A must read sermon for reality seekers ( book :Peak of eloquence-imam ali)

[justin15]

Hi everyone
i found this sermon in a book named “ peak of eloquence”. This book is a compilation of the sermons of imam ALI who is the first successor of Prophet Muhammad , the prophet of islam. This sermon has left me speechless and I don’t have words to describe the greatness of it’s content . so I thought to share this with everyone. I haven’t post this to spam . I just wanted tp share this sermon which covers all the aspects who to live a virtuous life . comment if you like it . download the whole book if you want to from the link given at the end of sermon.

This sermon is called the al-Gharra’

“Praise be to ALLAH (GOD) who is High above all else, and is near (the creation) through His bounty. He is the Giver of all reward and distinction, and Dispeller of all calamities and hardships. I Praise Him for His continuous mercy and His copious bounties. I believe in Him as He is the First of all and He is Manifest. I seek guidance from Him as He
is Near and is the Guide. I seek His succour as He is Mighty and Subduer.I depend upon Him as He is Sufficer and Supporter. And I stand witness that Muhammad
(blessing of ALLAH (GOD) be on him and his progeny) is His slave and His Prophet.
He sent him for enforcement of His commands, for exhausting His pleas and for presenting
warnings (against eternal punishment).

Enjoining people to Piety
O’ creatures of ALLAH (GOD) I advise you to have fear of ALLAH (GOD) Who has furnished illustrations and Who has timed for you your lives. He has given you covering of dress(1) and He has scattered for you livelihood. He has surrounded you with His knowledge. He has ordained rewards. He has bestowed upon you vast bounties and extensive gifts. He has warned you through far reaching arguments, and He has counted you by numbers. He has fixed for you ages (to live) in this place of test and house of instruction.
You are on test in this world and have to render account about it. Caution against this world
Certainly this world is a dirty watering place and a muddy source of drinking.
Its appearance is attractive and its inside is destructive. It is a deception, a vanishing reflection and a bent pillar. When its despiser begins to like it and he who is not acquainted with it feels satisfied with it, then it raises and puts down its feet (in joy), entraps him in its trap, makes him the target of its arrows and puts round his neck the rope of death taking him to the narrow grave and fearful abode in order to show him his place of stay and the recompense of his acts. This goes on from generation to generation. Neither death stops from cutting them asundernor do the survivors keep aloof from committing of sins.

**Death and Resurrection **
They are emulating each other and proceeding in groups towards the final objective and the
rendezvous of death, till when matters come to a close, the world dies and resurrection draws
near. ALLAH (GOD) would take them out from the corners of the graves, the nests of birds. the dens of beasts and the centres of death. They hasten towards Him command and run towards the place fixed for their final return group by group, quiet, standing and arrayed in rows. They will be within ALLAH (GOD)‘s sight and will hear every one who would call them.
They would be having the dress of helplessness and covering of submission and indignity. (At this time) contrivances would disappear, desires would be cut, hearts would sink quietly,
voices would be curbed down, sweat would choke the throat, fear would increase and ears
would resound with the thundering voice of the announcer calling towards the final
judgement, award of recompense, striking of punishment and paying of reward.
The limitations of life
People have been created as a proof of (His) power, have been brought up with authority, theyare made to die through pangs, and placed in graves where they turn into crumbs. Then they would be resurrected one by one, awarded their recompense and would have to account for their actions, each one separately. They had been allowed time to seek deliverance, had been shown the right path and had been allowed to live and seek favours, the darkness of doubts had been removed, and they had been let free in this period of life as a training place in order to make preparation for the race on the Day of Judgement, to search for the objective with thoughtfulness, to get time necessary to secure benefits and provide for the next place of stay.
**No happiness without Piety **
How appropriate are these illustrations and effective admonitions provided they are received
by pure hearts, open ears, firm views and sharp wits. Fear ALLAH (GOD) like him who listened (good advice) and bowed before it, when he committed sin he admitted it, when he felt fear he acted
virtuously, when he apprehended he hastened (towards good acts), when he believed he
performed virtuous acts, when he was asked to take lesson (from the happenings of this
world) he did take the lesson, when he was asked to desist he abstained (from evil), when he
responded to the call (of ALLAH (GOD)) he leaned (towards him), when he turned back (to evil) he repented, when he followed he almost imitated and when he was shown (the right path) he saw it.Such a man was busy in search of truth and got rid (of the worldly evils) by running away. He collected provision (of good acts) for himself, purified his inner self, built for the next world, and took with himself provision for the day of his departure, keeping in view his journey, his requirement and the position of his need. He sent ahead of him for the abode of his stay (in the next world). O’ creatures of ALLAH (GOD), fear ALLAH (GOD) keeping in view the reason why He created you and be afraid of Him to the extent He has advised you to do. Make yourself deserve what He has promised you, by having confidence in the truth of His promise and entertaining fear for the Day of Judgement.

 

[justin15]

continued

**Reminding people of ALLAH (GOD)'s bounties **

He has made for you ears to preserve what is important, eyes to have sight in place of
blindness and limbs which consist of many (smaller) parts, whose curves are in proportion
with the moulding of their shapes and lengths of their ages, and also bodies that are sustaining themselves and hearts that are busy in search of their food, besides other big bounties,
obliging bestowings and fortresses of safety. He has fixed for you ages that are not known to
you. He has retained for you remains of the past people for your instruction. Those people
enjoyed themselves fully and were completely unhampered.
Death overtook them before (satisfaction of) their desires, from which the hands of death
separated them. They did not provide for themselves during health of their bodies, and did not
take lesson during their youth.
Are these people who are in youth waiting for the backbending old age, and those enjoying
fresh health waiting for ailments, and these living persons looking for the hour of death?
When the hour of departure would be close and the journey at hand, with pangs of grief and
trouble, suffering of sorrows and suffocation of saliva, and the time would arrive for calling
relations and friends for help and changing sides on the bed.
Could then the near ones stop death, or the mourning women do any good? He would rather
be left alone in the graveyard confined to the narrow corner of his grave.
His skin has been pierced all over by reptiles, and his freshness has been destroyed by these
tribulations. Storms have removed his traces and calamities have obliterated even his signs.
Fresh bodies have turned thin and withered and bones have become rotten. The spirits are
burdened with the weight of sins and have become conscious of the unknown things. But now
neither the good acts can be added to nor evil acts can be atoned for by repentance.
Are you not sons, fathers, brothers and relations of these dead and are not to follow their
footsteps and pass by their paths? But hearts are still unmoved, heedless of guidance and
moving on wrong lines, as though the addressee is someone else, and as though the correct
way is to amass worldly gains.

Preparation for the Day of Judgement

And know that you have to pass over the pathway (of sirat) where steps waver, feet slip away
and there are fearful dangers at every step. O’ creatures of ALLAH (GOD), fear ALLAH (GOD), like the
fearing of wise man whom the thought (of next world) has turned away from other matters, fear (of
ALLAH (GOD)) has afflicted his body with trouble and pain, his engagement in the night prayer has
turned even his short sleep into awakening, hope (of eternal recompense) keeps him thirsty in
the day, abstention has curbed his desires, and remembrance of ALLAH (GOD) is ever moving his
tongue.
He entertains fear before dangers. He avoids uneven ways in favour of clear ones. He follows
the shortest route to secure his purpose, wishfulness does not twist his thinking and
ambiguities do not blind his eyes. He enjoys deep sleep and passes his day happily because of
the happiness of good tidings and pleasure of (eternal bounties).
He passes the pathway of this world in praiseworthy manner. He reaches the next world with
virtues. He hastens (towards virtue) out of fear (for vice). He moves briskly during the short
time (of life in this world). He devotes himself in seeking (eternal good), he runs away from
evil. During today he is mindful of tomorrow, and keeps the future in his view. Certainly
Paradise is the best reward and achievement, which hell is appropriate punishment and
suffering. ALLAH (GOD) is the best Avenger and Helper and the Qur’an is the best argument and
confronter.

 

[justin15]

continued

Warning against Satan (DEVIL)

I enjoin upon you fear of ALLAH (GOD) Who has left no excuse against what He has warned, has
exhausted argument (of guidance) about the (right) path He has shown. He has warned you of
the enemy that steals into hearts and stealthily speaks into ears, and thereby misguides and
brings about destruction, makes (false) promises and keeps under wrong impression, he
represents evil sins in attractive shape, and shows as light even serious crimes. When he has
deceived his comrades and exhausted the pledge he begins to find fault with what he
presented as good, and considers serious what he had shown as light, and threatens from what
he had shown as safe.
Part of the same sermon dealing with creation of man
Or look at man whom ALLAH (GOD) has created in the dark wombs and layers of curtains from what
was overflowing semen, then shapeless clot, then embryo, then suckling infant, then child and
then fully grown up young man. Then He gave him heart with memory, tongue to talk and eye
to see with, in order that he may take lesson (from whatever is around him) and understand it
and follow the admonition and abstain from evil.
When he attained the normal growth and his structure gained its average development he fell
in self-conceit and got perplexed. He drew bucketfuls of his desires, got immersed in
fulfilling his wishes for pleasures of the world and his (sordid) aims. He did not fear any evil
nor got frightened of any apprehension. He died infatuated with his vices. He spent his short
life in rubbish pursuits.
He earned no reward nor did he fulfil any obligation. Fatal illness overtook him while he was
still in his enjoyments and perplexed him. He passed the night in wakefulness in the hardships
of grief and pricking of pains and ailments in the presence of real brother, loving father,
wailing mother, crying sister, while he himself was under maddening uneasiness, serious
senselessness, fearful cries, suffocating pains, anguish of suffocating sufferings and the pangs
of death.
Thereafter he was clad in the shroud while he remained quiet and thoroughly submissive to
others. Then he was placed on planks in such a state that he had been down-trodden by
hardships and thinned by ailments. The crowd of young men and helping brothers carried him
to his house of loneliness where all connections of visitors are severed. Thereafter those who
accompanied him went away and those who were wailing for him returned and then he was
made to sit in his grave for terrifying questioning and slippery examination.
The great calamity of that place is the hot water and entry into Hell, flames of eternal Fire and
intensity of blazes. There is no resting period, no gap for ease, no power to intervene, no
death to bring about solace and no sleep to make him forget pain. He rather lies under several
kinds of deaths and moment-to-moment punishment. We seek refuge with ALLAH (GOD).
The lesson to be learnt from those who have passed away
O’ creatures of ALLAH (GOD)! where are those who were allowed (long) ages to live and they enjoyed
bounty. They were taught and they learnt; they were given time and they passed it in vain;
they were kept healthy and they forgot (their duty). They were allowed long period (of life),
were handsomely provided, were warned of grievous punishment and were promised big
rewards. You should avoid sins that lead to destruction and vices that attract wrath (of ALLAH (GOD)).
O’ people who possess eyes and ears and health and wealth! Is there any place of protection,
any shelter of safety, or asylum or haven, or occasion to run away or to come back (to this
world)? If not, “how are you then turned away” (Qur’an, 6:95; 10:34; 35:3; 40:62) and wither
are you averting? By what things have you been deceived? Certainly, the share of every one
of you from this earth is just a piece of land equal to his own stature and size where he would
lie on his cheeks covered with dust. The present is an opportune moment for acting.
O’ creatures of ALLAH (GOD), since the neck is free from the loop, and spirit is also unfettered, now
you have time for seeking guidance: you are in ease of body; you can assemble in crowds, the
rest of life is before you; you have opportunity of acting by will; there is opportunity for
repentance, and peaceful circumstances. (But you should act) before you are overtaken by
narrow circumstances and distress, or fear and weakness, before the approach of the awaited
death and before seizure by the Almighty, the Powerful.”

as-Sayyid ar-Radi , the compiler of these sermons says: It is related that when Amir al-mu’minin delivered this sermon people
began to tremble, tears flowed from their eyes and their hearts were frightened. Some people
call this sermon the Brilliant Sermon (al-Khutbatu’l-Gharra’)

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