أَمْرُهُ قَضَاءٌ وَحِكْمَةٌ،
Allah's verdict is judicious and full of wisdom.
وَرِضَاهُ أَمَانٌ وَرَحْمَةٌ،
His pleasure implies protection and mercy.
يَقْضِي بِعِلْم، وَيَعْفُو بحِلْم.
He decides with knowledge and forgives with forbearance.
اللَّهُمَّ لَكَ الْحَمْدُ عَلَى مَا تَأْخُذُ وَتُعْطِي،
O My God! Praise be to Thee for what Thou takest and givest
وَعَلَى مَا تُعَافي وَتَبْتَلي.
and for that from which Thou curest or with which Thou afflictest;
حَمْداً يَكُونُ أَرْضَى الْحَمْدِ لَكَ،
praise which is the most acceptable to Thee,
وَأَحَبَّ الْحَمْدِ إِلَيْكَ،
the most liked by Thee
وَأَفْضَلَ الْحَمْدِ عِنْدَكَ.
and the most dignified before Thee;
حَمْداً يَمْلاَ مَا خَلَقْتَ،
praise which fills all Thy creation
وَيَبْلُغُ مَا أَرَدْتَ.
and reaches where Thou desirest;
حَمْداً لاَ يُحْجَبُ عَنْكَ، وَلاَ يُقْصَرُ دُونَكَ.
praise which is not veiled from Thee
حَمْداً لاَ يَنْقَطِعُ عَدَدُهُ،
and does not end,
وَلاَ يَفْنَى مَدَدُهُ.
and whose continuity does not cease.
عظمة الله
Greatness of Allah
فَلَسْنَا نَعْلَمُ كُنْهَ عَظَمَتِكَ
We do not know the reality of Thy greatness
إِلاَّ أَنَّا نَعْلَمُ أَنَّكَ: حَيٌّ قَيُّومٌ،
except that we know that Thou art ‘Ever-living and Self-subsisting by Whom all things subsist.
لاَ تَأْخُذُكَ سِنَةٌ وَلاَ نَوْمٌ،
Drowsiness or sleep does not overtake Thee’ (ref. 2:255),
لَمْ يَنْتَهِ إِلَيْكَ نَظَرٌ، وَلَمْ يُدْرِكْكَ بَصَرٌ،
vision does not reach Thee and sight does not grasp Thee.
أَدْرَكْتَ الاْبْصَارَ،
Thou seest the eyes
وَأَحْصَيْتَ الاْعْمَالَ،
and countest the ages.
وَأَخَذْتَ (بِالنَّواصِي وَالاْقْدَامِ)،
Thou holdest (people as slaves) “..by foreheads and feet” (55:41).
وَمَا الَّذِي نَرَى مِنْ خَلْقِكَ،
We see Thy creation
وَنَعْجَبُ لَهُ مِنْ قُدْرَتِكَ،
and wonder over it because of Thy might,
وَنَصِفُهُ مِنْ عَظِيمِ سُلْطَانِكَ،
and describe it as (a result of) Thy great authority;
وَمَا تَغَيَّبَ عَنَّا مِنْهُ،
whereas what is hidden from us,
وَقَصُرَتْ أَبْصَارُنَا عَنْهُ،
of which our sight has fallen short,
وَانْتَهَتْ عُقُولُنَا دُونَهُ،
which our intelligence has not attained,
وَحَالَتْ سَوَاتِرُ الْغُيُوبِ بَيْنَنَا وَبَيْنَهُ أَعْظَمُ.
and between which and ourselves curtains of the unknown have been cast, is far greater.
فَمَنْ فَرَّغَ قَلْبَهُ،
He who frees his heart (from all other engagements)
وَأَعْمَلَ فِكْرَهُ،
and exerts his thinking
لِيَعْلَمَ كَيْفَ أَقَمْتَ عَرْشَكَ،
in order to know how Thou established Thy throne,
وَكَيْفَ ذَرَأْتَ خَلْقَكَ،
how Thou created Thy creatures,
وَكَيْفَ عَلَّقْتَ فِي الْهَوَاءِ سمَـاوَاتِكَ،
how Thou suspended the air in Thy skies
وَكَيْفَ مَدَدْتَ عَلى مَوْرِ الْمَاءِ أَرْضَكَ،
and how Thou spread Thy earth on the waves of water,
رَجَعَ طَرْفُهُ حَسِيراً،
his eyes would return tired,
وَعَقْلُهُ مَبْهُوراً،
his intelligence defeated,
وَسَمْعُهُ وَالَهِاً،
his ears eager
وَفِكْرُهُ حَائِراً.
and his thinking awander.
منها: كيف يكون الرجاء
A part of the same sermon about hope and fear in Allah.
يَدَّعِي بِزُعْمِهِ أَنَّهُ يَرْجُو اللهَ،
He claims according to his own thinking that he hopes from Allah.
كَذَبَ وَالْعَظِيمِ!
By Allah, the Great, he speaks a lie.
مَا بَالُهُ لاَ يَتَبَيَّنُ رَجَاؤُهُ فِي عَمَلِهِ؟
The position is that his hope (in Allah) does not appear through his action
فَكُلُّ مَنْ رَجَا عُرِفَ رَجَاؤُهُ فِي عَمَلِهِ،
although the hope of every one who hopes is known through his action.
وَكُلُّ رَجَاء ـ إلاَّ رَجَاءَ اللهِ ـ
Every hope is so, except the hope in Allah, the Sublime,
فَإِنَّهُ مَدْخُولٌ،
if it is impure;
وَكُلُّ خَوْف مُحَقَّقٌ،
and every fear is established
إِلاَّ خَوْفَ اللهِ فَإِنَّهُ مَعْلُولٌ.
except the fear for Allah if it is unreal.
يَرْجُو اللهَ فِي الْكَبِيرِ، وَيَرْجُو الْعِبَادَ فِي الصَّغِيرِ،
He hopes big things from Allah and small things from men
فَيُعْطِي العَبْدَ مَا لاَ يُعْطِي الرَّبَّ!
but he gives to man (such consideration as) he does not give to Allah.
فَمَا بَالُ اللهِ جَلَّ ثَنَاؤُهُ
What is the matter with Allah, glorified be His praise?
يُقَصَّرُ بِهِ عَمَّا يُصْنَعُ بِهِ بِعِبَادِهِ؟
He is accorded less (consideration) than what is given to His creatures.
أَتَخَافُ أَنْ تَكُونَ فِي رَجَائِكَ لَهُ كَاذِباً؟
Do you ever fear to be false in your hope in Allah?
أَوْ تَكُونَ لاَ تَرَاهُ لِلرَّجَاءِ مَوْضِعاً؟
Or do you not regard Him the centre of your hope?
وَكَذلِكَ إِنْ هُوَ خَافَ عَبْداً مِنْ عَبِيدِهِ،
Similarly, if a man fears man
أَعْطَاهُ مِنْ خَوْفِهِ مَا لاَ يُعْطِي رَبَّهُ،
he gives him (such consideration) out of his fear which he does not give to Allah.
فَجَعَلَ خَوْفَهُ مِنَ الْعِبَادِ نَقْداً،
Thus, he has made his fear for men ready currency
وَخَوْفَهُ مِنْ خَالِقِهِ ضِماراً وَوَعْداً،
while his fear from the Creator is mere deferment or promise.
وَكَذلِكَ مَنْ عَظُمَتِ الدُّنْيَا في عَيْنِهِ،
This is the case of every one in whose eye this world appears big (and important)
وَكَبُرَ مَوْقِعُهَا مِنْ قَلْبِهِ،
and in whose heart its position is great.
آثَرَهَا عَلَى اللهِ،
He prefers it over Allah,
فَانْقَطَعَ إِلَيْهَا،
so he inclines towards it,
وَصَارَ عَبْداً لَهَا.
and becomes its devotee.
رسول الله (صلى الله عليه وآله وسلم)
The example of the Holy Prophet
وَلَقَدْ كَانَ فِي رَسُولِ اللهِ(صلى الله عليه وآله) كَاف لَكَ فِي الاْسْوَةِ،
Certainly, in the Prophet of Allah (peace and blessing of Allah be upon him and his progeny) was sufficient example for you
وَدَلِيلٌ لَكَ عَلَى ذَمِّ الدُّنْيَا وَعَيْبِهَا،
and a proof concerning the vices of the world, its defects,
وَكَثْرَةِ مَخَازِيهَا وَمَسَاوِيهَا،
the multitude of its disgraces and its evils,
إِذْ قُبِضَتْ عَنْهُ أَطْرَافُهَا،
because its sides had been constrained for him,
وَوُطِّئَتْ لِغَيْرِهِ أَكْنَافُهَا،
while its flanks had been spread for others;
وَفُطِمَ مِنْ رَضَاعِهَا،
he was deprived of its milk
وَزُوِيَ عَنْ زَخَارِفِهَا.
and turned away from its adornments.
موسى (عليه السلام)
The example of Musa (Moses)
وَإِنْ شِئْتَ
If you want,
ثَنَّيْتُ بِمُوسى كَلِيمِ اللهِ (صلى الله عليه وآله)
I will, as a second example, relate to you concerning Musa, the Interlocutor of Allah (p.b.u.h.)
إذْ يَقُولُ:
when he said:
(رَبِّ إِنِّي لِمَا أَنْزَلْتَ إِلَىَّ مِنْ خَيْر فَقِيرٌ)،
O' Allah! I need whatever good Thou mayest grant me (Qur'an, 28:24).
وَاللهِ،
By Allah,
مَا سَأَلَهُ إِلاَّ خُبْزاً يَأْكُلُهُ،
he asked Him only for bread to eat
لاِنَّهُ كَانَ يَأْكُلُ بَقْلَةَ الاْرْضِ،
because he was used to eating the herbs of the earth,
وَلَقَدْ كَانَتْ خُضْرَةُ الْبَقْلِ تُرَى مِنْ شَفِيفِ صِفَاقِ بَطْنِهِ،
and the greenness of the herbs could be seen from the delicate skin of his belly
لِهُزَالِهِ وَتَشَذُّبِ لَحْمِهِ
due to his thinness and paucity of his flesh.
داوود (عليه السلام)
The example of Dawud (David)
وَإِنْ شِئْتَ ثَلَّثْتُ بِدَاوودَ صَاحِبِ الْمَزَامِيرِ،
If you desire I can give you a third example of Dawud (p.b.u.h.). He is the holder of the Psalms
وقَارِىءِ أَهْلِ الْجَنَّةِ،
and the reciter among the people of Paradise.
فَلَقَدْ كَانَ يَعْمَلُ سَفَائِفَ الْخُوصِ بِيَدِهِ،
He used to prepare baskets of date palm leaves with his own hands
وَيَقُولُ لِجُلَسَائِهِ: أَيُّكُمْ يَكْفِينِي بَيْعَهَا!
and would say to his companions: "Which of you will help me by purchasing it?"
وَيَأْكُلُ قُرْصَ الشَّعِيرِ مِنْ ثَمَنِهَا.
He used to eat barley bread (bought) out of its price.
عيسى (عليه السلام)
The example of ‘Isa (Jesus)
وَإِنْ شِئْتَ قُلْتُ فِي عِيسَى بْنِ مَرْيَمَ(عليه السلام)،
If you desire I will tell you about ‘Isa (p.b.u.h.) son of Maryam (Mary).
فَلَقَدْ كَانَ يَتَوَسَّدُ الْحَجَرَ،
He used a stone for his pillow,
وَيَلْبَسُ الْخَشِنَ،
put on coarse clothes
و يَاْكُلُ الجَشِبَ،
and ate rough food.
وَكَانَ إِدَامُهُ الْجُوعَ،
His condiment was hunger.
وَسِرَاجُهُ بَاللَّيْلِ الْقَمَرَ،
His lamp at night was the moon.
وَظِلاَلُهُ في الشِّتَاءِ مَشَارِقَ الاْرْضِ وَمَغَارِبَهَا،
His shade during the winter was just the expanse of earth eastward and westward.
وَفَاكِهَتُهُ وَرَيْحَانُهُ مَا تُنْبِتُ الاْرْضُ لِلْبَهَائِمِ،
His fruits and flowers were only what grows from the earth for the cattle.
وَلَمْ تَكُنْ لَهُ زَوْجَةٌ تَفْتِنُهُ،
He had no wife to allure him,
وَلاَ وَلَدٌ يَحْزُنُهُ،
nor any son to give grief,
وَلاَ مَالٌ يَلْفِتُهُ،
nor wealth to deviate (his attention),
وَلاَ طَمَعٌ يُذِلُّهُ،
nor greed to disgrace him.
دَابَّتُهُ رِجْلاَهُ،
His two feet were his conveyance
وَخَادِمُهُ يَدَاهُ!
and his two hands his servant.
الرسول الاعظم (صلى الله عليه وآله)
Following the example of the Holy Prophet
فَتَأَسَّ بِنَبِيِّكَ الاْطْيَبِ الاْطْهَرِ(صلى الله عليه وآله)
You should follow your Prophet, the pure, the chaste, may Allah bless him and his descendants.
فَإِنَّ فِيهِ أُسْوَةً لِمَنْ تَأَسَّى،
In him is the example for the follower,
وَعَزَاءً لِمَنْ تَعَزَّى ـ
and the consolation for the seeker of consolation.
وَأَحَبُّ الْعِبَادِ إِلَى اللهِ الْمُتَأَسِّي بِنَبِيِّهِ،
The most beloved person before Allah is he who follows His Prophet
وَالْمُقْتَصُّ لاِثَرِهِ ـ
and who treads in his footsteps.
قَضَمَ الدُّنْيَا قَضْما،
He took the least (share) from this world
وَلَمْ يُعِرْهَا طَرْفاً،
and did not take a full glance at it.
أَهْضَمُ أَهْلِ الدُّنْيَا كَشْحاً،
Of all the people of the world he was the least satiated
وَأَخْمَصُهُمْ مِنَ الدُّنْيَا بَطْناً،
and the most empty of stomach.
عُرِضَتْ عَلَيْهِ الدُّنْيَا فَأَبَى أَنْ يَقْبَلَهَا،
The world was offered to him but he refused to accept it.
وَعَلِمَ أَنَّ اللهَ سُبْحَانَهُ
When he knew that Allah, the Glorified,
أَبْغَضَ شَيْئاً فَأَبْغَضَهُ،
hated a thing, he too hated it;
وَحَقَّرَ شَيْئاً فَحَقَّرَهُ،
that Allah held a thing low, he too held it low;
وَصَغَّرَ شَيْئاً فَصَغَّرَهُ.
that Allah held a thing small, he too held it small.
وَلَوْ لَمْ يَكُنْ فِينَا إِلاَّ حُبُّنَا مَا أَبْغَضَ اللهُ،
If we love what Allah and His Prophet hate
وَتَعْظِيمُنَا مَا صَغَّرَ اللهُ،
and hold great what Allah and His Prophet hold small,
لَكَفَى بِهِ شِقَاقاً للهِ،
that would be enough isolation from Allah
وَمُحَادَّةً عَنْ أَمْرِ اللهِ.
and transgression of His commands.
وَلَقَدْ كَانَ (صلى الله عليه وآله) يَأْكُلُ عَلَى الاْرْضِ،
The Prophet used to (sit and) eat on the ground,
وَيَجْلِسُ جِلْسَةَ الْعَبْدِ،
and sit like a slave.
وَيَخْصِفُ بَيَدِهِ نَعْلَهُ،
He repaired his shoe with his own hands,
وَيَرْقَعُ بِيَدِهِ ثَوْبَهُ،
and patched his clothes with his own hands.
وَيَرْكَبُ الْحِمَارَ الْعَارِيَ،
He would ride an unsaddled ass
وَيُرْدِفُ خَلْفَهُ،
and would seat someone behind him.
وَيَكُونُ السِّتْرُ عَلَى بَابِ بَيْتِهِ فَتَكُونُ فِيهِ التَّصَاوِيرُ فَيَقُولُ:
If there was a curtain on his door with pictures on it he would say
"يَا فُلاَنَةُ ـ لاِحْدَى أَزْوَاجِهِ ـ غَيِّبِيهِ عَنِّي،
to one of his wives. "O such-and-such, take it away out of my sight
فَإِنِّي إِذَا نَظَرْتُ إِلَيْهِ ذَكَرْتُ الدُّنْيَا وَزَخَارِفَهَا".
because if I look at it I recall the world and its allurements."
فَأَعْرَضَ عَنِ الدُّنْيَا بِقَلْبِهِ،
Thus, he removed his heart from this world
وَأَمَاتَ ذِكْرَهَا مِنْ نَفْسِهِ،
and destroyed its remembrance from his mind.
وَأَحَبَّ أَنْ تَغِيبَ زِينَتُهَا عَنْ عَيْنِهِ،
He loved that its allurements should remain hidden from his eye
لِكَيْلاَ يَتَّخِذَ مِنْهَا رِيَاشاً،
so that he should not secure good dress from it,
وَلاَ يَعْتَقِدَهَا قَرَاراً،
should not regard it a place of stay
وَلاَ يَرْجُو فِيهَا مُقَاماً،
and should not hope to live in it.
فَأَخْرَجَهَا مِنَ النَّفْسِ،
Consequently, he removed it from his mind,
وَأَشْخَصَهَا عَنِ الْقَلْبِ،
let it go away from his heart
وَغَيَّبَهَا عَنِ الْبَصَرِ.
and kept it hidden from his eyes,
وَكَذلِكَ مَنْ أَبْغَضَ شَيْئاً أَبْغَضَ أَنْ يَنْظُرَ إِلَيْهِ،
just as a person who hates a thing hates to look at it or
وَأَنْ يُذْكَرَ عِنْدَهُ.
to hear about it.
وَلَقَدْ كَانَ فِي رَسُولِ اللهِ (صلى الله عليه وآله) مَا يَدُلُّكَ عَلَى مَسَاوِىءِ الدُّنْيَا وَعُيُوبِهَا:
Certainly there was in the Prophet of Allah all that would apprise you of the evils of this world and its defects,
إِذْ جَاعَ فِيهَا مَعَ خَاصَّتِهِ،
namely that he remained hungry along with his chief companions,
وَزُوِيَتْ عَنْهُ زَخَارِفُهَا مَعَ عَظِيمِ زُلْفَتِهِ.
and despite his tremendous station and nearness (to Allah), the allurements of the world remained remote from him.
فَلْيَنْظُرْ نَاظِرٌ بِعَقْلِهِ:
Now, one should see with one's intelligence
أَكْرَمَ اللهُ مُحَمَّداً(عليه السلام) بِذلِكَ أَمْ أَهَانَهُ!
whether Allah honoured Muhammad (the peace and blessings of Allah be upon him and his descendants) as a result of this or disgraced him.
فَإِنْ قَالَ: أَهَانَهُ، فَقَدْ كَذَبَ ـ وَاللهِ الْعَظِيمِ ـ
If he says that Allah disgraced him, he certainly lies and perpetrates a great untruth.
وَإِنْ قَالَ: أَكْرَمَهُ، فَلْيَعْلَمْ
If he says Allah honoured him,
أَنَّ اللهَ قَدْ أَهَانَ غَيْرَهُ حَيْثُ بَسَطَ الدُّنْيَا لَهُ،
he should know that Allah dishonoured the others when He extended the (benefits of the) world for him
وَزَوَاهَا عَنْ أَقْرَبِ النَّاسِ مِنْهُ.
but held them away from him who was the nearest to Him of all men.
فَتَأسَّى مُتَأَسٍّ بِنَبِيِّهِ،
Therefore, one should follow His Prophet,
وَاقْتَصَّ أَثَرَهُ،
tread in his footsteps
وَوَلَجَ مَوْلِجَهُ،
and enter through his entrance.
وَإِلاَّ فَلاَ يَأْمَنِ الْهَلَكَةَ،
Otherwise he will not be safe from ruin.
فَإِنَّ اللهَ عزّوجلّ جَعَلَ مُحَمَّداً (صلى الله عليه وآله) عَلَماً لِلسَّاعَةِ،
Certainly, Allah made Muhammad (the peace and blessing of Allah be upon him and his descendants) a sign for the Day of Judgement.
وَمُبَشِّراً بِالْجَنَّةِ،
a conveyor of tidings for Paradise
وَمُنْذِراً بِالعُقُوبَةِ.
and a warner of retribution.
خَرَجَ مِنَ الدُّنْيَا خَمِيصاً، وَوَرَدَ الاْخِرَةَ سَلِيماً،
He left this world hungry but entered upon the next world safe.
لَمْ يَضَعْ حَجَراً عَلَى حَجَر،
He did not lay one stone upon another (to make a house)
حَتَّى مَضَى لِسَبِيلِهِ،
till he departed
وَأَجَابَ دَاعِيَ رَبِّهِ،
and responded to the call of Allah.
فَمَا أَعْظَمَ مِنَّةَ اللهِ عِنْدَنَا حِينَ أَنْعَمَ عَلَيْنَا بِهِ سَلَفاً نَتَّبِعُهُ،
How great is Allah's blessing in that He blessed us with the Prophet as a predecessor whom we follow
وَقَائِداً نَطأُ عَقِبَهُ .
and a leader behind whom we tread.
وَاللهِ لَقَدْ رَقَّعْتُ مِدْرَعَتِي هذِهِ حَتَّى اسْتَحْيَيْتُ مِنْ رَاقِعِهَا،
By Allah, I have been putting patches in my shirts so much that now I feel shy of the patcher.
وَلَقَدْ قَالَ لِي قَائِلٌ: أَلاَ تَنْبِذُهَا؟
Someone asked me whether I would not put it off,
فَقُلْتُ: اغْرُبْ عَنِّي، فَعِنْدَ الصَّبَاحِ يَحْمَدُ الْقَوْمُ السُّرَى.
but I said, "Get away from me." Only in the morning do people (realise the advantage of and) speak highly of the night journey.
Alternative Sources for Sermon 160: Al-Zamakhshari, Rabi', bab al-ya's wa al-qana’ah
