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LETTER 32

To Mu'awiyah

You have ruined a large group of people whom you have deceived by your misguidance and have flung them into the currents of your sea where darkness has covered them and misgivings  toss them about. As a result they have strayed from the right path and turned on their backs. They turned their backs and pushed forward except those wise ones who came back because  they left you after understanding you and ran towards Allah away from your assistance when you put them to troubles and deviated them from the middle path. Therefore O' Mu'awiyah   fear Allah about yourself and take away your rein from Satan since this world is shortly to be cut off from you and the next world is near you; and that is an end to the matter.

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LETTER 33

To Qutharn ibn al- 'Abbas his Governor of Mecca

My spy in the West has written (1) to me telling me that some people of Syria have been sent for hajj who are blind of heart deaf of ears and devoid of eyesight. They confound the truth with vanity obey men in disobeying Allah claim the milk of

(1). Mu'awiyah sent some men in the garb of pilgrims to Mecca in order to create sensation in the peaceful atmosphere of the place by taking common men into their confidence by a show of piety and God-fearing and then convincing them that 'Ali ibn Abi Talib has instigated the people against 'Uthman and in the end succeeded in getting him killed. In this way

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[ 32 ] ومن كتاب له عليه السلام

إلى معاوية

وَأَرْدَيْتَ (1) جِيلاً مِنَ النَّاسِ كَثِيراً، خَدَعْتَهُمْ بِغَيِّكَ (2) ، وَأَلْقَيْتَهُمْ فِي مَوْجِ بَحْرِكَ، تَغْشَاهُمُ الظُّلُمَاتُ، تَتَلاَطَمُ بِهِمُ الشُّبُهَاتُ، فَجَازُوا (3) عَنْ وِجْهَتِهِمْ (4) ، وَنَكَصُوا (5) عَلَى أَعْقَابِهِمْ، وَتَوَلَّوْا عَلَى أَدْبَارِهِمْ، وَعَوَّلُوا (6) عَلَى أحْسَابِهِمْ، إِلاَّ مَنْ فَاءَ (7) مِنْ أَهْلِ الْبَصَائِرِ، فَإِنَّهُمْ فَارَقُوكَ بَعْدَ مَعْرِفَتِكَ، وَهَرَبُوا إِلَى اللهِ سُبحانَهُ مِنْ مُوَازَرَتِكَ (8) ، إِذْ حَمَلْتَهُمْ عَلَى الصَّعْبِ، وَعَدَلْتَ بِهِمْ عَنِ الْقَصْدِ. فَاتَّقِ اللهَ يَا مُعَاوِيَةُ فِي نَفْسِكَ، وَجَاذِبِ الشَّيْطَانَ (9) قيَادَكَ (10) ، فَإِنَّ الدُّنْيَا مُنْقَطِعَةٌ عَنْكَ، وَالْآخِرَةَ قَرِيبَةٌ مِنْكَ، وَالسَّلاَمُ.

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[ 33 ] ومن كتاب له عليه السلام

إلى قُثَمَ بن العبّاس، وهو عامله على مكّة

أَمَّا بَعْدُ، فَإِنَّ عَيْنِي (1) ـ بِالْمَغْرِبِ (2) ـ كَتَبَ إِلَيَّ يُعْلِمُنِي أَنَّهُ وُجِّهَ إِلَى المَوْسِمِ (3) أُنَاسٌ مِنْ أَهْلِ الشَّامِ، الْعُمْيِ الْقُلُوبِ، الصُمِّ الْأَسْمَاعِ، الْكُمْهِ (4) الْأَبْصَارِ، الَّذِينَ يَلْبِسُونَ (5) الْحَقَّ بِالبَاطِلِ، وَيُطِيعُونَ الْمَخْلُوقَ فِي مَعْصِيَةِ الْخَالِقِ، وَيَحْتَلِبُونَ (6) الدُّنْيَا دَرَّهَا (7)


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the world in the name of religion and trade in the pleasures of this world by forsaking the rewards of the virtuous and the God- fearing. No one achieves good except he who acts for it and no one is awarded the recompense of evil except he who commits it. Therefore behave yourself in your duties like an intelligent experienced well-wishing and wise man who follows his superior and is obedient to his Imam. You should avoid what you may have to explain. Do not rise up in riches nor lose courage in distress; and that is an end to the matter. 

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LETTER 34

To Muhammad ibn Abi Bakr on coming to know that he had taken over the Position of (Malik) al-Ashtar as Governor of Egypt after the latter had died on his way to Egypt.

I have come to know of your anger at the posting of al-Ash- tar in your place but I did not do so because of any shortcoming on your part or to get you to increase your efforts but when I had taken away what was under your authority I would have placed you at a position which would have been less exacting and more attractive to you.

The man whom I have made Governor of Egypt was my well-wisher and very harsh and vengeful towards our enemies. May Allah have mercy on him as he has finished his days and

they were to hold him responsible for the killing of 'Uthman and to turn the people against him and also to incline the people towards him (Mu'a- wiyah) by mentioning the greatness of his character the sublimity of his manners and stories of his generosity. But when the men whom Amir al-mu'- minin had put on the job gave him the information he wrote
this letter to Qutham ibn al-'Abbas to keep an eye on their
movements and to put a stop to their mischief - mongerings.

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بِالدِّينِ، وَيَشْتَرُونَ عَاجِلَهَا بِآجِلِ الْأَبْرَارِ الْمُتَّقِينَ، وَلَنْ يَفُوزَ بِالْخَيْرِ إِلاَّ عَامِلُهُ، وَلاَ يُجْزَى جَزَاءَ الشَّرِّ إِلاَّ فَاعِلُهُ. فَأَقِمْ عَلَى مَا فِي يَدَيْكَ قِيَامَ الْحَازِمِ الصَّلِيبِ (8) ، وَالنَّاصِحِ اللَّبِيبِ، التَّابِعِ لِسُلْطَانِهِ، الْمُطِيعِ لِإِِمَامِهِ. وَإِيَّاكَ وَمَا يُعْتَذَرُ مِنْهُ، وَلاَ تَكُنْ عِنْدَ النَّعْمَاءِ (9) بَطِراً (10) ، وَلاَ عِنْدَ الْبَأْسَاءِ (11) فَشِلاً (12) ، وَالسَّلاَمُ.

[ 34 ] ومن كتاب له عليه السلام

إلى محمد بن أبي بكر، لما بلغه توجّده (1) من عزله بالاشتر عن مصر، ثم توفي الاشتر في توجهه إلى هناك قبل وصوله إليها

أَمَّا بَعْدُ ،فََقَدْ بَلَغَنِي مَوْجِدَتُكَ (2) مِنْ تَسْرِيحِ (3) الْأَشْتَرِ إِلَى عَمَلِكَ (4) ، وَإِنِّي لَمْ أَفْعَلْ ذلِكَ اسْتِبْطَاءً لَكَ فِي الجَهْدِ، وَلاَ ازدِياداً لَكَ فِي الْجِدِّ، وَلَوْ نَزَعْتُ مَا تَحْتَ يَدِكَ مِنْ سُلْطَانِكَ، لَوَلَّيْتُكَ مَا هُوَ أَيْسَرُ عَلَيْكَ مَؤُونَةً، وَأَعْجَبُ إِلَيْكَ وِلاَيَةً.

إِنَّ الرَّجُلَ الَّذِي كُنْتُ وَلَّيْتُهُ أَمْرَ مِصْرَ كَانَ رَجُلاً لَنَا نَاصِحاً، وَعَلَى عَدُوِّنَا شَدِيداً نَاقِماً (5) ، فَرَحِمَهُ اللهُ! فَلَقَدِ اسْتَكْمَلَ أَيَّامَهُ، وَلاَقَى


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met his death. I am quite pleased with him. May Allah too accord him His pleasure and multiply his reward. Now get ready for your enemy and act according to your intelligence. Prepare for fighting him who fights you and calling to the path of Allah. Seek Allah's help exceedingly. If Allah wills He will assist you in what worries you and help you with what befalls you.

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LETTER 35

To 'Abdullah ibn al-'Abbas after Muhammad ibn Abi Bakr had been killed.

Now then Egypt has been conquered and Muhammad ibn Abi Bakr may Allah have mercy on him has been martyred. We seek his reward from Allah. He was a son who was a well - wisher a hard worker a sharp sword and a bastion of defence. I had roused the people to join him and ordered them to reach him to help before this incident. I called to them secretly as well as openly repeatedly. Some of them came half-heartedly some put up false excuses and some sat away leaving me. I ask Allah the Sublime to give me early relief from them for by Allah had I not been yearning to meet the enemy for martyrdom and not prepared myself for death I would not have liked to be with these people for a single day nor ever to face the enemy with them. 

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حِمَامَهُ (6) ، وَنَحْنُ عَنْهُ رَاضونَ، أَوْلَاهُ اللهُ رِضْوَانَهُ، وَضَاعَفَ الثَّوَابَ لَهُ. فَأَصْحِرْ (7) لِعَدُوِّكَ، وَامْضِ عَلَى بَصيرَتِكَ، وَشَمِّرْ لِحَرْبِ مَنْ حَارَبَكَ، وَادْعُ إِلَى سَبِيلِ رَبِّكَ، وَأَكْثِرِالْإِسْتِعَانَةَ بِاللهِ يَكْفِكَ مَا أَهَمَّكَ، وَيُعِنْكَ عَلَى مَا يُنْزِلُ بِكَ، إِنْ شَاءَ اللهُ.

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[ 35 ] ومن كتاب له عليه السلام

إلى عبدالله بن العباس، بعد مقتل محمّد بن أبي بكر

أَمَّا بَعْدُ، فَإِنَّ مِصْرَ قَدِ افْتُتِحَتْ، وَمُحَمَّدُ بْنُ أَبِي بَكْر ـ رَحِمَهُ اللهُ ـ قَدِ اسْتُشْهِدَ، فَعِنْدَ اللهِ نَحْتَسِبُهُ (1) ، وَلَداً نَاصِحاً، وَعَامِلاً كَادِحاً (2) ، وَسَيْفاً قَاطِعاً، وَرُكْناً دَافِعاً. وَقَدْ كُنْتُ حَثَثْتُ النَّاسَ عَلَى لَحَاقِهِ، وَأَمَرْتُهُمْ بِغِيَاثِهِ قَبْلَ الْوَقْعَةِ، وَدَعَوْتُهُمْ سِرّاً وَجَهْراً، وَعَوْداً وَبَدْءاً، فَمِنْهُمُ الْآتِي كَارِهاً، وَمِنْهُمُ الْمُعْتَلُّ كَاذِباً، وَمِنْهُمُ الْقَاعِدُ خَاذِلاً. أَسْأَلُ اللهَ تَعَالى أَنْ يَجْعَلَ لِي مِنْهُمْ فَرَجاً عَاجلاً، فَوَاللهِ لَوْلاَ طَمَعِي عِنْدَ لِقَائِي عَدُوِّي فِي الشَّهَادَةِ، وَتَوْطِينِي نَفْسِي عَلَى الْمَنِيَّةِ، لاََحْبَبْتُ أَلاَّ أَلْقَى مَعَ هؤُلاَءِ يَوْماً وَاحِداً، وَلاَ أَلْتَقِيَ بِهِمْ أَبَداً.

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