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Back You are here: Home Eternal Words Nahj al-Balaghah Sermons SERMON 122 - When the Kharijites Persisted in Their Rejecting the Arbitration, Imam Ali Ibn Abi Talib, Peace be Upon Him Went to Their Camp and Addressed Them Thus

SERMON 122 - When the Kharijites Persisted in Their Rejecting the Arbitration, Imam Ali Ibn Abi Talib, Peace be Upon Him Went to Their Camp and Addressed Them Thus


Were all of you with us in Siffin? They replied that some of them were but some of them were not. Imam Ali ibn Aba Talib (p.b.u.h.) said the following: Then you divide yourself into two groups. One of those who were in Siffin and other of those who were not present the re, so that I may address each as I see suitable.

Then the Imam, Peace be Upon Him
shouted the following to the people:

Stop talking and keep quiet to listen to what I say. Turn your hearts to me. Whomever we ask for testimony, he should give it according to his knowledge about it.

Then he conversed with them in length.
During the conversation, he said the following:

When they raised the Holy Qur’an by way of deceit, craft, artifice and cheating, did you not say that they are our brothers and comrades in accepting Islam? They want us to cease fighting and ask for protection through the Book of Allah, the Glorified. Our opinion is to agree with them and to end their troubles. Then I said to you, In this affair, the outer side is Faith but the inner side is enmity. Its beginning is pity and the end is repentance. Consequently you should stick to your status and remain steadfast on your path. You should press your teeth (to put all your might) in jihad and should not pay heed to the shouts of one who shouts. If he is answered, he will mislead, but if he is left (answered), he will be disgraced.
But when this thing (arbitration) was done I found that you agreed to it. By Allah, if I had refused it, it will not have been obligatory on me. Nor will Allah have laid its sin on me. And by Allah, not that I have accepted it, I alone am the rightful person who should be followed, for certainly the Holy Qur’an is with me. I have never forsaken it since I adopted its company. We have been with the Prophet (p.b.u.h.) in battles wherein those killed were fathers, sons, brothers and relations of one another. Nevertheless, every trouble and hardship just increased us in our belief, in our treading on the right path, in submission to (the Divine) command and in endurance of the pain of wounds.
We now had to fight our brethren in Islam because of entry into Islam of misguidance, crookedness, doubts and (wrong) interpretation. However, if we find any way by which Allah may collect us together in our disorder and by which we may come near each other in whatever common remains between us we will accept it and will give up everything else.

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