Pearl of Wisdom

'He who loves something that makes his eyes blind and his heart sick is looking with false eyes and hearing with impaired hearing. Lusts have pierced his intellect and the world has killed his heart.'

Imam Ali ibn Abi Talib [as]
Nahj al-Balagha, Sermon. 109

Article Source

We acknowledge that the below references for providing the original file containing the 'Nahj ul Balagha'. Their references is

http://www.nahjulbalagha.org/intro.php

The files you find here are NOT IN the Public domain, and the copy rights of the files still remain with the above author 

Our Partners

Receive Qul Updates

Name:
Email:
Library » Nahj ul Balagha » Sermons » About `Amr ibn al-`As
About `Amr ibn al-`As E-mail
Sermon 83 About `Amr ibn al-`As

I am surprised at the son of an-Nabighah that he says about me among the people of Syria (ash-Sham) that I am a jester and that I am engaged in frolics and fun. He said wrong and spoke sinfully. Beware, the worst speech is what is untrue. He speaks and lies. He promises and breaks the promise. He begs and sticks, but when someone begs from him he withholds miserly. He betrays the pledge and ignores kinship.

When in a battle, he commands and admonishes but only uptil the swords do not come into action. When such a moment arrives his great trick is to turn naked(1) before his adversary. By Allah, surely the remembrance of death has kept me away from fun and play while obliviousness about the next world has prevented him from speaking truth. He has not sworn allegiance to Mu`awiyah without purpose; but has beforehand got him to agree that he will have to pay its price, and gave him an award for forsaking religion.

 


(1). Amir al-mu'minin here refers to the incident when the 'Conqueror of Egypt' `Amr ibn al-`As exhibited the feat of his courage by displaying his private parts. What happened was that when in the battlefield of Siffin he and Amir al-mu'minin had an encounter, he rendered himself naked in order to ward off the blow of the sword. At this Amir al-mu'minin turned his face away and spared him his life. The famous Arab poet al-Farazdaq said about it:

 

    There is no good in warding off trouble by ignominy as was done one day by `Amr ibn al-`As by display of his private parts.

Even in this ignoble act `Amr ibn al-`As had not the credit of doing it himself, but had rather followed another one who had preceded him, because the man who first adopted this device was Talhah ibn Abi Talhah who had saved his life in the battle of Uhud by becoming naked before Amir al-mu'minin, and so he showed this way to the others. Thus, besides `Amr ibn al-`As this trick was played by Busr ibn Abi Artat also to save himself from the sword of Amir al-mu'minin. When after the performance of this notable deed Busr went to Mu`awiyah the latter recalled `Amr ibn al-`As's act as precedent in order to remove this man's shamefulness and said, "O' Busr, no matter. There is nothing to feel shameful about it in view of `Amr ibn al-`As's precedent before you."


 
Copyright © 2024 Qul. All Rights Reserved.
Developed by B19 Design.