قَدْ عَلِمَ السَّرائِرَ،
Allah knows hidden secrets
وَخَبَرَ الضَّمائِرَ،
and is aware of inner feelings.
لَهُ الاْحَاطَةُ بِكُلِّ شَيْء،
He encompasses everything.
وَالْغَلَبَةُ لِكُلِّ شَيْء،
He has control over everything
وَالْقُوَّةُ عَلى كُلِّ شَيْء.
and power over everything.
فَلْيَعْمَلِ الْعَامِلُ مِنْكُمْ فِي أَيَّامِ مَهَلِهِ،
Everyone of you should do whatever he has to do during his days of life
قَبْلَ إِرْهَاقِ أَجَلِهِ،
before the approach of death,
وَفِي فَرَاغِهِ قَبْلَ أَوَانِ شُغُلِهِ،
in his leisure before his occupation,
وَفِي مُتَنَفَّسِهِ
and during the breathing of his breath
قَبْلَ أَنْ يُؤْخَذَ بِكَظَمِهِ،
before it is overtaken by suffocation,
وَلْـيُمَهِّدْ لِنَفْسِهِ وَقَدَمِهِ،
should provide for himself and his journey
وَلْيَتَزَوَّدْ مِنْ دَارِ ظَعْنِهِ لِدَارِ إِقَامَتِهِ.
and should collect provision from his place of halt for his place of stay.
فَاللهَ اللهَ أَيُّهَا النَّاسُ،
So remember Allah, O people,
فِيَما اسْتَحْفَظَكُمْ مِنْ كِتَابِهِ،
about what He has asked you in His Book to take care of,
وَاسْتَوْدَعَكُمْ مِنْ حُقُوقِهِ،
and about His rights that He has entrusted to you.
فَإِنَّ اللهَ سُبْحَانَهُ لَمْ يَخْلُقْكُمْ عَبَثاً،
Verily, Allah has not created you in vain
وَلَمْ يَتْرُكْكُمْ سُدىً،
nor left you unbridled
وَلَمْ يَدَعْكُمْ فِي جَهَالَة وَلاَ عَمىً،
nor left you alone in ignorance and gloom.
قَدْ سَمَّى آثَارَكُمْ،
He has defined what you should leave behind.
وَعَلِمَ أعْمَالَكُمْ،
taught you your acts,
وَكَتَبَ آجَالَكُمْ،
ordained your death,
وَأَنْزَلَ عَلَيْكُمُ (الْكِتَابَ تِبْيَاناً)،
sent down to you. "the Book (Qur'an) explaining everything" (Qur'an, 16:89)
وَعَمَّرَ فِيكُمْ نَبِيَّهُ أَزْمَاناً،
and made His Prophet live among you for a long time
حَتَّى أَكْمَلَ لَهُ وَلَكُمْ ـ فِيَما أنْزَلَ مِنْ كِتَابِهِ ـ
till He completed for him and for you the message sent
دِينَهُ الَّذِي رَضِيَ لِنفْسِهِ، وَأَنْهَى إِلَيْكُمْ ـ عَلَى لِسَانِهِ ـ
through the Qur'an namely the religion liked by Him,
مَحَابَّهُ مِنَ الاْعْمَالِ وَمَكَارِهَهُ،
and clarified through him the acts liked and disliked by Him,
وَنَوَاهِيَهُ وَأَوَامِرَهُ،
His prohibitions and His commands.
فَأَلقَى إِلَيْكُمُ الْمِعْذِرَةَ، وَاتَّخَذَ عَلَيْكُمُ الْحُجَّةَ،
He placed before you His arguments and exhausted his excuses upon you.
وَقَدَّمَ إِلَيْكُمْ بِالْوَعِيدِ،
He put forth to you His promises
وَأَنْذَرَكُمْ بَيْنَ يَدَيْ عَذَاب شَديد.
and warned you of severe retribution.
فَاسْتَدْرِكُوا بَقِيَّةَ أَيَّامِكُمْ،
You should therefore make full atonement during your remaining days
وَاصْبِرُوا لَهَا أَنْفُسَكُمْ،
and let yourselves practice endurance in these days.
فَإِنَّهَا قَلِيلٌ فِي كَثِيرِ الاْيَّامِ
These days are fewer as against the many days
الَّتِى تَكُونُ مِنْكُم فِيهَا الْغَفْلَةُ وَالتَّشَاغُلُ عَنِ الْمَوْعِظَةِ;
during which you have shown obliviousness and heedlessness towards admonition.
وَلاَ تُرَخِّصُوا لاِنْفُسِكُمْ،
Do not allow time to yourselves
فَتَذْهَبَ بِكُمُ الرُّخَصُ مَذَاهِبَ الْظَّلَمَةِ،
because it will put you on the path of wrong-doers
وَلاَ تُدَاهِنُوا
and do not be easy-going
فَيَهْجُمَ بِكُمُ الاْدْهَانُ عَلَى الْمَعْصِيَةِ.
because this will push you towards sinfulness.
عِبَادَ اللهِ،
O creatures of Allah!
إِنَّ أَنْصَحَ النَّاسِ لِنَفْسِهِ أَطْوَعُهُمْ لِرَبِّهِ،
The best adviser for himself is he who is the most obedient to Allah,
وَإِنَّ أَغَشَّهُمْ لِنَفْسِهِ أَعْصَاهُمْ لِرَبِّهِ;
and the most deceiving for himself is he who is the most disobedient to Allah.
وَالْمَغْبُونُ مَنْ غَبَنَ نَفْسَهُ،
Deceived is he who deceived his own self.
وَالْمَغْبُوطُ مَنْ سَلِمِ لَهُ دِينُهُ،
Enviable is he whose Faith is safe.
وَالسَّعِيدُ مَنْ وُعِظَ بِغَيْرِهِ، وَالشَّقِيُّ مَنِ انْخَدَعَ لِهَوَاهُ وَغُرُورِهِ.
Fortunate is he who takes lesson from others, while unfortunate is he who fell victim to his desires.
وَاعْلَمُوا أَنَّ يَسِيرَ الرِّيَإِ شِرْكٌ،
You should know that even the smallest hypocrisy is like believing in more than one God,
وَمُجَالَسَةَ أَهْلِ الْهَوَى مَنْسَاةٌ لِلاْيمَانِ،
and keeping company of people who follow their desires is the key to obliviousness from religion,
وَمَحْضَرَةٌ لِلشَّيْطَانِ.
and is the seat of Satan.
جَانِبُوا الْكَذِبَ فَإِنَّهُ مُجَانِبٌ لِلاْيمَانِ،
Be on your guard against falsehood because it is contrary to Faith.
الصَّادِقُ عَلَى شَفَا مَنْجَاة وَكَرَامَة،
A truthful person is on the height of salvation and dignity,
وَالْكَاذِبُ عَلَى شَرَفِ مَهْوَاة وَمَهَانَة.
while the liar is on the edge of ignominy and degradation.
لاَ تَحَاسَدُوا،
Do not be jealous
فَإِنَّ الْحَسَدَ يَأْكُلُ الاْيمَانَ كَمَا تَأْكُلُ النَّارُ الْحَطَبَ،
because jealousy eats away Faith just as fire eats away dried wood.
وَلاَ تَبَاغَضُوا فَإِنَّهَا الْحَالِقَةُ،
Do not bear malice because, it is a scraper (of virtues).
وَاعْلَمُوا أَنَّ الاْمَلَ يُسْهِي الْعَقْلَ،
And know that desires make wit forgetful
وَيُنْسِي الذِّكْرَ،
and make memory oblivious.
فَأَكْذِبُوا الاْمَلَ فَإِنَّهُ غُرُورٌ،
You should falsify desire because it is a deception,
وَصَاحِبُهُ مَغْرُورٌ.
and he who has desires is in deceit.
Alternative Sources for Sermon 86: Al-Dinawari, Akhbar, 145; al-Harrani, Tuhaf, 100, 101; al-Barqi, al-Mahasin, 233-4; al-Mufid, al-Majalis, 120; al-Tabarsi, Mishkat, 156; al- 'Amidi, Ghurar.
