ومن كتاب له (عليه السلام)
إلى معاوية
أَمَّا بَعْدُ، فَإِنَّ اللهَ سُبْحَانَهُ [قَدْ] جَعَلَ الدُّنْيَا لِمَا بَعْدَهَا، وَابْتَلَى فِيهَا أَهْلَهَا، لِيَعْلَمَ أَيُّهُمْ أَحْسَنُ عَمَلاً، وَلَسْنَا لِلدُّنْيَا خُلِقْنَا، وَلاَ بِالسَّعْيِ فِيهَا أُمِرْنَا، وَإِنَّمَا وُضِعْنَا فِيها لِنُبْتَلَى بِهَا، وَقَدِ ابْتَلاَنِي [اللهُ] بِكَ وَابْتَلاَكَ بِي: فَجَعَلَ أَحَدَنَا حُجَّةً عَلَى الاْخَرِ، فَعَدَوْتَ عَلَى طَلَبِ الدُّنْيَا بَتَأْوِيلِ الْقُرْآنِ، فَطَلَبْتَنِي بِمَا لَمْ تَجْنِ يَدِي وَلاَ لِسَانِي، وَعَصَيْتَهُ أَنْتَ وأَهْلُ الشَّامِ بِي، وَأَلَّبَ عَالِمُكُمْ جَاهِلَكُمْ، وَقَائِمُكُمْ قَاعِدَكُمْ.
فَاتَّقِ اللهَ فِي نَفْسِكَ، وَنَازِعِ الشَّيْطَانَ قِيَادَكَ ، وَاصْرِفْ إِلَى الاْخِرَةِ وَجْهَكَ، فَهِيَ طَرِيقُنَا وَطَرِيقُكَ.
وَاحْذَرْ أَنْ يُصِيبَكَ اللهُ مِنْهُ بِعَاجِلِ قَارِعَة تَمَسُّ الاَْصْلَ ، وَتَقْطَعُ الدَّابِرَ ، فَإِنِّي أُولِي لَكَ بِاللهِ أَلِيَّةً غَيْرَ فَاجِرَة، لَئِنْ جَمَعَتْنِي وَإِيَّاكَ جَوَامِعُ الاَْقْدَارِ لاَ أَزَالُ بِبَاحَتِكَ (حَتَّى يَحْكُمَ اللهُ بَيْنَنَا وَهُوَ خَيْرُ الْحَاكِمِينَ)
You must know and understand that Allah has made this world a place where one is to stay only to provide for a happy life for himself in the Hereafter by his deeds. People are put to test here so that they may be rewarded according to their merits.
Our life does not end here and we are not created only for this world. Nor are we ordered to concentrate our energies only to acquire pleasures, power and pomp here. We are brought here simply to be tested in accordance to our knowledge, intentions and activities.
You are being tested through me and I am being tested through you. Each one of us is to be an evidence of the demonstration of the intentions and deeds of the other - whether they have been pious or sinful. You began by misinterpreting the Holy Qur'an and on the basis of these misinterpretations you started grasping power and wealth and began oppressing and tyrannizing the people. Your next unholy action was to call me responsible for an action (murder of Caliph Uthman) of which my tongue and hands were both innocent.
You with the Syrians tried your best to bring this deed to my door. The learned from your side persuaded the ignorant and influential people, and drove the commoners to rise against me.
Fear Allah and do let Satan drive you wherever it wants, think of death and the life after death because that is the only resting-place for you and me and for every human being. Be afraid of the Wrath of Almighty Allah which may throw you into such a calamity that it will not only be an end of you but an end of your dynasty.
I swear, and my oath is such that I have no intention of breaking it, that if fate so arranges as to bring us face to face against each other then I shall not leave the battlefield: "Until Allah judges between us, and He is the best Judge" [ Qur'an, 7:87 ].