Lessons from Nahjul Balagha [Electronic resources] نسخه متنی

Sermons
Sermon
182

SERMON 182

Praise of Allah for His
bounties

Praise be to Allah Who
is recognised without being seen and Who creates without trouble.
He created the creation with His Might, and receives the devotion
of rulers by virtue of His dignity. He exercises superiority over
great men through His generosity. It is He who made His creation
to populate the world and sent towards the jinn and human beings
His messengers to unveil it for them, to warn them of its harm, to
present to them its examples, to show them its defects and to
place before them a whole collection of matters containing lessons
about the changings of health and sickness in this world, its
lawful things and unlawful things and all that Allah has ordained
for the obedient and the disobedient, namely, Paradise and Hell
and honour and disgrace. I extend my praise to His Being as He
desires His creation to praise Him. He has fixed for everything a
measure, for every measure a time limit, and for every time limit
a document.

A part of the same
sermon

About the greatness
and importance of the Holy Qur'an

The Qur'an orders as
well as refrains, remains silent and also speaks. It is the proof
of Allah before His creation. He has taken from them a pledge (to
act) upon it. He has perfected its effulgence, and completed
through it His religion. He let the Prophet leave this world when
he had conveyed to the people all His commands of guidance through
the Qur'an. You should therefore regard Allah great as he has held
Himself great, because He has not concealed anything of His
religion from you, nor has He left out anything which He likes or
which He dislikes, but He made for it a clear emblem (of guidance)
and a definite sign which either refrains from it or calls towards
it. His pleasure is the same for all time to come.

You should know that
He will not be pleased with you for anything for which He was
displeased with those before you, and He will not be displeased
with you for anything for which He was pleased with those before
you. You are treading on a clear path, and are speaking the same
as the people before you had spoken. Allah is enough for your
needs in this world. He has persuaded you to remain thankful, and
has made it obligatory on you to mention Him with your tongues.

Warning against
punishment on the Day of Judgement

He has advised you to
exercise fear and has made it the highest point of His pleasure
and all that He requires from His creatures. You should therefore
fear Allah, who is such that you are as though just in front of
Him, and your forelocks are in His grip, and your change of
position is in His control. If you conceal a matter, He will know
of it. If you disclose a matter, He will record it. For this He
has appointed honoured guards (angels) who do not omit any
rightful matter nor include anything incorrect. You should know
that whoever fears Allah, He would make for him a way to get out
of troubles and (grant him) a light (to help him) out of darkness.
He will ever keep him in whatever condition) he wishes, and will
make him stay in a position of honour near Himself, in the house
which He has made for Himself. The shade of this house is His
house is His throne, its light is His effulgence, its visitors are
His angels and its companions are His prophets.

Therefore, hasten
towards the place of return and go ahead of (your) deaths (by
collecting provision for the next world). Shortly, the
expectations of the people will be cut short and death will
overtake them while the door of repentance will be closed for
them. You are still in a place to which those who were before you
have been wishing to return. In this world, which is not your
house, you are just a traveller in motion. You have been given the
call to leave from here, and you have been ordered to collect
provision while you are here. You should know that this thin skin
cannot tolerate the Fire (of Hell). So, have pity on yourselves
because you have already tried it in the tribulations of the
world.

Have you ever seen the
crying of a person who has been pricked with a thorn or who bleeds
due to stumbling or whom hot sand has burnt? How would he feel
when he is between two frying pans of Hell with stones all round
with Satan as his companion? Do you know that when Malik (the
guard-in-charge of Hell) is angry with the fire, its parts begin
to clash with each other (in rage), and, when he scolds it, it
leaps between the doors of Hell crying on account of his scolding.

O' you old and big
whom old age has made hoary, how will you feel when rings of fire
will touch the bones of your neck, and handcuffs hold so hard that
they eat away the flesh of the forearms? (Fear) Allah ! Allah! O'
crowd of men, while you are in good health before sickness (grips
you) and you are in ease before straitness (overtakes you). You
should try for the release of your necks before their mortgage is
foreclosed, your eyes, thin down bellies, use your feet, spend
your money, take your bodies and spend them over yourselves, and
do not be niggardly about them, because Allah the Glorified, has
said:
... if you help (in the
way) of Allah, He will(also) help you, and will set firm your
feet. (Qur'an, 47:7)

and He, the Sublime.
has said:
Who is he who would
loan unto Allah a goodly loan? so that He may double it for him,
and for him shall be a noble recompense. (Qur'an, 57:11)

He does not seek your
support because of any weakness, nor does He demand a loan from
you because of shortage. He seeks your help, although He possesses
all the armies of the skies and the earth and He is strong and
wise. He seeks a loan from you, although He owns the treasures of
the skies and the earth and He is rich and praiseworthy. (Rather)
He intends to try you as to which of you performs good acts. You
should therefore be quick in performance of (good) acts so that
your way be with His neighbours in His abode; He made His
Prophet's companions of these neighbours and made the angels to
visit them. He has honoured their ears so that the sound of Hell
fire may never reach them, and He has afforded protection to their
bodies from weariness and fatigue.
. . . that is the grace
of Allah, He bestoweth it upon whomsoever He willeth; and Allah
is the Lord of Mighty Grace. (Qur'an, 57:21)

I say you are hearing.
I seek Allah's help for myself and yourselves. He is enough for me
and He is the best dispenser.