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SERMON 179

Dhi'lib al-Yamani asked Amir al-mu'minin whether he had seen Allah when he replied "Do I worship one whom I have not seen?" Then he enquired "How have you seen Him?" Then Amir al-mu'minin replied:

Eyes do not see Him face to face but hearts perceive Him through the realities of belief. He is near to things but not (physically) contiguous. He is far from them but not (physically) separate. He is a speaker but not with reflection. He intends but not with preparation. He moulds but not with (the assistance of) limbs. He is subtle but cannot be attributed with being concealed. He is great but cannot be attributed with haughtiness. He sees but cannot be attributed with the sense (of sight). He is Merciful but cannot be attributed with weakness of heart. Faces feel low before His greatness and hearts tremble out of fear of Him.

* * * * *

SERMON 180

Condemning his disobedient men

I praise Allah for whatever matter He ordained and whatever action He destines and for my trial with you O' group of people who do not obey when I order and do not respond when I call you. If you are at ease you engage in (conceited) conversation but if you are faced with battle you show weakness. If people agree on one Imam you taunt each other. If you are faced with an arduous matter you turn away from it. May others have no father (woe to your enemy!) what are you waiting for in the matter of your assistance and for fighting for your rights? For you there is either


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[ 179 ] ومن كلام له عليه السلام

وقد سأله ذِعلبٌ اليماني فقال: هل رأيت ربّك يا أميرالمؤمنين؟

فقال عليه السلام: أَفأَعْبُدُ مَا لا أَرَى ؟
فقال: وكيف تراه؟ فقال :

لاَ تُدْرِكُهُ الْعُيُونُ بِمُشَاهَدَةِ الْعِيَانِ، وَلكِنْ تُدْرِكُهُ الْقُلُوبُ بِحَقَائِقِ الْإِيمَانِ، قَرِيبٌ مِنَ الْأَشْيَاءِ غَيْرُ مُلابِسٍ، بَعِيدٌ مِنْهَا غَيْرُ مُبَايِنٍ، مُتَكَلِّمٌ بِلاَ رَوِيَّةٍ (1) ، مُرِيدٌ بِلاَ هِمَّةٍ (2) ، صَانِعٌ لاَ بِجَارِحَةٍ (3) ، لَطِيفٌ لاَ يُوصَفُ بِالْخَفَاءِ، كَبِيرٌ لاَ يُوصَفُ بِالْجَفَاءِ (4) ، بَصِيرٌ لاَ يُوصَفُ بِالْحَاسَّةِ، رَحِيمٌ لاَ يُوصَفُ بِالرِّقَّةِ. تَعْنُو (5) الْوُجُوهُ لِعَظَمَتِهِ، وَتَجِبُ الْقُلُوبُ (6) مِنْ مَخَافَتِهِ.

[ 180 ] ومن كلام له عليه السلام

في ذمّ العاصين من أصحابه

أَحْمَدُ اللهَ عَلَى مَا قَضَى مِنْ أَمْرٍ، وَقَدَّرَ مِنْ فِعْلٍ، وَعَلَى ابْتِلاَئِي بِكُمْ أَيَّتُهَا الْفِرْقَةُ الَّتِي إذَا أَمَرْتُ لَمْ تُطِعْ، وَإذَا دَعَوْتُ لَمْ تُجِبْ، إنْ أُمْهِلْتُمْ (1) خُضْتُمْ، وَإنْ حُورِبْتُمْ خُرْتُمْ (2) . وَإنِ اجْتَمَعَ النَّاسُ عَلَى إمَامٍ طَعَنْتُمْ، وَإنْ أُجِبْتُمْ إلَى مُشَاقَّةٍ (3) نَكَصْتُمْ (4) . لاَ أَبَا لِغَيْرِكُمْ (5) ! مَا تَنْتَظِرُونَ بِنَصْرِكُمْ وَالْجِهَادِ عَلَى حَقِّكُمْ؟ الْمَوْتَ أَوِ


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death or disgrace. By Allah if my day (of death) comes. and it is sure to come it will cause separation between me and you although I am sick of your company and feel lonely with you.

May Allah deal with you! Is there no religion which may unite you nor sense of shamefulness that may sharpen you? Is it not strange that Mu'awiyah calls out to some rude low people and they follow him without any support or grant but when I call you although you are the successors of Islam and the (worthy) survivors of the people with support and distributed grants you scatter away from me and oppose me? Truly there is nothing between me to you which I like and you also like it or with which I am angry and you may also unite against it. What I love most is death. I have taught you the Qur'an clarified to you arguments apprised you of what you were ignorant and made you swallow what you were spitting out. Even a blind man would have been able to see and he who was sleeping would have been awakened. How ignorant of Allah is their leader Mu'awiyah and their instructor Ibn an-Nabighah. (1)

(1). "an-Nabighah" is the surname of Layla bint Harmalah al-'Anaziyyah mother of 'Amr ibn al-'As. The reason for attributing him to his mother is her common reputation in the matter. When Arwa bint al-Harith ibn 'Abd al-Muttalib went to Mu'awiyah during the conversation when 'Amr ibn al-'As intervened she said to him: "O' son of an-Nabighah you too dare speak although your mother was known publicly and was a singer of Mecca. That is why five persons claimed you (as a son) and when she was asked she admitted that five people had visited her and that you should be regarded as the son of him you resembled most. You must have resembled al-'As ibn Wa'il and therefore you came to be known as his son."

These five persons were (1) al-'As ibn Wa'il (2) Abu Lahab (3) Umayyah ibn Khalaf (4) Hisham ibn al-Mughirah and (5) Abu Sufyan ibn Harb. (Ibn 'Abd Rabbih al-'lqd al-farid vol. 2 p. 120; Ibn Tayfur Balaghat an-nisa' p. 27; Ibn Hijjah Thamarat al-awraq vol. 1 p. 132; Safwat Jamharat khutab al-'Arab vol. 2 p.363; Ibn Abi'l-Hadid vol. 6 pp. 283-285 291; al-Halabi as-Sirah vol. 1 p. 46).


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الذُّلَّ لَكُمْ؟ فَوَاللهِ لَئِنْ جَاءَ يَوْمِي ـ وَلَيَأْتِيَنِّي ـ لَيُفَرِّقَنَّ بَيْني وَبَيْنَكُمْ وَأَنا لِصُحْبَتِكُمْ قَالٍ (6) ، وَبِكُمْ غَيْرُ كَثِيرٍ (7) . لِلَّهِ أَنْتُمْ! أمَا دِينٌ يَجْمَعُكُمْ! وَلاَ حَمِيّةٌ تَشْحَذُكُمْ (8) ! أَوَلَيْسَ عَجَباً أَنَّ مُعَاوِيَةَ يَدْعُو الْجُفَاةَ (9) الطَّغَامَ (10) فَيَتَّبِعُونَهُ عَلَى غَيْرِ مَعُونَةٍ (11) وَلاَ عَطَاءٍ، وَأَنَا أَدْعُوكُمْ ـ وَأَنْتُمْ تَرِيكَةُ الْإِسْلاَمِ (12) ، وَبَقِيَّةُ النَّاسِ ـ إلَى الْمَعُونَةِ أَوطَائِفَةٍ مِنَ الْعَطَاءِ، فَتَفَرَّقُونَ عَنِّي وَتَخْتَلِفُونَ عَلَيَّ؟ إِنَّهُ لاَ يَخْرُجُ إِلَيْكُمْ مِنْ أَمْرِي رِضىً فَتَرْضَوْنَهُ، وَلاَ سُخْطٌ فَتَجْتَمِعُونَ عَلَيْهِ، وَإنَّ أَحَبَّ مَا أَنَا لاَقٍ إِلَيَّ الْمَوْتُ! قَدْ دَارَسْتُكُمُ الْكِتَابَ (13) ، وَفَاتَحْتُكُمُ الْحِجَاجَ (14) ، وَعَرَّفْتُكُمْ مَا أَنْكَرْتُمْ، وَسَوَّغْتُكُمْ (15) مَا مَجَجْتُمْ، لَوْ كَانَ الْأَعْمَى يَلْحَظُ، أَوِ النَّائِمُ يَسْتَيْقِظُ! وَأَقْرِبْ بِقَوْمٍ (16) مِنَ الْجَهْلِ بِاللهِ قَائِدُهُمْ مُعَاوِيَةُ! وَمُؤَدِّبُهُمُ ابْنُ النَّابِغَةِ (17) !