SERMON 69 and 70

وقال(عليه السلام)
في سُحرة  اليوم الذي ضرب فيه

مَلَكَتْنِي عَيْنِي  وَأَنَا جَالِسٌ، فَسَنَحَ لي رَسُولُ اللهِ(صلى الله عليه وآله) : يَا رَسُولَ اللهِ، مَاذَا لَقِيتُ مِنْ أُمَّتِكَ مِنَ الاَْوَدِ وَاللَّدَدِ؟ فَقَالَ: «ادْعُ عَلَيْهِمْ»، فَقُلْتُ: أَبْدَلَنِي اللهُ بِهمْ خَيْراً لي مِنْهُمْ، وَأَبْدَلَهُمْ بِي شَرّاً لَهُمْ مِنِّي.

يعني(عليه السلام) بالاود: الاعوجاج، وباللدد: الخصام. وهذا من أفصح الكلام.

SERMON 69
 

Spoken on the morning of the day when Amir al-mu’minin was fatally struck with sword.
 

I was sitting when sleep overtook me. I saw the Prophet of Allah appear before me, and I said: “O’ Prophet of Allah ! what crookedness and enmity I had to face from the people.
 

” The prophet of Allah said: “Invoke (Allah) evil upon them,” but I said, “Allah may change them for me with better ones and change me for them with a worse one.
 

as-Sayyid ar-Radi says: “al-awad” means crookedness and “al-ladad” means enmity, and this is the most eloquent expression.

ومن كلام له (عليه السلام)
في ذم أَهل العراق

[وفيها يوبّخهم على ترك القتال، والنصر يكاد يتمّ، ثم تكذيبهم له]

أَمَّا بَعْدُ يَا أَهْلَ الْعِرَاقِ، فَإِنَّمَا أَنْتُمْ كَالْمَرْأَةِ الْحَامِلِ، حَمَلَتْ فَلَمَّا أَتَمَّتْ أَمْلَصَتْ ، وَمَاتَ قَيِّمُهَا ، وَطَالَ تَأَيُّمُهَا ، وَوَرِثَهَا أَبْعَدُهَا.

أَمَا وَاللهِ مَا أَتَيْتُكُمُ اخْتِيَاراً، وَلكِنْ جَئْتُ إِلَيْكُمْ سَوْقاً، وَلَقَدْ بَلَغَنِي أَنَّكُمْ تَقُولُونَ: [عَليٌّ ]يَكْذِبُ، قَاتَلَكُمُ اللهُ! فَعَلَى مَنْ أَكْذِبُ؟ أَعَلَى اللهِ؟ فَأَنَا أَوَّلُ مَنْ آمَنَ بِهِ! أَمْ عَلَى نَبِيِّهِ؟ فَأَنَا أَوَّلُ مَنْ صَدَّقَهُ! كَلاَّ وَاللهِ، ولكِنَّهَا لَهْجَةٌ غِبْتُمْ عَنْهَا، وَلَمْ تَكُونُوا مِنْ أَهْلِهَا، وَيْلُ امِّهِ ، كَيْلاً بِغَيْرِ ثَمَن! لَوْ كَانَ لَهُ وِعَاءٌ، (وَلَتَعْلَمُنَّ نَبَأَهُ بَعْدَ حِين).

 
SERMON 70
In condemnation of the people of Iraq
Now then, O ‘ people(1) of Iraq! You are like the pregnant woman who, on completion of the period of pregnancy delivers a dead child and her husband is also dead and her period of widowhood is long while only remote relation inherits her. By Allah, I did not come to you of my own accord. I came to you by force of circumstances. I have come to know that you say `Ali speaks lie. May Allah fight you! Against whom do I speak lie? Whether against Allah? But I am the first to have believed in him.

Whether against His Prophet? But I am the first who testified to him. Certainly not. By Allah it was a way of expression which you failed to appreciate, and you were not capable of it. Woe to you. I am giving out these measures of nice expression free of any cost. 

I wish there were vessels good enough to hold them.Certainly, you will understand it after some time. (Qur’an, 38:88)

(1). When after Arbitration the Iraqis displayed lethargy and heartlessness in retaliating the continuous attacks of Mu`awiyah, Amir al-mu’minin delivered this sermon abusing and admonishing them. Herein he has referred to their being deceived at Siffin and has likened them to a woman who has five qualities:
i)
Firstly, she is pregnant. This implies that these people had full capability to fight, and were not like a barren woman from whom nothing is expected
ii)
Secondly, she has completed the period of pregnancy. That is they had passed over all difficult stages and had approached near the final goal of victory.
iii)
Thirdly, she wilfully miscarries her child. That is after coming close to victory they came down to settlement and instead of achieving the coveted goal faced disappointment.
iv)
Fourthly, her period of widowhood is long. That is they fell in such a state as though they had no protector or patron and they were roaming about without any ruler.
v)
Fifthly, her successors would be distant persons. That is the people of Syria who had no relationship with them would occupy their properties.

Do you commit two thousand five hundred sins or good deeds in one day?

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Hadith number 1:

The people said,

“O Allah’s Apostle (salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam)! The rich people have got the highest degrees of prestige and the permanent pleasures (in this life and the life to come in the Hereafter).”

He said,

“How is that?”

They said,

“The rich pray as we pray, and strive in Allah’s Cause as we do, and spend from their surplus wealth in charity, while we have no wealth (to spend likewise).”

He said,

“Shall I not tell you a thing, by doing which, you will catch up with those who are ahead of you and supersede those who will come after you; and nobody will be able to do such a good deed as you do except the one who does the same (deed as you do). That deed is to recite subhana Llah ten times, and al-Hamdu li Llah ten times, and Allahu Akbar ten times after every prayer.” – Narrated Abu Huraira (radi Allahu ‘anhu) – Volume 8, Book 75, Number 341

Hadith number 2:

One day Sayyiduna ‘Ali radi Allahu ‘anhu asked her to go to her father and ask for a servant. Sayyidah Fatimah radi Allahu ‘anha came to the Holy Prophet salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam. The Holy Prophet salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam said:

 “Shall I not tell you of something better than that which you asked of me? I am telling you the words, which Jibra’il ‘alayhi sallam has told me. You should say subhana Llah  33 times, al-hamdu li Llah 33 times and Allahu Akbar 34 times.”  – [Sahih al-Bukhari, Hadith 5362]

1) After each of the (five) prayers, say tasbih (subhana Llah) ten times, tahmid (al-hamdu li Llah) ten times, and takbir (Allahu Akbar) ten times. This makes one hundred fifty (150) (daily extolments) by tongue, and one thousand five hundred (1500) (good deeds) in the scale. 

2) Upon going to bed say tasbih (subhana Llah) thirty times , tahmid (al-hamdu li Llah) & takbir (Allahu Akbar) thirty four times. This makes one hundred (100) (extolments) by tongue, and one thousand (1000) (good deeds) in the scale.