فَإِنَّ تَقْوَى اللهِ مِفْتَاحُ سَدَاد،
Certainly, fear of Allah is the key to guidance,
وَذَخِيرَةُ مَعَاد،
provision for the next world,
وَعِتْقٌ منْ كلِّ مَلَكَة،
freedom from every slavery
وَنَجَاةٌ مِنْ كلِّ هَلَكَة،
and deliverance from all ruin.
بِهَا يَنْجَحُ الطَّالِبُ،
With its help the seeker succeeds
وَيَنْجُوا الْهَارِبُ،
and he who makes for safety escapes
وَتُنَالُ الرَّغَائِبُ.
and achieves his aims.
فَاعْمَلُوا وَالْعَمَلُ يُرْفَعُ،
Perform (good) acts while such acts are being raised (up to Allah),
وَالتَّوْبَةُ تَنْفَعُ،
while repentance can be of benefit,
وَالدُّعَاءُ يُسْمَعُ،
prayer can be heard,
وَالْحَالُ هَادِئَةٌ،
conditions are peaceful
وَالاْقْلامُ جَارِيَةٌ.
and the pens (of the two angels) are in motion (to record the actions).
وَبَادِرُوا بِالاْعْمَالِ عُمُراً نَاكسِاً،
Hasten towards (virtuous) actions before the change of age (to oldness),
أَوْ مَرَضاً حَابِساً، أَوْ مَوْتاً خَالِساً،
lingering illness or snatching death (overtakes you).
فَإِنَّ الْمَوْتَ هَادِمُ لَذَّاتِكُمْ،
Certainly, death will end your enjoyments,
وَمُكَدِّرُ شَهَوَاتِكُمْ،
mar your pleasures
وَمُبَاعِدُ طِيَّاتِكُمْ،
and remove your objectives.
زَائِرٌ غَيْرُ مَحْبُوب،
It is an unwanted visitor,
وَقِرْنٌ غَيْرُ مَغْلُوب،
an invincible adversary
وَوَاترٌ غَيْرُ مَطْلُوب،
and an unaccounting killer.
قَدْ أَعْلَقَتْكُمْ حَبَائِلُهُ،
Its ropes have entrapped you,
وَتَكَنَّفَتْكُمْ غَوَائِلُهُ،
its evils have surrounded you,
وَأَقْصَدَتْكُمْ مَعَابِلُهُ،
its arrowheads have aimed at you,
وَعَظُمَتْ فِيكُمْ سَطْوَتُهُ،
its sway over you is great,
وَتَتَابَعَتْ عَلَيْكُمْ عَدْوَتُهُ،
its oppression on you is continuous
وَقَلَّتْ عَنْكُمْ نَبْوَتُهُ.
and the chance of its missing you is remote.
فَيُوشِكُ أَنْ تَغْشَاكُمْ دَوَاجِى ظُلَلِهِ،
Very soon you will be overwhelmed with the gloom of its shades,
وَاحْتِدَامُ عِلَلِهِ،
the severity of its illness,
وَحَنَادِسُ غَمَرَاتِهِ،
the darkness of its distresses,
وَغَوَاشِي سَكَرَاتِهِ،
the nonsense utterances of its pangs,
وَأَلِيمُ إِرْهَاقِهِ،
the grief of its destruction,
وَدُجُوُّ أَطْبَاقِهِ،
the darkness of its encompassment
وَجُشُوبَةُ مَذَاقِهِ;
and the unwholesomeness of its taste.
فَكَأَنْ قَدْ أَتْاكُمْ بَغْتَةً
It will seem as if it has come to you all of a sudden,
فَأَسْكَتَ نَجِيَّكُمْ،
silenced those who were whispering to you,
وَفَرَّقَ نَدِيَّكُمْ،
separated your group,
وَعَفَّى آثَارَكُمْ،
destroyed your doings,
وَعَطَّلَ دِيَارَكُمْ،
devastated your houses
وَبَعَثَ وُرَّاثَكُمْ،
and altered your successors
يَقْتَسِمُونَ تُرَاثَكُمْ،
to distribute your estate among the chief relatives,
بَيْنَ حَمِيم خَاصٍّ لَمْ يَنْفَعْ،
who did not give you any benefit,
وَقَرِيب مَحْزُون لَمْ يَمْنَعْ،
or the grieved near ones who could not protect (you),
وَآخَرَ شَامِت لَمْ يَجْزَعْ.
or those rejoicers who did not lament (you).
فَعَلَيْكُمْ بِالْجِدِّ وَالاجْتِهَادِ،
Therefore, it is upon you to strive, make effort,
وَالتَّأَهُّبِ وَالاسْتِعْدَادِ،
equip yourself, get ready
وَالتَّزَوُّدِ فِي مَنْزِلِ الزَّادِ.
and provide yourself from the place of provision.
وَلاَ تَغُرَّنَّكُمُ الدُّنْيَا
And let not the life of this world deceive you
كَمَا غَرَّتْ مَنْ كَانَ قَبْلَكُمْ مِنَ الاْمَمِ الْمَاضِيَةِ،
as it deceived those before you among the past people
وَالْقُرُونِ الْخَالِيَةِ،
and by-gone periods –
الَّذِينَ احْتَلَبُوا دِرَّتَهَا،
those who extracted its milk,
وَأصَابُوا غِرَّتَهَا،
benefited from its neglectfulness,
وَأَفْنَوْا عِدَّتَهَا،
passed a long time
وَأَخْلَقُوا جِدَّتَهَا،
and turned its new things into old (by living long).
أَصْبَحَتْ مَسَاكِنُهُمْ أَجْدَاثاً،
Their abodes turned into graves
وَأَمْوَالُهُمْ مِيرَاثاً،
and their wealth into inheritable estate.
لاَ يَعْرِفُونَ مَنْ أَتَاهُمْ،
They do not know who came to them (at their graves);
وَلاَ يَحْفِلُونَ مَنْ بَكَاهُمْ،
do not pay heed to those who weep over them,
وَلاَ يُجِيبُونَ مَنْ دَعَاهُمْ.
and do not respond to those who call them.
فَاحْذَرُوا الدُّنْيَا فَإِنَّهَا غَرَّارَةٌ خَدُوعٌ،
Therefore, beware of this world as it is treacherous, deceitful and cheating,
مُعْطِيَةٌ مَنُوعٌ،
it gives and takes back,
مُلْبِسَةٌ نَزُوعٌ،
covers with clothes and uncovers.
لاَ يَدُومُ رَخَاؤُهَا،
Its pleasure does not last,
وَلاَ يَنْقَضِي عَنَاؤُهَا،
its hardship does not end
وَلاَ يَرْكُدُ بَلاَؤُهَا.
and its calamity does not stop.
منها: في صفة الزّهاد
A part of the same sermon about ascetics
كَانُوا قَوْماً مِنْ أَهْلِ الدُّنْيَا وَلَيْسُوا مِنْ أَهْلِهَا،
They are from among the people of this world but are not its people,
فَكَانُوا فِيهَا كَمَنْ لَيْسَ مِنْهَا،
because they remain in it as though they do not belong to it.
عَمِلُوا فِيهَا بَمَا يُبْصِرُونَ،
They act herein on what they observe
وَبَادَرُوا فِيهَا مَا يَحْذَرُونَ،
and hasten here in (to avoid) what they fear.
تَقَلَّبُ أَبْدَانُهُمْ بَيْنَ ظَهْرَانَيْ أَهْلِ الاْخِرَةِ،
Their bodies move among the people of the next world.
يَرَوْنَ أَهْلَ الدُّنْيَا يُعَظِّمُونَ مَوْتَ أَجْسَادِهِمْ
They see that the people of this world attach importance to the death of their bodies
وَهُمْ أَشدُّ إِعْظَاماً لِمَوْتِ قُلُوبِ أَحْيَائِهِمْ.
but they themselves attach more importance to the death of the hearts of those who are living.
Alternative Sources for Sermon 229: Ibn al-'Athir, al-Nihayah, I, 355, II, 61, 103, III, 174; al-'Amidi, Ghurar, 112, 148, 213.
