٤٦٤. وَقَالَ (عليه ‏السلام): إِنَّ لِبَنِي أُمَيَّةَ مِرْوَدَاً يَجْرُونَ فِيهِ، وَلَوْ قَدِ اخْتَلَفُوا فِيَما بَيْنَهُمْ ثُمَّ كَادَتْهُمُ الضِّبَاعُ لَغَلَبَتْهُمْ.

464. Amīr al-mu’minīn, peace be upon him, said: The Banū Umayyah (Umayyids) have a fixed period (mirwad) wherein they are having their way. But when differences arise among them then even if the hyena attacks them it will overpower them.

قال السيد الرضي: وَالْمِرْوَدُ هاهنا مفعَل من الإرْوَاد، وهو الإمهال وَالإظهار، وهذا من أفصح الكلام وأغربه، فكأنه (عليه السلام) شبّه المهلة التي هم فيها بالمضمار الذى يجرون فيه إلى الغاية، فإذا بلغوا مُنقَطَعها انتقضَ نظامُهم بعدها.

as-Sayyid ar-Raḍī says: Herein “mirward” is a form derived from “irwād” which means to allow time, to wait for. It is an extremely eloquent and wonderful expression. It is as though Amīr al-mu’minīn, peace be upon him, has likened the period of Banū Umayyah to a limited area meant for the training of horses for racing where they are running towards the limit, so that when they reach its extremity their organization will be destroyed. [1]

Nahj al-Balāgha

Chapter #464