نامه 1: به مردم کوفه · Letter 1

و من كتاب له (عليه السلام) إلي أهل الكوفة عند مسيره من المدينة إلي البصرة

مِنْ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ عَلِيٍّ أَمِيرِ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ إِلَي أَهْلِ الْكُوفَةِ جَبْهَةِ الْأَنْصَارِ وَ سَنَامِ الْعَرَبِ أَمَّا بَعْدُ فَإِنِّي أُخْبِرُكُمْ عَنْ أَمْرِ عُثْمَانَ حَتَّي يَكُونَ سَمْعُهُ كَعِيَانِهِ إِنَّ النَّاسَ طَعَنُوا عَلَيْهِ فَكُنْتُ رَجُلًا مِنَ الْمُهَاجِرِينَ أُكْثِرُ اسْتِعْتَابَهُ وَ أُقِلُّ عِتَابَهُ وَ كَانَ طَلْحَةُ وَ الزُّبَيْرُ أَهْوَنُ سَيْرِهِمَا فِيهِ الْوَجِيفُ وَ أَرْفَقُ حِدَائِهِمَا الْعَنِيفُ وَ كَانَ مِنْ عَائِشَةَ فِيهِ فَلْتَةُ غَضَبٍ فَأُتِيحَ لَهُ قَوْمٌ فَقَتَلُوهُ وَ بَايَعَنِي النَّاسُ غَيْرَ مُسْتَكْرَهِينَ وَ لَا مُجْبَرِينَ بَلْ طَائِعِينَ مُخَيَّرِينَ وَ اعْلَمُوا أَنَّ دَارَ الْهِجْرَةِ قَدْ قَلَعَتْ بِأَهْلِهَا وَ قَلَعُوا بِهَا وَ جَاشَتْ جَيْشَ الْمِرْجَلِ وَ قَامَتِ الْفِتْنَةُ عَلَي الْقُطْبِ فَأَسْرِعُوا إِلَي أَمِيرِكُمْ وَ بَادِرُوا جِهَادَ عَدُوِّكُمْ إِنْ شَاءَ اللَّهُ عَزَّ وَ جَلَّ.

From the servant of Allah, the Commander of the faithful, to the people of Kufah who are Fore most Among the Supporters and Chiefs of the Arabs.Now, I am apprising you of what befell Uthman so (correctly) that its hearing may be like its seeing. People critised him, and I was the only man from among the muhajirun (immigrants) who asked him to seek to satisfy (the Muslims) most and to offend them the least. As for Talhah and az-Zubayr, their lightest step about him was hard and their softest voice was strong. Aishah too was in a rage with him. Consequently, a group overpowered him and killed him. Then, people swore allegiance to me, not by force or compulsion, but obediently and out of free will. You should know that Medina has been vacated by its residents and they have abandoned it. It is boiling like a huge cooking pot and rebellion is fixed on its axis moving with full force. So, hasten towards your amir and proceed forward to fight your enemy, if so wills Allah to Whom belongs Might and Majesty.