Sermons
Excesses of the Quraysh, on rebels
فَنَظَرْتُ فَإِذَا لَيْسَ لِي رَافِدٌ، وَلاَ ذَابٌّ وَلاَ مُسَاعِدٌ، إِلاَّ أَهْلَ بَيْتِي، فَضَنِنْتُ بِهِمْ عَنِ الْمَنِيَّةِ، فَأَغْضَيْتُ عَلَى الْقَذى، وَجَرِعْتُ رِيقِي عَلَى الشَّجَا، وَصَبَرْتُ مِنْ كَظْمِ الغَيْظِ عَلى أَمَرَّ مِنَ العَلْقَمِ، وَآلَمَ لِلْقَلْبِ مِنْ خَزِّ الشِّفَارِ.
I looked around but found no one to shield me, protect me or help me except the members of my family. I refrained from flinging them into death and therefore closed my eyes despite the dust, kept swallowing saliva despite (the suffocation of) grief and endured pangs of anger although it was more bitter than colocynth and more grievous than the bite of knives.
قال الشريف رضي الله عنه : وقد مضى هذا الكلام في أثناء خطبة متقدمة، إلاّ أنّني كرّرتُهُ هاهنا لاختلاف الروايتين.
As-Sayyid ar-Raḍī says: This utterance of Amīr al-mu’minīn has already appeared in an earlier Sermon (172), but I have repeated it here because of the difference of versions.
Sermons
About those who went to Baṣrah to fight Amīr al-mu’minīn
ومن كلام له (عليه السلام) في ذكر السائرين إلى البصرة لحربه (عليه السلام)
About those who went to Baṣrah to fight Amīr al-mu’minīn
فَقَدِمُوا عَلَى عُمَّالِي، وَخُزَّانِ بَيْتِ مَالِ الْمُسْلِمِينَ الَّذِي في يَدَيَّ، وَعَلى أَهْلِ مِصْر، كُلُّهُمْ فِي طَاعَتِي وَعَلَى بَيْعَتِي، فَشَتَّتُوا كَلِمَتَهُمْ، وَأَفْسَدُوا عَلَيَّ جَمَاعَتَهُمْ، وَوَثَبُوا عَلى شِيعَتِي، فَقَتَلُوا طَائِفَةً مِنْهُمْ غَدْراً، وَطَائِفَةٌ عَضُّوا عَلى أَسْيَافِهِمْ، فَضَارَبُوا بِهَا حَتَّى لَقُوا اللهَ صَادِقِينَ.
They marched on my officers and the custodians of the public treasury which is still under my control and on the people of a metropolis, all of whom were obedient to me and were in allegiance to me. They created division among them, instigated their party against me and attacked my followers. They killed a group of them by treachery, while another group took up swords against them and fought with the swords till they met Allāh as adherents to truth.
Sermons
On passing by the corpses of Talha and another rebel, who were killed in the Battle of the Camel
ومن كلام له (عليه السلام) لما مر بطلحة بن عبد الله وعبد الرحمن بن عتاب بن أسيد وهما قتيلان يوم الجمل
When Amīr al-mu’minīn passed by the corpses of Ṭalḥah ibn ‘Ubaydullāh and ‘Abd ar-Raḥmān ibn ‘Attāb ibn Asīd who were both killed in the battle of Jamal, he said:
لَقَدْ أَصْبَحَ أَبُو مُحَمَّد بِهذَا الْمَكَانِ غَرِيباً! أَمَا وَاللهِ لَقَدْ كَنْتُ أَكْرَهُ أَنْ تَكُونَ قُرَيْشٌ قَتْلَى تَحْتَ بُطُونِ الْكَوَاكِبِ! أَدْرَكْتُ وَتْرِي مِنْ بَنِي عَبْدِ مَنَاف، وَأَفْلَتَتْنِي أَعْيَانُ بَنِي جُمَحَ، لَقَدْ أَتْلَعُوا أَعْنَاقَهُمْ إِلَى أَمْر لَمْ يَكُونُوا أَهْلَهُ فَوُقِصُوا دوُنَهُ.
Abū Muḥammad (Ṭalḥah) lies here away from his own place. By Allāh, I did not like that the Quraysh should lie killed under the stars. I have avenged myself with the descendants of ‘Abd Manāf, but the chief persons of Banū Jumaḥ [1] have escaped me. They had stretched their necks towards a matter for which they were not suited, and therefore their necks were broken before they reached the goal.
Sermons
Qualities of the pious
ومن كلام له (عليه السلام) في وصف السالك الطريق إلى اللّه سبحانه
Qualities of the God-fearing and the pious
قَدْ أَحْيَا عَقْلَهُ، وَأَمَاتَ نَفْسَهُ، حَتَّى دَقَّ جَلِيلُهُ، وَلَطُفَ غَلِيظُهُ، وَبَرَقَ لَهُ لاَمِعٌ كَثِيرُ الْبَرْقِ، فَأَبَانَ لَهُ الطَّرِيقَ، وَسَلَكَ بِهِ السَّبِيلَ، وَتَدَافَعَتْهُ الاَبْوَابُ إِلَى بَابِ السَّلاَمَةِ، وَدَارِ الاْقَامَةِ، وَثَبَتَتْ رِجْلاَهُ بِطُمَأْنِينَةِ بَدَنِهِ فِي قَرَارِ الاْمْنِ وَالرَّاحَةِ، بِمَا اسْتَعْمَلَ قَلْبَهُ، وَأَرْضَى رَبَّهُ.
He (the believer) kept his mind alive and killed (the desires of) his heart till his body became thin, his bulk turned light and an effulgence of extreme brightness shone for him. It lighted the way for him and took him on the (right) path. Different doors led him to the door of safety and the place of (his permanent) stay. His feet, balancing his body became fixed in the position of safety and comfort, because he kept his heart (in good acts) and pleased his Allāh.
Sermons
Exegesis of verse 102:1-2 of the Quran
ومن كلام له (عليه السلام) قال بعد تلاوته ﴿أَلْهَاكُمُ التَّكَاثُرُ. حَتَّىٰ زُرْتُمُ الْمَقَابِرَ﴾
Amīr al-mu’minīn recited the verse “Engage (your) vying in exuberance, until ye come to the graves.” [1] (Qur’ān, 102:1-2) Then he said:
يَا لَهُ مَرَاماً مَا أَبْعَدَهُ! وَزَوْراً مَا أَغْفَلَهُ! وَخطراً مَا أَفْظَعَهُ! لَقَدِ اسْتَخْلَوْا مِنْهُمْ أَيَّ مُذّكر، وَتَنَاوَشُوهُمْ مِنْ مَكَان بَعِيد! أَفَبِمَصَارِعِ آبَائِهِمْ يَفْخَرُونَ! أَمْ بِعَدِيدِ الْهَلْكَى يَتَكَاثَرُونَ! يَرْتَجِعُونَ مِنْهُمْ أَجْسَاداً خَوَتْ، وَحَرَكَات سَكَنَتْ، وَلاَنْ يَكُونُوا عِبَراً، أَحَقُّ مِنْ أَنْ يَكُونُوا مُفْتَخَراً، وَلاَن يَهْبِطُوا بِهِمْ جَنَابَ ذِلَّة، أَحْجَى مِنْ أَنْ يَقُوموُا بِهِمْ مَقَامَ عِزَّة!
How distant (from achievement) is their aim, how neglectful are these visitors and how difficult is the affair. They have not taken lessons from things which are full of lessons, but they took them from far off places. Do they boast on the dead bodies of their fore-fathers, or do they regard the number of dead persons as a ground for feeling boastful of their number? They want to revive the bodies that have become spiritless and the movements that have ceased. They are more entitled to be a source of lesson than a source of pride. They are more suitable for being a source of humility than of honour.
