( 136 )

SERMON 202

What Amir al-mu'minin said on the occasion of the burial of Sayyidatu'n-nisa' (Supreme lady) Fatimah (p.b.u.h.) while addressing the Holy Prophet at his grave.

O' Prophet of Allah peace be upon you from me and from your daughter who has come to you and who has hastened to meet you. O' Prophet of Allah my patience about your chosen (daughter) has been exhausted and my power of endurance has weakened except that I have ground for consolation in having endured the great hardship and heart-rending event of your separation. I laid you down in your grave when your last breath had passed (when your head was) between my neck and chest.

... Verily we are Allah's and verily unto Him shall we return. (Qur'an 2:156)

Now. the trust has been returned and what had been given has been taken back. As to my grief it knows no bounds and as to my nights. they will remain sleepless till Allah chooses for me the house in which you are now residing.

Certainly your daughter would apprise you of the joining together of your (1) ummah (people) for oppressing her. You ask her in detail and get all the news about the position. This has happened when a long time had not elapsed and your remembrance had not disappeared. My salam (salutation) be on you both the salam of a grief stricken not a disgusted or hateful person; for if I go away it is not because I am weary (of you) and if I stay it is not due to lack of belief in what Allah has promised the endurers.

(1) . The treatment meted out to the daughter of the Prophet after

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[ 202 ] ومن كلام له عليه السلام

روي عنه أنّه قاله عند دفن سيدة النساء فاطمة عليها السلام، كالمناجي به رسول الله صلى الله عليه وآله عند قبره:

السَّلاَمُ عَلَيْكَ يَا رَسُولَ اللهِ عَنِّي، وَعَنِ ابْنَتِكَ النَّازِلَةِ فِي جِوَارِكَ، وَالسَّرِيعَةِ اللَّحَاقِ بِكَ! قَلَّ يَا رَسُولَ اللهِ، عَنْ صَفِيَّتِكَ صَبْرِي، وَرَقَّ عَنْهَا تَجَلُّدِي، إِلاَّ أَنَّ فِي التَّأَسِّيِ (1) لِيَ بِعَظِيمِ فُرْقَتِكَ، وَفَادِحِ (2) مُصِيبَتِكَ، مَوْضِعَ تَعَزٍّ (3) ، فَلَقَدْ وَسَّدْتُكَ فِي مَلْحُودَةِ (4) قَبْرِكَ، وَفَاضَتْ بَيْنَ نَحْرِي وَصَدْرِي نَفْسُكَ. فَـ (إنَّا لِلَّهِ وَإِنَّا إِلَيْهِ رَاجِعُونَ)، فَلَقَدِ اسْتُرْجِعَتِ الْوَدِيعَةُ، وَأُخِذَتِ الرَّهِينَةُ! أَمَّا حُزْنِي فَسَرْمَدٌ، وَأَمَّا لَيْلِي فَمُسَهَّدٌ (5) ، إِلَى أَنْ يَخْتَارَ اللهُ لِي دَارَكَ الَّتِي أَنْتَ بِهَا مُقِيمٌ. وَسَتُنَبِّئُكَ ابْنَتُكَ بِتَضَافُرِ أُمَّتِكَ عَلَى هَضْمِهَا (6) ، فَأَحْفِهَا (7) السُّؤَالَ، وَاسْتَخْبِرْهَا الْحَالَ، هذَا وَلَمْ يَطُلِ الْعَهْدُ، وَلَمْ يَخْلُ مِنْكَ الذِّكْرُ. وَالْسَّلاَمُ عَلَيْكُمَا سَلاَمَ مُوَدِّعٍ، لاَ قَالٍ (8) وَلاَ سَئِمٍ (9) ، فَإنْ أَنْصَرِفْ فَلاَ عَنْ مَلاَلَةٍ، وَإِنْ أُقِمْ فَلاَ عَنْ سُوءِ ظَنٍّ بِمَا وَعَدَ اللهُ الصَّابِرِينَ.

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( 138 )

SERMON 203

Transience of this world and importance of collecting provisions for the next life.

O' people certainly this world is a passage while the next world is a place of permanent abode. So take from the passage (all that you can) for the permanent abode. Do not tear away your curtain before Him Who is aware of your secrets. Take away from this world your hearts before your bodies go out of it because herein you have been put on trial and you have been created for the other world. When a man dies people ask what (property) he has left while the angels ask what (good actions) he has sent forward. May Allah bless you; send forward something it will be a loan for you and do not leave everything behind for that would be a burden on you.

his death was extremely painful and sad. Although Sayyidatu'n-nisa' Fatimah (p.b.u.h.) did not live in this world more than a few months after the death of the Prophet yet even this short period has a long tale of grief and woe (about her). In this connection the first scene that strikes the eyes is that arrangements for the funeral rites of the Prophet had not yet been made when the contest for power started in the Saqifah of Banu Sa'idah. Naturally their leaving the body of the Prophet (without burial) must have injured Sayyidatu'n-nisa' Fatimah's grief-stricken heart when she saw that those who had claimed love and attachment (with the Prophet) during his life became so engrossed in their machinations for power that instead of consoling his only daughter they did not even know when the Prophet was given a funeral ablution and when he was buried and the way they condoled her was that they crowded at her house with material to set fire to it and tried to secure allegiance by force with all the display of oppression compulsion and violence. All these excesses were with a view to so obliterate the prestigious position of this house that it might not regain its lost prestige on any occasion. With this aim in view in order to crush her economic position her claim for (the estate of) Fadak was turned down by dubbing it as false the effect of which was that Sayyidatu'n-nisa' Fatimah (p.b.u.h.) made the dying will that none of them should attend her funeral.


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[ 203 ] ومن كلام له عليه السلام

في التزهيد من الدنيا والترغيب في الآخرة

أَيُّهَا النَّاسُ، إِنَّمَا الدُّنْيَا دارُ مَجَازٍ (1) ، وَ الْآخِرَةُ دَارُ قَرَارٍ، فَخُذُوا مِنْ مَمَرِّكُمْ لِمَقَرِّكُمْ، وَلاَ تَهْتِكُوا أَسْتَارَكُمْ عِنْدَ مَنْ يَعْلَمُ أَسْرَارَكُم، وَأَخْرِجُوا مِنَ الدُّنْيَا قُلُوبَكُمْ مِنْ قَبْلِ أَنْ تَخْرُجَ مِنْهَا أَبْدَانُكُمْ، فَفِيهَا اخْتُبِرْتُمْ، ولِغِيْرِهَا خُلِقْتُمْ. إِنَّ الْمَرْءَ إِذَا هَلَكَ قَالَ النَّاسُ: مَا تَرَكَ؟ وَقَالَتِ الْمَلاَئِكَةُ: مَا قَدَّمَ؟ لِلَّهِ آبَاؤُكُمْ! فَقَدِّمُوا بَعْضَاً يَكُنْ لَكُمْ قَرْضاً، وَلاَ تُخَلِّفُوا كُلاًّ فَيَكُونَ عَلَيْكُمْ.

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