Nahj-ul-Balagha - a collection of Sermons, Letters and Sayings
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 ibook is divided into three chapters 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 beings 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-Momeneens (as) message and the call of Islam from his tongue more easily than those who lived centuries ago.