Lessons from Nahjul Balagha [Electronic resources] نسخه متنی

Sermons
Sermon
126

SERMON 126

About the Kharijites

If you do not stop
believing that I have gone wrong and been misled, why do you
consider that the common men among the followers of the Prophet
Muhammad (p.b.u.h.a.h.p.) have gone astray like me, and accuse
them with my wrong, and hold them unbelievers on account of my
sins. You are holding your swords on your shoulders and using them
right and wrong. You are confusing those who have committed sins
with those who have not. You know that the Prophet (PBUH) stoned
the protected (married) adulterer, then he also said his burial
prayer and allowed his successors to inherit from him. He killed
the murderer and allowed his successors to inherit from him. He
amputated (the hand of) the thief and whipped the unprotected
(unmarried) adulterer, but thereafter allowed their shares from
the booty, and they married Muslim women. Thus the Prophet (PBUH)
took them to ask for their sins and also abided by Allah's
commands about them, but did not disallow them their rights
created by Islam, nor did he remove their names from its
followers.

Certainly you are the
most evil of all persons and are those whom Satan has put on his
lines and thrown out into his wayless land. With regard to me, two
categories of people will be ruined, namely he who loves me too
much and the love takes him away from rightfulness, and he who
hates me too much and the hatred takes him away from rightfulness.
The best man with regard to me is he who is on the middle course.
So be with him and be with the great majority (of Muslims) because
Allah's hand (of protection) is on keeping unity. You should
beware of division because the one isolated from the group is (a
prey) to Satan just as the one isolated from the flock of sheep is
(a prey) to the wolf.

Beware; whoever calls
to this course, kill him, even though he may be under this
headband of mine. Certainly the two arbitrators were appointed to
revive what the Qur'an revives and to destroy what the Qur'an
destroys. Revival means to unite on it (in a matter) and
destruction means to divide on a matter. If the Qur'an drives us
to them we should follow them, and if it drives them to us they
should follow up. May you have no father! (Woe to you), I did not
cause you any misfortune, nor have I deceived you in any matter,
nor created any confusion. Your own group had unanimously
suggested in favour of these two men and we bound them that they
would not exceed the Qur'an but they deviated from it and
abandoned the right although both of them were conversant with it.
This wrong-doing was the dictate of their hearts and so they trod
upon it, although we had stipulated that in arbitrating with
justice and sticking to rightfulness they would avoid the evil of
their own views and the mischief of their own verdict (but since
this has happened the award is not acceptable to us).