Pearl of Wisdom

returning from the Battle of Siffin, in answer to an old man who asked him about their journey to Syria: 'Is this fate or destiny?' said, 'By He who created the seed and made the human being, we have not gone through a valley or ascended a mountain without it being our fate and destiny.... You might think this to be imperative fate and inevitable destiny. If this were so then promise of reward (wa'd) and threat of penalty (wa'id), would cease to apply, and reward and punishment would become null. Allah would not blame the sinners, nor would He praise the good-doers. The benevolent would not be more worthy of reward for good deeds than the sinner, which is the belief of the idol worshippers.... and the Magians. However, Allah has commanded good by choice and forbidden evil by warning, and He is not disobeyed helplessly, nor obeyed forcefully or freely, and nor does He give man absolute control.'

Imam Ali ibn Abi Talib [as]
Ibid. no. 1560

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Library » Nahj ul Balagha » Sermons » About troubles which would arise and the Day of Judgement
About troubles which would arise and the Day of Judgement E-mail
Sermon 115 About troubles which would arise and the Day of Judgement

Allah deputised him (the Prophet) as a caller towards Truth and a witness over the creatures. The Prophet conveyed the messages of Allah without being lazy and without any short-coming, and he fought His enemies in the cause of Allah without being languid and without pleading excuses. He is the foremost of all who practise piety and the power of perception of all those who achieve guidance.

 

A part of the same sermon, complaining about his men

If you know what I know of the unknown that is kept wrapped up from you certainly you would have gone out into the open weeping over your deeds and beating yourselves in grief and you would have abandoned your properties without any guard for it or any substitute over it. Everyone would then have cared for his own self without paying attention to anyone else. But you have forgotten what was recalled to you and felt safe from what you had been warned. Consequently, your ideas went astray and your affairs were dispersed.

I do long that Allah may cause separation between me and you and give me those who have a better right to be with me than you. By Allah, they are people of blissful ideas, enduring wisdom and true speech. They keep aloof from revolt. They trod forward on the path (of Allah) and ran on the high road. Consequently, they achieved the everlasting next life and easeful honours.

Beware! by Allah, a tall lad of swinging gait from Banu Thaqif would be placed over you. He would eat away your vegetation and melt your fat. So, O' Aba Wadhahah, is that all?

 


as-Sayyid ar-Radi says: "al-Wadhahah" means "al-khunfusa' (dung-beetle)." In this sentence Amir al-mu'minin has referred to al-Hajjaj ibn Yusuf ath-Thaqafi and he had an incident with "al-Khunfusa '", which need not be related here.(1)

(1). The detail of this incident is that one day al-Hajjaj stood up for saying prayers when al-khunfusa' advanced towards him. al-Hajjaj held out his hand to stop him but he bit him whereby his hand got swollen and eventually he died of it.

Ibn Abi'l-Hadid has written that "al-Wadhahah" means the dung that remains sticking to the tail of an animal, and this surname is intended to disgrace him.


 
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