حَتَّى بَعَثَ اللهُ مُحَمَّداً(صلى الله عليه وآله وسلم)، شَهِيداً،
Then Allah sent Muhammad (S) as a witness,
وَبَشِيراً، وَنَذِيراً،
giver of good tidings and warner,
خَيْرَ الْبَرِيَّةِ طِفْلاً،
the best in the universe as a child
وَأَنْجَبَهَا كَهْلاً،
and the most chaste as a grown up man,
أَطْهَرَ الْمُطَهَّرِينَ شِيمَةً،
the purest of the purified in conduct,
وَأَجْوَدَ الْمُسْتَمْطَرِينَ دِيمَةً
the most generous of those who are approached for generosity.
بنو أمية
About the Ummayads
فَمَا احْلَوْلَتْ الدُّنْيَا لَكُمْ فِي لَذَّتِهَا،
This world did not appear sweet to you in its pleasures
وَلاَ تَمَكَّنْتُمْ مِنْ رَضَاعِ أَخْلاَفِهَا
and you did not secure milk from its udders
إِلاَّ مِنْ بَعْدِ مَا صَادَفْتُمُوهَا جَائِلاً خِطَامُهَا قَلِقاً وَضِينُهَا ،
except after having met it when its nose-rein was trailing and its leather girth was loose.
قَدْ صَارَ حَرَامُهَا عِنْدَ أَقْوَامٍ بِمَنْزِلَةِ السِّدْر الْـمَخْضُودِ
For certain people its unlawful items were like bent branches (laden with fruit)
وَحَلاَلُهَا بَعِيداً غَيْرَ مَوْجُودٍ، وَصَادَفْتُمُوهَا،
while its lawful items were far away, not available.
وَاللهِ، ظِلاًّ مَمْدُوداً إِلَى أَجَلٍ مَعْدُودٍ،
By Allah, you would find it like a long shade upto a fixed time.
فَالاْرْضُ لَكُمْ شَاغِرَةٌ
So the earth is with you without let or hindrance
وَأَيْدِيكُمْ فِيهَا مَبْسُوطَةٌ،
and your hands in it are extended
وَأَيْدِي الْقَادَةِ عَنْكُمْ مَكْفُوفَةٌ،
while the hands of the leaders are held away from you.
وَسُيُوفُكُمْ عَلَيْهِمْ مَسَلَّطَةٌ،
Your swords are hanging over them
وَسُيُوفُهُمْ عَنْكُمْ مَقْبُوضَةٌ.
while their swords are held away from you.
أَلاَ إِنَّ لِكُلِّ دَم ثَائِراً،
Beware that for every blood (that is shed) there is an avenger
وَلَكُلِّ حَقٍّ طَالِباً،
and for every right there is a claimant.
وَإِنَّ الثَّائِرَ فِي دِمَائِنَا كَالْحَاكِمِ في حَقِّ نَفْسِهِ،
The avenger for our blood is like the judge for his own claim,
وَهُوَ اللهُ الَّذِي لاَ يُعْجِزُهُ مَنْ طَلَبَ،
and it is Allah who is such that if one seeks Him, then He does not disappoint him,
وَلاَ يَفُوتُهُ مَنْ هَرَبَ.
and one who runs away from Him cannot escape Him.
فَأُقْسِمُ بِاللهِ،
I swear by Allah,
يَا بَنِي أُمَيَّةَ،
O Banu Umayyah,
عَمَّا قَلِيل لَتَعْرِفُنَّهَا فِي أَيْدِي غَيْرِكُمْ
shortly you will see it (i.e. your possession) in the hands of others
وَفِي دَارِ عَدُوِّكُمْ!
and in the house of your enemy.
أَلاَ إِنَّ أبْصَرَ الاْبْصَارِ مَا نَفَذَ فِي الْخَيْرِ طَرْفُهُ!
Know that the best looking eye is that whose sight catches virtue
أَلاَ إِنَّ أَسْمَعَ الاْسْمَاعِ مَا وَعَى التَّذْكِيرَ وَقَبِلَهُ!
and know that the best hearing ear is that which hears good advice and accepts it.
وعظ الناس
Exhortation (About the functions of the Imams)
أَيُّهَا النَّاسُ،
O people!
اسْتَصْبِحُوا مِنْ شُعْلَةِ مِصْبَاح وَاعِظ مُتَّعِظ،
Secure light from the flame of lamps of the preacher who follows what he preaches
وَامْتَاحُوا مِنْ صَفْوِ عَيْن قَدْ رُوِّقَتْ مِنَ الْكَدَرِ.
and draw water from the spring which has been cleaned of dirt.
عِبَادَ اللهِ،
O creatures of Allah,
لاَ تَرْكَنُوا إِلَى جَهَالَتِكُمْ،
do not rely on your ignorance,
وَلاَ تَنْقَادُوا لاِهْوَائِكُمْ،
do not be obedient to your desires,
فَإِنَّ النَّازِلَ بِهذَا الْمَنْزِلِ نَازِلٌ بِشَفَا جُرُف هَار،
because he who stays at this place is like one who stays on the brink of a bank undermined by water
يَنْقُلُ الرَّدَى عَلَى ظَهْرِهِ مِنْ مَوْضِع إِلَى مَوْضَع،
carrying ruin on his back from one portion to the other
لِرَأْي يُحْدِثُهُ بَعْدَ رَأْي،
following his opinion which he changes (one after the other).
يُرِيدُ أَنْ يُلْصِقَ مَا لاَ يَلْتَصِقُ،
He wants to make adhere what cannot adhere
وَيُقَرِّبَ مَا لاَ يَتَقَارَبُ!
and to bring together what cannot keep together.
فَاللهَ اللهَ أَنْ تَشْكُوا إِلَى مَنْ لاَ يُشْكِي شَجْوَكُمْ،
So fear Allah and do not place your complaints before him who cannot redress your grievance,
وَلاَ يَنْقُضُ بِرَأْيِهِ مَا قَدْ أَبْرَمَ لَكُمْ.
nor undo with his opinion what has been made obligatory for you.
إِنَّهُ لَيسَ عَلَى الاْمَامِ إِلاَّ مَا حُمِّلَ مِنْ أَمْرِ رَبِّهِ:
Certainly, there is no obligation on the Imam except what has been devolved on him from Allah,
الاْبْلاَغُ فَي الْمَوْعِظَةِ،
namely to convey warnings,
وَالاجْتِهَادُ فِي النَّصِيحَةِ،
to exert in good advice,
وَالاْحْيَاءُ لِلسُّنَّةِ،
to revive the sunnah,
وَإِقَامَةُ الْحُدُودِ عَلَى مُسْتَحِقِّيهَا،
to enforce penalties on those liable to them
وَإِصْدَارُ السُّهْمَانِ عَلَى أَهْلِهَا.
and to issue shares to the deserving.
فَبَادِرُوا الْعِلْمَ مِنْ قَبْلِ تَصْوِيحِ نَبْتِهِ،
So hasten towards knowledge before its vegetation dries up
وَمِنْ قَبْلِ أَنْ تُشْغَلُوا بَأَنْفُسِكُمْ عَنْ مُسْتَثَارِ الْعِلْمِ مِنْ عِنْدِ أَهْلِهِ،
and before you turn yourselves away from seeking knowledge from those who have it.
وَانْهَوْا عَنْ المُنْكَرِ وَتَنَاهَوْا عَنْهُ،
Desist others from the unlawful and abstain from it yourself,
فَإِنَّمَا أُمِرْتُمْ بالنَّهْي بَعْدَ التَّنَاهِي!
because you have been commanded to abstain (yourself) before abstaining (others).
Alternative Sources for Sermon 105: Al-Mufid, al-'Irshad, 160; Ali ibn Ibrahim al-Qummi, Tafsir, I, 384.
