What is Nahjul Balagha?
Nahjul Balagha is a compilation of sermons, letters, and short sayings that have been attributed to Ali bin Abi Talib.
What is the position of Nahjul Balagha in the eyes of Shias?
According to “Ayatollah” Khamenai the ruler of the “Islamic” Republic of Iran, Nahjul Balagha is “to be read in the same way that the Qur’an should be read, for it is the second book after it, and it completes the Qur’an.”
“Ayatollah” Al-Khoei in his Bayan (p. 77) says, “Praise be to what is said about Nahjul Balagha: ‘It is beneath the speech of the creator, but above the speech of the creation.'”
The “Grand Ayatollah” Al-Sistani, after saying that one should read the Qur’an and feel that Allah – praise be to Him – is speaking to the reader, said, “One should read it whenever one gets a chance or free time, and one should feel as if the Imam (Ali) is speaking to him.”
Wasn’t it compiled by Ali bin Abi Talib?
No. This is a misconception. It was compiled by a Mu’tazili scholar named Al-Shareef Al-Radhi (d. 400) in the year four-hundred after the migration of the Prophet – peace be upon him – .
Is the collection authentic?
It is a popular belief among Shias that compilation is authentic, however, an in-depth look into the sources of the work and studies surrounding it casts doubt on the majority of the content. Our goals is to demonstrate to readers that the compilation cannot be trusted and should not be attributed to Ali bin Abi Talib.
Is the website run by Sunnis or Shias?
This website is run by Sunnis.
Why haven’t Shias graded the narrations of the book?
Nahjul Balagha has a high place in the hearts of the Shia, and thus, the rejection of most of the contents would be devastating to many and could raise doubts about Shiasm.
What is your proof that the book is not fully authentic?
This question is incorrect. One is supposed to ask for the proof of authenticity instead of proof of the lack of it. It is sufficient to say that Al-Shareef Al-Radhi did not provide his sources or chains of narrations for most of the narrations, which is considered a disconnection in the report, and thus, it cannot be considered to be authentic.
Al-Shareef Al-Radhi did mention some of his sources though. For example, Sermon 229 and Letter 74 are direct quotes from Mohammad bin Omar Al-Waqidi’s Kitab Al-Jamal. Al-Waqidi is seen as a liar according to Shiasm. Al-Mufeed himself accuses Al-Waqidi for forging reports in his Kitab Al-Jamal p. 54. Other sources that are quoted by Al-Shareef Al-Radhi include Sa’eed bin Yahya Al-Umawi’s Al-Maghazi, which he quotes in Letter 77, and Tareekh Al-Tabari, which he quotes under Sayings 372.
None of the above sources are acceptable in the eyes of Shias.
Why do you use content from Nahjul Balagha if you do not believe in its authenticity?
We do not accept the content ourselves. We merely quote the content and present it to readers that believe in it. This is similar to how Shias use Saheeh Al-Bukhari against Sunnis. It is used as evidence against those that believe in it.
Why do you hate Ali bin Abi Talib?
We do not hate Ali bin Abi Talib, may Allah be pleased with him. Do not confuse our criticism of the fabrications that have been attributed to him with hatred. If we hated him, we wouldn’t have collected our own set of authentic quotes by him from Sunni books.
What is the goal of the website?
The goal of the website is to criticize the contents of Nahjul Balagha, which are mostly not authentic according to Shia hadith standards, while providing readers with an authentic substitute.
This authentic substitute is exclusive to Ahl Al-Sunnah and we sincerely believe that the only way to the teachings of Ali bin Abi Talib is through the sources of Ahl Al-Sunnah.