Message [Highlighting upon the greatness of the various aspects of Imam `Ali's (`a) personality as well as the Nahj al-Balaghah]

In the Name of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful
What is going to be the main topic at the Nahj al-Balaghah Millennium Congress and who is going to be introduced through it?! Do the great scholars of the world wish to introduce the Commander of the Faithful (`a) or do they wish to introduce the book," Nahj al-Balaghah"? With what means and with what capital can we enter into this lofty discussion? Should we attempt a discussion on the unknown truths of the personality of Imam `Ali ibn Abi Talib (`a) or then should we offer our own partial and limited knowledge of the same?! Is Imam `Ali (`a) like any other common earthly human for us to be qualified to speak about him or is he an exalted being whose worth can only be understood by the denizens of the more sublime realms?! On what scales can gnostics and philosophers measure his greatness but through their own limited understanding so as to attempt to introduce him? To what extent have they known him so as to enlighten us veiled ones? To whatever extent the scholars, gnostics, and philosophers- with all their great virtues and precious knowledge- have gained knowledge of this perfect manifestation of God, it is confined to the veils of their own existence and is seen within the limited mirrors of their own egos while `Ali (`a) is way beyond that! So it is best for us to limit ourselves by saying that `Ali ibn Abi Talib (`a) was a servant of God since that would be referring to the most outstanding aspect we can possibly hope to address! He was brought up and trained under the care of the exalted Prophet (s) and that is his greatest pride and honor. Who can claim to be `Abdullah [servant of God] - and thus be cut off from serving anyone else- except the great prophets (`a) and some other exalted souls that have attained divine proximity! `Ali (`a) was the one who was freed from everything besides God and had torn off all the veils of darkness and light and had reached the Source of Greatness! And who else can claim to have been in the company of the Noble Messenger of God (s) and to have been under the tutelage of divine inspiration[ wahy ]right from childhood and until the Prophet's (s) demise! In the being of none else but `Ali ibn Abi Talib (`a) have Divine Inspiration as well as the upbringing of the Prophet of Divine Inspiration (s) taken such deep roots! He truly is a servant of God and the protege of the greatest servant of God «2» (s)!
And now about the Nahj al-Balaghah, which is a descent of his great soul and the elixir for the guidance and training of our souls, fast asleep in the beds of our egotism, covered in its own veils of self-centeredness and selfishness and a balm for all personal and social maladies! This work encompasses all the different aspects of man and the great human society right from the beginning down through history, no matter what and how many societies, governments, and nations come into being and no matter how many thinkers and philosophers emerge and ponder upon it and drown in its richness. Let all the philosophers and thinkers get together and sit and ponder upon the words of the first sermon of this divine book! Let them put their lofty intellects and with the help of scholars and gnostics only try to offer an exegesis to this one short sentence and let them satiate their souls with the absorption of truth, on condition that they do not get deceived by the phrases expressed in it. And let them take care not to fool their consciences, without having gained soundness of understanding, and let them not pass by lightly so that they can gain an idea of the depths of the knowledge of this fruit of divine inspiration and can confess the limitations of their own knowledge and the knowledge of all others! This sentence says:" He is with everything but not in physical nearness; He is different from everything but not in physical separation." «3»
This sentence and sentences like this that we find in the sayings of the Household of the Noble Prophet (s) are, in fact, the explanations and the exegesis of this holy verse from Sourah al-Hadid of the Book of God, which has been revealed for the understanding of the thinkers of the" end of time" [akhir az-zaman], which says:" He is with you wherever ye may be". «4» Now it is hoped that you committed scholars and thinkers who have gathered in the Nahj al-Balaghah Millennium Congress will be able to highlight upon the various gnostic, philosophical, ethical, social, military, cultural, and other aspects of this great book as much as possible and shall succeed in introducing it to the human community, especially since it contains treasures that are in great demand by illumined men and minds. Eternal peace and greetings be upon the Noble Prophet (s) who brought up such a divine being upon his own lap and reached him to the status of the Perfect Man! Peace be upon the Commander of the Faithful (`a) who is the great exemplar of a Perfect Man and is the" speaking" Qur'an! He is the exemplar of humanity and is the manifestation of the Greatest Name of God [al-Ism al-A`zam] and his grand name shall last eternally! Peace and blessings be upon you scholars who are paving the path for attaining to the goals of this holy book through your valuable and beneficial efforts! May God's peace be upon His righteous servants!
Rouhullah al-Mousawi al-Khomeini