He has been hard, shattering, roaring\nlike thunder during woe nights. The fountain is a fountain, day and night are\nnot considered in its run?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
These are the words of the Christian\nGeorge Jordac as he describes Ali. Jordac is the famous Christian writer and\nliterary man, who has extracted and collected phrases from the sermons,\nletters, and short statements of Ali (PBUH) in one of his books. In a part of\nthis book, Jordac talks about the hot emotion of Ali as follows:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The first page that Ali spreads of the\npages of sympathy begins with reminding people that they are all brothers, so\nhe describes them as ‘my brothers’ in a clear address while he is the prince of\nthem. Then he adds by reminding the rulers that they are people’s brothers, all\npeople, and that this fraternity entails compassion by necessity, saying to his\nmasters over his armies: “It is obligatory on the ruler that the\ndistinction he achieves, or the wealth with which he has been exclusively\nendowed, should not make him change his behavior towards those under his\nauthority, and that the riches Allah has bestowed on him should increase him in\nnearness to His slaves and kindness to his brethren.” And what he mentions\nto himself and his officers – that they and people are brothers by affection\nand sympathy – he emphasizes and repeats in a comprehensive wisdom directing\ntowards all human beings without difference or distinction: “You are\nbrethren; nothing other than dirty natures and bad conscience have separated\nyou.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n
This hot emotion, which Imam has known\nin his life, accompanies him wherever he goes and tends to in Nahj al-Balaghah.\nIt accompanies him when he bears upon anger and resentment as it does when it\narouses sympathy and content. For\nexample, when he saw his champion’s disappointment at supporting the right,\nwhile the others support the wrong and surround it with weapons and spirits, he\nanguishes, complains, blames and scolds, and was hard, shattering, roaring like\nthunder in the woe nights! Nevertheless, sufficient is to read the sermon of\nal-Jihad (1) to realize what a revolting, agonized emotion that which ties this\nsermon with the outburst and beating of life…<\/p>\n\n\n\n
If the inability to obtain virtues is\na defect, the logic of sympathy in Ali’s language renders the unable person to\nacquire people’s fraternity as the most defective: “The most helpless of\nall is the one who cannot gain brothers.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n
At last, Ali utters a group of sayings\nthat center around the orbit of calling people to be devoted to people in\nkindness and sympathy. They are truly considered one of the most great sublime\nethical tradition mankind possesses, of them are these master-pieces:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
“Behave\nwell with him who behaves ill with you; give to him who deprives you”.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
“Do good to\nall people as you like it to be done to you”.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
“Do good to\nhim who offends you”.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
“Grant\nfavor to him who deprives you…”<\/p>\n\n\n\n
It may take a long time to mention\nexamples of the pouring of living emotion which diffuses warmth in Imam’s\ndeeds. It is in his doings, his sermons and sayings ? which is an essential\ncriterion. You are not to do anything but to open this book so that you can\nknow colors of Ibn Abi Talib’s emotion, with pouring strength and deep depth?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Despite all these examples, in\nresponse to the letter of a writer, the Christian George Jordac confesses that:\n“I am still guilty in regards to analyzing the character of Ali ibn Abi\nTalib (PBUH), because if any writer, no matter how great and hard working,\nwishes to describe the characteristics and attributes of an ordinary person,\nhe\/she will not be able to pay its due; so how would that be if that person is\nAli ibn Abi Talib (PBUH) or one like him?…”<\/p>\n\n\n\n
(Selection taken\nfrom:” Masterpieces of Rhetoric Method (Nahj Al-Balaghah)”, by George\nJordac, translated by Al-Ghadeer Center for Islamic studies, with minor changes)<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The Roshd Website offers its\ncongratulations to all Muslim, upon 13th of Rajab, the birthday of the only\nperson born in Kaaba, the master of the oppressed, the leader of the pious,<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Amir al-Mu’minin Imam Ali (PBUH).<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Footnotes:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
1- This sermon\nthat George Jordac is referring to is the 29th sermon in the precious book of\nNahj al-Balaghah.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
He has been hard, shattering, roaring like thunder during woe nights. The fountain is a fountain, day and night are not considered in its run? These are the words of the Christian George Jordac as he describes Ali. Jordac is the famous Christian writer and literary man, who has extracted and collected phrases from the […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[28248],"tags":[63220,63207],"class_list":["post-3978","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-occasional-letters","tag-amir-al-muminin-from-the-language-of-world-celebrities","tag-nahjolbalaghe"],"yoast_head":"\n