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Misconceptions about Nahj al Balaghah
No scholar of Sunni or Shi'a profession has questioned the genuineness and
authenticity of Nahj al-balagha for more than two centuries. The first person to raise
doubts about its attribution to Amir al-Mu'minin was Ibn Khallikan (d. 681/1282), who,
without referring to any author or source,made the following remarks about the
authorship of Nahj al-balaghah:
People have different opinions about the compiler of Nahj al-
balaghah, a collection of the utterances of al-'Imam 'Ali ibn
Abi Talib (as) There is difference as to whether it was compiled
by al-Sharif al-Murtada or his brother al-Radi. It is also
said that it is not at all the composition of 'Ali (as) and
that the one who compiled it and attributed it to him made it
himself; but Allah knows the truth.
These remarks were made in Wafayat al-aya'n in connection with the account of the
life and work of al-Sharif al-Murtada, al-Radi's elder brother.
Ibn al-'Athir al Jazari (555-630/1160-1232) in Mukhtasar al-Wafayat, Salah al-Din
al-Safadi (d. 764/1362) in al-Wafi bi al-wafayat, al-'Allamah al-Yafi'i(d. 768/1366) in
Mir'at al Jinan, and Ibn al-'Imad in Shadharat al-dhahab were content just to repeat
Ibn Khallikan's conjecture without bothering to substantiate it.
Al-'Allamah al-Dhahabi (d. 748/1347) in Mizan ul-'i'tidal was the first person to pick
up the audacity to raise the unfounded doubt to a degree of certainty a century after
Ibn Khallikan.
He wrote in his account of al-Murtada:
Al Sharif al-Murtada, who is accused of fabricating Nahj al-
balaghah, was a scholar of considerable knowledge. Whosoever
sees his book Nahj al-balaghah would come to believe that it
was falsely attributed to Amir al-Mu'minin (as), because it
contains open abuse rather than downgrading of the two caliphs
Abu Bakr and 'Umar. Contradictions and mean matters have also
crept into it, which do not conform with the spirit of the
Companions of the Quraysh and our knowledge of the later
Companions. One is convinced that the major part of this book
is forged and unauthentic.
Ibn Hajar al-'Asqalani (d. 748/1347) repeated al-Dhahabi's objections without
bothering to probe deeper into the matter.
The most interesting and at the same time the weakest part of the objections
concerns ascription of the authorship of Nahj al-balaghah to al-Murtada.
The objectors belonged to the Umayyad West and had deep prejudices against Shiii
scholars, and perhaps under the impact of Umayyad propaganda their prejudice was
so deep-rooted that even their scholarship could not rise above it.
Among the four contemporaries of al-Radi and al-Murtada, three, that is, al-Tha'alibi,
al-Najashi (d. 450/1058), and al-Khatib al-Baghdadi (d. 463/1071) have given
accounts of both the brothers.
Al Shaykh al-Tusi did not give any account of al-Radi in al-Fihrist or al-Rijal, but he did
not count Nahj al-balagha among the works of al-Murtada, which dispel any
conjecture attributing its authorship to him, because al-Tusi was very close to him as
his student. Al-Tha'alibi and al-Khatib al-Baghdadi did not mention Nahj al-balaghah
either in the account of al-Murtada or that of al-Radi.Al-Najashi in unambiguous terms
attributed Nahj al-balagha to al-Radi.
Al-Tusi's exclusion of Nahj al-balaghah from the works of al-Murtada,and al-Najashi's
mention of it among the works of al-Radi are sufficient to prove that it was without any
doubt a work of al-Radi.
The objectors, who could not even determine authorship of the book exactly,
depended on nothing but their whim to raise doubts about its authenticity.
A more convincing proof of al-Radi's authorship of Nahj al-balaghah can be found in
his own other works in which he has mentioned it. Those books are the following:
1. Khasa'is al- 'A'immah: A manuscript of this work of al-Radi is in
Rida Library Rampur (India) which reveals that Fadl Allah ibn 'Ali al-
Husayn al-Rawandi (d. 555/1160) accepted Khasa'is as al-Radi's work.
In this book, as quoted above, al-Radi has mentioned his intention of
compiling Nahj al-balaghah.
2. Haqa'iq al-tanzil: Only the fifth part of this book is accessible
to us. Its authorship is unanimously attributed to al-Radi. On page 167
of this book al-Radi makes this remark:
Anybody who needs a proof of our claim should refer to our book
Nahj al-balaghah and think upon its contents. We have compiled
all forms and genres of the utteranees of Amir al-Mu'minin (as)
in this book, which comprises sermons, letters, aphorisms, and
admonitions, and is divided into three independent parts, each
containing a specific genre.
3. Majazat al-'athar al-Nabawiyyah: Al-Najashi and others have
included this book among al-Radi's works. At two places in this book
al-Radi has referred to Nah; al-balagha as a work of his own
compilation.
It is important to note that even Ibn Khallikan, al-Dhahabi and Ibn Hajar did not
question the authenticity of the attribution of Nahj al-balaghah in its entirety to'Ali (as).
They were mainly skeptical of those parts which were critical of the Caliphs Abu Bakr
and 'Umar.
But if we find such utterances and writings of Amir al-Mu'minin (as) in both Shi'i and
non-Shi'i sources earlier than Nahjal-balaghah,baseless-ness of al-Dhahabi's and Ibn
Hajar's objections can be conclusively proved.
Let us again refer to Istinad-e Nahj al-balagha by 'Arshi, a contemporary Sunni
scholar of India. With respect to the harshest of the sermons concerning the issue of
the caliphate, known as al-Khutbat aldhiqshiqiyyah, 'Arshi refers to the following early
sources in which the sermon had occurred:
1. Abu Ja'far Ahmad ibn Muhammad ibn Khalid al-Barqi (d.274/887) has quoted it in
full in al-Mahasin wa al-'adab.
2. Ibrahim ibn Muhammad al-Thaqafi al-Kufi (d. 283/896) quoted it in al-Gharat.
In his notes on al-Gharat, Sayyid Jalal al-Din Muhaddith,quoting
Imtiyaz 'Ali Khan 'Arshi, says that this khutbah is not found in it;
even Ibn Abi al-Hadid and al-'Allamah Muhammad Baqir al-Majlisi
(1037-1110 or 1111/1627-1698 or 99) did not refer to al-Gharat
as an early source of this sermon.
3. Abu 'Ali Muhammad ibn 'Abd al-Wahhab al Jubba'i al-Basri al-Mu'tazili(d. 303/915
-16) narrated it.
4. Abu Ja'far Muhammad ibn 'Abd al-Rahman ibn Qubbah al-Razi (a teacherof al-
Mufid and a pupil of Abu al-Qasim al-Balkhi, a Mu'tazili in his youth) quoted it in
al-Insaf.
5. Abu al Qasim 'Abd Allah ibn Ahmad ibn Mahmud al-Ka'bi al-Balkhi al-Mu'tazili (d.
319/931) in al-'Insaf.
6. Abu Ja'far Muhammad ibn 'Ali ibn al-Husayn ibn Musa ibn Babawayh al-Qummi,
known as alShaykh al-Saduq (d. 318/930), has quoted it in two of his books: Ilal
al Sharayi' and Ma'ani al-'akhbar.
7. Abu 'Abd Allah Muhammad ibn al-Nu'man, known as al-Shaykh al-Mufid(d. 413/
1022) inKitdb al-'irshad.
8. Shaykh al-Ta'ifah Abu Ja'far Muhammad ibn al-Hasan al-Tusi (d. 460/1068) in
al-'Amali.
'Arshi adds that al Shaykh al Saduq has narrated this Khutbah on the authority of two
different chains of narrators:
Narrated to us Muhammad ibn 'Ali Majalawayh from his uncle
Muhammad Ibn al-Qasim, he from Ahmad ibn 'Abd Allah al-Barqi
he from his father, he from Ibn Abi 'Umayr, he from Aban ibn
'Uthman he from 'Aban ibn Taghlib, he from 'Ikrimah, he from
'Abd Allah ibn al-'Abbas. ('Ilal al-sharayi' and Ma'anial-'
akhbar)
Narrated to us Muhammad ibn Ibrahim ibn Ishaq al-Taliqani,
from 'Abd al-'Aziz ibn Yahya al Jalludi, from Abu 'Abd Allah
Ahmad ibn 'Ammar ibn Khalid, from Yahya ibn 'Abd al-Hamid al-
Hammani, from 'Isa ibn Rashid, from 'Ali ibn Khuzaymah, from
'Ikrimah, from Ibn al-'Abbas. (Ma'ani al 'akhbar)
Al-Sayyid al-Radi has not quoted the entire chain of narrators, and was content to
remark that the sermon was popularly known as 'al-Shiqshiqiyyah ', while his teacher
al-Mufid narrates both the chain of narrators and the story behind its narration.
This is indicative of the fact that this sermon was so famous in those days that
al-Radi did not find it necessary to prove its veracity by quoting the chain of its
narrators. Surprisingly, the same famous sermon was used by his and 'Ali's
opponents to question his veracity and to malign him by accusing him and/or his
brother of forging it. The kind of criticism Ibn Khallikan and his followers dabbled in
not only discredits them as researchers but also makes their other works suspicious
in the eyes of impartial and objective students of history.
Those who could not find any of the above-mentioned books to cross-check the
veracity of Nahj al-balaghah had failed miserably even in determining correctly its
authorship.
Al-Shaykh al-Mufid has collected a number of 'Ali's speeches in al-'Irshad
concerning the issue of the succession to the Prophet (saw) and 'Ali's criticism
of the ways and means adopted by his opponents to deprive him of the caliphate.
The famous Khutbah known as al-Shiq-shiqiyyah begins with the following preface:
(A group of traditionists report by a variety of chains of
authority (turuq) on the authority of Ibn al-'Abbas, who said:)
I [i.e. Ibn al-'Abbas, was with the Commander of the Faithful at
al-Rahabah I mentioned the [matter of] Caliphate and those who
had preeeded him. He breathed heavily and said: "By God, Ibn
Abi Quhatah took on...."
This khutbah ends with the following words:
Then you would have found that your world is more
insignificant in my eyes than a goat's snot.
At this point 'Ali's speech was interrupted by a man from Kufah. Ibn al-'Abbas, after
narrating the text of the speech, adds:
I have never regretted anything nor felt such distress like the
distress l felt at losing the rest of the speeeh of the Commander
of the Faithful, peace be on him. When he finished reading the
letter, I said: "Commander of the Faithful would you continue
your speech from the point which you reached?"
He answered: "In no way, in no way. It was like foam on the
camel's mouth (shiqshiqah) as it opens its mouth to bellow and
then falls silent."
Apart from al-'Irshad this khutbah, as claimed by 'Arshi, is found in other sources also.
In no way can it be dubbed as al-Radi's or al-Murtada's fabrication.
Sayyid Hibat al-Din al-Shahristani, in Mahuwa Nahj al-balaghah, has quoted different
versions of al-Khutbat al-Shiqshiqiyyah from:
Nathral-durar wa nuzhat al-'adab by the vizier Abu Sa'id al-'Abi; al-'Irshad by al-
Shaykh ai-Mufid; al-Mahasin wa al-'adab by al-Barqi; al-Saduq in Ila'l al-sharayi';and
a book of al-Jalludi. All the versions have minor differences, which indicate that
the source from which al-Radi quoted this sermon was other than these four.
After enumerating the earlier works containing this khutbah,Hibat al-Din al-
Shahristani points out that Ibn 'Abd Rabbih, one of tbe compilers of al-Khutbat
al-Shiqshiqiyyah, was a follower of the Banu Umayyah and a staunch admirer of the
third caliph 'Uthman ibn writes:
'Affan. Much earlier than Ibn Khallikan made his remark
questioning the authenticity of the attribution of Nahj al-
balaghah, certain doubts had come to circulate as indicated
by Ibn Abi al-Hadid al-Mu'tazili (d. 555/1257), who referred
to a discussion concerning the attribution of al-Khutbat al-
Shiqshiqiyyah with his teacher Abu al-Khayr Musaddiq
ibn Shabib [sic. Shayb] al-Wasiti (d. 605/1208), who said:
I read this khutbah in the presenee of Abu Muhammad
'Abd Allah ibn Ahmad, known as Ibn al-Khashshab (493
-567/1099-1172)... and asked him if he considered
this khutbah to be a forged one and not of 'Ali (as).
Ibn al-Khashshab said:
By God, I am convinced that it is from 'Ali and I am
as sure of it as I am convineed of your truthfulness.
Al-Wasiti said to Ibn al-Khashshab: "A group is of the view
that this khutbah was fabricated by al-Radi, may God be pleased
with him." Ibn al-Khashshab said:
Is it not beyond the eloquence of al-Radi or any
other? How could he speak from such a high level of
spirituality in such a (forceful) style? We are
well acquainted with al-Radi's writings, his style
and his technique. I have assessed both his poetry
and prose, these words as compared to those of al-
Radi are so different that there is no question
of confusing them with his writings."
He further said:
By God, I have read this sermon in books written
two hundred years before the birth of al-Radi. Yes,
of course, I have seen it written in many books. I
can identify this khutbah very well and know that
which of the 'ulama' and men of letters quoted it
(in his work) mueh before al-Radi's father was
born." (Sharh Nahj al-balaghah, vol. I)
On another occasion, in his Sharh Nahj al-balaghah, Ibn Abi al-Hadid
A group of blind followers of their own whims and wishes is
of the opinion that the best part of Nahj al-balagha is fabricated
and forged by a group of Shi'i writers and is something new.
Most of them consider a part of it to be the product of al-Radi's
pen or of others. But this group consists of prejudiced people,
whose heart's vision is blocked by partiality and who have
deviated from the right and straight path of truth; they have strayed
from truth due to perversion, lack of knowledge, and unfamiliarity
with literature and poetry. (vol. 1, p. 543)
At another place he writes about the words of Amir al-Mu'minin (as):
His eloquence is such that he is the leader of the eloquent and the
guide and master of orators. It is said about his ulterances that his
words are below the Word of the Creator only, but over and above
the words of all creatures; and from him the world has learnt the art
of speech and rhetoric.
There were people in the age of al-Radi himself whose hearts and eyes were sealed
in such a manner that they attributed some of 'Ali's utterances to Mu'fiwiyah.
Al-Radi's commentary on the following khutbah,is important:
His comment, are as follows:
People with no ability to understand literature aseribe it to
Mu'awiyah whereas these are undoubtedly the words of Amir al-
Mu'minin. How can dirt compare with pure gold?... 'Amr ibn Bahr
al Jahiz, a critic gifted with insight and a distinct sensibility,
has probed the matter minutely. He has included this khutbah
in al-Bayan wa al-tabyin, and has mentioned those who attributed
it to Mu'awiyah. Subsequently he says: "This speech is very much
like the speeches of 'Ali (as) and is in conformity with the great
man's classification of people, and it also corresponds with his
manner of depicting the people's modes of behaving in anger, under
oppression and waywardness, and in the state of dissimulation and
fear.
Similarly, al-Radi refers to his sources on a number of occasions,and also gives an
account of the circumstances that were responsible for the mood and theme of a
certain sermon. He has referred to: al Jahiz; al-Waqidi; Abu Ja'far al-'Iskafi; Hisham
ibn al-Kalbi; Sa'id ibn Yahya ai-'Umawi, the author of al-Maghazi; Abu 'Ubayd al-
Qasim ibn Salam; al-Tabari; Tha'lab; Ibn al-'A'rabi; al-Mubarrad, and many others.
How could an author who allegedly forged the utterances and writings of Amir al-
Mu'minin (as) be so honest in acknowledging his indebtedness to his predecessors?
Those who raised doubts about the contents of Nahj al-balagha were unaware of the
high status and prestige of its compiler, both in the society and in the academic
circles. A man of his eminence could not even think of fabricating sermons and letters
in the name of al-'Imam 'Ali (as).
Had any such attempt been made by anybody, Shi'i scholars themselves would have
been the first to reject it, as an anthology of poetry attributed to al-'Imam 'Ali (as)
(Diwan-e 'Ali) was never accepted by the majority of Shi'i scholars as authentic.
Some other such works, for example, the commentary on the Quran attributed to al-
Imam al-Hasan al-'Askari (as) or Fiqh al-Rida attributed to al Imam al-Rida (as),are at
issue among Shi'i scholars. But no one among al-Radi's contemporaries or from the
successive generations of Sunni or Shi'i 'ulama' ever questioned Nahj al-balaghah's
authenticity for more than two centuries.
Regarding the contents of Nahj al-balaghah the Muslim scholars of all shades of
opinion never doubted al-Radi's veracity.
They were aware of the presence of earlier sources of al-'Imam 'Ali's utterances.
There is abundant reliable evidence in support of the existence of such collections in
the first and second centuries of Hijrah, from which 'Abd al-Hamid ibn Yahyfi, Ibn al-
Muqaffa', and Zayd ibn 'Ali ibn al-Husayn ibn 'Ali ibn Abi Talib had quoted al-'Imam
'Ali's sermons and letters.
In the third and fourth centuries, too, several collections of 'Ali's khutab and rasa'il
were compiled, some of which have been already referred to above.
Ibn Abi al-Hadid (d. 655 or 656/1257 or 58); Taqi al-Din Ahmad, known as Ibn
Taymiyyah (661-728/1263-1328); and his pupil Salah al-Din al-Safadi (d.764/1362
-63) accepted Nahj al-balaghah as a genuine collection of al Imam 'Ali's words.
The former not only wrote one of the most famous commentaries on it, but also
repudiated all doubts about its authenticity.
Ibn Taymiyyah and al-Safadi were among staunch opponents and critics of the
Shi'ah, but both of them verified the authenticity of Nahj al-balagha and the veracity of
al-Sharif al-Radi. Al-Safadi, in the account of al-Radi, writes:
People are of the view that Nahj al-balaghah is his own writing.
But I heard my teacher, al-'Imam al-'Allamah Taqi al-Din Ahmad
ibn Taymiyyah say: "Nahj al-balaghah is not al-Sayyid al-Radi's
product. What in this book is the utterance of 'Ali ibn Abi Talib
(as) is known, and whatever is from al-Radi that is also known.
(al-Wafi bi al-wafayat, vol. 2, p. 375)
Instead of going into further details of the controversy about the authenticity of Nahj al-
balaghah's ascription and forwarding more evidence against those who created
doubts about it, I would recommend the keen reader to consult al-Mu'jam al-mufahras
li alfaz Nahj al-balaghah, edited by al-Sayyid Kazim al-Muhammadi and al-Shaykh
Muhammad al-Dashti, who have done a commendable job in preparing a very
comprehensive bibliography of the sources of the book along with a detailed item-
by-item list of the sources of each and every sermon, letter, and saying contained in
Nahj al-balaghah. Moreover, since the death of al-Radi scholars of eminence have
been always interested
in writing commentaries on Nahj al-balagha, which is another very strong proof of its
authenticity. So many Sunni, Mu'tazili, and Shi'i scholars would not have taken pains
to comment upon al Radi's own fabrications.
'Ali Naqi Munzawi, in the catalogue of the library of Mishkat, donated to Tehran
University, has enumerated 33 narrators of al-'Imam 'Ali's utterances before al-Radi
and fourteen after him till the tenth Hijrah century. Danish Pizhoh, in his preface to
Farman-e Malik Ashtar, edited by Husayn 'Alawi Awi, has given a list of its early
commentators. Sayyid 'Abd al-Zahra' al-Khatib, in Masadir Nahj al balagha wa
asaniduh, has counted thirty-three books written concerning the sources of Nahj al-
balaghah. Hundreds of manuscripts of Nahj al-balaghah in various libraries of the
world and even a greater number of the manuscripts of other earlier works containing
al-'Imam 'Ali's utterances invite all seekers of truth to trace the sources and ascertain
the authenticity of Nahj al-balaghah. There are also numerous documents available
which contain certificates and testimonials issued by eminent scholars to their pupils
authorizing them to narrate the contents of Nahj al-balaghah along with the
permission to narrate ahadith of the Prophet (saw) and the Imams (as).
This is enough to show that Nahj al-balaghah has been considered to be of equal
value in reliability with the most authentic compendiums of hadith.
The narration of Nahj al-balagha's traditions had started during the lifetime of al-Radi.
Qutb al-Din al-Rawandi (d. 573/1177) in the preface of his commentary on Nahj al-
balaghoh, refers to a daughter of al-Sharif al Murtada, who had studied the book
under al-Radi himself and was authorized to narrate its traditions to others, and she
used to narrate Nahj al-balaghah on her uncle's authority.
Shaykh 'Abd al-Rahim al-Baghdadi has narrated from this learned lady of the family
of the Imams (as).
