Lessons from Nahjul Balagha [Electronic resources] نسخه متنی

Sermons
Sermon
152

SERMON 152

About negligent persons and the
characteristics of beasts, carnivores and women

He has been allowed
time by Allah. He is falling into error along with negligent
persons and goes early in the morning with sinners, without any
road to lead or any Imam to guide.

A part of the same
sermon

At last when Allah
will make clear to them the reward for their sins, and take them
out from the veils of their neglectfulness they will proceed to
what they were running away from, and run away from what they were
proceeding to. They will not benefit from the wants they will
satisfy or the desires they would fulfil.

I warn you and myself
from this position. A man should derive benefit from his own self.
Certainly, prudent is he who hears and ponders over it, who sees
and observes and who benefits from instructive material and then
treads on clear paths wherein he avoids falling into hollows and
straying into pitfalls, and does not assist those who misguide him
by turning away from truthfulness, changing his words, or fearing
truth.

O' my listener! Be
cured from your intoxication, wake up from your slumber, decrease
your hasty activity and ponder over what has come to you through
the Holy Prophet, the Ummi (1) which
is inevitable and inescapable. You should turn away from him who
opposes him and leave him and leave whatever he has adopted for
himself. Put off your vanity, drop your haughtiness and recall
your grave because your way passes over it. You will be dealt with
as you deal with others, you will reap what you sow, and what you
send today will meet you tomorrow. So provide for your future and
send (some good acts) for your day (of reckoning). Fear, fear, O'
listener! Act, act, O' careless! No one will warn you like him who
knows.

One of the firm
decisions of Allah in the Wise Reminder (Qur'an) upon which He
bestows reward or gives punishment, and through which He likes or
dislikes is that it will not benefit a man, even though he exerts
himself and acts sincerely if he leaves this world to meet Allah
with one of these acts without repenting, namely that he believed
in a partner with Allah during his obligatory worship, or appeased
his own anger by killing an individual, or spoke about acts
committed by others, or sought fulfilment of his needs from people
by introducing an innovation in his religion, or met people with a
double face, or moved among them with a double tongue. Understand
this because an illustration is a guide for its like.

Beasts are concerned
with their bellies. Carnivores are concerned with assaulting
others. Women are concerned with the adornments of this ignoble
life and the creation of mischief herein (2).
(On the other hand) believers are humble, believers are
admonishers and believers are afraid (of Allah).

(1).
The word "ummi" has been used in the Holy Qur'an with
reference to the Holy Prophet in chapter 7:157-158. For better
understanding of the word refer to the books of commentary on the
Holy Qur'an.

(2).
The intention is to say that the cause of all mischief and evil is
the passion to satisfy bodily needs and the passion to subdue. If
a human being is subjugated by the passion to satisfy bodily needs
and considers filling the stomach as his aim there will be no
difference between him and a beast, because a beast too has no aim
except to fill its belly. But if he is over-powered by the passion
to subdue others and takes to killing and devastation there will
be no difference between him and a carnivorous beast, because the
latter's aim is also tearing and devouring. If both the passions
are at work in him then he is like a woman, because in a woman
both these passions act side by side and because of this she is
extremely eager of adornment and is active in fanning mischief and
disturbance. However, a true believer will never agree to adopt
these habits as his mode of behaviour, rather he keeps his
passions suppressed so that he neither allows pride and vanity to
approach near him nor does he fan mischief or disturbance for fear
of Allah.

Ibn Abi'l-Hadid has
written that Amir al-mu'minin delivered this sermon at the time of
marching towards Basrah, and since the trouble of Basrah was the
result of a woman's instigation, Amir al-mu'minin has, after
mentioning beasts and carnivore, held a woman also to possess such
qualities. Thus the battle of Basrah was the result of these
qualities, whereby thousands of persons were involved in death and
destruction.