Sermons
Learning from history, al-Mahdi
[الوصية بالتقوى :] أُوصِيكُمْ عِبَادَ اللهِ بِتَقْوَى اللهِ الَّذِي أَلْبَسَكُمُ الرِّيَاشَ، وَأَسْبَغَ عَلَيْكُمُ الْمَعَاشَ; فَلَوْ أَنَّ أَحَداً يَجِدُ إلَى الْبَقَاءِ سُلَّماً، أَوْ لِدَفْعِ الْمَوْتِ سَبِيلاً، لَكَانَ ذلِكَ سُلَيْمانُ بْنُ دَاوُدَ(عليه السلام)، الَّذِي سُخِّرَ لَهُ مُلْكُ الْجِنِّ وَالاْنْسِ، مَعَ النُّبُوَّهِ وَعَظِيمِ الزُّلْفَةِ، فَلَمَّا اسْتَوْفَى طُعْمَتَهُ، وَاسْتَكْمَلَ مُدَّتَهُ، رَمَتْهُ قِسِيُّ الْفَنَاءِ بِنِبَالِ المَوْتِ، وَأَصْبَحَتِ الدِّيَارُ مِنْهُ خَالِيَةً، وَالْمَسَاكِنُ مُعَطَّلَةً، وَرِثَهَا قَوْمٌ آخَرُونَ، وَإِنَّ لَكُمْ فِي الْقُرُونِ السَّالِفَةِ لَعِبْرَةً!
[An account of past peoples and about learning from them :] I advise you, creatures of Allāh, to practise fear of Allāh Who gave you good clothing and bestowed an abundance of sustenance on you. If there was anyone who could secure a ladder to everlasting life or a way to avoid death it was Sulaymān ibn Dāwūd (a.s.) who was given control over the domain of the jinn and men along with prophethood and great position (before Allāh), but when he finished what was his due in food (of this world) and exhausted his (fixed) time the bow of destruction shot him with arrow of death. His houses became vacant and his habitations became empty. Another group of people inherited them. Certainly, the by-gone centuries have a lesson for you.
أَيْنَ الْعَمَالِقَةُ وَأَبْنَاءُ آلْعَمَالِقَةِ! أَيْنَ الْفَرَاعِنَةُ وَأَبْنَاءُ الْفَرَاعِنَةِ! أَيْنَ أَصْحَابُ مَدَائِنِ الرَّسِّ الَّذِينَ قَتَلُوا النَّبِيِّينَ، وَأَطْفَأُوا سُنَنَ الْمُرْسَلِينَ، وَأَحْيَوْا سُنَنَ الْجَبَّارِينَ! أَيْنَ الَّذِينَ سَارُوا بِالْجُيُوشِ، وَهَزَمُوا الاُلُوفَ، وَعَسْكَرُوا الْعَسَاكِرَ، وَمَدَّنُوا الْمَدَائِنَ؟!
Where are the Amalekites [1] and the sons of Amalekites? Where are the Pharaohs? [2] Where are the people of the cities of ar-Rass [3] who killed the prophets, destroyed the traditions of the divine messengers and revived the traditions of the despots? Where are those who advanced with armies, defeated thousands, mobilised forces and populated cities?
[وَمِنْهَا :] قَدْ لَبِسَ لِلْحِكْمَةِ جُنَّتَهَا، وَأَخَذَهَا بِجَمِيعِ أَدَبِهَا، مِنَ الاْقْبَالِ عَلَيهَا، وَالْمَعْرِفِةِ بهَا، وَالتَّفَرُّغِ لَهَا، فَهِيَ عِنْدَ نَفْسِهِ ضَالَّتُهُ الَّتِي يَطْلُبُهَا، وَحَاجَتُهُ الَّتِي يَسْأَلُ عَنْهَا، فَهُوُ مُغْتَرِبٌ إِذَا اغْتَرَبَ الاْسْلاَمُ، وَضَرَبَ بِعَسِيبِ ذَنَبِهِ وَأَلْصَقَ الاْرْضَ بِجِرَانِهِ، بَقِيَّةٌ مِنْ بَقَايَا حُجَّتِهِ، خَلِيفَةٌ مِنْ خَلاَئِفِ أَنْبِيَائِهِ.
[A part of the same sermon about the Imām al-Mahdī :] He will be wearing the armour of wisdom, which he will have secured with all its conditions, such as full attention towards it, its (complete) knowledge and exclusive devotion to it. For him it is like a thing which he had lost and which he was then seeking, or a need which he was trying to fulfil. If Islam is in trouble he will feel forlon like a traveller and like a (tired) camel beating the end of its tail and with its neck flattened on the ground. He is the last of Allāh’s proofs and one of the vicegerents of His prophets.
ثم قال (عليه السلام) : أَيُّهَا النَّاسُ، إِنِّي قَدْ بَثَثْتُ لَكُمُ الْمَوَاعِظَ الَّتِي وَعَظَ بِهَا الاْنْبِيَاءُ أُمَمَهُمْ، وَأَدَّيْتُ إِلَيْكُمْ مَا أَدَّتِ الاْوصِيَاءُ إِلَى مَنْ بَعْدَهُمْ، وَأَدَّبْتُكُمْ بِسَوْطِي فَلَمْ تَسْتَقِيمُوا، وَحَدَوْتُكُمْ بالزَّوَاجِرِ فَلَمْ تَسْتَوْسِقُوا. لله أَنْتُمْ! أَتَتَوَقَّعُونَ إِمَاماً غَيْرِي يَطَأُ بِكُمُ الطَّرِيقَ، وَيُرْشِدُكُمُ السَّبِيلَ؟
[On the method of his ruling, and grief over the martyrdom of his companions :] Then Amīr al-mu’minīn continued : O people! I have divulged to you advice which the prophets used to preach before their peoples, and I have conveyed to you what the vicegerents (of the prophets) conveyed to those coming after them. I tried to train you with my whip but you could not be straightened. I drove you with admonition but you did not acquire proper behaviour. May Allāh deal with you! Do you want an Imām other than me to take you on the (right) path, and show you the correct way?
أَلاَ إِنَّهُ قَدْ أَدْبَرَ مِنَ الدُّنْيَا مَا كَانَ مُقْبِلاً، وَأَقْبَلَ مِنْهَا مَا كَانَ مُدْبِراً، وَأَزْمَعَ التَّرْحَالَ عِبَادُاللهِ الاْخْيَارُ، وَبَاعُوا قَلِيلاً مِنَ الدُّنْيَا لاَ يَبْقَى، بِكَثِير مِنَ الاْخِرَةِ لاَيَفْنَى. مَا ضَرَّ إِخْوَانَنَا الَّذِينَ سُفِكَتْ دِمَاؤُهُمْ ـ وَهُمْ بِصِفِّينَ ـ أَلاَّ يَكُونُوا الْيَوْمَ أَحْيَاءً؟ يُسِيغُونَ الْغُصَصَ، وَيَشْرَبُونَ الرَّنْقَ! قَدْ ـ وَاللهِ ـ لَقُوا اللهَ فَوَفَّاهُمْ أُجُورَهُمْ، وَأَحَلَّهُمْ دَارَ الاْمْنِ بَعْدَ خَوْفِهمْ.
Beware, the things in this world which were forward have become things of the past, and those of which were behind are going ahead. The virtuous people of Allāh have made up their minds to leave and they have purchased, with a little perishable (pleasure) of this world, a lot of such (reward) in the next world that will remain. What loss did our brothers whose blood was shed in Ṣiffīn suffer by not being alive today? Only that they are not suffering choking on swallowings and not drinking turbid water. By Allāh, surely they have met Allāh and He has bestowed upon them their rewards and He has lodged them in safe houses after their (having suffered) fear.
أَيْنَ إِخْوَانِي الَّذِينَ رَكِبُوا الطَّريقَ، وَمَضَوْا عَلَى الْحَقِّ؟ أَيْنَ عَمَّارٌ؟ وَأَيْنَ ابْنُ التَّيِّهَانِ؟ وَأَيْنَ ذُوالشَّهَادَتَيْنِ؟ وَأَيْنَ نُظَرَاؤُهُمْ مِنْ إِخْوَانِهِمُ الَّذِينَ تَعَاقَدُوا عَلَى الْمَنِيَّةِ، وَأُبْرِدَ بِرُؤوسِهِمْ إِلَى الْفَجَرَةِ؟
Where are my brethren who took the (right) path and trod in rightness. Where is ‘Ammār? [4] Where is Ibn at-Tayyihān? [5] Where is Dhu’sh-Shahādatayn? [6] And where are others like them [7] from among their comrades who had pledged themselves to death and whose (severed) heads were taken to the wicked enemy.
قال: ثُمَّ ضَرَبَ (عليه السلام) بِيَدِهِ عَلَى لِحْيَتِهِ الشَّرِيفَةِ الْكَرِيمَةِ، فَأَطَالَ الْبُكَاءَ، ثُمَّ قَالَ (عليه السلام):
Then Amīr al-mu’minīn wiped his hand over his auspicious, honoured beard and wept for a long time, then he continued:
أَوْهِ عَلَى إِخْوَانِي الَّذِينَ تَلَوُا الْقُرْآنَ فَأَحْكَمُوهُ، وَتَدَبَّرُوا الْفَرْضَ فَأَقَامُوهُ، أَحْيَوُا السُّنَّةَ، وَأمَاتُوا الْبِدْعَةَ، دُعُوا لِلْجِهَادِ فَأَجَابُوا، وَوَثِقُوا بِالْقَائِدِ فَاتَّبَعُوا.
Oh! my brothers, who recited the Qur’ān and strengthened it, thought over their obligation and fulfilled it, revived the sunnah and destroyed innovation. When they were called to jihād they responded and trusted in their leader then followed him.
ثُمَّ نَادَى بِأَعْلَى صَوْتِهِ : الْجِهَادَ الْجِهَادَ عِبَادَ اللهِ! أَلاَ وَإِنِّي مُعَسْكِرٌ فِي يَوْمي هذَا، فَمَنْ أَرَادَ الرَّوَاحَ إِلَى اللهِ فَلْيَخْرُجْ.
Then Amīr al-mu’minīn shouted at the top of his voice : al jihād, al jihād (fighting, fighting), O creatures of Allāh ! By Allāh, I am mobilizing the army today. He who desires to proceed towards Allāh should come forward.
قَالَ نَوْفٌ : وَعَقَدَ لِلْحُسَيْنِ (عليه السلام) فِي عَشَرَةِ آلَافٍ، وَلِقَيْسِ بْنِ سَعْدٍ رَحِمَهُ اللَّهُ فِي عَشَرَةِ آلَافٍ، وَلِأَبِي أَيُّوبَ الْأَنْصَارِيِّ فِي عَشَرَةِ آلَافٍ، وَلِغَيْرِهِمْ عَلَى أَعْدَادٍ أُخَرَ، وَهُوَ يُرِيدُ الرَّجْعَةَ إِلَى صِفِّينَ، فَمَا دَارَتِ الْجُمُعَةُ حَتَّى ضَرَبَهُ الْمَلْعُونُ ابْنُ مُلْجَمٍ لَعَنَهُ اللَّهُ فَتَرَاجَعَتِ الْعَسَاكِرُ، فَكُنَّا كَأَغْنَامٍ فَقَدَتْ رَاعِيهَا، تَخْتَطِفُهَا الذِّئَابُ مِنْ كُلِّ مَكَانٍ.
Nawf says : Then Amīr al-mu’minīn put Ḥusayn (a.s.) over (a force of) ten thousand, Qays ibn Sa‘d (mercy of Allāh be upon him) over ten thousand, Abū Ayyūb al-Anṣārī over ten thousand, and others over different numbers, intending to return to Ṣiffīn, but Friday did not appear again and the accursed Ibn Muljam (May Allāh curse him) killed him. Consequently, the armies came back and were left like sheep who had lost their shepherd while wolves were snatching them away from all sides.
