Najh al-Balagha and the Tragic Foundations of the Relationship Between Ethics and Politics

Discussing the relationship between ethics and politics and searching for a way to regulate the relationship between these two important areas of human life has been one of the most important concerns of philosophers and political thinkers in the history of human thought since Plato. In this essay, with reference to Nahj al-Balaghah, as one of the significant and influential texts in the intellectual heritage of Islam and Iran - which is the narration of Imam Ali's (a.s.) moral encounter with the world and the result of the lived experience of that noble person as the caliph of Muslims in one of the most critical periods of Islamic history, an attempt has been made to examine and analyze the approach of this text in facing the fundamental question of the relationship between ethics and politics, using the analytical method. The results indicate that in the tragic situation of adhering to moral principles and rules, on the one hand, and the durability and stability of his government, on the other hand, in spite of his accurate and intelligent understanding of the realities of the society and his knowledge of conventional and usual ways of politics and maintaining power, in the framework of his monotheistic ontology, Imam prefers maintaining the dignity of human beings and observing moral principles and avoiding violence, intimidation, deception, and terrorism over the survival of power and government - a government that is aimed at the public interest.