| As a brief
introduction, Nahj-ul-Balagha is a collection of Sermons, Letters
and miscellaneous Sayings left as a memorial from the Amir-al-Momeneen
Ali (as). This book is divided into three sections of Sermons,
Letters and short Sayings. Some of the sayings have been selected
from the Sermons and Letters.
Late Syed Radi compiled Nahj-ul-Balagha over a thousand years
ago and before he made the efforts these jewels were scattered
all over the Islamic literature. Other scholars were in the
process of doing the same thing, but God gave Syed Radi the
opportunity and the will to finish this enormous task. According
to him certain words and expressions of Nahj-ul-Balagha are
matchless in human expression by eloquent writers, Islamic
thinkers and even the adversaries of Islam. These people have
always accepted that some statements of the Nahj-ul-Balagha
are superior to human expression and beyond the ordinary level
of the human being's knowledge at that time. We are indebted
to the endeavors and initiatives of Syed Radi who left the
Nahj-ul-Balagha for us.
The Sermons included in Nahj-ul-Balagha were expressed and
written by Amir-al-Momeneen(as) as a teacher, ruler and an
Islamologist. Thus, in addition to reflecting the general
lines of Islamic thought, these Sermons and Letters also cover
daily matters, i.e. the current problems and difficulties
of Amir-al-Momeneen’s (as) life.
The importance of the Nahj-ul-Balagha lies in two dimensions.
First, it speaks about the fundamental of Islam such as the
matters concerning God, the human being, Islamic views of
humanity, prophet hood and its position in human history a
means of understanding Islam and thus necessary for us to
study. Secondly, the Nahj-ul-Balagha refers to the social
problems of a hypocritical society with which we deal today.
Accordingly, this book can be a source of Inspiration for
us as regards to the social and political problems of life
and the possible solutions to them.
The quality and eloquence of these
very magnificent purports needs to be noted. It is these purports
which make us appreciate the Nahj-ul-Balagha, now in the
fourteenth century, more than a great scholar of the fourth
century did. As a matter of fact, the human being has naturally
faced so many hardships in the course of centuries that he
or she understands Amir-al-Momeneen's (as) message and
the call of Islam from his tongue more easily than those who
lived centuries ago.
Wassalam
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