المَوعِظَةُ
EXHORTATION
دَورُ المَوعِظَةِ في حَياةِ القَلبِ / The Role of Exhortation in the Revival of the Heart
1ـ الإمامُ عليٌّ (عَلَيهِ الّسَلامُ) ـ في وَصيَّتِهِ لابنِهِ وهُو يَعِظُهُ ـ: أحيِ قَلبَكَ بِالمَوعِظَةِ.
1– Imam Ali (AS) said in his will to his son, exhorting him, ‘Revive your heart with exhortation.’
[Nahj al-Balagha, book 31]
2ـ الإمامُ عليٌّ (عَلَيهِ الّسَلامُ): المَواعِظُ صَقالُ النُّفوسِ، وجَلاءُ القُلوبِ.
2– Imam Ali (AS) said, ‘Exhortations are the polishers of the self and the cleansers of the heart.’
[Ghurar al-Hikam, no. 1354]
المَوعِظَةُ
EXHORTATION
3ـ الإمامُ عليٌّ (عَلَيهِ الّسَلامُ): بِالمَواعِظِ تَنجَلي الغَفلَةُ.
3– Imam Ali (AS) said, ‘Through exhortations is inattentiveness cleared.’
[Ghurar al-Hikam, no. 4191]
أنواعُ الوُعّاظِ / Types of Exhorters
4ـ رسولُ اللهِِ (صَلَّيَ اللهُ عَلَيهِ وَ آلِهِ): كَفى بِالمَوتِ واعِظاً.
4– The Prophet (SAWA) said, ‘Death suffices as an exhorter.’
[Tuhaf al-‘Uqul, p. 35]
5ـ الإمامُ عليٌّ (عَلَيهِ الّسَلامُ): العاقِلُ مَن وَعَظَتهُ التَّجارِبُ .
5– Imam Ali (AS) said, ‘An intelligent person is he who is exhorted by experience.’
[Tuhaf al-‘Uqul, p. 85]
6ـ الإمامُ عليٌّ (عَلَيهِ الّسَلامُ): كَفى عِظَةً لِذَوي الألبابِ ما جَرَّبوا .
6– Imam Ali (AS) said, ‘The experiences of people of conscience are enough of an exhortation.’
[Ghurar al-Hikam, no. 7059]
7ـ الإمامُ عليٌّ (عَلَيهِ الّسَلامُ): إذا أحَبَّ اللّهُ عَبداً وعَظَهُ بِالعِبَرِ .
7– Imam Ali (AS) said, ‘When Allah loves a servant, He exhorts him with examples.’
[Ghurar al-Hikam, no. 4032]
8ـ الإمامُ عليٌّ (عَلَيهِ الّسَلامُ): مَن فَهِمَ مَواعِظَ الزَّمانِ لَم يَسكُنْ إلى حُسنِ الظَّنِّ بالأيّامِ.
8– Imam Ali (AS) said, ‘He who understands the exhortations of time will not be at ease with entertaining good opinions about his days.’
[Ghurar al-Hikam, no. 8938]
9ـ الإمامُ عليٌّ (عَلَيهِ الّسَلامُ): لَم يَذهَبْ مِن مالِكَ ما وَعَظَكَ.
9– Imam Ali (AS) said, ‘That which has exhorted you from your wealth
[through loss] is not lost.’
[Nahj al-Balagha, Saying 196]
10ـ الإمامُ عليٌّ (عَلَيهِ الّسَلامُ) ـ في صِفَةِ الدُّنيا ـ: إنَّ الدُّنيا دارُ مَوعِظَةٍ لِمَنِ اتَّعَظَ بِها ... ذَكَّرَتهُمُ الدُّنيا فتَذَكَّروا، وحَدَّثَتهُم فصَدَّقوا، ووَعَظَتهُم فاتَّعَظوا.
10– Imam Ali (AS) said in his description of this world, ‘The world is the abode of exhortation for he who accepts from it…The world reminds them and so they remember, and it speaks to them so they believe, and it exhorts them so they accept its exhortation.’
[Nahj al-Balagha, Saying 131]
11ـ الإمامُ عليٌّ (عَلَيهِ الّسَلامُ): أبلَغُ العِظاتِ الاعتِبارُ بِمَصارِعِ الأمواتِ .
11– Imam Ali (AS) said, ‘The sagacious man sees everything as an exhortation.’
[Ghurar al-Hikam, no. 7338]
12ـ الإمامُ عليٌّ (عَلَيهِ الّسَلامُ): إنَّ اللّهَ سبحانَهُ لَم يَعِظْ أحَداً بمِثلِ هذا القرآنِ .
12– Imam Ali (AS) said, ‘The most far-reaching of exhortations is consideration of the fates of dead people.’
[Ghurar al-Hikam, no. 3123]
13ـ الإمامُ عليٌّ (عَلَيهِ الّسَلامُ): لا واعِظَ أبلَغُ مِن النُّصحِ.
13– Imam Ali (AS) said, ‘Allah Almighty has not exhorted anyone like He does through the Qur’an.’
[Nahj al-Balagha, Sermon 176]
14ـ الإمامُ عليٌّ (عَلَيهِ الّسَلامُ): واتَّعِظوا بِمَن كانَ قَبلَكُم قَبلَ أن يَتَّعِظَ بِكُم مَن بَعدَكُم.
14– Imam Ali (AS) said, ‘There is no exhorter better than advice.’
[Ghurar al-Hikam, no. 10622]
15ـ الإمامُ الصّادقُ (عَلَيهِ الّسَلامُ): أصدَقُ القَولِ، وأبلَغُ المَوعِظَةِ، وأحسَنُ القَصصِ: كِتابُ اللّهِ .
15– Imam al-Sadiq (AS) said, ‘The most truthful saying and the most complete exhortation, and the greatest of stories is the Book of Allah.’
[Amali al-Saduq, p. 394, no. 1]
16ـ الإمامُ الكاظمُ (عَلَيهِ الّسَلامُ) ـ في كِتابِهِ إلى هارونَ الرَّشيدِ، لَمّا طَلَبَ مِنهُ المَوعِظَةَ ـ: ما مِن شَيءٍ تَراهُ عَينُكَ إلّا وفيهِ مَوعِظَةٌ.
16– Imam al-Kazim (AS) said in his letter to Harun al-Rashid, when he asked him for exhortation, ‘Every single thing your eye sees contains an exhortation.’
[Bihar al-Anwar, v. 71, p. 324, no. 14]
آدابُ المَوعِظَةِ / Etiquettes of Exhortation
17ـ عن جابر بن سَمُرَة: كانَ رسولُ اللّهِ (صَلَّيَ اللهُ عَلَيهِ وَ آلِهِ) لا يُطيلُ المَوعِظَةَ يَومَ الجُمُعَةِ، إنّما هُنَّ كَلِماتٌ يَسيراتٌ.
17– Jabir b. Samura said, ‘The Prophet (SAWA) never prolonged the exhortation on Friday, but rather used simple phrases.’
[Sunan Abi Dawud, p. 1107]
18ـ الإمامُ عليٌّ (عَلَيهِ الّسَلامُ): نُصحُكَ بَينَ المَلاَءِ تَقْريعٌ .
18– Imam Ali (AS) said, ‘Your advice to a congregation of people should be chiding.’
[Ghurar al-Hikam, no. 9968]
19ـ الإمامُ العسكريُّ (عَلَيهِ الّسَلامُ): مَن وَعَظَ أخاهُ سِرّا فَقَد زانَهُ، ومَن وَعَظَهُ عَلانِيَةً فَقَد شانَهُ .
19– Imam al-`Aaskari (AS) said, ‘He who exhorts his brother in secret has indeed adorned him, and he who exhorts him in public has dishonoured him.’
[Tuhaf al-`Uqoul, p. 489]
الواعِظُ النَّفسيُّ / The Personal Exhorter
20ـ الإمامُ عليٌّ (عَلَيهِ الّسَلامُ): مَن كانَ لَهُ في نَفسِهِ واعِظٌ كانَ علَيهِ مِن اللّهِ حافِظٌ.
20– Imam Ali (AS) said, ‘He whose inner self is an exhorter to him has been granted a protector by Allah over him.’
[Bihar al-Anwar, v. 78, p. 67, no. 11]
21ـ الإمامُ زينُ العابدينَ (عَلَيهِ الّسَلامُ) ـ كانَ يقولُ ـ: ابنَ آدَمَ، لا تَزالُ بِخَيرٍ ما كانَ لكَ واعِظٌ مِن نَفسِكَ، وما كانَتِ المُحاسَبَةُ مِن هَمِّكَ، وما كانَ الخَوفُ لَكَ شِعاراً، والحُزنُ لَكَ دِثارا . ابنَ آدمَ، إنّكَ مَيِّتٌ وَمبعوثٌ ومَوقوفٌ بَينَ يَدَيِ اللّهِ عَزَّوجلَّ ومَسؤولٌ فأعِدَّ جَواباً.
21– Imam Zayn al-Abidin (AS) said, ‘O son of Adam, you will continue to be good as long as your self is an exhorter to you, and as long as you take account of your sorrows, and as long as fear
[of Allah] is your motto and caution is your armour.’
[Tuhaf al-`Uqoul, p. 280]
22ـ الإمامُ الباقرُ (عَلَيهِ الّسَلامُ): مَن لَم يَجعَلِ اللّهُ لَهُ مِن نفسِهِ واعِظاً، فإنَّ مَواعِظَ النّاسِ لَن تُغنيَ عَنهُ شيئاً.
22– Imam al-Baqir (AS) said, ‘He for whom Allah has not made an exhorter from his own self, the exhortations of people will not benefit him at all.’
[Tuhaf al-`Uqoul, p. 294]
مَن لا يَنتَفِعُ بِالمَوعِظَةِ / Those who do not benefit from Exhortation
23ـ الإمامُ عليٌّ (عَلَيهِ الّسَلامُ): الجاهِلُ لا يَرتَدِعُ، وبِالمَواعِظِ لا يَنتَفِعُ.
23– Imam Ali (AS) said, ‘The ignorant man cannot refrain
[from sins], nor does he benefit from exhortations.’
[Ghurar al-Hikam, no. 1729]
24ـ الإمامُ عليٌّ (عَلَيهِ الّسَلامُ): مَن لَم يُعِنْهُ اللّهُ على نَفسِهِ لَم يَنتَفِعْ بِمَوعِظَةِ واعِظٍ.
24– Imam Ali (AS) said, ‘He whom Allah does not help against his base self cannot benefit from the exhortation of an adviser.’
[Ghurar al-Hikam, no. 9010]
25ـ الإمامُ عليٌّ (عَلَيهِ الّسَلامُ): بَينَكُم وبَينَ المَوعِظَةِ حِجابٌ مِن الغِرَّةِ.
25– Imam Ali (AS) said, ‘Between you and
[benefitting from] an exhortation is a wall of inadvertency.’
[Nahj al-Balagha, Saying 282]
الواعِظُ غَيرُ المُتَّعِظِ / The Exhorter Who Himself is not Exhorted
26ـ رسولُ اللهِِ (صَلَّيَ اللهُ عَلَيهِ وَ آلِهِ): أوحَى اللّهُ إلى عيسَى بنِ مَريمَ: عِظْ نفسَكَ بحِكمَتي، فإنِ انتَفَعتَ فَعِظِ النّاسَ، وإلّا فاستَحيِ مِنّي.
26– The Prophet (SAWA) said, ‘Allah revealed to Jesus son of Mary, ‘Exhort your self with My wisdom, and once you benefit from it then exhort people, and if not, then be ashamed in front of Me.’
[Kanz al-`Ummal, no. 43156]
27ـ الإمامُ عليٌّ (عَلَيهِ الّسَلامُ): لا تَكُن مِمَّن ... يُبالِغُ في المَوعِظَةِ ولا يَتَّعِظُ، فهُو بِالقَولِ مُدِلٌّ ومِن العَمَلِ مُقِلٌّ، يُنافِسُ فيما يَفنى، ويُسامِحُ فيما يَبقى، يَرَى الغُنمَ مَغرَما، والغُرمَ مَغنَماً.
27– Imam Ali (AS) said, ‘Do not be like he who…exhorts extensively but does not take lesson himself, for he is arrogant in his speech and little of deeds, he disputes about what is to perish, and allows to pass what is eternal, he sees benefits as a loss, and losses as beneficial.’
[Nahj al-Balagha, Saying 150]
28ـ الإمامُ عليٌّ (عَلَيهِ الّسَلامُ): رُبَّ زاجِرٍ غَيرُ مُزدَجِرٍ، رُبَّ واعِظٍ غَيرُ مُرتَدِعٍ.
28– Imam Ali (AS) said, ‘Many a rebuker is himself not rebuked, and many an exhorter is himself not restrained
[from sins].’
[Ghurar al-Hikam, no. 5360-5361]
29ـ الإمامُ عليٌّ (عَلَيهِ الّسَلامُ): أيُّها النّاسُ، اِستَصبِحوا مِن شُعلَةِ مِصباحِ واعِظٍ مُتَّعِظٍ، وامتاحُوا مِن صَفوِ عَينٍ قَد رُوِّقَت مِن الكَدَرِ.
29– Imam Ali (AS) said, ‘O people, seek enlightenment from the torch of the lamp of an exhorter who takes his own advice and from the clear spring that has been filtered of all impurity.’
[Nahj al-Balagha, Sermon 105]
30ـ الإمامُ الصّادقُ (عَلَيهِ الّسَلامُ): إنّ العالِمَ إذا لم يَعمَلْ بعِلمِهِ زَلَّت مَوعِظَتُهُ عنِ القُلوبِ كَما يَزِلُّ المَطَرُ عنِ الصَّفا.
30– Imam al-Sadiq (AS) said, ‘When the knowledgeable man does not act upon his knowledge, his exhortation slips away from the hearts like the rain slips off a flat rock.’
[Munyat al-Murid, p. 146,181]
الدَّعوَةُ بِغَيرِ اللِّسانِ / The Silent Propagation
31ـ الإمامُ عليٌّ (عَلَيهِ الّسَلامُ): إنّ الوَعظَ الّذي لا يَمُجُّهُ سَمعٌ، ولا يَعدِلُهُ نَفعٌ، ما سَكَتَ عَنهُ لِسانُ القَولِ وَنطَقَ بهِ لِسانُ الفِعلِ.
31– Imam Ali (AS) said, ‘The exhortation which cannot be missed by the hearing, nor matched by any other benefit is that which the tongue of speech remains silent about and the tongue of action expresses.’
[Ghurar al-Hikam, no. 3538]
مايَنبَغي الاتِّعاظُ بهِ / What One Should Take Exhortation from
32- الإمامُ عليٌّ (عَلَيهِ الّسَلامُ): واتَّعِظوا بِمَن كانَ قَبلَكُم قَبلَ أن يَتَّعِظَ بِكُم مَن بَعدَكُم .
32– Imam Ali (AS) said, ‘Take lesson from
[the lives of] those who passed before you, before those who come after you take lesson from you
[i.e. your life].’
[Nahj al-Balagha, Sermon 32]
33- الإمامُ عليٌّ (عَلَيهِ الّسَلامُ): مَن لَم يَتَّعِظْ بالنّاسِ وَعَظَ اللّهُ النّاسَ بهِ .
33– Imam Ali (AS) said, ‘He who does not draw lessons from people, Allah uses his example to exhort others.’
[Ghurar al-Hikam, no. 8931]
34- الإمامُ الصّادقُ (عَلَيهِ الّسَلامُ): السَّعيدُ يَتَّعِظُ بمَوعِظَةِ التَّقوى وإن كانَ يُرادُ بالمَوعِظَةِ غَيرُهُ .
34– Imam al-Sadiq (AS) said, ‘The prosperous person takes exhortation from the advice of piety, even if another was intended by the exhortation.’
[al-Kafi, v. 8, p. 151, no. 132]