The first sermon of Nahj al-Balagha
The first sermon of Nahj al-Balagha
The summary of first sermon would be distributed as so:
Monotheism and cognition of God:
. introducing God as being unique and unparalleled
. the characteristics of God and his grandeur
Origination and creation:
. pointing out to origination of the world and creatures
. contemplating in discipline and wisdom of creation
Science and knowledge:
. the significance of science and awareness
. pointing out to the status of knowledgeable people and their virtues
The role of human being and his responsibilities:
. duties of human being toward God and society
. insisting on morality and the right behavior
Futurelife and divine reward:
. remembering Dooms day and the reward of deeds
. inviting to (have) piety and avoiding sins
performing first sermon of Nahj-ol-balaqe refers to the era in which, Imam Ali (AS) was at the position of being the Caliphate and leader of Muslims. This sermon performed in order to state the fundamental principles of Islam religion and enlightening the place of God and humanitarian responsibilities.
Some of main reasons of performing this sermon are as so:
1.enlightening Tawhid (Monotheism): Imam Ali (AS) by this sermon manages to insist on uniqueness and grandeur of God; in order to banish people from any kinf of polytheism and misapprehension.
2.awakening the society: At that time, the need to enlighten the seminal concepts of religion and science was felt. This sermon reminds the audiences that the science and recognition have high importance.
3.paying attention to humanitarian responsibilities: Imam Ali (AS) by stating humanitarian and moral duties, invites people to (have) piety and good behavior and remembers the social responsibilities.
4.remembering the future life: by pointing out to the Dooms day and rewards of deeds, Imam (AS) reminds believers that the worldly life should not solely be the pivot of their lives.
This sermon, in fact, was performed as a general declaration about convictional and social principles of Islam and its purpose is to increase the awareness and reinforce religious beliefs in society.
Some of sentences of this sermon, due to the depth of concepts and high eloquence, have taken more attention. Here, I am going to list some of famous and effective sentences of this sermon:
Monotheism and uniqueness of God:
((the one who has no same and no peer))
This sentence points out to uniqueness of God and states that God has no alike and no similar; this concept is very significant is Islamic lessons.
The grandeur of God:
((He is the creator of everything and his mastermind))
This phrase points out to the role of God as the creator and contriver of the universe and insists on the significance of grasping the wisdom and discipline of the origination.
Sscience and knowledge:
((I know that people didn’t deserve anyone but me))
This sentence insists on the importance of science and knowledge and states that knowledge and recognition is superior to anything else.
The responsibilities of the human being:
((Verily, the best people are those who depend on God))
This sentence points out to the concept of inclining to God and states that the best people are those who depend to God in the works.
Remembering the future life:
((And every believer is destined for the mole))
This phrase points out to remembering the Dooms day and the reward of the deeds and insists that the destination of believers is connected to eternal life.
These sentences convey the concepts of Tawhid (Monotheism), the grandeur of God, science and awareness, humanitarian responsibilities and paying attention to the future life, properly.
Imam Ali (AS) performed this sermon between 35 A.H. and 40 A.H. (Equivalent with 655 A.D. and 660 A.D.) for people of Kufa and Muslims in order to enlighten the seminal principles of Islam, Tawhid (Monotheism), science, morality and social responsibilities and invite the society to piety and awareness. The people who were present when performing this sermon were including: companions (of Prophet Mohammad (PH), religious scholars and the publicity of Muslims who sought the deeper understanding of the religion and their own duties.
