Nahjul Balagha [Electronic resources] نسخه متنی

This is a Digital Library

With over 100,000 free electronic resource in Persian, Arabic and English

Nahjul Balagha [Electronic resources] - نسخه متنی

| نمايش فراداده ، افزودن یک نقد و بررسی
افزودن به کتابخانه شخصی
ارسال به دوستان
جستجو در متن کتاب
بیشتر
تنظیمات قلم

فونت

اندازه قلم

+ - پیش فرض

حالت نمایش

روز نیمروز شب
جستجو در لغت نامه
بیشتر
لیست موضوعات
توضیحات
افزودن یادداشت جدید


SERMON 28


About the transient nature of this
world and importance of the next world

So now, surely this world has turned its back and
announced its departure while the next world has appeared forward and proclaimed its
approach. Today is the day of preparation while tomorrow is the day of race. The place to
proceed to is Paradise while the place of doom is Hell. Is there no one to offer
repentance over his faults before his death? Or is there no one to perform virtuous acts
before the day of trial?

Beware, surely you are in the days of hopes behind
which stands death. Whoever acts during the days of his hope before approach of his death,
his action would benefit him and his death would not harm him. But he who fails to act
during the period of hope before the approach of death his action is a loss and his death
is a harm to him. Beware, and act during a period of attraction just as you act during a
period of dread. Beware, surely I have not seen a coveter for Paradise asleep nor a
dreader from Hell to be asleep. Beware, he whom right does not benefit must suffer the
harm of the wrong, and he whom guidance does not keep firm will be led away by misguidance
towards destruction.

Beware, you have been ordered insistently to march
and been guided how to provide for the journey. Surely the most frightening thing which I
am afraid of about you is to follow desires and to widen the hopes. Provide for yourself
from this world what would save you tomorrow (on the Day of Judgement).

as-Sayyid ar-Radi says: If there could be an
utterance which would drag by neck towards renunciation in this world and force to action
for the next world, it is this sermon. It is enough to cut off from the entanglements of
hopes and to ignite the flames of preaching (for virtue) and warning (against vice). His
most wonderful words in this sermon are "Today is the day of preparation while
tomorrow is the day of race. The place to proceed to is Paradise while the place of doom
is Hell," because besides sublimity of words, greatness of meaning, true similes and
factual illustrations, there are wonderful secrets and delicate implications therein.

It is his saying that he place to proceed to is
Paradise while the place of doom is Hell. Here he has used two different words to convey
two different meanings. For Paradise he has used the word "the place to proceed
to" but for Hell this word has not been used. One proceeds to a place which he likes
and desires, and this can be true for Paradise only. Hell does not have the attractiveness
that it may be liked or proceeded to. We seek Allah's protection from it. Since for Hell
it was not proper to say "to be proceeded to" Amir al-mu'minin employed the word
"doom" implying the last place of stay where one reaches even though it may mean
grief and worry or happiness and pleasure.

This word is capable of conveying both senses.
However, it should be taken in the sense of "al-masir" or "al-ma'al",
that is, last resort. Qur'anic verse is "say thou "Enjoy ye (your pleasures yet
a while ), for your last resort is unto the (hell) fire" (14:30). Here to say
"sabqatakum" that is, "the place for you to proceed to" in place of
the word "masirakum" that is, your doom or last resort would not be proper in
any way. Think and ponder over it and see how wondrous is its inner implication and how
far its depth goes with beauty. Amir al-mu'minin's utterance is generally on these lines.
In some versions the word "sabqah" is shown as "subqah" which is
applied to reward fixed for the winner in a race. However, both the meanings are near each
other, because a reward is not for an undesirable action but for good and commendable
performance.
.

Forward to Sermon 29.

Back to Sermon 27.

/ 247