486. Imām Ali (a.s.) – in a sermon he delivered in the Battle of Jamal when the Commander of the Faithful gave the banner to his son Muhammad ibn al-Hanafiyya: “Mountains may move from their position, but you should not move from yours. Grit your teeth, lend your head to God (in fighting for God, give yourself to God), fix your feet firmly on the ground. Have your eye on the remotest foe and close your eyes (to their numerical majority) and be sure that help is only from God the Glorified.”¹

487. Imām Ali (a.s.) – to his followers at the time of battle: “The retreat after which return is intended and the withdrawal after which attack is in view should not make you unhappy. Give the swords their due (to its maximum use). Knock your foes down on the ground; prepare yourselves for hurling strong spears and striking swords with full force and keep your voices down as it wards off defeat. By Him who split the seed (for growing) and created living beings, they [the hypocrites] had not accepted Islam but they surrendered (by verbally professing it) and had hidden their disbelief. Consequently, when they found helpers for their disbelief, they disclosed it.”²

488. Imām Ali (a.s.) – exhorting his followers to fight: “Put the armored men forward and keep the unarmored ones behind. Grit your teeth because this will make the swords skip off the skull. Dodge on the sides of the spears for it changes the direction of their blades. Close the eyes because it strengthens the spirit and gives peace to the heart. Kill the voices because it wards off defeat. Do not let your banner bend down, nor leave it alone. Do not give it to anyone except the brave and the defenders of honor among you because those who endure the befalling of troubles are the ones who surround the banners and encircle them from the left, the right the rear and the front. They do not separate from them lest they give them over (to the enemy). They do not go ahead of them lest they leave
them alone. Everyone should deal with his adversary and also help his comrade by his own life and should not leave his adversary to his comrade lest both his own adversary and his comrade’s join against him (comrade). By God, even if you run away from the sword of today you would not remain safe from the sword of the world to come. You are the foremost among the Arabs and the great figures. Certainly in running away there is the wrath of God, unceasing disgrace and lasting shame. And certainly he who runs away does not lengthen his life. Nor does anything come to intervene between him and his day (of death). He who come forward to God is like a thirsty man who approaches the water.
Paradise lies under the edges of spears. Today the reputations will be tested (all that is in mind will be revealed in the war). By God! I am more eager to meet them (in combat) than they are for (returning to) their houses!
‘O God! If they reject truth, disperse their group, divide their words and destroy them on account of their sins. They will not budge from their positions until the continuous striking of spears causes piercing (of wounds) through which wind may pass, until the hitting of swords cuts through their skull, cleaves bones and breaks forearms and legs, until they are attacked by contingent after contingent and assaulted by detachments which are followed by reserves for support, until their cities are continuously assailed by force after force and until the horses trample the extreme ends of the lands, the tracks of their beast and their meadows.”³

486. الإمام عليّ علیه السلام ـ مِن كَلام لَهُ علیه السلام لاِبنِهِ مُحَمَّدِ بنِ الحَنَفِيَّةِ لَمّا أعطاهُ الرّايَةَ يَومَ الجَمَلِ ـ: تَزولُ الجِبالُ ولا تَزُل، عَضَّ عَلى ناجِذِكَ. أعِرِ اللهَ جُمجُمَتَكَ. تِد فِي الأَرضِ قَدَمَك. ارمِ بِبَصَرِكَ أقصَى القَومِ، وغُضَّ بَصَرَكَ، وَاعلَم أنَّ النَّصرَ مِن عِندِ اللهِ سُبحانَهُ.¹

487. عنه علیه السلام ـ مِمّا كانَ يَقولُهُ لاَِصحابِهِ عِندَ الحَربِ ـ: لا تَشتَدَّنَّ عَلَيكُم فَرَّةٌ بَعدَها كَرَّةٌ، ولا جَولَةٌ بَعدَها حَملَةٌ، وأعطُوا السُّيوفَ حُقوقَها. ووَطِّئوا لِلجُنوبِ مَصارِعَها، وَاذمُروا²أنفُسَكُم عَلَى الطَّعن الدَّعسِيِّ³ وَالضَّربِ الطِّلَحفِيِّ.⁴ وأميتُوا الأَصواتَ؛ فَإِنَّهُ أطرَدُ لِلفَشَلِ. فَوَالَّذي فَلَقَ الحَبَّةَ وبَرَأَ النَّسَمَةَ ما أسلَموا، ولكِنِ استَسلَموا، وأسَرُّوا الكُفرَ، فَلَمّا وَجَدوا أعواناً عَلَيهِ أظهَروهُ.⁵

488. عنه علیه السلام ـ في حَثِّ أصحابِهِ عَلَى القِتالِ ـ: فَقَدِّمُوا الدّارِعَ، وأخِّرُوا الحاسِرَ، وعَضُّوا عَلَى الأَضراسِ؛ فَإِنَّهُ أنبى⁶ لِلسُّيوفِ عَنِ الهامِ. وَالتَووا في أطرافِ الرِّماحِ؛ فَإِنَّهُأموَرُ⁷ لِلأَسِنَّةِ. وغُضُّوا الأَبصارَ؛ فَإِنَّهُ أربَطُ لِلجَأشِ، وأسكَنُ لِلقُلوبِ. وأميتُوا الأَصواتَ؛ فَإِنَّهُ أطرَدُ لِلفَشَلِ. ورايَتَكُم فَلا تُميلوها، ولا تُخِلّوها، ولا تَجعَلوها إلّا بِأَيدي شُجعانِكُم وَالمانِعينَ الذِّمارَ مِنكُم؛ فَإِنَّ الصّابِرينَ عَلى نُزولِ الحَقائِقِ هُمُ الَّذينَ يَحُفّونَ بِراياتِهِم، ويَكتَنِفونَها؛ حَفافَيها و وراءَها وأمامَها، لا يَتَأَخَّرونَ عَنها فيُسلِموها، ولا يَتَقَدَّمونَ عَلَيها فَيُفرِدوها.
أجزَأَ امرُؤٌ قِرنَه،⁸ وآسى أخاهُ بِنَفسِهِ، ولَم يَكِل قِرنَهُ إلى أخيهِ، فَيَجتَمِعَ عَلَيهِ قِرنُهُ وقِرنُ أخيهِ. وَايمُ اللهِ لَئِن فَرَرتُم مِن سَيفِ العاجِلَةِ لا تَسلَموا مِن سَيفِ الآخِرَةِ، وأنتُم لَهاميمُ⁹ العَرَبِ، وَالسِّنامُ الأَعظَمُ؛ إنَّ فِي الفِرارِ مَوجِدَةَ اللهِ، وَالذُّلَّ اللّازِمَ، وَالعارَ الباقِيَ. وإنَّ الفارَّ لَغَيرُ مَزيد في عُمُرِهِ، ولا مَحجوز بَينَهُ وبَينَ يَومِهِ. مَنِ الرّائِحُ إلَى اللهِ كَالظَّمآنِ يَرِدُ الماءَ؟ الجَنَّةُ تَحتَ أطرافِ العَوالي! اليَومَ تُبلَى الأَخبارُ! وَاللهِ لاََنَا أشوَقُ إلى لِقائِهِم مِنهُم إلى دِيارِهِم!!
اللّهُمّ فَإِن رَدُّوا الحَقَّ فَافضُض جَماعَتَهُم، وشَتِّت كَلِمَتَهُم، وأبسِلهُم بِخَطاياهُم، إنَّهُم لَن يَزولوا عَن مَواقِفِهِم دونَ طَعن دِراك؛ يَخرُجُ مِنهُمُ النَّسيمُ، وضَرب يَفلِقُ الهامَ، ويُطيحُ العِظامَ، ويُندِرُ¹⁰ السَّواعِدَ وَالأَقدامَ، وحَتّى يُرمَوا بِالمَناسِرِ تَتبَعُهَا المَناسِرُ، ويُرجَموا بِالكَتائِبِ تَقفوهَا الحَلائِبُ، وحَتّى يُجَرَّ بِبِلادِهِمُ الخَميسُ يَتلوهُ الخَميسُ، وحَتّى تَدعَقَ¹¹ الخُيولُ في نَواحِرِ أرضِهِم، وبِأَعنانِ مَسارِبِهِم ومَسارِحِهِم.¹²