Ali Ibn Abi Talib - Volume 2 of 2

608 'Ali's attitude towards the Kharijites and Shia
"How strange it is, by Allah, that these people are united in
their falsehood, and you are disunited and do not support your trnth.
This is what breaks the heart and brings grief and sorrow. May yon
perish, for you have become a target to be shot; you are raided and do
not raid others, you are attacked and do not attack others. Allah is
being disobeyed, and yon are pleased with that. If I command you to
march towards them on a hot day, you will say that it is too hot and
we should wait until it cools down. If I command you to march
towards them in winter, you will say that it is too cold and we should
wait until it warms up. All of that in order to avoid heat and cold. If
you are trying to avoid heat and cold, then by Allah yon will try
harder to flee from the sword, 0 you men who are not men. Yon have
the minds of children and are as irrational as women.
'Would that I had never seen you or met you, for knowing
you, by Allah, has caused me great grief and sorrow. May Allah kill
yon, for you have filled my heart with pus and anger, and you have
caused me a great deal of distress. You have spoiled all my plans with
your disobedience and reluctance, to the point that Quraysh have
begun to say that the son of Abu Titlib is a courageous man, but he
has no experience of war. What a strange thing they are saying! Is
there anyone among them with more experience of war than me? Or
who has attained a higher position in it than me? For I got involved in
it when I had not yet reached the age of twenty, and here I am having
passed the age of sixty. But if a man is not obeyed, his wisdom is to
no
This was a fiery speech delivered by Amir al-Mu'mineen 'Ali
(&), in which he heaped criticism on the heads of those people who
had prevented him from reaping the fruits of his jihad and achieving
the victory he strove for. He composed this speech in a sublime
literary style, with phrases that should have stirred people's hearts
and unleashed their potential. It is free of any ambiguity or