Peak of Eloquence Nahjul Balagha By Imam Ali ibn Abu Talib - English Translation - Sermon 1

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Peak of Eloquence Nahjul Balagha By Imam Ali ibn Abu Talib - English Translation - Sermon 1

Sermon 1 In this sermon, he recalls the creation of the earth and skyand the birth of Adam:Praise is due to Allah Whose worth cannot be described byspeakers, whose bounties cannot be counted by calculators and whoseclaim (to obedience) cannot be satisfied by those who attempt to do so,whom the height of intellectual courage cannot appreciate and the depthsof understanding cannot reach; He, for whose description no limit hasbeen laid down, no praise exists, no time is ordained and no duration isfixed. He brought forth creation through His Omnipotence, dispersedwinds through His Compassion and made firm the shaking earth withrocks.The foremost in religion is the acknowledgment of Him. Theperfection of acknowledging Him is to testify Him. The perfection oftestifying Him is to believe in His Oneness. The perfection of believingin His Oneness is to regard Him Pure. The perfection of His purity is todeny Him attributes because every attribute is a proof that it is differentfrom that to which it is attributed and everything to which something isattributed is different from the attribute. Thus, whoever attachesattributes to Allah recognizes His like. Who recognizes His like regardsHim as two. Who regards Him as two recognizes parts for Him, and whorecognizes parts for Him mistakes Him, and who mistakes Him points atHim, and who points at Him admits limitations for Him, and who admitslimitations for Him numbers Him.Whoever said in what is He, held that He is contained, andwhoever said on what is He held He is not on something else. He is aBeing but not through phenomenon of coming into being. He Exists butnot of non-Existence. He is with everything but not in physical nearness.He is different from everything but not in physical separation. He actsbut without connotation of movements and instruments. He sees evenwhen there is none to be looked at from among His creation. He is only300One, such that there is none with whom He may keep company or whomHe may miss in his absence.Creation of the UniverseHe initiated creation and commenced it originally, withoutundergoing reflection, without making use of any experiment, withoutinnovating any movement and without experiencing any mentalaspiration. He allotted all things their times, put together their variations,gave them their properties and determined their features. He knew thembefore creating them, fully realizing their limits and confines andappreciated their propensities and intricacies.When the Almighty created the openings of the atmosphere,expanse of firmament and strata of winds, He allowed water, whosewaves were stormy and whose surges leapt one over the other, to flowonto it. He loaded dashing winds and breaking typhoons, ordered them toshed it back (as rain), gave the wind control over the vigor of the rain andacquainted it with its limitations. The wind blew under it while waterflowed furiously over it.Then, the Almighty created forth wind and made its movementsterile, perpetuated its status, intensified its motion and spread it far andwide. Then He ordered the wind to raise deep waters and to intensify thewaves of the oceans. So the wind churned the water like the churning ofcurd and pushed it fiercely into the firmament, throwing its front status onthe rear while the stationary status flowed till its level was raised and thesurface was full of foam. Then Almighty raised the foam to the open windand vast firmament and made therefrom the seven skies. He made thelower one as a stationary surge and the upper one as protective ceiling andhigh edifice without any pole to support it or nail to hold it together. ThenHe decorated them with stars and the light of meteors and hung in it theshining sun and effulgent moon under the revolving sky, moving theceiling and rotating firmament.Creation of the AngelsThen He created the openings between the high skies and filledthem with all classes of His angels. Some of them are in prostration anddo not rise. others are in kneeling positions and do not stand up Some ofthem are in array and do not leave their status. others are extolling Allahand do not get tired. The sleep of the eye or the slip of wit or languor ofthe body or effect of forgetfulness does not effect them.301Among them are those who work as trusted bearers of Hismessage, those who serve, speaking tongues for His prophets and thosewho carry His orders and injunctions.