AL-HUDA
Foundation, NJ U. S. A
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Newsletter for March 2009
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Nahjul Balgha
"The Sermons of Imam Ali (a)"
by Nasir Shamsi
It is surprising that in spite of significant work undertaken by
the Western Orientlists in the last two centuries, including
exposition and translation of Islamic books, little or no
attention was paid in the West to the translations of the
sermons and traditions reported from the Shiite Imams.
Presently, there is an
upsurge of emphasis on good governance, in the Developed as well
as the Developing world. There is a visible crisis of leadership
on account of erosion of moral values among the leaders. It is
generally recognized that a mere good legal framework in the
form of a constitution-- a set of laws to govern the affairs of
the society-- does not suffice. The system does not work unless
the leaders vested with the power to govern their people abide
by a well-defined personal discipline, guided by definite human
values and a code of conduct.
Ali bin Abi Talib, who
had been brought up and trained by the Prophet himself and had
witnessed the Revelation, did not seek government for personal
joy or pleasure. He was neither hedonistic, nor hungry for power
. He was a true servant of God. He sought the responsibilities
and the burdens of the government, not its comforts or
privileges. He sought caliphate only to uphold the Divine Law
and to improve the lives of the people through establishment of
a rule based on equity and justice for everybody regardless of
his or her status, color or creed.
Ali
said, " whoever sets himself up as leader over the people must
begin by teaching himself before teaching the people. He will
announce his training by his example before doing it by his
tongue. The man who trains himself is more worthy of honor than
the man who teaches and trains the people. "
Imam Ali was so concerned
about the well being of the poor and the needy that he denied
himself the simple comforts of life. Once Asim b. Ziyad al-Harithi
asked him:
" Commander of the Faithful, why is your dress so rough and your
food so coarse ? " Woe upon you, he answered him, " I am not
like you. God has required the Imams of justice to value
themselves with the weakest of men so that the poor man is not
disturbed by his poverty."
To establish a
socio-economic and political order, based on equity and justice,
with everyone having equal access to the opportunities and to
the means of production was the coveted goal of Ali's
government. The state was not to deny anybody its bounties; it
was bound to assure an equitable distribution of its resources
among its people, regardless of where they lived. He was
particularly sensitive to the needs of the poor and the less
gifted.
The great Imam instructed
Malik al-Ashtar in this way: " Then fear (God), fear (God)
regarding the lowest class, the wretched , needy, suffering and
the disabled who have no means of at their disposal, for in this
class there is he who begs and he who is needy (but does not
ask). Be heedful for God's sake for those rights of theirs'
which He has entrusted to you. Set aside for them a share of
your treasury (bayt al-mal) and in every town a share of the
produce of the lands of Islam taken as booty, for to the
farthest away of them belongs the equivalent of what belongs to
the nearest. "
Ali bin Abi Talib epitomizes his serious concern for the rights
of the people in this poignantly passionate statement in Sermon
224:of the Nahjul Balagha:
" I swear to God that if
I were to spend from night to the morning upon thorns and if I
were to be pulled through the streets and the bazaars, I am more
willing to have this happen than to present myself to God's
Court if I have committed an oppression against one of God's
creatures or if I have usurped the rights of another."
Imam Ali's instructions
to al-Ashtar al-Nakha'i, on his appointment as governor of Egypt
and its provinces ----the longest set of instructions in the
Nahj al-Balagha-- is a masterpiece in the art of governance. Any
of the famous Charters, including Magna Carta and the Universal
Charter of Human Rights pales before this magnificent document ,
when compared either on the basis of political wisdom,
philosophical depth or for the universality of the human
concerns addressed by its author.
It is strongly
recommended that not only should the Universities include this
most important Treatise in their Curricula of the Political
Science and Philosophy, but also those elected or appointed to
hold important political or administrative offices must consult
this Charter of enduring guidance on a regular basis, to be
worthy of the trust placed in them.
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