3. `Ali ibn Ahmad ibn Muhammad ibn `Imran al-Daqqaq (may Allah have mercy on him) said: Muhammad ibn Abu `Abd Allah al-Kufi said; and (also) Ahmad ibn Yahya ibn Zakariyya al-Qittan, on the authority of Bakr ibn `Abd Allah ibn Habib, on the authority of Tamim ibn Buhlul, on the authority of his father, on the authority of Abu Mu`awiyah, on the authority of al-Hasan ibn Abd al-Rahman, on the authority of his father, on the authority of Abu `Abd Allah on the authority of his father, on the authority of his grandfather that

The Commander of the Faithful roused the people to was with Mu`awiyah for the second time. When the people gathered around him, he stood up and addressed them in the following terms: All praise be to Allah, the One and Only who is sought by all, the Unique and the One Who was not created out of anything nor created anything out of pre-existing matter. On the contrary, He created everything through His Might which is manifest in all things. And verily, everything came into existence because of Him. He has no attribute which can be comprehended, nor has He any limit which can be established. In linguistic embellishment, the tongue is crippled when it comes to describing His Attributes. And circumlocution with respect to His Attributes leads to a blind alley. The sharpest of intellects are unable to comprehend His Kingdom. All comprehensive explanation is rendered ineffective in delving deep into His Kingdom. Unseen veils impede even the lowest level of understanding of His Hidden Knowledge. The keenest insights are at a loss when attempting to comprehend the most superficial layer of His Subtleties. Thus, hallowed be Allah who can neither be reached by the most intrepid intellect nor conceived by the deepest insight. Exalted be He who is not subject to time, length, or limit. Purified be He whose Beginning has not beginning, whose End has no end, and who will never be annihilated. Glorified be He! He is as He has described Himself, and the describers cannot reach His Descriptions. He delineated the boundaries of all things at the time of their creation, and completely eradicated the possibility of Him resembling things or of things resembling Him. He cannot be contained by things which could describe Him. He has never been separate from things that can describe Him. He has never bin distant from things which could raise questions as to His whereabouts. Rather, He, the Glorified, has encompassed all the things through His Knowledge, strengthened them, and enumerated them in His Memory. Nothing is hidden from Him behind the veils of the atmosphere, the deep slumber which occurs in darkness, and whatever exists in the highest Heavens, and the lowest Earth. Everything that exists has a custodian and a keeper. All things are surrounded by other things. And He encompasses them all. He is the One, the Unique, and the Besought. He is not subject to time. He does not tire from creating thins. Whatever He willed, He said: “Be” and it was. He created everything without precedent, without fatigue, and without planning. Anything which makes something makes it out of something. Allah, however, made His Creation out of nothing. Every scholar acquired knowledge after being ignorant while Allah was never ignorant, and never acquired knowledge. He encompassed all things through His Knowledge even before they were created. Hence, His Knowledge did not increase through their creation. After they came into existence, He knew as much about them as He knew before they came into existence. He never created anything to strengthen His Control. He never created anything out of fear of decay or loss. He never created anything to oppose an adversary. He never created anything to match an equal. He never created anything to become the equal of a dominating partner. He never did anything of the like because all of creation is nurtured by Him, and all things that exist are His Humble Slaves and Servants. Glorified be He who never feels weary from creating, and sustaining. And glorified be He who was not prevented from creating more out of inability or laziness. He knew what He created, and created what He knew. Whatever He created was not the result of deliberation or based on new knowledge. Nor does any doubt arise in Him regarding the things He has not created. What He created, and what He did not create, was the result of His Inviolable Decision. His Firm Knowledge, and His Exact Command. He made Himself Unique in His Lordship, and Specific in (His) Oneness. He earmarked glory and praise for Himself, made Himself Peerless in Unity, Grandeur and Sublimity. He remains Matchless in Praise, and Exalted in His Glory. He is far above parenthood. And he is purified and sanctified against the feminine touch (i.e. sexual relations). He is far too Great and too Mighty to seek the proximity of any participant. Thus, nothing He has created can oppose Him. There is no equal to Him in His Possessions, and there is no partner for Him in His Kingdom. He is the One, the Unique, and the Besought of all. He is the Eternal, the Everlasting, and the Lord of Space. He has always been, and always will be. He is Unique in Eternity. He existed before time and will exist after the end of all affairs. He will never come to an end nor be exhausted. This is how I describe my Lord. Thus, there is no god but Allah. He is the Greatest of the Great. Glorified and Exalted be He. He is the Mightiest of the Mighty. He is far, far, above what the unjust claim about Him. And Ahmad ibn Muhammad ibn al-Saqar al-Sa`igh also said this sermon that Muhammad ibn al- `Abbas ibn Bassam said: Abu Zayd Sa`id ibn Muhammad al-Basri related to me that `Umrah bint Aws related to me that My grandfather al-Husayn ibn `Abd al-Rahman related to me on the authority of his father, on the authority of Abu `Ad Allah Ja’’far ibn Muhammad , on the authority of his father on the authority of his grandfather that the Commander of the Faithful addressed this sermon when he roused the people to the war with Mu`awiyah for the second time.