Abstract:
I had an opportunity to translate the two most famous letters of Imam ‘Alī (a.s.) in Nahj al-Balāghah (Peak of Eloquence), the famous collection of the preaching and letters of Imam ‘Alī and one of the most sacred books of Shia Islam after the Qur‘an, from Arabic into Japanese. One of them is his letter to Imam Ḥasan, his eldest son and the second Imam, and the other is an appointment letter to Mālik Ashtar as the governor of Egypt. In this article, I explained first the details to translate and publish them in two booklets in Iran and Japan, indicating the recommendation of Institute of Nahj al-Balāghah in Qom and assistance of Japanese scholars. Second, I made an analysis on the contents’ ethical qualities, referring especially to the book of ‘Abdol-Karīm Soroush, Hekmat va Ma‘īshat. In the first letter, ‘Alī stresses the feebleness of human beings inclined to vice, and instructs to do good with their own initiative, by acquiring wisdom through his teachings and becoming humble in the face of Allah. In this context, in the second letter ‘Alī instructs governors to enjoin good and forbid evil, the fundamental ethical value of Islam, to protect the welfare of the common people and avoid tyranny in administration.
فرصتی برای ترجمه دو نامه بسیار معروف امام علی )ع( در نهج البلاغه، یکی از متون
مقدس شیعه پس از قران، از عربی به ژاپنی برای من دست داد. یکی نامه امام به امام
حسن، پسر ارشد او و دومین امام است، و دیگری نامه او به مالک اشتر به عنوان
فرماندار مصر است. در این مقاله، ابتدا جزيیات ترجمه و انتشار انها در دو جزوه در
ایران و ژاپن توضیح و نشان داده شده که توصیه موسسه نهج البلاغه در قم و کمک
محققان ژاپنی در این راستا سودمند بوده است. سپس، مطالب اخلاقی انها، به ویژه با
استفاده از کتاب حکمت معیشت، تجزیه و تحلیل شده است. در نامه اول، امام علی)ع(
بر ضعف انسان در تمایل به بدی اشاره شده است، و امام به انسان ها سفارش می نماید
که با ابتکار خود و با کسب حکمت از طریق اموزه های او به انجام اعمال خوب بپردارند
و در برابر خدا فروتن باشند. در این زمینه، در نامه دوم، بر امام حکمرانان توصیه می
کند که مردم را امر به معروف و نهی از منکر نموده و ارزش های بنیادی اخلاقی اسلام
را ترویج نموده و برای محافظت از رفاه مردم عادی و جلوگیری از ظلم و ستم در
جامعه اقدام نماید
Machine summary:
s. ) in Nahj al-Balāghah (Peak of Eloquence), the famous collection of the preaching and letters of Imam ‘Alī and one of the most sacred books of Shia Islam after the Qur‘an, from Arabic into Japanese.
In this article, I explained first the details to translate and publish them in two booklets in Iran and Japan, indicating the recommendation of Institute of Nahj al-Balāghah in Qom and assistance of Japanese scholars.
In the first letter, ‘Alī stresses the feebleness of human beings inclined to vice, and instructs to do good with their own initiative, by acquiring wisdom through his teachings and becoming humble in the face of Allah.
In this context, in the second letter ‘Alī instructs governors to enjoin good and forbid evil, the fundamental ethical value of Islam, to protect the welfare of the common people and avoid tyranny in administration.
He recommended that I start with these two letters of Imam ‘Alī, the Persian translation of which, with Arabic text, had been published in two booklets by the Institute (Dīnparvar 1993; Gorūh-e Tarjome 1992).
2. These texts are included in Dāneshnāme-ye ‘Alavī (CD of the whole collection of NB) published by the Computer Research Center of Islamic Sciences or the Noor Institute in Qom. The first impression noted by everyone who reads these two letters is the great depth of their ethical qualities, based on the insights of Imam ‘Alī regarding human nature.