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Sermon of Imam Ali (a) from Nahjul
Balagha
(Sermon 83)
( Known as "al-Gharra", this is an eloquent commentary about
this world and the Here After )
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.
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')
Footnotes by translator:
[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.
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