إِنَّمَا بَدْءُ وُقُوعِ الْفِتَنِ أَهْوَاءٌ تُتَّبَعُ،
The basis of the occurrence of evils are those desires which are acted upon
وَأَحْكَامٌ تُبْتَدَعُ،
and the orders that are innovated.
يُخَالَفُ فِيهَا كِتابُ اللهِ،
They are against the Book of Allah.
وَيَتَوَلَّى عَلَيْهَا رِجَالٌ رِجَالاً،
People co-operate with each other about them
عَلَى غَيْرِ دِينِ اللهِ،
even though it is against the Religion of Allah.
فَلَوْ أَنَّ الْبَاطِلَ خَلَصَ مِنْ مِزَاجِ الْحَقِّ لَمْ يَخْفَ عَلَى الْمُرْتَادِينَ،
If wrong had been pure and unmixed it would not be hidden from those who are in search of it.
وَلَوْ أَنَّ الْحقَّ خَلَصَ مِنْ لَبْسِ البَاطِلِ انْقَطَعَتْ عَنْهُ أَلْسُنُ الْمُعَانِدِينَ;
And if right had been pure without admixture of wrong those who bear hatred towards it would have been silenced.
وَلكِن يُؤْخَذُ مِنْ هذَا ضِغْثٌ، وَمِنْ هذَا ضِغْثٌ، فَيُمْزَجَانِ!
What is, however, done is that something is taken from here and something from there and the two are mixed!
فَهُنَالِكَ يَسْتَوْلي الشَّيْطَانُ عَلَى أَوْلِيَائِهِ،
At this stage Satan overpowers his friends
وَيَنْجُو الَّذِينَ سَبَقَتْ لَهُمْ مِنَ اللهِ الْحُسْنَى.
and they alone escape for whom ‘virtue has been apportioned by Allah from before’ (ref. 21:101).
Alternative Sources for Sermon 50: al-Barqi, al-Mahasin, I, 208; al-Kulayni, Usul al-Kafi, bab al-bida’ wa al-ra'y wa al-maqayis; Idem., Rawdat al-Kafi, 58; al-Ya’qubi, Ta'rikh, II, 136; al-Tawhidi, al-Basa'ir, 32.
