An emotional sermon by Ali ibn Abi Talib

Amir al-Mu'mineen 'Ali (RadiyAllah anhu) paid attention to making use of different occasions to exhort and remind the people; he did not limit it to Friday sermons only. When he walked with the funeral procession and heard the voices of the bereaved family raised in weeping as the body was placed in the niche in the grave, he would say:

"Why are you weeping? By Allah, if they could see what your deceased one is seeing, they would be distracted from their deceased one by what they see. Death will come back again and again, until none of them is left. So fear Allah, 0 slaves of Allah, and strive hard in righteous deeds. Hasten to do good deeds before death, the destroyer of pleasures, comes. The pleasures of this world will not last, and you cannot feel secure against the calamities of this world, for it is fleeting and deceitful and cannot be relied on. Learn the lessons, 0 slaves of Allah, and heed the exhortation, for soon you will die and will be buried. Soon the Trumpet will be blown, and the occupants of the graves will be raised and driven to the arena of gathering for the Reckoning. Everything is under the control of the Almighty. Every person will have an angel to drive him and an angel to bear witness to his deeds.

“And the earth will shine with the light of its Lord [Allah], when He will come to judge among men, and the Book will he 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) "

Source: Ali ibn Abi Talib by Dr. Ali M. Sallabi / Translated by Nasiruddin al-Khattab

The bravery of Abu Bakr as- Siddiq

Once during his caliphate, Ali ibn Abi Talib (May Allah be pleased with him) stood up before the people and delivered the following sermon:

“O people, who is the bravest of all people?” Those that were present answered, “You are O leader of the believers.” Ali said, “Lo, I never entered a duel with another man except that I came out victorious over him. And yet the bravest of all people was none other than Abu Bakr as-siddiq (May Allah be pleased with him). We once built a command center for the Messenger of Allah (Peace be upon him), and we said “who will stay with the Messenger of Allah (Peace be upon him),so as to prevent the polytheists from attacking him?” By Allah not a single one of us approached (to volunteer for the job) except for Abu Bakr who with his sword unsheathed, stood over the head of the Messenger of Allah (Peace be upon him). Abu Bakr then fought against anyone who tried to attack the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) and so He is the bravest of all people”.

“I remember the time when I saw the Quraish opposing the prophet (Peace be upon him) and physically shaking him violently, and all the while they were saying to him, have you taken our gods and made them onto one God, by Allah not a single one of us stepped forward (to defend him) except for Abu bakr who struggled against and struck one man and pushed violently another, and all the while he was saying (to them) : woe upon you, are you fighting against a man because he says: My Lord is Allah?”. Ali then lifted the robe he was wearing and began to cry until his beard soaked in tears. He then continued, “I ask you by Allah was the believer from the family of pharaoh better or Abu bakr?” the attendees of the gathering then began to cry along with Ali who said, “by Allah, Abu bakr for an hour is better than the believer of the family of the pharaoh even if clones of him were to fill the entire earth: the latter kept his faith a secret, while the former openly proclaimed his faith.”

Source: The biography of Abu bakr as-siddiq by Dr. Ali Muhammad Muhammad As- Sallaabee quoted from “Al-Bidaayah Wan-Nihaayah(3/271,272)".

How some of the pious feared Allah

Abu Bakr Siddiq RadiyAllah Anhu said, “ I wish I were no more than a hair on the side of a believing servant”. Whenever he got up to do the prayer he would be trembling like a leaf out of fear of Allah.

Umar bin Khattab RadiyAllah anhu was once reading Surat-Tur and when he came to the verse
Surely the doom of your Lord will surely come to pass (52: 7)
And he wept so intensely that he fell ill so that people came to see how he was.

When Umar radiyAllah anhu was on his death bed he told his son, “Put my cheek next to the earth so that Allah may forgive me.” Then he said, “ I am doomed if Allah does not forgive me” he repeated the same words three times and then he died.

When Umar used to read the Quran at night and read an Ayah that filled him with fear, he would stay indoors for days on end so that people come to visit him, thinking that he was ill. His frequent weeping etched two dark lines on his face.

Ibn Abbas once told Umar ,”Allah has brought many countries into the Muslim Ummah through you, And through you many victories has been won. Umar replied, “All I desire is to be saved, I desire neither reward nor punishment”.

Uthman bin Affan RadiyAllah anhu used to cry until his beard was soaked each time that he stood at a grave. He used to say , “ If I were standing between the garden and the Fire, not knowing in which one of the two I would end up I would rather be turned into ashes before I learned my fate.”

Abu Darda RadiyAllhu anhu used to say “If you knew what you will encounter after your death you would never eat with any appetite, nor drink thirstily, nor enter houses to shelter but you would go to open spaces and beat your breast and weep at your lot. I wish I were a tree to be cut up and destroyed.

Ibn Abbas RadiyAllah anhu had skin under his eyes which looked like worn out sandal leather , due to his frequent weeping.

Ali ibn Abi Talib, may Allah honor him, was once overwhelmed with sadness after completing the dawn prayer; He said, " Never did i see anything like the companions of the Messenger of Allah. Their hair was disheveled. Their faces were pale, they were covered in dust, and the space between their eyes looked like the knees of goats. They had spent their night in prayer and in recitation of the Quran either on their feet or in prostration. When the dawn came they would spend it in remembrance of Allah,swaying like a tree on a stormy day, with tears flowing from their eyes till their clothes soaked. By Allah it seem to me the people around me now have passed the night in fast asleep." Then he got up and was never seen laughing until he was stabbed to death by Ibn Muljim.

Musa ibn Mas'ud said: "Whenever we sat in the company of Sufyaan at Tawri, we would feel as if the Fire had surrounded us because of the fear and panic we could see in his eyes."

Al Hasan al Basri was once described as follows "Whenever he aproached us it would seem as if he has only just returned from the burial of his best friend, and when he sat in a company , it was as if he was a prisoner sentenced to death by having his head cut off. And when ever the Fire was mentioned it would be as it had been created especially for him".

It has been related that Zurarah ibn Abu awfa led some people in dawn prayer and recited surah Al-Mudhathir from the Quran. When he reached the words
For when the trumpet sound that will be that day-a Day of distress (74:8-9)
He gasped and fell dead.

Abdullah ibn Amr ibn al- As is reported to have said, “Weep , and if you cannot weep then pretend to weep, I swear by Him in Whose Hand my life is, that if any of you really knew you would plead until your voice went, and pray until your back is broken".


Source : The purification of the soul by Ahmed Farid

Exhortation of the Predecessors to Taqwa

My dear Muslim brother and sister! You should be informed that the predecessors - may Allah be pleased with them - always exhorted one another towards taqwa.

Abu Bakr radhiallahu `anhu used to say in his khutba: 'I advise you to observe taqwa and to praise Allah as He deserves to be praised. Mix hope and fear and combine importunity with asking (for help). Allah has promised Zakariyah `alayhis salaam and his family:

"They used to race towards goodness, invoke Us with hope and fear and they were devout to Us." (Al-Anbiyaa, 90)

When Abu Bakr radhiallahu `anhu was about to die, he called Omar radhiallahu `anhu and advised him first and foremost to fear Allah.

Omar radhiallahu `anhu wrote to his son radhiallahu `anhu:

I advise you to fear Allah, for whoever fears Him has protected himself from His punishment. Whoever offers Him a loan, He will repay (reward) him and whoever thanks Him, He will give him more. Make taqwa your goal and the polish of your heart.'

Ali radhiallahu `anhu deputised someone for an expedition and said:

'I advise you to fear Allah Whom you have to meet and besides Whom you have no destination. He controls the world and the Hereafter.'

Omar ibn Abdul Aziz rahimahullah wrote to a man:

'I advise you to observe fear of Allah Who accepts nothing except that (taqwa), Who shows mercy only to its adherents and Who rewards only on its account. There are many who preach it, but few who practice it. May Allah make us all among those who have taqwa.'

When Omar radhiallahu `anhu became khalifah he gave a sermon and said: 'I advise you to fear Allah and be good because He is with those who fear and do good.'

A man was about to leave for Hajj and asked him (Omar) to advise him. He said: 'Fear Allah, for whoever fears Him will never feel lonely.'

Shu`ba said that whenever he used to prepare for a journey, he would ask Hakam if he (Hakam) required anything. He would say: 'I advise you with the words of the Prophet (sallallahu `alayhi wa sallam) when he advised Muadh (radhiallahu `anhu): 'Fear Allah wherever you are, follow up a mistake with kindness for it will erase it and approach people with good manners.''

A predecessor wrote to one of his brothers:

'I advise you to fear Allah because it is the best thing you can hide, the most beautiful thing you can reveal and the most valuable thing you can treasure. May Allah help us both to observe it and give us both its reward.'

Another person wrote to his brother:

'I advise you and myself to observe taqwa for it is the best provision for the world and the Hereafter. Make it a means for every good deed and a deterrent against every evil. Allah has guaranteed those with taqwa deliverance from their anxieties and provisions from unexpected quarters.'

When Ali radhiallahu `anhu returned from battle of Siffin, he passed by a graveyard outside Kufa and said:
'O you who live on the houses that create loneliness and in deserted places! O People of dust and alienation! O people of isolation and loneliness! You are, for us, scouts and we , for you, followers'.
'The houses? well they have become inhabited again. The wives? well they have remarried. The wealth? well it has been distributed'.
'This is news we have for you. What news do you have for us'.
Then Ali radhiallahu `anhu turned toward his army and said
'If they were permitted to speak, they would inform you the best provision is Fearing Allah(Taqwa)'.

Source: Taqwa, The Provision of the believers

The Description of Ali ibn Abu Talib

Diraar bin Damirah Kinaani رحمه لله once came to Mu'aawiya رضى لله عنه , who asked him to describe Ali رضي الله عنه, Diraar bin Damirah Kinaani رحمه لله said, "Would you excuse me?" Mu'aawiya رضي الله عنه replied, "You cannot be excused." Diraar bin Damirah Kinaani continued,

"If I have to say something, then I swear by Allaah that Ali رضي الله عنه was a man of high objectives (with immense honour).

He was a man of tremendous strength who always spoke decisively and passed judgement with utmost justice. Knowledge seemed to burst forth from his every limb (people learned something from his every word, action and even when he did nothing) and wisdom spoke through him from every angle. He kept aloof from the world and its attraction, taking comfort from the night and its darkness."

By Allaah, Ali رضي الله عنه shed many tears and remained in deep thought for long periods. He would often turn his hands over and address himself. He liked simple clothing and coarse (unrefined) food. By Allaah He was just like one of us and when we met with him, he would make us sit close to him and ensured that he answered our every question. Despite him being close to us and us being close to him, we were too overawed to speak to him. When he smiled, his teeth appeared to be a string of pearls.

He showed enormous respect towards men learned in the matters of Deen and he showed great love towards the poor. In front of him, a powerful person never expected to succeed in his false claims and a weak person never lost hope in his justice."

"Allaah is Witness to the night when I once saw him sitting in his Mihraab when the night had already drawn its curtains and the stars had vanished. He was holding his beard and bending over, displaying the distress of a person bitten by a scorpion. He wept like a bitterly grieved person and I can still hear his cries echoing in my ears as he repeated the words, 'Yaa Rabbanaa! Yaa Rabbanaa! (Oh our Rabb! Oh our Rabb!)' In this way, he humbled himself before Allaah .

He then address the world saying, '0 world! Are you trying to deceive me? Are you staring expectantly at me? Get away! Get away and use your charms on someone else because I have divorced you thrice. Your life is short, your company is demeaning and people easily get into trouble because of you. Oh dear! Oh dear! The provision (for the journey to the Aakhirah) is meagre, the journey is long and the road is frightening."'

(Upon hearing this,) Tears flowed uncontrollably from the eyes of Mu'aawiya رضي الله عنه onto his beard and he began wiping them away with his sleeve. The people present were also choked with their weeping. Mu'aawiya then said, "That was indeed an accurate description of Abul Hasan ( Ali رضي الله عنه ).

May Allaah have mercy on him. 0 Diraar, what was your reaction to his death?" Diraar bin Damirah Kinaani رحمه لله replied, "I felt the anguish of a woman whose only child is slaughtered in her lap, whose tears neither stop nor does her grief diminish." After saying this, Diraar bin Damirah Kinaani رحمه لله stood up and left.

Source: Hayatu Sahaba ( Quoted from ' Abu Nu'aym (Vol.1 Pg.84). In his book isti'aab (Vo1.3 Pg.44), Ibn Abdil Barr has also reported this narration from Hirmaazi who hailed from Hamdaan and who reported the same from Diraar Sadaa'i.)

The qualities of the people of taqwa

Hamman ibn Shuraih - a companion of Ali (radi Allah anhu) asked him to narrate the qualities of the people of taqwa so that he would be able to see them in front of him. Ali (radi Allah anhu) said:

'When Allah (سبحانه وتعالى) created His creation, He did so while He was completely independent of their obedience towards Him and of their disobedience towards Him. No disobedience can hurt Him and no obedience can benefit Him. Then He distributed amongst them (the creation) their means of sustenance and placed them on earth.

The people of taqwa on earth are those of virtue: their speech is correct (true); their garments are of moderate nature and their walk is one of humility. They lower their gazes when they see something that Allah has forbidden them to see and they give an ear to beneficial knowledge. They maintain their integrity in both adversity and prosperity. Had it not been for the appointed time that Allah (سبحانه وتعالى) has written for them (death), their souls would not remain an extra second in their bodies out of yearning for reward and fear of punishment. The Creator ranks Supreme in their eyes, so everything else becomes immaterial to them. They are with Paradise as if they had already witnessed it and enjoyed its presence. They are with Hell as if they have already seen it and tasted its torment. Their hearts grieve and their evil (if any) is non-contagious. Their bodies are lean, their needs are few and their souls are chaste.

They observe patience for a few days and experience everlasting comfort. This is a profitable exchange that their Lord has made pleasant for them. The world tempts them, but they do not succumb. It imprisons them, but they ransomed themselves in exchange. During the nights they stand in rows and read portions of the Qur'an. They recite with proper recitation which grieves their hearts and drink it (the Qur'an) like medicine. If a verse of yearning comes along, they reach for it and believe it is their destination. If an intimidating verse comes along, they pour their hearts towards it and believe that Hell and its screams are in their ears. They sleep on their foreheads and elbows (i.e. they engage in prayers so much that it is as if they sleep in those postures) and implore Allah to deliver them.

In the day, they are tolerant and learned, kind and Godfearing. Fear has chipped away at their bodies as if they were arrows. Anyone looking at them would think that they were sick. But they are not sick. Some will say that they are confused. A great fear has made them look like that. They are never content to do only a few actions (during the day), nor do they ask for a great deal. They condemn themselves and are apprehensive about their deeds. If one of them is called "pious", he fears what will be said of him and says: 'I know myself better than you do. My Lord knows me better than I do. O Allah! Do not take me to task for what they are saying about me and (O Lord) make me better than they think. Forgive my sins which they do not know about.'

Their signs are that they are strong in Islam, resolute in their softness; firm in their belief. They crave for knowledge and are knowledgeable with tolerance; moderate in richness; pleasant in hunger; forbearing in distress; seeking halal; active in (pursuing) guidance and they abhor greed.

They perform good deeds in fear (of rejection). They spend the evening in gratitude and the morning in remembrance. They sleep in alarm and they awake in joy. If their carnal selves make it difficult for them to fulfil that which they dislike they deprive them of that which they like. The apple of their eyes is in what does not perish and their abstemiousness is in what disappears. They combine knowledge with tolerance and speech with action.

You will find their hopes are realistic their mistakes few; their hearts humble their selves content; their diet meagre their matters simple; their Deen safe-guarded, their desires killed and their anger subdued. Goodness is expected from them and evil is shielded against them. If they are among those who are oblivious, they are counted amongst those who remember (Allah). If they are
among those who remember, they are not written among the oblivious. They pardon those who wrong them; they provide for those who deprive them and meet those who severe ties with them. They are never profane and always lenient. Their wrong doings are almost non-existent and their good deeds are always present. They are resolute when the earth quakes, steadfast in calamities and grateful in
prosperity.

They are not prejudiced against those they dislike nor do they favour those they love. They acknowledge the truth before it appears and do not lose anything they are entrusted with. They do not call anyone names nor do they hurt their neighbours. They do not curse at the time of difficulties nor do they venture into falsehood. Silence does not bother them and if they laugh they do not raise their voices. If they are treated with injustice they remain patient until Allah vindicates them. Their own selves live in toil while others are comfortable around them.

Their abstinence from those who stay away from them is their exoneration (from malice). Their proximity to those who are close to them is a means of mercy (for those who are close to them). Their remaining aloof is not out of pride and arrogance and their being close is neither a ploy nor a scheme."

Source: Taqwa-The provision of believers

Fearing Allah is the best provision

When Ali returned from battle of Siffin, he passed by a graveyard outside Kufa and said:
'O you who live on the houses that create loneliness and in deserted places! O People of dust and alienation! O people of isolation and loneliness! You are, for us, scouts and we , for you, followers'.
'The houses? well they have become inhabited again. The wives? well they have remarried. The wealth? well it has been distributed'.
'This is news we have for you. What news do you have for us'.
Then Ali turned toward his army and said
'If they were permitted to speak, they would inform you the best provision is Fearing Allah(Taqwa)'.

Extracted from the book "Taqwa: The provision for believers".

A poor, an orphan and a captive

Some scholars of Tafseer tell us, about the cause of revelation of the following verses:

And they give food, in spite of their love for it [or for the love of Him], to the Miskeen [the poor], the orphan, and the captive [saying], 'We feed you seeking Allah's Countenance only. We wish for no reward, nor thanks from you. (Quran 76:8-9)

They said: " 'Ali and Faitimah were observing fast one day and that they had prepared, for breaking their fast, a kind of food that contained some butter. When the sun set and they sat down for breaking the fast, they heard a knock on their door. 'Ali stood up and asked, 'Who is that?' A voice answered, 'A hungry poor man.'Ali went back inside brought the food together into a bag and gave to that poor man who thanked him and supplicated for him. So he and Fatimah broke their fast on only bread and water. On the following day, and at the same time, when 'Ali and his
wife Fatimah were about to take the morsel of their food, there was a knock on the door. 'Ali stood up and asked, 'Who is that?' A voice came from outside, 'An orphan who is displaced and starving.' 'Ali did as he did the day before. He carried the food in a bag to that orphan. And he and his wife broke their fast on bread and water, without feeling any inconvenience or displeasure. The incidence repeated itself on the third day and the knocking man answered that he was a captive. So 'Ali gave him the food he and his wife wanted to break their fast with. And as they did in the two previous days, they broke their fast on only bread and water.

Do you think that the person who knocked the door on those three days was the same person, or different persons: a poor man, an orphan and a captive? Narrations of the scholars of Tafseer indicate that the knocker was Angel Gabriel who came to test the faith and patience of' Ali and Fatimah. For, after that, Jibreel came to the Messenger of Allah (Peace be upon him) and informed him of the incident. He gave him good tiding that 'Ali and Fatimah would have a carriage of silver in Paradise as a suitable reward."

Source: Women around the messenger / page:328/329

Description of the companions

by Ali Ibn Abi Talib.

Ali ibn Abi Talib, may Allah honor him, was once overwhelmed with sadness after completing the dawn prayer; He said, " Never did i see anything like the companions of the Messenger of Allah. Their hair was disheveled. Their faces were pale, they were covered in dust, and the space between their eyes looked like the knees of goats. They had spent their night in prayer and in recitation of the Quran either on their feet or in prostration. When the dawn came they would spend it in remembrance of Allah,swaying like a tree on a stormy day, with tears flowing from their eyes till their clothes soaked. By Allah it seem to me the people around me now have passed the night in fast asleep." Then he got up and was never seen laughing untile he was stabbed to death by Ibn Muljim.

Source: Purification of the soul/ P133.