After the usurpation of Ali’s (peace be upon him) caliphate and the attack on the house of Fatima (peace be upon her), which led to her injury, when her condition worsened, a few women from Medina came to visit her and asked: “O daughter of the Messenger of God (peace be upon him), how did you spend the night with your illness, and how are you now?”
Fatima (peace be upon her) responded, after praising and thanking God and sending blessings upon the Prophet (peace be upon him), not by speaking of her apparent pain, but in a sorrowful yet serious and moving tone:
“By God, I woke up this morning disgusted with your world, considering your men as enemies, and I am repulsed by them.”
“I tested them, cast them aside, and tried them, and I loathed them… Woe to them! How did they take the caliphate from the firm mountains of the message, the solid foundations of prophethood and leadership, the place of revelation, the angel Jibril, and the knowledgeable ones in matters of the world and religion?”
“Be aware, this is the obvious loss!”(1)
“What fault did they find with Ali (peace be upon him)?”
“By God, they found fault with his sharp sword, his indifference to death in battle, and his power in fighting and delivering crushing blows to the enemy!”
“Yes, by God, if the matter of the caliphate had been with him, whenever the people deviated from the path of truth and refused to accept clear evidence, he would have gently guided them to their destination. A journey that would never be burdensome. Neither would the mount become weak, nor would the rider become weary.”
“Eventually, he would lead them to the clear and sweet waters, a stream full of water that would never become impure. After fully quenching their thirst, he would return them, and they would find him to be their true well-wisher, both in private and public.”
“Indeed, he never sought anything from this world except to quench the thirsty and feed the hungry.”
(And as God has said): “If the people of the towns had believed and been conscious of God, We would have opened up to them blessings from the heavens and the earth. But they rejected the truth, and We punished them for their deeds.” (2)
“And the wrongdoers of this group will soon face the consequences of their actions and will not be able to escape the punishment of God.” (3)
“Now, come and listen! [To the weak excuses of the usurpers], and as long as you live, the world will show you a new wonder! And if you wish to be astonished, be astonished by their words (the usurpers of the caliphate).”
“Would I had known by what evidence they relied! By which foundation they depended! And by which firm means they clung!”…
“Woe to them! ‘Is the one who calls to the truth more worthy of being followed, or the one who cannot guide himself unless he is guided?’ What is wrong with you? How do you judge?” (4)
“Know! By my soul, the camel of the caliphate is pregnant. Wait! Soon it will give birth to its offspring. [Then see what kind of offspring it has brought forth.] Then, instead of a bowl of milk, you will draw bowls full of fresh blood and poison. ‘That is the time when the followers of falsehood will be lost.'” (5)
“From now on, enjoy your world and be pleased with it. But prepare yourselves for the test and the distressful trial that awaits you.”
“Rejoice in the sharp swords and the rule of the oppressive, bloodthirsty tyrants, and in the widespread chaos and the despotic government of the wrongdoers.”
“A government that will squander your wealth and devastate your population!”
“Woe to you! How can you hope for salvation while the truth is hidden from you, and you are unaware of the realities? ‘Can we force you to accept this clear evidence, when you are averse to it?'” (6)
(Taken from “Al-Ihtijaj ‘ala Ahl al-Lajaj”, authored by Shaykh Tabarsi (may Allah have mercy on him) with additions)(7)
Footnotes:
1. Surah Az-Zumar, verse 15
2. Surah Al-A’raf, verse 96
3. Surah Az-Zumar, verse 51
4. Surah Yunus, verse 35
5. Surah Al-Jathiya, verse 27
6. Surah Hud, verse 28
7. Translation of this sermon was taken from the book “The Greatest Lady of the World” by Ayatollah Makarem Shirazi.