إعْتَبِروا أيُّها النَّاسُ بِـما وَعَظَ اللهُ بِهِ أوْلِياءَهُ مِنْ سُوءِ ثَنائِهِ عَلى الأحْبَارِ إذْ يَقُولُ: “لَوْلَا يَنْهَاهُمُ الرَّبَّانِيُّونَ وَالأَحْبَارُ عَنْ قَوْلِهِمُ الإِثْمَ”

O people, take lessons from the admonitions that God has given His elite servants when he dispraised the rabbis, saying: “Why did the men of God and rabbis not forbid them from following their sinful words and their consuming of unlawful gains? [Quran 5:63]”

وَقالَ “لُعِنَ الَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا مِنْ بَنِي إِسْرَائِيلَ… لَبِئْسَ مَا كَانوا يَفْعَلُونَ”

He, the All-exalted, also stated: “Cursed are those who disbelieved, among the children of Israel… Evil was what they had done! [Quran 5:78-9]”

وَإنَّما عَابَ اللهُ ذَلِكَ عَلَيْهِمْ لِأَنَّهُمْ كَانُوا يَرَوْنَ مِنَ الظَّلَمَةِ الَّذِينَ بَيْنَ أظْهُرِهِمُ الـمُنْكَرَ وَالفَسادَ فَلا يَنْهَوْنَهُمْ عَنْ ذَلِكَ رَغْبَةً فِيمَا كَانُوا يَنَالُونَ مِنْهُمْ، وَرَهْبَةً مِمَّا يَحْذَرُونَ. وَاللهُ يَقُولُ: “فَلا تَخْشَوُا النَّاسَ وَاخْشَوْنِ”

Thus God reproached them, since they witnessed the wrong actions of tyrants among them without prohibiting them out of desire to gain advantages from them or fear of losing what they had, whereas God says: “fear not men, but fear Me [Quran 5:44]”

وَقالَ: “الـمُؤْمِنُونَ وَالـمُؤْمِنَاتُ بَعْضُهُمْ أَوْلِيَاءُ بَعْضٍ يَأْمُرُونَ بِالـمَعْرُوفِ وَيَنْهَوْنَ عَنِ الـمُنْكَرِ”

He, the All-exalted, also stated: “Believers, men and women, are protectors one of another: They enjoin what is just and forbid what is evil. [Quran 9:71]”

فَبَدَأَ اللهُ بِالأَمْرِ بِالـمَعْرُوفِ وَالنَّهْيِ عَنِ الـمُنْكَرِ فَريضَةً مِنْهُ لِعِلْمِهِ بِأَنَّها إذَا أُدِّيَتْ وَأُقِيمَتْ اسْتَقامَتِ الفَرَائِضُ كُلُّها هَيِّنُها وَصَعْبُها

God has opened (His statement) with enjoining what is right and forbidding what is wrong, because He has known that if these two matters are carried out duly and thoroughly, all other obligatory duties, including the easy and the difficult, will be carried out properly.

وَذَلِكَ أنَّ الأَمْرَ بِالـمَعْرُوفِ وَالنَّهْيَ عَنِ الـمُنْكَرِ دُعاءٌ إلَى الإِسْلَامِ مَعَ رَدِّ الـمَظَالِمِ وَمُخَالَفَةِ الظَّالِمِ وَقِسْمَةِ الْفَيْ‏ءِ وَالغَنائِمِ وَأخْذِ الصَّدَقاتِ مْنْ مَواضِعِها وَوَضْعِها فِي حَقَّها

This is because enjoining what is right and forbidding what is wrong is an advocacy to Islam, giving back the wronged people their dues, defiance of wrongdoers, just distribution of the financial gains, and collecting the duties to use them in their due channels.

ثُمَّ أنْتُمْ أَيَّتُها العِصَابَةُ عِصَابَةٌ بِالْعِلْمِ مَشْهُورَةٌ وَبِالـخَيْرِ مَذْكُورَةٌ وَبِالنَّصِيحَةِ مَعْروفَةٌ وَبِاللهِ فِي أَنْفُسِ النَّاسِ مُهابَةٌ. يَهابُكُمُ الشَّريفُ وَيُكْرِمُكُمْ الضَّعيفُ وَيُؤثِرُكُمْ مَنْ لا فَضْلَ لَكُمْ عَلَيْهِ وَلا يَدَ لَكُمْ عِنْدَهُ. تَشْفَعُونَ فِي الـحَوائِجِ إذَا امْتَنَعَتْ مِنْ طُلَّابِهَا، وَتَمْشُونَ فِي الطَّرِيقِ بِهَيْبَةِ الْمُلُوكِ وَكَرامَةِ الأَكابِرِ. أَلَيسَ كُلُّ ذلِكَ إنَّما نِلْتُمُوهُ بِما يُرجَى عِندَكُم مِنَ القِيامِ بِحَقِّ اللهِ؟ وَإنْ كُنْتُم عن أكثرِ حَقِّهِ تُقَصِّرُونَ فَاسْتَخْفَفْتُمْ بِحَقِّ الأئِمَّةِ. فَأمَّا حَقَّ الضُّعَفاءِ فَضَيَّعْتُمْ، وَأمَّا حَقَّكُم بِزَعْمِكُمْ فَطَلَبْتُمْ

You are the company that are famous for knowledge, praised for kindness, renowned for giving advices, and respected by people because of your connection with God. Personalities stand in awe of you, the weak honour you, and those whom you have not done favours and who do not need you prefer you to others. You intercede for settling people’s needs when they are deprived. You walk with gravity of kings and dignity of chiefs. You have attained all these just because you are expected to fulfil your duties towards God. Yet, you failed to carry out most of your duties towards Him when you disregarded your duties towards the Imams, threw away your duties towards the weak, and sought only your claimed rights.

فَلا مَالاً بَذَلْتُمُوهُ، وَلا نَفْساً خَاطَرْتُمْ بِهَا لِلَّذِي خَلَقَها، وَلا عَشِيرَةً عادَيْتُمُوها فِي ذاتِ اللهِ. أنْتُم تَتَمَنَّوْنَ عَلى اللهِ جَنَّتَهُ وَمُجَاوَرَةَ رُسُلَهُ وَأَماناً مِن عَذابِهِ! لَقَدْ خَشِيت عَلَيْكُم أيُّها الـمُتَمَنَّوْنَ عَلَى اللهِ أنْ تَحِلَّ بِكُمْ نَقِمَةً مِنْ نَقِمَاتِهِ لِأَنَّكُم بَلَغْتُمْ مِنْ كَرامَةِ اللهِ مَنْزِلَةً فُضِّلْتُمْ بِهَا، وَمَنْ يُعْرَفُ بِاللهِ لا تُكْرِمُونَ وَأنْتُمْ بِاللهِ فِي عِبادِهِ تُكْرَمُونَ، وَقَدْ تَرَوْنَ عُهُودَ اللهِ مَنْقُوضَةً فَلا تَفْزَعُونَ وَأنْتُمْ لِبَعْضِ ذِمَمِ آبائِكُمْ تَفْزَعُونَ وَذِمَّةُ رَسُولِ اللهِ صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَآلِهِ مَحْقُورَةٌ. وَالعُمْيُ وَالبُكْمُ وَالزَّمْنُ في المَدائِنِ مُهْمَلَةٌ لا تَرْحَمونَ وَلا فِي مَنْزِلَتِكُمْ تَعْمَلُونَ وَلا مَنْ عَمِلَ فِيها تُعينُونَ وَبِالإدِّهَانِ وَالـمُصانَعَةِ عِندَ الظَّلَمَةِ تَأمَنُونَ

You have neither spent any wealth in channels of charity, nor sacrificed your souls for God Who created them, nor disagreed with your tribes for sake of God. You are looking forward to gaining Paradise, neighbourhood to God’s apostles, and salvation from His punishment. I anticipate you, who hope God, will suffer a form of God’s retribution because you, through the favours of God, have attained such a rank by which you are preferred to other. You are respected among people by means of God. However, you notice that the teachings of God are challenged, but you do not make any step to put them into practice, while you may move when any of your fathers’ traditions is violated. The Prophet’s practices are deactivated. The blind, the deaf, and the chronically ill are left without help in cities. You neither behave mercifully nor do you use your positions. You do not aid those who assume such deeds and you achieve your safety from wrongdoers (or the unjust rulers) by means of flattery and cajolery.

كُلُّ ذلِكَ مِمَّا أمَرَكُمُ اللهُ بِهِ مِنَ النَّهْيِ وَالتَّناهِي وَأنتُمْ عَنهُ غافِلونَ، وَأنْتُمْ أعْظَمُ النَّاسِ مَصِيبَةً لـِما غَلَبتُمْ عَليهِ مِن مَنازِلِ العُلَماءِ لَوْ كُنْتُمْ تَشْعُرونَ. ذَلكَ بِأنَّ مَجارِي الأُمُورِ وَالأَحْكامِ عَلى أيْدي العُلَماءِ بِاللهِ الأُمَناءِ عَلى حَلالِهِ وَحَرامِهِ فَأنتُمُ الـمَسْلوبونَ تِلكَ الـمَنْزِلَةِ وَما سُلِبتُمْ ذلكَ إلّا بِتَفَرُّقِكُمْ عَن الحَقِّ وَاخْتلافِكُمْ فِي السُّنَّةِ بَعْدَ البَيِّنَةِ الواضِحَةِ. وَلَوْ صَبَرتُم عَلى الأذَى وَتَحَمَّلْتُمُ الـمَئُونَةَ في ذَاتِ اللهِ كانَتْ أُمُورُ اللهِ عَلَيكُم تَرِدُ وَعَنْكُم تَصْدُرُ وَإلَيكُم تَرْجِعُ. وَلكِنَّكُمْ مَكَّنْتُمُ الظَّلَمَةَ مِن مَنْزِلَتِكُمْ وَاسْتَسْلَمْتُمْ أُمُورَ اللهِ في أيْدِيهِمْ يَعْمَلُونَ بِالشُّبُهاتِ وَيَسيرُونَ فِي الشَّهَواتِ

God has warned you against all these misdeeds but you are negligent while you will be responsible more than the others, because you enjoy the positions of scholars. Had you only felt of so! Moreover, the courses of affairs and rulings are under the control of scholars who are the keepers of the legal and the illegal affairs of God. This standing is surely from you just because you have gone in different direction away from the right and disagreed about the Prophetic traditions after clear exposition of evidence had been demonstrated. If you tolerated the harm and bore the burdens for God’s sake, all the affairs of God would arrive at your hands, emanate from you, and devolve upon you. But you have made the unjust rulers occupy your positions and handed over the affairs of God to them. They are acting suspiciously and pursuing their personal passions.

سَلَّطَهُمْ عَلى ذلِكَ فَرارُكُمْ مِن الـمَوْتِ وَإعْجابُكُمْ بِالحَياةِ الَّتي هِي مُفارِقَتُكُمْ. فَأَسْلَمْتُمُ الضُّعَفاءَ فِي أيْدِيهِمْ؛ فَمِنْ بَينِ مُسْتَعْبَدٍ مَقْهُورٍ وَمُسْتَضْعَفٍ عَلى مَعِيشَتِهِ مَغْلُوبٍ. يَتَقَلَّبونَ فِي الـمُلْكِ بِآرائِهِمْ وَيَسْتَشْعِرونَ الخِزْيَ بِأهْوائِهِمُ اقْتِداءً بِالأشْرارِ وَجُرْأةً عَلى الجَبَّارِ

Your escape from death and your adherence to this life, which will sooner or later leave you, gave them a free hand to do such misdeeds. Thus, you forsook the weak ones, some of whom were enslaved compulsorily and others were suffering under the control of the straits of livelihood. The unjust rulers therefore are rolling in royalty with their own opinions and disgracing others by their own passions as they follow the examples of the evil and dare the All-omnipotent God.

فِي كُلِّ بَلَدٍ مِنْهُمْ عَلى مِنْبَرِهِ خَطِيبٌ يُصْقِع. فَالأرْض لَهُمْ شَاغِرَةٌ وَأيْدِيهِمْ فيها مَبْسُوطَةٌ، وَالنَّاسُ لَهُم خِوَلٌ لا يَدْفَعُونَ يَدَ لامِسٍ. فَمِنْ بَيْنِ جَبَّارٍ عَنِيدٍ وذِي سَطْوَةٍ عَلى الضَّعَفَةِ شَديدٍ مُطاعٍ لا يَعرِفُ الـمُبْدِئ الـمُعيدَ. فَيا عَجَباً وَمالِيَ لا أعْجَبُ وَالأرْضُ مِنْ غاشٍّ غَشُومٍ وَمُتَصَدِّقٍ ظَلُومٍ وَعامِلٍ عَلى الـمُؤْمِنينَ بِهِمْ غَيْرُ رَحيمٍ. فَاللهُ الحَاكِمُ فِيما فِيهِ تَنازَعْنا وَالقاضِي بِحُكْمِهِ فِيما شَجَرَ بَيْنَنا

In every country, they are assigning an eloquent orator on the pulpits of God. Lands are vacant for them as their hands are prevailing everything and people are being taken as their slaves because they lack power to defend themselves. They are either a transgressing tyrant or a domineering, coarse to the weak, and an obeyed despot who does not recognize God the Initiator and Recreator. How strange this is! I should astonish at such affairs when lands are prevailed by tyrannical cheaters, wrongful bribers, or unmerciful governors. God is the judge in our disputations and His judgment will pass over our controversy.

اللَّهُمَّ إِنَّكَ تَعْلَمُ أنَّهُ لَم يَكُنْ ما كانَ مِنّا تَنافُساً فِي سُلْطانٍ وَلا الْتِماساً مِنْ فُضُول الحُطامِ، وَلكِنْ لِنُرِيَ الـمَعالِمَ مِنْ دِينِكَ وَنُظْهِرَ الإصْلاحَ فِي بِلادِكَ وَيَأْمَنُ الـمَظْلومونَ مِنْ عِبادِكَ وَيُعْمَلُ بِفَرائِضِكَ وَسُنَنِكَ وَأحْكامِكَ

O God! You know that it was not a matter of conflict for power or request of worldly wreckage that made me say so, but it was just for showing the signs of Your religion and spreading betterment on Your lands so that the wronged servants will be secured and Your ordinances, traditions, and laws will be acted upon.

فَإِنْ لَـمْ تَنْصُرونا وَتُنْصِفونا قَوِيَ الظَّلَمَةُ عَلَيْكُمْ وَعَمِلُوا فِي إِطْفاءِ نُورِ نَبِيِّكُمْ، وَحَسْبُنا اللهُ وَعَلَيْهِ تَوَكَّلْنا وَإلَيْهِ أنَبْنا وَإلَيهِ الـمَصيرُ

Because you had not supported or treated us fairly, the wrongdoers overcame you and wrought towards extinguishing the illumination of your Prophet. God is sufficient protector for us. Upon Him we depend, to Him we refer, and to Him will be our return.