Sermon 1 Continued:The Infinite Essence: Allah Beyond Attributes
A Journey Through Imam Ali’s Sermon on Divine Purity and Tawhid Arabic Text with Translation and Analysis Arabic Text: أَوَّلُ الدِّينِ مَعْرِفَتُهُ، وَكَمَالُ مَعْرِفَتِهِ التَّصْديقُ بِهِ، وَكَمَالُ التَّصْدِيقِ بِهِ تَوْحِيدُهُ، وَكَمَالُ تَوْحِيدِهِ الاخْلاصُ لَهُ، وَكَمَالُ الاخْلاصِ لَهُ نَفْيُ الصِّفَاتِ عَنْهُ... Translation: "The foremost in religion is the acknowledgment of Him; the perfection of acknowledging Him is to testify to Him; the perfection of testifying to Him is to believe in His Oneness; the perfection of believing in His Oneness is to regard Him as Pure, and the perfection of His purity is to deny Him attributes." 1. Action "The foremost in religion is the acknowledgment of Him." The action begins with acknowledgment ( ma‘rifah ), which is the cornerstone of faith. This acknowledgment isn’t passive but a deliberate realization of Allah’s existence and essence. 2. Purpose The purpose unfolds as a stepwise journey: Acknowledging Him leads to...