The twentieth sermon of Nahjul Balagha

 

Summary of the twentieth sermon of Nahjul-Balagha:

. describing the seditions and turmoil: explaining the essence of social and political seditions and mentioning their detrimental consequences

 

. advising to commitment to the Right:  insisting on the necessity of following the Right and divine guidance when encountering the seditions and avoiding desires of soul

 

. warning about the risk of fraction: alarming the Muslims about the consequences of fraction and disagreements in the society and introducing it as one of the contexts of emergence of sedition

 

. inviting to (have) piety and stability: inviting to observe piety and resisting against adversities and introducing it as a way for liberating from sedition

 

. encouraging to (have) insight and awareness: insisting on increasing the awareness of the Muslims and truly recognizing the Truth and the void according to insight and awareness

 

 

The time of performing the sermon:

In first years of Caliphate between the years 36 and 38 A.H. at the age of Jamal and Seffin battles

 

The audiences of the sermon:

The publicity of Muslims; specially the army and elites of the society who were engaged in seditions and disagreements

 

The purpose of the sermon:

This sermon was a clear answer to the critical and tense condition of its era and was an endeavor to maintain the heath of Islamic society. Also, he warned for awareness raising about the seditions which cause deviations from the way of the Right in the society; and the way of resisting against turmoil, was mentioned as reinforcing the spirit of piety, insight and awareness among the Muslims.

Imam Ali (AS) by insisting on the unity of the Muslims and cohesion of Islamic society to avoid falling into the trap of enemies, introduced following the Right as the most significant way of avoid being astray in the seditions of the time.

 

The chosen sentences:

. the sedition is like a dark night in which, the Right and the void get intertwined; only by the light of insight one can find the way.

 

. anyone who in seditions follow the base desires, will be astray and anyone who follows the Right, will be saved.

 

.  piety, is a fortress which keeps the human being safe from the fire of seditions.

 

. fraction among you, is a sword in the hands of enemies; do avoid it.

 

. the awareness and cognition, are the way of liberating from the darkness of seditions.