أمَّا قَوْلُكُمْ: أَكُلَّ ذلِكَ كَرَاهِيَةَ الْمَوْتِ؟
Well, as for your idea whether this (delay) is due to my unwillingness for death,
فَوَاللهِ مَا أُبَالِي دَخَلْتُ إِلَى المَوْتِ أَوْ خَرَجَ المَوْتُ إِلَيَّ.
then by Allah I do not care whether I proceed towards death or death advances towards me.
وَأَمَّا قَوْلُكُمْ: شَكّاً في أَهْلِ الشَّامِ!
As for your impression that it may be due to my misgivings about the people of Syria (ash-Sham),
فَوَاللهِ مَا دَفَعْتُ الْحَرْبَ يَوْماً إِلاَّ وَأَنَا أَطْمَعُ أَنْ تَلْحَقَ بِي طَائِفَةٌ فَتَهْتَدِيَ بِي، وَتَعْشُوَ إِلى ضَوْئِي،
well by Allah, I did not put off war even for a day except in the hope that some group may join me, find guidance through me and see my light with their weak eyes.
فهُوَ أَحَبُّ إِلَيَّ مِنْ أَنْ أَقْتُلَهَا عَلَى ضَلالِهَا، وَإِنْ كَانَتْ تَبُوءُ بِآثَامِهَا
This is dearer to me than to kill them in the state of their misguidance although they would be bearing their own sins.
Alternative Sources for Sermon 55: Nasr, Siffin, 209; ‘Abd al-Zahra', Masadir, II, 27, says that statements to this effect have been widely narrated from ‘Ali (A).
