Nahjul Balagha [Electronic resources] نسخه متنی

When the Kharijites persisted in
their rejecting the Arbitration, Amir al-mu'minin went to their camp and addressed them
thus:

Were all of you ⁽¹⁾ with
us in Siffin? They replied that some of them were but some of them were not. Amir
al-mu'minin said:

Then you divide yourselves into two groups. One of
those who were in Siffin and other of those who were not present there, so that I may
address each as I see suitable. Then he shouted to the people:

Stop talking and keep quiet to listen to what I say.
Turn your hearts to me. Whomever we ask for evidence, he should give it according to his
knowledge about it.

Then he had a long conversation with
them during which he said:

When they had raised the Qur'an by way of deceit,
craft, artifice and cheat, did you not say "They are our brothers and our comrades in
accepting Islam. They want us to cease fighting, and ask for protection through the Book
of Allah, the Glorified. Our opinion is to agree with them and to end their
troubles." Then I said to you, "In this affair the outer side is Faith but the
inner side is enmity. Its beginning is pity and the end is repentance. Consequently you
should stick to your position, and remain steadfast on your path. You should press your
teeth (to put all your might) in jihad and should not pay heed to the shouts of the
shouter ⁽²⁾. If he is answered he would mislead, but if he is
left (unanswered) he would be disgraced."

But when this thing (Arbitration) was done I found
that you agreed to it. By Allah, if I had refused it, it would not have been obligatory on
me. Nor would Allah have laid its sin on me. And by Allah, not that I have accepted it, I
alone am the rightful person who should be followed, for certainly the Qur'an is with me.
I never forsake it since I adopted its company. We have been with the Prophet in battles
wherein those killed were fathers, sons, brothers and relations of one another.
Nevertheless, every trouble and hardship just increased us in our belief, in our treading
on the right path, in submission to (divine) command and in endurance of the pain of
wounds.

We now had to fight our brethren in Islam because of
entry into Islam of misguidance, crookedness, doubts and (wrong) interpretation. However,
if we find any way by which Allah may collect us together in our disorder and by which we
may come near each other in whatever common remains between us we would accept it and
would give up everything else.
⁽¹⁾.
Ibn Abi'l-Hadid writes that this sermon comprises three parts which do not fit together,
because as-Sayyid ar-Radi selected some parts of Amir al-mu'minin's sermons and did not
record other parts as a result of which the continuity of utterance was not maintained.
Thus, one part ends at "if he is left unanswered he would be disgraced", the
other at "and endurance at the pain of wound" and the third runs till the end of
the sermon.
⁽²⁾. This
reference is to Muawiyah or Amr ibn al-As.
.

Forward to Sermon 122.

Back to Sermon 120.