‘Ali ibn Abi Taalib (ra) used to nurture the citizens through counseling, teaching and training in the course of daily activities, especially on Friday when he delivered the khutbah (sermon) of Jum’ah prayer from the minbar. History has preserved a considerable number of his khutbahs. The following are some samples of his unique and marvelous khutbahs as he said:
“The world has receded and has bid den farewell. The Hereafter has approached and has given notice of arrival. Today the horses are being kept in preparation, and tomorrow will be the race. Take heed, you are living in the days of hope behind which is death. Whoever is negligent during the days of hope, then his work will be lost. Strive hard for the sake of Allah in the hope of reward, just as you strive hard for His sake for fear of His punishment. I have never see anything like Paradise whose seeker could sleep, and I have never seen anything like Hell, whose fleer sleeps. Whoever is not benefitted by the truth, falsehood will harm him. Whoever is not made upright by guidance, he will be misled by misguidance. You have been ordered to depart and have been guided to the (proper) provision. O people, the world is an offering of the moment, the righteous and the sinner eat from it. The Hereafter is the true promise where the Able King will deliver judgement. Shaitan threatens you with poverty and orders you to commit sins; whereas Allah promises you Forgiveness from Himself and Bounty, and Allah is All-Sufficient for His creatures’ needs, All-Knower. O people, do good in your lifetimes, you will be preserved in your progenies. Allah has promised His Paradise to whoever obeys Him and promised His Hellfire for he who disobeys Him. It is a Fire whose exhalation is not cool and it does not release its captive. Its heat is severe, its depth is far and its water is pus.”[1]
If we peruse the foregoing excerpt, we discover that the factors influencing the audience are exemplified in the following:
- Truthful expression which flows from firm faith in what is being called to, which makes his words seem like a firebrand emerging from his flaming heart, enabling a glimpse of tender emotion. He hardly utters a sentence except that he ensures that their hearing has grasped it and their hearts have comprehended it.
- The expressions are forceful in their simplicity, delightfulness and fluency even as the language is clear and the phrases succinct. Perhaps that makes it easy for the audience to grasp the intended meaning.
- Drawing analogy between opposite meanings increases the meaning, clarity and overall effect on the audience. An example of this are the following words: “The world has receded and has bidden farewell. The Hereafter has approached and has given notice of its arrival.” And his statement: “I do not see anything like Paradise whose seeker sleeps and I do not know anything like Hell whose fleer sleeps.”
- Quotation from the Noble Qur’an as in his words: “Shaitan threatens you with poverty and orders you to commit sins; whereas Allah promises you Forgiveness from Himself and Bounty, and Allah is All-Sufficient for His creatures’ needs, All-Knower.’ “This is a direct quotation from the Statement of Allah:
ٱلشَّيْطَـٰنُ يَعِدُكُمُ ٱلْفَقْرَ وَيَأْمُرُكُم بِٱلْفَحْشَآءِ ۖ وَٱللَّهُ يَعِدُكُم مَّغْفِرَةً مِّنْهُ وَفَضْلًا ۗ وَٱللَّهُ وَٰسِعٌ عَلِيمٌ
“Shaitân (Satan) threatens you with poverty and orders you to commit Fahshâ (evil deeds, illegal sexual intercourse, sins); whereas Allâh promises you Forgiveness from Himself and Bounty, and Allâh is All-Sufficient for His creatures’ needs, All-Knower.” [Qur’an 2:268]
- The various components of the sermon imitate the Noble Qur’an and the words of Allah’s Messenger ﷺ in their pragmatism, intimate connection with human life, deep meanings, loftiness, comprehensiveness, excellence in choice of words, brevity, articulating meanings and words with illustrations, using the tools of rhetorics and purposeful words.
This khutbah is of particular importance due to the religious, moral and psychological benefits it contains. It is a deep pointer to the personality of its possessor, the Commander of the Faithful, betraying his sound comprehension of relevant Islamic concepts and thoughts which deals with the nature of the world and the goal of human existence as well as the fate they will end up with.
‘Ali ibn Abi Taalib (ra) adorned himself with wisdom and insight, and these qualities were aided by his clarity of mind and purity of his soul as well as other superior mental, lofty spiritual qualities which were conferred on him by his faith, piety, his firm adherence to Islam, his taking refuge in his Lord and his acquiescence with His (Lord’s) decree. All this assisted him in attaining a high level.
By right, in the realm of poetry, he was a knight of the word, its commander and its leader in the perfect sense. Similarly, to the people he was a just leader and an ascetic. He was a wise and tested commander and an unmatched horseman. Coupled with all these qualities, the Commander of the Faithful was eager to take advantage of opportunities in giving sermons to the people and reminding them. His sermon was not limited to the Friday khutbah alone, it also included the time of funeral rites and when the corpse is laid in his Lahd (niche; a type of grave) and the family of the dead wail over him. He would say: “Why are you crying? By Allah, if they were to behold what their dead are witnessing, they would forget their wailing for their dead (and would wail instead over themselves). Death will return (to their midst) repeatedly till no one remains of them.
“So fear Allah O slaves of Allah and be earnest in your quest, hasten to carry out righteous deeds in expectation of that which severes desires, the destroyer of pleasure. The comfort of the world does not last; one cannot feel secure from its calamity. It is deceptively volatile and a crooked support. Take admonition, O servants of Allah, take lessons from the Verses and narrations, refrain from taking oaths in vain and take benefit from sermons. It is as if you are caught in the claws of a beast of prey, the house of dust had enveloped you and you are taken by surprise by various occurrences as the trumpet is blown, the graves are opened, you are driven to the place of gathering and the place of account with the comprehensive Power of the Irresistible (Allah).
“Every soul shall have with it a driver driving it to its place of gathering as well as a witness giving witness over it in connection to its deeds:
وَأَشْرَقَتِ ٱلْأَرْضُ بِنُورِ رَبِّهَا وَوُضِعَ ٱلْكِتَـٰبُ وَجِا۟ىٓءَ بِٱلنَّبِيِّـۧنَ وَٱلشُّهَدَآءِ وَقُضِىَ بَيْنَهُم بِٱلْحَقِّ وَهُمْ لَا يُظْلَمُونَ
“And the earth will shine with the light of its Lord (Allâh, when He will come to judge among men): and the Book will be placed (open); and the Prophets and the witnesses will be brought forward; and it will be judged between them with truth, and they will not be wronged.” [Qur’an 39:69]
“The land will quake that day. It is the day of meeting when the Shank is laid bare. The sun is eclipsed and the wild beasts shall be gathered together, on the plane of assembly. Secrets will be exposed. The evil people will be destroyed and hearts shall tremble.”[2]
From this admonition we derive some factors contributing to its effectiveness, among which are:
- Giving admonition at an auspicious moment: The admonition was given during the preparation of a funeral. Hearts at this moment are more inclined to accepting reminders regarding death and the Home of the Hereafter.
- Using eloquent expressions for the admonition: The admonition of the Commander of the Faithful, ‘Ali ibn Abi Taalib (ra) is characterized by its style which influences the mind of the audience. From the examples of eloquence are the following:
- Metaphors such as his words: “It is as if you are caught in the claws of a beast of prey. ‘comparing death with a beast of prey with claws.
- Rhyming without being fictitious such as his statement: “The comfort of the world does not last; one cannot feel secure from its calamity. It is deceptively volatile and a crooked support.”
- Stylistic expressions which dominate the entire khutbah among which are: “Why are you crying?” which is an interrogation; “Take admonition, O servants of Allah” which is vocative; “fear Allah…,” “Take admonition, ” take lessons, “take benefit…” all of these are in the form of command.
- Eloquence of articulation. Which part of the khutbah does not point to this? It is difficult to point out a defect or weakness in the entire khutbah.
- Relying on the Noble Qur’an, emulating its methodology in guidance and persuasion such as his words:
- “Every soul shall have with it a driver driving it to its place of gathering as well as a witness giving witness over it in connection to its deeds” based on the Statement of Allah:
وَجَآءَتْ كُلُّ نَفْسٍ مَّعَهَا سَآئِقٌ وَشَهِيدٌ
“And every person will come forth along with an (angel) to drive (him) and an (angel) to bear witness.” [Qur’an 50:21]
- Warning by mentioning some of the horrors of the Day of Resurrection such as his statement: “You are taken by surprise by various occurrences as the trumpet is blown, the graves are opened and you are driven to the place of gathering and the place of account with the comprehensive Power of the Irresistible (Allah).”
- Using illustrations and this is accomplished by using past tense to describe what will occur in future so that the audience can have a picture of the matter that awaits them. From this aspect is his Statement is: “It is as if you are caught in the claws of a beast of prey, the house of dust had enveloped you and you are taken by surprise by various occurrences.”
- Gentleness of expression that appeals to the listener and not to startle them.[3]
These are some of the samples of the speeches of the Commander of the Faithful, ‘Ali ibn Abi Taalib (ra)which were widespread among the people which contributed to their training, self-discipline and purification of their souls and its effect is manifested in his generation and generations after his, till this day of ours.
[The Biography Of Ali ibn Abi Talib (RA) by Dr. Ali Muhammad As-Sallabi, p.525-531]
Notes:
[1] Al-Bidayah Wan Nihayah 8/7.
[2] Hilyat Al-Auliya 1/78.
[3] Manhaj Ali ibn Abi Taalib Fi Da’wah Ila Allah, p. 145.
