Lessons from Nahjul Balagha [Electronic resources] نسخه متنی

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Sermon
188

SERMON 188

Steadfast and transient belief

One belief is that
which is firm and steadfast in hearts, and one is that which
remains temporarily in the heart and the breast up to a certain
time. If you were to acquit (yourself) before any person, you
should wait till death approaches him, for that is the time limit
for being acquitted.

And immigration stands
as its original position. Allah has no need towards him who
secretly accepts belief or him who openly does so. Immigration
will not apply to any one unless he recognises the proof (of
Allah) on the earth. Whoever recognises him and acknowledges him
would be a muhajir (immigrant). Istidaf (i.e. freedom from the
obligation of immigration) does not apply to him whom the proof
(of Allah) reaches and he hears it and his heart preserves it.(1)

The challenge
"Ask me before you miss me" and prophecy about the
Umayyads

Certainly, our case is
difficult and complicated. No one can bear it except a believer
whose heart Allah has tried with belief. Our traditions will not
be preserved except by trustworthy hearts and (men of) solid
understanding. O' people! ask me before you miss me, because
certainly I am acquainted with the passages of the sky more than
the passages of the earth,(2) and
before that mischief springs upon its feet which would trample
even the nosestring and destroy the wits of the people.

(1).
This is the interpretation of the word "muhajir" and
"mustadaf" as mentioned in the Holy Qur'an:

Verily those whom the
angels take away (at death) while they are unjust to their (own)
selves (in sin), they (the angels) shall ask (the sinning
souls): "In what state were ye?" They shall reply,
"Weakened (mustadaf - and oppressed)were we in the
land;" They (angels) will say "Was not the land of
Allah vast (enough) for you to immigrate therein?" So these
(are those) whose refuge shall be Hell; and what a bad resort it
is. Except the (really) weakened ones from among the men and the
women and the children, who have not in their power the means
(to escape from the unbelievers) and nor do they find the
(right) way. So these, may be, Allah will pardon them; and Allah
is the Clement, the Oft-forgiving. (4:97-99)

The meaning of Amir
al-mu'minin here is that hijrah (immigration) was not only
obligatory during the lifetime of the Holy Prophet, but it is a
permanent obligation. This immigration is even now obligatory for
attaining the proof of Allah and the true religion. Therefore, if
one has attained the proof of Allah and believed in it, even if
he is in midst of the unbelievers of his locality, he is not duty
bound to immigrate.

The
"mustadaf" (weakened) is one who is living among the
unbelievers and is far from being informed of the proofs of Allah,
and at the same time he is unable to immigrate in order to attain
the proofs of Allah.

(2).
Some people have explained this saying of Amir al-mu'minin to mean
that by the passages of the earth he means matters of the world
and by passages of the sky matters of religious law and that Amir
al-mu'minin intends to say that he knows the matters of religious
law and commandments more than the worldly matters. Thus, Ibn
Maytham al-Bahrani writes (in Sharh Nahj al-balaghah, vol. 4, pp.
200-201):

It is related from
al-Allamah al-Wabari, that he said that Amir al-mu'minin's
intention is to say that the scope of his religious knowledge is
larger than his knowledge about matters of the world.

But taking the context
into account, this explanation cannot be held to be correct
because this sentence (which is the subject of explanation) has
been used as the cause of the sentence "Ask me before you
miss me", and after it, is the prophesy about revolt. In
between these two the occurrence of the sentence that "I know
religious matters more than worldly matters", makes the whole
utterance quite uncounted, because Amir al-mu'minin's challenge to
ask whatever one likes is not confined to matters of religious law
only so this sentence could be held as its cause. Then, after
that, the prophesy of the rising up of the revolt has nothing to
do with matters of religious law, so that it could be put forth as
a proof of more knowledge of religious matters. To ignore the
clear import of the words and to interpret them in a way which
does not suit the occasion, does not exhibit a correct spirit,
when from the context also the same meaning accrues which the
words openly convey. Thus, it is to give a warning about the
Umayyad's mischief that Amir al-mu'minin uttered the words:
"'Ask me whatever you like'; because I know the paths and
courses of divine destiny more than the passages of the earth. So,
even if you ask me about matters which are recorded in the
'preserved tablet' and concern divine destiny I can tell you, and
a serious mischief is to rise against me in those matters in which
you should have doubt, because my eyes are more acquainted with
those ethereal lines which concern the occurrence of events and
mischiefs than, with what I know about live appearing on the
earth. The occurrence of this mischief is as certain as an object
seen with eyes. You should therefore ask me its details and the
way to keep safe from it, so that you may be able to manage your
defence when the times comes." This meaning is supported by
the successive sayings of Amir al-mu'minin which he uttered in
connection with the unknown, and to which the future testified.
Thus, Ibn Abi'l Hadid comments on this claim of Amir al-mu'minin
as follows:
Amir al-mu'minin's
claim is also supported by his sayings about future events which
he uttered not once or a hundred times but continuously and
successively, from which there remains no doubt that whatever he
spoke was on the basis of knowledge and certainly and not in the
way of chance. (Sharh Nahj al-balaghah, vol. 13, p. 106)

In connection with
this saying of Amir al-mu'minin it has already been shown and
explained (in Sermon 92, Foot-note No. 2) that no one else dared
advance such a claim, and those who made such a claim had to face
only disgrace and humility. About the prophecies made by Amir
al-mu'minin see Ibn Abi'l-Hadid, Sharh Nahj al-balaghah, vol. 7,
pp. 47-51; al-Qadi Nuru'l-Lah al-Marashi, Ihqaq al-haqq (New
ed.), vol. 8, pp. 87-182.