Nahjul Balagha [Electronic resources] نسخه متنی

Delivered on return from Siffin

Arabia before proclamation of
Prophethood

I praise Allah seeking completion of His Blessing,
submitting to His Glory and expecting safety from committing His sins. I invoke His help
being in need of His Sufficiency (of protection). He whom He guides does not get astray,
He with whom He is hostile gets no protection. He whom He supports does not remain needy.
Praise is most weighty of all that is weighed and the most valuable of all that is
treasured.

I stand witness that there is no god but Allah the
One. He has no like. My testimony has been tested in its frankness, and its essence is our
belief. We shall cling to it for ever till we live and shall store it facing the
tribulations that overtake us because it is the foundation stone of Belief (iman) and the
first step towards good actions and Divine pleasure. It is the means to keep Satan away.

I also stand witness that Muhammad (p.b.u.h.a.h.p.)
is His slave and His Prophet. Allah sent him with the illustrious religion, effective
emblem, written Book,⁽¹⁾ effulgent light, sparkling gleam and
decisive injunction in order to dispel doubts, present clear proofs, administer warning
through signs and to warn of punishments. At that time people had fallen in vices whereby
the rope of religion had been broken, the pillars of belief had been shaken, principles
had been sacrileged, system had become topsy turvy, openings were narrow, passage was
dark, guidance was unknown and darkness prevailed.

Allah was being disobeyed, Satan was given support
and Belief had been forsaken. As a result the pillars of religion fell down, its traces
could not be discerned, its passages had been destroyed and its streets had fallen into
decay. People obeyed Satan and treaded his paths. They sought water from his watering
places. 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. The vices
stood on their toes (in full stature) and the people immersed in them were strayed,
perplexed, ignorant and seduced as though in a good house⁽²⁾
with bad neighbours. Instead of sleep they had wakefulness and for antimony they had tears
in the eyes. They were in a land where the learned were in bridle (keeping their mouths
shut) while the ignorant were honoured.

In the same sermon Amir al-mu'minin
referred to Al an-Nabi (the Household of the Holy Prophet) as under:

They are the trustees of His secrets, shelter for
His affairs, source of knowledge about Him, centre of His wisdom, valleys for His books
and mountains of His religion. With them Allah straightened the bend of religion's back
and removed the trembling of its limbs.

In the same Sermon he spoke about the
hypocrites

They sowed vices, watered them with deception and
harvested destruction.

(Alu Muhammad)

None in the Islamic community can be taken at par
with the Progeny⁽³⁾ of the Prophet (Alu Muhammad). One who was
under their obligation cannot be matched with them. They are the foundation of religion
and pillar of Belief. The forward runner has to turn back to them while the follower has
to overtake them. They possess the chief characteristics for vicegerency. In their favour
exists the will and succession (of the Prophet). This is the time when right has returned
to its owner and diverted to its centre of return.
⁽¹⁾.
The Preserved Record.
⁽²⁾.
Good House means 'Mecca' while the bad neighbours mean the 'Unbelievers of Quraysh.'
⁽³⁾.
About the Progeny of the Prophet Amir al-mu'minin has said that no person in the world can
be brought at par with them, nor can any one be deemed their equal in sublimity, because
the world is overladen with their obligations and has been able to secure eternal
blessings only through their guidance. They are the corner stone and foundation of
religion and the sustenance for its life and survival. They are such strong pillars of
knowledge and belief that they can turn away the stormy flow of doubt and suspicion. They
are such middle course among the paths of excess and backwardness that if some one goes
far towards excess and exaggeration or falls behind then unless he comes back or steps
forward to that middle course he cannot be on the path of Islam. They possess all the
characteristics which give the superiority in the right for vicegerency and leadership.
Consequently, no one else in the ummah enjoys the right of patronage and guardianship.
That is why the Prophet declared them his vicegerents and successors. About will and
succession the commentator Ibn Abi'l-Hadid Mutazili writes that there can be no doubt
about the vicegerency of Amir al-mu'minin but succession cannot imply succession in
position although the Shiite sect has so interpreted it. It rather implies succession of
learning. Now, if according to him succession is taken to imply succession in learning
even he does not seem to succeed in achieving his object, because even by this
interpretation the right of succeeding the Prophet does not devolve on any other person.
When it is agreed that learning is the most essential requirement of khilafah (caliphate)
because the most important functions of the Prophet's Caliph consist of dispensation of
justice, solving problems of religious laws, clarifying intricacies and administration of
religious penalties. If these functions are taken away from the Prophet's deputy his
position will come down to that of a worldly ruler. He cannot be regarded as the pivot of
religious authority. Therefore either we should keep governmental authority separate from
Prophet's vicegerency or accept the successor of Prophet's knowledge to suit that
position.
The interpretation of Ibn
Abi'l-Hadid could be acceptable if Amir al-mu'minin had uttered this sentence alone, but
observing that it was uttered soon after Ali's (p.b.u.h.) recognition as Caliph and just
after it the sentence "Right has returned to its owner" exists, this
interpretation of his seems baseless. Rather, the Prophet's will cannot imply any other
will except that for vicegerency and caliphate, and succession would imply not succession
in property nor in knowledge because this was not an occasion to mention it here but it
must mean the succession in the right leadership which stood proved as from Allah not only
on the ground of kinship but on the ground of qualities of perfection.
.

Forward to Sermon 3.

Back to Sermon 1.