Sermon 180: I praise Allah for whatever matter He ordine…

Condemning his disobedient men

أَحْمَدُ اللهَ عَلَى مَا قَضَى مِنْ أَمْر،

I praise Allah for whatever matter He ordained

وَقَدَّرَ مِنْ فِعْل،

and whatever action He destines

وَعَلَى ابْتِلاَئِي بِكُم

and for my trial with you,

أَيَّتُهَا الْفِرْقَةُ الَّتِي

O group of people who do not obey

إذَا أَمَرْتُ لَمْ تُطِعْ، وَإذَا دَعَوْتُ لَمْ تُجِبْ،

when I order and do not respond when I call you.

إنْ أُمْهِلْتُمْ خُضْتُمْ،

If you are at ease you engage in (conceited) conversation,

وَإنْ حُورِبْتُمْ خُرْتُمْ،

but if you are faced with battle you show weakness.

وَإنِ اجْتَمَعَ النَّاسُ عَلَى إمَام طَعَنْتُمْ،

If people agree on one Imam you taunt them.

وَإنْ أُجِبْتُمْ إلَى مُشَاقَّة نَكَصْتُمْ.

If you are faced with an arduous matter you turn away from it.

لاَ أَبَا لِغَيْرِكُمْ!

May others have no father (woe to your enemy!)

مَا تَنْتَظِرُونَ بِنَصْرِكُمْ وَالْجِهَادِ عَلَى حَقِّكُمْ؟

what are you waiting for in the matter of your assistance and for fighting for your rights?

الْمَوْتَ أَوِ الذُّلَّ لَكُمْ؟

For you there is either death or disgrace.

فَوَاللهِ لَئِنْ جَاءَ يَوْمِي ـ

By Allah, if my day (of death) comes.

وَلَيَأْتِيَنِّي ـ

and it is sure to come,

لَيُفَرِّقَنَّ بَيْني وَبَيْنَكُمْ

it will cause separation between me and you

وَأَنا لِصُحْبَتِكُمْ قَال، وَبِكُمْ غَيْرُ كَثِير.

while I am sick of your company and feel alone although I am with you.

لله أَنْتُمْ! أمَا دِينٌ يَجْمَعُكُمْ!

May Allah deal with you! Is there no religion which may unite you

وَلاَ مَحْمِيّةٌ تَشْحَذُكُمْ !

or sense of shamefulness that may sharpen you?

أَوَلَيْسَ عَجَباً أَنَّ مُعَاوِيَةَ يَدْعُو الْجُفَاةَ الطَّغَامَ

Is it not strange that Mu’awiyah calls out to some rude low people

فَيَتَّبِعُونَهُ عَلَى غَيْرِ مَعُونَة وَلاَ عَطَاء،

and they follow him without any support or grant,

وَأَنَا أَدْعُوكُمْ ـ

but when I call you,

وَأَنْتُمْ تَرِيكَةُ الاْسْلاَمِ، وَبَقِيَّةُ النَّاسِ ـ

although you are the successors of Islam and the (worthy) survivors of the people,

إلَى الْمَعُونَةِ أَوطَائِفَة مِنَ الْعَطَاءِ،

with support and distributed grants

فَتَفَرَّقُونَ عَنِّي وَتَخْتَلِفُونَ عَلَيَّ؟

you scatter away from me and oppose me?

إِنَّهُ لاَ يَخْرُجُ إِلَيْكُمْ مِنْ أَمْرِي رِضىً فَتَرْضَوْنَهُ،

Truly, there is nothing between me to you which I like and you also like it,

وَلاَ سُخْطٌ فَتَجْتَمِعُونَ عَلَيْهِ،

or with which I am angry and you may also unite against it.

وَإنَّ أَحَبَّ مَا أَنَا لاَق إِلَيَّ الْمَوْتُ!

What I love most is death.

قَدْ دَارَسْتُكُمُ الْكِتَابَ،

I have taught you the Qur'an,

وَفَاتَحْتُكُمُ الْحِجَاجَ،

clarified to you arguments,

وَعَرَّفْتُكُمْ مَا أَنْكَرْتُمْ،

apprised you of what you were ignorant

وَسَوَّغْتُكُمْ مَا مَجَجْتُمْ،

and made you swallow what you were spitting out.

لَوْ كَانَ الاْعْمَى يَلْحَظُ،

Even a blind man would have been able to see,

أَوِ النَّائِمُ يَسْتَيْقِظُ!

and he who was sleeping would have been awakened.

وَأَقْرِبْ بِقَوْم مِنَ الْجَهْلِ بِاللهِ قَائِدُهُمْ مُعَاوِيَةُ!

How ignorant of Allah is their leader Mu’awiyah

وَمُؤَدِّبُهُمُ ابْنُ النَّابِغَةِ!

and their instructor Ibn an-Nabighah! (1)

 

Alternative Sources for Sermon 180: Al-Thaqafi, al-Gharat, I, 291; al-Tabari, Ta'rikh, VI, 60, events of 38 H.; Ibn al-'Athir, al-Nihayah, I, 188 (t.r.k).

 

1. "an-Nabighah" is the surname of Layla bint Harmalah al-`Anaziyyah, mother of `Amr ibn al-`As. The reason for attributing him to his mother is her common reputation in the matter. When Arwa bint al-Harith ibn `Abd al-Muttalib went to Mu`awiyah, during the conversation, when `Amr ibn al-`As intervened, she said to him: "O' son of an-Nabighah, you too dare speak, although your mother was known publicly and was a singer of Mecca. That is why five persons claimed you (as a son), and when she was asked she admitted that five people had visited her and that you should be regarded as the son of him you resembled most. You must have resembled al-`As ibn Wa'il and therefore you came to be known as his son." These five persons were (1) al-`As ibn Wa'il, (2) Abu Lahab, (3) Umayyah ibn Khalaf, (4) Hisham ibn al-Mughirah, and (5) Abu Sufyan ibn Harb. (Ibn `Abd Rabbih, al-`lqd al-farid, vol. 2, p. 120; Ibn Tayfur, Balaghat an-nisa', p. 27; Ibn Hijjah, Thamarat al-awraq, vol. 1, p. 132; Safwat, Jamharat khutab al-`Arab, vol. 2, p.363; Ibn Abi'l-Hadid, vol. 6, pp. 283-285, 291; al-Halabi, as-Sirah vol. 1, p. 46).