Letter 28: In reply to Mu\'awiyah, and it is one ot his most elegant writings ومن كتاب له (عليه السلام( إلى معاوية جواباً وهو من محاسن الكتب. Now, your letter has reached me wherein you recall that Allah chose Muhammad (S) for His religion and helped him through those companions who helped him. Strange things about you have remained concealed (by the irony of fate) from us, since you have started telling us of Allah\'s trials for us and His bounties to us through our Prophet. In this matter, you are like the person who carries dates to Hajar, or who challenges his own master to a duel in archery. أَمَّا بَعْدُ، فَقَدْ أَتَانِي كِتَابُكَ تَذْكُرُ [فِيهِ] اصْطِفَاءَ اللهِ تعالى مُحَمَّداً(صلى الله عليه وآله) لِدِينِهِ، وَتَأْيِيدَهُ إِيَّاهُ بِمَنْ أَيَّدَهُ مِنْ أَصْحَابِهِ، فَلَقَدْ خَبَّأَ لَنَا الدَّهْرُ مِنْكَ عَجَباً، إِذْ طَفِقْتَ تُخْبِرُنَا بِبَلاَءِ اللهِ عِنْدَنَا، وَنِعْمَتِهِ عَلَيْنَا فِي نَبِيِّنَا، فَكُنْتَ فِي ذلكِ كَنَاقِلِ الَّتمْرِ إِلَى هَجَرَ، أَوْ دَاعِي مُسَدِّدِهِ إِلَى النِّضَالِ You think that so - and- so are the most distinguished persons in Islam. You have said such a thing which if it be true, you have nothing to do with it, but if it be not so, then its defect will not affect you. And what are you to do with the question of who is better and who is worse, or who is the ruler and who is the ruled. What have the freed ones and their sons to do with distinguishing between the first muhajirun and determining their position or defining their ranks. What a pity! the sound of an arrow is being produced by what is not a real arrow, and he against whom the judgement is to be passed is sitting in judgement. O man, why do you not see your own lameness and remain within bounds, and why do not you realize the shortness of your measure and stay back where destiny has placed you. You have no concern with the defeat of the defeated or the victory of the victor. وَزَعَمْتَ أَنَّ أَفْضَلَ النَّاسِ فِي الاْسْلاَمِ فُلاَنٌ وَفُلاَنٌ، فَذَكَرْتَ أَمْراً إِنْ تَمَّ اعْتَزَلَكَ كُلُّهُ، وَإِنْ نَقَصَ لَمْ يَلْحَقْكَ ثَلْمُهُ، وَمَا أَنْتَ وَالْفَاضِلَ وَالْمَفْضُولَ، وَالسَّائِسَ وَالْمَسُوسَ! وَمَا لِلطُّلَقَاءِ وَأَبْنَاءِ الطُّلَقَاءِ، وَالـتَّمْييزَبَيْنَ الْمُهَاجِرِينَ الاْوَّلِينَ، وَتَرْتِيبَ دَرَجَاتِهِمْ، وَتَعْرِيفَ طَبَقَاتِهِمْ! هَيْهَاتَ لَقَدْ حَنَّ قِدْحٌ لَيْسَ مِنْهَا، وَطَفِقَ يَحْكُمُ فِيهَا مَنْ عَلَيْهِ الْحُكْمُ لَهَا! أَلاَ تَرْبَعُ أَيُّهَا الاْنْسَانُ عَلَى ظَلْعِكَ، وَتَعْرِفُ قُصُورَ ذَرْعِكَ، وَتَتَأَخَّرُ حَيْثُ أَخَّرَكَ الْقَدَرُ! فَمَا عَلَيْكَ غَلَبَةُ الْمَغْلُوبِ، وَلاَ لَكَ ظَفَرُ الظَّافِرِ! You are wandering in bewilderment and straying from the right path. Do you not realize it? I am not giving you any news: I am just recounting Allah\'s bounty, namely that a number of people from among the muhajirun (immigrants from Mecca) and ansar (helpers) fell as martyrs in the way of Allah the Sublime, and that each of them is distinguished (on that account), but when one of us secured martyrdom he was named the Chief of all martyrs, and the Messenger of Allah (S) gave him the peculiar honour of saying seventy takbir (Allahu Akbar) during his funeral prayer. Do you not know that a number of people lost their hands in the way of Allah, and that everyone is distinguished (on that account), but when the same thing occurred to one of us he was given the name \"the flier in Paradise\"; and \"the two winged\". If Allah had not forbidden self-praise, the writer would have mentioned numerous distinctions which the believer knows full well and which the ears of hearers do not wish to forget. وَإِنَّكَ لَذَهّابٌ فِي التِّيهِ، رَوَّاغٌ عَنِ الْقَصْدِ. أَلاَ تَرَى ـ غَيْرَ مُخْبِر لَكَ، لكِنْ بِنِعْمَةِ اللهِ أُحَدِّثُ ـ أَنَّ قَوْماً اسْتُشْهِدُوا في سَبِيلِ اللهِ مِنَ الْمُهاجِرينَ،لِكُلٍّ فَضْلٌ، حَتَّى إِذَا اسْتُشْهِدَ شَهِيدُنَا قِيلَ: سَيِّدُ الشُّهَدَاءِ، وَخَصَّهُ رَسُولُ اللهِ (صلى الله عليه وآله) بِسَبْعِينَ تَكْبِيرَةً عِنْدَ صَلاَتِهِ عَلَيْهِ! أَوَلاَ تَرَى أَنَّ قَوْماً قُطِّعَتْ أَيْديِهِمْ فِي سَبِيلِ اللهِ ـ وَلِكُلّ فَضْلٌ ـ حَتَّى إذَا فُعِلَ بِوَاحِدِنَا كمَا فُعِلَ بِوَاحِدِهِمْ، قِيلَ: الطَّيَّارُ فِي الْجَنَّةِ وَذُوالْجَنَاحَيْنِ! وَلَوْ لاَ مَا نَهَى اللهُ عَنْهُ مِنْ تَزْكِيَةِ الْمَرْءِ نَفْسَهُ، لَذَكَرَ ذَاكِرٌ فَضَائِلَ جَمَّةً، تَعْرِفُهَا قُلُوبُ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ، وَلاَ تَمُجُّهَا آذَانُ السَّامِعِينَ. Show Less >>