Sermon2: Delivered on return from SiffinIn this sermon he describes the state of people before Prophetic declaration, and the characterstics of Progeny of Muhammad (PBUH)
ومن خطبة له ( عليه السلام) بعد انصرافه من صفين وفيها حال الناس قبل البعثة وصفة آل النبي ثمّ صفة قوم آخرين
أحْمَدُهُ اسْتِتْماماً لِنِعْمَتِهِ،
I praise Allah seeking completion of His Blessing,
وَاسْتِسْلاَماً لِعِزَّتِهِ،
submitting to His Glory
واسْتِعْصَاماً مِنْ مَعْصِيَتِهِ،
and expecting safety from committing His sins.
وَأَسْتَعِينُهُ فَاقَةً إِلى كِفَايَتِهِ،
I invoke His help being in need of His Sufficiency (of protection).
إِنَّهُ لاَ يَضِلُّ مَنْ هَدَاهُ،
He whom He guides does not go astray,
وَلا يَئِلُ مَنْ عَادَاهُ،
He with whom He is hostile gets no protection.
وَلا يَفْتَقِرُ مَنْ كَفَاهُ
He whom He supports does not remain needy.
فَإِنَّهُ أَرْجَحُ ما وُزِنَ،
Praise is most weighty of all that is weighed
وَأَفْضَلُ مَا خُزِنَ.
and the most valuable of all that is treasured.
وَأَشْهَدُ أَنْ لاَ إِلهَ إِلاَّ اللهُ،
I stand witness that there is no god but Allah the One.
شَهَادَةً مُمْتَحَناً إِخْلاَصُهَا،
My testimony has been tested in its frankness,
مُعْتَقَداً مُصَاصُهَا،
and its essence is our belief.
نَتَمَسَّكُ بها أَبَداً ما أَبْقانَا،
We shall cling to it for ever till we live
وَنَدَّخِرُهَا لاِهَاوِيلِ مَا يَلْقَانَا،
and shall store it for facing the tribulations that overtake us
فَإِنَّها عَزيمَةُ الاْيمَانِ،
because it is the foundation stone of Belief (iman)
وَفَاتِحَةُ الاْحْسَانِ،
and the first step towards good actions
وَمَرْضَاةُ الرَّحْمنِ،
and Divine pleasure.
وَمَدْحَرَةُ الشَّيْطَانِ.
It is the means to keep Satan away.
وَأَشْهَدُ أَنَّ مُحَمَّداً عَبْدُهُ وَرَسُولُهُ،
I also stand witness that Muhammad (S) is His slave and His Prophet.
أرْسَلَهُ بِالدِّينِ المشْهُورِ،
Allah sent him with the illustrious religion,
وَالعَلَمِ المأْثُورِ، وَالكِتَابِ المسْطُورِ،
effective emblem, written Book,
وَالنُّورِ السَّاطِعِ، وَالضِّيَاءِ اللاَّمِعِ،
effulgent light, sparkling gleam
وَالاَمْرِ الصَّادِعِ، إزَاحَةً لِلشُّبُهَاتِ،
and decisive injunction in order to dispel doubts,
وَاحْتِجَاجاً بِالبَيِّنَاتِ،
present clear proofs,
وَتَحْذِيراً بِالايَاتِ،
administer warning through signs
وَتَخْويفاً بِالمَثُلاَتِ،
and to warn of punishments.
وَالنَّاسُ في فِتَن انْجَذَمَ فِيها حَبْلُ الدِّينِ،
At that time people had fallen in vices whereby the rope of religion had been broken,
وَتَزَعْزَعَتْ سَوَارِي اليَقِينِ،
the pillars of belief had been shaken,
وَاخْتَلَفَ النَّجْرُ،
principles had been sacrileged,
وَتَشَتَّتَ الاْمْرُ،
system had become topsy turvy,
وَضَاقَ الْـمَخْرَجُ، وَعَمِيَ المَصْدَرُ،
openings were narrow, passage was dark,
فَالهُدَى خَامِلٌ، واَلعَمَى شَامِلٌ.
guidance was unknown and darkness prevailed.
عُصِيَ الرَّحْمنُ، وَنُصِرَ الشَّيْطَانُ،
Allah was being disobeyed, Satan was given support
وَخُذِلَ الاِْيمَانُ،
and Belief had been forsaken.
فَانْهَارَتْ دَعَائِمُهُ،
As a result the pillars of religion fell down,
وَتَنكَّرَتْ مَعَالِمُهُ،
its traces could not be discerned,
وَدَرَسَتْ سُبُلُهُ،
its passages had been destroyed
وَعَفَتْ شُرُكُهُ.
and its streets had fallen into decay.
أَطَاعُوا الشَّيْطَانَ فَسَلَكُوا مَسَالِكَهُ،
People obeyed Satan and treaded his paths.
وَوَرَدُوا مَنَاهِلَهُ، بِهِمْ سَارَتْ أَعْلامُهُ،
They sought water from his watering places.
وَقَامَ لِوَاؤُهُ، في فِتَن دَاسَتْهُمْ بِأَخْفَافِهَا،
Through them Satan’s emblems got flying and his standard was raised in vices which trampled the people under their hoofs, and treaded upon them with their feet.
وَوَطِئَتْهُمْ بأَظْلاَفِهَا وَقَامَتْ عَلَى سَنَابِكِهَا،
The vices stood on their toes (in full stature)
فَهُمْ فِيهَا تَائِهُونَ حَائِرونَ جَاهِلُونَ مَفْتُونُونَ،
and the people immersed in them were strayed, perplexed, ignorant and seduced
في خَيْرِ دَار، وَشَرِّ جِيرَان،
as though in a good house2 with bad neighbours.
نَوْمُهُمْ سُهُودٌ، وَكُحْلُهُمْ دُمُوعٌ،
Instead of sleep they had wakefulness and for antimony they had tears in the eyes.
بأَرْض عَالِمُها مُلْجَمٌ،
They were in a land where the learned were in bridle (keeping their mouths shut)
وَجَاهِلُها مُكْرَمٌ.
while the ignorant were honored.
ومنها: ويعني آل النبي ( صلى الله عليه وآله وسلم)
In the same sermon Amir al-mu’minin referred to Al an-Nabi (the Household of the Holy Prophet) as under
هُمْ مَوْضِعُ سِرِّهِ، وَلَجَأُ أَمْرِهِ،
They are the trustees of His secrets, shelter for His affairs,
وَعَيْبَةُ عِلْمِهِ، وَمَوْئِلُ حُكْمِهِ،
source of knowledge about Him, centre of His wisdom,
وَكُهُوفُ كُتُبِهِ، وَجِبَالُ دِينِه،
valleys for His books and mountains of His religion.
بِهِمْ أَقَامَ انْحِناءَ ظَهْرِهِ،
With them Allah straightened the bend of religion’s back
وَأذْهَبَ ارْتِعَادَ فَرَائِصِهِ.
and removed the trembling of its limbs.
منها: يعني بها قوماً آخرين
In the same Sermon he spoke about the hypocrites
زَرَعُوا الفُجُورَ، وَسَقَوْهُ الغُرُورَ، وَحَصَدُوا الثُّبُورَ ،
They sowed vices, watered them with deception and harvested destruction.
آل محمد (عليه السلام)
Aley Muhammad
لا يُقَاسُ بِآلِ مُحَمَّد (عليهم السلام) مِنْ هذِهِ الاُمَّةِ أَحَدٌ،
None in the Islamic community can be taken at par with the Progeny of the Prophet (Aley Muhammad).
وَلا يُسَوَّى بِهِمْ مَنْ جَرَتْ نِعْمَتُهُمْ عَلَيْهِ أبَداً.
One who was under their obligation cannot be matched with them.
هُمْ أَسَاسُ الدِّينِ، وَعِمَادُ اليَقِينِ،
They are the foundation of religion and pillar of Belief.
إِلَيْهمْ يَفِيءُ الغَالي، وَبِهِمْ يَلْحَقُ التَّالي،
The forward runner has to turn back to them while the follower has to overtake them.
وَلَهُمْ خَصَائِصُ حَقِّ الوِلايَةِ،
They possess the chief characteristics for vicegerency.
وَفِيهِمُ الوَصِيَّةُ وَالوِرَاثَةُ،
In their favour exists the will and succession (of the Prophet).
الاْنَ إِذْ رَجَعَ الحَقُّ إِلَى أَهْلِهِ،
This is the time when right has returned to its owner
وَنُقِلَ إِلَى مُنْتَقَلِهِ.
and diverted to its centre of return.
