Exhorting his men to Jihad

Nahj al-Balāgha|Volume 1|Book 1|Chapter 241
Nahj al-Balāgha

Book 1, Chapter 241

Exhorting his men to Jihad

وَاللهُ مُسْتأْدِيكُمْ شُكْرَهُ، وَمُوَرِّثُكُمْ أَمْرَهُ، وَمُمْهِلُكُمْ فِي مِضْمار مَحْدُود، لِتَتَنَازَعُوا سَبَقَهُ، فَشدُّوا عُقَدَ الْمَـآزِرِ، وَاطْوُوا فُضُولَ الْخَوَاصِر، وَلاَ تَجْتَمِعُ عَزِيمَةٌ وَوَلِيمَةٌ، وَمَا أَنْقَضَ النَّوْمَ لِعَزَائِمِ الْيَوْمِ،أَمحَى الظُّلَمَ لِتَذَاكِيرِ الْهِمَمِ!
Allāh seeks you to thank Him and assigns to you His affairs. He has allowed time in the limited field (of life) so that you may vie with each other in seeking the reward (of Paradise). Therefore, tight up your girdles and wrap up the skirts. High courage and dinners do not go together. Sleep causes weakness in the big affairs of the day and (its) darkness obliterates the memories of courage.