Talk:Nahj al-balagha

Untitled
I want to rename this article to Peak of Eloquence (book), since this is the english Wikipedia. Anyone opposing the suggestion? --Striver 00:36, 2 December 2005 (UTC)

You should keep it as it is, since it is referenced as such in all academic journals. DigiBullet 00:23, 14 December 2005 (UTC)


 * Of course, we will have a redirect of the Arabic name, and prominently use the arabic name in the artilce, but this is English Wikipedia. --Striver 04:55, 14 December 2005 (UTC)


 * look at this: . It clearly shows that Peak of Eloquence (book) is the prefered english title.--Striver 06:59, 14 December 2005 (UTC)
 * So, can i rename it?--Striver 13:12, 6 June 2006 (UTC)

I have taken the liberty of creating Peak of Eloquence (book) as a redirect to Nahj al-Balagha. I will attempt to go and update some of the other related disambiguation pages. This means that the article Nahj al-Balagha can be found for either of the extant English names for the document in question. This makes renaming the page unnecessary. Hope this helps. Prophet121 23:44, 2 May 2008 (UTC)
 * It would appear that a page Peak of Eloquence already exists as a redirect to Nahj al-Balagha. Is the redirect I just created redundant?  If so, some one feel free to remove it.   --- Prophet121 23:53, 2 May 2008 (UTC)

POV

 * ''No scholar of Sunni or Shi'a profession has questioned the genuineness and authenticity of Nahjul Balagha for more than two centuries..

see complete text: Talk:Nahj al Balagha/authentic

I have to brief that: 1) The Book “Nahjul Balagah” or “Peak of Eloquence” is not an invention but Sibte Razi gathered into a Book “The Sermons and Sayings of Ali s/o Abi Talib” around late 4th Century Hijri. 2) Sibte Razi expired around 5th Century Hijri and he was well known personality of his time in Bagdad, when Bagdad was the Capital of Abbasid Kings as well as it was packed with Learnt and Scholars and also regarded as Centre of Culture and Knowledge. Students of History may find out more about Sibte Razi.

3) In the Book at certain places blank pages were left intentionally for collecting Sermons at a later time and some sermons are narrated with the comment that “This portion is also considered as a part of this Sermon”; by Sibte Razi. Scribe mistakes were also copied “as is where is” and more.

4) Comparison of comments/explanation of Sibte Razi, about some Text/Sentences placed at some places; with the Text give an idea about dissimilarity of speech.

5) Although Nahajul Balagah is more popular it is not the only collection of Speeches/Sermons or Saying of Ali ibn Abi Talib.

6) Shias accept/do-not-accept anything related to their Imam with/without thorough Investigation, and the Authenticity of Nahjul Balagah is undisputed amongst them from the very beginning.

7) And that the TEXT of the book speaks of itself and tells ‘to whom it is connected to’.

sayedminhal

—Preceding unsigned comment added by 202.159.242.175 (talk) 15:28, 5 April 2008 (UTC)

--Striver 04:55, 14 December 2005 (UTC)

Why am I not surprised that this source is a partisan Shia website-blog? --AladdinSE 15:38, 14 February 2006 (UTC)


 * Are you claiming they are lying? --Striver 16:18, 14 February 2006 (UTC)

I am not claiming anything, I am stating most emphatically that they are partisan, emotional and lack neutrality, and make no effort to hide it. Moreover, the original use of the "source" made no mention that is was in fact a partisan Shi'a source, which was a disingenuous way to try to present it as a neutral one.--AladdinSE 00:43, 16 February 2006 (UTC)

Peak of Eloquence is AlQuraan
'Nahaj AlBalagha' translates in English as 'The Way of Eloquence' & not as 'Peak of Eloquence'. —The preceding unsigned comment was added by ILAKNA (talk • contribs) 06:14, 7 January 2007 (UTC).

"Imam" Ali?? Isn't that POV?
Since when is Ali (may Allah be pleased with him), referred to as Imam Ali in neutral contexts?? His proper name is Ali ibn Abu Talib. However, referring him as Ali is also fine. Referrign to Ali as "Imam Ali" is like referring to Jesus of Nazareth as "Jesus Christ". Bless sins 03:36, 28 February 2006 (UTC)

I strongly agree. Sunni's usually refer to 'Ali (Allah be pleased with him) as 'Ali the Caliph or Hadhrat Ali (the turkish, farsi & urdu spelling is 'Hazrat', as \dh\ is pronounced like \z\), and i can see why a neutral article should refer to him by ane of these names. I strongly agree with you, and i would like to point out that referring to Ali as 'Imam Ali' is like referring to Jesus as a savior, a subjective point of view that can not be accepted in a neutral article. By Hamid Al-Maghraby, 16 September 2006

It feels comment is biased towards Ali, since even Sunni accompany Raziallh Anho with Ali, isn't it? —Preceding unsigned comment added by 202.159.242.175 (talk) 15:30, 5 April 2008 (UTC)

Sunni Views
“What you are writing is contrast to the rest of the article. Generic Sunni views is not relevant to this single book. I have already moved your edit or the correct article” (striver)

It is supposed to be in contrast to the rest of the article, it’s a Sunni opinion on the matter. If it doesn’t fit there (under Sunni Views), than there should be no mention of Sunni Views in this article at all. The so-called “Sunni views” on this book are coming from blatantly Shia websites designed to build credibility for this book. An opposing viewpoint, that the Nahj al-Balagha is not a credible book is merely addressed in passing with no actual support quotations whereas the article makes good use of quotations UNDER SUNNI VIEWS BY A SHIA AUTHOR AND A SHIA BOOK.

Because the book you are using to quote Sunni use of Nahj-ul-Balagha in the classroom is a Shia book, it doesn’t fit under Sunni opinion, and I am removing it from there and placing it under Shia views where it is actually appropriate.

Secondly, the quotations from the two prominent Sunni scholars are not what “Sunni fatwas on Shias”, they are Sunni opinions of Shia books in general. If you’re going to move it, move that to Shia hadith list, not to Sunni fatwas on Shias.

Third, of course any statements by Sunni scholars on most Shia books will be broad and “generic”, they’re not going to take the time to study a book which they’ve already labeled as concoted by Rafidi liers. ---xx-Mohammad Mufti-xx 19:42, 12 July 2006 (UTC)


 * Bro, the section does belong to the Sunni view. Yes, it is found in a Shi'a book, but he is recaling a event from his past Sunni life, and he is not saying anyhithing controversial. He is stating that the book is translated by a Sunni and that Sunnis dont like to talk bad about Sahaba. It does belong to the Sunni view. As for "they’re not going to take the time to study a book which they’ve already labeled as concoted by Rafidi liers", you are just plain wrong. As you can see, the Sunni Muhammad Abduh translated it and thought higly of it, just as the part you moved into the Sunni view explained. What you are saying is manifestly not the view of all Sunnis, Some of them comment most specifiacaly on this very book, and they do not view it as "concoted Rafidi liers" --Striver 20:00, 12 July 2006 (UTC)

I didn't say anything about the opinions I added being manifest amongst all Sunnis, I merely pointed out prominent scholars such as Ibn Tayymiah and Ash-Shafi do not accept the book as legit, Ibn Tayymiah remarking specificlly on the book itself. I saw an article that was clearly unbalanced in favor of what I've read from answer-ansar and shianews, but no references to any actual Sunni commentary. So I tryed to balance things, I posted from Al-Dhahabi who doesn't dismiss the work entirely as well as from Ibn Tayymiah who does maintain that it was concocted by Rafidi liers.

The reason that Shia book does not belong in Sunni views section: 1) It's a Shia book (even if it is recalling Sunni events) 2) The book hasn't been used for fiqh or jurispudence by an Sunni scholars 3) The book is criticized as having "lied" about a number of things. 4) There are Sunni authors who were former Shias who too have written titles, if I were to quote them on their lives as Shias, it wouldn't constitute Shia opinion.

If it won't be moved, I will concede on that, but I am adding Sunni discontent with the title "Then I was Guided" --xx-Mohammad Mufti-xx 20:35, 12 July 2006 (UTC)


 * That works fine with me, are we both content now? --Striver 20:52, 12 July 2006 (UTC)

OK --xx-Mohammad Mufti-xx 20:58, 12 July 2006 (UTC)

Non Muslim views
I put controversial tag there becouse some of Lebanese Cheristians like George Jordac beleive in it.--Sa.vakilian 12:57, 1 September 2006 (UTC)

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Fair use rationale for Image:Nahj1.jpg
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al-Dhahabi on the book
I noticed a quote here from Imam al-Dhahabi from his Siyaar A'laam supporting the claim that he doesn't dismiss the Nahj al-Balagha entirely. This, however, isn't exactly accurate as the full quote is:

هو جامع كتاب " نهج البلاغة", المنسوبة ألفاظه إلى الإمام علي -رضي الله عنه- , ولا أسانيد لذلك , وبعضها باطل , وفيه حق , ولكن فيه موضوعات حاشا الإمام من النطق بها , ولكن أين المنصف؟! وقيل : بل جمع أخيه الشريف الرضي ... وفي تواليفه سب أصحاب رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم, فنعوذ بالله من علم لا ينفع

Which means roughly:

"I said, he was the compiler of the book Nahj al-Balaagha which is attributed to Imaam ‘Alee radhiallaahu anhu, but the reports contained therein have are no chains of narration. Some of it is false and some of it is true, but it contains some fabricated reports of things that the Imaam would never have said. But who is the fair-minded man who would look at it in an objective manner?! It was said that it was compiled by his brother Shareef al-Radee. It includes slander against the companions of the Messenger of Allaah sallallaahu alaihi wa salam; we seek refuge with Allaah from knowledge that is of no benefit." (emphasis mine) MezzoMezzo 18:16, 22 September 2007 (UTC)

My Opinion: @@ "It includes slander against the companions of the Messenger of Allaah sallallaahu alaihi wa salam; we seek refuge with Allaah from knowledge that is of no benefit." (emphasis mine) MezzoMezzo

I have read the Book there is no Slander (against the Companions (RA) of the Messenger of Allaah[SAWS]). If you are referring to His (Ali's [the Fourth Caliph]) mentioning about Muaviya ibn Abu Sufiyaan, Talha ibn Ubaydullah (cousin of Abu Bakr [the First Capliph]), Zubair ibn al-Awwam the Companions of the Messenger of Allaah [SAWS], then you should also consider that Muaviya son of Abu Sufiyaan was against Ali son of Abi Talib, and Muaviya also dragged Ali into wars like Siffeen and Jamal. Talha and Zubair also wanted to be the Caliph of Muslims after Umar (the Second Caliph) and were involved in turmoils related to Usmaan's Murder (the Third Caliph).

If Ali is not mentioning them with due respect and has wrote an entire letter or speak of them in a sermon about the facts on their deeds, it cannot be considered as Slander. Every Sahaba (the companions (RA) of the Messenger of Allaah[SAWS]) has his due respect in the Sermons. Some facts become visibly apparent, that we did not thought that this would be the case.

This comes to light when we do research on the period starting from Usmaan's Murder till the time of Ali's Murder after whom Muaviya became the Caliph (Hasan son of Ali's Caliphate was not so long) with the help of book not only from Shia but also Sunni Sources. We should respect Sahaba and fear Allah's wrath on disrespecting them, naooz o billah. SM

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BetacommandBot (talk) 06:54, 1 January 2008 (UTC)

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BetacommandBot (talk) 06:55, 1 January 2008 (UTC)

summerize!
It really isn't necessary to put a short summary of every single sermon in the Nahjul Balagha. We don't need a table of contents. Instead I suggest just putting a slightly longer summary of a few notable sermons (like Khutba Shiqshiqya or Letter to Malik al Ashtar).

128.195.166.35 (talk) 23:36, 14 October 2009 (UTC)

Sermons, Letters, Sayings
Sermons, Letters, Sayings

IMAM ALI's COLLECTED SERMONS, LETTERS, AND SAYINGS COLLECTED BY ALLAMA SYED RAZI

NEHJUL BALAGHA

Translared by Sheikh Hasan Saeed Chehel Soton Library and Theological School Masjid e Jame, Tehran, Iran, 1977.

The book comprises 245 sermons, 79 letters and 210 sayings. The compiler has only extracted parts from sermons, letters and sayings are reproduced as it is, readers should not infer that the material which is not reproduced is less important and meaningful. In the opinion of the compiler, the evolution of this volume and opinions of the Ulemai Ahle Sunnat from 1st century (Hijri) till the 15th century is most important to be highlighted for all sects of  Muslims, so that part is reproduced in full.

"This book is a translation of the sermons, letters, orders and some of the saying of Hazrat Ali (A.S.) as compiled by Syed Razi and named "NEHJUL BALAGHA."

ABOUT THE BOOK

"These sermons and preachings of Hazrat Ali (A.S.) were so highly valued and venerated in the Islamic world that within a century of his death they were taught and read as the last word on the Phylosophy of mono-theism,as the best lectures for character building, as exalted source of inspiration, as very persuasive sermons toward piety, as guiding beacons toward truth and justice, as marvelous eulogies of the Holy Prophet (S.A.W.) and the Holy Quran, as convincing discourses on the spiritual values of Islam, as awe inspiring discussions about the attributes of God, as master piece of literature, and as models of the art of rhetorics". Nehj. Balagha. p. 4

1st CENTURY : According to the famous book of biographies Rejal-e-Kabeer, the first person to collect these sermons in a book form was Zaid Ibne Wahab Jehny, who died in 90 A.H. and who was regarded as a narrator of Ahadees (Traditions). Thus within 30 years of Hazrat Ali's (A.S.) death and during the first century of Hijrah, his sermons, letters, sayings, Ahadees etc. were collected ,quoted and preserved". Nehjul Balagha. p. 4

2nd CENTURY : With the dawn of 2nd century Ibne Wahab's example was followed by (1) the famous caligraphist of the Abbasite regime,Abdul Hameed-bin-Yahya (132 A.H), (2) and then In-u-l Moqquffa (142 A.H) took up this work of compilation. (3) Ibne-Nadeem in his biographies "The Fahrist" says that Husham Ibne Saeeb-e-KALBEE (146 A.H) had also collected these sermons.

3rd CENTURY : During the third century five famous men took up this work : 1. Abu Oosamn Omero-bin-Bahr-ul-Jahiz who died in 255 A.H. (868 A.D), quoted many sermons in his book Al-bayan-wo-Tabyan.

2. Ibne-Qateeba-e-Daynoori, who died in 276 A.H., in his book O' YOON-ul-Akhbar and Ghareeb-ul-Hadees quoted many sermons and discussed meanings of many words and phrases used by Hazrat Ali (A.S.) )

3. Ibne-Wazeh-e-Yaqoobee,wo died in 278 A.H, cited many sermons and sayings of Hazrat Ali (A.S.) in his history.

4. Abu Haneefa-e-Daynoori (280 A.H) is his history Akhbar-e-Tawal quoted many sermons and sayings.

5. Abul Abbas Almobard (286 A.H) in his Kitab-ul-Mobard, collected many sermons and letters.

4th CENTURY :

1. The famous Historian Ibne Jurair-e-Tabaree who died in 310 A.H. quoted some of these sermons in his Tareek-e-Kabeer.

2. Abu Muhammad Hussan-Ibne-Ali-Ibne Shoba-e-Halbee (320 A.H) had collected some sermons in his book"Tahfath-u-l Oquool. This book was later printed in Persia. There are 7 other writers who have quoted the sermons and saying of Hazrat Ali (A.S.) Ibne-Wareed 321 A.H) Masoodi (346 A.H.) in Morravij-ul-Zahab, Yaqooth-e-Hameveene in, Mojam-ul-Adibba, Abul Farz Isphani (356 A.H), Abu Ali Quali (356 A.H), Navadir, and Shaikh Sadook (381A.H) in Kitab-ul-Tauheed.

5th CENTURY :

1. Shaikh  Moofeed (413 A.H.) in Irshad has quoted many sermons, Ahadees (traditions) sayings and letters of Hazrath. 2. Syed Razi ( 420 A.H.) compiled the book Nahjul Balagha.

3. Shaikh-ul-Taa'ye'fa Abu Jaffer Mohammad Ibne-Hussan-e-Toosi (460 A.H) was contemporary of  Syed Razi and had collected some of these sermons etc., long before Syed Razi took up his work.

NOTE : It is reported that what Allama Syed Razi couldcompiled in Nahjul Balagha does not contain all the sermons, letters and sayings of Hazrat Ali (A.S.). Masoodi (346 A.H) in his famous history Morravej-ul-Zahab (Vol II page 33 printed in Cairo) says that only sermons of Hazrat Ali, which have been preserved by various people, number more than four hundred and eighty. Nahjul Balagha op. Cit. pp 5-6.

http://www.al-shia.org/html/eng/index.php

Remove dead links
They need to be removed.--88.111.129.157 (talk) 19:42, 17 May 2015 (UTC)

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Taking Tag
In comparison with this edit and current version, I picked tags up.Saff V. (talk) 07:31, 22 January 2019 (UTC)

Edits to improve the article
It seems that the article is in dire need of copy-editing to address a number of problems, ranging from minor ones (e.g., broken links or the phrase "3rd CENTURY") to bigger issues (e.g., the sentence Also, he nominated to the balance between rights and duties by a deep discussion and believed that "greater responsibilities result in greater rights" reads a bit funny and is not connected to the rest of the paragraph). I hope to address some of these issues in the coming weeks. I'll discuss the major points here. Albertatiran (talk) 20:01, 18 December 2021 (UTC)

I've revised both the lede and the first section, added several new reliable sources which have replaced the earlier pointers to websites and such. Also moved a paragraph about authenticity from the first section to the second one. Albertatiran (talk) 18:32, 20 December 2021 (UTC)

Made the following changes to Authenticity: 1) Removed the duplicate or redundant material from the Shia section 2) Removed (or found a different source) for much of the content sourced from websites without any noticeable change to the information content of the article 3) Removed the lists which were perhaps of little interest in the absence of any publication details 4) In their place, added material from reliable sources, e.g., EI2's article, about the authenticity of the book 5) Merged the (by now much shorter) Shia and Sunni sections. Albertatiran (talk) 18:48, 23 December 2021 (UTC)

Sermons is not in a good shape: Several summaries are missing and they seem to constitute WP:OR. It's also not clear which edition of Nahj al-Balagha has been used to produce the summaries. (I spent some time but failed to figure that out.) I'd like to suggest replacing them with the short identifiers given in this research article (in Persian) in the form of a compact and easily-navigable table: Albertatiran (talk) 17:34, 27 December 2021 (UTC)

Used the identifiers in Reza's translation, which is said to be the most accessible according to Encyclopedia of Islamic civilisation and religion, for the summaries in the article. Moved the quotes in colored boxes to the body of the article. Cleaned up the Translations and See also and External links sections. Albertatiran (talk) 08:53, 1 January 2022 (UTC)

Shia
Sir I am Shia and I love the book because: It gives the right information of Islam and because it has a lot of Hadith and it is good for the Islamic ummah 2600:1700:A250:C290:113A:AA95:BDF3:8984 (talk) 17:53, 7 November 2023 (UTC)