إِنِّي أَكْرَهُ لَكُمْ أَنْ تَكُونُوا سَبَّابِينَ،
I dislike you starting to abuse them,
وَلكِنَّكُمْ لَوْ وَصَفْتُمْ أَعْمَالَهُمْ،
but if you describe their deeds
وَذَكَرْتُمْ حَالَهُمْ،
and recount their situations
كَانَ أَصْوَبَ فِي الْقَوْلِ،
that would be a better mode of speaking
وَأَبْلَغَ فِي الْعُذْرِ،
and a more convincing way of arguing.
وَقُلْتُمْ مَكَانَ سَبِّكُمْ إِيَّاهُمْ:
Instead of abusing them you should say,
اللَّهُمَّ احْقِنْ دِمَاءَنَا وَدِمَاءَهُمْ،
"O Allah! Save our blood and their blood,
وَأَصْلِحْ ذَاتَ بَيْنِنَا وَبَيْنِهِمْ،
produce reconciliation between us and them,
وَاهْدِهِمْ مِنْ ضَلاَلَتِهِمْ،
and lead them out of their misguidance
حَتَّى يَعْرِفَ الْحَقَّ مَنْ جَهِلَهُ،
so that he who is ignorant of the truth may know it,
وَيَرْعَوِيَ عَنِ الْغَيِّ وَالْعُدْوَانِ مَنْ لَهِجَ بِهِ.
and he who inclines towards rebellion and revolt may turn away from it."
Alternative Sources for Sermon 206: Al-Dinawari, al-'Akhbar, 155; Nasr, Siffin, 103; Sibt ibn al-Jawzi, Tadhkirah, 154.
