وَاللهِ مَا أَنْكَرُوا عَلَيَّ مُنْكَراً،
By Allah, they did not find any disagreeable thing in me,
وَلاَ جَعَلُوا بَيْنِي وَبَيْنَهُمْ نِصْفاً،
nor did they do justice between me and themselves.
وَإِنَّهُمْ لَيَطْلُبُونَ حَقّاً هُمْ تَرَكُوهُ،
Surely, they are now demanding a right which they have abandoned
وَدَماً هُمْ سَفَكُوهُ،
and blood which they have themselves shed.
فَإِنْ كُنْتُ شَرِيكَهُمْ فِيهِ فَإِنَّ لَهُمْ نَصِيبَهُمْ مِنْهُ،
If I partook in it with them then they too have a share in it,
وَإِنْ كَانُوا وَلُوهُ دُونِي فَمَا الطَّلِبَةُ إِلاَّ قِبَلَهُمْ،
but if they committed it without me the demand should be against them.
وَإِنَّ أَوَّلَ عَدْلِهِمْ لَلْحُكْمُ عَلَى أَنْفُسِهِمْ،
The first step of their justice should be that they pass verdict against themselves.
وَإِنَّ مَعِي لَبَصِيرَتِي،
I have my intelligence with me.
مَا لَبَّسْتُ وَلاَ لُبِّسَ عَلَيَّ،
I have never mixed matters nor have they appeared mixed to me.
وَإِنَّهَا لَلْفِئَةُ الْبَاغِيَةُ،
Certainly, this is the rebellious group in which there is the near one (az-Zubayr),
فِيهَا الْحَمأُ وَالْحُمَةُ وَالشُّبْهَةُ الْمُغْدِفَةُ،
the scorpion's venom (‘A'ishah) and doubts which cast a veil (on facts).
وَإِنَّ الاْمْرَ لَوَاضِحٌ،
But the matter is clear,
وَقَدْ زَاحَ الْبَاطِلُ عَنْ نِصَابِهِ،
and the wrong has been shaken from its foundation.
وَانْقَطَعَ لِسَانُهُ عَنْ شَغَبِهِ.
Its tongue has stopped uttering mischief.
وَايْمُ اللهِ لاَفْرِطَنَّ لَهُمْ حَوْضاً أَنَا مَاتِحُهُ،
By Allah, I will prepare for them a cistern from which I alone will draw water.
لاَ يَصْدُرُونَ عَنْهُ بِرِيٍّ،
They will not be able to drink from it
وَلاَ يَعُبُّونَ بَعْدَهُ فِي حَسْي.
nor would they be able to drink from any other place.
منه: في أمر البيعة
A part of the same sermon
فَأَقْبَلْتُمْ إِلَيَّ إِقْبَالَ الْعُوذِ الْمَطَافِيلِ عَلَى أَوْلاَدِهَا، تَقُولُونَ: الْبَيْعَةَ الْبَيْعَةَ!
You advanced towards me shouting "allegiance, allegiance" like she-camels having delivered newly born young ones leaping towards their young.
قَبَضْتُ كَفِّي فَبَسَطْتُمُوهَا،
I held back my hand but you pulled it towards you.
وَنَازَعَتْكُمْ يَدِي فَجَاذَبْتُمُوهَا.
I drew back my hand but you dragged it.
اللَّهُمَّ إنَّهُمَا قَطَعَاني وَظَلَمَاني،
O My God! These two have ignored my rights and did injustice to me.
وَنَكَثَا بَيْعَتِي، وَأَلَّبَا النَّاسَ عَلَيَّ;
They both have broken allegiance to me, and roused people against me.
فَاحْلُلْ مَا عَقَدَا،
Unfasten Thou what they have fastened,
وَلاَ تُحْكِمْ لَهُمَا مَا أَبْرَمَا،
and do not make strong what they have woven.
وَأَرِهِمَا الْمَسَاءَةَ فِيَما أَمَّلاَ وَعَمِلاَ،
Show them the evil in what they aimed at and acted upon.
وَلَقَدِ اسْتَثَبْتُهُمَا قَبْلَ الْقِتَالِ،
Before fighting I asked them to be steadfast in allegiance
وَاسْتَأْنَيْتُ بِهمَا أَمَامَ الْوِقَاعِ،
and behaved with them with consideration
فَغَمَطَا النِّعْمَةَ، وَرَدَّا الْعَافِيَةَ.
but they belittled the blessing and refused (to adopt the course of) safety.
Alternative Sources for Sermon 137: Ibn ‘Abd al-Birr, al-'Isti’ab, II, 211; Ibn al-'Athir, Usd al-ghabah, II, 61; al-Mufid in al-'Irshad, 146, 142, and al-Jamal, 143, from al-Waqidi; Ibn al-'Athir, al-Nihayah, III, 318 (‘a.w.dh); Ibn Qutaybah, al-'Imamah, I, 154; al-Thaqafi, al-Gharat, I, 310; al-Tabari, al-Mustarshid, 95; Ibn Tawus, Kashf, 173; Safwah, Jamharah; al-Tabari, Ta'rikh, * VI, 3143.
