Sermon 76

About preaching and counseling

ومن خطبة له (عليه السلام)

في الحث على العمل الصالح

May Allah bless whoever listens to a point of wisdom and retains it, when he is invited to the right path he approaches it, he follows a leader (by catching his waist band) and finds salvation, keeps Allah before his eyes and fears his sins, performs actions sincerely and acts virtuously, earns treasure of heavenly rewards, avoids vice, aims at (good) objectives and reaps recompense, faces his desires and rejects (fake) hopes, makes endurance the means to his salvation and piety the provision for his death, rides on the path of honour and sticks to the highway of truth, makes good use of his time and hastens towards the end and takes with him the provision of (good) actions.

رَحِمَ اللهُ عَبْداً سَمِعَ حُكْماً فَوَعَى وَدُعِيَ إِلَى رَشَادٍ فَدَنَا وَأَخَذَ بِحُجْزَةِ هَادٍ فَنَجَا، رَاقَبَ رَبِّهُ، وَخَافَ ذَنْبَهُ، قَدَّمَ خَالِصاً، وَعَمِلَ صَالِحاً، اكْتَسَبَ مَذْخُوراً وَاجْتَنَبَ مَحْذُوراً، رَمَى غَرَضاً، وَأَحْرَزَ عِوَضاً، كابَرَ هَوَاهُ، وَكَذَّبَ مُناهُ، جَعَلَ الصَّبْرَ مَطِيَّةَ نَجَاتِهِ، والتَّقْوَى عُدَّةَ وَفَاتِهِ، رَكِبَ الطَّرِيقَةَ الْغَرَّاءَ وَلَزِمَ الْمحَجَّةَ الْبَيْضَاءَ، اغْتَنَمَ الْمَهَلَ وَبَادَرَ الاْجَلَ، وَتَزَوَّدَ مِنَ الْعَمَلِ.

Alternative Sources for Sermon 76

(1) Al-Harrani, Tuhaf, 151;

(2) al-Karajiki, Kanz, 162;

(3) Ibn Talhah, Matalib, I, 59;

(4) Ibn Shakir, 'Uyun al-hikam;

(5) al-Zamakhshari, Rabi', I, 231;

(6) al-Husari, Zahr, I, 42;

(7) al-'Amidi, Ghurar;

(8) Sibt, Tadhkirah, 145.