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Shiavault - a Vault of Shia Islamic Books Commentary on Sermon 80 of Nahjul Balaghah The Transmission of this Sermon It is documented that this sermon is a portion of a letter which Imam ‘Ali (a.s.) wrote after ‘Umro ‘As took over the reins of the rule of Egypt after the martyrdom of Muhammad b. Abi Bakr. In that letter, the Imam (a.s.) related the painful events which transpired after the passing away of the Noble Prophet (S).

The Imam (a.s.) ordered that his letter be read publically so that the masses would know what transpired and so that the satanic whispers which were prevalent in the community at that time would not impact the people.

It is not improbable to believe that the Imam (a.s.) spoke the words in this sermon [which we will be reviewing] more than once - the first time being after The Battle of Jamal – the war in which ‘A’ysha played the principle role as one of the leaders in that major act of sedition; and that he repeated his words in another lengthy letter which he wrote.

Ibn al-Jawzi has stated: The scholars of biography (sirah) have related that when ‘Ali, peace be upon him, had concluded The Battle of Jamal, he ascended the pulpit in Baŝrah (Iraq) and delivered this sermon.

In reality, his words point to the instigations for The Battle of Jamal and the misdeeds of ‘A’ysha .[^1] As for those who have narrated this sermon before Sayyid al-Raďi the list includes Abu Talib al-Makki in his book, Quwwatul Qulub ; the late Shaykh al-Kulayni in volume five of Furu’ al-Kafi ; Ibrahim b.

Hilal al-Thaqafi in his book al-Gharat ; Ibne Qutyabah in his book al-Imamah wal Siyasah ; and al-Tabari in his book al-Mustarshid (with some variations) – this list of references has been derived from Masadir Nahjul Balaghah , vol. 2, pg. 86.

*** Amongst the commentators on the text of Nahjul Balaghah – specifically the contemporary writers – much has been said in regards to the explanation of this sermon, and it is for this reason that we begin with the following introduction to ensure that the discussions in regards to this sermon are made clear. During the course of history, the character of the woman has gone through much discussion and many extreme things have been stated as pass judgement on women.