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SERMON 229

(About allegiance to Amir al-mu'minin for the Caliphate. A similar sermon in somewhat different version has already appeared earlier.)

You drew out my hand towards you for allegiance but I held it back and you stretched it but I contracted it. Then you crowed over me as the thirsty camels crowd on the watering cisterns on their being taken there so much so that shoes were torn shoulder-cloths fell away and the weak got trampled and the happiness of people on their allegiance to me was so manifested that small children felt joyful the old staggered (up to me) for it the sick too reached for it helter skelter and young girls ran for it without veils.

* * * * *

SERMON 230

Advice about fear of Allah and an account of those who remain apprehensive of death and adopt abstemiousness

Certainly fear of Allah is the key to guidance provision for the next world freedom from every slavery and deliverance from all ruin. With its help the seeker succeeds and he who makes for safety escapes and achieves his aims.

Perform (good) acts while such acts are being raised (in value) repentance can be of benefit prayer can be heard condi-


( 225 )

[ 229 ] ومن كلام له عليه السلام

في وصف بيعته بالخلافة

قال الشريف : وقد تقدم مثله بألفاظ مختلفة. وَبَسَطْتُمْ يَدِي فَكَفَفْتُهَا، وَمَدَدْتُمُوهَا فَقَبَضْتُهَا، ثُمَّ تَدَاكَكْتُمْ عَلَيَّ (1) تَدَاكَّ الْإِبِلِ الْهِيمِ (2) عَلَى حِيَاضِهَا يَوْمَ وِرْدِهَا، حَتَّى انْقَطَعَتِ النَّعْلُ، وَسَقَطَ الرِّدَاءُ، وَوُطِىءَ الضَّعِيفُ، وَبَلَغَ مِنْ سُرُورِ النَّاسِ بِبَيْعَتِهِمْ إِيَّايَ أَنِ ابْتَهَجَ بِهَا الصَّغِيرُ، وَهَدَجَ (3) إِلَيْهَا الْكَبِيرُ، وَتَحَامَلَ نَحْوَهَا الْعَلِيلُ، وَحَسَرَتْ (4) إِلَيْهَا الْكِعَابُ (5) .

[ 230 ] ومن خطبة له عليه السلام

في مقاصد أُخرى

فَإِنَّ تَقْوَى اللهِ مِفْتَاحُ سَدَادٍ، وَذَخِيرَةُ مَعَادٍ، وَعِتْقٌ مِنْ كُلِّ مَلَكَةٍ (1) ، وَنَجَاةٌ مِنْ كُلِّ هَلَكَةٍ (2) ، بِهَا يَنْجَحُ الطَّالِبُ، وَيَنْجُوا الْهَارِبُ، وَتُنَالُ الرَّغَائِبُ.

فضل العمل

فَاعْمَلُوا وَالْعَمَلُ يُرْفَعُ، وَالتَّوْبَةُ تَنْفَعُ، وَالدُّعَاءُ يُسْمَعُ، وَالْحَالُ


( 226 )

tions are peaceful and the pens (of the two angels) are in motion (to record the actions). Hasten towards (virtuous) actions before the change of age (to oldness) lingering illness or snatching death (overtakes you). Certainly death will end your enjoyments mar your pleasures and remove your objectives. It is an unwanted visitor an invincible adversary and an unaccounting killer. Its ropes have entrapped you its evils have surrounded you its arrowheads have aimed at you its sway over you is great its oppression on you is continuous and the chance of its missing you is remote.

Very soon you will be overwhelmed with the gloom of its shades the severity of its illness the darkness of its distresses the nonsense utterances of its pangs the grief of its destruction the darkness of its encompassment and the unwholesomeness of its taste. It will seem as if it has come to you all of a sudden silenced those who were whispering to you separated your group destroyed your doings devastated your houses and altered your successors to distribute your estate among the chief relatives who did not give you any benefit or the grieved near ones who could not protect (you) or those rejoicers who did not lament (you).

Therefore it is upon you to strive make effort equip yourself get ready and provide yourself from the place of provision. And let not the life of this world deceive you as it deceived those before you among the past people and by-gone periods -- those who extracted its milk benefited from its neglectfulness passed a long time and turned its new things into old (by living long).



( 227 )

هَادِئَةٌ، وَالْأَقْلامُ جَارِيَةٌ.وَبَادِرُوا (3) بِالْأَعْمَالِ عُمُراً نَاكسِاً (4) ، أَوْ مَرَضاً حَابِساً (5) ، أَوْ مَوْتاً خَالِساً (6) ، فَإِنَّ الْمَوْتَ هَادِمُ لَذَّاتِِكُمْ، وَمُكَدِّرُ شَهَوَاتِكُمْ، وَمُبَاعِدُ طِيَّاتِِكُمْ (7) ، زَائِرٌ غَيْرُ مَحْبُوبٍ، وَقِرْنٌ (8) غَيْرُ مَغْلُوبٍ، وَوَاترٌ (9) غَيْرُ مَطْلُوبٍ، قَدْ أَعْلَقَتْكُمْ حَبَائِلُهُ (10) ، وَتَكَنَّفَتْكُمْ (11) غَوَائِلُهُ (12) ، وَأَقْصَدَتْكُمْ (13) مَعَابِلُهُ (14) ، وَعَظُمَتْ فِيكُمْ سَطْوَتُهُ، وَتَتَابَعَتْ عَلَيْكُمْ عَدْوَتُهُ (15) ، وَقَلَّتْ عَنْكُمْ نَبْوَتُهُ (16) ، فَيُوشِكُ (17) أَنْ تَغْشَاكُمْ (18) دَوَاجِى (19) ظُلَلِهِ (20) ، وَاحْتِدَامُ (21) عِلَلِهِ، وَحَنَادِسُ (22) غَمَرَاتِهِ (23) ، وَغَوَاشِي سَكَرَاتِهِ، وَأَلِيمُ إِرْهَاقِهِ (24) ، وَدُجُوُّ (25) أَطْبَاقِهِ (26) ، وَجُشُوبَةُ (27) مَذَاقِهِ. فَكَأَنْ قَدْ أَتْاكُمْ بَغْتَةً فَأَسْكَتَ نَجِيَّكُمْ (28) ، وَفَرَّقَ نَدِيَّكُمْ (29) ، وَعَفَّى آثَارَكُمْ (30) ، وَعَطَّلَ دِيَارَكُمْ، وَبَعَثَ وُرَّاثَكُمْ، يَقْتَسِمُونَ تُرَاثَكُمْ (31) ، بَيْنَ حَمِيمٍ (32) خَاصٍّ لَمْ يَنْفَعْ، وَقَرِيبٍ مَحْزُونٍ لَمْ يَمْنَعْ، وَآخَرَ شَامِتٍ لَمْ يَجْزَعْ.

فضل الجد

فَعَلَيْكُمْ بِالْجِدِّ وَالْإِجْتِهَادِ، وَالتَّأَهُّبِ وَالْإِسْتِعْدَادِ، وَالتَّزَوُّدِ فِي مَنْزِلِ الزَّادِ. وَلاَ تَغُرَّنَّكُمُ الدُّنْيَا كَمَا غَرَّتْ مَنْ كَانَ قَبْلَكُمْ مِنَ الْأُمَمِ الْمَاضِيَةِ، وَالْقُرُونِ الْخَالِيَةِ، الَّذِينَ احْتَلَبُوا دِرَّتَهَا (33) ، وَأصَابُوا غِرَّتَهَا (34) ، وَأَفْنَوْا عِدَّتَهَا، وَأَخْلَقُوا جِدَّتَهَا (35). وأَصْبَحَتْ


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Their abodes turned into graves and their wealth into inheritable estate. They do not know who came to them (at their graves); do not pay heed to those who weep over them and do not respond to those who call them. Therefore beware of this world as it is treacherous deceitful and cheating it gives and takes back covers with clothes and uncovers. Its pleasure does not last its hardship does not end and its calamity does not stop.

A part of the same sermon about ascetics

They are from among the people of this world but are not its people because they remain in it as though they do not belong to it. They act herein on what they observe and hasten here in (to avoid) what they fear. Their bodies move among the people of the next world. They see that the people of this world attach importance to the death of their bodies but they themselves attach more importance to the death of the hearts of those who are living.

* * * * *

SERMON 231

Amir al-mu'minin delivered this sermon at Dhiqar on his way to Basrah and the historian al-Waqidi has mentioned it (in Kitab al-Jamal).

About the Holy Prophet

The Prophet manifested whatever he was commanded and conveyed the messages of his Lord. Consequently Allah repaired through him the cracks joined through him the slits and created (through him) affection among kin although they bore intense enmity in (their) chests and deep-seated rancour in (their) hearts.


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مَسَاكِنُهُمْ أَجْدَاثاً (36) ، وَأَمْوَالُهُمْ مِيرَاثاً. لاَ يَعْرِفُونَ مَنْ أَتَاهُمْ، وَلاَ يَحْفِلُونَ مَنْ بَكَاهُمْ (37) ، وَلاَ يُجِيبُونَ مَنْ دَعَاهُمْ. فَاحْذَرُوا الدُّنْيَا فَإِنَّهَا غَدَّارَةٌ غَرَّارَةٌ خَدُوعٌ، مُعْطِيَةٌ مَنُوعٌ، مُلْبِسَةٌ نَزُوعٌ (38) ، لاَ يَدُومُ رَخَاؤُهَا، وَلاَ يَنْقَضِي عَنَاؤُهَا، وَلاَ يَرْكُدُ (39) بَلاَؤُهَا.

و منها في صفة الزّهاد : كَانُوا قَوْماً مِنْ أَهْلِ الدُّنْيَا وَلَيْسُوا مِنْ أَهْلِهَا، فَكَانُوا فِيهَا كَمَنْ لَيْسَ مِنْهَا، عَمِلُوا فِيهَا بَمَا يُبْصِرُونَ، وَبَادَرُوا (40) فِيهَا مَا يَحْذَرُونَ، تَقَلَّبُ أَبْدَانُهُمْ بَيْنَ ظَهْرَانَيْ أَهْلِ الْآخِرَةِ (41) ، يَرَوْنَ أَهْلَ الدُّنْيَا يُعَظِّمُونَ مَوْتَ أَجْسَادِهِمْ وَهُمْ أَشدُّ إِعْظَاماً لِمَوْتِ قُلُوبِ أَحْيَائِهِمْ.

[ 231 ] ومن خطبة له عليه السلام

خطبها بذي قار، وهو متوجّه إلى البصرة، وذكرها الواقدي في كتاب (الجمل)

فَصَدَعَ (1) بَمَا أُمِرَ بِهِ، وَبَلَّغَ رِسَالَةِ رَبِّهِ، فَلَمَّ اللهُ بِهِ الصَّدْعَ (2) ، وَرَتَقَ بِهِ الْفَتْقَ (3) ، وَأَلَّفَ بِهِ بَيْنَ ذَوِي الْأَرْحَامِ، بَعْدَ الْعَدَاوَةِ الْوَاغِرَةِ (4) فِي الصُّدُورِ، والضَّغَائِنِ الْقَادِحَةِ (5) فِي الْقُلُوبِ.