God and His vicegerents
1
ومن خطبة له (عليه السلام) في صفات الله جل جلاله، وصفات أئمة الدين
About the greatness and the attributes of Allāh [1] and the qualities of the Imams
2
الْحَمْدُ للهِ الدَّالِّ عَلَى وُجُودِهِ بِخَلْقِهِ، وَبِمُحْدَثِ خَلْقِهِ عَلَى أَزَلِيَّته، وَبِاشْتِبَاهِهِمْ عَلَى أَنْ لاَ شَبَهَ لَهُ. لاَ تَسْتَلِمُهُ الْمَشَاعِرُ، وَلاَ تَحْجُبُهُ السَّوَاتِرُ، لاِفْتِرَاِق الصَّانِعِ وَالْمَصْنُوعِ، وَالْحَادِّ وَالْـمَحْدُودِ، وَالرَّبِّ وَالْمَرْبُوبِ.
Praise be to Allāh who is proof of His existence through His creation, of His being external through the newness of His creation, and through their mutual similarities of the fact that nothing is similar to Him. Senses cannot touch Him and curtains cannot veil Him, because of the difference between the Maker and the made, the Limiter and the limited and the Sustainer and the sustained.
3
الاْحَدُ لاَ بِتَأْوِيلِ عَدَد، وَالْخَالِقُ لاَ بِمَعْنَى حَرَكَة وَنَصَب، وَالسَّمِيعُ لاَ بِأَدَاة، وَالْبَصِيرُ لاَ بِتَفْرِيقِ آلَة، وَالشَّاهِدُ لاَبِمُمَاسَّه، وَالْبَائِنُ لاَبِتَرَاخِي مَسَافَة، وَالظّاهِرُ لاَبِرُؤيَة، وَالْبَاطِنُ لاَ بِلَطَافَة. بَانَ مِنَ الاْشْيَاءِ بَالْقَهْرِ لَهَا، وَالْقُدْرَةِ عَلَيْهَا، وَبَانَتِ الاْشْيَاءُ مِنْهُ بَالْخُضُوعِ لَهُ، وَالرُّجُوعِ إِلَيْهِ.
He is One but not by the first in counting, is Creator but not through activitiy or labour, is Hearer but not by means of any physical organ, is Looker but not by a stretching of eyelids, is Witness but not by nearness, is Distinct but not by measurement of distance, is Manifest but not by seeing and is Hidden but not by subtilty (of body). He is Distinct from things because He overpowers them and exercises might over them, while things are distinct from Him because of their subjugation to Him and their turning towards Him.
4
مَنْ وَصَفَهُ فَقَدْ حَدَّهُ، وَمَنْ حَدَّهُ فَقَدْ عَدَّهُ، وَمَنْ عَدَّهُ فَقَدْ أَبْطَلَ أَزَلَهُ، وَمَنْ قَالَ: كَيْفَ، فَقَدِ اسْتَوْصَفَهُ، وَمَنْ قَالَ: أَيْنَ، فَقَدْ حَيَّزَهُ. عَالِمٌ إِذْ لاَ مَعْلُومٌ، وَرَبٌّ إِذْ لاَ مَرْبُوبٌ، وَقَادِرٌ إِذْ لاَ مَقْدُورٌ.
He who describes Him limits Him. He who limits Him numbers Him. He who numbers Him rejects His eternity. He who said “how” sought a description for Him. He who said “where” bounded him. He is the Knower even though there be nothing to be known. He is the Sustainer even though there be nothing to be sustained. He is the Powerful even though there be nothing to be overpowered.
5
منها في أئمّة الدين : فَقَدْ طَلَعَ طَالِعٌ، وَلَمَعَ لاَ مِعٌ، وَلاَحَ لاَئِحٌ، وَاعْتَدَلَ مَائِلٌ، وَاسْتَبْدَلَ اللهُ بِقَوْم قَوْماً، وَبِيَوم يَوْماً، وَانْتَظَرْنَا الْغِيَرَ انْتِظَارَ الْـمُجْدِبِ الْمَطَرَ. وَإِنَّمَا الاَئِمَّةُ قُوَّامُ اللهِ عَلَى خَلْقِهِ، وَعُرَفَاؤُهُ عَلَى عِبَادِهِ، لاَ يَدْخُلُ الْجَنَّةَ إِلاَّ مَنْ عَرَفَهُمْ وَعَرَفُوهُ، وَلاَ يَدْخُلُ النَّارَ إِلاَّ منْ أَنْكَرَهُمْ وَأَنْكَرُوهُ.
[A part of the same sermon about the Divine leaders (Imāms) :] The riser has risen, the sparkler has sparkled, the appearer has appeared and the curved has been straightened. Allāh has replaced one people with another and one day with another. We awaited these changes as the famine-stricken await the rain. Certainly the Imāms are the vicegerents of Allāh over His creatures and they make the creatures know Allāh. No one will enter Paradise except he who knows them and knows Him, and no one will enter Hell except he who denies them and denies Him.
6
إِنَّ اللهَ خَصَّكُمْ بَالاْسْلاَمِ، وَاسْتَخْلَصَكُمْ لَهُ، وَذلِكَ لاِنَّهُ اسْمُ سَلاَمَة، وَجِمَاعُ كَرَامَة، اصْطَفَى اللهُ تَعَالَى مَنْهَجَهُ، وَبَيَّنَ حُجَجَهُ، مِنْ ظَاهِرِ عِلْم، وَبَاطِنِ حِكَم، لاَ تَفْنَى غَرَائِبُهُ، وَلاَ تَنْقَضِي عَجَائِبُهُ، فِيهِ مَرَابِيعُ النِّعَمِ، وَمَصَابِيحُ الظُّلَمِ، لاَ تُفْتَحُ الْخَيْرَاتُ إِلاَّ بِمَفَاتِحِهِ، وَلاَ تُكْشَفُ الظُّلُمَاتُ إِلاَّ بِمَصَابِحِهِ، قَدْ أَحْمَى حِمَاهُ، وَأَرْعَى مَرْعَاهُ، فِيهِ شِفَاءُ الْمُسْتَشْفِي، وَكِفَايَةُ الْمُكْتَفِي.
Allāh the Glorified, has distinguished you with Islam and has chosen you for it. This is because it is the name of safety and the collection of honour. Allāh the Glorified, chose its way and disclosed its pleas through open knowledge and secret maxims. Its (Qur’ān) wonders are not exhausted and its delicacies do not end. It contains blossoming bounties and lamps of darkness. (The doors of) virtues cannot be opened save with its keys, nor can gloom be dispelled save with its lamps. Allāh has protected its inaccesible points (from enemies) and allowed grazing (to its followers) in its pastures. It contains cover (from the ailment of misguidance) for the seeker of cure and full support for the seeker of support.