Respecting the Triple Rights of Life, Freedom, and Dignity During the Rule of Caliphs According to Qur'an and Nahj al-Balaghah

The extra-textual doubts about Nahj al-Balaghah have been prevalent since the past. Nowadays, manipulating this book to discredit Shia beliefs is a common method among those who believe in doubt. The most important doubts of Nahj al-Balaghah are formed around the issue of Imamate and denying the documents to prove the rule of the Imam. Through citing some sermons and letters of Nahj al-Balaghah, doubters are trying to state that some of Hazrat Ali's actions and sayings in this book reject the appointment of his Imamate by the Prophet and expressions used in the praise of the past caliphs in Nahj al-Balaghah show the approval of the previous governments by the Imam Ali (AS). The authors of the present article aim to analyze the credibility of the statements of this group using Nahj al-Balaghah and historical documents. To achieve the desired goal, the authors investigated the foundations of government formation based on the three rights of life, freedom, and dignity according to Nahj-al-Balagha and the Quran. Based on the conducted studies, from Hazrat Ali's point of view and Nahj al-Balaghah, not only the caliphs' governments severely threatened the triple rights of the Hazrat and his family but also deprived people of their rights in different ways. The main goal of this article was to examine the compatibility of the words of the Imam (AS) in observing divine and human rights, including the right to life, freedom, and dignity, with the performance of the caliphs.