الْحَمْدُ للهِ الْمُتَجَلِّي لِخَلْقِهِ بِخَلْقِهِ،
Praise belongs to Allah, Who is Manifest before His creation through His creation,
وَالظَّاهِرِ لِقُلُوبِهِمْ بِحُجَّتِهِ،
Who is apparent to their hearts through His clear proof;
خَلَقَ الْخَلْقَ مِنْ غَيْرِ رَوِيَّة،
Who created without meditating,
إِذْ كَانَتِ الرَّوِيَّاتُ لاَ تَلِيقُ إِلاَّ بِذَوي الضَّمائِرِ
since meditating does not befit except one who has thinking organs
وَلَيْسَ بِذِي ضَمِير فِي نَفْسِهِ،
while He has no thinking organ in Himself.
خَرَقَ عِلْمُهُ بَاطِنَ غَيْبِ السُّتُرَاتِ،
His knowledge has split forth the inside of unknown secrets
وَأَحَاطَ بِغُمُوضِ عَقَائِدِ السَّرِيرَاتِ.
and encompassed abstruse and hidden beliefs.
منها: في ذكر النبي (صلى الله عليه وآله)
A part of the same sermon about the Holy Prophet
اخْتَارَهُ مِنْ شَجَرَةِ الاْنْبِيَاءِ،
Allah chose him from the lineal tree of prophets,
وَمِشْكَاةِ الضِّيَاءِ ،
from the flame of light,
وَذُؤَابَةِ الْعَلْيَاءِ،
from the forehead of greatness,
وَسُرَّةِ الْبَطْحَاءِ،
from the best part of the valley of al-Bat'ha',
وَمَصَابِيحِ الظُّلْمَةِ،
from the lamps for darkness,
وَيَنَابِيعِ الْحِكْمَةِ.
and from the sources of wisdom.
منها:
A part of the same sermon
طَبِيبٌ دَوَّارٌ بِطِبِّهِ،
The Prophet was like a roaming physician
قَدْ أَحْكَمَ مَرَاهِمَهُ،
who has set ready his ointments
وَأمْضى مَوَاسِمَهُ،
and heated his instruments.
يَضَعُ من ذلِكَ حَيْثُ الْحَاجَةُ إِلَيْهِ،
He uses them wherever the need arises
مِنْ قُلُوب عُمْي،
for curing blind hearts,
وَآذَان صُمٍّ، وَأَلْسِنَة بُكْم;
deaf ears, and dumb tongues.
مُتَتَبِّعٌ بِدَوَائِهِ مَوَاضِعَ الْغَفْلَةِ،
He followed with his medicines the spots of negligence
وَمَوَاطِنَ الْحَيْرَةِ;
and places of perplexity.
فتنة بني أمية
Blaming Muslims
لَمْ يَسْتَضِيئُوا بِأَضْوَاءِ الْحِكْمَةِ،
They (people) did not take light from the lights of his wisdom
وَلَمْ يَقْدَحُوا بِزِنَادِ الْعُلُومِ الثَّاقِبَةِ;
nor did they produce flame from the flint of sparkling knowledge.
فَهُمْ فِي ذلِكَ كَالاْنْعَامِ السَّائِمَةِ، وَالصُّخُورِ الْقَاسِيَةِ.
So in this matter they are like grazing cattle and hard stones.
قَدِ انْجَابَتِ السَّرائِرُ لاِهْلِ الْبَصَائِرِ،
Nevertheless, hidden things have appeared for those who perceive,
وَوَضَحَتْ مَحَجَّةُ الْحَقِّ لِخَابِطِهَا،
the face of right has become clear for the wanderer,
وَأَسْفَرَتِ السَّاعَةُ عَنْ وَجْهِهَا،
the approaching moment has raised the veil from its face
وَظَهَرَتِ الْعَلاَمَةُ لِمتَوَسِّمِهَا.
and signs have appeared for those who search for them.
مَا لي
What is the matter with me!
أَرَاكُمْ أَشْبَاحاً بِلاَ أَرْوَاح،
I see you just bodies without spirits
وَأَرْوَاحاً بِلاَ أَشْبَاح،
and spirits without bodies,
وَنُسَّاكاً بِلاَ صَلاَح،
devotees without good,
وَتُجَّاراً بِلاَ أَرْبَاح،
traders without profits,
وَأَيْقَاظاً نُوَّماً،
wakeful but sleeping,
وَشُهُوداً غُيَّباً،
present but unseen,
وَنَاظِرَةً عُمْيَاً،
seeing but blind, hearing
وسَامِعَةً صُمَّاً، وَنَاطِقَةً بُكْماً!
but deaf and speaking but dumb.
رَايَةُ ضَلاَلة قَدْ قَامَتْ عَلَى قُطْبِهَا ،
I notice that misguidance has stood on its centre
وَتَفرَّقَتْ بِشُعَبِهَا،
and spread (all round) through its off-shoots.
تَكِيلُكُمْ بِصَاعِهَا،
It weighs you with its weights
وَتَخْبِطُكُمْ بِبَاعِهَا .
and confuses you with its measures.
قَائِدُهَا خَارجٌ مِنْ الْمِلَّةِ،
Its leader is an out-cast from the community.
قَائِمٌ عَلَى الضِّلَّةِ;
He persists on misguidance.
فَلاَ يَبْقَى يَوْمَئِذ مِنْكُمْ إِلاَّ ثُفَالَةٌ كَثُفَالَةِ الْقِدْرِ،
So on that day none from among you would remain except as the sediment in a cooking pot
أَوْ نُفَاضَةٌ كَنُفَاضَةِ الْعِكْمِ،
or the dust left after dusting a bundle.
تَعْرُكُكُمْ عَرْكَ الاْدِي،
It would scrape you as leather is scraped,
وَتَدُوسُكُمْ دَوْسَ الْحَصَيدِ ،
and trample you as harvest is trampled,
وَتَسْتَخْلِصُ الْمُؤْمِنَ مِنْ بَيْنِكُمُ اسْتَخْلاصَ الطَّيْرِ الْحَبَّةَ الْبَطِينَةَ مِنْ بَيْنِ هَزِيلِ الْحَبِّ.
and pick out the believer as a bird picks out a big grain from the thin grain.
أَيْنَ تَذْهَبُ بِكُمُ الْمَذَاهِبُ،
Where are these ways taking you,
وَتَتِيهُ بِكُمُ الْغَيَاهِبُ،
gloom misleading you,
وَتَخْدَعُكُمُ الْكَوَاذِبُ؟
and falsehoods deceiving you?
وَمِنْ أَيْنَ تُؤْتَوْنَ، وَأَنَّى تٌؤْفَكُون؟
Whence are you brought and where are you driven?
فَلِكُلِّ أَجَل كِتَابٌ،
For every period there is a written document
وَلِكُلِّ غَيْبَة إِيَابٌ،
and everyone who is absent has to return.
فَاسْتَمِعُوا مِنْ رَبَّانِيِّكُمْ،
So listen to your godly leader
وَأَحْضِرُوهُ قُلُوبَكُمْ،
and keep your hearts present.
واسْتَيْقِظُوا إِنْ هَتَفَ بِكُمْ ،
If he speaks to you be wakeful.
وَلْيَصْدُقْ رَائِدٌ أَهْلَهُ،
The forerunner must speak truth to his people,
وَلْيَجْمَعْ شَمْلَهُ،
should keep his wits together
وَلْيُحْضِرْ ذِهْنَهُ،
and maintain presence of mind.
فَلَقَدْ فَلَقَ لَكُمُ الاْمْرَ فَلْقَ الْخَرَزَةِ،
He has clarified to you the matter as the stitch-hole is cleared,
وَقَرَفَهُ قَرْفَ الصَّمْغَةِ.
and scraped it as the gum is scraped (from the twigs).
فَعِنْدَ ذلِكَ أَخَذَ الْبَاطِلُ مَآخِذَهُ،
Nevertheless, now the wrong has set itself on its places
وَرَكِبَ الْجَهْلُ مَرَاكِبَهُ،
and ignorance has ridden on its riding beasts.
وَعَظُمَتِ الطَّاغِيَةُ،
Unruliness has increased
وَقَلَّتِ الدَّاعِيَةُ،
while the call for virtue is suppressed.
وَصَالَ الدَّهْرُ صِيَالَ السَّبُعِ الْعَقُورِ،
Time has pounced upon like a devouring carnivore,
وَهَدَرَ فَنِيقُ الْبَاطِلِ بَعْدَ كُظُوم،
and wrong is shouting like a camel after remaining silent.
وَتَوَاخَى النَّاسُ عَلَى الْفُجْورِ،
People have become brothers over ill-doings,
وَتَهَاجَرُوا عَلَى الدِّينِ،
have forsaken religion,
وَتَحَابُّوا عَلَى الْكَذِبِ،
are united in speaking lie
وَتَبَاغَضُوا عَلَى الصِّدْقِ.
but bear mutual hatred in the matter of truth.
فَإِذَا كَانَ ذلِكَ كَانَ الْوَلَدُ غَيْظاً،
When such is the case, the son would be a source of anger (instead of coolness of the eye to parents)
وَالْمَطَرُ قَيْظاً،
and rain the cause of heat,
وَتَفِيضُ اللِّئَامُ فَيْضاً،
the wicked would abound
وَتَغِيضُ الْكِرَامُ غَيْضاً،
and the virtuous would diminish.
وَكَانَ أَهْلُ ذلِكَ الزَّمَانِ ذِئَاباً،
The people of this time would be wolves,
وَسَلاَطَينُهُ سِبَاعاً،
its rulers beasts,
وَأَوْسَاطُهُ أُكَّالاً،
the middle class men gluttons
وَفُقَرَاؤُهُ أَمْوَاتاً،
and the poor (almost) dead.
وَغَارَ الصِّدْقُ،
Truth would go down,
وَفَاض الْكَذِبُ،
falsehood would overflow,
وَاسْتُعْمِلَتِ الْمَوَدَّةُ بِاللِّسَانِ،
affection would be claimed with tongues
وَتَشَاجَرَ النَّاسُ بِالْقُلُوبِ،
but people would be quarrelsome at heart.
وَصَارَ الْفُسُوقُ نَسَباً،
Adultery would be the key to lineage
وَالْعَفَافُ عَجَباً،
while chastity would be rare
وَلُبِسَ الاْسْلاَمُ لُبْسَ الْفَرْوِ مَقْلُوباً.
and Islam would be worn overturned like the skin.
Alternative Sources for Sermon 108: Al-'Amidi, Ghurar, 85, 209; al-Zamakhshari, Rabi’, I, bab tabaddul al-'ahwal.
