One day, a heated discussion went on among Arabs and Muslims
during which it was agreed that there is no alphabet that recurs in speech more
often than “Alif”. It was then the “Orator of the Pulpit of Salooni” stood up
and delivered a long sermon in which the alphabet “Alif” was not used. The
English translation is appended below while the Arabic text is attached:
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I praise the One Whose boon is
great, whose blessing overwhelms, whose mercy is faster than His anger, the
One whose word is perfect, whose will is affected, whose argument (issue) is
wise, whose case is just. I praise Him like one recognizing His Godhead,
submissive while adoring Him, dissociating himself from his sin, recognizing
His Unity, seeking refuge with Him against His warning, hopeful for the mercy
(forgiveness) of his Lord that saves him [from the Fire] on a Day when
everyone will be distracted even from his offspring and tribe. We seek His help,
guidance and directions. We believe in Him and depend on Him. I have
testified to Him as a sincere and convinced servant/slave; I recognize His
Uniqueness as a pious believer, and I have recognized His Unity like a
submissive servant/slave. He has no partner in His domain; He relies on none
in doing whatever He does. He is exalted above having an adviser or a vizier.
He is above using a model or an assistant or a helper or a peer. He knows, so
He covers; He is acquainted with the innermost, so He is most familiar [with
our intentions]. He cast a look, so He assisted; He owns everything, so He
subdues. He is disobeyed, yet He forgives; He is adored, so He thanks. He
rules, so He affects justice, and He is generous and grants favors. He shall
never come to an end, and He has always been as He is; there is nothing like
Him. He, first and foremost, is a unique Lord in His exaltation, able through
His might, holy through His sublimity, proud of His Majesty; no (mental)
vision can realize Him, nor can anyone ever see Him. He is strong,
invincible, seeing, hearing, clement, wise, affectionate and kind. One who
attempts to describe Him can never do so; one who attempts to describe His
attributes can never do so [either]. His blessing reaches those who get to know
Him: He is near, so He is far [above mental or physical vision]; He is far
yet He is near [closer to us than anything else]. He responds to the call of
those who call on Him; He sustains His servant and surrounds him with His
love; His niceties are hidden [from our comprehension]; His power is mighty;
His mercy is wide; His penalty is painful; His mercy is a broad and a Garden
of grandeur (Paradise); His punishment is Hell filled with horrors and
chains.
I have testified that He sent
Muhammed (ص) as His servant
and messenger, prophet, chosen one, loved one, friend, a link [with the
Almighty] that grants him [Muhammed] fortune, bringing him closer to Him,
elevating him, granting him nearness and closeness [to the Almighty]. He sent
him during a good (opportune) period of time, when there was disbelief, as
mercy for His servants and a boon for more. Through him He sealed His
prophetic messages, strengthened (explained) His argument. So he admonished,
advised, conveyed the message and worked hard [for people. He was,
affectionate towards every believer, merciful, easy to please, the friend of
anyone who is generous and pure: mercy, salutation, blessing and honor be
with him from a forgiving, affectionate, kind, near, responsive and wise
Lord.
I have admonished you, O folks who
are present here with me, to be pious (as your Lord has admonished) towards
your Lord, and I have reminded you of the Sunna of your Prophet; so, take to
awe that calms your hearts, fear that draws your tears, piety that saves you
on a Day which will puzzle your minds and put you to the test, a day in which
one shall win if the weight of his good deeds is heavy while that of his sins
is light. Let your plea be in humility and surrender, appreciation and
submission, repentance and dissociation [from sin], regret and return [to
righteousness]. Let everyone of you seize the opportunity when he is healthy
before the time when he is sick, when he is young before he is aged, old and
sick, [the opportunity] of his ease before he is poor, of having free time
before he is busy, of being wealthy before being impoverished, of being
present at home before he is away traveling, of being alive before his death.
He shall grow old, become weak, aged, sick, ailing, so much so that even his
doctor is fed-up with him, even those who love him turn away from him. His
lifespan will have come to an end. His color of complexion is changed. His
mental power is decreased, so it is said that he is ailing and his body is
failing. He is having a hard time as he finds himself suffering from the
throes of death: He is attended by those who are close and who are distant.
He gazes his looks, yearns as he turns his eyes, his forehead sweating, his
[physical] senses being snatched away from him [one by one]. His sighs are
now silent, his soul has departed, so he is mourned by his wife. His grave is
dug, his children are now orphans, those who were around him (his friends or
foes) are now dispersed from around him. What he had accumulated (legacy) has
now been divided [among heirs]. Gone now are his faculty of seeing and
hearing; so he receives Talqeen; he is stretched [on the ground] and directed
[towards the Qibla]. He is stripped of his clothes, bathed, in the nude,
dried then directed [towards the Qibla]. Something has been spread on the
floor for him as his shrouds are being prepared. His chin has been tied, his
soul has already departed from his body and he has been bidden farewell by
all. He is now shrouded, his head wrapped, so is his body, and he has been
handed over [for burial]. He is carried in a wooden box (coffin); his funeral
prayers have been performed with Takbir but without
prostration or the rubbing of the forehead. He is taken away from a decorated
abode [this life], from well built mansions and chambers topping each other,
so he is now in an enclosure of a grave which is very narrow and separated
from others; it is built with baked clay on top of each other and is sealed
with a rock. Dust has been healed on him, so he now is sure about that of
which he was warned; his chest is now heavy; he is now a thing of the past.
His friends, chosen ones, companions, in-laws and close friends have all left
him behind. His company and loved ones are now changed, for he is now nothing
but the filling of a grave and the pawn of a waste: Worms crawl all over his
body, his pus drips from his nostrils on his neck and chest. Soil crushes his
flesh as his blood dries and bone decays. He remains in his grave till the
Day when he is herded with others and is given a new life; so, he is taken
out of his grave. His trumpet is blown, he is called on to gather with others
and stand trial. Graves are scattered around, the innermost in the hearts are
recorded and calculated. Every prophet, Siddiq, martyr, anyone
who speaks is brought and made to stand for the final judgment of an Able God
Who is fully knowledgeable of His servants, seeing [all what they do].
Countless exhalations engulf him, sighs fade him (distance him), in a
horrific position and an awesome scene before a Great King Who knows about
everything small and big. He is reined by his sweat, his worry crushing him,
yet his tear has none to feel sorry for, his scream (defense) is not
accepted. His record of deeds is brought, his innermost becomes visible, and
every part of his body now speaks of his wrongdoings: His eyes testify about
what he had seen, his hands about whom he beat, his legs about where he had
gone, his skin about what he had contacted, his private parts about with whom
he had had intercourse. He is threatened by Munkir and Nakir; and it is
unveiled for him where he is heading; so his neck now is tied with chains and
his hands are cuffed. He is taken alone, dragged and brought to Hell as he is
in a great distress and hardship. He remains in the torment of hell given to drink
of very hot pus that grills his face and separates his skin from his body. He
is beaten by the torture angels of hell with iron clubs. His skin returns
again and again anew after having been baked. He cries for help, yet even the
angels in Hell turn away from him. He pleads for mercy, so he stays for a
while regretful, yet he finds none to care about his regret. His regret will
then be in vain.
We seek refuge with an Able Lord
from the evil of any final end such as this, and we plead for forgiveness similar
to that of one with whom He is pleased and for an overlooking similar to that
of one whose good deeds He has accepted; for He is my Master, ultimate
pursuit and the one Who grants success to what I seek. Surely one who is
pushed away from the torment of his Lord shall reside in Paradise near to Him
and remain forever in well built mansions, having huris with large lovely
eyes and servants. He is given to drink of fresh cool water mixed with ginger
and sealed with musk and fragrance that perpetuates happiness and provides
the sense of pleasure. He drinks of wines in an orchard filled with all types
of pleasures, wine that does not cause any headache to one who drinks it, and
it never runs out; such is the ultimate end of one who fears his Lord, who is
on guard about his sin, about the insinuations of his nafs (self), and that was
the penalty of one who opposes the [sinless] way [in which] he was created,
the one whose evil self decorates for him to do what is against his nature.
Such is the final judgment and the ruling of One Who is just: He narrated
parables, admonished through texts, revealed revelations from a Praiseworthy
Wise One, revelations which He descended with a clear (able) Holy Spirit
[arch-angel Gabriel] from a Glorious Lord unto a Prophet who is rightly
guided and who guides others, one who shows others the right way, a mercy to
the believers, clearly from a Great Lord, a master frequented by messengers
(angels) who are honored and obedient [of their Lord].
I have sought refuge with a Lord
Who is knowing, wise, able, merciful, from the evil of an enemy who is cursed
and stoned; so, let everyone who pleads plead, and let everyone who seeks
[favors of his Lord] seek and ask forgiveness of the Lord of lords for myself
and for you all.
Having finished his miraculous sermon, the Imam (ع)
recited this following verse of the Holy Qur'an: "We shall grant that
(eternal) abode of the hereafter to those who intend neither high-handedness
nor mischief on earth, and such end is (the best reward) for the
righteous" (Qur'an, 28:83).
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Source used: DUAS.ORG
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