The Sermon without Alif
This article is an introduction to the The Sermon without Alif; to read its text see text:The Sermon without Alif.| Other names | Al-Muniqa sermon |
|---|---|
| Issued by | Imam Ali (a) |
| Shi'a sources | Misbah al-Kaf'ami • Bihar al-anwar |
The sermon of Imam ʿAli without the letter alif, or al-Khutba al-Muniqa, is a sermon by Imam 'Ali (a) in which the letter alif is not used. The sermon was delivered in an improvised way by Imam ʿAli (a) among a group of the Prophet's companions who were conversing about the role of letters in the language. Since the letter alif is frequently used in the Arabic language, this sermon counts as a literary masterpiece.
The text of the sermon is cited in Bihar al-anwar and Minhaj al-baraʿa, although there are differences between the two. The sermon contains a praise of God, some of the virtues of the Prophet (s) and the goals of his mission, piety, and the stages of the afterlife.
The book, Du shahkar ʿAlawi (Two Alawite masterpieces), is written in exposition of this sermon as well as the sermon without dots.
Context of Deliverance
The sermon of Imam ʿAli without the letter alif, is a sermon by Imam 'Ali (a) in which the letter alif is not used. According to a hadith from Imam al-Rida (a) cited in Manaqib, the context in which the sermon was delivered was as follows: a group of the Prophet's companions were talking about the role of letters in speech. They believed that “aleph” was the most frequent letter in Arabic. At this time, Imam ʿAli (a) delivered a sermon without aleph, and then a sermon without dots.[1] The improvisation of the sermons, their reliance on the Qur'an, and their eloquence have been admired.[2]
Content
The sermon without alif begins with a praise of God, and goes on to mention some of the virtues of the Prophet (s) and the goals of his mission. It then talks about piety and provides a picture of the stags of the afterlife. The sermon ends with asking God for forgiveness.[3]
Chain of Transmission
The sermon without alif is cited in sources such as Ibn Abi l-Hadid’s Sharh nahj al-balagha,[4] Aʿlam al-din fi sifat al-muʾminin,[5] al-Kaf'ami's Misbah,[6] Bihar al-anwar,[7] and Minhaj al-baraʿa.[8] The sermon as cited in Bihar al-anwar is slightly different from what is cited in al-Kafʿami's Misbah. Some of these differences are mentioned by al-Majlisi.[9] The sermon is not cited by al-Sayyid al-Radi in Nahj al-balagha.
Monograph
The book, Du shahkar ʿAlawi (Two Alawite masterpieces), is written in Persian by Muhammad Ihsanifar Langarudi in exposition of this sermon as well as the sermon without dots. A précis of the book appears as an article titled Yik kitab dar yik maqala (du shahkar ʿAlawi) pazhuhishi darbara khutabahi ‘bi alif’ wa ‘bi nuqta’ Amir al-Muʾminin (A book in one article (two Alawite masterpieces) a study of the sermons ‘without alif’ and ‘without dot’ by Amir al-Muʾminin).[10]
See Also
Notes
- ↑ Ibn Shahrāshūb, Manāqib Āl Abī Ṭālib, vol. 2, p. 48.
- ↑ Iḥsānīfar Lanqrūdī,Du shāhkār-i ʿalawī, p. 19.
- ↑ Iḥsānīfar Lanqrūdī,Du shāhkār-i ʿalawī, p. 55-140.
- ↑ Ibn Abī l-Ḥadīd, Sharḥ Nahj al-balāgha, vol. 19, p. 140-143.
- ↑ Daylamī, Aʿlām al-dīn fī ṣifāt al-muʾminīn, p. 72-73.
- ↑ Kafʿamī, Al-Miṣbāḥ, p. 741-745.
- ↑ Majlisī, Biḥār al-anwār, vol. 74, p. 341-343.
- ↑ Khoeī, Minhāj al-barāʿa, vol. 1, p. 210-215.
- ↑ Majlisī, Biḥār al-anwār, vol. 74, p. 343.
- ↑ Iḥsānīfar Lanqrūdī, Yik kitāb dar yik maqāla (Du shāhkār-i ʿalawī) pazhūhishī darbāriya khuṭbihayya bī ʾalif wa bī nuqṭa-yi Amīr al-Muʾminīn (A book in an article (two Alawite masterpieces) research on the sermons of Amir al-Mo'menin without Dots and without ʾAlif ) یک کتاب در یک مقاله (دو شاهکار علوی) پژوهشی درباره خطبههای بیالف و بینقطه امیرالمؤمنین. p. 106.
References
- Daylamī, Ḥasan b. Muḥammad. Aʿlām al-dīn fī ṣifāt al-muʾminīn. Qom: Muʾassisat Āl al-Bayt(a), 1408 AH.
- Ibn Abī l-Ḥadīd, ʿAbd al-Ḥamīd b. Hibat Allāh. Sharḥ Nahj al-balāgha. Qom: Maktabat Āyat Allāh al-Marʿashī, 1404 AH.
- Ibn Shahrāshūb, Muḥammad b. ʿAlī. Manāqib Āl Abī Ṭālib. Qom: ʿAllāma, 1379 AH.
- Iḥsānīfar Lanqrūdī, Muḥammad. Du shāhkār-i ʿalawī. Qom: Intishārāt-i Aʾimma, 1382 sh.
- Iḥsānīfar Lanqrūdī, Muḥammad. Yik kitāb dar yik maqāla (Du shāhkār-i ʿalawī) pazhūhishī darbāriya khuṭbihayya bī ʾalif wa bī nuqṭa-yi Amīr al-Muʾminīn (A book in an article (two Alawite masterpieces) research on the sermons of Amir al-Mo'menin without Dots and without ʾAlif ) یک کتاب در یک مقاله (دو شاهکار علوی) پژوهشی درباره خطبههای بیالف و بینقطه امیرالمؤمنین. ʿUlūm-i Ḥadīth, Number 29, Autumn 1382 Sh.
- Kafʿamī, Ibrāhīm b. ʿAlī al-. Al-Miṣbāḥ fī al-adʿiya wa al-ṣalawāt wa al-ziyārāt. Qom: Dār al-Raḍī, 1405 AH.
- Khoeī, Mīrzā Ḥabīb Allāh. Minhāj al-barāʿa fī Sharḥ Nahj al-balāgha. Tehran: Maktaba al-Islāmīyya, 1400 AH.
- Majlisī, Muḥammad Bāqir al-. Biḥār al-anwār. Second edition. Beirut: Dār Iḥyāʾ al-Turāth al-ʿArabī, 1403 AH.