Nahjul Balagha Part 1, The Sermons
Sermon 42: O people, what I fear most for you ...
About heart’s desires and extended hopes
ومن خطبة له (عليه السلام)
وفيها يحذر من اتباع الهوى وطول الامل في الدنيا
O people! What I fear most about you are two things - acting according to desires and extending of hopes. As regards acting according to desires, this prevents from truth; and as regards extending of hopes, it makes one forget the next world.
You should know this world is moving rapidly and nothing has remained out of it except last particles like the dregs of a vessel which has been emptied by someone. Beware, the next world is advancing, and either of them has sons i.e. followers. You should become sons of the next world and not become sons of this world because on the Day of Judgement every son would cling to his mother. Today is the Day of action and there is no reckoning while tomorrow is the Day of reckoning but there would be no (opportunity for) action.
أَيُّهَا النَّاسُ! إِنَّ أَخْوَفَ مَا أَخَافُ عَلَيْكُمُ اثْنَانِ: اتِّبَاعُ الْهَوَى، وَطُولُ الاَْمَلِ ; فَأَمَّا اتِّبَاعُ الْهَوَى فَيَصُدُّ عَنِ الْحَقِّ، وَأَمَّا طُولُ الاْمَلِ فَيُنْسِي الاْخِرَةَ.
أَلاَ وَإنَّ الدُّنْيَا قَدْ وَلَّتْ حَذَّاءَ، فَلَمْ يَبْقَ مِنْهَا إِلاَّ صُبَابَةٌ كَصُبَابَةِ الاْنَاءِ اصْطَبَّهَا صَابُّهَا، أَلاَ وَإِنَّ الاْخِرَةَ قَدْ أَقْبَلَتْ، وَلِكُلٍّ مِنْهُمَا بَنُونَ، فَكُونُوا مِنْ أَبْنَاءِ الاْخِرَةِ، وَلاَ تَكُونُوا مِنْ أَبْنَاءِ الدُّنْيَا، فَإِنَّ كُلَّ وَلَد سَيُلْحَقُ بأُمِّهِ يَوْمَ الْقِيَامَةِ، وَإِنَّ الْيَوْمَ عَمَلٌ وَلاَ حِسَابَ، وَغَداً حِسَابٌ وَلاَ عَمَلَ.
As-Sayyid ar-Radi says: “al-hadhdha’“means rapid but some people have read it “jadhdha’ “. According to this version the meaning would be that the cycle of worldly enjoyments would end soon.
قال السيد الشريف: اَقُولُ: الْحَذّاءُ: السَّريعَةُ. وَ مِنَ النّاسِ مَنْ يَرْويهِ جَذّاءَ، بِالْجيم وَ الذّالِ، اَىِ انْقَطَعَ دَرُّها وَ خَيْرُها.
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Alternative Sources for Sermon 42
(1) Nasr, Siffin, 3, 4;
(2) al-Mufid, al-Majalis, 50;
(3) Ibn Qutaybah, `Uyun, II, 353;
(4) al-Kulayni, Furu` al-Kafi, III, 29;
(5) al-Harrani, Tuhaf, 35, 47;
(6) al-Mufid, al-'Irshad, * 138;
(7) al-Tusi, al-'Amali, * 73, 145;
(8) Abu Nu`aym, Hilyah, I, 56;
(9) al-Mas`udi, Muruj, II, 436.