وَمِنۡ خُطۡبَةٍ لَهُ عَلَيۡهِ السَّلَامُ
From one of his sermons
عِنۡدَ خُرُوۡجِهِ لِقِتَالِ أَھۡلِ الۡبَصۡرَۃِ
At the time of setting out for the Battle of Jamal
وَفِيهَا حِكۡمَةُ مَبۡعَثِ الرُّسُلِ، ثُمَّ يَذۡكُرُ فَضۡلَهُ وَيَذُمُّ الۡخَارِجِينَ
قَالَ عَبۡدُ اللهِ بۡنُ عَبَّاسِ [في بعض النسخ: ابۡنُ الۡعَبَّاسِ] [في بعض النسخ: ... رضي الله عنه، أو: ... رحمه الله]: دَخَلۡتُ عَلَى أَمِيرِ الۡمُؤۡمِنِينَ عَلَيۡهِ السَّلَامُ [في بعض النسخ: صلوات الله عليه] بِذِي قَارٍ وَهُوَ يَخۡصِفُ نَعۡلَهُ، فَقَالَ لِي: مَا قِيمَةُ هَذَا النَّعۡلِ؟ فَقُلۡتُ: لَا قِيمَةَ لَهَا!
ʿAbdullāh ibn al-ʿAbbās says that when Amīr al-Muʾminīn set out for war with the people of Baṣrah, he came to his audience at Dhī Qār and saw that he was stitching his shoe. Then Amīr al-Muʾminīn said to me, “What is the price of this shoe?” I said, “It has no value now.”
فَقَالَ عَلَيۡهِ السَّلَامُ [في بعض النسخ: قَالَ]: وَاللهِ لَهِيَ أَحَبُّ إِلَيَّ مِنۡ إِمۡرَتِكُمۡ، إِلَّا أَنۡ أُقِيمَ حَقّاً، أَوۡ أَدۡفَعَ بَاطِلًا.
He then said, “By Allāh, it should have been dearer to me than ruling over you were it not for the fact that I establish right and ward off wrong.”
ثُمَّ خَرَجَ عَلَيۡهِ السَّلَامُ فَخَطَبَ النَّاسَ فَقَالَ عَلَيۡهِ السَّلَامُ:
Then he came out and spoke:
[حكمة بعثة النبي:] إنَّ اللهَ [في بعض النسخ: اللهَ سُبۡحَانَهُ] بَعَثَ مُحَمَّداً صَلَّى اللّٰهُ عَلَيۡهِ وَآلِهِ، وَلَيۡسَ أَحَدٌ مِنَ الۡعَرَبِ يَقۡرَأُ كِتَاباً، وَلَا يَدَّعِي نُبُوَّةً، فَسَاقَ النَّاسَ حَتَّى بَوَّأَهُمۡ مَحَلَّتَهُمۡ، وَبَلَّغَهُمۡ مَنۡجَاتَهُمۡ، فَاسۡتَقَامَتۡ قَنَاتُهُمۡ، وَاطۡمَأَنَّتۡ صِفَاتُهُمۡ.
Verily, Allāh sent Muḥammad (ṣ) when none among the Arabs read a book or claimed prophethood. He guided the people till he took them to their (correct) position and their salvation. So their spears (i.e. officers) became straight and their conditions settled down.
[فضل علي:] أَمَا وَاللهِ! إنۡ كُنۡتُ لَفِي سَاقَتِهَا حَتَّى تَوَلَّتۡ بِحَذَافِيرِهَا، مَا ضَعُفۡتُ [في بعض النسخ: عَجَزۡتُ]، وَلَا جَبُنۡتُ، وَإِنَّ مَسِيرِي هَذَا لِمِثۡلِهَا، فَلَأَنۡقُبَنَّ الۡبَاطِلَ حَتَّى يَخۡرُجَ الۡحَقُّ مِنۡ جَنۡبِهِ.
By Allāh, surely I was in their lead till it took shape with its walls. I did not show weakness or cowardice. My existing march is also like that. I shall certainly pierce the wrong till right comes out of its side.
[توبيخ الخارجين عليه:] مَا لِي وَلِقُرَيۡشٍ! وَاللهِ! لَقَدۡ قَاتَلۡتُهُمۡ كَافِرِينَ، وَلَأُقَاتِلَنَّهُمۡ مَفۡتُونِينَ، وَإِنِّي لَصَاحِبُهُمۡ بِالۡأَمۡسِ، كَمَا أَنَا صَاحِبُهُمُ الۡيَوۡمَ!
What (cause of conflict) is there between me and the Quraysh? By Allāh, I have fought them when they were unbelievers and I shall fight them when they have been misled. I shall be the same for them today as I was for them yesterday.
[وزاد في بعض النسخ:] وَاللّهِ مَا تَنۡقِمُ مِنَّا قُرَيۡشٌ إِلَّا أَنَّ اللّهَ اخۡتَارَنَا عَلَيۡهِمۡ، فَأَدۡخَلۡنَاهُمۡ فِي حَيِّزِنَا، فَكَانُوا كَمَا قَالَ الۡأَوَّلُ:
By Allāh, the Quraysh only take revenge against us because Allāh has given us (i.e. the Holy Prophet and his progeny) preference over them. So, we have allowed them into our domain, whereupon they have become as the former poet says:
أَدَمۡتَ لَعَمۡرِي شُرۡبَكَ الۡمَحۡضَ صَابِحاً *** وَأَكۡلَكَ بِالزُّبۡدِ الۡمُقَشَّرَةَ الۡبُجۡرَا
وَنَحۡنُ وَهَبۡنَاكَ الۡعَلَاءَ وَلَمۡ تَكُنۡ *** عَلِيّاً وَحُطۡنَا حَوۡلَكَ الۡجُرۡدَ وَالسُّمۡرَا
وَنَحۡنُ وَهَبۡنَاكَ الۡعَلَاءَ وَلَمۡ تَكُنۡ *** عَلِيّاً وَحُطۡنَا حَوۡلَكَ الۡجُرۡدَ وَالسُّمۡرَا
By my life, you continued drinking fresh milk every morning, And (continued) eating fine stoned dates with butter;
We have given you the nobility which you did not possess before; And surrounded (protected) you with thoroughbred horses and tawnycoloured spears (strong spears). [1]
We have given you the nobility which you did not possess before; And surrounded (protected) you with thoroughbred horses and tawnycoloured spears (strong spears). [1]
Notes:
[1] In fact, the aim of the poet here is to say that the condition of the addressee’s life, from the moral and material point of view, had been worse in the past, and that the poet and his tribe have given him the best means of leading their lives. But as the result of this improved condition, the addressee has completely lost himself and forgotten his past condition, and thinks that he had had this kind of life previously. Now, Amīr al-Muʾminīn wants to convey the same idea here to the Quraysh as Fāṭimah (s.a.), the holy daughter of the Holy Prophet, said in her speech on Fadak:
(O People) ... You were on the brink of the pit of Hell Fire (Qurʾān, 3:103). You were as worthless as the mouthful of water. You were minority like the handful greedy and a spark of the hasty. You were as down-trodden as the dust under feet. You drank dirty water. You ate untanned skin. You were abased and condemned. But Allāh has rescued you through my father, Muḥammad (ṣ) ...
[1] In fact, the aim of the poet here is to say that the condition of the addressee’s life, from the moral and material point of view, had been worse in the past, and that the poet and his tribe have given him the best means of leading their lives. But as the result of this improved condition, the addressee has completely lost himself and forgotten his past condition, and thinks that he had had this kind of life previously. Now, Amīr al-Muʾminīn wants to convey the same idea here to the Quraysh as Fāṭimah (s.a.), the holy daughter of the Holy Prophet, said in her speech on Fadak:
(O People) ... You were on the brink of the pit of Hell Fire (Qurʾān, 3:103). You were as worthless as the mouthful of water. You were minority like the handful greedy and a spark of the hasty. You were as down-trodden as the dust under feet. You drank dirty water. You ate untanned skin. You were abased and condemned. But Allāh has rescued you through my father, Muḥammad (ṣ) ...
