أَيُّهَا النَّاسُ، كُلُّ امْرِىء لاَق بِمَا يَفِرُّ مِنْهُ فِي فِرَارِهِ،
O people! Every one shall meet what he wishes to avoid by running away. (1)
وَالاْجَلُ مَسَاقُ النَّفْسِ،
Death is the place to which life is driving.
وَالْهَرَبُ مِنْهُ مُوَافَاتُهُ.
To run away from it means to catch it.
كَمْ أَطْرَدْتُ الاَيَّامَ أَبْحَثُهَا عَنْ مَكْنُونِ هذَا الاَمْرِ،
How many days I did spend in searching for the secret of this matter,
فَأَبَى اللهُ إِلاَّ إِخْفَاءَهُ،
but Allah did not allow save its concealment.
هَيْهَاتَ!
Alas!
عِلْمٌ مَخْزُونٌ!
It is a treasured knowledge.
أَمَّا وَصِيَّتِي:
As for my last will,
فَاللهَ لاَ تُشْرِكُوا بِهِ شَيْئاً،
it is that concerning Allah, do not believe in a partner for Him,
وَمُحَمَّداً فَلاَ تُضَيِّعُوا سُنَّتَهُ،
and concerning Muhammad (S), do not disregard his Sunnah.
أَقِيمُوا هذَيْن الْعَمُودَيْنِ،
Keep these two pillars
وَأَوْقِدُوا هذَيْنِ الْمِصْبَاحَيْنِ،
and burn these two lamps.
وَخَلاَكُمْ ذَمٌّ مَالَمْ تَشْرُدُوا،
Till you are not divided, no evil will come to you. (2)
حُمِّلَ كُلُّ امْرِىء مَجْهُودَهُ،
Every one of you has to bear his own burden.
وَخُفِّفَ عَنِ الْجَهَلَةِ،
It has been kept light for the ignorant.
رَبٌّ رَحِيمٌ،
Allah is Merciful.
وَدِينٌ قَوِيمٌ،
Faith is straight.
وَإِمَامٌ عَلِيمٌ.
The leader (Prophet) is the holder of knowledge.
أَنَا بِالاْمْسِ صَاحِبُكُمْ،
Yesterday I was with you;
وَأَنَا الْيَوْمَ عِبْرَةٌ لَكُمْ،
today I have become the object of a lesson for you,
وَغَداً مُفَارِقُكُمْ!
and tomorrow I shall leave you.
غَفَرَ اللهُ لي وَلَكُمْ!
May Allah forgive me and you!
إِنْ تَثْبُتِ الْوَطْأَةُ فِي هذِهِ الْمَزَلَّةِ فَذَاكَ،
If the foot remains firm in this slippery place, well and good!
وَإِنْ تَدْحَضِ الْقَدَمُ
But if the foot slips,
فَإِنَّا كُنَّا فِي أَفْيَاءِ أَغْصَان،
this is because we are under the shade of branches,
وَمَهَابِّ رِيَاح،
the passing of the winds
وَتَحْتَ ظِلِّ غَمَام،
and the canopy of the clouds
اضْمَحَلَّ فِي الْجَوِّ مُتَلَفَّقُهَا،
whose layers are dispersed in the sky,
وَعَفَا في الارْضِ مَخَطُّهَا.
and whose traces disappeared (3) in the earth.
وَإِنَّمَا كُنْتُ جَاراً
I was your neighbour.
جَاوَرَكُمْ بَدَنِي أَيَّاماً،
My body kept you company for some days
وَسَتُعْقَبُونَ مِنِّي جُثَّةً خَلاَءً سَاكِنَةً بَعْدَ حَرَاك،
and shortly you will find just an empty body of mine which would be stationary after (all its) movement
وَصَامِتَةً بَعْدَ نُطْق لِيَعِظْكُمْ هُدُوِّي،
and silent after speech so that my calmness,
وَخُفُوتُ إِطْرَاقِي،
the closing of my eyes,
وَسُكُونُ أَطْرَافِي،
and the stillness of my limbs may provide you counsel,
فَإِنَّهُ أَوْعَظُ لَلْمُعْتَبِرِينَ مِنَ الْمَنْطِقِ الْبَلِيغِ
because it is more of a counsel for those who take a lesson (from it) than eloquent speech
وَالْقَوْلِ الْمَسْمُوعِ.
and a ready word.
وَدَاعِيكُم
I am departing from you
وَدَاعُ امْرِىء مُرْصِد لِلتَّلاَقِي!
like one who is eager to meet (someone).
غَداً تَرَوْنَ أَيَّامِي،
Tomorrow you will look at my days,
وَيُكْشَفُ لَكُمْ عَنْ سَرَائِرِي،
then my inner side will be disclosed to you
وَتَعْرِفُونَنِي بَعْدَ خُلُوِّ مَكَانِي
and you will understand me after the vacation of my place
وَقِيَامِ غَيْرِي مَقَامِي.
and its occupation by someone else.
Alternative Sources for Sermon 149: Al-Kulayni, Usul al-Kafi, I, 229; al-Mas’udi, Muruj, II, 436; al-Mas’udi, Ithbat, 103; Ibn ‘Asakir, Ta'rikh, XII, 211.
1. This means that during all the time spent in the attempts that a man makes to avoid death and in the means he adopts for it, it is only the span of life that is shortened. As the time passes the objective of death approaches near, so much so that in one's attempt to seek life one meets death.
2. "wa khalakum dhammun" (No evil will come to you). This sentence is used as a proverb. It was first employed by Qasir, slave of Jadhimah ibn Malik al-Abrash.
3. The intention is that when all these things die, how can those who inhabit them remain safe? Certainly they too, like everything else, have to pass away some day or other. Then why should there be any wonder at my life coming to an end?
