Imam Ali’s Sermon of Wasila
Imam Ali’s Sermon of Wasila
Imam Ali’s Sermon of Wasila
All praise is due to Allah who ceased the illusions to comprehend but His existence, and screened the intellects to imagine His essence because it is impossible for His essence to have a like or a form. His essence does not vary or divide like figures, due to His perfection. He parted with the things, not in places, adjoined them, not in a form of mixing, and knew them, not by an instrumentality that is the only means of knowing. There is no any other’s knowledge lying between the known things and Him, that He needs it to know them. If “was” is attached to Him, it should refer to the eternity of existence. If “still” is attached to Him, it should refer to the nullity of nonexistence. Glory be to Him, and highly exalted is He above the sayings of those who worshipped things other than Him and betook them as gods. We praise Him with the praise that He accepted from His servants and the praise that he imposed its acceptance upon Himself. I declare there is no god but Allah exclusively without any associate, and declare that Mohammed is His servant and messenger. These two declarations promote the word and put down the deed. The scale from which these two declarations are taken is flimsy, and the scale in which they are put is weighty. The obtainment of Paradise, the salvation from Hell, and the passing the Path successfully are gained through these two declarations. You will enter Paradise by the declaration, and attain the –divine- mercy by the prayer. Hence, give much of blessing your Prophet. “Surely Allah and His angels bless the Prophet; O you who believe, call for (Divine) blessings on him and salute him with a (becoming) salutation.”
O people, surely there is no honor higher than Islam, no generosity is more glorified than God-fearing, no stronghold is more protective than piety, no interceder is more beneficial than repentance, no dress is loftier than good health, no protection is more shielding than safety, and no wealth more defensive against poverty than satisfaction. He who confines himself to the minimum necessity will have orderly rest. Desire is the key to fatigue. Monopoly is the means of exhaustion. Envy is the epidemic of the religion. Acquisitiveness is the guide to inserting in sins as well as deprivation. Aggression drives into perdition. Gluttony is the comprehensive of the evilest defects. Greed often disappoints. Hope is often false. Wish often leads to deprivation. Commerce often ends with loss. He who engages himself in affairs without looking in their outcomes will suffer scandalous misfortunes. Debt is the worst necklace for the faithful believers.
O people, surely there is no treasure more beneficial than knowledge, no glory more helpful than self-possession, no nobility more attainable than mannerism, no beauty better than intelligence, no acquaintance eviler than ignorance, no defect worse than falsehood, no guardian more preserving than silence, and no absent closer than death.
O people, he who notices his own flaws will give up chasing others’ flaws. He who satisfies himself with the endowments of Allah will not be sad for what is in the others’ hands. He who unsheathes the sword of aggression will be killed with it. He who digs a well for his brother will fall in it. The screens of the houses of those who tear others’ screens will be exposed. He who neglects his sin will see the others’ sins as great. He who prefers his opinion will deviate. He who clings only to his own views will make mistakes. He who uses arrogance with people will be humiliated. He who belittles people will be insulted. He who associates with the scholars will be respected. He who associates with the mean ones will be disgraced. He who overdoes will be exhausted.
O people, there is no wealth more favorable than the intellect, no poverty harsher than ignorance, no preacher more attainable than advice, no intelligence like planning, no worship like pondering, no support firmer than seeking consult, no loneliness more desolate than self-esteem, no piety like subsistence, and no self-possession like tolerance and silence.
O people, Man enjoys ten characters that the tongue reveals. Hence, the tongue is a witness that divulges the hidden, a judge that forms an opinion, a speaker that provides answers, an interceder by which the needs are settled, a describer by which things are recognized, a commander that enjoins good, a preacher that forbids evil, a consolatory that calms the grief, a thankful by which hatred is removed, and a soother that amuses the hearings.
O people, to keep silence in judgments and to speak ignorantly are worthless.
O people, you should know that he who does not control his tongue will be sorry, he who does not learn will be ignorant, he who does not possess himself will lose indulgence, he who does not stop –from doing evil- will not be intelligent, he who is not intelligent will humiliate, he who humiliates will not be respected, he who fears God will be saved, he who gets illegal property will spend it without reward, he who does not leave people when they respect him will be having to leave them while they debase him, he who does not give people when he is wealthy will be deprived when he is needy, and he who seeks glory dishonestly will be humble. Weakness is the companion of those who oppose the right. People revere those who seek studies and demean those who seek arrogance. No one will praise him who does not do well.
O people, death should be preferred to humility, tolerance to inertness, and grave to poverty. Blindness is better than much looks. Time is two days; one is yours and the other is against you. You should opt for endurance in the two, because both are tests.
O people, man’s most surprising organ is the heart. It has matters of wisdom and opposites. If hope occurs to him, greed will humiliate him. If greed excites him, acquisitiveness will perish him. If despair controls him, sorrow will kill him. If rage arises in him, fury will intensify in him. If he is pleased due to satisfaction, he will neglect preservation. If fear prevails him, grief will concern him. If security covers him, arrogance will rule him. If a grace comes to him, pride will restrain him. If some money moves toward him, richness will make him tyrannical. If poverty bites him, misfortune will engage him. If a catastrophe hits him, intolerance will uncover him. If intolerance fags him, weakness will disable him. If he overeats, dyspepsia will attack him. Any negligence harms him and every immoderation injures him.
O people, he whose charity is few will be humble. He who does well will dominate. He whose wealth is much will preside over others. He whose self-possession is high will be noble. He who thinks of Allah’s Essence will be atheist. He who gives much of something will be known of it. He who jokes much will be disrespected. He whose laughter is excessive will lose dignity. The ancestry of the impolite is of no value. The best deed is protecting the honor through wealth. He who associates with the ignorant is mindless. He who associates with the ignorant should prepare himself for receiving gossips. Neither the wealth of the rich nor will the poverty of the poor save them from death.
O people, hearts have witnesses that prevent from joining the negligent people. The accurate understanding of the admonitions leads to be on the lookout of falling in mistakes. Souls have imaginations of the fancy, while minds restrain and warn against –the ill deeds-. There is hidden knowledge in the experiments. Learning lessons –from things- drives into well-mindedness. The matters that you abominate from others should be sufficient discipliners for you. Your friend should enjoy the same rights that you enjoy. He who pursues his opinions exclusively is risking.
Planning before acting saves against regret. He who surveys the other opinions will recognize the situations of error. The minds will rectify the opinions of him who abstains from curiosity. He who contains his passions will protect his prestige. He who controls his tongue will be secured and will meet his needs. The inwardness of men is realized in the vicissitudes of time. Days show you the hidden secrets. The swift lightning cannot awaken him who plunges into gloom. Eyes of reverence and respect gaze at him who is well known of wisdom. The most honorable wealth is to neglect hopes. Tolerance is a shelter against poverty. Acquisitiveness is the sign of poverty. Niggardliness is the dress of destitution. Affection is an advantageous kinship. A poor man who regards his relations with you is better than a wealthy one who breaks his relations with you. Exhortation is a cave for him who retains it. The sorrow of him who releases his sight is very much. He who is impatient is unbearable by his family. He who gets will seek more and more. Hopes rarely come true. Modesty adorns with dignity. The treasures of sustenance lie in the good mannerism. The flaws of him whose dress is covered by timidity are hidden. Use reasonable words. The provisions become easily obtainable for those who seek reasonable words. Rationality lies in opposing the fancies. He who realizes the (vicissitudes of) time truly will not bypass readiness. Every dose has a choke and every meal has a lump in the throat. No grace can be obtained unless another is missed. Every breath of life has a provision and every seed has an eater. You are the food of death.
O people, you should know that everyone who walks on the surface of this earth will eventually go beneath it. Night and day are expediting in ruining the ages.
O people, ingratitude is meanness. Association with the ignorant is ill omen. Kind wording is generosity. Beware of cheating. It is the character of the mean. Not every sought matter can be gain and not every absent may come back. Never curry favor with him who forsook you. Often a remote one is in fact closer than the near. Consult the friend before adopting a course and the neighbor before taking a house. Cover your friend’s flaw that you have its like. Overlook your friend’s fault for this will help you on the day when your enemy overcomes you. He who is angry with him who cannot harm will have a long grief and hurt himself. He who fears his Lord will stop his wrongdoing. He who cannot distinguish good from evil is as same as an animal. Spreading the supplies is a form of lechery. The worldly misfortunes are so scanty if compared with the huge neediness of tomorrow. Your enmity is surely the reason of your much commitment of sins and acts of disobedience to God. Rest is very close to fatigue, and misery is very close to change. Any evil that is followed by Paradise is not a true evil, and any welfare that is followed by Hell is not a true welfare. Every comfort other than Paradise is valueless, and every misfortune other than Hell is a good health. The grand sins appear only when the conscience pricks. Sincerity in a deed is more laborious than the deed itself. Goodwill is more laborious than a long jihad. Unless it was piety, I would be the most cunning of the Arabs. I command you to fear Allah in richness and poverty, cling to the word of right in satisfaction and rage, use moderation in richness and poverty, be fair to your friends and enemies, work in activity and laziness, and satisfy yourselves with acts of Allah in crises and luxury. Much speech leads to much erring. Much erring leads to decreased pudency. Little pudency leads to decreased piety. Little piety deadens the heart. The dead-hearted will be in Hell. He who ponders over things will surely learn lessons. He who learns lessons will surely retire. He who retires will be in safe. He who neglects the passions will live in freedom. People will bear love to those who leave envy. The honor of the faithful believer is dispensing with people. Satisfaction is a never-ending treasure. He who mentions death frequently will satisfy himself with little worldly pleasures. He who realizes that his words are within his deeds will speak of nothing except what benefits him. How strange that who fears the punishment and does not cease –from doing evil- is! How strange that who wishes for the rewards and does not repent or work is! Intelligence casts on illumination. Inadvertence casts on gloom. Ignorance casts on deviation. The actual happy is that who learns lessons from others. Morality is the best heritage. The best friend is good mannerism. No growth can be expected from rupturing relations with relatives. No wealth should be waited from lechery. Good health is of ten parts, nine of which lies in silence except in situations of mentioning Allah, and one lies in neglecting associating with the ill-minded ones. Lenience is the head of knowledge, and idiocy is its epidemic. Patience in misfortunes is one of the treasures of faith. Continence is the adornment of poverty. Thanking is the adornment of richness. Excessive visits create boredom. Tranquility is the opposite of prudence if it precedes awareness. Self-esteem refers to weak-mindedness. Never make a sinner despair. Many adopters of sins enjoy a happy end. Many benevolent ones rupture their deeds and deserve Hell. Violence against the servants –of Allah- is the worst supplies to the world to come. Blessed be those who act faithfully to Allah in action, knowledge, love, hatred, receipt, leave, speech, silence, deeds, and words. A Muslim is not a true Muslim before he becomes pious. He cannot be pious before he becomes abstinent. He cannot be abstinent before he becomes prudent. He cannot be prudent before he becomes intelligent. The actual intelligent is only that who receives Allah’s commandments heedfully and works sincerely for the world to come. May Allah bless Mohammed the Prophet and his immaculate family.
Source:
Tuhaf al-Uqoul