The sermon of al-Talutiyah

‘All Praise is due to Allah (azwj) besides Whom (azwj) there is no god but Him (azwj). He (azwj) was Alive without (dependence on) any quality and without reliance on anything but on Himself (azwj) to exist nor can there be ‘where’ for Him (azwj), nor He (azwj) is within anything, nor He (azwj) is upon anything, nor there is a beginning place for Him (azwj), and He (azwj) is not strong after having Created a thing, nor was He (azwj) weak before anything came into being, nor was He (azwj) lonely before He (azwj) Began anything, nor is there anything which Resembles Him (azwj), nor was He (azwj) without a Kingdom before He (azwj) Created it, nor will He (azwj) be without it after it goes away. He (azwj) is a Living God without having a lifespan, and He (azwj) was the Owner before He (azwj) Created anything, and will be the Owner after having Creating the Universe. And there cannot be for Allah (azwj), ‘How’ nor ‘Where’, and no Limit to be Recognised by, and nothing resembles Him (azwj), and He (azwj) does not age due to the Duration of His (azwj) Remaining, nor does He (azwj) weaken due to being Alone, nor does He (azwj) get scared like His (azwj) creatures do due to something. But, He (azwj) is All Hearing without having ears, He (azwj) is All Seeing without having eyes, and He (azwj) is Almighty without deriving strength from His (azwj) creatures. The gaze of the lookers cannot perceive Him (azwj), and the ears of the listeners cannot sense (hear) Him (azwj). If He (azwj) Intends something, it would be without any consultation, or demonstration, or informing, or asking anyone about anything from His (azwj) creatures, of His (azwj) Intention. The vision cannot perceive Him (azwj), but He (azwj) Sees all visions. And He (azwj) is the Kind, the Aware, and I (asws) testify that there is no god except Allah (azwj), One, having no associates for Him (azwj), and I (asws) testify that Muhammad (saww) is His (azwj) servant. He (azwj) Sent him (asws) with the Guidance, and the true Religion, to overcome all the religions even though the Polytheists may not like it. So he (saww) preached the Message, and I (asws) follow the evidence. O you community which has been deceived, and understood the deception of the deceiver who deceived it, but still persisted upon what it recognised, and wandered randomly in its seduction. And the truth had been clarified but they still turned away from it, and the path was made clear but they still deviated from it. But, by the One (azwj) Who Split the seed and stemmed life from it, had you sought the knowledge from its Mine, and drank the water with its sweetness, and kept the good in its place, and take the path which was clear, and approached the truth by its programme the way would have been set out for you, and the signs would have appeared to you, and Al-Islam would have been illuminated for you. So you would have eaten plentiful, and there would have been no breadwinner among you who would have failed (to earn), nor any injustice would have been done to any Muslim or allies. But, you walked upon the path of the darkness, so your world became dark for you by its vastness. And the doors of knowledge were closed to you so you spoke from your own desires, and differed in your Religion, and started issuing verdicts (Fatwas) in the Religion of Allah (azwj) without (being Blessed with the) Knowledge. And you followed the misguided people so they misguided you, and you abandoned the Imams (asws) so they (asws) abandoned you. So you took control (of your own affairs) through judging by your own desires. When a matter was mentioned, you asked the People (asws) of the Remembrance (Ahl Al-Zikr), so when they (asws) issued a verdict (Fatwa) to you, you said, ‘This is exactly the knowledge’. So how come you have abandoned him (asws), and neglected him (asws), and opposed him (asws)? Slowly (but surely), just wait a little while, and you will harvest all of what you have cultivated, and you will find the evil of what you have done and sought. By the One (azwj) Who Split the seed and stemmed life from it, you knew that I (asws) was your Master and the one (asws) whom you had been Commanded (for being obedient to), and I (asws) am more knowledgeable than you all and the one (asws) by whose knowledge was your salvation, and the successor (asws) of your Prophet (saww), and the best of your Lord (azwj), and the tongue (speaker) for your light (guidance), and the knowledge by which you can correct yourselves. So slowly (but surely) what has been narrated will descend upon you all, what has been promised, that which descended upon the communities before you. And Allah (azwj) Mighty and Majestic will Question you all about your Imams (asws) with whom (asws) you will be raised, and to Allah (azwj) Mighty and Majestic you will be going to tomorrow. But, by Allah (azwj), if I (asws) had for me (asws), the number of companions which Talut had, or the number of the people at Badr who oppose your enemies, I (asws) would have struck by the sword until you would have come to the truth, and you would have repented sincerely. So that would have been more suitable than mending the rifts and taking to friendliness. Our Allah (azwj), Judge between us with the truth, and You (azwj) are the Best of the Judges’. He (the narrator) said, ‘Then he (asws) went out from the Masjid. He (asws) passed by a herd in which were around thirty sheep, so he (asws) said: ‘By Allah (azwj), if I (asws) had for me (asws) for the sake of Allah (azwj) and His (azwj) Messenger (saww), the number of these sheep, I (asws) would have removed the son of the woman who ate unhealthy things, from his kingdom’. He (the narrator) said, ‘When it was evening, three hundred and sixty men had pledged allegiance to him (asws), to the death. So Amir-ul-Momineen (asws) said to them: ‘Come to us (in the morning) to the Ahjaar Al-Zayt having shaved (your heads)’. And Amir-ul-Momineen (asws) shaved (his (asws) head). No one from the people remained loyal, except for Abu Dharr (ar), and Al-Miqdad (ar), and Huzayfa Al-Yamani (ar), and Ammar Bin Yasser (ar), and Salman (ar). So he (asws) raised his (asws) hands towards the sky and said: ‘Our Allah (azwj)! The people have weakened me (asws) just as the Children of Israel had weakened Haroun (as). Our Allah (azwj)! You (azwj) Know what we hide and what we proclaim, and there is nothing which is hidden from You (azwj) in the earth, nor in the sky. Make me to pass away as a Muslim, and Associate me (asws) with the righteous ones’. But, by the House (Kaaba), and the Leading up to the House (and in another copy, ‘Al-Muzdalifa’), and the walking to the throwing of the pebbles, had it not been for the oath which the Ummy Prophet (saww) had taken from me (asws), I (asws) would have returned the opposition to the gulf of the death, and I (asws) would have sent upon them thunderbolts of the death, and after a little while they will come to know’.