Nahjul Balagha Part 1, The Sermons
Sermon 184: Keep silent! May Allah disgrace you…
One of the Kharijites al-Burj ibn Mushir at-Ta'i raised the slogan, "Command behoves only Allah" in such a way that Amir al-mu'minin heard it. On hearing it he said:
ومن كلام له (عليه السلام)
قاله للبرج بن مسهر الطائي، وقد قال له بحيث يسمعه: لا حكم إلاَّ لله، وكان من الخوارج
Keep silent! May Allah disgrace you, make you ugly, O you with broken tooth. Certainly, by Allah, when truth became manifest even then your personality was weak and your voice was low. But when wrong began to shout loudly you again sprouted up like the horns of a kid.
اسْكُتْ قَبَحَكَ اللهُ يَا أَثْرَمُ، فَوَاللهِ لَقَدْ ظَهَرَ الْحقُّ فَكُنْتَ فِيهِ ضَئِيلاً شَخْصُكَ، خَفِيّاً صَوْتُكَ، حَتَّى إِذَا نَعَرَ الْبَاطِلُ نَجَمْتَ نُجُومَ قَرْ نِ الْمَاعِزِ .
Alternative Sources for Sermon 184
(1) Al-`Askari, Kitab al-sina`atayn, 258.