Lessons from Nahjul Balagha [Electronic resources] نسخه متنی

Sermons
Sermon
227

SERMON 227

(About allegiance to Amir
al-mu'minin for the Caliphate.

A similar sermon in somewhat
different version has already appeared earlier.)

You drew out my hand
towards you for allegiance but I held it back and you stretched it
but I contracted it. Then you crowed over me as the thirsty camels
crowd on the watering cisterns on their being taken there, so much
so that shoes were torn, shoulder-cloths fell away and the weak
got trampled, and the happiness of people on their allegiance to
me was so manifested that small children felt joyful, the old
staggered (up to me) for it, the sick too reached for it helter
skelter and young girls ran for it without veils.