9. الإمام عليّ عليه السلامـ في خُطبَتِهِ المُسَمّاةِ بِالقاصِعَةِ ـ:
9. Imam Ali (AS) said, in his sermon al-Qasi`ah:
أنَا وَضَعتُ فِي الصِّغَرِ بِكَلاكِلِ العَرَبِ ،
“Even in my boyhood I had lowered the chest of [the chiefs of] Arabia
وكَسَرتُ نَواجِمَ قُرونِ رَبيعَةَ ومُضَرَ ،
and broken the horn points [i.e., defeated the lords and mastres] of the tribes of Rabi`a and Muzar.
وقَد عَلِمتُم مَوضِعي مِن رَسولِ اللّهِ صلى الله عليه و آله بِالقَرابَةِ القَريبَةِ ، وَالمَنزِلَةِ الخَصيصَةِ ؛ وَضَعَني في حِجرِهِ
You know my position of close kinship and special relationship with the Messenger of Allah (SA). When I was but a child, he took charge of me.
وأنَا وَلَدٌ يَضُمُّني إلى صَدرِهِ ،
He used to press me to his chest
ويَكنُفُني في فِراشِهِ ،
and lay me beside him in his bed,
ويُمِسُّني جَسَدَهُ ،
bringing his body close to mine
ويُشِمُّني عَرفَهُ ،
and making me smell his fragrance.
وكان يَمضَغُ الشَّيءَ ثُمَّ يُلقِمُنيهِ ،
He used to chew something and feed me with it.
وما وَجَدَ لي كَذبَةً في قَولٍ ،
He found no lie in my speaking,
ولا خَطلَةً في فِعلٍ .
no weakness in any act.
ولَقَد قَرَنَ اللّهُ بِهِ صلى الله عليه و آله مِن لَدُن أن كانَ فَطيما أعظَمَ مَلَكٍ مِن مَلائِكَتِهِ ؛
Allah had linked a mighty angel to him from the time of his infancy
يَسلُكُ بِهِ طَريقَ المَكارِمِ ،
to take him along the path of high character
ومَحاسِنَ أخلاقِ العالَمِ ، لَيلَهُ ونَهارَهُ .
and good behaviour through day and night,
ولَقَد كُنتُ أتَّبِعُهُ اتِّباعَ الفَصيلِ أثَرَ اُمِّهِ
while I used to follow him like a young camel following in the footprints of its mother.
يَرفَعُ لي في كُل يَومٍ من أخلاقِهِ عَلَما ،
Every day he would show me, in the form of a banner, some of his high traits
ويأمُرُني بِالاِقتِداءِ بِهِ .
and commanded me to follow them.
ولَقَد كانَ يُجاوِرُ في كُلِّ سَنَةٍ بِحِراءَ ،
Every year he would go in seclusion to the Cave of Hira’,
فَأَراهُ ولا يَراهُ غَيري .
where no one, save me, could see him.
ولَم يَجمَع بَيتٌ واحِدٌ يَومَئِذٍ فِي الإِسلامِ غَيرَ رَسولِ اللّهِ صلى الله عليه و آله وخَديجَةَ وأنَا ثالِثُهُما،
No single house in Islam would then bring together anyone other than the Messenger of Allah (SA) and Khadijah, and I was the third of them.
أرى نورَ الوَحيِ وَالرِّسالَةِ ،
I used to see the light of divine revelation and the Message
وأشُمُّ ريحَ النُّبُوَّةِ .
and smell the scent of Prophethood.”
نهج البلاغة : الخطبة 192 .
Nahj al-Balagha, Sermon 192.