أَيُّهَا النَّاسُ،
O people!
مَنْ عَرَفَ مِنْ أَخِيهِ وَثِيقَةَ دِين وَسَدَادَ طَرِيق،
If a person knows his brother to be steadfast in faith and of correct ways
فَلاَ يَسْمَعَنَّ فِيهِ أَقَاوِيلَ الرِّجَالِ،
he should not lend ear to what people may say about him.
أَمَا إِنَّهُ قَدْ يَرْمِي الرَّامِي،
Sometimes the bowman shoots arrows
وَتُخْطِيءُ السِّهَامُ،
but the arrow goes astray;
وَيَحِيكُ الْكَلاَمُ،
similarly talk can be off the point.
وَبَاطِلُ ذلِكَ يَبْورُ،
Its wrong perishes,
وَاللهُ سَمِيعٌ وَشَهِيدٌ.
while Allah is the Hearer and the Witness.
أَمَا إِنَّهُ لَيْسَ بَيْنَ الْحَقِّ وَالْبَاطِلِ إِلاَّ أَرْبَعُ أَصَابِعَ.
There is nothing between truth and falsehood except four fingers.
فسئل(عليه السلام) عن معنى قوله هذا،
Amir al-mu'minin was asked the meaning of this
فجمع أصابعه ووضعها بين أذنه وعينه ثمّ قال:
whereupon he joined his fingers together and put them between his ear and eye and said:
الْبَاطِلُ أَنْ تَقُولَ سَمِعْتُ، وَالْحَقُّ أَنْ تَقُولَ رَأَيْتُ!
It is falsehood when you say, "I have heard so," while it is truth when you say, "I have seen."
Alternative Sources for Sermon 141: Al-Quda’i, Dustur, 139; Ibn Hudhayl, ‘Ayn, 215; al-Saduq, al-Khisal, 110; Ibn ‘Abd Rabbih, al-’Iqd, VI, 268.
