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Shiavault - a Vault of Shia Islamic Books A Lecture on Nahjul Balagha A Lecture on Nahjul Balaghah Nahjul Balaghah is a collection of the sermons, lectures, letters and sayings of Amirul-Mu'minin Ali Ibn Abi Talib (ع). This collection was made by As-Sayyid Abul-Hassan Ali Ibn-al-Hussain Ar-Radi Al-Musawi, who is commonly referred to as Ash-Sharif Ar-Radi. He was born in 359 A.H. in Baghdad in a family which was well-known for its knowledge as well as worldly prestige and distinction.

He died at the prime age of 47 years on 25 Jumada I, 406 A.H. In his teen age he started a book which he named Khasaisal-Aimmah but could only write first chapter about Amirul-Mu'minin Ali (ع). This chapter which contains the lectures, letter and sayings of Amirul-Mu'minin Ali (ع) is divided in three parts: The first chapter contains his sermons and lectures, the second one, his letters and the third one his maxims and short sayings.

When he was compiling it, he had left blank spaces at the end of every section. It was done in order that if any piece of that lecture etc. was not available at that time and came to hand at a later date, it could be inserted therein. This book became a huge success from the day one, because the writings and lectures of Amirul-Mu'minin were held in high esteem from the beginning of the Islamic era; and people used to collect them, learn them and memorize them.

Even in Sayyid Radi's own time, a scholar, Ali Ibn An-Nasir, wrote a short commentary on it which he called A'lam Nahjul Balaghah. Its manuscript was preserved in the library of Mumtazul-ulama Sayyid Muhammad Taqi in Lucknow. Then a detailed Sharh was written by Sayyid Ibn Hibatullah Ibn Al-Hassan Ar-Rawandi. However the most well-known and popular Sharh was written by Izzuddin Abdu1-Hamid Ibn Abi1-Hadid Al-Mu’tazili Al-Madaini.

He started writing it on 1st Rajab, 644 and completed it in the month of Safar 649 A.H. and sent it as present it to Mu'ayyiduddin Al-Asadi Al-Alqami, who was the Minister of Al-Mustasim Billah, the last Abbasid caliph. Before Ibn Abi1-Hadid, many well-known Sunni scholars had written commentaries on Nahjul Balaghah, e.g. Abu1-Hassan Ali Ibn Abu1-Qasim Al-Bayhaqi (d. 565), Al-Imam Fakhruddin Ar-Radi (606), Sa'dud-Din Taftazani.

In this way we see that up to 150 years after the compilation of Nahjul Balaghah, no serious doubt was expressed about the authenticity of the material collected in that book.