( 438 )
of worldly affairs and a man of falsehood. The Imam did
not expect him to do but what he was doing.
Only the followers of the Imam were to be blamed.
They were expected to be the means for straightening the
crookedness of the nation and re-directing it towards a
future in which the light of Islam goes high and spreads
throughout the world and leads all nations.
Instead of being the Imam's solution to the problems
of the nation
the Kufites became an additional problem to
him and to the nation. In one of his addresses
the Imam
told them the following words:
"My aim was to medicate the problem of the nation
through you
but you have become my main problem.
God the fighters of this disease have gotten tired . . ." ( 8 )
The falsehood certainly acquired victory through the
failure of the Kufites
their disobedience
and divisions.
The Kufites did not only lose their spiritual values but the
value of their worldly life and honorable future on the
face of this earth as well. Their enemy
whom they fought
violently at the beginning and wanted to strangulate and
worked for his annihilation
was not expected to be merciful with them after they cowardly turned their back to
him in their retreat.
The Imam told them: "You shall experience after me a
comprehensive humiliation
a destructive sword and a
constant discrimination against you. Your enemy shall be
your ruler. He shall divide you
bereave you and impoverish you."
These words
which may arouse a coward and awaken
a comatose
did not move the Kufites
nor did it succeed in
awakening them.
He told them again: "How amazing your attitude is. It
paralyzes the heart puzzles the mind and defies the
human understanding to see the determination of Mua-
weyah's party supporting their falsehood and your
failure to support your right. Thus you have become a
target constantly being hit and never hitting and invaded
( 8 ) The Imam Ali Nahjul-Balaghah part 1 p. 234.
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