نامه 14: به سپاهیانش · Letter 14

و من وصية له (عليه السلام) لعسكره قبل لقاء العدو بصفين

لَا تُقَاتِلُوهُمْ حَتَّي يَبْدَءُوكُمْ فَإِنَّكُمْ بِحَمْدِ اللَّهِ عَلَي حُجَّةٍ وَ تَرْكُكُمْ إِيَّاهُمْ حَتَّي يَبْدَءُوكُمْ حُجَّةٌ أُخْرَي لَكُمْ عَلَيْهِمْ فَإِذَا كَانَتِ الْهَزِيمَةُ بِإِذْنِ اللَّهِ فَلَا تَقْتُلُوا مُدْبِراً وَ لَا تُصِيبُوا مُعْوِراً وَ لَا تُجْهِزُوا عَلَي جَرِيحٍ وَ لَا تَهِيجُوا النِّسَاءَ بِأَذًي وَ إِنْ شَتَمْنَ أَعْرَاضَكُمْ وَ سَبَبْنَ أُمَرَاءَكُمْ فَإِنَّهُنَّ ضَعِيفَاتُ الْقُوَي وَ الْأَنْفُسِ وَ الْعُقُولِ إِنْ كُنَّا لَنُؤْمَرُ بِالْكَفِّ عَنْهُنَّ وَ إِنَّهُنَّ لَمُشْرِكَاتٌ وَ إِنْ كَانَ الرَّجُلُ لَيَتَنَاوَلُ الْمَرْأَةَ فِي الْجَاهِلِيَّةِ بِالْفَهْرِ أَوِ الْهِرَاوَةِ فَيُعَيَّرُ بِهَا وَ عَقِبُهُ مِنْ بَعْدِهِ.

Do not fight them unless they initiate the fighting, because, by the grace of Allah, you are in the right and to leave them them till they begin fighting will be another point from your side against them. If, by the will of Allah, the enemy is defeated then do not kill the runner away, do not strike a helpless person, do not finish off the wounded, and do not inflict pain on women even though they may attack your honour with filthy words and abuse your officers, because they are weak in character, mind and intelligence. W have been ordered to desist from them although they may be unbelievers. Even in pre-Islamic (al-jahiliyyah) period if a man struck a woman with a stone or a stick he was rebuked along with his posteriors after him.