You should therefore stick to established ways...

You should therefore stick to established ways, clear signs and the early period which has the lasting virtues of the Prophethood. You should know that Satan makes his ways easy so that you may follow him on his heels. وَاللهِ لِيُشَرِّدَنَّكُمْ فِي أَطْرَافِ الاْرْضِ حَتَّى لاَ يَبْقَى مِنْكُمْ إِلاِّ قَلَيلٌ، كَالْكُحْلِ فِي الْعَيْنِ، فَلاَ تَزَالُونَ كَذلِكَ، حَتَّى تَؤُوبَ إِلَى الْعَرَبِ عَوَازِبُ أَحْلاَمِهَا!

فَالْزَمُوا السُّنَنَ الْقَائِمَةَ، وَالاْثَارَ الْبَيِّنَةَ، وَالْعَهْدَ الْقَرِيبَ الَّذِي عَلَيْهِ بَاقِي النُّبُوَّةِ. وَاعْلَمُوا أَنَّ الشَّيْطَانَ إِنَّمَا يُسَنِّي لَكُمْ طُرُقَهُ لِتَتَّبِعُوا عَقِبَهُ. Alternative Sources for Sermon 138 (1) Al- 'Amidi, Ghurar, 296. [^1]: This prophecy of Amir al-mu'minin is with regard to the appearance of the Twelfth Imam, Abu'l-Qasim Muhammad ibn al-Hasan al-Mahdi (p.b.u.h.).

[^2]: This refers to `Abd al-Malik ibn Marwan who came to power in Syria (ash-Sham) after his father Marwan ibn al-Hakam and then after the killing of al-Mukhtar ibn Abi `Ubayd ath-Thaqafi in his encounter with Mus`ab ibn az-Zubayr he proceeded towards Iraq. He clashed with Mus`ab's force at Maskin near Dayru'l-jathaliq in the outskirts of Kufah. After defeating him he made a victorious entry into Kufah and took allegiance from its inhabitants.

Then he sent al-Hajjaj ibn Yusuf ath-Thaqafi to Mecca to fight with `Abdullah ibn az-Zubayr. Consequently this man besieged Mecca and stoned it, and shed the blood of thousands of innocent persons like water. He killed Ibn az-Zubayr and hung his body on the gallows. He perpetrated such atrocities on the people that one shudders at the thought of them. Previous…

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