أمَّا بَعْدُ، فَإِنَّ اللهَ سُبْحَانَهُ بَعَثَ مُحَمَّداً(صلى الله عليه وآله)،
Certainly Allah Almighty sent Muhammad (S) as Prophet
وَلَيْسَ أَحَدٌ مِنَ الْعَرَبِ يَقْرَأُ كِتَاباً،
while no one among the Arabs read the Book
وَلاَ يَدَّعِي نُبُوَّةً وَلاَ وَحْياً،
nor claimed prophethood or revelation.
فَقَاتَلَ بِمَنْ أطَاعَهُ مَنْ عَصَاهُ،
He had to fight those who disobeyed him in company with those who followed him,
يَسُوقُهُم إِلَى مَنْجَاتِهِمْ،
leading them towards their salvation
وَيُبَادِرُ بِهِمُ السَّاعَةَ أَنْ تَنْزِلَ بِهِمْ،
and hastening with them lest death overtook them.
يَحْسَرُ الْحَسَيرُ،
When any weary person sighed
وَيَقِفُ الْكَسِيرُ فَيُقِيمُ عَلَيْهِ حَتَّى يُلْحِقَهُ غَايَتَهُ،
or a distressed one stopped he stood at him till he got him his aim,
إِلاَّ هَالِكاً لاَ خَيْرَ فِيهِ،
except the worst in whom there was not virtue at all.
حَتَّى أَرَاهُمْ مَنْجَاتَهُمْ وَبَوَّأَهُمْ مَحَلَّتَهُمْ،
Eventually he showed them their goal and carried them to their places (of deliverance).
فَاسْتَدَارَتْ رَحَاهُمْ،
Consequently, their affairs moved on
وَاسْتَقَامَتْ قَنَاتُهُمْ.
and their hand-mill began to rotate (i.e. position gained strength), their spears got straightened.
وَايْمُ اللهِ، لَقَدْ كُنْتُ مِنْ سَاقَتِهَا حَتَّى تَوَلَّتْ بِحَذَافِيرِهَا،
By Allah, I was among their rear-guard till they turned back on their sides
وَاسْتَوْسَقَتْ فِي قِيَادِهَا، مَا ضَعُفْتُ،
and were flocked in their rope.
وَلاَ جَبُنْتُ، وَلاَ خُنْتُ، وَلاَ وَهَنْتُ،
I never showed weakness or lack of courage, nor did I betray or become languid.
وَايْمُ اللهِ، لاَبْقُرَنَّ الْبَاطِلَ حَتَّى أُخْرِجَ الْحَقَّ مِنْ خَاصِرَتِهِ!
By Allah, I shall split the wrong till I extract right from its flanks.
قال السيد الشريف الرضي: وقد تقدم مختار هذه الخطبة، إلاّ أنني وجدتها في هذه الرواية على خلاف ما سبق من زيادة ونقصان، فأوجبت الحال إثباتها ثانية.
As-Sayyid ar-Radi says: I have quoted a selected part of this sermon before, but since I have found in the narration that this part differs from the previous one, more or less, I deemed it necessary to quote it again here.
Alternative Sources for Sermon 104: Al-Mufid, al-'Irshad, 154; al-Nasa'i, al-Khasa'is, 70.
