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SERMON 82
This sermon is called the al-Gharra'
and it is one of the most wonderful sermons of Amir al-mu'minin.
Praise be to Allah who is High above all else, and
is Near (the creation) through His bounty. He is the Giver of all reward and distinction,
and Dispeller of all calamities and hardships. I praise Him for His continuous mercy and
His copious bounties.
I believe in Him as He is the First of all and He is
Manifest. I seek guidance from Him as He is Near and is the Guide. I seek His succour as
He is Mighty and Subduer. I depend upon Him as He is Sufficer and Supporter. And I stand
witness that Muhammad (blessing of Allah be on him and his progeny) is His slave and His
Prophet. He sent him for enforcement of His commands, for exhausting His pleas and for
presenting warnings (against eternal punishment).
Enjoining people to Piety
O' creatures of Allah I advise you to have fear of
Allah Who has furnished illustrations and Who has timed for you your lives. He has given
you covering of dress(1) and He has scattered for you
livelihood. He has surrounded you with His knowledge. He has ordained rewards. He has
bestowed upon you vast bounties and extensive gifts. He has warned you through far
reaching arguments, and He has counted you by numbers. He has fixed for you ages (to live)
in this place of test and house of instruction.
You are on test in this world and have to render
account about it.
Caution against this world
Certainly this world is a dirty watering place and a
muddy source of drinking.
Its appearance is attractive and its inside is
destructive. It is a deception, a vanishing reflection and a bent pillar. When its
despiser begins to like it and he who is not acquainted with it feels satisfied with it,
then it raises and puts down its feet (in joy), entraps him in its trap, makes him the
target of its arrows and puts round his neck the rope of death taking him to the narrow
grave and fearful abode in order to show him his place of stay and the recompense of his
acts. This goes on from generation to generation. Neither death stops from cutting them
asunder nor do the survivors keep aloof from committing of sins.
Death and Resurrection
They are emulating each other and proceeding in
groups towards the final objective and the rendezvous of death, till when matters come to
a close, the world dies and resurrection draws near. Allah(2)
would take them out from the corners of the graves, the nests of birds. the dens of beasts
and the centres of death. They hasten towards Him command and run towards the place fixed
for their final return group by group, quiet, standing and arrayed in rows. They will be
within Allah's sight and will hear every one who would call them.
They would be having the dress of helplessness and
covering of submission and indignity. (At this time) contrivances would disappear, desires
would be cut, hearts would sink quietly, voices would be curbed down, sweat would choke
the throat, fear would increase and ears would resound with the thundering voice of the
announcer calling towards the final judgement, award of recompense, striking of punishment
and paying of reward.
The limitations of life
People have been created as a proof of (His) power,
have been brought up with authority, they are made to die through pangs, and placed in
graves where they turn into crumbs. Then they would be resurrected one by one, awarded
their recompense and would have to account for their actions, each one separately. They
had been allowed time to seek deliverance, had been shown the right path and had been
allowed to live and seek favours, the darkness of doubts had been removed, and they had
been let free in this period of life as a training place in order to make preparation for
the race on the Day of Judgement, to search for the objective with thoughtfulness, to get
time necessary to secure benefits and provide for the next place of stay.
No happiness without Piety
How appropriate are these illustrations and
effective admonitions provided they are received by pure hearts, open ears, firm views and
sharp wits. Fear Allah like him who listened (good advice) and bowed before it, when he
committed sin he admitted it, when he felt fear he acted virtuously, when he apprehended
he hastened (towards good acts), when he believed he performed virtuous acts, when he was
asked to take lesson (from the happenings of this world) he did take the lesson, when he
was asked to desist he abstained (from evil), when he responded to the call (of Allah) he
leaned (towards him), when he turned back (to evil) he repented, when he followed he
almost imitated and when he was shown (the right path) he saw it.
Such a man was busy in search of truth and got rid
(of the worldly evils) by running away. He collected provision (of good acts) for himself,
purified his inner self, built for the next world, and took with himself provision for the
day of his departure, keeping in view his journey, his requirement and the position of his
need. He sent ahead of him for the abode of his stay (in the next world). O' creatures of
Allah, fear Allah keeping in view the reason why He created you and be afraid of Him to
the extent He has advised you to do. Make yourself deserve what He has promised you, by
having confidence in the truth of His promise and entertaining fear for the Day of
Judgement.
A part of the same sermon
Reminding people of Allah's bounties
He has made for you ears to preserve what is
important, eyes to have sight in place of blindness and limbs which consist of many
(smaller) parts, whose curves are in proportion with the moulding of their shapes and
lengths of their ages, and also bodies that are sustaining themselves and hearts that are
busy in search of their food, besides other big bounties, obliging bestowings and
fortresses of safety. He has fixed for you ages that are not known to you. He has retained
for you remains of the past people for your instruction. Those people enjoyed themselves
fully and were completely unhampered. Death overtook them before (satisfaction of) their
desires, from which the hands of death separated them. They did not provide for themselves
during health of their bodies, and did not take lesson during their youth.
Are these people who are in youth waiting for the
backbending old age, and those enjoying fresh health waiting for ailments, and these
living persons looking for the hour of death? When the hour of departure would be close
and the journey at hand, with pangs of grief and trouble, suffering of sorrows and
suffocation of saliva, and the time would arrive for calling relations and friends for
help and changing sides on the bed. Could then the near ones stop death, or the mourning
women do any good? He would rather be left alone in the graveyard confined to the narrow
corner of his grave.
His skin has been pierced all over by reptiles, and
his freshness has been destroyed by these tribulations. Storms have removed his traces and
calamities have obliterated even his signs. Fresh bodies have turned thin and withered and
bones have become rotten. The spirits are burdened with the weight of sins and have become
conscious of the unknown things. But now neither the good acts can be added to nor evil
acts can be atoned for by repentance. Are you not sons, fathers, brothers and relations of
these dead and are not to follow their footsteps and pass by their paths? But hearts are
still unmoved, heedless of guidance and moving on wrong lines, as though the addressee is
someone else, and as though the correct way is to amass worldly gains.
Preparation for the Day of Judgement
And know that you have to pass over the pathway (of
sirat) where steps waver, feet slip away and there are fearful dangers at every step. O'
creatures of Allah, fear Allah, like the fearing of wise man whom the thought (of next
world) has turned away from other matters, fear (of Allah) has afflicted his body with
trouble and pain, his engagement in the night prayer has turned even his short sleep into
awakening, hope (of eternal recompense) keeps him thirsty in the day, abstention has
curbed his desires, and remembrance of Allah is ever moving his tongue. He entertains fear
before dangers. He avoids uneven ways in favour of clear ones. He follows the shortest
route to secure his purpose, wishfulness does not twist his thinking and ambiguities do
not blind his eyes. He enjoys deep sleep and passes his day happily because of the
happiness of good tidings and pleasure of (eternal bounties).
He passes the pathway of this world in praiseworthy
manner. He reaches the next world with virtues. He hastens (towards virtue) out of fear
(for vice). He moves briskly during the short time (of life in this world). He devotes
himself in seeking (eternal good), he runs away from evil. During today he is mindful of
tomorrow, and keeps the future in his view. Certainly Paradise is the best reward and
achievement, which hell is appropriate punishment and suffering. Allah is the best Avenger
and Helper and the Qur'an is the best argument and confronter.
Warning against Satan
I enjoin upon you fear of Allah Who has left no
excuse against what He has warned, has exhausted argument (of guidance) about the (right)
path He has shown. He has warned you of the enemy that steals into hearts and stealthily
speaks into ears, and thereby misguides and brings about destruction, makes (false)
promises and keeps under wrong impression, he represents evil sins in attractive shape,
and shows as light even serious crimes. When he has deceived his comrades and exhausted
the pledge he begins to find fault with what he presented as good, and considers serious
what he had shown as light, and threatens from what he had shown as safe.
Part of the same sermon dealing with
creation of man
Or look at man whom Allah has created in the dark
wombs and layers of curtains from what was overflowing semen, then shapeless clot, then
embryo, then suckling infant, then child and then fully grown up young man. Then He gave
him heart with memory, tongue to talk and eye to see with, in order that he may take
lesson (from whatever is around him) and understand it and follow the admonition and
abstain from evil.
When he attained the normal growth and his structure
gained its average development he fell in self-conceit and got perplexed. He drew
bucketfuls of his desires, got immersed in fulfilling his wishes for pleasures of the
world and his (sordid) aims. He did not fear any evil nor got frightened of any
apprehension. He died infatuated with his vices. He spent his short life in rubbish
pursuits. He earned no reward nor did he fulfil any obligation. Fatal illness overtook him
while he was still in his enjoyments and perplexed him. He passed the night in wakefulness
in the hardships of grief and pricking of pains and ailments in the presence of real
brother, loving father, wailing mother, crying sister, while he himself was under
maddening uneasiness, serious senselessness, fearful cries, suffocating pains, anguish of
suffocating sufferings and the pangs of death.
Thereafter he was clad in the shroud while he
remained quiet and thoroughly submissive to others. Then he was placed on planks in such a
state that he had been down-trodden by hardships and thinned by ailments. The crowd of
young men and helping brothers carried him to his house of loneliness where all
connections of visitors are severed. Thereafter those who accompanied him went away and
those who were wailing for him returned and then he was made to sit in his grave for
terrifying questioning and slippery examination. The great calamity of that place is the
hot water and entry into Hell, flames of eternal Fire and intensity of blazes. There is no
resting period, no gap for ease, no power to intervene, no death to bring about solace and
no sleep to make him forget pain. He rather lies under several kinds of deaths and
moment-to-moment punishment. We seek refuge with Allah.
The lesson to be learnt from those
who have passed away
O' creatures of Allah! where are those who were
allowed (long) ages to live and they enjoyed bounty. They were taught and they learnt;
they were given time and they passed it in vain; they were kept healthy and they forgot
(their duty). They were allowed long period (of life), were handsomely provided, were
warned of grievous punishment and were promised big rewards. You should avoid sins that
lead to destruction and vices that attract wrath (of Allah).
O' people who possess eyes and ears and health and
wealth! Is there any place of protection, any shelter of safety, or asylum or haven, or
occasion to run away or to come back (to this world)? If not, "how are you then
turned away" (Qur'an, 6:95; 10:34; 35:3; 40:62) and wither are you averting? By what
things have you been deceived? Certainly, the share of every one of you from this earth is
just a piece of land equal to his own stature and size where he would lie on his cheeks
covered with dust. The present is an opportune moment for acting.
O' creatures of Allah, since the neck is free from
the loop, and spirit is also unfettered, now you have time for seeking guidance: you are
in ease of body; you can assemble in crowds, the rest of life is before you; you have
opportunity of acting by will; there is opportunity for repentance, and peaceful
circumstances. (But you should act) before you are overtaken by narrow circumstances and
distress, or fear and weakness, before the approach of the awaited death and before
seizure by the Almighty, the Powerful.
as-Sayyid ar-Radi says: It is related that when Amir
al-mu'minin delivered this sermon people began to tremble, tears flowed from their eyes
and their hearts were frightened. Some people call this sermon the Brilliant Sermon
(al-Khutbatu'l-Gharra')
(1).
Allah has furnished every creature with natural dress, which is the means of protecting it
from cold and heat. Thus, some animals are covered in feathers and some carry apparels of
wool on their bodies. But the high degree of intelligence of man and the quality of shame
and modesty in him demands distinction from other creatures. Consequently, to maintain
this distinction he has been taught the ways of covering his body. It was this natural
impulse that when Adam was made to give up his dress he began to cover his body with
leaves. The Qur'an says:
So when they tested (of) the tree
their shameful things got displayed unto them and they began covering themselves with
leaves of the garden ... (Qu'ran, 7:22)
This was the punishment awarded for
his committing what was better for him to omit. When removal of dress is punishment its
putting on would be a favour, and since this is peculiar to man it has been particularly
mentioned.
(2). The
intention is that Allah would resurrect all the dead, even though they had been eaten by
beasts and been merged in their bodies. Its aim is to refute the view of the philosophers
who hold that the resurrection of the non-existent is impossible and who do not therefore
believe in the physical resurrection. Their argument briefly is that a thing which has
lost existence by death cannot return to life. Consequently, after the destruction of this
world the return of any of its beings to life is out of question. But this belief is not
correct because dispersal of the parts does not mean its non-existence, so as to say that
putting these parts together again would involve resurrection of the non-existent. On the
other hand separated and dispersed parts continue to exist in some form or the other. Of
course, in this connection this objection has some force that when every person is to be
resurrected in his own form, then in case one person has eaten the other, then in such a
case it would be impossible to resurrect either of them with his own constituent parts,
since this would involve creating deficiency of parts in that who had eaten the other.
To this metaphysicians have replied
that in everybody there are some constituents which are essential and others which are
non-essential. The essential constituents remain constant from the beginning till end of
life and suffer no change or alteration, and resurrection with regard to such constituents
would not create any deficiency in the man who ate the other.
.Forward to Sermon 83.Back to Sermon 81.
