Sermon 2: I praise Allah seeking completion of His Blessing...

Delivered on return from Siffin
Arabia before proclamation of Prophethood

أحْمَدُهُ اسْتِتْماماً لِنِعْمَتِهِ،

I praise Allah seeking completion of His Blessing,

وَاسْتِسْلاَماً لِعِزَّتِهِ،

submitting to His Glory

واسْتِعْصَاماً مِنْ مَعْصِيَتِهِ،

and expecting safety from committing His sins.

وَأَسْتَعِينُهُ فَاقَةً إِلى كِفَايَتِهِ،

I invoke His help being in need of His Sufficiency (of protection).

إِنَّهُ لاَ يَضِلُّ مَنْ هَدَاهُ،

He whom He guides does not go astray,

وَلا يَئِلُ مَنْ عَادَاهُ،

He with whom He is hostile gets no protection.

وَلا يَفْتَقِرُ مَنْ كَفَاهُ;

He whom He supports does not remain needy.

فَإِنَّهُ أَرْجَحُ ما وُزِنَ،

Praise is most weighty of all that is weighed

وَأَفْضَلُ مَا خُزِنَ.

and the most valuable of all that is treasured.

وَأَشْهَدُ أَنْ لاَ إِلهَ إِلاَّ اللهُ،

I stand witness that there is no god but Allah the One.

شَهَادَةً مُمْتَحَناً إِخْلاَصُهَا،

He has no like. My testimony has been tested in its frankness,

مُعْتَقَداً مُصَاصُهَا،

and its essence is our belief.

نَتَمَسَّكُ بها أَبَداً ما أَبْقانَا،

We shall cling to it for ever till we live

وَنَدَّخِرُهَا لاِهَاوِيلِ مَا يَلْقَانَا،

and shall store it for facing the tribulations that overtake us

فَإِنَّها عَزيمَةُ الاْيمَانِ،

because it is the foundation stone of Belief (iman)

وَفَاتِحَةُ الاْحْسَانِ،

and the first step towards good actions

وَمَرْضَاةُ الرَّحْمنِ،

and Divine pleasure.

وَمَدْحَرَةُ الشَّيْطَانِ.

It is the means to keep Satan away.

وَأَشْهَدُ أَنَّ مُحَمَّداً عَبْدُهُ وَرَسُولُهُ،

I also stand witness that Muhammad (S) is His slave and His Prophet.

أرْسَلَهُ بِالدِّينِ المشْهُورِ،

Allah sent him with the illustrious religion,

وَالعَلَمِ المأْثُورِ،

effective emblem,

وَالكِتَابِ المسْطُورِ،

written Book,1

وَالنُّورِ السَّاطِعِ،

effulgent light,

وَالضِّيَاءِ اللاَّمِعِ،

sparkling gleam

وَالاَمْرِ الصَّادِعِ،

and decisive injunction

إزَاحَةً لِلشُّبُهَاتِ،

in order to dispel doubts,

وَاحْتِجَاجاً بِالبَيِّنَاتِ،

present clear proofs,

وَتَحْذِيراً بِالايَاتِ،

administer warning through signs

وَتَخْويفاً بِالمَثُلاَتِ،

and to warn of punishments.

 وَالنَّاسُ في فِتَن انْجَذَمَ فِيها حَبْلُ الدِّينِ،

At that time people had fallen in vices whereby the rope of religion had been broken,

 وَتَزَعْزَعَتْ سَوَارِي اليَقِينِ،

the pillars of belief had been shaken,

وَاخْتَلَفَ النَّجْرُ،

principles had been sacrileged,

وَتَشَتَّتَ الاْمْرُ،

system had become topsy turvy,

وَضَاقَ الْـمَخْرَجُ،

openings were narrow,

وَعَمِيَ المَصْدَرُ،

passage was dark,

فَالهُدَى خَامِلٌ،

guidance was unknown

واَلعَمَى شَامِلٌ.

and darkness prevailed.

عُصِيَ الرَّحْمنُ،

Allah was being disobeyed,

وَنُصِرَ الشَّيْطَانُ،

Satan was given support

وَخُذِلَ الاِيمَانُ،

and Belief had been forsaken.

فَانْهَارَتْ دَعَائِمُهُ،

As a result the pillars of religion fell down,

وَتَنكَّرَتْ مَعَالِمُهُ،

its traces could not be discerned,

وَدَرَسَتْ سُبُلُهُ،

its passages had been destroyed

وَعَفَتْ شُرُكُهُ.

and its streets had fallen into decay.

أَطَاعُوا الشَّيْطَانَ فَسَلَكُوا مَسَالِكَهُ،

People obeyed Satan and treaded his paths.

وَوَرَدُوا مَنَاهِلَهُ،

They sought water from his watering places.

بِهِمْ سَارَتْ أَعْلامُهُ،

Through them Satan’s emblems got flying

وَقَامَ لِوَاؤُهُ،

and his standard was raised

في فِتَن دَاسَتْهُمْ بِأَخْفَافِهَا،

in vices which trampled the people under their hoofs,

وَوَطِئَتْهُمْ بأَظْلاَفِهَا

and treaded upon them with their feet.

وَقَامَتْ عَلَى سَنَابِكِهَا،

The vices stood on their toes (in full stature)

فَهُمْ فِيهَا تَائِهُونَ حَائِرونَ جَاهِلُونَ مَفْتُونُونَ،

and the people immersed in them were strayed, perplexed, ignorant and seduced

في خَيْرِ دَار،

as though in a good house2

وَشَرِّ جِيرَان،

with bad neighbours.

نَوْمُهُمْ سُهُودٌ،

Instead of sleep they had wakefulness

وَكُحْلُهُمْ دُمُوعٌ،

and for antimony they had tears in the eyes.

بأَرْض عَالِمُها مُلْجَمٌ،

They were in a land where the learned were in bridle (keeping their mouths shut)

وَجَاهِلُها مُكْرَمٌ.

while the ignorant were honoured.

ومنها: ويعني آل النبي ( صلى الله عليه وآله وسلم)

In the same sermon Amir al-mu’minin referred to Al an-Nabi (the Household of the Holy Prophet) as under

هُمْ مَوْضِعُ سِرِّهِ،

They are the trustees of His secrets,

وَلَجَأُ أَمْرِهِ،

shelter for His affairs,

وَعَيْبَةُ عِلْمِهِ،

source of knowledge about Him,

وَمَوْئِلُ حُكْمِهِ،

centre of His wisdom,

 وَكُهُوفُ كُتُبِهِ،

valleys for His books

 وَجِبَالُ دِينِه،

and mountains of His religion.

بِهِمْ أَقَامَ انْحِناءَ ظَهْرِهِ،

With them Allah straightened the bend of religion’s back

وَأذْهَبَ ارْتِعَادَ فَرَائِصِهِ.

and removed the trembling of its limbs.

 

منها: يعني بها قوماً آخرين

In the same Sermon he spoke about the hypocrites

زَرَعُوا الفُجُورَ،

They sowed vices,

وَسَقَوْهُ الغُرُورَ،

watered them with deception

وَحَصَدُوا الثُّبُورَ ،

and harvested destruction.

 

 

آل محمد (عليه السلام)

Aali Muhammad

    لا يُقَاسُ بِآلِ مُحَمَّد (عليهم السلام) مِنْ هذِهِ الاُمَّةِ أَحَدٌ،

None in the Islamic community can be taken at par with the Progeny3 of the Prophet (Aali Muhammad).

وَلا يُسَوَّى بِهِمْ مَنْ جَرَتْ نِعْمَتُهُمْ عَلَيْهِ أبَداً.

One who was under their obligation cannot be matched with them.

هُمْ أَسَاسُ الدِّينِ،

They are the foundation of religion

وَعِمَادُ اليَقِينِ،

and pillar of Belief.

إِلَيْهمْ يَفِيءُ الغَالي،

The forward runner has to turn back to them

وَبِهِمْ يَلْحَقُ التَّالي،

while the follower has to overtake them.

وَلَهُمْ خَصَائِصُ حَقِّ الوِلايَةِ،

They possess the chief characteristics for vicegerency.

وَفِيهِمُ الوَصِيَّةُ وَالوِرَاثَةُ،

In their favour exists the will and succession (of the Prophet).

الاْنَ إِذْ رَجَعَ الحَقُّ إِلَى أَهْلِهِ،

This is the time when right has returned to its owner

وَنُقِلَ إِلَى مُنْتَقَلِهِ.

and diverted to its centre of return.