وَمِنۡ خُطۡبَةٍ [في بعض النسخ: كَلَامٍ] لَهُ عَلَيۡهِ السَّلَامُ
From one of his sermons
وَفِيهِ بَيَانٌ لِمَا يَخۡرُبُ الۡعَالَمُ بِهِ مِنَ الۡفِتَنِ وَبَيَانُ هَذِهِ الۡفِتَنِ
إِنَّمَا بَدۡءُ وُقُوعِ الۡفِتَنِ أَهۡوَاءٌ تُتَّبَعُ، وَأَحۡكَامٌ تُبۡتَدَعُ، يُخَالَفُ فِيهَا كِتابُ اللهِ، وَيَتَوَلَّى عَلَيۡهَا رِجَالٌ رِجَالًا، عَلَى غَيۡرِ دِينِ اللهِ، فَلَوۡ أَنَّ الۡبَاطِلَ خَلَصَ مِنۡ مِزَاجِ الۡحَقِّ لَمۡ يَخۡفَ عَلَى الۡمُرۡتَادِينَ، وَلَوۡ أَنَّ الۡحقَّ خَلَصَ مِنۡ لَبۡسِ الۡبَاطِلِ انۡقَطَعَتۡ عَنۡهُ أَلۡسُنُ الۡمُعَانِدِينَ؛ وَلكِن يُؤۡخَذُ مِنۡ هَذَا ضِغۡثٌ، وَمِنۡ هَذَا ضِغۡثٌ، فَيُمۡزَجَانِ! فَهُنَالِكَ يَسۡتَوۡلِي الشَّيۡطَانُ عَلَى أَوۡلِيَائِهِ، وَيَنۡجُو الَّذِينَ سَبَقَتۡ لَهُمۡ مِنَ اللهِ الۡحُسۡنَى.
The basis of the occurrence of evils are those desires which are acted upon, and the orders that are innovated. They are against the Book of Allāh. People cooperate with each other about them, even though it is against the Religion of Allāh. If wrong had been pure and unmixed, it would not be hidden from those who are in search of it. And if right had been pure, without admixture of wrong, those who bear hatred towards it would have been silenced. What is, however, done is that something is taken from here and something from there, and the two are mixed! At this stage, Satan overpowers his friends, and they alone escape for whom virtue has been apportioned by Allāh from before.
