حمد الله
Praise of Allah
أَحْمَدُهُ شُكْراً لاِنْعَامِهِ،
I praise Him out of gratefulness for His reward,
وَأَسْتَعِينُهُ عَلَى وَظَائِفِ حُقُوقِهِ،
and I seek His assistance in fulfilling His rights.
عَزِيزَ الْجُنْدِ،
He has a strong army.
عَظِيمَ الْـمَجْدِ.
His dignity is grand.
الثناء على النبي
The Prophet’s Character
وَأَشهَدُ أنَّ مُحَمَّداً عَبْدُهُ وَرَسُولُهُ،
I stand witness that Muhammad - peace and blessing of Allah be upon him and his progeny - is His slave and His Prophet.
دَعَا إِلَى طَاعَتِهِ،
He called (people) to His obedience
وَقَاهَرَ أَعْدَاءَهُ جِهَاداً عَنْ دِينِهِ،
and overpowered His enemies by fighting for the sake of His religion.
لاَ يَثْنِيهِ عَنْ ذلِكَ اجْتِماعٌ على تَكْذِيبِهِ،
People's joining together to falsify him
وَالْتمَاسٌ لاِطْفَاءِ نُورِهِ.
and their attempt to extinguish His light did not prevent him from it.
العظة بالتقوى
Counselling piety
فَاعْتَصِمُوا بِتَقْوَى اللهِ،
You should therefore exercise fear of Allah
فَإِنَّ لَهَا حَبْلاً وَثِيقاً عُرْوَتُهُ،
because it has a rope whose twist is strong
وَمَعْقِلاً مَنِيعاً ذِرْوَتُهُ،
and its pinnacle is lofty and invulnerable.
وَبَادِرُوا الْمَوْتَ وَغَمَرَاتِهِ،
Hasten toward death in its pangs (by doing good acts)
وَامْهَدُوا لَهُ قَبْلَ حُلُولِهِ، وأَعِدُّوا لَهُ قَبْلَ نُزُولِهِ،
and be prepared for it before its approach,
فَإِنَّ الْغَايَةَ الْقِيَامَةُ،
because the ultimate end is the Day of Judgement.
وَكَفَى بِذلِكَ وَاعِظاً لِمَنْ عَقَلَ،
This is enough preaching for one who understands
وَمُعْتَبَراً لِمَنْ جَهِلَ!
and enough of a lesson for one who does not know.
وَقَبْلَ بُلُوغِ الْغَايَةَ مَا تَعْلَمُونَ
What idea do you have, before reaching that end,
مِنْ ضِيقِ الاْرْمَاسِ،
of the narrowness of grave,
وَشِدَّةِ الاْبْلاَسِ،
the hardship of loneliness,
وَهَوْلِ الْمُطَّلَعِ،
fear of the passage towards the next world,
وَرَوْعَاتِ الْفَزَعِ،
the pangs of fear,
وَاخْتلاَفِ الاْضْلاَعِ،
the shifting of ribs here and there (due to narrowing of the grave),
وَاسْتِكَاكِ الاْسْمَاعِ،
the deafness of ears,
وَظُلْمَةِ اللَّحْدِ،
the darkness of the grave,
وَخِيفَةِ الْوَعْدِ،
fear of the promised punishment,
وغَمِّ الضَّرِيحِ،
the closing of the receptacle of the grave
وَرَدْمِ الصَّفِيحِ.
and the laying of stones?
فَاللهَ اللهَ عِبَادَ اللهِ!
Therefore, (fear) Allah, (fear) Allah, O creatures of Allah,
فَإِنَّ الْدُّنْيَا مَاضِيَةٌ بكُمْ عَلَى سَنَن،
because the world is behaving with you in the usual way
وَأَنْتُمْ وَالسَّاعَةُ فِي قَرَن،
and you and the Day of Judgement are in the same rope (close to each other).
وَكَأَنَّهَا قَد جَاءَتْ بِأَشْرَاطِهَا،
As though it has come with its signs,
وَأَزِفَتْ بِأَفْرَاطِهَا،
has approached with its pleas
وَوَقَفَتْ بِكُمْ عَلَى سِراطِهَا،
and has made you stand in its way;
وَكَأنَّهَا قَدْ أَشْرَفَتْ بِزَلاَزِلِهَا،
and as though it has come forward with all its quakings
وَأَنَاخَتْ بِكَلاَكِلِهَا،
and has settled down with its chest on the ground
وَانْصَرَمَتِ الدُّنْيَا بِأَهْلِهَا،
while the world has parted from its people
وَأَخْرَجَتْهُمْ مَنْ حِضْنِهَا،
and has turned them out of its lap.
فَكَانَتْ كَيَوْم مَضَى وَشَهْر انْقَضَى،
It was like a day that has passed or a month that has gone by.
وَصَارَ جَدِيدُهَا رَثّاً،
Its new things have become old
وَسَمِينُهَا غَثّاً
and the fat ones have become thin.
فِي مَوْقِف ضَنْكِ الْمَقَامِ،
They are in a narrow place,
وَأُمُور مُشْتَبِهَة عِظَام،
in very complicated affairs
ونَار شَدِيد كَلَبُهَا،
and in a fire whose pain is sharp,
عَال لَجَبُهَا،
cries are loud,
سَاطع لَهَبُهَا،
flames are rising,
مُتَغَيِّظ زَفِيرُهَا،
sound is trembling,
مُتَأَجِّج سَعِيرهَا،
burning is severe,
بَعِيد خُمُودُهَا،
abatement is remote;
ذَاك وُقُودُهَا،
its fuel is burning,
مَخُوف وعِيدُهَا،
its threats are fearful,
عُم قَرارُهَا،
its hollows are hidden,
مُظْلِمَة أَقْطَارُهَا،
its sides are dark,
حَامِيَة قُدُورُهَا،
its vessels are aflame,
فَظِيعَة أُمُورُهَا.
and everything about it is abominable.
(وَسِيقَ الَّذِينَ اتَّقَوْا رَبَّهُمْ إِلَى الْجَنَّةِ زُمَراً)،
Those who are wary of their Lord will be led to paradise in throngs. . . (Qur'an. 39:73)
قَدْ أُمِنَ الْعَذَابُ،
They are safe from chastisement,
وَانْقَطَعَ الْعِتَابُ،
away from punishment,
وَزُحْزِحُوا عَنِ النَّارِ،
and kept aloof from fire.
وَاطْمَأَنَّتْ بِهِمُ الدّارُ،
Their abode will be peaceful
وَرَضُوا المَثْوَى وَالْقَرَارَ،
and they will be pleased with their longing and their place of stay.
الَّذِينَ كَانَتْ أَعْمَالُهُمْ فِي الدُّنْيَا زَاكِيةً،
These are the people whose acts in this world were chaste,
وَأَعْيُنُهُمْ بَاكِيَةً،
their eyes were tearful,
وَكَانَ لَيْلُهُمْ فِي دُنْيَاهُمْ نَهَاراً،
their nights in this world were like days
تَخَشُّعاً وَاسْتِغفَاراً،
because of fearing and seeking forgiveness,
وَكَانَ نَهَارُهُمْ لَيْلاً،
and their days were like nights
تَوَحُشّاً وَانَقِطَاعاً،
because of feeling of loneliness and separation.
فَجَعَلَ اللهُ لَهُمُ الْجَنَّةَ مَآباً،
Therefore, Allah made Paradise the place of their (eventual) return
وَالْجَزَاءَ ثَوَاباً،
and a reward in recompense....
(وَكَانُوا أَحَقَّ بِهَا وَأَهْلَها) في مُلْك دَائِم،
They were most eligible and suitable for it;... (Qur'an, 48:26) in the eternal domain
وَنَعِيم قَائِم.
and everlasting favours.
فَارْعَوْا عِبَادَ اللهِ مَا بِرِعَايَتِهِ يَفُوزُ فَائِزُكُمْ،
Therefore, O creatures of Allah, pay regard to all that by being regardful of which one will succeed
وَبِإضَاعَتِهِ يَخْسَرُ مُبْطِلُكُمْ،
and by ignoring which one will incur loss,
وَبَادِرُوا آجَالَكُمْ بأَعْمَالِكُمْ،
and hasten towards your death by means of your (good) acts,
فَإِنَّكُمْ مُرْتَهَنُونَ بِمَا أَسْلَفْتُمْ،
because you are bound by what you have done in the past
وَمَدِينُونَ بِمَا قدَّمْتُمْ،
and you have to your credit only what (good acts) you have sent forward.
وَكَأَنْ قَدْ نَزَلَ بِكُمُ الْـمَخُوفُ،
(Behave in such a way) as though the feared event (death) has come upon you,
فَلاَ رَجْعَةً تَنَالُونَ،
so that you cannot return (to do good acts)
وَلاَ عَثْرَةً تُقَالُونَ.
nor can you be cleared of evil acts.
اسْتَعْمَلَنَا اللهُ وَإِيَّاكُمْ بِطَاعَتِهِ وَطَاعَةِ رَسُولِهِ،
May Allah prompt us and you for His obedience and obedience of His Prophet,
وعَفَا عَنَّا وَعَنْكُمْ بِفَضْلِ رَحْمَتِهِ.
and forgive us and you by His great mercy.
الْزَمُوا الاْرْضَ،
Remain firm in your places,
وَاصْبِروُا عَلَى الْبَلاءِ،
keep patient in trials,
وَلاَ تُحرِّكُوا بأَيْدِيكُمْ
do not move your hands
وَسُيُوفِكُمْ ]فِي] هَوَى أَلْسِنَتِكُمْ،
and swords after the liking of your tongues,
وَلاَ تَسْتَعْجِلُوا بِمَا لَمْ يُعَجِّلْهُ اللهُ لَكُمْ،
and do not make haste in matters in which Allah has not asked for haste
فَإِنّهُ مَنْ مَاتَ مِنْكُمْ عَلَى فِرَاشِهِ
because any one of you who dies in his bed
وَهُوَ عَلَى مَعْرِفَةِ حَقِّ رَبِّهِ عَزَّوَجَلّ
while he had knowledge of the rights of Allah
وَحَقِّ رَسُولِهِ وَأَهْلِ بَيْتِهِ صَلَوَاتُ اللهِ عَلَيْهِ
and the rights of His Prophet and members of the Prophet's house,
وَعَلَيْهِمْ مَاتَ شَهِيداً،
will die as martyr.
وَوَقَعَ أَجْرُهُ عَلَى اللهِ،
His reward is incumbent on Allah.
واسْتَوْجَبَ ثَوَابَ مَا نَوَى مِنْ صَالِحِ عَمَلِهِ،
He is also eligible to the recompense of the good acts he has intended to do,
وَقَامَتِ النِّيَّةُ مَقَامَ إِصْلاَتِهِ لِسَيْفِهِ،
since his intention takes the place of drawing his sword.
فإِنَّ لِكُلِّ شَيْء مُدَّةً وَأَجَلاً.
Certainly, for every thing there is a time and a limit.
Alternative Sources for Sermon 190: Ibn Nubatah (d. 374/984) narrated this khutbah, see Ibn Abi al-Hadid, Sharh, III, 220; al-'Amidi, Ghurar, 20, 108.
