Sermon 89

About the Holy Prophet

ومن خطبة له (عليه السلام)

في الرسول الاعظم (صلى الله عليه وآله وسلم) وبلاغ الامام عنه

Allah sent the Prophet after the mission of other Prophets had stopped and the peoples were in slumber for a long time. Evils were raising heads, all matters were under disruption and in flames of wars, while the world was devoid of brightness, and full of open deceitfulness. Its leaves had turned yellow and there was absence of hope about its fruits and its water had gone underground. The minarets of guidance had disappeared and signs of destruction had appeared. It was stern to its people and frowned in the face of its seeker. Its fruit was vice and its food was carcass. Its inner dress was fear and outer cover was sword.

أَرْسَلَهُ عَلَى حِينِ فَتْرَةٍ مِنَ الرُّسُلِ، وَطُولِ هَجْعَةٍ مِنَ الاْمَمِ، وَاعْتِزَامٍ مِنَ الْفِتَنِ، وَانْتَشَارٍ مِنَ الاْمُورِ، وَتَلَظٍّمِنَ الْحُرُوبِ، والدُّنْيَا كَاسِفَةُ النُّورِ، ظَاهِرَةُ الْغُرُورِ، عَلَى حِينِ اصْفِرَارٍ مِنْ وَرَقِهَا، وَإِيَاسٍ مِنْ ثَمَرِهَا، وَاغْوِرَارٍ مِنْ مَائِهَا، قَدْ دَرَسَتْ أعْلامُ الْهُدَى، وَظَهَرَتْ أَعْلاَمُ الرِّدَى، فَهِيَ مُتَجَهِّمَةٌ لاِهْلِهَا، عَابِسَةٌ فِي وَجْهِ طَالِبِهَا، ثَمَرُهَا الْفِتْنَةُ وَطَعَامُهَا الْجِيفَةُ وَشِعَارُهَا الْخَوْفُ، وَدِثَارُهَا السَّيْفُ.

So take lesson, O creatures of Allah, and recall that (evil doing) with which your fathers and brothers are entangled, and for which they have to account. By my life, your time is not much behind theirs, nor have long periods or centuries lapsed between you and them, nor are you much distant from when you were in their loins.

فَاعْتَبِرُوا عِبَادَ اللهِ، وَاذْكُرُوا تِيكَ الَّتي آبَاؤُكُمْ وَإِخْوَانُكُمْ بِهَا مُرْتَهَنُونَ، وَعَلَيْهَا مُحَاسَبُونَ. وَلَعَمْرِي مَا تَقَادَمَتْ بِكُمْ وَلاَ بِهِمُ الْعُهُودُ، وَلاَ خَلَتْ فِيَما بَيْنَكُمْ وَبَيْنَهُمُ الاَحْقَابُ وَالْقُرُونُ، وَمَا أَنْتُمُ الْيَوْمَ مِنْ يَوْمَ كُنْتُمْ فِي أَصْلاَبِهِمْ بِبَعِيد.

By Allah, whatever the Prophet told them, I am here telling you the same and whatever you hear today is not different from what they heard yesterday. The eyes that were opened for them and the hearts that were made for them at that time, just the same have been given to you at this time.

By Allah, you have not been told anything that they did not know and you have not been given anything which they were deprived. Certainly you have been afflicted by a calamity (which is like a she-camel) whose nose-string is moving about and whose strap is loose So in whatever condition these deceitful people are should not deceive you, because it is just a long shadow whose term is fixed.

وَاللهِ مَا أَسْمَعَكُمُ الرَّسُولُ (صلى الله عليه وآله) شَيْئاً إِلاَّ وَهَا أَنَا ذَا الْيَوْمَ مُسْمِعُكُمُوهُ، وَمَا أَسْمَاعُكُمُ الْيَوْمَ بِدُونِ أَسْمَاعِكُمْ بِالاْمْسِ، وَلاَ شُقَّتْ لَهُمُ الاْبصَارُ، وَجُعِلَتْ لَهُمُ الاْفْئِدَةُ في ذلِكَ الاْوَانِ، إِلاَّ وَقَدْ أُعْطِيتُمْ مِثْلَهَا فِي هذَا الزَّمَانِ. وَوَاللهِ مَا بُصِّرْتُمْ بَعْدَهُمْ شَيْئاً جَهِلُوهُ، وَلاَ أُصْفِيتُمْ بِهِ وَحُرِمُوهُ، وَلَقَدْ نَزَلَتْ بِكُمُ الْبَلِيَّةُ جَائِلاً خِطَامُهَا، رِخْواً بِطَانُهَا، فَلاَ يَغُرَّنَّكُمْ مَا أَصْبَحَ فِيهِ أَهْلُ الْغُرُورِ، فَإِنَّمَا هَوَ ظِلٌّ مَمْدُودٌ، إِلَى أَجَل مَعْدُود.

Alternative Sources for Sermon 89

(1) Al-Kulayni, 'Usul al-Kafi, I, 60;

(2) al-Sayyid al-Yamani, al-Taraz, I, 342;

(3) 'Ali ibn Ibrahim, Tafsir, p.3.