# Sermon of the Gulf

*Exported from [Holy-Writings.com](https://www.holy-writings.com/) on 2026-06-19 — 1 clipping.*

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> Source: Bahá'í Library Online (bahai-library.com), curated by Jonah Winters. Used by permission of the curator. Original citation: Ali ibn 'Abu-Talib, Sermon of the Gulf, bahai-library.com.
> ──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
> 
> Sermon of the Gulf
> 
> Ali ibn 'Abu-Talib
> 
> Khazeh Fananapazir, translator
> Hafiz Rajab al-Bursi, compiler
> published in Mashariq Anwar al-Yaqín fi Asrár Amir Mu'minín pp. 160-70
> 
> Beirut: Dar al-Andalus, 2000-07
> original title
> 
> Khutbih-i-Tutunjiyyih
> 
> See also translator's introduction
> 
> The sermon (khutbah) [delivered by Imam 'Ali] which is designated That
> of the Gulf (al-Tutunjiyyah) has an exterior level (zahir) which
> is elegant (aniq) and an interior level (batin) which is deep
> ('amiq). Let him who reads it beware lest he think ill of it for therein
> something of the sanctity of the Creator (tanzih al-Khaliq) is reflected
> which no one of the creatures can bear. The Commander of the Faithful [Imam
> 'Ali] delivered it between Kufah and Medina. He said:
> 
> Praise be to God Who hath rent asunder the firmaments (al-ajwaa) and
> opened the atmosphere (al-hawa) and suspended the vast expanses of the
> universe and caused the Splendour (diyaa) to shine, and quickened the
> dead and caused the living to die. I give Him praise such praise as shone and
> became uplifted, a praise that was radiant and effulgently luminous, a praise
> that ascendeth to heaven in its sending there and which goeth to the high
> sphere (jaww) unto its equinoctial summit (i'tidaaluhu). He
> created the heavens without pillars (bila da'aaim) and set them upright
> without supports. He then adorned the heavens with light-giving planets and
> caused to be imprisoned in the spheres many a dark cloud. He created the oceans
> and the mountains upon the collision of concomitant ever-flowing currents: He
> opened their gates and their mighty waves were huge! I give praise unto Him and
> to Him all praise is due. I testify that there is no God but Him and I bear
> witness that Muhammad is His servant and His Messenger and that God chose him
> from the Supreme Company and sent Him unto the Arab peoples and He was
> appointed - He that was truly guided Himself - to guide others - He was indeed
> Talismanic and of the essence (hulaahilan Telasmiyyan). Muhammad raised
> up the evidences and sealed the Messages and Moslems obtained sight from Him.
> God manifested His Religion through Him, may the salutation of God be upon Him
> and His Pure Family.
> 
> People! turn ye repentantly unto My faction (shi'ah) and adhere to a
> pledge of fealty to Me. Remain steadfast and persevering in the Faith with the
> best certainty. Adhere steadfastly to the Successor of your Prophet in Whom
> resides your salvation and in Whose love on the Day of Resurrection is your
> safe haven! In Me resides the Hope and I am the One to be hoped for. I am the
> One that standeth upon the Two Gulfs! (tutunj) I am the One that looketh
> unto the Twin Rising-Places [or "Orients"] and the Twin Setting Places [or
> "Occidents"]. I truly did see with My own eyes [the Bounty of] God and the
> Paradise! And this was as the seventh Heaven was moving in its orbit and there
> in the great surging seas were the stars and their own orbits. I saw also the
> earth rolled up as a short garment would be rolled up and it was within a shell
> on the right sided Gulf which faces the East and the Twin Gulfs.
> 
> Further out there are the Twin Bays (khalij) of water as if they are to
> the left of the Twin Gulfs and I saw that the Circle that embraces these and
> the Paradise and all that there is therein were naught but a ring on the finger
> of Thy Lord. And in truth I saw the Sun when it was setting and it was like
> unto a bird that seeketh its nest. And if it were not for the friction of the
> head of Paradise and the mixing up of the Twin Gulfs and the Music of the
> spheres all that are in heavens and the earth would hear the ebullition of heat
> caused by the Sun's descent into the Black water - and that is the Warm
> Fountain. I know of the wonders of God's Work what no one knows but God and I
> know what has been and what will be and what has been in the First Sprinkling
> with those who preceded the First Adam. All was disclosed (kushifa) for
> Me[8] and I knew and all was taught Me and I
> have learnt.
> 
> So hearken and do not raise a clamour. Were it not for My fear that you might
> say "'Ali has become possessed or apostatised from His Faith" I shall disclose
> unto you what and whereat they are and what you shall encounter on the day of
> Resurrection. All that knowledge was entrusted unto Me and thus I knew and the
> knowledge of all this was hidden from all the Prophets except the Lord of this
> Dispensation (Shari'ah)[9] of yours (Peace be upon Him and His
> Family). He taught Me His knowledge and I taught Him My knowledge.
> 
> Verily We are the Warners from immemorial times and We shall be unto
> everlasting Warners from God. Through Us will perish He that is going to perish
> and by Us have obtained salvation all that have obtained salvation and you
> shall not encompass that ability that is Ours. By the righteousness of Him
> Whose power causeth the seed to germinate and Who breatheth the spirit of life
> into all things, by Him Who alone hath power and grandeur! To Me have the winds
> and the air and the birds of air been conquered; the world and all that is
> therein was presented to me but I turned away from it. I turned upside down the
> world and it was tilted away from Me. How can subsequent events overcome Me?
> 
> I know all that is above the supreme Paradise and that which is below the
> seventh Ocean, that which is in the highest heavens and that which is between
> them and that which is below them. All this knowledge is derived from an
> all-embracing knowledge and not from chronicled knowledge. I swear by the Lord
> of the Great throne! If I wished I could inform you of your forefathers and all
> your predecessors as to where they were, and from whom they were and where they
> are now and how they came to be where they are! How many of you are eating the
> property of his brother and is drinking of the fountainhead of his father and
> yet he longeth for him and wishes that they were with him! O would that you
> knew! O would that ye knew! When that which is hidden be manifest and that
> which is in the breasts were attained and conscience were to disclose its
> hidden things, I swear by God you will have returned to clay, and you will have
> had your "returns," and how many signs there are between these "returns" how
> many those that have died or that have been slain. (I know those that are in
> the craw of birds and those that are in the belly of beasts and all mankind are
> between those that have already gone and those that are being urged on). And if
> it were to be revealed to you all that is with Me from time immemorial unto the
> end that has no end you shall truly see many and wondrous events, many strange
> handiworks and all that I comprehend.
> 
> I am the Master (sahib) of the First Creation before the First Noah,
> and if you were to know what was between Adam and Noah of wondrous events that
> I wrought and of nations that I caused to perish. And the true Word of Thy Lord
> was fulfilled in them and evil is that which they worked" I am the Master of
> the First Flood! I am the Master of the Second Flood! I am the Master of the
> Deluge of Iram! I am the Master of the Secret Mysteries! I am the Lord of 'Ad
> and its gardens! I am the Lord of Thamud and its wondrous signs! I am the One
> that destroyed it, I am the One that caused the Earthquakes! I am the One that
> caused their Return and their Perdition! I am the Builder of those
> civilisations and their Destroyer! I cause their Expiry and I cause them to be
> quickened! I am the First and the Last! I am the External and Manifest and I am
> the Internal and Hidden! I am with the Cycle (kawr) before the Cycle
> began! I am the Companion of the Dispensation (dawr) before the
> Dispensation started! I was with the Pen before the Pen and I am with the
> Tablet prior to the Tablet being revealed! I am the Lord of the First
> Pre-existence! I am the Lord of Jabulqa and of Jabulsa! I am the Master of
> Highest Stage (rafraf) and of Bahram! I am the One Who organised
> existence when there was no heaven as you have them now nor earth as you know
> it now!
> 
> The Son of Suwairama said: "Are you, are you indeed that One?!"
> 
> 'Ali replied: "I am, I am that One! There is no other God But God Who is My
> Lord and the Lord of all created things. Unto Him belongs the Creation and the
> World of Revelation (amr). He it is Who has ordained all matters in His
> Wisdom and heavens and earth are upraised in His Power. Methinks the weak ones
> amongst you are saying; "Is this not the son of Abu-Talib Whom the forces of
> Syria had overshadowed yesterday and He would not go out to fight them and sent
> them Muhammad and Ibrahim?" But truly and assuredly I shall fight Syria many
> times and I shall slay them many times. I shall fight their armies at Siffin
> and I shall bring a new life unto the believer until that thirst for justice in
> my chest be allayed. I shall fight for 'Ammar Yassir and for Uways of Qaran
> many times. Let none say when? How? and in what manner? and with whose
> assistance? How shall it be when you shall see the Master of Syria saweth men
> with saws and cutteth them with trowels? But I shall make him taste a painful
> retribution.
> 
> But rejoice now for the cause of all creation reverts unto Me on the morrow.
> Let not this claim appear extravagant inasmuch as We have been vouchsafed the
> knowledge of all fates and of all tribulations. and the knowledge of
> interpretation and of the Revelation and the decisive Discourse
> (Faslu'l-Khitab) and knowledge of all future calamities and
> catastrophes. There is nothing whose knowledge escapes Us. This is truth and I
> shall see this One [pointing to Husayn, Peace be upon Him] when His Light shall
> flow forth of His eyes and I shall be present with Him a lengthy time that
> shall witness earthquakes and eclipses. They that are believers will revolt in
> His company from every corner. I swear by God! If I wished I would tell you of
> their names every one of them and their descent from both parents, until the
> Day of whose time is promised.
> 
> Then 'Ali said: "O Jabir! You are with the Truth now and you shall be with the
> True One hereafter and in that true Cause you shall die.
> 
> O Jabir! When the Bell shall cry loud, when the stupor of the Nightmare shall
> enshroud men, when the Cow shall speak, on that day there shall happen
> wondrous, exceedingly wondrous Events, when the Fire shall be ignited in My
> sight, when the Banner of the House of 'Uthman shall appear in the Black
> Valley, when Basra shall be thrown into confusion and they shall seek to
> conquer each other and each party shall seek the other, when the armies of
> Khurasan shall begin to move, and when Shu'ayb the son of Salih of Tamim shall
> be followed in Taliqan, and Sa'id of Shusha shall be obeyed in Khuzistan, and
> the banner shall be raised up by the Amalekites of the Kurds, and the Arabs
> shall seek victory over Armenia and the Slavs, and Heraclitus shall submit to
> the patriarchs of Sinan in Constantinople, anticipate ye then the Revelation of
> the Speaker of Mount Sinai.[10] This will appear
> with manifest signs visible unto all, clearly perspicuous to them.
> 
> O but how many a wondrous sign I seek not to mention and how many indications
> I have left undivulged! for I cannot find one who can bear them. I am the One
> Who ordered Satan to bow down Adam![11] I am the
> One Who raised Idris to a high station. I am the Agent whereby Jesus was
> enabled to speak in His cradle while yet a Babe! I am the One who flattens the
> valleys and Who sets the Earth to order and I am the One Who has divided it
> into five parts, namely, land, sea, mountains, built, and unbuilt. I am the One
> Who separated the Red Sea from Tarjim, and separated Aqim from Him. I separated
> all from all! I am Tirathia, Janbutha, Barhilion, Aliuthoutha.[12] I bring out of the Ocean that which is stored in it that
> it shall be cleared away by the horses and men. take from it what you desire
> and leave what you wish to leave. He then gave 'Ammar-ibn-Yassir 12000 men who
> loved God and His Apostle and each had 12000 battalions of angels to support
> them saying: Rejoice for you are the best of brethren to each other for after
> this there shall be a star (tarfatan) through which ye shall know some
> of the expounded matter. The Mysteries of Evidence shall become clear to you
> when Bahram and Keyvan (stars) shall rise together and become conjoined
> with exactness. When shakings and earthquakes shall succeed each other swiftly
> and banners shall be lifted up from the shores of Oxus to the Desert of Babylon
> know ye then that I am the One Who causeth the winds the blow, I am the One Who
> lifts your oppressions!
> 
> I am the Master of the Mount Sinai! I am that Manifest Light! I am that
> Perspicuous and dazzling Evidence (that light of which an infinitesimal part
> was disclosed unto Moses) and all that was vouchsafed unto Me by God the Lord
> Of Glory.
> 
> I am the Master of the Gardens of eternal delight! I am the One that causeth
> the Rivers to flow from the Water that emanates from the divine current, and
> other Rivers which are of milk, and Rivers of pure Honey, and Rivers that flow
> with wine, a delight unto those who partake. I am the One that hath
> overshadowed hell when it was made to blaze and have overlooked its several
> compartments: firstly the Hell of Sa'ir when it blazeth forth then the Hell of
> Saqar and its fire and lastly the nethermost Hell which has been preserved for
> the transgressor all of these have been preserved in the Valley of Desolation.
> Again I swear by the Lord Who bringeth Dawn, He Who is the Lord of all
> creation! Within it is kept eternally both Jibt and Taghut and their servants
> and whomsoever disbelieveth in the Lord of this world and the Kingdom on high.
> 
> I am the Maker and Sustainer (sani') of all the Regions of this world
> by the Command of the One Who is the All-Knowing the All-Wise. I am the Word
> through Which all things are consummated and through which the Universes are
> brought into being. I am the One Who has made the regions of the earth to be
> four and the islands to be seven: the Region of the South to be the Depository
> of all Bounty, the Region of the North to be Powers and Sovereignty, the Region
> of Sheba to be the Seat of earthquakes, and the Desert Region to be the Seat of
> many a catastrophe. So Woe unto the cities from those transgressors who will
> come to destroy and pervert justice. Woe shall be when calamities come to
> transpire from that Government of eunuchs, imbeciles, and effeminate rulers. On
> that Day all Regions will bring forth false claimants claiming falsehoods. Oh!
> On that Day expect eagerly your Supreme salvation and you shall see men
> accepting it by troops. On that Day God will make of the gravel of Najaf
> treasures of gold and all of that will be sprinkled where the believer shall
> step his foot on it and with that same dust of gold the unbeliever and the
> hypocrite shall be exchanged and bartered. Then shall the value of red ruby be
> as nothing and similarly other jewels and pearls. This shall be a most evident
> sign and when it shall transpire the Light of God shall shine and His Glory
> (BAHÁ') shall be effulgent and all that you wish for shall be
> made manifest and all that is your highest desire shall become apparent.
> 
> O You who in your desires resemble cattle and the beasts of the field! How
> shall it be with you when the banners of the sons of Kenan shall come upon you
> and also that of 'Uthman the son of 'Anbatha in the battle fields of Syria?
> Know truly that shall never be discerned by one related to Umayya or to 'Ady."
> 
> Then He wept loudly (the salutations of God be upon Him!) and later exclaimed;
> "O alas for the nations! Soon shall some hypocrites say that 'Ali claimed
> Lordship (rububiyyat) for Himself but you should bear witness thus:
> "'Ali truly is a created Being, a Servant, nourished of divine sustenance and
> he that denies this let him be accursed of God."
> 
> Imam `Ali then descended and said; "I take refuge unto him Who hath the
> Kingdoms of earth and Heaven! I seek succour from Him Who possesses all Power
> and Grandeur, all Sovereignty and Authority from all that I fear and pray to
> avoid!" O people! None shall utter these words but when tribulations and
> calamities befall him the same will God dissipate through this prayer."
> 
> Jabir said: "Only those Words?" and the Imam 'Ali added thereunto another
> thirteen words and left.
> 
> Addendum
> 
> Two important quotations from Bursi (the compiler of the above Hadith) which
> Bahá'u'lláh quotes in the Kitab-i-Iqan and again emphasise the point of
> the reliability of Bursi as a narrator are the following:
> 
> Furthermore, among the "veils of glory" are such terms as the
> "Seal of the Prophets" and the like, the removal of which is a supreme
> achievement in the sight of these base-born and erring souls. All, by reason of
> these mysterious sayings, these grievous "veils of glory," have been hindered
> from beholding the light of truth. Have they not heard the melody of that bird
> of Heaven,(1) uttering this mystery: "A thousand Fatimihs I have espoused, all
> of whom were the daughters of Muhammad, Son of Abdu'llah, the 'Seal of the
> Prophets?'" Behold, how many are the mysteries that lie as yet unravelled
> within the tabernacle of the knowledge of God, and how numerous the gems of His
> wisdom that are still concealed in His inviolable treasuries! Shouldest thou
> ponder this in thine heart, thou wouldst realize that His handiwork knoweth
> neither beginning nor end. The domain of His decree is too vast for the tongue
> of mortals to describe, or for the bird of the human mind to traverse; and the
> dispensations of His providence are too mysterious for the mind of man to
> comprehend. His creation no end hath overtaken, and it hath ever existed from
> the "Beginning that hath no beginning"; and the Manifestations of His Beauty no
> beginning hath beheld, and they will continue to the "End that knoweth no end."
> Ponder this utterance in thine heart, and reflect how it is applicable unto all
> these holy Souls.
> 
> and
> 
> Likewise, strive thou to comprehend the meaning of the melody
> of that eternal beauty, Husayn, son of Ali, who, addressing Salman, spoke words
> such as these: "I was with a thousand Adams, the interval between each and the
> next Adam was fifty thousand years, and to each one of these I declared the
> Successorship conferred upon my father." He then recounteth certain details,
> until he saith: "I have fought one thousand battles in the path of God, the
> least and most insignificant of which was like the battle of Khaybar, in which
> battle my father fought and contended against the infidels." Endeavour now to
> apprehend from these two traditions the mysteries of "end," "return," and
> "creation without beginning or end."[13]
> 
> Both the above quotations indicating utterances of "high Imamology" are from
> the self-same Bursi in his book Alfayn as quoted by the late Ishraq Khavari.
> 
> Notes:
> 
> * translation of the Sermon of the Gulf ("Al-Khutbah al-Tutunjiyyah") of Imam 'Ali as printed in Hafiz Rajab al-Bursi's Mashariq Anwar al-Yaqín fi Asrár Amir Mu'minín (Beirut: Dar al-Andalus 1978 pp 160-170)
> 
> [Notes 1-7 are in the introduction.]
> 
> [8] Or, in the S.K. version, "All was rendered
> possible (kuyyifa) for Me."
> 
> [9 Muhammad.
> 
> [10] Note this key utterance: "...anticipate ye
> then the Revelation of the Speaker of Mount Sinai."
> 
> [11] Or, "I was present when Satan was ordered
> to bow down to Adam."
> 
> [12] This sounds very close to
> Alitheia, "Truth," in Greek. Other terms seem also to be Greek
> sounding.
> 
> [13] Bahá'u'lláh, The
> Kitáb-i-Íqán, pages 166-168.
> 
> go to translator's introduction
> 
> METADATA
> 
> Views28318 views since posted 2000-08-04; last edit 2025-03-10 07:03 UTC;
> 
> previous at archive.org.../imamali_khutbih_tutunjiyyih;
> URLs changed in 2010, see archive.org.../bahai-library.org
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> — *Sermon of the Gulf (Used by permission of the curator)*