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SERMON 235

Spoken when Amir al-mu'minin was busy in the funeral ablution (ghusl) of the Holy Prophet and shrouding him

May my father and my mother shed their lives for you. O' Messenger of Allah! With your death the process of prophethood revelation and heavenly messages has stopped which had not stopped at the death of others (prophets). Your position with us (members of your family) is so special that your grief has become a source of consolation (to us) as against the grief of all others; your grief is also common so that all Muslims share it equally. If you had not ordered endurance and prevented us from bewailing we would have produced a store of tears and even then the pain would not have subsided and this grief would not have ended and they would have been too little of our grief for you. But this (death) is a matter that cannot be reversed nor is it possible to repulse it. May my father and my mother die for you; do remember us with Allah and take care of us.

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SERMON 236

In (1) this sermon Amir al-mu'minin has related his own condition after the Prophet's immigration till his meeting with him.

I began following the path adopted by the Prophet and treading on the lines of his remembrance till I reached al-'Arj.

as-Sayyid ar-Radi says: Amir al-mu'minin's words "faata'u dhikrahu" constitute the highest forms of brevity and eloquence. He means to say that he was being given news about the Prophet from the commencement of his setting out till he reached this place and he has expressed this sense in this wonderful expression.


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[ 235 ] ومن كلام له عليه السلام

قاله وهو يلي غسل رسول الله, صلى الله عليه وآله وتجهيزه :

بِأَبِي أَنْتَ وأُمِّي يَا رَسُولَ اللهِ، لَقَدِ انْقَطَعَ بِمَوْتِكَ مَا لَمْ يَنْقَطِعْ بِمَوْتِ غَيْرِكَ مِنَ النُّبُوَّةِ وَالْإِنْبَاءِ وأَخْبَارِ السَّماءِ، خَصَصْتَ حَتَّى صِرْتَ مُسَلِّياً عَمَّنْ سِوَاكَ، وَعَمَمْتَ حَتّى صَارَ النَّاسُ فِيكَ سَواءً، وَلَوْ لاَ أَنَّكَ أَمَرْتَ بِالصَّبْرِ، وَنَهَيْتَ عَنِ الْجَزَعِ، لَأَنْفَدْنَا (1) عَلَيْكَ مَاءَ الشُّؤُونِ (2) ، وَلَكَانَ الدَّاءُ مُمَاطِلاً (3) ، وَالْكَمَدُ مُحَالِفاً (4) ، وَقَلاَّ لَكَ (5) ! وَلكِنَّهُ مَا لاَ يُمْلَكُ رَدُّهُ، وَلاَ يُسْتَطَاعُ دَفْعُهُ! بِأَبِي أَنْتَ وَأُمّي! اذْكُرْنَا عِنْدَ رَبِّكَ، وَاجْعَلْنَا مِنْ بَالِكَ!

[ 236 ] ومن كلام له عليه السلام

اقتصّ فيه ذكر ما كان منه بعد هجرة النبي-صلى الله عليه وآله- ثم لحاقه به:

فَجَعَلْتُ أَتْبَعُ مَأْخَذَ رَسُولِ الله -صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَآلِهِ- فَأَطَأُ ذِكْرَهُ، حَتَّى انْتَهَيْتُ إِلَى الْعَرَجِ (1) .

قال السيد الشريف رضي الله عنه في كلام طويل: قوله عليه السلام: «فَأطَأُ ذِكْرَهُ»، من الكلام الذي رُمِيَ به إلى غايتي والايجاز والفصاحة، وأراد أني كنتُ أُعْطي خبره -صلى الله عليه وآله- من بدء خروجي إلى أن انتهيتُ إلى هذا الموضع، وكنّى عن ذلك بهذه الكناية العجيبة.


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(1) . Since the commencement of prophethood the Prophet remained in Mecca for thirteen years. For him this period was of the severest oppression and destitution. The unbelievers of the Quraysh had closed all the doors of livelihood upon him and had left no deficiency in inflicting hardships upon him so much so that in order to take his life they began contriving how to do away with him. Forty of their nobles assembled in the hall of audience (Dar an-Nadwah) for consultation and decided that one individual should be picked out from every tribe and they should jointly attack him. In this way Banu Hashim would not dare to face all the tribes and the matter would quieten down on the payment of blood price. To give a practical shape to this scheme these people sat in ambush near the house of the Prophet on the night of the first of Rabi' al-awwal so that when the prophet slept in his bed he would be attacked. On this side the preparation for killing him was complete and on the other side Allah informed him of all the intrigues of the Quraysh unbelievers and commanded him to make 'Ali (p.b.u.h.) sleep on his bed and himself to immigrate to Medina. The Prophet sent for 'Ali (p.b.u.h.) and disclosing to him his plan said: "Ali you lie on my bed." Amir al-mu'minin enquired: "O' Messenger of Allah will your life be saved by my sleeping here?" The Prophet said: "Yes." Hearing this Amir al-mu'minin performed a prostration in thanks-giving and exposing himself fully to the danger lay on the Prophet's bed while the Prophet left from the rear door. The Quraysh unbelievers were peeping and getting ready for the attack but Abu Lahab said: "It is not proper to attack in the night because there are women and children also in the house. When morning dawns you attack him but keep watch during night that he should not move anywhere." Consequently they kept their eyes on the bed throughout the night and soon on the appearance of the dawn proceeded forward stealthily. Hearing the sound of their footsteps Amir al-mu'minin removed the covering from his face and stood up. The Quraysh gazed at him with stretched eyes as to whether it was an illusion or fact. After making sure that it was 'Ali they enquired "Where is Muhammad?" and 'Ali replied "Did you entrust him to me that now you are asking me?" They had no reply to this. Men ran to chase him but found footprints only up to the cave of Thawr. Beyond that there were neither footprints nor any sign of hiding in the cave. They came back bewildered while the Prophet after staying in the cave for three days left for Medina. Amir al-mu'minin passed these three days in Mecca returned to the people their properties lying in trust with the Prophet and set off towards Medina to join the Prophet. Upto al-'Arj which is a place between Mecca and Medina he kept getting news

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about the Prophet and he continued his anxious march in his search till he met the Prophet at Quba on the twelfth of Rabi' al-awwal and entered Medina with him. (at-Tabari at-Tafsir vol. 9 pp. 148-151; at-Tarikh vol. 1 pp. 1232-1234; Ibn Sa'd at-Tabaqat vol. 1 Part 1 pp. 153-154; Ibn Hisham as-Sirah vol. 2 pp. 124-128; Ibn al-Athir Usd al-ghabah vol. 4 p. 25; al-Kamil vol. 2 pp. 101-104; Ibn Kathir at-Tafsir vol. 2 pp. 302-303; at-Tarikh vol. 3 pp. 180-181; Ibn Abi'l-Hadid vol. 13 pp. 303-306; as-Suyuti ad-Durr al-manthur vol. 3 pp. 179-180; al-'Allamah al-Majlisi Bihar al-anwar vol. 19 pp. 28-103).