Advice against disorder, oppression, and unlawful earning

Nahj al-Balāgha|Volume 1|Book 1|Chapter 151
Nahj al-Balāgha

Book 1, Chapter 151

Advice against disorder, oppression, and unlawful earning

[اللّه ورسوله :] وَأَحْمَدُ اللهَ وَأَسْتَعِينُهُ عَلَى مَدَاحِرِ الشَّيْطَانِ وَمَزَاجِرِهِ، وَالاعْتِصَامِ مِنْ حَبَائِلِهِ وَمَخَاتِلِهِ. وَأَشْهَدُ أَنَّ مُحَمَّداً عَبْدُهُ وَرَسُولُهُ، وَنَجِيبُهُ وَصَفْوَتُهُ، لاَ يُؤَازَى فَضْلُهُ، وَلاَ يُجْبَرُ فَقْدُهُ، أَضَاءَتْ بِهِ الْبِلاَدُ بَعْدَ الضَّلاَلَةِ الْمُظْلِمَةِ، وَالْجَهَالَةِ الْغَالِبَةِ، وَالْجَفْوَةِ الْجَافِيَةِ، وَالنَّاسُ يَسْتَحلُّونَ الْحَرِيمَ، وَيَسْتَذِلُّونَ الْحَكِيمَ، يَحْيَوْنَ عَلَى فَتْرَة، وَيَمُوتُونَ عَلَى كَفْرَةِ!
I praise Allāh and seek His help from (what led to the) punishment of Satan and his deceitful acts, and (I seek His) protection from Satan’s traps and way-layings. I stand witness that there is no god but Allāh and I stand witness that Muḥammad is His slave and His Prophet — peace be upon him and his progeny — and his chosen and his selected one. Muḥammad’s صلى الله عليه وعلى آله وسلم distinction cannot be paralleled nor can his loss be made good. Populated places were brightened through him when previously there was dark misguidance, overpowering ignorance and rude habits, and people regarded unlawful as lawful, humiliated the the man of wisdom, passed lives when there were no prophets and died as unbelievers.