وَلَقَدْ أَصْبَحَتِ الاْمَمُ تَخَافُ ظُلْمَ رُعَاتِهَا، وَأَصْبَحْتُ أَخَافُ ظُلْمَ رَعِيَّتِي. اسْتَنْفَرْتُكُمْ لِلْجِهَادِ فَلَمْ تَنْفِرُوا، وَأَسْمَعْتُكُمْ فَلَمْ تَسْمَعُوا، وَدَعَوْتُكُمْ سِرّاً وَجَهْراً فَلَمْ تَسْتَجِيبُوا، وَنَصَحْتُ لَكُمْ فَلَمْ تَقْبَلُوا. شُهُودٌ كَغُيَّاب، وَعَبِيدٌ كَأَرْبَاب! أَتْلُوا عَلَيْكُمُ الْحِكَمَ فَتَنْفِرُونَ مِنْهَا، وَأَعِظُكُمْ بِالمَوْعِظَةِ الْبَالِغَةِ فَتَتَفَرَّقُونَ عَنْهَا، وَأَحُثُّكُمْ عَلَى جِهَادِ أَهْلِ الْبَغْيِ فَمَا آتِي عَلَى آخِرِ قَوْلي حَتَّى أَرَاكُمْ مُتفَرِّقِينَ أَيَادِيَ سَبَا، تَرْجِعُونَ إِلى مَجَالِسِكُمْ، وَتَتَخَادَعُونَ عَنْ مَوَاعِظِكُمْ، أُقَوِّمُكُمْ غُدْوَةً، وَتَرْجِعُونَ إِلَيَّ عَشِيَّةً، كَظَهْرِ الْحَنِيَّةِ، عَجَزَ الْمُقَوِّمُ، وَأَعْضَلَ الْمُقَوَّمُ.
I called you for war but you did not come. I warned you but you did not listen. I called you secretly as well as openly, but you did not respond. I gave you sincere counsel, but you did not accept it. Are you present like the absent, and slaves like masters? I recite before you points of wisdom but you turn away from them, and I advise you with far reaching advice but you disperse away from it. I rouse you for jihad against the people of revolt but before I come to the end of my speech, I see you disperse like the sons of Saba. [2] You return to your places and deceive one another by your council. I straighten you in the morning but you are back to me in the evening as curved as the back of a bow. The straightener has become weary while those to be straightened have become incorrigible.