Since the times of al-Radi, Nahj al-balaghah has been a subject of study and
interpretation. As reported earlier al Sayyid al-Murtada's daughter used to
narrate her uncle's work, and the book had become a subject of study in
academic circles. The Kitab nameh yi Nahj al Balaghah published in 1359
Sham./1980 in Persian from Iran, enlists 370 titles of various commentaries,
translations, selections and books dealing with its madarik and masadir
(sources) in Arabic, Persian, Urdu, Turkish, English, Gujrati and French.
This bibliography cannot be considered to be complete in any way, for it is
compiled in and the compiler depended on secondary sources such as
al-Dhari'ah, Kakh-e dilawiz, Nuqaba' al-bashar, etc., as he had no access to
the works in other languages, particularly Indian languages. A large number
of titles could have been added to this list with some research in the
languages unfamiliar to the Persians. A selected bibliography on the basis of
this Kitab-nameh and two other books was compiled and published in al-Tawhid,
vol. II, no. 2.
Selected Commentaries on Nahj al Balaghah
1. Alam Nahj al-balaghah by al-Sayyid 'Ali ibn Nasir al-'Alawi,
reportedly a contemporary of al-Radi. Firstly, this book
refers to some other commentaries, which means it may not
be the first. Secondly, its style is not that of the fifth
century and the book may belong to a later period.
2. Ma'arij Nahj al-balaghah by Shaykh Abu al-Hasan Abu al-Qasim
Zayd ibn Muhammad ibn 'Ali al:Bayhaqi al-Nishaburi, popularly
known as Farid-e Khurasan (d. 565/1169). This sharh is supposed
to be based on the copy of Nahj al-balaghah that was approved
by al-Radi himself.
3. Hada'iq al-haqa'iq: al-'isbah fi Sharh Nahj al-balaghah by
Abu al-Hasan Muhammad ibn al-Husayn al-Bayhaqi al-Nishaburi,
known as Qutb al-Din al-Kundari, compiled in 576/1180. Its
one manuscript is in Madrasah-ye Fadiliyyah, Mashhad.
4. and 5. Al-Ma'arij fi Sharh Nahj al-balaghah (also called al
-Mi'raj) and Minhaj al-bara'ah (written in 556/1170) by Qutb
al-Din al-Rawandi (d. 573/1177).
6. An incomplete commentary by Fakhr al-Din al-Razi (543 or
44-606/1149-50-1209), mentioned in Ta'rikh al-hukamd
by Jamal al-Din al-Qifti.
7. A commentary attributed to 'Abd al Jabbar al-Mu'tazili, and
also three other scholars contemporary of al-Shaykh al-Tusi
(385-460/995-1067-68)
8. Sharh by Diya' al-Din Abu al-Rida Fadl Allah ibn 'Ali
al-Rawandi (d. after i58/1065-66).
9. Sharh 'Izz al-Din ibn Abi al-Hadid al-Mu'tazili(d. 656/1258).
This is the most famous commentary on which several
commentaries have been written. This has been translated into
Persian, French and most probably in Urdu. Its selection
Iltiqat al-durar al-nukhab was compiled in 1283/1866-67.
Commentaries written on it number at least fifteen, among the
authors of which are such eminent names as Ahmad ibn Tawus
(d. 637/1239), Sayyid Hashim al-Bahrani (d. 1107/i695-96),
Shaykh Yusuf al-Bahrani (1186!1772-3), Shaykh Muhsin Karim
'Abd al-Husayn ibn Musa, Mahmud Mallah and others. Critiques
of his commentary were mainly directed against his position
regarding the caliphate. Though Ibn Abi al-Hadid recognized
al-Khutbat al-Shiqshiqiyyah as genuinely attributed to al-'Imam
'Ali (as), he, however, tried to interpret it in accordance
with Sunni belief in the legitimacy of al-Khilafat al-Rashidah.
10. Al-Sharh al-kabir by Ibn al-Maytham al-Bahrani (d. 679/1280).
Ibn al-Maytham wrote other commentaries on the book also viz.
Mishah al-saliEfn and its abridgement Mukhtasar Misbah al-
salikin, and Minhaj al-'arifin, a commentary on Mi'at kalimah
li-'Amir al-Mu'minin by al Jahiz.
11. Al-Dibaj al mudi' fi sharh Nahj al-balaghah li al-Radi by
Imam al-Mu'ayyad bi Allah Yahya ibn Hamzah al-'Alawi al-Yamani
(d. 749/1348-9) which deals with the difficult words occurring
in Nahj al-balaghah.
12. Mulhaq Nahj al-balaghah, a commentary written around the
beginning of the eighth/ fourteenth century by Ahmad ibn
Yahya, a manuscript of which copied in 729/1328-29 is in
the Kitabkhaneh-yi Astaneh-yi Quds Ridawi, Mashhad.
13. Sharh al-nafa'is by an unknown Sunni author written in
759/1357-58 available in the Kitabkhaneh-yi Astaneh-yi
Quds Ridawi Mashhad.
14. Sharh by Kamal al-Din 'Abd al-Rahman ibn Muhammad ibn Ibrahim
al-'Ata'iqi al-Hilli compiled in 770/1368-69.
15. Minhaj al-fasahah by Kamal al-Din Husayn ibn Khwajah Sharaf
al-Din 'Abd al-Haqq al-'Ardebili Ilahi (d. 950il543-44).
16. Minhaj al-wilayah by Mulla 'Abd al-Baqi al-Sufi al-Tabrizi
al-Khattat, known as Danishmand (d. 1039/1629-30).
17. Sharh by Abu Talib Taj al-Din 'Ali ibn Anjab, known as Ibn
Sa'id (d. 674/l275-6).
18. Sharh by al-Hasan ibn Muhammad ibn al-Hasan al Saffati
(d. 650/1252-3).
19. Al-Tuhfat al-'Aliyyah fisharah Nahj al-balaghat at-Haydariyyah
by Muhammad ibn Habib Allah, grandson of Khalifah Sultan,
compiled ih 881/l476.
20. Al-Mawdhib al-Ilahiyyah by al-Sayyid Afsah al-Din Muhammad
al-Shirazi (the 9th century H.).
In later centuries, numerous commentaries were written in Arabic and
Persian, details of which can be found in the Kitabnameh-yi Nahj al-balaghah
and al-Tawhid (English), vol. II, no.2. In addition to these several other
works were compiled with regard to the sources of the contents of Nahj al-
balaghah in Arabic, Urdu and Persian, among which the following can be
mentioned here:
Commentaries available in Persian
1. Rida Ustadi, Bahthi kutah piramun-e Nahj al-balaghah wa
madarik-e an (1396/1976).
2. Kitabnameh-yi Nahj al-balaghah by the above-mentioned
author (1359 Sham./ 1980).
3. Barrasi-yi Nahj al-baldghah wa asnad-e an by Sayyid Jawad
Mustafawi.
4. Pizhuhishi dar asnad wa madarik-e Nahj al-balaghah by
Sayyid Muhammad Ja'fari (1356 Sham./ 1977).
Commentaries available in Arabic
1. Mustatrafat Nahj al-baldghah by Shaykh Fakhr al-Din al-
Turayhi (d. 1085/1674).
2. Masadir Nahj al-balaghah by 'Abd al-Zahra' al-Husayni al-
Khatib, in four volumes (1386/1966-67).
3. Madarik Nahj al-balaghah by al Shaykh Hadi Kashif al
Ghita' (d.1361/1942), printed in 1354/1935.
4. Madarik Nahj al-balaghah by al Shaykh 'Abd Allah Ni'mah,
published from
5. Mustadrak Nahj al-balaghah by Shaykh Kashif al Ghita,
printed in 1354/1935.
6. Masadir Nahj al-balaghah by Hibat al-Din al Shahristani
(1301-1386/1883-84-1966-67),
7. Ma huwa Nahj al-balaghah by al Sayyid Hibat al-Din al-
Shahristani, compiled in 1352/1933-34 and printed the
same year. Also translated into Persian and published
twice.
A number of translations and commentaries on the Imam's letter to Malik
al-'Ashtar have been written in Persian which number around fifty, of
which some were in verse. The authors of some of these shuruh are persons
of eminence like Mulla Muhammad Salih Rawghani, Muhammad Husayn Furughi
Dhaka' al-Mulk (d. 1325/1907-08), Mirza Muhammad 'Ali Furughi (1257-1321
Sham./ 1878-1942), Ahmad ibn Hafiz Qatil Kirmani, known as Adib (d. 1329/
1911), Sharif al-'Amili, and al-'Allamah al-Majlisi (d. 1111/1699-1700).
The complete text of Nahj al-balaghah was also translated in verse many a
time. In Arabic, too, the letter to Malik al-'Ashtar was commented upon by
numerous scholars.
Al-Khutbat al-Shiqshiqiyyah had been also attracting the attention of Arab
commentators and Persian translators. Nahj al-balaghah's Persian translations
started to appear much earlier than the Safawids came to power. Husayn ibn
Sharaf al-Din Ardebili, a contemporary of Shah Isma'il Safawi, translated
Nahj al-balaghah which was published in 1355/1936 with the Arabic text.
Among the popular Persian translations we can name the ones by Sayyid 'Ali
Naqi Fayd al-'Islam, Jawad Fadil, and Asad Allah Mubashshiri. Among the early
translations one was done by Nizam al-Din 'Ali ibn al-Hasan al-Gilani, which
was completed in 1036/1626-27. The earliest Persian translation is by Mulla
Fath Allah al-Kashani (d. 988/1580-81) under the title Tanbih al-ghafilin, a
third printing of which came out of the press in 1313/1895-96. A popular
revolutionary leader and scholar Ayatullah Sayyid Mahmud Taliqani (d. 1399/
1979) also translated Nahj al-balaghah and published it with his commentary
in 1326 Sham./1947.
Urdu translations of Nahj al Balaghah
1. al-'Isha'ah by Sayyid Awlad Hasan ibn Muhammad Hasan Amruhawi
(d. 1338/1919-20), Nayrang-e fasahat by Dhakir Husayn Akhtar
Dehlawi, and three other translations by Zafar Mahdi ibn Sayyid
Warith Husayn Ja'isi, Ra'is Ahmad Ja'fari (a Sunni author),
and Mufti Ja'far Husayn. All these translations were accompanied
by notes and comments.
2. I'jaz Husayn Badayuni (d. 1350/1931-32) compiled a book to
explain difficult words of the book under the name Hall-e
lughat-e Nahj al-balaghah.
3. Imtiyaz 'Ali Khan 'Arshi's Istinad-e Nahj al-balaghah has
already been discussed. Aqa Buzurg al-Tehrani, in al-
Dhari'ah ila tasanif al-Shi'ah, has referred to another
Tarjumah wa sharh in Urdu by Sayyid 'Ali Azhar Khajwi al-
Hindi (d. 1352/1933-34).
4. Sayyid Sibt al-Hasan al-Hanswi's work Minhaj Nahj al-balaghah
is rated among the best of its kind in Urdu. A few years ago
Mahmud Husayn Qaysar Amruhawi published a lengthy article in
many parts in an Urdu journal on the sources of Nahj al-balaghah
and the authenticity of the ascription of its contents to al-'
Imam 'Ali (as). There are, of course, a number of articles and
booklets compiled about Nahj al-balaghah in Urdu.
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 teacher
of 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).