مَا بَالُكُمْ!
What has happened to you?
لاَ سُدِّدْتُمْ لِرُشْد!
You may not be guided aright
وَلاَ هُدِيتُمْ لَقَصْد!
or shown the right path.
أَفِي مِثْلِ هذَا يَنْبَغِي لِي أَنْ أَخْرُجَ؟
Should in these circumstances I go forth?
إِنَّمَا يَخْرُخُ فِي مِثْلِ هذَا رَجُلٌ مِمَّنْ أَرْضَاهُ مِنْ شُجْعَانِكُمْ وَذَوِي بَأْسِكُمْ،
In fact, at this time one of the brave and the valorous among you whom I select should go out.
وَلاَ يَنْبَغِي لِي أَنْ أَدَعَ الْجُنْدَ،
It does not suit me to leave the army,
وَالْمِصْرَ،
the city,
وَبَيْتَ الْمَالِ،
the public treasury,
وَجِبَايَةَ الاْرْضِ،
the land revenue,
وَالْقَضَاءَ بَيْنَ الْمُسْلِمِينَ،
the dispensation of justice among Muslims
وَالنَّظَرَ في حُقُوقِ الْمُطَالِبِينَ،
and looking after the demands of the claimants
ثُمَّ أَخْرُجَ فِي كَتِيبَة أَتْبَعُ أُخْرَى،
and to follow one contingent after the other moving here
أَتَقَلْقَلُ تَقَلْقُلَ الْقِدْحِ فِي الْجَفِيرِ الْفَارِغِ،
and there like a featherless arrow moving in the quiver.
وَإِنَّمَا أَنَا قُطْبُ الرَّحَا،
I am the axis of the mill.
تَدُورُ عَلَيَّ
It rotates on me
وَأَنَا بِمَكَاني،
while I remain in my position.
فَإِذَا فَارَقْتُهُ اسْتَحَارَ مَدَارُهَا،
As soon as I leave it the centre of its rotation would be disturbed
وَاضْطَرَبَ ثِفَالُهَا.
and its lower stone would also be disturbed.
هذَا لَعَمْرُ اللهِ الرَّأْيُ السُّوءُ.
By Allah, this is a very bad advice.
وَاللهِ لَوْلاَ رَجَائِي الشَّهَادَةَ عِنْدَ لِقَائِي الْعَدُوَّ ـ
By Allah, if I had not been hoping for martyrdom by my meeting with the enemy –
وَلَوْ قَدْ حُمَّ لِي لِقَاؤُهُ ـ
and my meeting with him has been ordained,
لَقَرَّبْتُ رِكَابِي ثُمَّ شَخَصْتُ عَنْكُمْ،
I would have secured my carrier and gone away from you
فَلاَ أَطْلُبُكُمْ مَا اخْتَلَفَ جَنُوبٌ وَشَمَالٌ.
and would not have sought you so long as North and South differed.
طَعّانينَ عَيّابينَ حَيّادينَ رَوّاغينَ.!
(You are) calumniators, fault-finders, deviators (from the truth) and guileful!
انَّهُ لاَ غَنَاءَ فِي كَثْرَةِ عَدَدِكُمْ مَعَ قِلَّةِ اجْتَماعِ قُلُوبِكُمْ.
There is no benefit in the majority of your numbers because of lack of unity of your hearts.
لَقَدْ حَمَلْتُكُمْ عَلَى الطَّرِيقِ الْوَاضِحِ الَّتي لاَ يَهْلِكُ عَلَيْهَا إِلاَّ هَالِكٌ،
I have put you on the clear path whereon no one will perish except who perishes by himself.
مَنِ اسْتَقَامَ فَإِلَى الْجَنَّةِ،
He who sticks to it would achieve Paradise
وَمَنْ زَلَّ فَإِلَى النَّارِ!
and he who deviates goes to Hell.
Alternative Sources for Sermon 119: Ibn al-'Athir, al-Nihayah, I, 215 (th.f.l) .
1. When after the Battle of Siffin, Mu'awiyah's forces began to attack various places in Amir al-mu'minin's area, he asked the Iraqis to check them but they declined on the plea that they would follow him if he himself came forward. Thereupon he delivered this sermon, and clarified his limitations, that if he himself went out it was impossible to run the affairs of the state, and that the enemy's attacks had already started on all sides. In these circumstances it was impolitic to keep the centre unguarded. But what could be hoped from those who changed the victory at Siffin into defeat and opened the door for these attacks.
