presented their papers and participated in the workshops. The Congress was held for three days. There were two Plenary Sessions each day in which selected papers were presented by the outstanding scholars. Three simultaneous workshops were also held on the following topics: 1) Nahjul Balagha and promotion of inter-religious understand­ ing. 2) The human values and human rights in Nahjul Balagha. 3) The ways and means of popularising Nahjul Balagha, and its message. Each woikshop was attended by about 30 eminent persons. De­ liberations resulted in outlining practical suggestions, which were presented at the Valedictory Session. PROPOSED TOPICS The papers as invited by the oiganisers, touched the following topics in the light of Nahjul Balagha: 1. The relevance and ideal of Inter-Religious Understanding in

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the contemporary world. 2. Importance of Unity of mankind. 3. Imam Ali’s influence on world history. 4. Importance of Nahjul Balagha in the religious literature of the world. 5. Imam Ali’s concept of God & Religion. 6. The concept of man. 7. Influence of Nahjul Balagha on Ait, Culture and Literature. 8. Contribution of Indian scholars to the study of Nahjul Balagha. 9. Imam Ali - the fountainhead of Islamic mysticism. 10. The concept of human values and human rights. 11. The ultimate goal of human life according to Nahjul Balagha. 12. Nahjul Balagha’s concept of ideal character of man. 13. The importance of the sayings of Imam Ali for different fields of human life. 14. The philosophy of history. 15. Ethical viewpoint contained in Nahjul Balagha. 16. The ideal of Tolerance. 17. The ideal of Social justice. 18. Abolition of racial discrimination, class suppression and op­ pression. 19. Concept of ideal political system. 20. Economic thoughts of Nahjul Balagha. 21. Dignity of Labour. 22. Democracy and government. 23. The importance of education and knowledge. 24. The intellectual and scientific heritage of Nahjul Balagha.

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25. Literacy merits of Nahjul Balagha. We are glad to present a collection of the selected papers pre­ sented at the Congress. The Papers have been arranged keeping the following in view: A) Those concerning the ideal of inter-religious understanding. B) Those highlighting the importance of Nahjul Balagha and its stylistic and thematic characteristics. C) Those analysing Imam Ali’s thoughts regarding matters of belief, metaphysics, and ethico-moral issues. D) Those elaborating Imam Ali’s point of view regarding social, political and economic issues. Swami Brahmasthananda from Rama Krishna Math, Hyderabad, India, emphasised that truth is one, which the sages call by differ­ ent names. He highlighted similarities between the metaphysical points of view of Nahjul Balagha and the Upanishads. Professor Sulaiman Kattani, the eminent scholar from Lebanon, in his Paper traced foundations of inter-religious understanding in the light of Nahjul Balagha. He concluded that belief in God, in the spiritual dimension of man, and in man’s divine mission, is the quintessence of all religions. He analysed Imam Ali’s (PBUH) thought in the light of Divinity and the unique dignity of man. Thus, the above mentioned scholars attempted to find out the foun­ dations of inter-religious understanding in the light of Nahjul Bal­ agha. From the Congress it emerged that a “Declaration on Peace and Amity for Mutual Living”, may be formulated particularly emphasising at Inter-Religious Understanding. The following points may form the basis for such a Declaration: a) Belief in God and His Instructions for purposeful living. b) Belief in the dignity of man and his rights and duties.

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c) No system can work without faith. d) There is a life beyond this perceptible world. e) Death does not pronounce an end to man's life. f) Perfection can not be achieved without spiritual development. g) Illuminated prophets, rishis, and spiritual leaders appeared to guide humanity. We should respect all of them. Insult to any one of them should be considered a crime against humanity. h) Sacred texts of all religions must be respected. i) We should endeavour to realise the goal of socio-economic justice. Allama Azizullah Atarudi, a well known cleric from Iran who has done pioneering research on the original manuscripts of Nahjul Balagha, traced the history of the compilation of Nahjul Balagha and discussed the availability of its original manuscripts, and also the dates of its first publications. Allama Syed Zishan Haider Jawadi analysed Nahjul Balagha in its thematic value. He also proved the authenticity of the book by referring to the compilers and the dates of their compilations along with the titles of their books. He also referred to the subject mat­ ter, discussed in Nahjul Balagha. Allama Syed Hasan Abbas Fitrat analysed the salient features of Nahjul Balagha and emphasised at its terrestrial realities. He said that Books like Nahjul Balagha are meant for the common man and to guide man and not merely to educate or philosophise. Dr. Syed Abdul Bari in his paper analysed Imam Ali’s (PBUH) sermons, given in Nahjul Balagha with reference to Models of Eloquence to prove that it leads us to quiescent eloquence and development of divine literature. Allama Raza Agha oifHyderabad referred to Imam Ali’s (PBUH)

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works and concluded that he was the pioneering spirit behind the great intellectual movement of Islam. Dr. Mrs. Ismat Lateef Mehdi of Hyderabad presented a Paper on the relevance of Nahjul Balagha to contemporary life, she espe­ cially referred to Imam Ali’s (PBUH) emphasis on the human rights. Late Professor Majid Ali Khan of Delhi discussed Imam Ali’s (PBUH) concept of God and referred to the relevant passages of Nahjul Balagha to highlight the same as also his concept of a just socio-economic order. Professor J.W. Morris of Oberiin College, the well-known Ameri­ can Orientalist, traced Imam Ali’s (PBUH) concept regarding knowledge, its sources and those well-versed in knowledge. He emphasised that Surrender (Taslim), Realisation (Tahqiq) and Guidance (Ta’lim or Irshad) are the three stages leading to the attainment of man. Professor S. Anwar Kabir dealing with the concept of man in Nahjul Balagha concluded: Man has a divine mission; fear and love of God are the pillars of virtues and character building. An individual is to be reformed first, for building a healthy society with divine instructions. Dr. Ferdous A. Wani while comparing the concept and implemen­ tation of Human Rights in the West and in Islam, opined that Islam assigns dignity and freedom to man in a positive manner. He highlighted relevant provisions in Nahjul Balagha relating to freedom and human rights. Dr. S. Musi Raza, dwelt upon human values enshrined in Nahjul Balagha. Discussing the virtues of Imam Ali (PBUH), he elabo­ rated the very approach when the sermons given in Nahjul Bal­ agha are found addressing the creatures of Allah, thus pointing out the universality of Islam and its approach to the happiness of

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man, irrespective of any difference. He also discussed the high values reflected in the teachings given in Nahjul Balagha. Dr. Joseph al-Hashim discussed the faith of the Jews, Christians and Muslims to sort out the common points for Inter-Religious Understanding. He emphasised that the teachings of Nahjul Bal­ agha can bring Inter-Religious Understanding. The social dis­ courses, the economic realities and religious tolerance as explained in Nahjul Balagha, can be of immense help to the world, suffering with a number of problems. Ms. AmenaNaqvi while talking of human rights and human val­ ues, stated that Nahjul Balagha contains provisions and a perfect code of conduct for dealing with non-Muslim in a most judicious way. Dr. Sadiq Naqvi highlighted the concept of Islamic society to say that Nahjul Balagha while charging rulers to establish a rule of justice on a sustained basis, talks of the rights of common man. Mr. R.K. Misra mainly discussed the Instructions given by Hazrat Ali (PBUH) to Malik al-Ashtar, the Governor-designate to Egypt touching a number of points which must be given due consider­ ation by rulers to establish a rule of justice. He also discussed the qualifications and appointment of various officers of the state in­ cluding the executives, army commander and the judges to ensure perpetuation of a just socio-economic order with faith of the ruled in policies and actions. Prof. M.S. Khan, while discussing the Imam-Caliph as Ruler who enforces the divine law to establish a divine and just rule, high­ lighted the instruction given by Imam Ali to his governors to rule with justice in accordance with the Book of Allah and the Sunnah. He said that probably al-Farabi drew his concept of an Infallible Rais al-Awwal. He said that if Rais al-Awwal is not accepted by the masses he is not at fault: “Al-Farabi probably had in mind the

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fact that the authority of Hazrat Ali (PBUH) was unduly chal­ lenged." Dr. Hamidullah Marazi discussed worship (Ibadat), Piety (Taq’va), Abstinence (Zuh’d) and Remembrance (Zikr) etc., as given in the holy Qur’an and Nahjul Balagha, to emphasise that the life of Imam Ali (PBUH) offers the conduct of an ideal and just ruler who can be followed by lovers of justice and piety lead­ ing to welfare of man. Prof. S.J.R. Bilgrami while citing the various clauses of the In­ struction given to Malik al-Ashtar, described Hazrat Ali (PBUH), the author of Nahjul Balagha as a “Visionary-Realist”, who imple­ mented Shariat with human consideration. He stressed that these instructions are still valid for guiding mankind. This will draw people together to understand each other and live in peace and amity. Professor Zafar Ahmad Nizami quoting from Nahjul Balagha, highlighted the behaviour of benevolent rulers who have to serve the people without falling victim to their vanity. Hazrat Ali’s (PBUH) instructions as given in Nahjul Balagha can help estab­ lish a just order for the sustenance of humanity. Therefore, the world can achieve salvation by following Hazrat Ali (PBUH) and his teachings. Professor S.M. Waseem said that one word to describe the entire malaise of the contemporary world is “injustice”, which is con­ demned by the holy Qur’an and Nahjul Balagha. Quoting from the holy Book and Nahjul Balagha he said that the total welfare of mankind is stressed in these irrespective of caste, creed and colour, offering solutions of the contemporary world problems. Teachings of Nahjul Balagha deserve consideration and propaga­ tion for the benefit of man. Thus, it may be discerned that the teachings of Nahjul Balagha

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invite all of us to live as His creatures, and as responsible human beings to establish a just world order wherein the rights of the weak are safeguarded by the stronger themselves; where rule of divine justice prevails, making it possible for everyone to hold his head high but with profound reverence to the Creator, and com­ passion towards His creatures. We are thanful to H.E. Ali Reza Sheikh Attar, Ambassador of the Islamic Republic of Iran in India, not only for inviting us to edit the volume, but also for initiating the efforts to hold an Interna­ tional Congress on Nahjul Balagha and Inter-Religions Under­ standing, in India, and for successfully organising it, Hojjatul Is­ lam Syed Mohsen Miri, for his kind cooperation in the comple­ tion of the work, Dr. Mohsen Shojakhani and Mr. Mohammed Zamani, Ex-Public Relations Officer, Embassy of the Islamic Republic of Iran, New Delhi, for their keen interest in following the progress of the work and also for their active cooperation in the preparation of the book. We are also thankful to the delegates and the contributors.

Aligarh, India November 8, 1996

Prof. Shah Mohammad Waseem Dr. S. Ali Mohammad Naqavi Editors

PRESIDENTIAL ADDRESS

— Dr. B.N. Pand Member o f Parliament and Chairman, Reception Committee His Excellency, Hojjatul Islam Hashemi Rafsanjani, the Hon'ble President of the Islamic Republic of Iran, H.E. Ali Reza Sheikh Attar, the Ambassador of Islamic Republic of Iran in India, Mr. Miri, the Cultural Counsellor and learned Delegates. On behalf of the organizing Committee of the International Con­ gress on Nahjul Balagha, I thank you for making it convenient to attend the Congress. I am particularly thankful to H.E. Hashemi Rafsanjani for agreeing to inaugurate this International Congress on Nahjul Balagha. What can be said about the author of Nahjul Balagha? Gibbon in "The History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire (Vol. V)" says that"... the zeal and virtues of Hazrat Ali (PBUH) were never out-stripped by any one. He united the qualifications of a poet, a soldier and a saint. His wisdom still breaths in a collection of moral and religious saying; and every antagonist in the com­ bats of tongue or of sword was subdued by his eloquence and valour. From the first hour of mission to the last rites of his fu­ neral, the Prophet was never forsaken by this generous friend, whom he delighted to name his brother and his vicegenerent.” Masoodi, the famous Arab historian said (that) "if a true knowl­ edge of the spirit of his (Prophet) teachings and of the Book, if

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self-abnegation and practice of justice, if honesty, purity and love of truth and if knowledge of law and science constitute a claim to pre-eminence, then all must regard Hazrat Ali (PBUH) as the fore­ most Muslim." "Therefore, naturally his religious tendencies from his childhood were those of the holy Prophet (PBUH). ...(His) uncompromis­ ingly noble attitude cost him his state and his life; but such was Ali (PBUH), he never valued anything above justice and truth". Hazrat Ali (PBUH) was married to Hazrat Fatima, the only daugh­ ter of the holy Prophet (PBUH) from Hazrat Khadija. It was a very happy marriage. The transcendental distinctiveness of their respective characters blended so well with each other that they never quarrelled and complained of one another. All that they owned went to the poor, cripples and orphans, and they them­ selves often starved. Their only luxury in life was prayers, and the company of each other and their children; and they willingly shared the sorrows and sufferings of the poor. They were given a helper servant girl Fizza, but the holy Prophet (PBUH) had made arrangement that every alternate day was the off day of Fizza and her mistress would do all the household work. Even when Hazrat Fatima was ill on Fizza's off day, Fizza would not be allowed to attend to the duties. Instead, Hazrat Ali (PBUH) would work. The Lady of Light (Fatima) had four children. The names of these children were Hassan, Hussain, Zainab (wife of Abdullah ibn Jaffer) and Um Kulsum. A few cases are cited below which go to show what type of man was 'Ali ibn Abu Talib (PBUH). He (PBUH) was, as Pool says: "Truly a noble man, a man of righteousness, and a man of brave, humble and forgiving spirit", and a Oelsner says: "Pure, gentle and learned without fear and without reproach, setting the noblest example of character to the world."

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ALI'S (PBUH) BEHAVIOUR WITH HIS FOES: Talha ibn Abi Talha was not only a bitter enemy of Islam, but was personal enemy of the holy Prophet (PBUH) and Hazrat Ali (PBUH). In the battle of Ohad he was the flag-bearer of the army of Quraish. Ali (PBUH) faced him and in a hand to hand encoun­ ter dealt him such a severe blow that he reeled and fell down. Ali (PBUH) left him like that and walked away from him. Many Muslim warriors ran up to Hazrat Ali (PBUH) and advised him to finish Talha, saying that he was his worst enemy. Hazrat Ali (PBUH) replied: 'enemy or no enemy, he cannot defend himself now, and I cannot strike a man who is not in a position to defend himself..." In the battle of "Siffeen" Moavia reached the river Euphrates be­ fore the army of Hazrat, and took position of the river. When Hazrat's army reached there he was informed that they would not be allowed a drop of water from the river. Hazrat Ali (PBUH) sent a messenger to Moavia saying that this action was against the cannons of humanity and orders of Islam. Moavia's reply was that "a war is a war and therein one cannot accept principles of humanity and doctrines of Islam..." Hazrat Ali (PBUH) ordered Imam Hussain to attack and get back the river. The attack took place and river side position was captured. Moavia's messengers arrived and Hazrat Ali (PBUH) told them to take as much water as they like and as often as they require. When his officers told him that those were the very people who had refused water to them, should they be allowed a free run of the river? He replied: "they are human beings and though have acted inhumanly yet I cannot follow their example..." In the battle of Nahrwan a man came to face him and in the en­ counter lost his sword. He realized his hopeless plight of standing before Hazrat Ali (PBUH) without any weapon in hand. Hazrat

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Ali's (PBUH) hand was raised for a blow when he saw the an­ tagonist trembling with fear, he lowered his hand slowly and said: "run away friend’you are not in a position to defend yourself'. This attitude made the man bold and he said: "Ali (PBUH), why do not you kill me, it would have made one enemy less for you". Hazrat Ali (PBUH) replied: "I cannot strike a man who cannot defend himself. You are begging for your life and it was spared". The opponent got bolder and said: "I am told that you have never refused a bagger. Now I beg you of your sword, will you grant it to me? Ali (PBUH) handed him over the sword. Takin possession of the sword he said: "now Ali (PBUH) who is going to defend you against me and save you from my killing blow". He replied "Of course God. He will defend me if he so wills. He has ap­ pointed my death to be my guarding angel none can harm before it is due and none can save me when it arrives". Nobility of thought and action affected the foe and he kissed the bridle of Ali's (PBUH) horse and said: "O' lord, you are a great man indeed. You cannot only forsake the life of your enemy in a battle field but also you can grant him your sword. May I have the honour to act as your body-guard and to fight for you? He replied: "Friend, fight for truth and justice and do not fight for persons". During 39 and 40 A.H. Moavia organised bands of murderers and brigads to enter border towns and to carry on loot, plunder, arson and rape. Kumail was at that time the governor of Hayeth. He asked Hazrat's permission to organise similar bands and cany plunder in the province of Circiea which was under the control of Moavia. Hazrat Ali (PBUH) replied to him: "I never expected such a suggestion from a man like you. It is more noble and more moral to guard your people and province than to plunder others... They consist of civil population comprising women and children. How can one kill, loot and plunder them..." It was the month of Ramzan, the month of fasting. It was the time

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of the morning prayers. Hazrat Ali (PBUH) was kneeling before God and when he raised his head a terrible blow fell upon it giv­ ing a very deep cut. The murderer started running. The Muslims followed, caught and bound him in ropes and brought him before Hazrat Ali (PBUH) who was on the prayer carpet drenched in blood and was reclining upon his sons. He knew that he would not survive. But when the murderer was brought, he saw him, tightly bound. He turned towards those Muslims and said: "You should not be so cruel with your fellow being, slacken his ropes, do not you see that they are cutting into his flesh and he is in agony". Abdullah, son of his brother Jafer, was his favourite nephew, whom he had given his most favourite daughter, Zainab, into marriage. This Abdullah once came to him requesting for an advance instal­ ment of his share from Baitul M'al. Ali (PBUH) refused and when the young man persisted, he said: "No my son, not a day before all the others and not a Darham more". Aquil, his elder brother was financially in a very unhappy condi­ tion, he asked for something more than his share before it was due. Hazrat refused, saying that he would not resort to dishon­ esty. Aquil must wait till the time of distribution, and must bear the sufferings patiently. Ibn Haneef was governor of a province and was once invited to a function, followed by sumptuous dinner. When Hazrat heard of this, he wrote him a very severe letter, criticizing his action and saying that "you went to a dinner where only rich people were invited and poor were scornfully excluded". In this deed Hazrat Ali (PBUH) says that as a caliph and a ruler, he promises safety and security of life, property, honour, social status and religious freedom of Armenian Christians. This order

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should be obeyed by his officers and his successors. The Chris­ tians should not be maltreated or looked down upon because they are non-Muslims. So long as they do not try to betray and injure the cause of the State or Islam they should not be molested, and should be allowed to practise their religion and trade freedly and openly. Islam teaches us to carry a message of peace with us and improve the status of society wherever we go and the best way to achieve this is to create amity, friendliness and concord between human-beings; therefore, Muslims should try to develop friend­ ship of these people and should never resort to wrong use of power, force and arrogance. They should not be over-taxed, should not be humiliated and should not be forced out of their homes, lands and trades. Their priests should be treated with due respects, their monasteries should be protected, they should be allowed to carry on their lectures, teachings and preachings as usual and their re­ ligious ceremonies should not be prohibited. If they want to build their places of worship then fallow and ownerless lands should be allotted to them. One who disobeys this order is going against the orders of God and the holy Prophet (PBUH), and will deserve His Wrath. Haris ibn Shohail, one of the governor of the provinces, was in Koofa, once he was riding through the city and saw Hazrat Ali (PBUH) also riding. He got down from his horse to accompany Hazrat on foot. Hazrat stopped his horse and said, "It ill-becomes of a man to lower himself before anybody but his God, please get upon your horse, even had you not been an officer of the State, I would not have allowed you to lower yourself like this, the sight of such humiliation of man before man never pleases me. It is the worst form of tyranny which can be practised." One day he saw an old woman carrying a heavy load of firewood which she could ill-afford to lift, she was tottering under the weight. Hazrat relieved her of her weight, carried it to her hamlet and on

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her request lighted her even for her and gave her some money also. When a neighbour entered the hamlet, he recognised Hazrat and told her, who he was; only then she realised that who had served her like an obedient servant was none^ther but the Caliph. Only after his death the world came to know that he had provided a shelter for a leper. The shelter was outside the town. He used to go there daily, dress his wounds, feed him with his own hands (because the leper had lost his hands), wash him, put his bed in order and carry him out of the shelter for little time, so that he may get fresh air. Accidently, relatives and friends of Hazrat Ali (PBUH) came across this shelter and found a leper in it, learned his history and told him Hazrat was murdered and that they had just then burned him. The news so affected the poor cripple that he died on the spot. ALI'S (PBUH) FOOD: Hazrat Ali (PBUH) always ate such kind of food and dressed in such a way that even the poorest could afford better than that. It was not because he was poor but it was because he wanted to lead the life of the poorest person and spend all that could thus be spared on poor. HIS DRESS: Imam Ahmed in his book "Almun'aquib" and Ibne Aseer in his history quote Haroon Ibne Anza'a saying that he accompanied his father (Anza'a) to the "Khorenique" castle to meet Hazrat Ali (PBUH). Those were winter days, and the winter was very se­ vere, he found him in a very thin cotton garment, and the cold wind was making him shiver. Anza'a asked him: "O’ Commander of Faithfuls! God has reserved a share for you and your family from Baitul Mai (Muslim Treasury) why do you not make use of it?" He replied: "O’ Anza'a! I do not want anything from your treasury, this is the dress I have brought with me from Madina".

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W i l l m ad e s h o r t l y b e f o r e m s d e a t h w h e n h e h a d b e e n f a ­ t a l l y WOUNDED BY A BLOW FROM THE SWORD OF ('AbDER R aH m an ) ibn M u u a m ( t h e C u r s e o f A l l a h b e u p o n him ):

I enjoin upon you as my dying wish not to regard anything by way of partner with Allah, not to disregard the Sunnah of Mo­ hammad (PBUH), establish these two pillars and light these two lamps. You will then be free from evil. Yesterday I was your com­ panion and today I am (just) a lesson for you. If I survive I shall be the master of my blood (to avenge or not to avenge it), and if I die then death is a promised event. If I foigive, it is for me a means of nearness (to Allah) and for you a good act. Therefore, do foigive. What! Love you not that Allah should forgive you? (Qur’an, 24:22) By Allah, this sudden death is not an event that I dislike, nor is it an accident that I hate. I am just like a night traveller who reaches the spring (in the morning) or like a seeker who secures (his aim), and whatever is with Allah is the best for the righteous ones. (Qur’an, 3:198) The life of Amir al-Momineen was that of a labourer or a cultiva­ tor. He worked in fields of other persons, cultivated barren and untilled lands, providing means of irrigating them, made them cultivable and planted orchards therein. Declaring them a trust gave up his proprietorship; but in consideration of the Prophet's (PBUH) kinship he assigned the management rights of his trust to Imam Hasan and Imam Hussain one after the other. Yet he did not tolerate any additional rights for them but like other children, gave them merely the right to take from it only for their livelihood, while the balance he ordered to be spent for the common good of the Muslims and for charitable purposes. Thus, Ibn Abi'l-Hadid writes: Everyone knows that in Medina, Yanbu' and Suwayqah, Amir al-Momineen had dug several springs from under the land and brought under cultivation many barren and uncultivable lands.

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Thereafter, he gave up rights over them and declared them as trusts for the Muslims. When he left the world, nothing was owned by him (Sharh Nahj al-Balaghah, Vol. 15, p. 146) KINDNESS TO ANIMALS: When your trustee takes over (the animal) tell him that he should not separate the she-camel from its young and should not milk because that would affect its young, and also that he should not exert it in riding... He should allow rest to camels (who are tired), and drive with ease those whose hoofs have been rubbed off. When you pass a water spring stay the camels there for drinking and do not take them away from vegetated land to barren paths. He should allow them rest now and then, and give them time near water and grass..." E x c e r p t s fr o m t h e l a st W il l a n d T est a m e n t o f H a z r a t A li ( P B U H ) t o h is eld est s o n :

Appreciate my advice, O' my child, and know that He Who is the Master of Death is also the Master of life, that the Creator causes death as well; that He Who destroys is also the restorer of life and that He Who inflicts disease is also the Curer. This world contin­ ues in the way Allah has made it with regard to its pleasures, trials, rewards on the Day of Judgement and all that He wishes and you do not know. If anything of this advice is not understood by you then attribute it to your ignorance of it, because when you were first bom you were bora ignorant. Thereafter, you acquired knowledge. There are many matters of which you are ignorant and in which your sight first wonders and your eye wonders then after this you see them. Therefore, cling to Him Who created you, fed you and put you in order. Your worship should be for Him,your eagerness should be towards Him and your fear should be of Him. Darkness is disappearing gradually. Now it is as though travel­ lers have got down and the hasteners will soon meet. Know, O'

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my child, that everyone who is riding on the carriage of night and day is being carried by them eventhough he may be stationary, and he is covering the distance eventhough he is staying and rest­ ing. Know with certainty that you cannot achieve your desire and can­ not exceed your destined life. You are on the track of those before you. Therefore, be humble in seeking and moderate in earning because often seeking leads to deprivation. Every seeker of liveli­ hood does not get it, nor is everyone who is moderate in seeking deprived. Keep yourself away from every low thing even though they may take you to your desired aims, because you will not get any return for your own respect which you spend. Do not be the slave of others for Allah had made you free. There is no good in good which is achieved through evil and no good in comfort that is achieved through (disgracing) hardship. Beware lest bearers of greed should carry you and make you de­ scend down to the springs of destruction. If you can manage that there he no wealthy person between yourself and Allah, do so, because in any case you will find what is for you and get your share. A little received directly from.Allah the Glorified, is more dignified than that which is more but is received through (the obligation of) His creatures although (really) all is from Allah. It is easier to rectify what you miss by silence than to secure what you lose by speaking. Whatever is in a post can be retained by closing the lid. I should prefer you to retain what is in your hands rather to seek what is in other's hands. Bitterness of disappoint­ ment is better than seeking from people. Manual labour with chas­ tity is better than the riches of a vicious life. A man is the best guard of his own secretes. Often a man strives for that harms him. He who speaks much speaks nonsense. Whoever ponders perceives. Associate with people of virtue; you will become one of them. Keep aloof from people of vice; you will remain safe

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from them. The worst food is that which is unlawful. Oppressing the weak is the worst oppression. Whereas leniency is unsuitable, harshness is lenience. Often cure is illness and illness is cure. Often the ill-wisher gives correct advice while the well-wisher cheats. Do not depend upon hopes because hopes are the mainstay of fools. It is wise to preserve one's experience. Your best experience is that which teaches you a lesson. Make use of a leisure before it changes into (the hour of) grief. Every seeker does not achieve (what he seeks); and every departer does not return. To lose provision and to earn evil for the Day o f Judgement means ruin. Every matter has a consequence. What is destined for you will shortly come to you. A trader un­ dertakes a risk. Often a small quantity is more beneficial than a large quantity. There is no good in an ignoble helper, nor in a suspicious friend. Be compliant with the world as long as it is in your grip. Do not put yourself to risk as regards anything in ex­ pectation for more than that. Beware! Lest the feeling of enmity should over-power you. Bear yourself towards your brother in such a way that if he disre­ gards kinship you keep to it; when he turns away be kind to him and draw near to him; when he withholds spend for him; when he goes away approach him; when he is harsh, be lenient; when he commits wrong think of excuses for it, so much so as though you are a slave of his and he is the benevolent master over you. But take care that this should not be done inappropriately, and that you should not behave so with an undeserving person. Do not take the enemy of your friend as a friend because you will thus antogonize your friend. Give true advice to your brother, be it good or bitter. Swallow your anger because I did not find a sweeter thing than it in the end, and nothing more pleasant in consequence. Be lenient to him who is harsh to you for it is likely that he will shortly become lenient to you. Trust your enemy with favours,

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because this is sweeter of the two successes (the success of re­ venge and the success of doing favour). TO HIS COLLECTORS OF (LAND) TAX: F r o m t h e se r v a n t o f A lla h 'A li A m ir al -M o m in een

(PBUH)

TO THE TAX COLLECTORS:

Behave yourselves justly with the people and act with endurance with regard to their needs, because you are the treasurers of the people, representatives of the community and the ambassadors of the Imams. Do not deprive anyone of his needs and do not prevent him from (securing) his requirements. For the collection of tax (kharaj) from the people do not sell their winter or summer clothes, nor cattle with which they woik, nor slaves. Do not whip anyone for the sake of one Dirham. Do not touch the property of any person whether he be one who prays (a Muslim) or a protected unbe­ liever, unless you find a horse or weapons used for attack against Muslims, because it is not proper for the Muslims to leave these things in the hands of the enemies of Islam to enable them to have power over Islam. Do not deny good counsel to yourself, good behaviour to the army, succour to the subjects and strength to the religion of Allah.

INAUGURAL ADDRESS —H.K Hashemi Rafsanjani, Hon'ble President, Islamic Republic o f Iran Bismilla-hir-Rahman-ir-Rahim I praise Allah for giving me the opportunity to’visit your beauti­ ful country at a time coinciding with the inauguration of such a great Congress on Nahjul Balagha, being held here in India. It is * a great task accomplished by you, the professors, experts and oiganisers of the Congress. There is no doubt that Nahjul Bal­ agha is one of the most important heritages of the human race. Informations and knowledge coming out of such a Congress, be­ ing attended by the scholars, experts ^nd knowledgeable persons, will be of immense value. The deliberations will go a long way in the service of humanity, and will add to knowledge as well to moral living. The world in the past has not been able to fully recognise the value of Hazrat Ali, and his teachings compiled in the beautiful collection, known as Nahjul Balagha. It is our duty to enrich hu­ man experience, morality and understanding, and to continue add­ ing to the level of knowledge by propagating the teachings of Hazrat Ali, contained in Nahjul Balagha. This is not just the claim made by me as a Shia cleric, but by a humble person who has read a number of books- religious, sci­ entific and philosophical —published throughout the world. A

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Christian sociologist, Mr. George Jordac, wrote a number of books on Imam Ali, including the well known book The Voice o f Hu­ man Justice". One who refers to such authentic books, will easily understand that the sermons, letters and sayings of the Imam (PBUH), deserve serious reading to draw lessons and understand the concept and method of implementing justice. We do have the understanding of the Western world and its kings. If a picture of Nahjul Balagha and the life of Hazrat Ali is faith­ fully presented to the human beings, it will be the most valuable contribution for the betterment of the life of the people every­ where. Very interestingly it was here in India as reminded by uni­ versity professors, freedom fighters and members of Parliament that the British regime was overthrown. Hazrat Ali told centuries ago: Dont be slaves to others. We must understand the values taught by him. The collection we do have i.e., Nahjul Balagha, contains the teachings and experiences of Hazrat Ali. It goes to demostrate that after the holy Prophet, he is the greatest teacher of the world. His teachings are rather indications of the values. The value of Nahjul Balagha is also evident from other researches done in different areas and in different languages from time to time. Nahjul Balagha does not give only the cultural, social and human sciences' point of view, it also dwells upon other sciences like astronomy. It is also a pointer to many areas of social sci­ ences including history. It provides best material for the seekers of high standard in literature. All this go to demonstrate the com­ prehensiveness of this book. Besides talking about politics and justice, it gives description of wild life, oceanology and other sci­ ences which will continue to draw the attention of researchers of the relevant fields from time to time. The author o f this book is the one who has been asking publicly and repeatedly that whatever questions you have, present them to me and have the answers.

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Learned audience! You are well awaxe of the fact that all the his­ torians of the Islamic era talked high of this book. The author of Nahjul Balagha addressing all the followers of different religions, said that he can give judgements based upon their books and teach­ ings of their religion to help remove the disputes. The sociologists are amazed when they find that all the characterisitcs that can not be found gathered in one individual, are found in one person i.e., Hazrat Ali, who combined in him love and affection, judgement and abilities, valour of a soldier with a hard hiring sword, human sympathy and the quality of the highest scholar and a writer. The same person who could kill and destroy the tyrants and crafty people like the dry branches of trees, is seen standing in front of a widow to share her sorrow. He says that if all the curtains of the 'materialistic world just get away from his eyes; yet, due to his firm faith and his heart and life so merged with the love of Allah, it will bring nothing more than what he already has in his heart i.e., the unshakable belief and a firm faith in Allah. In fact, the contemporary time needs a collection like Nahjul Balagha and the teachings contained in it. Now, today the reseachers and their stud­ ies prove that Nahjul Balagha's teachings can serve as the basis and as an axis for the harmony and co-existence of all thecreatures. But we are sorry to see that the world has yet to find its vision. It suffers with geographical as well as ethnic discords. Yet, there is a hope that the human society will reach a stage where peace, happiness, brotherhood, tranquility and harmony shall prevail. I earnestly hope and pray that this Congress of yours would lead to the fulfilment of our wishes in a country that has well per­ formed, and follows the philosophy of peaceful co-existence with all the peoples and countries. The Islamic Revolution in Iran is just a drop of the endless ocean of the understanding of science and technology by the great man, Imam Khomeini (R.A.).

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Thanking you very much, and praying for your progress and pros­ perity.

MESSAGE —H:K Dr. Shankar Dayal Sharma, Hon'ble President, Republic o f India Amir al-Mu'minin Hazrat Ali Ibn-e-Abi Talib was the Holy Prophet's first cousin, son-in-law and a true and faithful follower. He was unwavering in his faith, steadfast in his loyalty and unre­ mitting in his service. Hazrat Ali was the bodyguard of His per­ son, His general in batde and His emissary in peace. He took the holy Prophet's place, so that the holy Prophet could leave Mecca for Medina. In the years thereafter, Hazrat Ali gained great feme as a just ruler, concerned for the oppressed and dedicated to justice. He sought to build a society based on the rule of law, respect for the truth, and tolerance. In war and in peace, he was uncompromis­ ing in his observance of a code of conduct. A multi-faceted ge­ nius, he was a philosopher and thinker, a wise administrator, a learned judge and a compassionate human being. During his life time, he spoke and wrote on a multitude of issues covering vari­ ous aspects of human activity. The collection of his sermons, speeches, aphorisms and letters, are known as "Nahjul Balagha" —the Peak of Eloquence. Hazrat Ali's preachings are venerated for their moral and ethical values. They are also regarded as masterpieces of literary expres­ sion. Their message is universal: Follow the righteous path, pro­ moting good and resisting vice. Imam Ali makes us realise that the world is transient, that we are accountable for our actions.

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Though articulated in a specific historical context, these messages have a relevance unrestricted by time or space. The sermon 'al-Gharra' is an example of a profound truth ex­ pressed with extraordinary simplicity and beauty. Hazrat Ali states: "How appropriate are these illustrations and effective admoni­ tions, provided they are received by pure hearts, open ears, firm views and sharp wits. Fear Allah like him who listened and bowed before it, when he committed sin he admitted it, when he felt fear he acted virtuously, when he apprehended he hastened, when he believed he performed virtuous acts, when he was asked to take the lesson he did take the lesson, when he was asked to desist he abstained, when he responded to the call he leaned, when he turned back he repented, when he followed he almost imitated, and when he was shown he saw it. " His advocacy of moderation is expressed thus: "This world is place for which destruction is ordained and fo r its inhabitants, departure from here is destined. It is sweet and green. It hastens towards its seeker and attaches to the heart o f the viewer. So depart from here with the best o f provision available with you and do not ask herein more than what is enough and do not demand from it more than subsistence. " Amir al-Mu'minin was generous to a fault, a quality recognized by friend and foe alike. This is evident in this aphorism ."When you gain power over you adversary, pardon him by way o f thanks for being able to overpower him. " Such was the largeness of his heart that as he was fatally stabbed during his Ramazan prayers, Hazrat Ali urged his supporters to treat his assassin with humanity. The importance of fulfilling one's duty in this world is recognized and valued by him. He saw no alternative to industry and com­ mitment in the discharge of responsibilities. "He who prays but

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does not exert effort", he said, "is like the one who shoots without a bow string." Humility and tolerance were qualities he possessed in plenty and encouraged in others: "It is enough for your own discipline that you abstain from what you dislike from others." These powerful preachings, so sublime and yet so practical, have a growing relevance in a world of narrow thoughts and material pursuits. I am, therefore, very glad that an IntemationalCongress o f Nahjul Balagha is being held in New Delhi in April, 1995, to understand and promote the message of human values and rights. I understand that the Congress will focus on themes of goals of human life, ideal character of man, ethical view points, tolerance, social justice, importance of education, democracy and govern­ ment. I am particularly glad that inter-religious understanding will be a major aspect of deliberations at the Congress. The teachings of Imam Ali are respected by numerous religions. For the Shias, he was the first Imam. He was the fourth Caliph of Ahl-e-Sunnat. The Sufis regard him as the fountain head of mysticism. Scholars and leaders of other religions as well as secular commentators have expressed reverence for his writings. It is not only that the truth expressed by Hazrat Ali find reflection in other faiths. The Imam himself was noted for his toleration. As the Caliph, he personally issued orders offering safety, security and religious freedom to minorities. One such example relating to Armenian Christians which is in his own handwriting is said to have been discovered earlier this century. It is appropriate that the International Congress of Nahjul Bal­ agha is being held in India, a land of many faiths which co-exist in harmony. I extend my good wishes to the efforts to propagate the humanistic message of Imam Ali and hope that the Congress will be successful and productive.

ADDRESS - Hojjatul Islam Syed Jamaluddin Deenparwar Chairman, Nahjul Balagha Foundation, Iran The contemporary man is under the incessant attack and aggres­ sion, more than our brothers and sisters in the last centuries. But the difference is that the present aggression is the modem type of aggression under the pretext of defending democracy and human rights with the help of the modem science and its innovations. Every voice of freedom and sovereignty is strangulated under the heavy chains of modem weapon manufacturing industries. Today, due to the deadly silence of United Nations Organisation and its co-ordination with international and global plunderers and looters, not only millions of innocent in African and Asian coun­ tries are regularly sent to slaughter houses but also the humble and innocent European nations like Bosnia Herzegovina are be­ ing massacred in the most brutal and inhuman way. Their human dignity is transgressed and trampled by the so-called human be­ ings of the contemporary world. The only issue of contemporary man is to free himself from the shackles of blood-sucking power mongers in the world. Today, more than eighty per cent of the world income is taken away by only twenty percent, the so-called modernised and educated ones in the world. In my speech, I do not want to discuss in detail this great tragedy but only to point out that the conspiracy in the twen­ tieth century against human beings, reminds us of the various

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schools of thought and personalities who in reality struggled for the freedom of human beings by sacrificing their lives without taking into consideration any distinction of caste, creed and reli­ gion. In my speech I want to highlight the achievements of the infallible Imams and Amir ul-Momeneen 'Ali Ibn Abi Talib (PBUH), in order to see all, including the signs of an ex­ emplary man in the enlightened and angelic vision. SIMPLE LIVING - THE FRUIT OF PIETY Good and healthy living from the beginning including childhood and youth, in the proper and careful guidance of pious and digni­ fied persons, nourishes the signs of progress and perfection in the human beings. This type of guidance, completely eradicates the vacuum and daikness in originating the signs of savagery and self-love. Undoubtedly, such a type of co-operation inculcates humanitarian values and love for fellow human beings. It leaves no place for the accumulation of wealth and worldly pomp and show as well as false pleasures of imitating others in the worldly and materialistic matters by demonstrating their wealth and false pride before others. This ensures the progress and prosperity of the society. Imam Ali (PBUH) describes the simple living of the great proph­ ets with very beautiful and sublime examples which demonstrates the signs for the perfection and progress of the human beings. Regarding the simple living of Prophet Moses (PBUH), Imam Ali (PBUH) says in Nahjul BaJagha: “Look to the* life of that great personality who asked Allah to provide for him a loaf of bread because he used to consume the herbs from pastures and its signs were obvious in the thin but rough skin of his body.” While referring to the example of Jesus Christ (PBUH), Imam Ali (PBUH) says:

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“...He used a stone for his pillow, put on coarse clothes, and ate rough food. His condiment was hunger. His lamp at night—was the moon. His shade during the winter was just the expanse o f the earth, eastward and westward (i.e., he was homeless and didn *tpossess any house). ” In the conclusion of one of his sermons, while expressing his alle­ giance to the path of simple living of the holy Prophet of Islam, Imam Ali (PBUH) says: "By God, I gave so many stitches to my dress that I was ashamed o f the person who gave so many stitches. ” The late leader of India, Mahatma Gandhi, who liberated India from the clutches of British Imperialism, treaded the path of simple living. He defeated the old and nighty Imperialist power by simple living and by banning the use of imported British goods. Thus, he attained freedom for his nation from the ignominy of dependence and exploitation. Imam Ali (PBUH) established an ever-lasting example by not mis­ using his political power during his period of Caliphate. When Aqil, his blind and poor brother, came to him and asked for a few more measure of wheat from the public treasury, he reprimanded him, and told (Sermon 221): “By Allah, I saw (my brother) Aqueel fallen in destitution and he asked me a Sa'a (about six pounds in weight) out o f your (share of) wheat, and also saw his children with dis-hevelled hair and dusty countenance due to starvation as though their faces had been blackened by indigo. He came to me several times and repeated his requests to one again and again. I heard him and he thought... I wouldfollow his tread leaving my own way. Then, I first heated a piece o f iron and took it near his body so that he might take lesson from it; then he cried as a person in protracted illness cries with pain, and he was about to get burnt

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with its branding. Then, I said to him: "... O' Aqueel! Do you cry on account o f this fire which has been made by a man for fun; while as you are driving me towards the fire which Allah, the Powerful, has preparedfor (manifestation of) His wrath. Should you cry from pain; but 1 should not cry from the flames..." The life and teachings of Imam Ali are the bacon light in this world suffering with favouritism, undue concessions and pervad­ ing injustices adversely affecting the social, economic and cul­ tural life of man, and his well-being. We should give serious thought to the values contained in the orations, letters and short sayings, given in Nahjul Balagha, for sustaining a peaceful, tranquil and just world where all can live as honourable members of the family of man, the highest of His creations.

SPEECH

Prof. AM Ex-Vice Chancellor, AMU & Ex-Member o f Planning Commission, Government o f India The teachings and the great work of Hazrat Ali had not been known extensively among the Muslim and non-Muslim societies. The value system which we keep on emphasising, has collapsed in this country and has miserably failed in the world. If Hazrat Ali’s (PBUH) teachings and ideas which we are hearing today, could have come 50 or 60 years ago, it must have given its deep impact on the Indian society. But, I am extremely glad that through the good offices of His Excellency, Sheikh Attar, and persistent ef­ forts of his group that this great opportunity was made possible. We should try to study, discuss, and propagate these values first among our brother and sisters; then, I think there will be some impact of it. I am very glad that one of the sub-group of this committee had decided to find out more effective ways and means for the propagation of the teachings of Nahjul Balagha. There are always three levels in all religions, and these levels are also men­ tioned in Nahjul Balagha. All evils have their roots in Jeh'el (ig­ norance) and all goods are rooted in Ilm (knowledge). In Islam it all started with the first Aiyat Iqra bi Ism-e-Rab 'beka-al-LaziKhalaqa, which further strengthened the teachings of Hazrat Ali ibn Abi Talib. A part of the teachings, speeches, instructions and orders, were later collected in Nahjul Balagha by Shareef al-Razi.

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Wise people of the world have said about governance, state craft, how to govern, instruction for the Armies, but, all of these were much earlier given in this book. Machiavelli became very popu­ lar in the world for his excellent advices for the rulers. But all these things were narrated by Hazrat All much before, i.e., more than 1400 ago. Nahjul Balagha lays emphasis on value system and humanity. I hope we will all study it further and propagate it further. Not only Shias are influenced but also the Sunnis and other sects of Mus­ lim community. Islam also spread by the exemplary behaviour of Sufis. With service to humanity one can come closer to the cre­ ator from where one gets sustenance. We all keep saying that value are changing. What is the crux of value. It will be difficult to say, but it is in Nahjul Balagha. And, if we understand these values and return to these and propagate these among our brothers and sisters, then we can sustain those values and enrich mankind.

VALEDICTORY ADDRESS — H.K Boroujerdi, Deputy Foreign Minister, Islamic Republic o f Iran First of il I thank God, the Almighty, for providing an op­ portunity to the President of the Islamic Republic of Iran, His Excellency Hojjatul Islam Hashmi Rafsanjani, to at­ tend on the first day of his first visit to the friendly country, India, the prestigious International Congress on Nahjul Balagha. Undoubtedly, the presence of the President of the Islamic Repub­ lic of Iran, in this enlightened assembly, would be helpful in fur­ ther developing the warm and freindly relations already existing between our two countries. And, I believe that his visit by the grace of the Almighty will be the most successful one. Secondly, I thank and congratulate the organisers of Nahjul Bal­ agha Congress especially Hon'ble Sayed Sibte Razi, the Ambas­ sador, Mr. Sheikh Attar, and the Cultural Counsellor, Mr. Miri, and also their friends, with whose cooperation this enlightened assembly has been organised. In the first instance, I would like to thank the guests from India and other countries, especially Prof. Katani, who handed over his Paper personally to me. Moreover, I thank all the participants for taking pains to attend this programme. I hope that this will prove to be the productive step towards the achievement of big goal i.e., Inter-religious Understanding. I do

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not consider myself competent to say something about Hazrat Ali (PBUH): Referring to the couplet by Shahryar, Hazrat Ali is the man of a status whom we cannot refer as God, nor simply as human being. I am taken aback to find out a suitable word to address him. Hazrat Ali (PBUH) said: ’’All the persons are like you, either in creation or in religion". His viewpoint and approach prove that he considered all the human beings equal. When we find that most of the persons writting about him, are related to non-Muslim societies, it provides further evidence that Hazrat Ali considered all the human beings equal. His advices were not related to any particular society or community. I find myself duty-bound to propagate the sayings of Hazrat Ali (PBUH), and request you to propagate these in the human society every­ where. In this function of enlightened intellectuals papers were presented on Nahjul Balagha touching its different aspects. In my opinion the letter of Hazrat Ali (PBUH), written to his governor, Malik-eAshtar, is a unique milestone in the way of forming governments to rule with justice. This indeed is a big problem for the global community in the present era. I accept that we could not render our services to Nahjul Balagha as it ought to have been. We are not quite successful in presenting the teachings of Hazrat Ali (PBUH) to humanity. I, therefore, pray that the group of scholars present here in this Congress and all others having love for and venerating Hazrat A li, would get God’s sustenance in their efforts to undertake further researches to popularise the advices and teachings of Hazrat Ali (PBUH) to help rescue the sobing humanity out of its present situation. In the end, I thank you and invite your attention to the fact that the presence of the President of the Islamic Republic of Iran, H.E.

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Hojjatul Islam Hashemi Rafsanjani in this Congress is indicative of the hopes and good wishes of the intellectuals and the people of the Islamic Republic of Iran, in general, for the success of the Congress. I am happy to note that your deliberations have been meaningfully and successfully accomplished. I express thanks for the goodwork done by the organisers of the Nahjul Balagha Congress, and also for the cooperation of all oth­ ers in making this Congress a success. May God, the Almighty, grant us strength in following the path shown by Hazrat Ali (PBUH), which is truly the path of Islam. I, while praying for a just world order, progress and peace, thank you once again.

THE LATEST EDITION OF NAHJUL BALAGHA —Allama Azizullah Attarudi Islamic Republic o f Iran After the advent of printing in Iran and the Arab countries, Nah­ jul Balagha was one of the first books printed in Iran, Egypt and Lebanon. Many of its editions were printed after undergoing care­ ful proof-reading by the scholars and experts in the field. But many of them were printed for the profit-making purpose and commercial utility. The sacred Nahjul Balagha had been printed many times in very fine and good quality but the copies had not been examined and compared with its many oldest and rarest manuscripts. All the editions of Nahjul Balagha printed recently, had been copied from the already printed editions. The famous Egyptian scholar Mo­ hammad Abul Fazl Ibraheem had compared and examined the contents of Nahjul Balagha in the monumental work of Ibne Abil Hadeed, one of these belongs to the Seventh Century of Hijrah. Authors from the year 1356 Solar Hijrah corresponding with 1978, which also coincided with the 1000th year of the compilation of Nahjul Balagha, decided to examine the oldest and the rarest manuscripts of Nahjul Balagha. The great scholars of science and literature, and the experts and specialists in the study of manu­ scripts had also spent many years studying and examining the oldest manuscripts which are available in the libraries. Five oldest manuscripts which were written in the 5th and 6th

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Centuries of Hijrah, are the oldest manuscripts of Nahjul Balagha presently in our hands. I have read all of them and utilised them. These are available in the libraries of Iran and India. The first manuscript dated 469 Hijra is available in the Ayatollah Marashi Najafi’s library in the holy city of Qom, Islamic Repub­ lic of Iran. The second manuscript dated 494 Hijra is present in the Fakhruddin Nasiri Library in Tehran, Islamic Republic of Iran. The third manuscript dated 510 Hijra is present in the Mumtazul-Ulema Library in Lucknow, India. The fourth manuscript dated 538 Hijra is present in the Aligarh Muslim University’s Library in India. The fifth manuscript dated 544 Hijra is present in Madrasa-eNawab Library in the holy city of Mashhad, Islamic Republic of Iran. The latest edition of Nahjul Balagha printed in good and very fine quality, has been published by the Nahjul Balagha Foundation, Tehran, in 1372 Solar Hijrah/1993 A.D., after examining all the above mentioned oldest and the rarest manuscripts of Nahjul Bal­ agha. Thus, the oldest manuscripts of Nahjul Balagha are preserved in Iran and India; and, therefore, it is right and appropriate that the present International Congress on Najhul Balagha should be held in India which has the valuable treasure of the manuscripts of Nahjul Balagha. I congratulate the organisers for conducting this great Congress on Nahjul Balagha to demonstrate and express their deep appre­ ciation and respect for one the greatest assets of Islam i.e., Nah­ jul Balagha.

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I hope that in future Conferences and Symposia will be convened on various great personalities who have mutual social and cul­ tural similitude for Iran and India. I hope that cultural activities and exchanges between the Islamic Republic of Iran and the great nation of India, which is heaven’s symbol, will increase and get strengthened every day. May Allah bless all of you.

NAHJUL BALAGHA : AN ANALYSIS —Hojjatul Islam Syed Zeeshan Hyder Jawadi Imam Joma & Jama'at, Abu Dhabi, UAE Nahjul Balagha—that great sacred book whose meanings are the divine inspiration, and whose words are the outcome of the utterings of the tongue (Lisan) of Allah. Nahjul Balagh —the inspiring book containing truth/reality and all sorts of knowledge, is indicating clearly and openly that its author is divinely inspired parrenial source of knowledge (Ilm-iLaddunni). Nahjul Balagha—the collection of the eloquent utterances of Amir al-Momineen —is unparalleled: No work either before or after it, has appeared which is better than it, both in diction and meaning. Nahjul Balagha - that treasure of the eloquent speeches of the Master of the art of oratory (Sahib-e-Faslul Khitab), gave a new trend to the art of eloquence. The compilation of this book had been done by Hazrat Allama Muhammad bin al-Husain al-Musavi alias Sayed Sharif al-Razi, who was the real brother of Syed Sahrif al-Murtuza, Ilm-ul-Huda (Knowledge of the Guidance). Regarding Sharif al-Razi's educa­ tion, it is narrated that Hazrat Masuma-e-A'lam instructed alShaikh Mofid in his dream to guide him. She also addressed him as her own son. The people recognised his literary talents when there appeared

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his book of commentary "Haqaeq-e-Tcmzil Wa Daqai-e-T'aweer. The literary and knowledgeable circles had no option but to praise him as no other book of commentary better than this, had been written so far. Even Allama Abul Hasan al-Umari proclaimed it better than the Tafseer-e-Tabya'n written by al-Shaikh Tusi. Allama Muhaddis-e-Nourie has also certified, elaborating that Sharif al-Razi in his commentary has disproven the claims of all the commentators that "Extra Words" are found in the holy Qur'an. He accepted the relevance and importance of these words. This is the great achievement of Sharif al-Razi, which the world of com­ mentators can not ignore till the Doomsday. Sharif al-Razi was bom in 359 A.H., and died on Sunday morn­ ing in 406 A.H. It means that he lived only 47 years in this world; and, in this short span of life, he accomplished the great task; equivalent of which can not be produced. Nahjul Balagha's com­ pilation was completed in 400 A.H. It may be remarked here that in this age of computer it is not difficult to compute and integrate various sentences at one place because the work is done by a group of people at the computer; thus benefiting others whose researches owe gratitude to the labour and research of other indi­ viduals as well. This facility did not exist during the period of Sharif al-Razi. Therefore, to locate a sentence spoken or written by Amir al-Momineen given in the text, the whole book was re­ quired to be read. Apprently, Sharif al-Razi had compiled a small book and then he collected the short sayings of the holy Imam (PBUH). Consider the hard and sincere work done by him who succeeded in compil­ ing the valuable words of Hazrat Ali (PBUH). The work done by Syed al-Razi does not look to be tedious and significant, when we consider the abundant facilities existing now. But we know it well that these facilities did not exist then during the life span of Syed Sharif al-Razi. Moreover, if such a work will take one year today,

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it required during the life of Sharif al-Razi, at least ten years. How much productive has been the life of Syed Sharif al-Razi who compiled Nahjul Balagha containing the words of Amir alMomineen within 47 years of his life span after going through hundreds of the books. No wonder, therefore, that one beholds this in all reverence and wonder. Allama Yafa'i innovated when he tried to belittle the importance of the work done by Sharif al-Razi, saying that Nahjul Balagha is, in fact, his own work, or the work of his brother Sayyid alMurtuza, and that it does not have any concern with .Amir alMomineen. It may be pointed out here that such views are base­ less and, therefore, are unfounded. Verily, no eloquent and varsatile genius of the age can produce a book parrallel to Nahjul Balagha. Those who ascribe this book to the genius of Sharif al-Razi, are, in fact, adding to the eminence of Sharif al-Razi. Given below is the list of some of those books which contain the sermons/letters/sayings of Amiral-Momineen: These books were compiled much before the appearance of Nahjul Balagha: Rather, most of the compilers of these books died much before the birth of Sharif al-Razi. Thus, it is obviously an irresponsible and unscholarly claim when one says that the matter given in Nahjul Balagha stems out of the wisdom of Sharif al-Razi himself, and that he interpolated and extrapolated on his own, and that these have nothing to do with Amir al-Momineen. Is it possible for a soul to state and enter the matter existing in his mind into the books and other documents before his birth? If possible to do so, it will be considered to be the miracle of Sharif al-Razi. But, such an act is an impossibility on the part of a human being. SI. Book No. 1. Isbat-eMauzooiya

Compiler al-Masudi

Year o f Remarks Death A.H. 303 56 years before the birth of Syed

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Sharif al-Razi 2.

Al-Akhbar-utTawal

Abu Hanifa Daenwari

290

69 years before the birth of Sharif al-Razi

3.

Ishteqaq

Ibn-e-Dureed

321

38 years before the birth of Sharif al-Razi

4.

Aijaz-ul-Qur'an

Ba'alani

372

28 years before the compilation of Nahjul Bal­ agha

5.

Ikmal-ud-din

Shaikh Sadooq

381

19 years before the compilation of Nahjul Bal­ agha

6.

Aghani

Abul Faraj-e- 356 Isfahani

3 years before the birth of Sharif al-Razi

7.

Al-Imt'a walMuwane sa

Abu Hayyane-Tawheedi

380

20 years before the compilation of Nahjul Bal­ agha

8.

Khutba-e-Amir al-Momineen

Zaid bin Wahab 96 al-Jehni

263 years before the birth of Sharif al-Razi

9.

Al-Khutaba-tuz- Abu Makhnaf 157 Zahra Le-Amir bin Saleem-eal-Momineen Uz'di

302 years before the birth of Sharif al-Razi

10. Khutba-eWaq'di Ameerul Momineen

207

152 years before the birth of Sharif al-Razi

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11. Khutb-e-Ali

Nas'r bin Mazahim

203

56 years before the birth o f Sharif al-Razi

12. Khutb-e-Ali Karram Allah Wajhu

Abu Masnad bin al-Kalbi

205

154 years before the birth of Sharif al-Razi

13. Khutba-e-AliWa Al-Mada'in Aktabahu Ela Omalehu

225

134 years before the birth of Sharif al-Razi

14. Khutb-e-Amir al-Momineen

Ibn Khalid al-Kharraz al-Kufi

310

49 years before the birth of Sharif al-Razi

15. Khutb-e-Amir al-Momineen

al-Qazi No'aman al-Misri

363

37 years before the compilation of Nahjul Bal­ agha

Al-Qazi No'aman al-Misri

363

37 years before the compilation of Nahjul Bal­ agha

al-Taba'ri

310

49 years before the compilation of Nahjul Bal­ agha

18. Rauzat-ul-Kafi

al-Kulaini

325

34 years before the compilation of Nahjul Bal­ agha

19. al-Zawajir-walMawa'ez

Ibn Saeed-ulAskari

382

18 years before the compilation of Nahjul Bal-

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agha 20. Kitab-e-Siffin

Ibrahim bin al-Husain al-Mohaddis

281

78 years before the birth of Sharif al-Razi

21. Kitab-e-SifFin

Nasar Bin Mazahim

202

157 years before the birth of Sharif al-Razi

22. At-tabqa't

Ibn Saeed

230

129 years before the birth of Sharif al-Razi

ul-Kubra 23.

Al-Aqd'al-Fareed IbnAbdoh

328

31 years before the birth of Sharif al-Razi

24.

Gharib-ul-Hadees Ibn Salam

223

136 years before the birth of Sharif al-Razi

25.

Gharib-ul-Hadees Ibn Quteb'a

276

83 years before the birth of Sharif al-Razi

26.

Al-Futuh

314

45 years before the birth of Sharif al-Razi

27.

Futuh*ul Buld'an Balaza'ri

279

80 years before the birth of Sharif al-Razi

28.

Al-Farah Ba’dal- Tanukhi Ashad'a

384

16 years before the compilation of Nahjul Bal­ agha

386

14 years before

29. QooSvat-ul-

IbnAsam

AbuTalib

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Quloob

and

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al-Makki

the compilation of Nahjul Bal­ agha

30. Al-Kamil

al-Azdi al-Basri

285

74 years before the birth o f Sharif al-Razi

31. Al-Majalis

291 al-Salib lmam-ul-Kofeen

68 years before the birth o f Sharif al-Razi

32. Al-Mahasin

al-Barqi

274

85 years before the birth o f Sharif al-Razi

205

104 years before the birth of Sharif al-Razi

•

33. Al-Mahasin Wa- al-Jahiz al-Azda'd 34. Mo'fiqya't

Zubair bin Baqa'r256

103 years before the birth of Sharif al-Razi

35. Naqz'l Usmania

Abu Jafar Mohammad bin Abdullah al-Motazali

119 years before the birth of Sharif al-Razi

240

Though not included in the above list, there are a number of other compilations wherein the sermons, letters and sayings quoted in Nahjul Balagha, are prominently given. But, these have been omit­ ted as these were either compiled in the life time of Sharif al-Razi or after his death. Allama Abd' al-Zahra al-Khatib has referred to 180 books de­ scribing these as the source of Nahjul Balagha: This explains and testifies the fact that the matter given in Nahjul Balagh is authen­ tically of Amir al-Momineen. Thus, Yafa'i or the persons of his

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creed propagating against Nahjul Balagha have no place in the realm of truth which specifically speaks of the authenticity of Nahjul Balagha. One reason for the propaganda that the author of Nahjul Balagha is Sharif al-Razi himself, is the fact that in some of the sermons Amir al-Momineen has unveiled some of the known personalities of Islam. Being the fourth Caliph of the Muslims any clarification or contradiction of his thoughts were not possible. Therefore, the easy recourse adopted, is to deny the very authenticity of the orations and letters given in Nahjul Bal­ agha Though, it may be added that truth can not be denied even by this method. ENLISTMENTS IN NAHJUL BALAGHA: This holy book contains three types of material, neamely: 1. Sermons

2. Letters, and

3. Short Sayings

The Sermons have been divided by Syed al-Razi into four catego­ ries, namely, (a) 123 oral communications are reproduced as Ser­ rions, (b) 110 communications have been reproduced as the ora­ tions by the Imam (PBUIÎ), (c) 4 Sermons given with reference to Imam Ali (PBUH) himself (Qala Ali Alai'his-Salam), and (d) 4 Sermons have been given in the form of Supplications. But one must note that none of the Sermons has been described as com­ plete, though the first sermon is fairly long and elaborate. Sermon No.83 entitled "Khutba-e-Gharra" is fairly long. Sermon No.89 entitled IsbaTi runs into 9 pages. Sermon No. 107 dealing with the powers of the Creator is extensive. Sermon No. 163 giving details of the creation of peacock, is also elaborate. Oration No. 184 on the Unity of God is also not brief, and Sermon No. 190 entitled Khutba-e Qasea runs into 11 pages, which is the longest of the Sermons given in Nahjul Balagha The commen­ tary on the holy verses reading "The mutual rivalry for piling up (the good things of this world) diverts you" (from the more seri­

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ous tilings - Qur’an: 102:1-2), given in Sermon No.218, and like­ wise the elaboration of the verse of the holy Qur'an, "O' man what has seduced you from the Lord, Most Beneficent" (82:6) in Ser­ mon No.220, gives good tidings to mankind. These are fairly ex­ tensive in narration. In spite of all this, Sharif al-Razi begins each Sermon by saying (out of the Sermon). This means Sharif al-Razi admits that the Sermons given in Nahjul Balagha are part of the whole (Sermons) which were not available to the compiler. The same applies to the orations which are given with the remark that "it is out of the oration of the Imam (Min Kala'm-e-Imam Ale-his-Salam). Thus, orations too are considered by him to be part (of the full text). Syed Razi's understanding of minute details is remarkable : He distinguishes between oration and sermons: A sermon is the state­ ment unto an individual or some individuals; while orations may be delivered to a group of persons in general audience. DETAILS OF THE SERMONS ORATIONS: The Sermons/Orations given in Nahjul Balagha number 241, which, according to the subject matter, may be divided as under: 1. 68 deal with education and training, emphasising particu­ larly their subject-matter. 2. 26 critically examine the situation prevailing then, as also the characters of certain persons so that people do not fall prey to these persons, and there is no mechination and innovation in Islam and the Islamic world. 3. 15 of these warn mankind against evils, inviting attention to their weaknesses. 4. 16 of these given in Nahjul Balagha stress at Abstinence (Zulid): A true picture of this mortal world is explained extolling man not to immerse in the wordly attractions.

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5. In 10 of these Divinity is explained in philosophical terms and in poetic expressions, which the inhabitants of the age did not know; and, thus, they were acquainted with this method of expression for the first time. 6. In 9 of these, the Prophethood of the last holy and Infal­ lible Messenger of Allah, the purpose of his ordaining, its signs and the prevelant environment are discussed. 7. In 10 of these the believers are invited to fight in the way of Allah: Likewise, the communications stress at the merits and rewards of Jehad (holy war). 8. 8 of the sermons express admonition; wherein the people have been informed of the results of their evil actions, extolling them to reform themselves. 9. 9 of the sermons deal with evil-deeds and tumultous ac­ tions, giving ways and means to safeguard against these. 10. 8 of the communications come in unique style of pride and self-appreciation, which were the need of the day. The style and diction are so much refined that these come out of the purview of boasting and undue self-praise. 11.6 of these dealing with different subjects, explain defenive reasoning, providing basics in defence of truth against falsehood. 12.5 other give a vivid clear and objective explanation of the contemporary situation prevalent then, so much so that a steadfast person of Ali's (PBUH) stature is found com­ plaining unto Allah against the evils. 13. 5 of these deal with the political thoughts, which, if read minutely, will render the allegation false that Imam Ali (PBUH) did not know how to manage the State. Though, it may be added that one knows that Hazrat Ali's (PBUH)

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concept of Politics was divine in approach; it was verily not the Satanic state-craft. 14. 6 of the orations give vivid clearly the methods of suppli­ cation, explaining the relationship between man and his Creator. 15. 4 of these discourses give traits of Allah: The elabora­ tions help acquaint man to realise fully the traits of Al­ lah. 16. 4 of these condemn incompetent and useless beings, giv­ ing the lofty Islamic principle to condemn the inefficient, lethargic and useless persons. 17. 5 of the communications highlight the commandments of Shariah in detail, giving the logic of each, so that those having little or no realisation regarding the need to per­ form prayers, may not remain ignorant of the merits of worshipping and come forward willingly to pray. 18. In 3 of these, the pious and the meaningful persons have been extolled and praised, so that others may emulate them in serving the cause of religion to grant momentum to the society; wherein increasing number of persons find sus­ tenance to follow the righteous path. 19. 2 of the orations discuss the beginning of the creation, the concept of which was not known to the philosophers of India and Greece. 20. One of the Sermon is in the style of "Marsia", a style of Urdu poetry considered equivalent to Elegy. But, it is ac­ tually much more than that. It was the need of the day to express human feelings, giving expression to humane outlook and to give outvent to the feelings of the pulsat­ ing heart during the hour of trial and bereavement.

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21. In one of the orations, the effects of different lands and ecologies are discussed: Verily so, because different envi­ ronments have different effects on man and his way of living: One must not ignore these facts of life also. The Sermons classified and divided into 21 groups discuss the following matters: Under FAITH, Allah, Angels, Adam, Satan, Revealation, Messengerhood, Prophethood, Qur'an, Traditions, Imamate, Unity of God, Given and the Ordained, Knowledge of the Unknown, Soul, Eternity, Death, Sufferings in the Grave, the Waiting (Barza’kh), Doomsday, Returning unto Him, the Blowing of the Sur (Soor), the Path (al-Serat), Accountability, Paradise and Hell, are included. The COMMANDMENTS include: The basic acts of Islam, Prayers, Fasting, Hajj, Poor-Rate (Zak'at), Sacrifice, Allowed and the JFrobidden, Usuary, Marriage, Wealth, Theft, Slaying, Ag­ gression, Arbitration, Retreat, Martydom, Inheritence, Witness, and Hijra, etc. Discussing PERSONS, Nahjul Balagha gives names of 169 per­ sons including, Adam, Ibraham, Is'haq, Asadollah, Dawood, 'Isma'el, Ashtar, Ashas, Umar-ul-Qais, Harab, Abuzar, Talha, Zubair, Ashas ibn Qais, Abu Moosa A'shari, Abu Ayyub, Abdul­ lah ibn Abbas, etc. Discussing ANIMAL, BIRDS AND BEASTS* it mentions 65 of these, and also explain the necessity of their existence. These include: lion, bull, dog, ant, bat, locust, lizard, peacock, eagle, crow, elephant and camel, etc. Nahjul Balagha discusses PLANETS AND SKIES also. Under MINERALS we find that Nahjul Balagha mentions 15 of these, including gold, silver, pearls, and emerald, etc.

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As regards PLACES AND CITIES, we find the names of A'mbar, Ahwaz, Bahrain, Basra, Zeqa'r, Rabza, Saqeefa, Syria, and Iraq etc. One also finds mention of EVENTS, AGGRESSIONS AND DEFENSIVE WARS etc., 14 of these that occurred: Uhad, Ahzab, Hunain, Saqeefa, Siffin, Badr, Naharwan, Hijrat, and Ma'ota, etc. Referring to DIVINITY AND SUPPLICATION, one can see that Nahjul Balagha mentions 12 ways of supplication. References/Sources Referred in Nahjul Balagha: Amir al-Momineen Ali ibn Abi Talib (PBUH) referred to 111 Verses of the holy Qur'an, 38 Traditions, and 19 couplets of Ara­ bic ascribed to different Arab poets. THE QUERRY: A question is often asked as to why along with the explanation of faith and elaboration of commandments, matters like Zajar, Tahdeed, wrath and criticism, have also been dealt, and that why a vast majority of matters have been discussed? Needless to say that one can find answers to such questions by considering the then prevelant situation, during which these sermons and orations were delivered. Amir al-Momineen (PBUH) has not used orna­ mental and flowery language to unduly project matters like a pro­ fessional orator uttering things devoid of realities. Each event and the prevelant situation received from the holy Imam (PBUH) a befitting treatment in his (PBUH) elaborations and analysis of the matters requiring due thought and proper action. And, all this was aptly given due weightage by Hazrat Ali (PBUH). Consider the life time of a person who was confronted with er­ ratic situations and the one who was not properly understood by the unscrupulous and the scheming ones; the one who complains

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by saying (that) "truth and truthfulness on the part of Ali have not left any friends (for him); and those time—servers who came to him holding expectations, have forsaken him". Verily, Hazrat Ali (PBUH) is the one who was bom in the house of Allah; and, when he opened his eyes he beheld the divine coun­ tenance of the holy Prophet (PBUH). Hazrat Ali (PBUH) had surrendered his life unto Allah, steadfastly treading His Path, obey­ ing the commandaments of religion and faith, offering prayers and clinching to Piety in the service of Allah, and man. But, the same Ali (PBUH) faced contradictory situations at the hands of his adversaries, those unfaithful to Islam in flagrant violation of all norms of good conduct. Consider the reaction to turmoil faced by a person, brought up by the holy Prophet (PBUH), the one who was living in worst of the situations. The same Ali (PBUH) had witnessed that the best person (the holy Prophet (PBUH)) is offering feast and giving the message of goodwill and blessings, but what he got in return, were the uncharitable remarks calling him Magician and Lunatic. In the lanes of Mecca, he was herald­ ing the message of peace and welfare, but the ignorant ones were seen throwing stones on him - The one who was worried about the welfare of these ignorant people, but they were found conspir­ ing to kill him. Ultimately, he (PBUH) left Mecca. But, in Medinah too he (PBUH) constantly faced aggression with occasional breach of peace. All these was witnessed by Ali (PBUH), who was congratualated by 1,20,000 people at al-Ghadir as their Master, too soon to face a situation when his neck was in a knot of rope. The same people were not the silent expectators. He had to fight both, a women, and then a man. He was asked to swear alle­ giance, and then was the victim of an assassin's sword. This is the backgound against which one can locate the reasons for dealing a number of subjects, and giving analysis of varied situations. But, remarkable it is indeed that neither there occurs

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any contradictions, nor any impact of the unethical and prejudi­ cial situations on the determination and steadfastness of Imam Ali (PBUH), the magnificent. Ali (PBUH) is the Imam who all along spoke and did in accordance with the words of Allah and Sunnah, and took to elaborate these. He (PBUH) is the one who was inflicted with the sword of the assassin, yet (he) declared: "Ask me before I am no more amongst you." LETTERS AND INSTRUCTIONS: Besides Sermons/Orations, Nahjul Balagha contains 79 letters and instructions, detailed as under: — 18 letters deal with the Will, Education and Training. — 16 letters adopt diction of criticism and characterisation, so that the people may identify different kinds of persons. — 18 Instructions given in Nahjul Balagha, are seen adopt­ ing instructive and aggressive manner, for, each type of person must be dealt according to his traits. — 8 letters deal with political matters: One of these is rich enough to determine the political contours of the world. These are indicative of the fact that those having faith and believing in his instructions may be slain, but can never be defeated, nor that his management of the State can be challenged. Let the world come out of its slumber to definitely realise the utility of Hazrat Ali's (PBUH) teachings and instructions in managing the State. — 7 of the letters deal with strategic problems. — 3 communications dwell upon agreements, and 3 commu­ nication adopt chiding manner: Thus, the letters and com­ munications are seen dealing with all the aspects of hu­ man life, and offering solutions of the problems.

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SHORT SAYINGS: Beside letters and instructions, Nahjul Balagha contains 480 short sayings, full of wisdom. Each word contains treasures of truth, and each point is full of oceasons of wisdom. The knowledgeable and the wise can easily realise that the words of Hazrat Ali (PBUH) are based upon truth and are full of vision and wisdom. The short sayings when compared to the orations and written communica­ tions given in Nahjul Balagha, carry the same weight/meaning which is carried by the point beneath 'Bay1, the Arabic alphabet (Nuqta-tul-Ba) in the holy Book. None should wonder, for a num­ ber o f narrations describe Hazrat Ali's (PBUH) position in value equivalent to the point beneath the alphabet 'Bay*. The Leader of the Universe (Maola-e-Ka'ina'at) was ordained to lead and educate. A benevolent leader must use both, his tongue and pen. Hazrat Ali (PBUH), therefore, delivered sermons, and also left a treasure in the form of letters and written instructions. Allah has ordained man, saying "We taught him to speak" (Allamahul-Baya'n) and "We taught him with Pen". Hazrat Ali (PBUH) used the divine gifts in him: He delivered unparralleled sermons and orations, and wrote unmatchable letters and instructions. The difference between the short sayings, and sermons & ora­ tions is the same which exists between the brief and detailed ex­ planation of the same issues: For the intelligent and the educated mere mention of matters suffices; while for the common man de­ tailed versions are needed. Hazrat Ali's (PBUH) communications carried this point in its full. An understanding and a pulsating heart is required to grasp the meanings of the sermons and letters of the holy Imam (PBUH). His sermons, instructions and letters give in details the matters involving inter-personal and inter-group relationships in its varied aspects, as also the manner of invoking blessings of the Creator through supplications, the ultimate out­ come of prayers. A number of supplications taught by Amir al-

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Momineen are available: Dua-e-Kumael (Supplication taught to Kumael ibn Zeyad by Hazrat Ali (PBUH)) is an important one). Its literaiy and linguistic importance is duly recognised by every­ one. Similarly, there is Dua-e-Saba'h, having superb phonetical diction; the words used are those which can be pleasantly uttered early in the morning, the like of which was never presented by any Arab before or after it. Then, there are a number of Sermons and Supplications which have been compiled after Sharif al-Razi under the tide "Mustadrake-Nahjul Balagha". COMMENTARY ON NAHJUL BALAGHA: The words contained in Nahjul Balagha are the ones uttered and written by Imam Ali (PBUH), the Tongue of Allah (Lisah-ullah). Therefore, there stems die need to understand these in proper per­ spective. Thus, like the Commentary on the holy Qur’an, com­ mentaries on Nahjul Balagha have also been written by the renouned scholars successively. Besides Shi'ite scholars, a num­ ber of Sunnite scholars have also written a good number of com­ mentaries on Nahjul Balagha right from the time of Ibn Abil Hadeed-e-Mo'atazali, and are still continuing their efforts in pro­ ducing their work of commentary on Nahjul Balagha. Allama Asad-ud-din al-Sherestani, introducing Nahjul Balagha, wrote his commentary about half a century ago. Then, Allama Abd al-Zehra al-Khatib wrote on the subject utilising modern methods of re­ search and enlisting 110 commentaries on Nahjul Balagha; though, it may be added that a large number of commentaries remained omitted. Lot of work was required to be done. Allama Mohaqiq Reza Ustadi accomplished the work, enlisting 370 books of com­ mentary on Nahjul Balagha. Further research on the matter is continuing. There are a number of works completed in the field in different languages and in every nook and comer of the globe. But it requires yeoman's efforts and a profound knowledge of dif-

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ferent languages to draw a complete list of the books concerning Nahjul Balagha, written from time to time. May Allah grant sus­ tenance to the researchers on Nahjul Balagha to advance the work with the passing time and in service of Allah and His creatures —Ameen. [Tr. Prof. S.M. Waseem]

THE RELEVANCE OF NAHJUL BALAGHA TO CONTEMPORARY LIFE —Prof. (Mrs) Ismat LateefMehdi Head, Department o f Arabic, Institute o f Foreign Languages, Osmania University, Hyderabad A true believer is one whom Allah has given power to control his passions. He acts according to what is right and is unswerving in his dedication to the Creator. Consequently, "he has become the key to the door of guidance and the lock fot the doors of destruc­ tion," for whom the holy Qur'an is the guide and leader. Quiet naturally, such a person "is on that level of conviction which is like the brightness of the sun." Quoted in this paper are the sermons as these are central to the theme of the discussion on the relevance of that sublime collec­ tion of the sermons, letters and sayings - Nahjul Balagha - to contemporary life. The question naturally arises in what way is it relevant? Nahjul Balagha on all accounts is an intensely religious book. It com­ prises 238 sermons, 79 letters and 478 short sayings of Amir alMumeneen to people who were his contemporaries. Its focus is on Allah who revealed the Qur'an to the Prophet (PBUH) for guid­ ance of mankind and for its salvation. Sermon after sermon reit­ erates the magnificence of divinity whose "Existence precedes non­ existence" and whose "eternity precedes beginning."

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In another sermon Amir al-Mumeneen (AS) explains that to bring about order in a disorderly world Allah prescribed the religion of Islam to enable man, tom by conflicting impulses to resurrect. The holy Qur'an lays down the rules of right conduct and the way to a pious life. Piety, consequently, is the basis of the social frame­ work of Islam that delineates man's course to the other world and his relations with his fellow men. In defining man's relations with Allah, Nahjul Balagha projects the moral view of life as will be elaborated later in this presenta­ tion. There will be general agreement that man should do such acts as are good. In fact, this view is advocated very strongly so far as an individual is concerned. Doubts will emerge when it comes to considering whether such a principle can be sustained collectively and be enforced. History has shown how evil has intermittently triumphed over good when man in one way or another, sought to exploit others for his own ends and how the notion - might is right—became the norm of society just as it is in the Jungle where the tiger is more awesome than the deer due to its strength and power. From the Jungle law, also, flows the corollary that the tiger has the right to prime existence as against other species of he animal kingdom. This cannot be the law of human societies. Man, the Qur'an de­ clares, is superior to all creation. To justify this prescription, man has to lead a civilised existence, tempering his animal instincts by human laws. The essence of law is that right has to extend from the strongest to the weakest without reserving any weightage to the former. The conception of rights is integral to any civilised society. It forms the basis on which it is structured. It is important that there should be a clear enunciation of what these are in order to ensure

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that they are properly safeguarded. But first what are rights? This is set out in the sermon of Amir al-Mumeneen (AS) as re­ corded in Nahjul Balagha: "A right is very vast in description but very narrow in equitability o f action. It does not accrue to any person unless it also accrues in his favour... He made them (the rights) so as to equate with one another." A little bit further, and there is this elaboration: "If the ruled fulfill the rights o f the ruler and the ruler fulfills their rights, then right attains the position o f honour among them, the way o f religion is established, signs o f justice become fixed and sunnah gains currency. In this way time will improve, the continuance o f government will be expected. "But if: "...desires are acted upon, the commands (of religion) are dis­ carded, diseases o f the spirit become numerous and there is no hesitation in disregarding even great rights nor in committing big wrongs. In such circumstances the virtuous are humiliated; while the vicious are honoured and there is serious chastisement from Allah the Glorified unto the people. " This concept was formulated in the 7th century when the political system revolved around the king or tribal chieftains. Quite natu­ rally there was then a notion of graded system of advantages with the king or chief having more privileges than the lowliest in that kingdom or area. The reference in the passage to the rulers vis-a-vis those of the ruled, need a little explanation. These terms are not to be con­ strued as dated concepts of kings and tribal chiefs but simply what they set out to mean of their true signification. Thus, the rulers are those entrusted with power as the chief to that position what is sought to be maintained in the enunciation of rights is that

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the agency entrusted with power as well as those vesting this au­ thority have corresponding rights and obligations which have to be duly respected. It is only when the rights of the people are usurped that the group in power would read them as contradic­ tions to its right to govern. That would be an error, a wrong. The notion of rights has varied with time; it began to be pro­ claimed round about the time of the French revolution in Europe and got further strengthened with the industrial revolution, and later became extended and universal. Consider the significant portion of the sermon: "He made them (the rights) so as to equate with one another. It was much in advance o f its time: It took centuries before the universal truth that it contained, began to be accepted." The advent of democracy has familiarised peddle with the con­ cept that all men are equal and have equal rights...-In fact, any society that now sets up a system of differential privileges, would be regarded as outmoded and obscurantist. Consequently, when we read Article 14 of the Constitution of In­ dia declaring equality for all of its citizens before the law, and the guarantee of equal protection of the laws, we should not forget that, unknowingly though it be, Article 14 is an echo of the saying of Amir al-Mumeneen (AS) at the battle of Siffin. The more important aspect of Nahjul Balagha is the stress on moral values which will enable a person to lead a good life. This teaching is influenced by the transient nature of man's existence on earth. Whatever comes, must also go. Under this unalterable law man should be worthy of the distinction between himself and other species. He can, if he chooses, lead a highly sensual and morally corrupt life more or less on the level of animals. This would not only degrade himself but would also create continued tensions and conflicts in society.

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The moral values governing a persons's life are set out in the Qur'an. The rules in the holy Book are intended to guide a human being and help him to lead an upright life. Those rules indicate the obligations a person has to fulfill ranging from prayer, fasts, contributing to charity from his income, his duties towards his family, the importance of truth, and just dealing with others. There is no room for compromise in any of these injunctions, nor any scope for adjustment. They are categorical injunctions and have to be carried out. The detailed guidance provided for the believers invokes the ques­ tion what kind of life is visualised for those who act upon these instructions? It is obvious that any one who faithfully carries out the obligations, will be very much active in worldly affairs. He will not lead a life of seclusion like a hermit away from the re­ sponsibilities and cares of existence, but will be an active con­ stituent of the world leading a normal existence. At the sahie time such a person will be setting a moral example too. He will be true to his word, meticulous in the performance of his duties and in discharging his responsibilities. He will be honest in his dealings with his family, his neighbours and those with whom he has busi­ ness. He will be loyal to those whom he serves and just when dealing with the people under him. It will be argued, and it generally is, that all of these qualities are attributes of saints who may be good religious men but not useful practical persons much less those who can be entrusted with the management of enterprises of affairs of the state. The reason for their unsuitability, that is given out is, that we are in world inhabited by all sorts of people - a world that bends itselfto rogues, cheats and criminals and not to saints. This argument looks convincing on the face of it, but really isn't, for the tenor of the so-called smart crooks is a brief one. Crooks, for all their ingenuity, eventually find that crime does not pay.

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This lesson they leara through the hard way during imprisonment. As for the so-called smart businessmen, their names and fame fade out before they die or even if they linger on, they are forgot­ ten sooner than such people desire. In contrast, those who lead exemplary lives, are remembered long after they are dead. The perception of Amir al-Mumeneen (AS) as held out in Nahjul Balagha towards those leading virtuous lives is two fold. It indi­ cates that by leading a moral existence a person will be prosper­ ous. Since society is composed of human beings, the social or­ ganisation of just men will be much more desirable than that group where men are engaged in a rat race for wealth and power which they try to achieve by fair means or foul. The other more lasting benefit is the reward in the next world where all that a person wished for and craved for, will be pro­ vided as a compensation for his moral conduct in this transient, ephemeral world. The author of Nahjul Balagha did not merely preach but acted on all his precepts. He was the great example o f- plain living and high thinking - his thoughts reaching out to heaven not only for himself but for the whole of mankind.

THE CONCEPT OF GOD IN NAHJUL BALAGHA — Late Professor Majid A Ex-Head o f the Department o f Islamic Studies, Jamia Mi Ilia Islamia, New Delhi TAWHID: Tawhid i.e., Oneness of God is the basic, fundamental and most important belief which Islam has presented before the mankind. As such Hazrat Ali was the foremost preacher of Tawhid. In his discourses and speeches he put great stress on this belief. In one of his sermons, Hazrat Ali says: “...I stand witness that there is no god but Allah, the One. He has no like. My testimony has been tested in its frankness, and its essence is our belief We shall cling to it fo r ever till we live and shall store it facing the tribulations that overtake us be­ cause it is the foundation stone o f Belief and first step towards good actions and Divine pleasure. It is the means to keep Satan away. I also stand witness that Mohammad is His servant and His Prophet... ”l He seeks completion of his blessing in the following words: “1praise Allah seeking completion o f His Blessing submitting to His Glory and expecting safety from committing His Sins. I in­ voke His Help being in need o f His Sufficiency (ofprotection). ’* At another place, Hazrat Ali describes the Oneness (Tawhid) of Allah in the following words:

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"... I stand witness that there is no god but Allah, the One; there is no partner for Him nor is there with Him any god other than Himself and that Mohammad is His Servant and His Prophet (S. A.)".3 Hazrat Ali seeks protection of God, the Almighty, the One, on all occasions. Thus, during the journey he used to say: “My Allah, I seek Thy protection from the hardships o f journey, from the grief o f returning and from the scene o f devastation o f property and men. Allah, Thou art the Companion in journey and Thou art One who is left behind fo r the (protection o f the) family. None except Thee can join these two because one who is left behind cannot be a companion in journey nor one who is in company on a journey can at the same time be left behind. ’4 He praised God the One all the time: “Praise is due to Allah when night spreads and darkens, and praise be to Allah whenever the star shines and sets. And praise be to Allah whose bounty never misses and whose favours can­ not be repaid. ”s The above praise clearly points out towards the ocean of Ma’rifat and Irfan of Allah, the One, in the heart of Hazrat Ali. At another place he says: Praise be to Allah Who lies inside all hidden things, and to­ wards Whom all open things guide. He cannot be seen by the eyes o f an onlooker, but the eye which does not see Him cannot deny Him; while the mind that proves His Existence cannot per­ ceive him. He is so high in sublimity that nothing can be more sublime than He; while in nearness, He is so near that no one can be more nearer than He. But His Sublimity does not put him at a distance from anything o f His creation, nor does His near­ ness bring them on equal level to Him. He has not informed (human) wit about the limits o f His qualities. Nevertheless He

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has not prevented it from securing essential knowledge o f Him. So He is such that all signs o f existence stand witness for Him till the denying mind also believes in Him. Allah is Sublime be­ yond what is described by those who liken him to things or those who deny Him. "6 DIVINE ATTRIBUTES: Hazrat Ali describes the Divine Attributes of God in the follow­ ing words: ‘Praise be to Allah for Whom one condition does not precede another so that He may be the First before being the Last or He may be Manifest before being Hidden. Every one called one save Him, is by virtue o f being small (in number) and every one enjoying honour other than Him, is humble. Every powerful per­ son other than Him is weak. Every master other than Him is slave. Every knower other than Him is seeker o f knowledge. Every Controller other than Him is sometimes imbued with con­ trol and sometimes with disability. Every listener other than Him is deaf to light voices while loud voices make him deaf and dis­ tant voices also get away from him. Every looker-on other than Him is blind to hidden colours and delicate bodies. Every mani­ fest thing other than Him is hidden, but every hidden thing other than Him is incapable o f becoming manifest. He did not create what He created to fortify His authority nor fo r fear o f the con­ sequences o f time, nor to seek help against the attack ofan equal or a boastful partner or a hateful opponent. On the other hand all the creatures are reared by Him and are His humbled slaves. He is not conditioned in any thing so that it be said that He exists therein, nor is He separatedfrom anything so as to be said that He is away from it. The creation o f what He initiated or the administration o f what He controls did not fatigue Him. No dis­ ability overtook Him against what He created No misgiving ever occurred to Him in what He ordained and resolved. But His ver-

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diet is certain, His knowledge is definite, His governance is over­ whelming. He is wished for at time o f distress and He is feared even in bounty. ”7 At another place he said: "My Allah, the Spreader o f the surfaces (of earth) and Keeper (intact) all the skies, Creator o f hearts on good and evil nature, send Thy choicest blessings and growingfavours on Mohammad Thy servant and Thy Prophet... ’* Hazrat Ali discusses the Praise and the Attributes of Allah as follows: Praise be to Allah who is above all else, and is Near (the cre­ ation) through His Bounty. He is the Giver o f all reward and distinction, and Dispeller o f all calamities and hardships. 1praise Him fo r His continuous Mercy and His copious Bounties. I be­ lieve in Him as He is the First o f all, and He is manifest. I seek guidance from Him as He is Near and is the Guide. I seek His succour as He is Mighty and Subduer. I depend upon Him as He is the Sufficer and Supporter. And, I stand witness that Moham­ mad (blessings o f Allah be on him and his descendants) is His servant and His Prophet... ”9 At another place Hazrat Ali says: “Praise be to Allah, Who is well-known without being seen, Who creates without pondering over, Who has ever been existent when there was no sky with domes, nor curtains with lofty doors, nor gloomy night, nor peaceful ocean, nor mountains with broad pathways, nor curved mountain roads, nor earth o f spreadfloors, nor self-reliant creatures. He is the Originator o f creation and their Master. He is the God o f the creation and its Feeder. The sun and moon are steadily moving in pursuit o f His Will. They make every fresh thing old and every distant thing near. He dis­ tributed their sustenance and has counted their deeds and acts.

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the number o f their breaths, their concealed looks, and whatever is hidden in their bosoms. He knows their places o f stay and places o f last resort in the loins and wombs till they reach their end. His punishment on enemies is harsh despite the extent o f His Mercy, and His compassion on His friends is vast despite His harsh punishment. He overpowers one who wants to over­ come Him and destroys one who clashes with Him. He disgraces one who opposes Him and gains sway over one who bears Him hostility. He is sufficient for one who relies on Him. He gives one who asks Him. He repays one who lends to Him. He rewards one who thanks Him. ”10 Hazrat Ali believed in Omnipotent, Magnificent, Munificent, Most Generous, and Bountiful God, the One and Alone. He described Him as follows: "Praise be to Allah whom refusal to give away and stinginess do not make rich and Whom munificence and generosity do not make poor, although everyone who gives away loses (to that extent) except He, and every miser is blamed fo r his niggardliness. He obliges through beneficial bounties andplentiful gifts and grants. The whole creation is His family. He has guaranteed their liveli­ hood and ordained their sustenance. He has prepared the way fo r those who turn to Him and those who seek what is with Him. He is as generous about what He is asked as He is about that for which He is not asked. He is the First fo r whom there was no “before ” so that there could be anything before Him. He is the Last for whom there is no “after" so that there could be any­ thing after Him. He prevents the pupils o f the eyes from seeing Him or perceiving Him. Time does not change over Him, so as to admit o f any change o f condition about Him. He is not in any place so as to allow Him movement (from one place to another). I f He gives away all that the mines o f the mountains emit out or the gold, silver, pearls and cuttings o f coral which the shells o f

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the ocean vomit out, it would not affect His munificence, nor diminish the extent o f what He has. (In fact) He would still have such treasures o f bounty as would not decrease by the demands o f the people, because He is that generous Being whom the beg­ ging o f beggars cannot make poor nor the pertinacity o f beseechers make miser. ”n In conclusion, we give yet another quotation to show Hazrat Ali’s concept of God: “Exalted is Allah Whom heights o f daring cannot approach and fineness o f intelligence cannotfind. He is such First that there is no extremity fo r Him so that He be contained within it, nor is there an end fo r Him where He would cease.>u "...He is such Manifest that there is nothing above Him and such Hidden that there is nothing nearer than He.>n3 REFERENCES 1. Sermon 2, Nahjul Balagha, Centre of Islamic Studies, Qum, Is­ lamic Repubic of Iran, 1975, p.131. 2. Ibid., p. 131 3. Ibid., Sermon 35, p. 192. 4. Ibid., Sermon 46, p.203. 5. Ibid., Sermon 48, p.204. 6. Ibid., Sermon 49, pp.204-205. 7. Ibid., Sermon 63, p.214. 8. ibid., Sermon 70, p.220. 9. Ibid., Sermon 81, p.228. 10. Ibid., Sermon 88, p.241. 11. Ibid., Sermon 89, p.242. 12. Ibid., Sermon 92, p.257. 13. Ibid., Sermon 94, p.258.

CONCEPT OF SOCIETY INNAHJUL BALAGHA — Prof. Syeda Ja Department o f Urdu, Hyderabad University, Hyderabad The sermons and orations of Imam Ali contain effective answers to a number of questions relating to our individual and social life, which in the contemporary world scenario require fresh interpre­ tations. There exists in Nahjul Balagha a vast world of words and meaning, which deserve study in its varied aspects. The basic aim of both the holy Qur'an and Nahjul Balagha lies in granting the individual a pure, progressive and balanced view of life in the context of social aspects for refining and activitating human traits. From the stone age to the present age of atomic power and the conquest of space, man has traversed many stages of social de­ velopment. His journey out of the cave to pastures, and from pas­ tures to the agricultural fields and then to markets for exchanges, has been quite arduous and the long one. To dream is man's na­ ture. He, therefore, has always longed for better achievements. He has been developing the framework for a better life, progress­ ing on path to social and cultural development. Plato in his book "Democracy” presented the concept of man's cultural life, which to him, was the blueprint of an ideal society. Despite intellectual sublimity and its insight, Plato's 'basic democracy' could not de­ velop because he ignored the minute human emotions. Artists, particularly poets, could not get any place in Plato's democratic society, for, according to Plato, they fanned those human emo­

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tions which were less important and were, therefore, not needed. It may be remarked here that since the time of Plato the concept of an Ideal Society has been continually presented with new urges and in accordance with the new intellectual trends. The meaning and values of life, and the everchanging force of truths, continued to guide human mind in drawing and reconstructing principles and view-points pertaining to an Ideal Soceity. The Paper aims at explaining that the utopian writers in their select ideas, have been presenting the concept of an ideal society, which in spite of the material accomplishments and high sounding pronouncements, remained deprived of that scope of human heart and vision which stresses at the adornment of the ''self' and high values of human life. Now, there emeiges the question : What are the basic social val­ ues? Does Nahjul Balagha throw light upon these? If we consider the economic motives and their basic features, indicated by the "Gateway o f Knowledge?' (Bab-ul-Ilm) in his orations and utter­ ances, we will find clearly emerging principles, which in spite of the changing times, have been relavent to the basic truths of life globally. The principles of economics have been developed keep­ ing in view the concepts of social justice, quality of life and hu­ man sympathy. These economic concepts as explained by Amir al-Momineen, aim to strike a balance between economic needs and morality. He wrote to Malik al-Ashtar that it is essential to generate revenues for the government, because it is after all a basic requirement for running a stable government. But, as urged by him (PBUH) due consideration should be given to individual problems of the tax payers, and also to the social conditions to help go deeper for drawing right conclusions. From Ricardo to Green, and Spencer, there exists a meaningful continuity which distinctively elevates the concepts of the Leader of the Faithfuls, as against the concepts of these thinkers: This is marked by the

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concern for humanity and human dignity, which, in turn, grants complete freedom and economic security to an individual in soci­ ety, and in civilised environments. In the Letter to Malik al-Ashtar Hazrat Ali (PBUH) said: "If they complain o f the burden (of the revenue), or o f unfore­ seen calamity, dearth o f water, or excess o f water, or deteriora­ tion in the condition o f land either due toflood or due to drought, you should give remission in the revenue to the extent that you hope, would improve their position. " The causes of globally spiriling prices and the international eco­ nomic imbalances are increasingly becoming evident, explaining their link with economic tendencies. Amir al-Momineen lucidly described this tendency in simple words, declaring hoarding, blackmarketing and economic exploitation harmful and, therefore, de­ testable. If a ruler multiplies his revenues by burdening the people economically, nothing more improper than this can ever happen. Hazrat Ali (PBUH) wrote to Malik al-Ashtar: "...prosperity is capable o f bearing whatever you load on it. The ruin o f land is caused by the poverty o f the cultivators; while the cultivators become poor when the officers concentrate on col­ lection (of money), having little hope for continuance (in their posts)../' The last sentence of the foregoing extract from Nahjul Balagha, deserves special consideration. We are not unfamiliar with the cultural and political problems being created by the contempo­ rary governments' fear of their losing power. Here Amir alMomineen has very aptly harmonised an economic concept with the political concept by saying that there shall remain no proper intellectual and emotional harmony between the people and the government, if the rulers remain enchanted to power and pelf. The sermons and letters of Hazrat Ali (PBUH) do not contain

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economic formulae, nor do they indicate the peaks and valleys of political strategies. Rather, they describe in simple but effective words the secrets of behaving successfully with the world, telling that: Kam Jo Unka Hay Ahl-e-Siyasat Janei'n Mera Paygham Mohabbat Hay Jahan Tak Pa'honchey (Let the politicians cling to their task: Mine is the message o f Love, in its directions to bask) And, due to their message of love, sympathy and friendship, the contents of Nahjul Balagha have acquired eternal meaning, pe­ rennial greatness and universal truthfulness, with an established coordination with the urges of the changing life-style. The importance of the role of an artist, trader and an artisan, in a cohesive society, can not be ignored. Growth of business in a so­ ciety adds to development and stability of an economic system. The details relevant to this, are also found in a letter addressed to Malik al-Ashtar. Hazrat Ali (PBUH) has also opined on the un­ just distribution of wealth in Sermon No. 124, saying that the so­ lution to economic ills lies in an equal distribution of wealth, for it will be helpful in the removal of poverty. This of his veiwpoint attracted criticism from certain quarters, stressing that an equal distribution of wealth and possessions is not correct. In reply to this criticism what was told by Hazrat Ali (PBUH), is all valid even today, extolling the contemporary man to ponder over these ideas. His views granted new direction to the concept of wealth/ capital. The world witnessed a new economic revolution when several centuries after Hazrat Ali (PBUH), Karl Marx and Engels examined die opportunities and, opposed the system of a class ridden society. More than fourteen hundred years ago, the Leader of the Faithfuls (PBUH) had acquainted the world with these ba­ sic principles of economics through his sermons and letters. The

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need of the hour is to propagate the teachings of Nahjul Balagha amongst the youth so that they may understand and appreciate its contents. Hazrat Ali (PBUH) (in Sermon No.203) says: "As regards your reference to the question o f equality (in distri­ bution o f shares from the Muslim common fund) this is a matter in which I have not taken a decision by my own opinion, nor I have done it by my caprice. But I found and you too (must have) found that whatever the Prophet (PBUH) has brought had been finalised. " And, in Sermon No. 207, he (PBUH) stated : What you will do with this vast house in this world? If you want to take it to the next world, you should entertain guests in it and be regardful of kinship and dischaige all obligations according to their accrual. In this way you will be able to take it to the next world." It is popularly believed that the realisation of peoples' might has developed after the French Revolution, and in the thoughts of Rousseou and Hobbs. The world realised the importance of the unbounded strength of peoples' might as also the power in their unity after the success of the Communist ideology and after the fall of Tsar's empire in 1917. Thus, after the beginning of the twentieth century the concepts relating to the place of an indi­ vidual in society, inter-personal relationship, the relationship be­ tween the subjects and the state, and the social rights of the people, assumed new meanings. It is a fact that in the orations of the Leader of the Faithfuls there exist concepts related to economics and politics. These seized the attention of man centures after. He (PBUH) states: "... the displeasure o f the common people sweeps the agreement o f the chiefs... It is the common people o f community who are the pillars o f the religion, the power o f theMuslims and the defence against the enemies. Your leanings should, therefore, be towards

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them and your inclination with them." The concepts which appeared in the wake of revolutions and move­ ments centuries after, have been explicitly stated and eloquently indicated in Nahjul Balagha. The holy Imam (PBUH) stated (in Sermon No.37): 7 discharged duties when others lost courage (to do so), and I came forward when others hid themselves. I spoke when others remained mum. I stroke with Divine light when others remained standing. 1 was the quietest o f them in voice, but the highest in going forward. 1 cleaved to its reign and applied myselfsolely to its pledge, like the mountain which neither a sweeping wind could move, nor storm could shake. " The Leader of the Faithfuls (PBUH) declared in his letters and orations that no one in a society has the right either to usurp any one's possessions or to use it unduly, and benefit through hoard­ ing or to prosper ignoring the needs of others. The thought of abundance of wealth makes a man pround (of his belongings), resulting in his isolation and aloofness from the society to which he belongs. In one of his orations Hazrat Ali (PBUH) said that he disliked those persons who feel proud in usurping the rights of their fellowbeings. The same feelings are expressed by him in Sermon No.207. Ashas ibn Qa'is had collected 4,00,000 Darhams, he (PBUH) ordered him to deposit a portion of this into Ba'it-ulMal (Government treasury). Can there be a better social justice, equal distribution of wealth, human sympathy and a soceity based upon pure intentions than this? Labour is an important subject of study in economics. Hazrat Ali (PBUH) used to irrigate orchards and earn livelihood by dint of hard work. Thus, he (PBUH) made people aware of the dignity of labour. Study the concepts of an ideal human society as given by Plato and Greek philosophers of the olden times, and you will

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find that the concept of society given in Nahjul Balagha is com­ plete, superior and all-inclusive. The concept of an ideal society has been outlined in the writings of the utopian writers viz. James Arrington (Oceana), Sir Thomas Moore (Utopia), Andrea (Christianopolis), John Bella (Ideal Society), G. Winston Ley (Law of Freedom), and Robert Nozic (Anarchy, State and Utopia). But, it is a fact that the concept of ideal society prevalent in the world has neither been all-inclusive nor all-pervasive. It is, therefore, incomplete, because from the time of Plato till Robert Nozick only the material aspect of the society and its economic and cul­ tural values were stressed at. Thus, the blueprint for development of human societies was prepared by giving consideration to mate­ rialistic development and economic prosperity. As against this, the contours of economy emeiging after the study of Nahjul Bal­ agha, is seen giving due consideration to the problems of both the individual and society as a whole, assigning due place to eco­ nomic and cultural leanings and stressing at social justice and equal distribution of wealth. The value of Nahjul Balagha lies in the depth of the thoughts and their effectiveness. An ideal society can not remain healthy and happy simply due to its prosperity. Instead, it is the moral values which grant stability and credibility to it. There appears repeatedly in Nahjul Balagha the discussion on the moral status of an individual in a society. Hazrat Ali's (PBUH) sayings contain instruction and teachings concerning moral development which go a long way in guiding and truthfully leading an individual. In Sermon No.52 he (PBUH) says: "... O' creatures o f Allah get ready to go out o f this world fo r whose inhabitants decay is ordained, and (beware) hearts' wishes should not overpower you, nor should you take your stay (in life) to be long." Hazrat Ali (PBUH) advised against disturbing one's brain with indulgence of the self in baser things in captivation to the wordly

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desires. In Sermon No.80 he (PBUH) said: "... One who hankers after it (this world) does not get it. I f one keeps away from it, then it advances towards him. I f one sees through it, it bestows him sight, but i f one has his eye on it, then it blinds him. " Syed Sharif al-Razi opines on this Sermon, thus: "If a thinker ponders over this phrase of Amir al-Momineen (one who sees through it, it bestows him sight), he would find thereunder very amazing meaning and far reaching sense..." The sermon called the Gharra (No.81) is considered one of the most wonderful ser­ mons of Hazrat Ali (PBUH). It describes through similies the wordly greed, the fickleness and trensience of the material life. Now, the question arises: Whether to live happily in a society by abiding moral values is sine qua non? We are fully aware of the outcome of moral degradation, waywardliness, confusion and choas existing in the Western societies. A group of thinkers which is fully aware of the complex cultural and psychological prob­ lems, steming out of an unbalanced and wordly Western society, is actively promoting spiritual and moral values. Keeping aside the value of the moral and religious motivations, an individual who follows high moral principles, and proves to be a good citi­ zen, is more likable in society. This goes to prove the importance of moral aspects of life. The valuable and enlightening moral teach­ ings which are full of wisdom, are given in Nahjul Balagha. In­ culcate social consciouness and cultural responsibility in the read­ ers' mind particularly in all the varied aspects of universal impor­ tance. The study of Nahjul Balagha reveals that it contains the concept of an ideal society which is multi-faceted, all-encompass­ ing and much more meaningful. Man can not do justice to himself without the existence of an organised society. Society is not merely the existence of an organ­ ised group of individuals. Instead, it is a system based upon the

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concept of mutual relationship which leads to growth and proves helpful in climbing the higher ladders of development. Maciver and Page in their book "Sociology" have aptly described that so­ ciety signifies a system of constraints and freedom of human be­ haviour which develop due to the amalgum of individuals and groups, stressing at their rights and mutual cooperation. This con­ tinually changing organisation is referred as society. The Leader of the Faithfuls (PBUH) highly extolls good morals and glorious virtues, and has drawn attention to the rights of the people. But, nowhere has he advised to forsake the world and remain aloof from society. When, Al'a bin Zeyad al-Harisi cut himself away from the world, Hazrat Ali (PBUH) advised him not to forsake the world, saying "O' enemy of your ownself] Cer­ tainly Satan has misguided you." He further empahsised that while living in the world, one has to follow a virtuous code of conduct, and that it amounts to unthankfulness and negation of the bless­ ings if God-given bounties are rejected. It means that an indi­ vidual has to remain associated with society. The sign of an healthy social order is that in it individuals cooper­ ate with each other, and each one is bound with the other in coop­ eration, brotherhood, sincerity and unity. Describing the human weaknesses that force astray the human "self', Hazrat Ali (PBUH) said (in Sermon No.84): "... O' creatures o f Allah! ... Deceived is he who deceived his ownself. Enviable is he whose Faith is safe. Fortunate is he who takes lesson from others, while unfortunate is he who fell victim to his desires. ...Be *on your guard against falsehood because it is contrary to Faith. A Truthful person is on the height o f salva­ tion and dignity, while the liar is on the edge o f ignomity and degradation. Do not be jealous because jealousy eats away Faith just as fire eats away the dried wood. Do not bear malice be­

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cause, it is scraper (of virtues) ." It is a fact that the thought provoking and enlightening ideas ex­ pressed in Nahjul Balagha regarding various social and cultural aspects of life, shall continue to illumine the path of mankind in all times to come. The sayings of Hazrat Ali (PBUH) on Faith, endurance, forgiveness, abstinance, occasion of silence and speech, justice, generosity, magnanimity, laziness and reproach, frugal­ ity, compassion and justice, are truly the last word on these mat­ ters. Those who follow these ideas can be successful in laying the foundations of an ideal human society. These pearls of advice and admonition are found sacttered in the sermons and orations given in Nahjul Balagha. A brilliant string of pearls can be made by compiling these in one place. Thus, a new code of conduct for human life can be prepared. [Tr. Prof. S.M. Waseem]

THE RELEVANCE AND IDEAL OF INTER­ RELIGIOUS UNDERSTANDING IN THE CONTEMPORARY WORLD — Swami Brahmasthananda Rama Krishna Math, Hyderabad From time immemorial, we find such seers who have enlightened mankind by their wisdom. They are the light-houses in the ocean of worldliness. These light-houses enlighten and inspire the con­ fused humanity with the perennial source of wisdom. These are the eternal laws, governing the universe including our world, dis­ covered by different sages at different times. Hazrat Imam Ali’s chivalry and charm are undisputed. The Prophet Mohammad said, “I am the city of knowledge and Ali is it’s gate”. This sentence is significant to understand the deep meaning of Prophet’s revela­ tion. If Prophet Mohammad is the repository of knowledge, Imam Ali is the commentary of that knowledge. 1. GOD OF ISLAM AND VEDANTA Imam Ali says: “Praise be to Allah, Creator of the people. He has spread the earth. He makes streams flow, and grows vegetation on high lands. His firstness has no beginning, nor has His eternity any end. He is the First and forever. He is the Everlasting, without limit. Foreheads bow before Him and lips declare His Oneness. He determined limits of things at the time of His creating them, keeping Himself away from their likeness. Imagination cannot determine Him with limits of move-

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ments, limbs or senses. It cannot be said about Him as to “whence”, and no time limit can be attributed to Him by saying “Till”. He is apparent, but it cannot be said “From What”. He is hidden, but it cannot be said “In What”. He is not a body which would die, nor is He veiled so as to be contained therein. He is not near things by way of touching, nor is he remote from them by way of separa­ tion.”1 This is an excellent sermon of Imam Ali on God, the Controller of the Universe. In the Isha Upanishad, we find verses describing the nature of God. The Upanishad says about Brahman, “Tadejati, Tannejati; Taddure, Tadvantike". It moves and moves not; it is far and likewise near. It'is within all this and it is outside all this”. Sa paryagat shukramakayam avranam, asnaviram shuddham apapaviddham. Kavirmanishi paribhu swayambhuryathatathyato rthan vyadadhat shashvatibhyah samabhyah. "It is He who pervades all. He who is bright and bodiless, without scar and sinews, pure and by evil unpierced. He has duly allotted to the eternal world creators, their respective duties.” Thus, God in the Hindu scriptures is both Transcendent and Immanent. Speech and mind can never reach there because they are the effect of the Creator. “Yato vacho nivartante aprapaya manasa saha. ” “Whence the speech falls back baffled with the mind “ —such is the nature of God and thus has it been extolled by the voice of the Vedas and the Upanishads. The one eternal substance is always behind all, and that has brought to light the subject and the object. Hence, it can never be known by the mind. The old seers of the Vedas never treated the different stages of consciousness as separate things. “Sarvam khalvidam Brahma, Nehananasti Kinchana”. (Bhrihadaranyaka Upanishad). This is all Brahman. There are no many at all. The holy Qur'an says, “Verily we are God’s and verily unto Him shall we return.” We find mantras in the Taittiriya Upanishad.

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“Anandat khalu imani bhutani jay ante. Anandenajatani jivanti. Anandam prayantyabhisamvishanti iti.” The meaning is ‘verily out of bliss has this universe evolved and being evolved, it lives in Bliss, and in Bliss does it go back and is absorbed, know Brahma to be Bliss’. This is one of the most sublime doctrines of the Vedanta. Brahma is the homogeneous One. It follows from this that the knowledge and happiness that we find within ourselves, are the conditioned manifestations of the Infinite knowledge and Bliss. But, because they are coming to us through the conditions of time, space and causation, we can see but little of that infinite knowledge and get only a partial and often distorted view of the same. What is God then? We have seen how the Hindu sages emphati­ cally declare that the absolute essence of Existence can be re­ alised by man when he transcends the limits of time, space and causation. But so long as he is under these limitations, he cannot have a full view of it, but gets a fragmentary glimpse; and this partial vision of the Absolute is what is to be understood by God. Let us illustrate this by an example: We see the sun above. Sci­ ence tells us that the sun is many million times larger than the earth we inhabit,and yet we see the sun there as a bright little disc. Do we see the real sun or not? Well, the answer will be that we do and we do not, at the same time. How is that possible? We see the real sun, but not as it really is, in shape, size and nature. Now let us imagine that we are travelling in a satellite towards the sun. As we go nearer and nearer, our vision of the sun changes, we see it larger and brighter. The light and the heat go on increas­ ing as we go near it; then finally when we reach our destination, we see the sun as it is. Therefore, what we saw from the earth was both true and untrue. It was not the full view of the sun, but a partial one. So is the case with the idea of God. In whatever physi­ cal and mental plane man might be placed, he can never lose sight

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entirely of the Self, the witness within, in whom he is living and moving and having his being. Just as we see the one real sun all the time, so we feel the existence of that Eternal, Unchangeable ocean of knowledge and the bliss within us, however much the vision may be dimmed and distorted by our surrounding condi­ tions. Wherever we may have been placed through the process of evo­ lution, we have been trying to approach it all the time. As we evolve higher and higher, our ideas of God too go on developing and becoming clearer; and in this way, it is that all the various ideas of God have come into existence in this world. These ideas of God are not false, but they are in the process of evolution, in their different stages of growth. Vedanta teaches the idea of God immanent in nature and creation is but a partial manifestation of Him. This is Iswara, God, whose body is this wonderful universe and infinite mind is His mind, and in His absolute nature, He is the essence of the soul of all beings. He is the God immanent in nature working through all these physical and mental forces and yet He transcends all. This is in brief, the idea of God as con­ ceived by the Vedantist. In the holy Qur'an, Allah, the Lord, describes Himself at many places. He reveals His power. ‘Allah is He who created you and then sustained you, then causeth you to die, then giveth life to you again. Is there any of your (socalled ) partners (of Allah) that doth ought of that? Praised and Exalted be He above what they associate (with Him).’ Man has been given supreme position over other creatures in creation. This is recorded in all the religious .scriptures of the world. 2. TRANSIENT NATURE OF THE WORLD Then, in all the religions, what is emphasised, is the nature of the world. Hazrat Ali warns us saying: “I warn you of the world, for

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it is the abode of the unsteady. It is not a house for foraging. It has decorated itself with deception and deceives with its decoration. It is a house which is low before Allah. So, He has mixed its lawful with its unlawful, its good with its evil, its life with its death, and its sweetness with its bitterness. ...Ask from Him (Al­ lah) fulfillment of what He has asked you to do. Make your ears hear the call of death before you are called by death.52 This is the reality of this world, very tempting but ultimately bringing suf­ fering and untold miseries. Hazrat Ali is very right in cautioning us through this sermon. In the Bhagvad Gita, Sri Krishna says, “Anityam asukham lokam imam prapya bhajasva Mam”(9/33). “Having obtained this transient, joyless world, worship Me - the Lord” . Having been bom in this human body, which is hard to get, one should exert immediately for perfection as everything in this world is transcient. In this ever-changing world, we can’t get happiness unless we surrender to God alone. Hazrat Ali again says: “O' creatures of Allah, I advise you to keep away from this world which is (shortly) to leave you even though you do not like its departure, and which make your bodies old even though you would like to keep them fresh.... ”. “Do you not see that your predecessors do not come back and the surviving followers do not remain? Do you not observe that people o f the world pass mornings and evenings in different con­ ditions? ”3 This sermon is in accordance with the teaching of Prophet Mo­ hammad that man shall witness the existence and unity of God and he shall fear and serve God. He instructs mankind to tread on the path of purity and righteousness. 3. PURPOSE OF LIFE IS TO MANIFEST DIVINITY Swami Vivekananda who revolutionised the world with his mes­ sage, says: “Each soul is potentially divine. The goal is to mani-

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festthis divinity within by controlling nature, external and inter­ nal. Do this either by work or by worship, or psychic control or philosophy - by one or more, or all of these, and be free. This is the whole of religion. Doctrines or dogmas, or rituals or books or temples or forms, are but secondary details.” Therefore, we should have this conviction that Swami Vivekananda exhorted us, say­ ing: “Do you not know from the history of the world where the power of the prophets lay? Where was it? In the intellect? Did any of them write a fine book on philosophy, on the most intricate ratiocinations of logic? Not one of them. They only spoke a few words. Feel like Christ and you will be a Christ; feel like a Bud­ dha and you will be a Buddha. It is feeling that is the life, the strength, the vitality, without which no amount of intellectual ac­ tivity can reach God.” (C.W. of S.V. Vol.II, 307). If we analyse, we find that all the religious leaders led God-centered, pure and perfect lives. It is not only precept, but example is better than precept. Sri Krishna saved lives of the people of Gokul from many dangers. He washed the feet of brahmins and sages in Rajasuya Yagna. Buddha wanted to sacrifice his life to save the life of a lamb. The King Rantideva gave up everything for the famine stricken people of his kingdom, and ultimately died of starvation. Prophet Mohammad’s life was a continuous struggle for the cause of Islam; and Hazrat Ali showed an exemplary courage, forgive­ ness and compassion. When Hazrat Ali’s followers brought his murderer before him with his hands tied behind his back; and, ropes were cutting into the flesh of the murderer, he was so mer­ ciful to his murderer that he ordered his followers to loosen the hands of his murderer and to treat him more humanly. In his will to his elder son, Imam Hassan, he advised him to prefer forgive­ ness to retaliation, for God keeps friendship with forgivers and those who practise patience. This was his last advice before his death. Again, when his son, Imam Hassan, with his companions was returning after completing the burial of Hazrat Ali, they heard

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a cry from a far place. When they reached the place, they saw a leper crying and asking Imam Hassan why he had not come for the last three days. Imam Hassan replied: “The person who used to come, has passed away.” The leper said: “He used to clean my hands and feet, and used to provide fruits for me daily and used to put pillow beneath my head.” This is the rare spiritual quality of Hazrat Ali. He never exhibited his compassion for his name and fame but he showered compassion in the name of Allah, the Mer­ ciful. 4. BUILDING OF CHARACTER He emphasised kindness andlnsaniyat, gentlemanly behaviour in his teachings. He said: a) “ You must create in your mind, kindness and love for your subjects. Do not behave with them as i f you are a voracious and ravenous beast and your success lies in tearing up and devouring them." b) “Muslims and non-muslims should be treated alike. Mus­ lims are your brothers and non-muslims are human beings just like you. ” 5. NEED FOR INTER-RELIGIOUS UNDERSTANDING Religion never teaches to fight in the name of religion. Time has been changing rapidly and the contemporary world seeks the present day trends in civilisation for a modern approach to the old problems of life’s goal. A living society has always to re-adjust itself to circumstances, if it has to progress. Progress is the watch­ word of the modem world. But we must remember the words of Swami Vivekananda: “Truth does not pay homage to any society, ancient and modem. Society has to pay homage to Truth or die. Societies should be moulded upon truth, and truth has not to adjust itself to society.

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That society is the greatest, where the highest truths become prac­ tical ” Albert Einstein said: “Science without religion is lame, religion without science is blind. ” With reason and argumenta­ tion, the intuitive wisdom cannot be achieved. ” Our organs o f perception can deceive us, but the intuition, i.e., wisdom does not deceive us. In the words o f Nahjul Balagha: “Perception with eyes is not real observation, because eyes sometimes de­ ceive the people, but wisdom does not deceive whomever it coun­ sels. ” Religion is a great cohesive force. The truly religious approach to the problems of the purpose and goal of life has never been without sincere seekers who are religious leaders. It is incumbent on every religious leader of the world to give fervent expressions in the channels of service-oriented activities for the total develop­ ment of the human-kind. Spirituality should flow in action. I conclude with the saying of Hazrat Ali: “Fortunate is he who takes lesson from others, while unfortunate is he who falls victim to his desire.” Let us fulfill his commandment for ‘the ideal of inter-religious understanding’ in this modem world. REFERENCES 1. Nahjul Balagha, Centre of Islamic Studies, Qum, Islamic Repub­ lic of Iran, 1975, Sermon161, p.343. 2. Ibid, Sermon HI, p.277. 3. Ibid, Sermon 97, p.262. 4. Complete Works of SwamiVivekananda.

NAHJUL BALAGHA AND THE INTERRELIGIOUS UNDERSTANDING —Dr. Joseph Al-Hashim, Lebanon «

Peace be upon the Imam. We are meeting in such a holy Con­ gress, the theme of which is : 'Inter-Religions Understanding and we are proceeding on the lines oiNahjah (i.e. Nahjul Bal­ agha)-, and are illuminated with its light (Nur). And if some people question: *Why (such a Congress is held) in India? Then say: Peace be upon the Hashmi, "Abu Turab'1And if you so desire you may see whereverHidayah is found on the earth, you would not find any place (or position) there but that is for the Imam, in which there are pillars of light, and truthful voice. When ignorance and unbelief is common everywhere, the chil­ dren of the holy Prophet (PBUH) would be the argument (Hujjah). If those, who put the question, knew the view of some of the past geographers that the word "Hind" (India) is spoken for all such countries which contracted at the time of Islamic victory (i.e., which became nearer to the victory of Islam)... If the subject of this conference is "Nahjul Balagha and Inter­ religions Understanding", then it is (an opportunity to be) the meeting point of various Messages. This topic has always been open from various angles, before the human race, longing for the unity of mankind. In such a case man should turn towards Allah's arms as children turn (in love towards their parents). This will be good for individuals as well as for whole of the mankind.

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Whenever we speak the word Religions (Adyan), we mean by that the Messages that came down from the heavens through the revelations (Wahy) of the One (the Exalted One) Who is the Turn­ ing Point for all. He is the beginning of everything as well as the end of everything. The central point of all the religions in this world as well as in the Hereafter is the man. As far as the heavenly religions are concerned (they may be re­ garded if) they present man as (the follower of) the attributes of Allah, provided they do not make bodies (i.e., material shapes, images or idols etc.) on the basis of the (revealed) speech (Kalam) of Allah and His Commandments. But if they give a material shape to Allah Himself or Allah's shape (or body) in man or man's shape (or body) in Allah, then such religions would become idolatrous (or pagans). The followers of the idolatrous religions, often, establish strong relations between man and the Creator; and make good attributes (of the Creator) particular of their gods as a result they (i.e. their gods) are projected as the exalted (and dignified) ones; and these gods become the gods of wisdom, gods of goodness, gods of jus­ tice and beauty etc., so that they may be taken as revered ex­ amples which may be obtained by the man (through these gods). If such attributions are dropped out of these gods, they may also be dropped out of the man; and the god would fall into the eternal pit of nonexistence. The heavenly Messages (Risalat) have a common essential nature in their depth, extensiveness, point of origin and attention. They also have common foundation and basis around One Creator; the worship of One Creator (God); the Day Hereafter, Divine Rev­ elation; and the Determination of the Creator (God) in the affairs of (our) lives. Before talking about "Inter-religions Understanding and the Nah-

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jul Balagha", it is necessary to have (some) discussion on the points of agreement of these religions as well as on the points of disagreement regarding these religions. For example, the belief in the heavenly religions and their bond of unity is the point of ori­ gin, although there may be differences in the details. The Imam (i.e. Hazrat *Ali) does not have his separate cultural nature regarding Da'wat and Risalat (Inviting towards Allah; and Messengership) in his clear and plain way, rather he is concrete (i.e., solid) in the knowledge of God. He is clear like crytalised glass in the meaning and intention. If there is some apparent differences between Islam and Chris­ tianity, there are certain points of agreement as well in these two religions which are related to the belief and the nature. When the Qur'an says: "O' the mankind", it actually addresses all the human beings and does not particularise Muslims alone: "O' mankind! We have created you from a single (pair) ofa male and a jtmale, and made you into nations and tribes, that you may know each other (not that you may despise each other). Verily, the most honoured among you, in the sight o f Allah, is the one (who is) most righteous o f you...n When the call of Islam was given first time in the Arabian Penin­ sula, the Christians were also there, scattered in various parts and tribes (of the Peninsula). It is said in one of the verses (of the holy Qur'an): "S&y: O' mankind! Verily, I have been sent as a Messenger to all o f you, '* Thus, it stress at the universality of the Message. The holy Qur'an also puts stress on the belief in the heavenly (revealed) books as they were the guidance to the slaves (of Allah): "It is He Who sent down to you the Book with truth, the Book

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confirming what went before it; and He sent down the Law (of Mosses) and the Gospel (ofJesus) before this, as a guidance to mankind. "* When the holy Qur'an calls the people of the book to the "Com­ mon Kalimah" (i.e., common words), it actually warns about the religious disunity: "Steadfast in Religion and make no division therein... '* Christianity and Islam, along with the basic Jewish beliefs, have united the collective contradictions. The Christians, on the basis of the message (and commandments) of holy Jesus and the Gos­ pel (New Testament), and the Muslims, on the basis of the mes­ sage (and commandments) of the holy Qur'an and the Messenger, have rejected such Jewishheresies which have violated the basic principles of the Religion and have distorted (and corrupted) the meaning of the Torah (The Old Testament) and the Message of the Prophets. Therefore, the holy Qur'an rejects such Jews who do not practise the commandments of the Torah (The Old Testa­ ment): "...Do you believe (only) in a part o f the Book and reject the rest...?"6 "This (was) because they went on rejecting the Signs o f Allah and slaying His messengers." Jesus says about them (i.e., the Jews) as follows: "Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites, because ye build the tomb o f the Prophets, and garnish the sepulchres o f the righteous."* "D id not Mosses give you the law, and yet none o f you keep the law ? Why go ye about to kill me1° The holy Qur'an rejects the Jews, who denied the automaticity of its Da'wah (Call) and the Message (Risalah):

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It is the wish o f a section o f the people o f the Book to lead you astray; but they shall lead astray (not you), but themselves, and they do not perceive, O’ye the people o f the Book, Why do you reject the Signs o f Allah o f which you are (yourselves) the wit­ ness? O' Ye the People o f the Book, Why do you mingle the Truth withfalsehood, and conceal the Truth, while you have the knowl­ edge?10 In the similar way holy Jesus has told them the result oftheir rejection of the favours and the Qafl (Da'wah) (of Allah): "And because I tell you the truth; ye believe me no.nt The holy Prophet Mohammad (PBUH) has presented (Propjiet) Mosses as a witness when he (i.e., Prophet Mohammad, PBUH) was afflicted by the bedouins: "May Allah have Mercy upon Mosses; he was more afflicted than this."12 Relating to the following verse (of the holy Qur'an): "And remember, Mosses said to his people: "O’ my people, why do you vex and insult me, though you know that I am the apostle o f Allah (sent) to you.193 When holy Jesus was afflicted (by the Jews) he addressed them: "Why go ye about to kill me?14 The difference of Christianity and Islam (with the Jews) is not in the Message but it goes deeper to the Jewish inherited thoughts which had entered them regarding godheads, Prophets and other apparent beliefs. It has been mentioned in the Book of Protocols of Jewish Philoso­ phers: "The Jews give Preference to Talmud over the Torah (The Old Testament); and consider Hakham over (and above) Allah V3

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The aim of these arguments and comparison is neither to accuse their (i.e. Jewish) belief or race, nor to instigate their racial feel­ ings. We only want to describe the cause of differences under the title of "Inter-religions Understanding". If we want that success may be obtained for the Universal peace, we should not restrict peace to the limited political ends, rather it should assume a system over the racial considerations. To study modem Judaism we should read (the works of) some (modem authors). For example, Hasan Khalid says: "The Jewish beliefs are (sometime) astonishing. They believe in Oneness (of God), but their God is rather amazing. He takes revenge from the friends as He takes revenge from His enemies. He has chosen them (i.e. the Jews) among all the nations o f the world and made them a selected group o f people.116 It would also be beneficial to inform the modem Judaism about the book, "Mushtahi al-Ajayat', in which it is said: "Israelites have centered all o f their hopes and longing around the materialistic arrogance. They serve Allah only apparently thinking that their racial (or national) pride willfurther develop due to it. "I7 Finally, we quote the view of the noted scholar, Allamah Moham­ mad Husain Fadl-Allah in this connection: "How should we treat the people o f the Book (i.e., the Jews and the Christians) in a condition when the doors o f Islam are open for others? It is important that we should know the answer. As far as the Christians are concerned, dialogue may take place with them on the cooperation and on the common points o f con­ tention in the religious affairs. The holy Qur'an has described them in the positive manner. In case o f the Jews the difficulty comes in the way as they do not adopt open view (if a dialogue is

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organised) in religious affairs; rather, their attitude is tinted with racial discrimination, having their supremacy over others. Their attitude with Islam (and the Muslims) is o f enmity at the cultural and political levels as well as on the affairs concerning peace.ns Thus, we may derive the conclusion that the differences in the basic belief between the Christianity and Islam exist in one direc­ tion, while between the Judaism and Islam in another direction, which depend upon the bold step to be taken by them. It (i.e., the dialogue) will go a long way from the roots and would culminate towards the unity on the points of (the existence of) Allah and the heaven, so that a true reunion may take place with all the peoples of the Books as well as the servants of Allah. The holy Qur'an gives dije respect to all the heavenly religions, Prophets, Messengers and the Books; and unites them on the Tawhid (Oneness of Allah): "Those who believe (in the Qur'an), those who follow the Jewish (scriptures), and the Sabians and the Christians? - whosoever believed in Allah and the Last Day, and performed righteous (deeds), - on them shall be no fear, nor shall they grieve.99 It has been pointed out in the holy Bible, the Old Testament and the New Testament, about the Jews who have been called as the "People of the Book", although the above verse (of the holy Qur'an) differentiate in their deeds and the Book. The following verse (of the holy Qur'an) particularises the Christians as well: "And you (should) not dispute the People o f the Book, except in a good way, unless it be with those o f them who inflict wrong (and injury): but say, 'We believe in the revelation which has come down to us and in that which came down to you; Our God and your God is One; and it is to Him we bow (in Islam).90 At another place the "People of the Book" have separately been mentioned:

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"Among the "People o f Book" are some who, i f entrusted with a hoard o f gold, will (readily) pay it back; others, who, i f entrusted with a single coin, will not repay it; unless you constantly stand demanding, because they say, there is no call on us (to keep faith) with these ignorant (Pagans); But they tell a lie against Allah, and (well) they know it.ni According to the Commentary by (Fakhruddin) Razi the above verse mentions two kinds of the "People of the Book", some are trustworthy; (and) they are the Christians; while some other are untrustworthy (and) they are the Jews.22 At another place the holy Qur’an, not adopting the way of notion, has clearly mentioned them by name. Thus, there remains no need o f an explanation (or Commentary): "Strongest among men in enmity to the Believers will thou find the Jews and Pagans; and nearest among them in love to the Believers will you find those who say: 'We are Christians'; be­ cause amongst these are men devoted to learning and men who have renounced the world, and they are not arrogant.93 The difference of the Christians with the Jews has also been sup­ ported in the Call of Jesus (in which he has addressed the Phari­ sees etc.): "But woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! fo r ye shut up the Kingdom o f heaven against men...94 A verse of the holy Qur'an says: "O' you who believe! Be the helpers o f Allah; as Jesus son o f M ary asked the Disciples, "Who will be my helpers to (the work of) Allah?" The Disciples replied, "We are the helpers o f Allah! Then a group o f the Children o f Israel believed, and a group disbelieved. But we gave power to those who believed, against their enemies, and they became the ones who prevailed.95

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The holy Qur'an puts stress upon (the fact) that holy Jesus was bom as a result of Divine blowing or breath (Nafakh, into Maryam) and Divine Word, and "(Allah) had chosen Mary (Maryam) and purified (her) above the women of all nations."* According to the Christians her example is: "Blessed among (all) the women." It (i.e., the holy Qur'an) has particularised holy Jesus to be "held in honour in this world and the Hereafter"**; and to be the one who is "strengthened by the Holy Spirit or the Holy Ghost" (i.e., Angel Gabriel): "Those were the Messengers We endowed with gifts, some above the others: to some o f them Allah spoke; others He raised to the degree (of honour); to Jesus the son o f Mary We gave Clear (Sings), and strengthened him with the Holy Spirit (i.e. Angel Gabriel or the Holy Ghost)...,t6 A number of miracles (al-Mu'jizat) have been attributed to him. One of his miracles (Mu'jizah) was coming down of the food (i.e., viands) from the heaven: "Jesus, son o f Mary prayed: O’Allah, our Lord, send down to us food (i.e. viands) from heaven (on a Table Spread), which should be a solemn festival to the first o f us and the last o f us, and a sign from Thee...'*7 He (i.e., the holy Jesus) has been conferred the distinction of be­ ing raised up (to the heavens) with purity; and that (raising up to the heaven) became a (great) sign for all the (people of the) worlds: "Remember. Allah said: O'Jesus! I will take thee and raise thee to M yself and Clear thee (i.e. purify thee) (of the falsehoods) o f those who blaspheme; I will make those whp follow thee supe­ rior to those who reject faith, to the Day o f Resurrection (Qiyamah)...,Q8 Are the above Quranic arguments - although there may be some

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differences—, not enough for both the Christians and the Mus­ lims to establish exceptional status for Jesus and his excellence both in this world and in the Hereafter, as well as his qualities as the Messenger? So much so that all the reservations with them (regarding the above facts) would be nullified and they would surrender to the openness of the spirituality of Oneness. The holy Qur'an extend its hands (of friendship) in its verses, and the Gospel (i.e., the New Testament) supports it, for such a dia­ logue which may open the doors (of the friendship). (It is said in the Gospel of St. Mathew): "Ye have heard that it hath been said, Thou shalt love thy neigh­ bour, and hate thine enemy. But I say unto you, Love your en­ emies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray fo r them which despitefully use you, and persecute you.,r29 When holy Jesus describes these standards, he is much above the beliefs, race and nation. In this respect he is with the Prophet (PBUH) as has been narrated by Abu Dhar: "Mind it! You are not better than any red (Coloured) or black person but on the basis ofpiety (and fear) o f Allah. " When we look at the Islamic states we find that laws have been framed for the Christians to perform their religious rituals. Such laws have been known as 'Iqduz Zimmah. Thus, it is clear that Islam has provided guarantees to the Christians and has also given them equal rights in social and other civil laws as have been given to the Muslims. It has protected them against any offence of in­ justice. The holy Prophet (PBUH) says: "Whosoever committed any injustice against any person who is under agreement (ofprotection) or demanded more surety (i.e.,

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more money as a result o f the contract without his will and con­ sent, then I myself will plead for such (an oppressed) person on the Day o f Resurrection (Qiyamah)." The holy Prophet (PBUH), in his written document (agreement) with the Jews (at Madinah) has pronounced the rights and the freedom of the Jews by saying: "for the Muslims will be their religion, and for the Jews will be their religion..." He not only gave the (above mentioned) freedom of religion at the time of the "Agreement of Protection" ('Aqd-al Dhimmah) but also protected the non-Muslims against any injury (or offence) and all that which may encourage: "Whosoever committed any offence, whether it may be by tongue or otherwise to the Protected Ones (Ahl al-Dhimmah, i.e., nonMuslims); or encouraged that (i.e. the offence), he/she has for­ feited the Protection o f Allah, the Exalted, protection o f His Mes­ senger and the protection o f Islam... 't0 We find a clear assertion of the holy Prophet (PBUH) in his epistle to the people by Najrah about the equality of duties and rights: "There is Protection o f Allah and the protection o f Mohammad, Messenger o f Allah, to the people o f Najran and their allies for their wealth, their lives, their creed, their absentees; and for their relatives, fo r their trades; and fo r everything which is un­ der them, whether small or plentiful. No Bishop, no monk and no priest will be changed. No armed force will tread on their lands. Whosoever amongst them would demand his/her right, that would be given (to him/her) with justice without any oppres­ sion. Nobody would take (anything) from other person with in­ justice... " The above words took a practical shape when the holy Prophet

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(PBUH), as reported, ordered to give death punishment to one Muslim who had killed a Dhimmi (i.e., non-Muslims, known as the Protected One or the Dhimmi) and said: "I have more boundful to the duty regarding the protection (of a non-Muslim)". High ranking Christian officials of Muslim states used "to make the sign of Salib (Cross) on their letters which they wrote to the Chiefs of the Muslims".31 Although I have gone too far while discussing the common sources, yet I would finish it after mentioning (the practice of) the early generations of the people of the Church (i.e. the Christians). They used to write: Bismilla-hir-Rahman-ir-Rahim (In the Name of Allah, the Beneficent, the Merciful) in the beginning of their let­ ters as was the practice of engraving.Lallaha illallah (There is no god but Allah) on the top of (the doors of) their houses since the 3rd century i.e., three hundred years before the Arab Vic­ tory.32 One may be blamed for talking about only the positive aspects of the beliefs of Christianity and Islam, and have overlooked the other side which denotes the differences between them. *

It is not to awaken (the feelings of) those who ask questions from each other (concerning these two religions). True that there are certain differences between Christianity and Islam concerning the topic: Prophethood bestowed by Allah; Salib (i.e., the Cross); Trinity and Incarnation, etc. But these differences will come only on the periphery of the fundamental teachings incorporated in the Gospel (i.e., The New Testament) and the holy Qur'an. If we deeply study (these books) regarding the belief in the Oneness of Allah; His Angels; His Prophets; His Books; the Last Day; The Heaven; the Earth; the (concept of) religion; Basic (teachings) of the Spirit (Ruh); and the morals, we would come to the conclusion that some of the commentators (of these books) have been silent on various

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independent judgements (Ijtehadat) in a number of theological questions concerning details of various aspects (of these religions). Allamah Mohammad Husain Fadlullah says: "The threeRisalat (Messages of Messengerships) met together on the basic of gen­ eral principles and general thoughts. There is no difference be­ tween them as far as the deep meaning of the message (or Messengership) are concerned. The details in which heavenly Messages (or Messengerships) differ, are the differences due to various needs, which require some definite solution at a particu­ lar stage. This difference is similar to the difference inShari'ats (i.e., heavenly laws) which differ due to the changes in the condi­ tions (when they were revealed)..." Allamah Fadlullah further says: "The difference between the Islam and the Christianity is not more than the difference between Muslims themselves or between the Christians themselves." The thing in which mind of some of the Christian thinker goes astray, are (some of) the laws of the holy Qur'an concerningHalal (and Harm) i.e., Permissible and Prohibited things in Islam; or (they go astray) in the case of some historical facts, which were distorted (by the non-Muslims); or (they go astray) in narrations concerning with Warqah ibn Naufal, which are sometime referred to in the history written by Ya'qubi, or some time referred in the history written by Abu Musa al-Hariri, or (sometime) referred to in the book, "Al-Damigh" written by Ibn Rawindi. In their Tafsirs (Commentaries), some Muslim thinkers, to show their difference (with the Christians), have referred to the dis­ torted version (of facts) as the book of the Heclius School, or the book, "Hayatul Masih", written by Shatrawas, or the book "MahiyatulMasih", written by Feuibakh; or some time they (i.e., the Muslim thinkers) refer to the book, 'Barnaba" in which Jew­ ish deception and misguidance (about the Christianity) has been mixed up to QiStort the facts.

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This has been rectified by Kamil Husain in his book, 'Qaryatun Zalimatun"; and 'Abbas Mahmood al-'Iqad in his book, 'Hayatul Masih". This has been further explained by the Iranian author, Mohammad Sheen Bartu, in 'Hawl al-Taqaarib al-Masihi aVIslami wa Ta'ath-thur al-Nafs al-Iraniyah bi-risalati alMahabbati al-Masihiyyah" ,33 This is the place where the thinkers and religious observers of both sides commit errors. They have endeavoured to present such wrong explanations and commentaries of (religious texts), which were imaginary, far from and against the reality. Some of them, due to certain misunderstandings, exaggerate in their commentar­ ies resulting in misinterpretation; or sometime they curtail a part of the text (due to which misunderstanding is created). For ex­ ample, we mention here (a reference of) an article written by Fahmi Huwaidi, who says: 7 heard a Khatib (Lecturer) who climbed a pulpit to tell us: "You are the best o f the peoples who have been sent fo r the ben­ efit o f the mankind..."He proceeded so much so in his enthuiastic rather firey exposition that he finished his lecture at giving the curses to the non-Muslims (to praying) fo r the demolition o f their houses and disunity among them. This would amount to the open injustice that such things (incomplete phrases) may be used (against the non-Muslims) as a part o f religion; and the incom­ plete part o f the verse (o f the holy Qur'an): "Kuntum Khair Ummatin Ukhrijat Lin-Nas" may be taken as the command for the supremacy o f the Muslims. The Khatib (lecture) did not men­ tion that (the first part o f the verse) was dependent upon the second part o f the same verse which says: "You enjoin the good and forbid from the evil".34 It was perhaps due to such religious disputes that they left the front (of religion) open for the unbelief; as a result the wave of irreligiocity (and unbelief) spread (far and wide) in the heavenly

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religions. This wave also took with it some of the social customs and contemporary practices because of the disgrace (such per­ sons) felt, to make certain principles and customs legitimate. This became common both in the believers and apostates. Rinah Habshi says: "It is necessary that we should notforget that Marxism was born out o f such culture (and society) —attributed to Allah —, in which there was no more Allah (i.e., practically they had become apos­ tate if not orally)".33 Ghazali has also warned about such types of disputes: "Whatever confusion would be created (due to such disputes) that would be more than whatever be put in order; and whatever would be corrupted that would be more than whatever be cor­ rected".36 It would be proper if we point out towards that declaration of the Vatican on the occasion of the Second Ecumenical Council (4/Majma 'al-Maskooni al-Fatikani al-Thani): "Thefamily o f man is single, which is in the strong need o f unity. The Church hereby declared that the source o f this family is one and its objective is Allah. The Church looks at the Muslims with (utmost) Confidence, who worship only One God, the Living, the Everlasting, the Merciful, Controller o f all (the affairs), Creator o f the Heaven and the Earth... This holy Council encourages (and stimulates) all that they should forget what had happened in the past; and turn with sincerity to understand each other and defend the social justice, moral values, peace and freedom for the benefit o f all mankind... ’B? It has been written in another letter, which has been published by the Eastern Patriarch of Catholics (Batarikatu al-Sharq alKathulik):

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"First o f all we want to address our Muslim brethren... We are living together fo r a long time. This tends to fashion certain common experience from which no return may be made. May Allah, in His Will, reward us and you... In another letter, the Eastern Patriarch of Catholics has addressed his Believing Brethren in this way: "Our relations with our Muslim brethren and Islam constitute a fundamental and distinguished sidefor our Churches. Our shared living with the Muslims is the fundamental constituent o f our life. In this religion o f the world both the Christian and the Mus­ lims live together in one society, in a mixed life. They stand to­ gether in good and bad days underjoint-custodian... There is no difference on this point between Muslims and the Christians...99 In a similar statement Imam Ayatullah Rauhullah Khomeini, in his lecture on the occasion of the Christmas, has directed the at­ tention of the Christians of the world as follows: "May Allah's blessings and peace be on Jesus son o f Mary, spirit o f Allah, and His great Prophet, who used to give life (miracu­ lously) to the dead ones and awakened those who were asleep. May Allah's blessings and peace be upon his great mother, Mary, the virgin, who gave birth to this very child due to Divine Breath for those who were in search o f Allah’s blessings. May (Allah's) peace be upon the religious scholars, the priests and the monks who call the disobedient to (become) the obedient and "satisfac­ tory" souls, on the basis o f the teachings o f Al-sayyid Al-Masih (holy Jesus)... We give felicitations to our countrymen, Chris­ tians in particular, and the Christians o f the world in general as well as the weaknations on the occasion o f the great Christmas to celebrate the birthday o f Jesus, who was sent to help the op­ pressed and the poor as a result o f heavenly revelation and di­ vine work...11,0

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The Inter-religions Understanding has stumbled due to exagger­ ated human and spiritual understanding, or narrow mindedness. I would be more correct to state that Imam 'Ali stands in a better position to be not only the centre of the lights of Unity of Reli­ gions and meeting point of various religions, but (the central point) of the Unity of all the servants of Allah (i.e., all human beings). So whosoever recognised the personality of the Imam (i.e., Hadrat ’Ali), he became intoxicated (with the love); And whosoever became intoxicated (with love), was influ­ enced (by his personality); And whosoever was influenced (by the personality), followed him; And whosoever followed him, corrected his/her self; And whosoever corrected his/her self, pleased with others. And whosoever read Nahjul Balagha, was amazed at (the personality of) 'Ali; And whosoever was amazed at (the personality of) 'Ali, un­ derstood his religion; And whosoever understood his religion; became nearer to him (i.e., ’Ali); And whosoever became nearer to him (i.e., 'Ali), would meet him; And whosoever met him, met all the religions and all the people. There is a vast way, for every station; and every halt is a good deed for a man. The way... which way?... the same person... If there was no holy Prophet (PBUH), there was no Qur'an;

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And if there was no holy Jesus (PBUH), there was no Gos­ pel... To the extent of Allah., if the Prophet; and the Messengers; and the Books; and the Messages (of Allah); did not tell about Him; His personality; His purity; His Perfect Attributes, then they (i.e., the above mentioned things) would have become a cause of doubt for human intellect. We have made the personality of holy Imam, his thoughts and his life style a centre to become nearer to each other and starting point for a dialogue. At the same time the Imam is the perfect model of human spirituality, human society and good morals. Therefore, he can not remain confined to one path or one religion. The importance of this perfect model can not be restricted to the extent of Unification of religions or coming the people of the Book closer to the Kalimah; but it (i.e., the model) is empowered to transform the faith of a man from one Creed to another Creed. We have a clear argument and witness with us in the narration is which the holy Imam insisted for "the judgement on a dispute with Christian concerning an armour".41 How the humanity progresses to Allah (may be seen here as well): The Imam held the sword after the victory (and did not take re­ venge even from those who) abused him, cursed him, assaulted him on his face and assaulted his children with sword... so much so that (he did not take any revenge) from the "People of Jamal" after the victory (in the "Battle of Jamal")...? How he called his helpers that they should not chase those who were fleeing from the battlefield after their defeat in the battle)? He forbade them (i.e. his followers) not to kill any injured person and not to kill any prisoner... Who was the person who asked his companions to supply water to the army of Mu'awiyah, although his (i.e., Mu'awiyah's) com-

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panions had stopped water for his (i.e., 'Ali's) companions. In this way he did not (like to) kill those who were having thirsty swords; and did not behave in the manner as they (i.e., his enemies) be­ haved...? Who climbed the pulpit of Kufa to address: "Ifprisoners o f war are presented to you, treat them well; and if innocent is presented before you, then be aware that I am on the religion o f Mohammad..." He advised his companions with dignity and reverence, although they were full of praise to him: "I disapprove the view which is in yourselves that I like the praise (of my actions)..." Who is the one to decide between them with the shaip edge of the sword (i.e., to take a just decision like a sword cuts the flesh decisively into two pieces), while the medium towards the guid­ ance had been lost (i.e., the army forJihad, which is a guidance, had been diminished). In spite of all that he was ready to fight in the path of Allah (i.e., in Jihad) to protect the truth, to defuse the mischief and injustice, and to stop deviation from the religion...? (saying): "/ agree with the argument o f Allah about them. I f they deny, then I will give them the sharp edge o f the sword; and that will be enough to save them from the Falsehood and help them for the Truth." If not so then what is the meaning of the following saying of (Hadrat) 'Ali about the people of Syria: ”0 Allah! Save our blood and their blood from flowing". And what would be the meaning of his prayerjust before the Battle of Sifiin: "O' Allah! If you caused to overcome our enemy, then save us from committing injustice and keep us on the right for the

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(sake of the) Truth... And if you cause them to overpower us then grant us the Shahadah (i.e., martyrdom) and save us from the mischief (Fitnah)... If we ignore for a moment the views of the Sabite^2, the above mentioned qualities are such deep rooted that are nearer to the characters (and lives) of the Prophets. These rare qualities give the holy Imam such a status on whose prayers the doors of the heavens are opened; and the combination of spiritual teachings and the etiquettes of the self may be observed in his personality of the (benefit of) man to enter the religions through a high gate riding the intellect (i.e., on the basis of reasoning) and not as a result of Compassion. Somebody may question that how all these glorious qualities un­ der the title "Inter-religions Understanding" have been put? Then, he may be asked to give his reply to an opposite question: What do you mean by Inter-religions Understanding? When the aim is to collect various verses and Texts, and to being closer the meaning and similarities, and difference in the words, then it would correspond to the revelations (wahy) sent by Allah. When the aim of the Inter-religions Understanding is to unite the mankind which is proceeding to it on the basis of fundamental ideology and living examples passing through the spiritual and social values, then it may be said: The knowledge oiHaqiqat (reality) and Tariqat (Leading through the path of Allah) is that knowledge of Arabic Grammar (Sarf and Nahv) which was ac­ quired by Abu al-Aswad al-Dau'ali fromImam 'Ali; and also that which was acquired by Mutazilites from his spirituality. All this is a starting point for education, refinement, and cultural and moral enlightenment towards the march to "Nahjul Balagha". This is the reason why the author insists that the message of the Imam should be published more and more in order to unite the

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human society on religious grounds, as the religion is (also) a (social) conduct. Are not the human societies deep rooted in human affiliations based upon (various) ideologies and laws? Do we have the strength —in the above reference —to publish the teachings of the/mam and his social and political reforms based upon the intellect and far-sightedness? The distinct and peculiar feature (of Imam's teachings) is that he does not derive his reforms from the pure hidden views, as is the nature of the philosophers. His teachings have not been origi­ nated as a result of (the events of a particular) period, rather they have been instilled by Allah. This is the reason that their effect is perpetual, living in all times and for all the nations. (In the above context) sometime the holy Imam resembles Aristotle in the sedentary debates which stress upon the association of po­ litical and moral (standards), though far above this because he adopts a way different from Plato in connection with the obliga­ tion of the social strata. The social classes (as depicted by) Plato, as a matter of fact, are Aristocratic in nature, while the social classes, according to Imam 'Ali, "cannot be in order (as the social classes) can not be indis­ pensable (as a whole) but some for the others." How is it possible that we call towards the Unity of man or Unity of Religion in accordance with Plato's theory; while Plato puts stress on the Aristocratic theory (of social classes). On the other hand Imam 'Ali agrees to give up the white Palace of Kufa as a gesture of love to the characteristics of the poor. However, he (fiadrat 'Ali) prefers the Common class to the Up­ per class so that a balanced and perfect society may be constructed, (he says): "Verily! Allah has made it incumbent upon the (wealth of the) wealthy persons (to contribute towards the) meals (i.e.,

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needs) of the poor..." When we want to summarise some of the clear thoughts for the sake of the correction of social and political views, we face some obvious difficulties around the practical implementation of hu­ manitarian policies to uplift the spiritual and moral standards. He says to one of his governors: "How would you make pleasant your eating and drinking, al­ though you know that you are eating'and drinking unlawfully. By Allah! I f Hasan and Husain would have committed the same as you have done, I would have never be soft (and kind) fo r them, until I had taken the legal rightfrom them and would have removed the unlawful (acts) from them." The most troublesome thing, by the society, faced not only in the past but also in the present day when the 21 st century is approach­ ing, is the danger of conflict between the tyrant and tyrannized; between the strong and the weak; between the oppressed one and the oppressor, and between the triumphant and the one who has been broken. The holy Imam, while marking the limits of these differences says: "Help the oppressed ones and not the oppressor... the weak (and the oppressed) is powerful to me until I take due rightfo r him..." As far as the relation between the ruler and the subject is con­ cerned, which has always remained a point of contention between various groups of people, the holy Imam has well defined it, which forms basis for an exemplary law of administration. "Whosoever places himself in the position o f an Imam (Ruler) fo r the people, he should start with his own education before educating others; and teach etiquettes to others through his own character and conduct before (teaching them through) his tongue..."

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The treatment of the rulers should be a model to others. They should participate in the difficulties of their subjects as they par­ ticipate in (fulfilling) the duties and (administering) the rights, without the feeling of vanity and arrogance. He says: "Should I be satisfied with this that I have been called "Amirul Muminin" (Commander o f the Believers) and should not take part in their difficulties; or may not be a cause o f satisfaction fo r them in the hardships o f their lives... ? Undoubtedly you have a right on me, and I have a right on y o u . I would never ask you to obey me before I am obedient (to Allah); and would never stop you from (committing an) evil unless I have stopped (to commit evil..." It is necessary that we may present a comparison at this stage, only for sake of a comparative study. On the pulpit of Kufa (i.e., in Kufa Mosque), Mu'awiyah said: "I have not waged war with you in order that you keep Fast and perform Salat; I have waged war with you so that I would com­ mand you..." It would be better for the present day rulers that they should adopt the regulations which the holyImam had written to AshtarNakha'i in his letter: "Evidence is taken from the talks o f the righteous ones, which are produced by Allah on their tongues. Therefore, your trea­ sure should be the treasure o f good deeds... You should have the sentiments o f mercy and love fo r your subjects... Do justice with Allah, justice with the people, justice with yourself, and justice with your family members... whosoever committed injustice with the servants o f Allah, Allah will be his enemy... Give freedom to the people from every type o f hatred... The worst minister (advi­ sor) o f yours is the one who has been a minister (advisor) o f the worst people before you. The one who is virtuous, should not be

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equal to an evil monger in your sight... Appoint commander that person who loves others and is mild-tempered in your army; and appoint the judge that person who is best o f the people in your subjects... Fear Allah in case o f the backward classes o f the so­ ciety who do not have means (of life available to them); and the poor and the needy; and those who are hungry and have been oppressed... You should not ignore such persons because o f indulge ment o f any type o f arrogance. Keep away yourselffrom the (unlawful) blood and blood-shedding... Do not strengthen your rule by shedding blood which is not lawful (to shed)..." The remembrance of such selected) passages is an important thing in itself because of the following facts: 1. They represent the selected teachings of all the heavenly religions because they are the fountain head (of all the advises) for the construction of good morals in accor­ dance with the Will of Allah; and for the development of man to the higher stages. Be glad-tidings to "the purified hearts", says Jesus. "I have been sent to make the morals perfect", says Prophet Mohammad (PBUH). 2. They demarcate the fundamentals of justice, excellence and accountability of the morals; and relation of one (man) to the other; and link of "I" with "you" through direct social movements with common ends towards the perfec­ tion of (various) stations (and positions). The veiw of perfection is similarly affiliated to both the Islamic Thoughts, as well as Christian Thoughts in the context of religious fundamentals —, in accordance with the inter­ pretation given by Ibn Arabi of the veiw of "The Perfect Man" of Islamic Thoughts; and the (general) view of the Muslims about "The Perfect Man".43 3. They give final shape to the basic human explanations

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concerning religion or the adopted ways. As a result they grant accordance between such philosophical interpreta­ tions, which have and inclination towards theShara' (re­ ligious law), in codifying (various aspects of) religious laws or (the laws concerning) rights and duties: "to.prefer the Qu'anic style over the Greek style".44 Such codified law is liberalised in the Islamic Philosophy as also in all the Major Philosophies concerning fundamental moral (teach­ ings), and (in the) case of "Allah's City" fyfadinatullah) or in "God's City" (Al-Madinatul-Ilahiyah); as (it may also be observed in the philosophy) of: Socretes; Plato; Aristotle; Christian Saints: Augustinians; in the Muqaddimah of Ibn Khaldun; and in the "Arao Ahlil Madinah" (The Views o f the People o f the City by AlFarabi. This moral view for God is also prominent in (the Philosophy of) Jean Jacques Rousseau. According to the opinion of Berkley, the origin point of all the morals is God; while Kant considers it a condition for all the morals. In this way the above thoughts are in union with the views of the holy Imam as well as... the views of the Christianity and Islam; because, according to Christianity all the morals are based upon sincerity, as also according to Islam (all the morals) are based upon the Shari'ah (Islamic Law). These patterns of the models of wisdom, political reconstruction, and qualities of high morals may be, in my opinion, examples of Inter-religious Understanding, humanitarian and social values; so much so that if there is (clear) controversy (or contrast) in be­ tween the two Calls (Da'watan), then one will be in manifest er­ ror; and if there is a controversy between two individuals, then one of them will fall in a pit of error after being separated from the humanitarian values.

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The basic principles unite inNahjul Balagha and ieach us,45they are the (true) picture of Imam's life standards Qirah), and are the enlightened guidelines. Whosoever would read "Nahjul Balagha" deeply, and would see it with truth, which is the shade o f '!'Divine Knowledge", he will find a perfect treasure, in between the two card boards, regarding the relation and unification between the heavens and earth; be­ tween the man and his Creator; and between a man and otherman. He (i.e., Imam Ali) crosses the line of demarcation between reli­ gions and views in all of his topics. The book is comprehensive. The Imam addresses in it all the "servants of Allah1' (i.e., all the people) and all mankind. There is hardly a page o f "Nahjul Balagha" which is void of Allah's remembrance and His Praise so much so that 'Ali has praised Allah even in his addresses in such a way that if an apostate read them nothing will help him to be firm on his apostatic views. Allah, the point of origin of Tawhid (Oneness) has not been a suspicious entity in the eyes of all the apostates of this world. In the words of the holy Imam: "He is the Self-sufficient (Ghani) of all the needy; Almighty of all the low (despised) ones; Allpowerful of all the weak ones; (Place of) Refuge of all the refugees; He hears the talk (i.e. prayers) of all those who address Him; whoso­ ever remained silent would get His Secret; Whosoever lived would get (due) providence; and whosoever died would return to him..." This portrait of God's Attributes is not merely to praise Him but its aim is to indicate that Allah is present in every daily affair of man; and also to present His extra-ordinary Might before the people. A man, because of his egoism and materialism, wants to return towards his ownself notwithstanding the belief he has. As against this the angels, according to the holyImam, always intend to sub­

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due to the Will (and Pleasure) of Allah, without any (personal) interest. As far as the nature of man is concerned, they (i.e., the human beings) desire from their innerself some materialistic gain eventhough they are busy in Allah's remembrance. It is not enough to divert the attention of people (towards Allah) by incitement (towards good deeds) or reprimand... It is also not enough to ask people: Worship Allah... One should present before the people the meaning of this worship and its high aspects. According to (Hadrat) 'Ali, the best way of inciting (encourag­ ing) people (towards Allah), rather to cause the people to come nearer to Allah, is that Allah may answer the prayers so that He may purify (i.e., forgive) the sins due to His Mercy: "We pray to Thee not to Censure our deeds; and not to Reproach us fo r our sins... O Allah! Send: rain; your blessing (Barakah); your providence; and your Mercy upon us..." It is rather astonishing that there is almost (deep) silence, adopted by the scholars, on the Khutbah (Address) of 'Ali, named as "Khutbatul-lshbah". This address not only includes arguments and portraits Attributes (of Allah) but also drags the apostates and polytheists, attributing partners with Allah, the Creator of all the things and people, to a comer. It is a cause for the augmenta­ tion of the feeling of piety (Taqwa) in the Believers. The main aspect of "Khutbatul Ishbah" is that Hazrat 'Ali talks in it about the angels, through which he tells people to take lesson from the angels; as though he is asking man to make the angels as model. He says: "The Allah, the Exalted, the Sublime, Created a new Creation among the angels... They do not indulge in vanity that they would consider it enough whatsoever (good) deeds they had done. Their

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virtues do not make them lazy in glorifying Him (i.e., Allah)..." As Taqwa (Piety or Fear of Allah) is a comprehensive term, which purifies man from the dirt of evils, the holyImam advises: "O' the servants o f Allah! Acquire piety (Taqwa) in the worldly movements, because this world is the world o f all the people. I f you are united in thoughts, you will be united (in your ranks). I f you want to get extreme o f it, give up its temptations which are the cause o f human struggle and their divisions (into selfish groups). Therefore, do not put yourself in dangers and mutual blood-shedding..." "Fear Allah! And proceeds towards an appointed time through your deeds. Do not indulge in rivalry fo r the sake o f the world and its vanity..." Communalism is a problematic (social) disease, which is a cause of separatism between various religions about which Walter says: "It is a religious craze which overcomes the intellect..."46The holy Imam rejects it in his Sermon, "Al-Qasi’att, while addressing the Satan: "... (Satan is) the enemy of Allah and leader of all communalists, and forbearer of all the arrogants, who has founded the communalism..." When Hazrat Ali, in his address, calls the Satan as the founder of Communalism, then his aim is to refrain people from it (i.e., from communalism), as every communal is a Satan; and the communals are also the enemies of Allah on the earth. But he calls people to (what we know as) community consciousness. He says: "If you have no choice than community consciousness, then it should be for good qualities, and virtuous deeds. Therefore, you should be community conscious for the protection o f the neigh­ bour, obedient to the virtue, disobeying the arrogant (or the proud one), acquiring the excellence, stopping from the injustice (and wrong), understanding the murder to be (one o f the) greatest

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sins, and doing justice to the Creation..." This type of community consciousness is enough that may put one in conflict with the communalism of the Satan. The differ­ ence of opinion in various academic discussions sometimes adopts the shape of communalism; and this communalism acquires the shape of outrage; and the outrage leads to conflicts and battles. We would conclude this section at the saying of the Hazrat 'Ali (PBUH) in which he has explained about Islam. This definition of Islam is such (a definition) which is true for both Islam and Chris­ tianity. He said: "1 will tell you something about Islam which was not told by anybody before this: Islam means the obedience; and obedience means the Belief; and the Belief means the Attestation; and the Attestation means the Acceptance; and the Acceptance is the Per­ formance (or Payment); and Performance means (to do or per­ form) good deeds." These are the principles around which various religions can gather together, and with the Mercy of Allah, man can unite: "And remember when you were enemies and Hejoined your hearts in love, so that by His Grace, you became brethren..."7 If you want to be particular: Christianity and Islam may come closer if they proceeded further in the direction of unity and har­ mony. The most wide (and clear) way in the direction of ChristianityIslam unity will be nothing but the Nahjul Balaghaoithe Imam, 'Ali ibn Abi Talib. Nahjul Balagha has all the basic qualities in a way that it should be the "Official Model" of the Muslims to have a dialogue with the Christians; because when they differ in the Commentaries of the holy Qur’an and the Gospel, they unite at Nahjul Balagha

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which has combined in it the point of origin (rather the point of contact) of both the religions. Nevertheless, Nahjul Balaghacan become a common book, in which both the Unities- Unity of Religions as well as Unity of Mankind -may be combined. If our unity, which is the basic and fundamental as well as deep rooted, is more precious than our differences - which are just superficial and subsidiary—,then why we have become similar to those persons who are widening their differences (day by day)...? What is forcing the thinkers (intellectuals) and legal experts that they select such legal aspects (of the two religions) which are controversial...? As against the above, they should tiy to bring to light such sides (of both the religions) which are agreeable and harmonial so much so that understanding may be reached on the words as well as meanings. The issues which quench the intellectual thirst may also prove to minimize religious communal ism. The subject of the difference has been in vogue for centuries and has continuously been pre­ sented with insistence. Even then were such differences able to change the texts (of religious scriptures)? But it will again be provoked when we adopt such controversial topics which would encourage differences. Such controversial debates will carry the Christians away from the text of the Gospel and Muslims from the text of the Qur'an. When the atmosphere of controversies and disputes is created, it helps to instigate (against each other). It does not help to influ­ ence free intellectual exercise. When we make Allah (God) as a subject of mutual disputes, we would become similar to those who consider Allah's personality an issue similar to other spiritual and material issues; and this is another type of unbelief, and another form of denial andinfidelity.

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The Wahy (Revelation) which Allah sent down to His Prophets and Messengers, is the guidance for all the (people) of the world. It is, as a matter of fact, an open invitation (Da'wah) to (build up) positive relation between Allah and mankind, and between man and man. Allah gives guidance to those who want guidance from Him. REFERENCES 1. "Abu Turab" is the title given by the holy Prophet to Imam Ali. 2. Al-Hujurat (XLIX):13 3. Al-A'raf (VII): 158 4. The Qur'an - III (4/-e 7mra/?):3 5. The Qur’an - XLII Qhura):13 6. The Qur’an - II Qll-Baqarah):85 7. The Qur’an - II (Al-Baqaraf):6\. 8. St Mathew - 23:29 (King James Version). 9. St. John - 7:19 (King James Version). 10. The Qur'an - in (4/-e 'Imran).69-11. 11. St. John - 8:45 (King James Version). 12. Ibn Kathir, Al-Bidayah Wal-Nihayah 13. The Qur’an - LXI (¿l-Safi)\5. 14. St. John - 7:16. 15. The Book o f Protocols o f Jewish Philosophers Vol.U, p. 870. 16. Shaikh Hasan Khalid, Mauqiful Islam Minal Wathniyah WalYahudiyah Wal-Nasraniyah, p. 265. 17. Alan White, Mushtahi al-Ajyal, pp. 25-28. 18. Mohammad Husain Fadl-ullah, Al-Harkatul Islamia: Humum WaQadaya, p. 132. 19. The Qur’an - V (¿l-Ma'idah):72. 20. The Qur'an - XXIX W-'Ankabut) A5.

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21. 22. 23. 24. 25. 26. * ** 27. 28. 29. 30. 31. 32. 33. 34. 35. 36. 37.

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The Qur'an - in (4/-e ’Imran):!5. (Commentary by) Fakhruddin Razi, Vol.II, p. 110. The Qur'an - V (¿l-Ma'idah):&5. St. Mathew - 23:13 (King James Version). The Qur'an - II (¿l-Baqarah):253. The Qur'an - V (