Background
Ali-asws’s Sermon[1] Before the Battle of Jamal: When all righteousness was shunned by Talha, Zubair and Aisha, they found an opportunity through wrongly instigating people with grossly baseless propaganda to join them against Mola Ali-asws in order to take a revenge for giving refuge to the killer of Usman. With their old grudges against Amir-ul-Momineen-asws they brought thousands to the battlefield but once again Mola Ali-asws warned them to refrain from fighting and avoid bloodshed. They simply ignored Mola-asws ‘s peace message. Upon receiving a signal of war Mola Ali-as proclaimed the following Khutbah(sermon).
Mola Ali-asws says; ‘O People! I have preached this nation to abstain from their ugly characteristics, and they were admonished for breaking their allegiance to me. I exposed their disobedience and their deviance from the right path but they still remained unashamed and instead, they threat me with waging a war, but I remained calm and patient. Undoubtedly, you indulged your ‘nafoos’ (yourselves) in arrogance with false pretences and kept playing with the foolish ideas. May their mothers grieve over them? I am not the one to be afraid of going a battle, but only for the sake of justice. In the past, they have seen my kindness and firmness and have also witnessed my wisdom, how can they challenge me now?
I am the same Abul Hasan-asws who crushed the ranks of the ‘mushriq’(Polytheist) and scattered their ranks and today I will greet them with the same heart. For surely Allah-azwj has promised me complete victory, without a doubt I believe in my faith and all the established matters. O People! The death does not fall on a resident nor does it slay a warrior (in battle) yet still it is unavoidable. A warrior who is not killed in battle will still die eventually. Certainly, the most eloquent death is to be martyred.
I swear by That.-azwj who holds me in His-azwj providence, I would accept a thousand wounds from a sword rather than to choose to die while lying in a bed.
O’Lord! the truth is that Talha gave false allegiance and provoked others against Usman until he was murdered and they laid the slander on me. May Allah-azwj not provide them with an opportunity (to spill their poisonous filth). O’Lord! Zubair also falsified (gave and took back) allegiance to me and broke relations. And he showed animosity against me and paved the way to war against me, although he knew very well, he was doing a great autocracy against me. O Lord! keep, today, these mischief mongers away from me, whom You-azwj know thoroughly.
[1] Nahjul Asrar