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SERMON 85

About the perfection of Allah and counselling

I stand witness that there is no god but Allah He is One and there is no partner with Him. He is the First such that nothing was before Him. He is the Last such that there is not limit for Him. Imagination cannot catch any of His qualities. Hearts cannot entertain belief about His nature. Analysis and division cannot be applied to Him. Eyes and hearts cannot compare Him.

A part of the same sermon

O' creatures of Allah! take lesson from useful items of instruction and shining indications. Be cautioned by effective items of warning. Get benefit from preaching and admonition. It is as though the claws of death are pressed in you the connection of hope and desires has been cut asunder hard affairs have befallen you and your march is towards the place where everyone has to go namely death. Hence "with every person there is a driver and a witness" (Qur'an 50:21). The driver drives him towards resurrection while the witness furnishes evidence about his deeds.


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[ 85 ] ومن خطبة له عليه السلام

وفيها صفات ثمان من صفات الجلال

وَأَشْهَدُ أَنْ لاَ إِلهَ إِلاَّ اللهُ وَحْدَهُ لاَ شَرِيكَ لَهُ: الْأَوَّلُ لاَ شَيْءَ قَبْلَهُ، وَالْآخِرُ لاَ غَايَةَ لَهُ، لاَ تَقَعُ االْأَوْهَامُ لَهُ عَلى صِفَةٍ، وَلاَ تُعْقَدُ (1) الْقُلُوبُ مِنْهُ عَلَى كَيْفِيَّةٍ، وَلاَ تَنَالُهُ التَّجْزِئَةُ وَالتَّبْعِيضُ، وَلاَ تُحِيطُ بِهِ الْأَبْصَارُ وَالْقُلُوبُ. ومنها: فَاتَّعِظُوا عِبَادَ اللهِ بِالعِبَرِ النَّوَافِعِ، وَاعْتَبِرُوا بِالْآي السَّوَاطِعِ (2) ، وَازْدَجِرُوا بِالنُّذُرِ الْبَوَالِغِ (3) ، وَانْتَفِعُوا بِالذِّكْرِ وَالْمَوَاعِظِ، فَكَأَنْ قَدْ عَلِقَتْكُمْ مَخَالِبُ الْمَنِيَّةِ، وَانْقَطَعَتْ مِنْكُمْ عَلاَئِقُ الْأُمْنِيَّةِ، وَدَهِمَتْكُمْ مُفْظِعَاتُ الْأٌمُورِ (4) ، وَالسِّيَاقَةُ إِلى الْوِرْدِ المَوْرُودِ (5) ، (وَكُلُّ نَفْس مَعَهَا سَائِقٌ وَشَهِيدٌ): سَائِقٌ يَسُوقُهَا إِلَى مَحْشَرِهَا; وَشاهِدٌ يَشْهَدُ عَلَيْهَا بِعَمَلِهَا.



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A part of the same sermon (about Paradise)

In Paradise there are high classes and different places of stay. Its boundary never ends. He who stays in it will never depart from it. He who is endowed with everlasting abode in it will not get old and its resident will not face want.

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SERMON 86

About getting ready for the next world and following Allah's commandments

Allah knows hidden matters and is aware of inner feelings. He encompasses everything. He has control over everything and power over everything. Everyone of you should do whatever he has to do during his days of life before the approach of death in his leisure before his occupation and during the breathing of his breath before it is overtaken by suffocation should provide for himself and his journey and should collect provision from his place of halt for his place of stay.

So remember Allah O' people about what He has asked you in His Book to take care of and about His rights that He has entrusted to you. Verily Allah has not created you in vain nor left you unbridled nor left you alone in ignorance and gloom. He has defined what you should leave behind. taught you your acts ordained your death sent down to you. "the Book (Qur'an) explaining everything" (Qur'an 16:89) and made His Prophet live among you for a long time till He completed for him and for you the message sent through the Qur'an namely the religion


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ومنها: في صفة الجنّة

دَرَجَاتٌ مُتَفَاضِلاَتٌ، وَمَنَازِلُ مُتَفَاوِتَاتٌ، لاَ يَنْقَطِعُ نَعِيمُهَا، وَلاَ يَظْعَنُ مُقِيمُهَا، وَلاَ يَهْرَمُ خَالِدُهَا، وَلاَ يَبْأَسُ (6) سَاكِنُهَا.

[ 86 ] ومن خطبة له عليه السلام

وفيها بيان صفات الحق جلّ جلاله ثمّ عظة الناس بالتقوى والمشورة

قَدْ عَلِمَ السَّرائِرَ، وَخَبَرَ الضَّمائِرَ، لَهُ الْإِحَاطَةُ بِكُلِّ شَيْءٍ، وَالْغَلَبَةُ لِكُلِّ شَيْءٍ، وَالْقُوَّةُ عَلى كُلِّ شَيْءٍ.

عظة النّاس

فَلْيَعْمَلِ الْعَامِلُ مِنْكُمْ فِي أَيَّامِ مَهَلِهِ، قَبْلَ إِرْهَاقِ أَجَلِهِ (1) ، وَفِي فَرَاغِهِ قَبْلَ أَوَانِ شُغُلِهِ، وَفِي مُتَنَفَّسِهِ قَبْلَ أَنْ يُؤْخَذَ بِكَظَمِهِ (2) ، وَلْيُمَهِّدْ لِنَفْسِهِ وَقَدَمِهِ، وَلْيَتَزَوَّدْ مِنْ دَارِ ظَعْنِهِ لِدَارِ إِقَامَتِهِِ. فَاللهَ اللهَ أَيُّهَا النَّاسُ، فِيَما اسْتَحْفَظَكُمْ مِنْ كِتَابِهِ، وَاسْتَوْدَعَكُمْ مِنْ حُقُوقِهِ، فَإِنَّ اللهَ سُبْحَانَهُ لَمْ يَخْلُقْكُمْ عَبَثاً، وَلَمْ يَتْرُكْكُمْ سُدىً، وَلَمْ يَدَعْكُمْ فِي جَهَالَةٍ وَلاَ عَمًى، قَدْ سَمَّى آثَارَكُمْ (3) ، وَعَلِمَ أعْمَالَكُمْ، وَكَتَبَ آجَالَكُمْ، وَأَنْزَلَ عَلَيْكُمُ (الْكِتَابَ تِبْيَاناً لِكُلِّ شَيءٍ)، وَعَمَّرَ فِيكُمْ نَبِيَّهُ (4) أَزْمَاناً، حَتَّى أَكْمَلَ لَهُ وَلَكُمْ ـ فِيَما أنْزَلَ مِنْ كِتَابِهِ ـ


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liked by Him and clarified through him His good acts and evil acts His prohibitions and His commands.

He placed before you His arguments and exhausted his excuses upon you. He put forth to you His promises and warned you of severe retribution. You should therefore make full atonement during your remaining days and let yourselves practice endurance in these days. These days are fewer as against the many days during which you have shown obliviousness and heedlessness towards admonition. Do not allow time to yourselves because it will put you on the path of wrong-doers and do not be easy-going because this will push you towards sinfulness.

O' creatures of Allah! the best adviser for himself is he who is the most obedient to Allah and the most deceiving for himself is he who is the most disobedient to Allah. Deceived is he who deceived his own self. Enviable is he whose Faith is safe. Fortunate is he who takes lesson from others while unfortunate is he who fell victim to his desires. You should know that even the smallest hypocrisy is like believing in more than one God and keeping company of people who follow their desires is the key to obliviousness from religion and is the seat of Satan.

Be on your guard against falsehood because it is contrary to Faith. A truthful person is on the height of salvation and dignity while the liar is on the edge of ignominy and degradation. Do not be jealous because jealousy eats away Faith just as fire eats away dried wood. Do not bear malice because it is a scraper (of virtues). And know that desires make wit forgetful and make memory oblivious. You should falsify desire because it is a deception and he who has desires is in deceit.

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دِينَهُ الَّذِي رَضِيَ لِنفْسِهِ، وَأَنْهَى إِلَيْكُمْ ـ عَلَى لِسَانِهِ ـ مَحَابَّهُ (5) مِنَ الْأُعْمَالِ وَمَكَارِهَهُ، وَنَوَاهِيَهُ وَأَوَامِرَهُ، فَأَلقَى إِلَيْكُمُ الْمِعْذِرَةَ، وَاتَّخَذَ عَلَيْكُمُ الْحُجَّةَ، وَقَدَّمَ إِلَيْكُمْ بِالْوَعِيدِ، وَأَنْذَرَكُمْ بَيْنَ يَدَيْ عَذَابٍ شَديدٍ. فَاسْتَدْرِكُوا بَقِيَّةَ أَيَّامِكُمْ، وَاصْبِرُوا لَهَا أَنْفُسَكُمْ (6) ، فَإِنَّهَا قَلِيلٌ فِي كَثِيرِ الْأَيَّامِ الَّتِى تَكُونُ مِنْكُم فِيهَا الْغَفْلَةُ وَالتَّشَاغُلُ عَنِ الْمَوْعِظَةِ; وَلاَ تُرَخِّصُوا لاَِنْفُسِكُمْ، فَتَذْهَبَ بِكُمُ الرُّخَصُ مَذَاهِبَ الْظَّلَمَةِ (7) ، وَلاَ تُدَاهِنُوا (8) فَيَهْجُمَ بِكُمُ الْإِدْهَانُ عَلَى الْمَعْصِيَةِ. عِبَادَ اللهِ، إِنَّ أَنْصَحَ النَّاسِ لِنَفْسِهِ أَطْوَعُهُمْ لِرَبِّهِ، وَإِنَّ أَغَشَّهُمْ لِنَفْسِهِ أَعْصَاهُمْ لِرَبِّهِ; وَالْمَغْبُونُ (9) مَنْ غَبَنَ نَفْسَهُ، وَالْمَغْبُوطُ (10) مَنْ سَلِمِ لَهُ دِينُهُ، وَالسَّعِيدُ مَنْ وُعِظَ بِغَيْرِهِ، وَالشَّقِيُّ مَنِ انْخَدَعَ لِهَوَاهُ وَغُرُورِهِ. وَاعْلَمُوا أَنَّ يَسِيرَ الرِّيَإِ (11) شِرْكٌ، وَمُجَالَسَةَ أَهْلِ الْهَوَى مَنْسَاةٌ لِلْإِيمَانِ (12) ، وَمَحْضَرَةٌ لِلشَّيْطَانِ (13) . جَانِبُوا الْكَذِبَ فَإِنَّهُ مُجَانِبٌ لِلْإِيمَانِ، الصَّادِقُ عَلَى شَفَا مَنْجَاةٍ وَكَرَامَةٍ، وَالْكَاذِبُ عَلَى شَرَفِ مَهْوَاة وَمَهَانَة. وَلاَ تَحَاسَدُوا، فَإِنَّ الْحَسَدَ يَأْكُلُ الْإِيمَانَ كَمَا تَأْكُلُ النَّارُ الْحَطَبَ، وَلاَ تَبَاغَضُوا فَإِنَّهَا الْحَالِقَةُ (14) ، وَاعْلَمُوا أَنَّ الْأَمَلَ يُسْهِي الْعَقْلَ، وَيُنْسِي الذِّكْرَ، فَأَكْذِبُوا الْأَمَلَ فَإِنَّهُ غُرُورٌ، وَصَاحِبُهُ مَغْرُورٌ.

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