Maulana Ali’s (‘AS) Sermon Of Dibadge

All praise is due to Allah the Maker of the creatures, the Creator of mornings, the Enlivener of the dead, and the Resurrector of the inhabitants of graves. I declare there is no god but Allah uniquely without any associate, and Muhammad is His slave and apostle, peace be upon him and his family.

O servants of God, the best means by which seekers of nearness to Allah the Glorified the Exalted seek nearness is the belief in Him and His Prophet and what they brought, fighting in His cause, for it is the high pinnacle of Islam, and (to believe) in the expression of Divine purification for it is just nature and the establishment of prayer for it is the basis of community, payment of zakat for it is a compulsory obligation, fasting for the month of Ramadan for it is the shield against chastisement, the performance of Hajj of the House of Allah and its Umrah for these two acts banish poverty and wash away sins and imply Paradise, regard for kinship for it increases wealth and length of life and multiplication of numbers, to giving alms secretly for it covers shortcomings and extinguishes the Lord’s wrath, giving alms openly for it protects against a bad death and extending benefits (to people) for it saves from positions of disgrace.

Go ahead with the remembrance of Allah for it is the best remembrance security from hypocrisy, release from Hell, reminding of its sayer whenever there is a distribution of welfare that God the Majestic decides. It has a boom under the Divine Throne. Long for that which God has promised to the pious, for His promise is the truest promise. Whatever He has promised will inevitably fall as exactly as He has promised. Tread the course of the Rasulullah (SAW) for it is the most distinguished course. Follow the Sunna of the Prophet for it is the most right of all behaviors. Learn the Book of God, the Qur’an, for it is the fairest of discourses and the most far-reaching admonition, and understand it thoroughly for it is the best blossoming of hearts. Seek cure with its light for it is the cure for hearts. Recite it beautifully for it is the most beautiful narration.

Whenever the Qur’an is recited (to you), listen to it quietly so that you may receive mercy. (7:204).

If you are guided to its knowledge, you should apply what you know of it so that you may be successful. You should know, O servant of God, certainly a scholar who acts not according to his knowledge is like the off-headed ignorant who does not find relief from his ignorance, but on the learned the plea of Allah is greater and grief more incumbent, and he is more blameworthy before Allah. However, both the ignorant and the learnt are perplexed, negligent, deviant, engaged in sedition, having ill consequence, and encountering void practices.

O servants of God, do not hesitate so that you will not suspect. Do not suspect so that you will not disbelieve. Do not disbelieve so that you will not be regret. Do not be forbearing with your-selves so that you will not overlook excessively and, consequently, you will perish as your mild-ness towards things will misguide you to the courses of the wrongdoers. If you realize the right, you should never disregard it so that you will not suffer a clear loss.

O servants of God, it is a part of determination to fear God, and it is firm to avoid exceeding the limits of depending upon God.

O servants of God, the most self-sincere is the most submissive to God, and the most self-deceitful is the most rebellious to God.

O servants of God, certainly he who obeys God will be secured and delighted, and whoever dis-obeys will be disappointed, regretful, and unsafe.

O servants of God, ask God for conviction, for it is the head of the religion, and beseech to Him for good health for it is surely the best grace; therefore, seize it for settling your worldly and religious affairs. Beseech to Him for success for it is a firm pillar. Know that conviction is the best comrade of the heart. God-fearing is the best of conviction. The best affairs of the right are the determined, and the evilest of it are the most recent. Every recent change is heresy, and every heresy is deviation. Heresies ruin the Sunna.

The true unlucky is that who maltreats his religion, while the lucky is that whose religion is steady and conviction is sound. The true happy is that who learns lessons from others. The true unhappy is that whose whims cheat him.

O servants of God, know that little showing off is polytheism. Conviction is the sincerity of doing. Passions lead to Hell. Sitting with people of evil amusement causes the Qur’an to be forgot-ten and invites Shaytan. Postponement of the sacred months is an increase of atheism. Acts of disobedience to God bring about the wrath of the Beneficent. The wrath of the Beneficent drives to Hell. Conversation with women causes misfortunes and deviates the hearts. Secret gazing at women extinguishes the illuminations of the hearts. Glimpse of eyes are the traps of Shaytan. Sitting with the unjust rulers kindles the fires of Hell.

O servants of God, be honest, because God is certainly with the honest, and avoid speaking lies because this is the opposite of faith. The honest is lying on the honor of safety and dignity, while the liars are lying on the edge of deep holes and perdition. Say the right so that you will be ascribed to it and practice it so that you will be with its people. Return the deposits of everybody so properly. Regard your kinship even if your kinsmen disregard you. Do favors to those who maltreated you. Fulfill your pledges. Be fair when you are arbiters. Be tolerant when you are op-pressed. Pardon and overlook him who wronged you as same as you desire to be pardoned and overlooked. Do not take pride in your fathers.

Let not anyone of you defame another. How terrible is the defamation after having true faith. (49:11).

Do not mock each other, do not enrage each other, and do not take pride against each other in your affairs.

Do not backbite each other. Would any of you like to eat the disgusting dead flesh of your brother? (49:12).

Do not envy each other, for envy consumes the faith like fire when consumes wood. Do not bear malice against each other, because malice is the shaver of the good attributes. Meet people with salaams. Respond others’ greetings in a way better than its addressing. Treat the widows and the orphans mercifully. Help the weak, the oppressed, the indebted, in God’s cause, the wayfarer, the beggar, the slave, the contractee slave, and the poor. Support the oppressed ones, defray the obligatory taxes, and strive yourselves for God’s sake so suitably for God is surely harsh in punishment. Strive for God’s sake, receive the guests hospitably, perform the ritual ablution properly, and offer the five obligatory prayers in their times because they occupy a remarkable standing with God.

Good deeds performed on one’s own initiative will be rewarded. (2:184).

God is All-knowing and Fully Appreciative. (2:158).

Co-operate with each other in righteousness and piety, not in sin and hostility. (5:2).

Have fear of God as you should and die only as Muslims having submitted to the will of God. (3:102).

O servants of God, you should know that hope rescinds the mind, breaks the promise, urges on inadvertence, and causes regret. Disdain hope for it is deception and the adherents to it will be sinful. Act in situations of hope in the same way you act in situations of fear of God. You should thank when an act that you hope for comes to you, and add another hope to it, because God has promised the Muslims of good rewarding and promised to multiply for the thankful. I have surely not seen a coveter for Paradise asleep nor have I seen a dreader from Hell to be asleep.

I have not seen a thing more profitable than saving supplies for the day on which the hidden will be revealed. He whom right does not benefit must suffer the harm of the wrong, and he whom guidance does not keep firm will be led away by misguidance towards destruction, and he whom conviction does not benefit must suffer doubt. Beware, you have been ordered insistently to march and been guided how to provide for the journey. Surely, the most frightening thing, which I am afraid of about you, is to follow desires and to widen the hopes.

So now, surely this world has turned its back and announced its departure while the next world has appeared forward and proclaimed its approach. Today is the day of preparation while tomorrow is the day of race. The place to proceed to is Paradise while the place of doom is Hell. Surely, you are in the days of hopes behind which stands hastening death. Whoever acts during the days of his hope before approach of his death, his action would benefit him and his death would not harm him. But he who fails to act during the period of hope before the approach of death his action is a loss and his death is harm to him.

O servants of God, hurry up to erect the pillars of your religion through offering the obligatory prayers in their times, defraying the zakat in its proper times, invocation and submission to God, regard of the kinship, fear of the day to come, giving the beggars, showing respect to the weak, learning and applying the Qur’an with its instructions, telling truth only, fulfilling the pledges, and keeping the deposits till you give them back to their owners.

Work desirably for obtaining God’s reward, and fear His chastisement. Offer your wealth and souls for God’s sake. Equip yourselves with effects as many as saving you. Do the good so that you will be rewarded with it on the day when the doers of good will win the good. As I come to the end, I seek God’s forgiveness for you and me.

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