Translation: Aboo Aamir Ishaaq b. AbdirRaheem
The chief-of-the-believers never surrendered to misfortunes, tardiness and effeteness. He had before then made a great effort to raise the morale of his forces using all what he had been endowed with in terms of knowledge, proof, eloquence and explanation. His popular emotional sermons – which he was known for – are regarded as great relics of knowledge. He never gave those sermons from emptiness nor deceptiveness rather he made them from his bitter gulps and the immediate pain that was confronting him.
Among such sermons which he delivered when it seemed that he was losing grounds was the one that went as thus:
'To proceed, indeed Jihaad is one of the doors leading to Jannah; Allâh would open it for His elect, it is the garment of piety and Allah's protective shield and strong protection. Whoever abandons it, as result of hatred of it, Allâh will robe him with cloth of humiliation and will make misfortune be his lot, he will be stained with the thoughts of the little ones and cretinism, will have seals over his heart and will be made not to see the truth; all these due to his taking Jihaad with a levity hand. He will also be subjected to untold subjugation and humiliation and will be forbidden from justice. Nay, I have called you to fighting these people, day and night (I have made the call), in secret and in the open. I said to you: Fight them before they come to fight you. By Allâh, a people will not be fought in the midst of their homes except that they will be humiliated; but many of you feigned reliance and you shuddered from (Jihaad) until the enemy could carry out raids against you and could take over the entire place from you. This is a brother from the clan of Ghaamid, his horses could reach east of the Euphrates. Hassaan Al-Bakree had been killed and your horses have been removed from their battle fronts. It has come to me that one of those people would enter upon a Muslim woman and another woman under the Muslim care, and he would remove her anklet, necklaces, bracelets, and earrings; she would not be able to stop him except with the statement of innaa lillahi wa innaa ilaihi raajiuun ('we are from Allâh and to Him we shall return') and an appeal for mercy from Allâh. The men would go away with their booties with full hands. None of the men would suffer a blow nor would have his blood shed. If a Muslim man were to die after this, what a pity that he would be more entitled to blames, in fact that will be more deserving with me. Alas! By Allâh, the heart is dying and there is determination from the gathering of these people over their falsehood while you are differing with regard to your right, therefore shame and poverty on you, in that you have made yourselves targets of arrows; raids are carried out against you and you cannot retaliate; you are being fought and you cannot fight back. Allâh is being disobeyed and you are happy. Whenever I command you to go forth against them in the hot season, you will reply by saying 'the heat is scorching, give us respite till the heat will subside.' And when I command you to go forth against them in the winter, you will say: 'The cold is severe, give us respite until the cold will reduce.' You say all this so as to flee from the heat and cold. But if you flee from heat and cold then it is indeed from the swords that you flee, O people like men but who are not men, who have the feelings of kids and intellect of maidens who tend the houses. I had wished if I had not seen and known you. By Allâh, my knowing you have become a regret for me and a source of misfortune. May Allâh destroy you; you have indeed filled my hearts with vomits and have made my chest be filled with anger, you have made me to gulp evils as breaths, you have corrupted my sensibility with your disobedience and let-down such that the Quraysh have said: 'Indeed the son of Abu Taalib is a brave man but does not have the skill of fighting a war…may Allâh take their father to account; does any of them have better experience than I do? And have an edge over me on it? Indeed, I began to fight (in wars) while I was less than twenty. And here I am, I have come over sixty but (the actual thing is that) there is no skill for he who is not obeyed.'' [See: Al-Bayaan wa At-Tabyeen Lil-Jaahidh (p.238-239).]
Indeed this sermon was a like a mound of fire which the commander-of-the-believers, Alee, was heaping on the heads of those people; those who hindered him from reaping the fruit of his Jihaad and prevented him from the actualization of the victory which he strove for. He used the literary methods to make home his points; making use of it to whip up sentiments and using its wordings to incite the hearts, he was far from ambiguities and concealment, just as the sermon was free from rhymes and verbal constructions.
Indeed the sermons that have come authoritatively from Alee, the commander-of-the-believers, may Allâh be pleased with him, I mean those sermons that discuss the issues of his caliphacy reflect the historical picture which transcends the apparent description, (which were made) to reflect the feelings of the commander-of-the-believers with respect to what he faced from his forces in terms of effeteness after the Battle of Nahrawaan.
But most of the sermons that are ascribed to him are not authentic. A number of scholars say that the bulk of the sermons of Alee in (a book called) Nahju-Balaaghah are makings and fabrications of a fellow called Ash-Shareef Ar-Ridaa thus there is a need to make use of the scientific method of actualizing reports when going over those sermons; that is, when considering their historical sources.
That is that. From another perspective, Alee, may Allâh be pleased with him, began to say positive things about his associates such as their excellent character and high status in Islam. A number of persons brought the report to us that Alee, may Allâh be pleased with him, beseeched the people at Rahbah if any of them heard the Messenger of Allâh (sallallâhu alayhi wa sallam) say on the day of Ghadeer-Khum:
'Don't you know that I am closer to the believers than themselves?'
They (the people with the Prophet (sallallâhu alayhi wa sallam)) replied: 'Yes, we know.'
Then he (sallallâhu alayhi wa sallam) said:
'Whoever I am his ally then Alee is his ally; O Allâh, take as a friend whoever takes him as a friend and take as an enemy whoever takes him as an enemy.'
(After Alee, may allaah be pleased with him, beseeched them whether they heard that), about twelve men stood up to testify that they heard the Prophet (sallallâhu alayhi wa sallam) say it. In another report, the people that testified were about sixteen men. They all bore the testimony over that (that they heard the Messenger of Allâh (sallallâhu alayhi wa sallam) say that). [See Fadaail Saahaabah (2/705), its chain is authentic.]
This reminds us of Uthmaan – may Allâh be pleased with him – when he was seeking testimony from the Companions over his excellence and virtues when the rebels came to him; it was as if he was saying:
'Is somebody whose act and service to Islam is like this worthy of being rewarded this way?'
He said that due to the opposite thing that was occurring to him.
In spite of all these pleas, attempts and efforts, he (Alee, may Allâh be pleased with him) could not achieve what he intended, for he could not wage a war against Syria because of the rift and hesitation occurring within the ranks of his forces; so also their different views and appearance of desires (on part of some).
Thus (due to all this), the commander-of-the-believers, Alee, may Allâh be pleased with him, was constrained, in year forty of the Hijrah, to agree with Muawiyah that Iraq would be for him (Alee) and Syria for him (Muawiyah), and that none of them would attack the other in his work with other's army nor would raids be carried out nor actual war. [Khilaafah Alee bn Abee Taalib, Abdul-Hameed (p.356).]
At-Taabaree said in his Taarikh: In year Forty Hijrah, there was an armistice between Alee and Muawiyah after much exchange of correspondence whose length of time may be difficult to state; the armistice was aimed at stopping the war going on between them, that Iraq would be for alee and Syria for Muawiyah, that none would enter upon each other in his work with other's army, nor would raids be carried out (against each other) nor actual act of war. [Taarikh At-Tabaree (6-56).]
