أَيَّتُهَا النُّفُوسُ الْمُخْتَلِفَة ،
O (people of) differing minds
وَالْقُلُوبُ الْمُتَشَتِّتَةُ،
and divided hearts,
الشَّاهِدَةُ أَبْدَانُهُمْ،
whose bodies are present
وَالْغَائِبَةُ عَنْهُمْ عُقُولُهُمْ،
but wits are absent.
أَظْأَرُكُمْ عَلَى الْحَقِّ
I am leading you (amicably) towards truthfulness,
وَأَنْتُمْ تَنْفِرُونَ عَنْهُ نُفُورَ الْمِعْزَى مِنْ وَعْوَعَةِ الاْسَدِ!
but you run away from it like goats and sheep running away from the howling of a lion.
هَيْهَاتَ أَنْ أَطْلَعَ بِكُمْ سَرَارَ الْعَدْلِ،
How hard it is for me to uncover for you the secrets of justice,
أَوْ أُقِيمَ اعْوِجَاجِ الْحَقِّ.
or to straighten the curve of truthfulness.
اللَّهُمَّ إِنَّكَ تَعْلَمُ أَنَّهُ لَمْ يَكُنِ الَّذِي كَانَ مِنَّا مُنَافَسَةً فِي سُلْطَان،
O my God! Thou knowest that what we did was not to seek power
وَلاَ الْتمَاسَ شِيء مِنْ فُضُولِ الْحُطَامِ،
nor to acquire anything from the vanities of the world.
وَلكِنْ لِنَرِدَ الْمَعَالِمَ مِنْ دِينِكَ،
We rather wanted to restore the signs of Thy religion
وَنُظْهِرَ الاْصْلاَحَ فِي بِلاَدِكَ،
and to usher prosperity into Thy cities
فَيَأْمَنَ الْمَظْلُومُونَ مِنْ عِبَادِكَ،
so that the oppressed among Thy creatures might be safe
وَتُقَامَ الْمُعَطَّلَةُ مِنْ حُدُودِكَ.
and Thy forsaken commands might be established.
اللَّهُمْ إِنّي أَوَّلُ مَنْ أَنابَ،
O My God! I am the first who leaned (towards Thee)
وَسَمِعَ وَأَجَابَ،
and who heard and responded (to the call of Islam).
لَمْ يَسْبِقْنِي إِلاَّ رَسُولُ اللهِ (صلى الله عليه وآله) بِالصَّلاَةِ.
No one preceded me in prayer (salat) except the Prophet.
وقَدْ عَلِمْتُمْ أَنَّهُ لاَ يَنْبَغِي أَنْ يَكُونَ عَلَى الْفُرُوجِ وَالدِّمَاءِ وَالمَغَانِمِ وَالاَحْكَامِ
You certainly know that he who is in charge of honour, life, booty, (enforcement of) legal commandments
وَإِمَامَةِ الْمُسْلِمِينَ الْبَخِيلُ،
and the leadership of the Muslims should not be a miser
فَتَكُونَ فِي أَمْوَالِهِمْ نَهْمَتُهُ،
as his greed would aim at their wealth,
وَلاَ الْجَاهِلُ فَيُضِلَّهُمْ بِجَهْلِهِ،
nor be ignorant as he would then mislead them with his ignorance,
وَلاَ الْجَافِي فَيَقْطَعَهُمْ بِجَفَائِهِ،
nor be of rude behaviour who would estrange them with his rudeness,
وَلاَ الجَائِفُ لِلدُّوَلِ فَيَتَّخِذَ قَوْماً دُونَ قَوْم،
nor should he deal unjustly with wealth thus preferring one group over another,
وَلاَ الْمُرْتَشِي فِي الْحُكْمِ
nor should he accept a bribe while taking decisions,
فَيَذْهَبَ بِالْحُقُوقِ وَيَقِفَ بِهَا دُونَ المَقَاطِعِ،
as he would forfeit (others) rights and hold them up without finality,
وَلاَ الْمَعطِّلُ لِلسُّنَّةِ فَيُهْلِكَ الاُمَّةَ.
nor should he ignore sunnah as he would ruin the people.
Alternative Sources for Sermon 131: Sibt, Tadhkirah, 120; al-Qadi al-Nu’man, Da’a'im, 531; Ibn al-'Athir, al-Nihayah, III,154 (z.'a.r), V, 270 (w.’a.a).
