( 638 )

SERMON 172

About the Consultative Committee and the Battle of Jamal

Praise be to Allah from whose view one sky does not conceal another sky nor one earth another earth.

A part of the same sermon

About the Consultative Committee after the death of 'Umar ibn al-Khattab

Someone (1) said to me "O' son of Abi Talib you are eager for the caliphate." Then I told him:

"Rather you are by Allah more greedy although more remote while I am more suited as well as nearer. I have demanded it as my right while you are intervening between me and it and you are turning my face from it." When I knocked at his ears with arguments among the crowd of those present he was startled as if he was stunned not knowing what reply to give me about it.

O' my Allah! I seek Thy succour against the Quraysh and those who are assisting them because they are denying me (the rights of) kinship have lowered my high position and are united in opposing me in the matter (of the caliphate) which is my right and then they said "Know that the rightful thing is that you have it and also that you may leave it." (2)

A part of the same sermon

Describing the people of Jamal

They (Talhah az-Zubayr and their supporters) came out dragging the wife of the Messenger of Allah (the peace and blessing of Allah be upon him and his descendants) just as a maid-slave is dragged for sale. They took her to Basrah where those two (Talhah and az-Zubayr) put their own women in their houses but


( 639 )

[ 172 ] ومن خطبة له عليه السلام

حمد الله

الْحَمْدُ لله الَّذِي لاَ تُوَارِي (1) عَنْهُ سَمَاءٌ سَمَاءً، وَلاَ أَرْضٌ أَرْضاً.

يوم الشورى

منها : وَقَالَ قَائِلٌ: إِنَّكَ يابْنَ أبِي طَالِبٍ عَلَى هذَا الْأَمْرِ لَحَرِيصٌ. فَقُلْتُ: بَلْ أَنْتُمْ وَاللهِ لِأَحْرَصُ وَأَبْعَدُ، وَأَنَا أَخَصُّ وَأَقْرَبُ، وَإِنَّمَا طَلَبْتُ حَقّاً لِي وَأَنْتُمْ تَحُولُونَ بَيْنِي وَبَيْنَهُ، وَتَضْرِبُونَ وَجْهِي (2) دُونَهُ، فَلَمَّا قَرَّعْتُهُ بِالْحُجَّةِ (3) فِي الْملاءِ الْحَاضِرِينَ هَبَّ (4) كَأَنَّهُ بُهِتَ لاَ يَدْرِي مَا يُجِيبُنِي بِهِ!

الاستنصار على قريش

اللَّهُمَّ إنَّي أَسْتَعْدِيكَ عَلى قُرَيْشٍ وَمَنْ أَعَانَهُمْ! فَإِنَّهُمْ قَطَعُوا رَحِمِي، وَصَغَّرُوا عَظِيمَ مَنْزِلَتِي، وَأَجْمَعُوا عَلَى مُنَازَعَتِي أَمْراً هُوَ لِي. ثُمَّ قَالُوا: أَلاَ إنَّ فِي الْحَقِّ أَنْ تَأْخُذَهُ، وَفِي الْحَقِّ أَنْ تَتْرُكَهُ.

منها في ذكر أصحاب الجمل

فَخَرَجُوا يَجُرُّونَ حُرْمَةَ رَسُولِ اللهِ -صَلَّي اللّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَ آلِهِ- كَمَا تُجَرُّ الْأُمَةُ عِنْدَ شِرَائِهَا، مُتَوَجِّهِينَ بِهَا إِلَى الْبَصْرَةِ، فَحَبَسَا نِسَاءَ هُمَا فِي


( 640 )

exposed the wife of the Messenger of Allah to themselves and to others in the army in which there was not a single individual who had not offered me his obedience and sworn to me allegiance quite obediently without any compulsion.

Here in Basrah they approached my governor and treasurers of the public treasury and its other inhabitants. They killed some of them in captivity and others by treachery. By Allah even if they had wilfully killed only one individual from among the Muslims without any fault it would have been lawful for me to kill the whole of this army because they were present in it but did not disagree with it nor prevented it by tongue or hand not to say that they killed from among the Muslims a number equal to that with which they had marched on them.

(1). On the occasion of the Consultative Committee Sa'd ibn Abi Waqqas repeated to Amir al-mu'minin what Caliph 'Umar had said in his last hours namely that "O' 'Ali you are very greedy for the position of caliphate " and 'Ali replied that "He who demands his own right cannot be called greedy; rather greedy is he who prevents the securing of the right and tries to grab it despite being unfit for it."

There is no doubt that Amir al-mu'minin considered the Caliphate to be his right and demanded his right. The demand for a right does not dispel a right so that it may be put forth as an excuse for not assigning him the caliphate and the demand may be held as a mark of greed. Even if it was greed who was not involved in this greed? Was not the pull between the muhajirun and the ansar the mutual struggle between the members of the Consultative Committee and the mischief mongering of Talhah and az-Zubayr the product of this very greed. If Amir al-mu'minin had been greedy for this position he would have stood for it closing his eyes to the consequences and results when 'Abbas (uncle of the Prophet) and Abu Sufyan pressed him for (accepting) allegiance and when after the third Caliph people thronged to him for (swearing) allegiance he should have accepted their offer without paying any attention to the deteriorated conditions. But at no time did Amir al-mu'minin take any step which could prove that he wanted the Caliphate for the sake of caliphate but rather his demand for the caliphate was only with the object that its features should not be altered and the religion should not become the victim of others' desires not that he should


( 641 )

بُيُوتِهِمَا، وَأَبْرَزَا حَبِيس (5) رَسُولِ اللهِ -صَلَّي اللّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَ آلِهِ- لَهُمَا َلِغَيْرِهِمَا، فِي جَيْشٍ مَا مِنْهُمْ رَجُلٌ إِلاَّ وَقَدْ أَعْطَانِي الطَّاعَةَ، وَسَمَحَ لِي بِالْبَيْعَةِ، طَائِعاً غَيْرَ مُكْرَهٍ، فَقَدِمُوا عَلَى عَامِلِي بِهَا وَخُزَّانِ (6) بَيْتِ مَالِ الْمُسْلِمِينَ وَغَيْرِهِمْ مِنْ أَهْلِهَا، فَقَتَلُوا طَائِفَةً صَبْراً (7) ، وَطَائِفَةً غَدْراً. فَوَاللهِ لَوْ لَمْ يُصِيبُوا مِنَ الْمُسْلِمِينَ إِلاَّ رَجُلاً وَاحِداً مُعْتَمِدِينَ (8) لِقَتْلِهِ، بِلاَ جُرْمٍ جَرَّهُ، لَحَلَّ لي قَتْلُ ذلِكَ الْجَيْشِ كُلِّهِ، إِذْ حَضَرُوهُ فَلَمْ يُنْكِرُوا، وَلَمْ يَدْفَعُوا عَنْهُ بِلِسَانٍ وَلاَ يَدٍ. دَعْ مَا أَنَّهُمْ قَدْ قَتَلُوا مِنَ الْمُسْلِمِينَ مِثْلَ الْعِدَّةِ الَّتِي دَخَلُوا بِهَا عَلَيْهِمْ!

* * * * *


( 642 )

SERMON 173

On eligibility for the Caliphate

The Prophet is the trustee of Allah's revelation the Last of His Prophets. the giver of tidings of His mercy and the warner for His chastisement.

O' people. the most rightful of all persons for this matter (namely the caliphate) is he who is most competent among them to maintain it and he who knows best Allah's commands about it. If any mischief is created by a mischief-monger he will be called upon to repent. If he refuses. he will be fought. By my life (1) if the question of Imamah was not to be decided unless all the people were present then there would be no such case. But those who agreed about it imposed the decision on those who were absent so much so that he who was present could not dissent and the one who was absent could not choose (any one else). Know that I shall fight two persons - one who claims what is not his and the other who ignores what is obligatory upon him.

enjoy the pleasures of life which could be attributed to greed.

(2). Explaining the meaning Ibn Abi'l-Hadid writes that Amir al-mu'minin's intention was to say:

They (the Quraysh and those who are assisting them) were not only content to keep me away from my right over the caliphate which they have usurped (from me) but rather claimed that it was their right whether to give it to me or prevent me from the same; and that I have no right to argue with them.

Furthermore the intention (of Amir al-mu'minin) is that:

If they had not said that it is right to keep away from the caliphate it would have been easy to endure it because this would have at least showed their admitting my right although they were not prepared to concede it. (Sharh Nahj al-balaghah vol. 9 p. 306)


( 643 )

[ 173 ] ومن خطبة له عليه السلام

في رسول الله صلى الله عليه وآله وسلم ومن هو جدير بأن يكون للخلافة وفي هوان الدنيا

رسول الله

أَمِينُ وَحْيِهِ، وَخَاتَمُ رُسُلِهِ، وَبَشِيرُ رَحْمَتِهِ، وَنَذِيرُ نِقْمَتِهِ.

الجدير بالخلافة

أَيُّهَا النَّاسُ، إنَّ أَحَقَّ النَّاسِ بِهذَا الْأَمْرِ أَقْوَاهُمْ عَلَيْهِ، وَأَعْلَمُهُمْ بِأَمْرِ اللهِ فِيهِ، فَإِنْ شَغَبَ (1) شَاغِبٌ اسْتُعْتِبَ (2) ، فَإِنْ أَبَى قُوتِلَ. وَلَعَمْرِي، لَئِنْ كَانَتِ الْإَمَامَةُ لاَ تَنْعَقِدُ حَتَّى يَحْضُرَهَا عَامَّةُ النَّاسِ، فمَا إِلَى ذَلِكَ سَبِيلٌ، وَلكِنْ أَهْلُهَا يَحْكُمُونَ عَلَى مَنْ غَابَ عَنْهَا، ثُمَّ لَيْسَ لِلشَّاهِدِ أَنْ يَرْجِعَ، وَلاَ لِلغَائِبِ أَنْ يَخْتَارَ. أَلاَ وَإِنَّي أُقَاتِلُ رَجُلَيْنِ: رَجُلاً ادَّعَى مَا لَيْسَ لَهُ، وَآخَرَ مَنَعَ الَّذِي عَلَيْهِ.

* * * * *


( 644 )

The need for sagacity in fighting against Muslims

O' creatures of Allah! I advise you to have fear of Allah because it is the best advice to be mutually given by persons and the best of all things before Allah. The door of war has been opened between you and the other Muslims. And this banner will be borne only by him who is a man of sight of endurance and of knowledge of the position of rightfulness. Therefore you should go ahead with what you are ordered and desist from what you are refrained. Do not make haste in any matter till you have clarified it. For in the case of every matter which you dislike we have a right to change it.

The behaviour of this world with its adherents

Know that this world which you have started to covet and in which you are interested and which sometimes enrages you and sometimes pleases you is not your (permanent) abode nor the place of your stay for which you might have been created nor one to which you have been invited. Know that it will not last for you nor will you live along with it. If anything out of this world deceives you (into attraction) its evils warn you too. You should give up (the objects of) its deceits in favour of (the objects of) its warning and (the objects of) its attractions in favour of (the objects of) its terrors. And while here in it advance towards that house to which you have been called and turn away your hearts from the world. None of you should cry like a maid slave over anything which she has been deprived of. Seek the perfection of Allah's bounty over you by endurance in obedience to Allah and in guarding what He has asked you to guard namely His Book.

Know that the loss of anything of this world will not harm you if you have guarded the principles of your religion. Know also that after the loss of your religion nothing of this world for which you have cared will benefit you. May Allah carry our hearts and your hearts towards the right and may He grant us and you endurance.


( 645 )

أُوصِيكُمْ بَتَقْوَى اللهِ، فَإنَّها خَيْرُ مَا تَوَاصَى الْعِبَادُ بِهِ، وَخَيْرُ عَوَاقِبِ الْأُمُورِ عِنْدَ اللهِ، وَقَدْ فُتِحَ بَابُ الْحَرْبِ بَيْنَكُمْ وَبَيْنَ أَهْلِ الْقِبْلَةِ (3) ، وَلاَ يَحْمِلُ هذَا الْعَلَمَ إِلاَّ أَهْلُ الْبَصَرِ والصَّبْرِ وَالْعِلْمِ بِمَوَاضِعِ الْحَقِّ، فَامْضُوا لِمَا تُؤْمَرُونَ بِهِ، وَقِفُوا عِنْدَ مَا تُنْهَوْنَ عَنْهُ، وَلاَ تَعْجَلُوا فِي أَمْرٍ حَتَّى تَتَبَيَّنُوا، فَإِنَّ لَنَا مَعَ كُلِّ أَمْرٍ تُنْكِرُونَهُ غِيَراً (4) .

هوان الدنيا

أَلاَ وَإِنَّ هذِهِ الدُّنْيَا الَّتِي أَصْبَحْتُمْ تَتَمَنَّوْنَهَا وَتَرْغَبُونَ فِيهَا، وَأَصْبَحَتْ تُغْضِبُكُمْ وَتُرْضِيكُمْ، لَيْسَتْ بِدَارِكُمْ، وَلاَ مَنْزِلِكُمُ الَّذِي خُلِقْتُمْ لَهُ وَلاَ الَّذِي دُعِيتُمْ إِلَيْهِ، أَلاَ وَإِنَّهَا لَيْسَتْ بِبَاقِيَةٍ لَكُمْ وَلاَ تَبْقَوْنَ عَلَيْهَا، وَهِيَ وَإِنْ غَرَّتْكُمْ مِنْهَا فَقَدْ حَذَّرَتْكُمْ شَرَّهَا، فَدَعُوا غُرُورَهَا لِتَحْذِيرِهَا، وَأَطْمَاعَهَا لِتَخْوِيفِهَا، وَسَابِقُوا فِيهَا إِلَى الدَّارِ الَّتي دعِيتُمْ إِلَيْهَا، وَانْصَرِفُوا بِقُلُوبِكُمْ عَنْهَا، وَلاَ يَخِنَّنَّ أَحَدُكُمْ خَنِينَ (5) الْأَمَةِ عَلَى مَا زُوِىَ (6) عَنْهُ مِنْهَا، وَاسْتَتِمُّوا نِعْمَةَ اللهِ عَلَيْكُمْ بِالصَّبْرِ عَلَى طَاعَةِ اللهِ وَالْمُحَافَظَةِ عَلَى مَا اسْتَحْفَظَكُمْ مِنْ كِتَابِهِ. أَلاَ وَإِنَّهُ لاَ يَضُرُّكُمْ تَضْيِيعُ شَيْءٍ مِنْ دُنْيَاكُمْ بَعْدَ حِفْظِكُمْ قَائِمَةَ دِينِكُمْ، أَلاَ وَإِنَّهُ لاَ يَنْفَعُكُمْ بَعْدَ تَضْيِيعِ دِينِكُمْ شَيْءٌ حَافَظْتُمْ عَلَيْهِ مِنْ أَمْرِ دُنْيَاكُمْ. أَخَذَ اللهُ بِقُلُوبِنَا وَقُلُوبِكُمْ إِلَى الْحَقِّ، وَأَلْهَمَنَا وَإِيَّاكُمُ الصَّبْرَ!


( 646 )

( 1 ). When the people collected in the Saqifah of Banu Sa'idah in connection with the election even those who were not present there were made to follow the decision taken there and the principle was adopted that those present at the election had no right to reconsider the matter or to break the allegiance and those not present could do nothing but acquiesce in the agreed decision. But when the people of Medina swore allegiance at the hands of Amir al-mu'minin the Governor of Syria (Mu'awiyah) refused to follow suit on the ground that since he was not present on the occasion he was not bound to abide by it whereupon Amir al-mu'minin gave a reply in this sermon on the basis of these accepted and agreed principles and conditions which had been established among these people and had become incontrovertible namely that: "When the people of Medina and the ansar and the muhajirun have sworn allegiance on my hand Mu'awiyah had no right to keep aloof from it on the ground that he was not present on the occasions nor were Talhah and az-Zubayr entitled to break the pledge after swearing allegiance."

On this occasion Amir al-mu'minin did not argue on the strength of any saying of the Prophet which would serve as his final say about the caliphate because the grounds for refusal in his case was in respect of the modus operandi of the principle of election. Therefore in keeping with the requirements of the situation a reply based on the agreed principles of the adversary could alone quieten him. Even if he had argued on the strength of the Prophet's command it would have been subjected to various interpretations and the matter would have been prolonged instead of being settled. Again Amir al-mu'minin had seen that soon after the death of the Prophet all his sayings and commands had been set aside. Therefore how after the lapse of a long time could one be expected to accept it when habit had been established to follow one's free will against the Prophet's sayings.