Manifesto
شا، الإرشاد رَوَتِ الْخَاصَّةُ وَ الْعَامَّةُ عَنْ أَمِيرِ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ صَلَوَاتُ اللَّهِ عَلَيْهِ وَ ذَكَرَ ذَلِكَ أَبُو عُبَيْدَةَ مَعْمَرُ بْنُ الْمُثَنَّى وَ غَيْرُهُ مِمَّنْ لَا يَتَّهِمُهُ خُصُومُ الشِّيعَةِ فِي رِوَايَتِهِ أَنَّ أَمِيرَ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ قَالَ فِي أَوَّلِ خُطْبَةٍ خَطَبَهَا بَعْدَ بَيْعَةِ النَّاسِ لَهُ عَلَى الْأَمْرِ وَ ذَلِكَ بَعْدَ قَتْلِ عُثْمَانَ بْنِ عَفَّانَ أَمَّا بَعْدُ فَلَا يُرْعِيَنَّ مُرْعٍ إِلَّا عَلَى نَفْسِهِ شُغِلَ مَنِ الْجَنَّةُ وَ النَّارُ أَمَامَهُ سَاعٍ مُجْتَهِدٌ وَ طَالِبٌ يَرْجُو وَ مُقَصِّرٌ فِي النَّارِ
(The book) ‘Al Irshad’ – The special (Shias) and the general Muslims have reported from Amir Al Momineen-asws, and that is mentioned by Abu Ubeyda Ma’mar Bin Al Musanna and others from the ones who cannot be accused of contending the Shias in his report,
Amir Al-Momineen-asws said in the first sermon he-asws addressed after the people had pledged to him-asws upon the command, and that is after the killing of Usman Bin Affan: ‘As for after, no grazer is pasturing except upon himself, pre-occupied from the Paradise, and the Fire is in front of him, striving, struggling, and seeking, wishing, and the deficient would be in the Fire.
ثَلَاثَةٌ وَ اثْنَانِ مَلَكٌ طَارَ بِجَنَاحَيْهِ وَ نَبِيٌّ أَخَذَ اللَّهُ بِيَدَيْهِ لَا سَادِسٌ هَلَكَ مَنِ ادَّعَى وَ رَدِيَ مَنِ اقْتَحَمَ الْيَمِينُ وَ الشِّمَالُ مَضَلَّةٌ وَ الْوُسْطَى الْجَادَّةُ مَنْهَجٌ عَلَيْهِ بَاقِي الْكِتَابِ وَ السُّنَّةِ وَ آثَارِ النُّبُوَّةِ إِنَّ اللَّهَ تَعَالَى دَاوَى هَذِهِ الْأُمَّةَ بِدَوَاءَيْنِ السَّوْطِ وَ السَّيْفِ لَا هَوَادَةَ عِنْدَ الْإِمَامِ فِيهِمَا
‘Three and two, an angel flies with his wings and a Prophet-as holds him by the hand, there is no sixth. Destroyed is the one who claims, and perished is the one who embarks upon the right and the left, straying, and the middle is the pathway the ‘مَنْهَجٌ ’ manifesto is upon, remaining of the Book and the Sunnah, and the traces of the Prophet-hood. Allah-azwj the Exalted Called this community with two calls – the whip and the sword, there is no leniency in the presence of the Imam-asws regarding these two.
فَاسْتَتِرُوا بِبُيُوتِكُمْ وَ أَصْلِحُوا فِيمَا بَيْنَكُمْ وَ التَّوْبَةُ مِنْ وَرَائِكُمْ مَنْ أَبْدَى صَفْحَتَهُ لِلْحَقِّ هَلَكَ قَدْ كَانَتْ أُمُورٌ لَمْ تَكُونُوا عِنْدِي فِيهَا مَعْذُورِينَ أَمَا إِنِّي لَوْ أَشَاءُ أَنْ أَقُولَ لَقُلْتُ عَفَا اللَّهُ عَمَّا سَلَفَ
‘Hide in your houses and reconcile regarding what is between yourselves, and the repentance. From behind you is someone manifesting his forgiveness for the truth. Destroyed in my-asws presence are the matters which do not happen to have any excuses regarding these. But, if I-asws so desire to say, I-asws would say Allah Pardons from what is past; [5:95].
سَبَقَ الرَّجُلَانِ وَ قَامَ الثَّالِثُ كَالْغُرَابِ هِمَّتُهُ بَطْنُهُ وَيْلَهُ [وَيْحَهُ] لَوْ قُصَّ جَنَاحَاهُ وَ قُطِعَ رَأْسُهُ كَانَ خَيْراً لَهُ انْظُرُوا فَإِنْ أَنْكَرْتُمْ فَأَنْكِرُوا وَ إِنْ عَرَفْتُمْ فَبَادِرُوا [فَآزِرُوا] حَقٌّ وَ بَاطِلٌ وَ لِكُلٍّ أَهْلٌ وَ لَئِنْ أَمِرَ الْبَاطِلُ فَلَقَدِيماً فَعَلَ وَ لَئِنْ قَلَّ الْحَقُّ فَلَرُبَّمَا وَ لَعَلَّ
‘The two men (Abu Bakr and Umar) preceded, and the third (Usman) was like the crow. His main concern was his belly. Woe be unto him! If his wings had been clipped and his head cut off, it would have been better for him. Look, so if you are denying, then deny, and if you are recognising, then rush to support. The truth and falsehood, and for each there are people, and if he had instructed with the falsehood, then it has been done from before, and if there was little truth, then sometimes (it is so), and perhaps (obscured).
وَ قَلَّمَا أَدْبَرَ شَيْءٌ فَأَقْبَلَ وَ لَئِنْ رَجَعَتْ إِلَيْكُمْ أُمُورُكُمْ [نُفُوسُكُمْ] إِنَّكُمْ لَسُعَدَاءُ وَ إِنِّي لَأَخْشَى أَنْ تَكُونُوا فِي فَتْرَةٍ وَ مَا عَلَيَّ إِلَّا الِاجْتِهَادُ أَلَا وَ إِنَّ أَبْرَارَ عِتْرَتِي وَ أَطَايِبَ أَرُومَتِي أَحْلَمُ النَّاسِ صِغَاراً وَ أَعْلَمُ النَّاسِ كِبَاراً
When a thing turns around, then accept it, but if I-asws were to return your affairs to yourselves, you would be happy, and I-asws fear that you would happen to be in a gap, and it is not upon me-asws except for the struggle. Indeed! The righteous are in my-asws family and the good are in my-asws origin. I-asws was the most forbearing of the people when young and most knowledgeable of the people when old.
أَلَا وَ إِنَّا أَهْلُ بَيْتٍ مِنْ عِلْمِ اللَّهِ عَلِمْنَا وَ بِحُكْمِ اللَّهِ حَكَمْنَا وَ بِقَوْلِ صَادِقٍ أَخَذْنَا مِنْ قَوْلِ صَادِقٍ سَمِعْنَا فَإِنْ تَتَّبِعُوا آثَارَنَا تَهْتَدُوا بِبَصَائِرِنَا وَ إِنْ لَمْ تَفْعَلُوا يُهْلِكْكُمُ اللَّهُ بِأَيْدِينَا
Indeed, and we-asws, People-asws of the Household, we-asws learned from the Knowledge of Allah-azwj, and we-asws judge by the Judgments of Allah-azwj, and we-asws take from the words of a truthful one-saww we-asws have heard from. Thus, if you were to follow our-asws tracks, you will be guided by our-asws insights, and if you do not do so, Allah-azwj will Destroy you by our-asws hands.
مَعَنَا رَايَةُ الْحَقِّ مَنْ تَبِعَهَا لَحِقَ وَ مَنْ تَأَخَّرَ عَنْهَا غَرِقَ أَلَا وَ بِنَا تُدْرَكُ تِرَةُ كُلِّ مُؤْمِنٍ وَ بِنَا تُخْلَعُ رِبْقَةُ الذُّلِّ مِنْ أَعْنَاقِكُمْ وَ بِنَا فَتَحَ اللَّهُ لَا بِكُمْ وَ بِنَا يَخْتِمُ لَا بِكُمْ
With us-asws is the flag of truth. One who follows it would catch up, and one who stays behind from it would drown. Indeed, and by us-asws the beauty of every Momin would be realised, and by us-asws the disgrace would be lured away from your necks, and by us-asws Allah-azwj Began, not by you all, and by us-asws Allah-azwj will end, not by you all’.[1]
[1] Bihar Al-Anwaar – V 32, The book of Fitna (Strife) And Ordeals, Ch 1 H 3