Amir al-Mu'minin (peace be upon him), seven days after the passing of the Prophet (peace be upon him and his family), delivered this sermon to the people of Medina: "O people! Among you, I am like Harun (peace be upon him) among the people of Pharaoh; and I am like the Gate of Hittah (through which the Children of Israel were commanded to pass so their sins would be forgiven) among the Children of Israel; and I am like the Ark of Nuh (peace be upon him) among the people of Nuh. I am the Great News, and the Greatest of the Truthful, and soon you will know the promises made to you. Is not this time (the time these promises come due) no more than the time it takes a person to swallow a morsel, or a thirsty person to drink a sip of water, or the blink of one whose sleep has not yet deepened? After this brief time passes, [those who have committed sin] will be overtaken by the consequences of their sins, bringing them disgrace in this world, and in the Hereafter they will meet the harshest punishment, and Allah is not heedless of what they do. So what is the reward of one who has strayed from his clear path, denied his clear proof, opposed his guides, turned away from his light, plunged into his darkness, taken the mirage in place of water, exchanged blessing for punishment, exchanged success for wretchedness, exchanged ease for hardship, and exchanged abundance for constraint - [for such a person] is his reward anything but the consequence of what he committed and the evil of his opposition? So let them be certain of the promise in its reality, and let them be certain of what they have been promised."