In the tradition of Ibn Abi Layla: Amir al-Mu'minin (AS) interlaced the fingers of his two hands. A man rose and said: What is this, O Commander of the Faithful? He said: It is thus — this one kills that one and that one kills this one: a season of pagan ignorance in which there is no guidance and no knowledge to be seen. We, the People of the Household, are in a place of safety from it, and we are not among those who summon to it. Then a man rose and said: O Commander of the Faithful, what are we to do in that time? He said: Look to the People of the Household of your Prophet: if they keep still, keep still; and if they call upon you for help, help them and you will be rewarded. And do not go ahead of them, lest calamity strike you down. (al-Gharat, vol. 1, p. 7)
Ibn Abi Layla relates that Amir al-Mu'minin (AS), in order to show what would happen after his death, interlaced the fingers of his two hands and said: It will be like this! Someone asked: What does that mean? He said: It means that this one will kill that one and that one will kill this one, and, as in the age of ignorance, no one will show mercy to anyone, while guidance and knowledge have departed from society. Even then, guidance will be in the house of us, the People of the Household, and innovation will find no way into us. A man rose and asked: What are we to do then? Amir al-Mu'minin (AS) said: Look to (the Proof of God from) the People of the Household of your Prophet: if he stays at home, stay at home; and if he asks your help, help him, so that you may have done the right thing. Beware of going ahead of him, for then you will fall into calamity.
From Qays ibn al-Sakan, who said: Ali (AS) said: O people, 'Enter the holy land which God has prescribed for you, and do not turn back on your heels, lest you become losers' [Qur'an 5:21]. But they made excuses to him, so he said: Fie upon you! This has become your settled habit. (al-Gharat, vol. 1, p. 27)
It is related that when, after Nahrawan, Ali (AS) recited to the people of Kufa the verses on striving in God's way, they contrived excuses and held back. In the end Ali (AS) said to them: I am weary at heart because of you; this is your unchanging habit.
From Numayr al-Abasi, who said: Ali (AS) passed by the warriors of Hamdan, and a group came up to meet him and said: Have you killed Muslims who had committed no crime, dealt lightly with the affair of God, sought kingship, and set men as arbiters in the religion of God? Judgement belongs to none but God! Ali (AS) said: God's judgement is upon your necks; but nothing will hold back the most wretched of them from dyeing this beard from above with blood. (al-Gharat, vol. 1, p. 30)
The narrator says: Ali passed by a company of the warriors of the tribe of Hamdan. Some of them made bold, came forward and said: Do you kill Muslims who have committed no sin? Do you take God's affair lightly and rise up in quest of kingship? And do you set men as arbiters in the religion of God? Judgement belongs to none but God!
Ali (AS) said: God's judgement is upon your necks; but you are not men who observe God's judgement, and soon the most wretched among you will dye my beard with the blood of my head.
From Abu al-Wadda': The people remained encamped at al-Nukhayla with Ali (AS) for some days; then they began to slip away and enter the city. So he too came down, and there remained with him only a few men of their notables, and the camp was left empty. Neither did any of those who had entered Kufa come out to him, nor did those who had stayed with him hold out patiently. When he saw this, he too entered Kufa. (al-Gharat, vol. 1, p. 30)
The narrator says: The people stayed for some days with Ali at al-Nukhayla. Then, one by one and two by two, they began to creep quietly out of the camp and go off to the city. Only a small group remained with him, men of the leaders of the people. The camp had emptied; those who had gone to Kufa did not return, and those who had remained with him were growing impatient. When Ali (AS) saw this, he too entered Kufa.
Abu Awn al-Thaqafi ibn Ubaydillah related to us, saying: A woman of the Banu Abs came while Ali (AS) was upon the pulpit, and said: O Commander of the Faithful, three things have troubled our hearts. He said: And what are they? She said: Your acceptance of the arbitration, your taking upon yourself what is base, and your distress in the face of calamity. He (AS) said: Woe to you! You are only a woman; go and sit at home upon your skirts. She said: No, by God, I shall sit nowhere but in the shade of the swords. (al-Gharat, vol. 1, p. 30)
The narrator says: Ali (AS) was speaking from the pulpit when a woman of the Banu Abs came and said: O Commander of the Faithful, there are three things that have cooled our hearts towards you. Ali (AS) said: What are they? The woman said: The first is that you consented to the arbitration; the second is that you inclined to what is base; and the third is that when calamity came upon you, you lost your endurance. Ali (AS) said: Woe to you! You are only a woman; go and sit in your house. The woman said: No, by God, I shall sit nowhere but in the shade of the sword.
From Farqad al-Bajali, who said: I heard Ali (AS) say: Do you not see, O people of Kufa? By God, I have struck you with the whip with which I admonish the foolish, yet I do not see you desisting; and I have struck you with the lashes with which the prescribed penalties are carried out, yet I do not see you turning back. Nothing now remains but my sword, and I well know what would set you straight by God's leave, but I do not wish to be the one to do that to you. I marvel at you and at the people of Syria: their commander disobeys God and they obey him, while your commander obeys God and you disobey him! If I say to you, March out against your enemy, you say: The cold prevents us. Do you suppose your enemy does not feel the cold as you feel it? Rather, you have come to resemble a people to whom the Messenger of God (PBUH) said: March out in the way of God, and their chiefs said: 'Do not march out in the heat.' [Then God said to His Prophet:] 'Say: The fire of Hell is hotter, if only they understood' [Qur'an 9:81]. By God, were I to strike the nose of a believer with this sword of mine so that he should hate me, he would not hate me; and were I to pour the whole world with all that it holds upon an unbeliever so that he should love me, he would not love me. That is because it has been decreed as it was decreed upon the tongue of the unlettered Prophet: no believer shall hate you and no unbeliever shall love you. 'And he who bears a burden of wrongdoing has failed' [Qur'an 20:111] — and so has he who fabricates. O people of Kufa, by God, you shall either endure patiently in fighting your enemy, or God will set over you a people to whom you have a better claim to the truth than they, and He will punish you and will punish them by your hands, or by whatever means He wills from Himself. Do you shrink from being killed by the sword only to die upon your beds? Bear witness that I heard the Messenger of God (PBUH) say: A death upon the bed is harder than the blow of a thousand swords. Gabriel informed me of it — this is Gabriel informing the Messenger of God (PBUH) of what you are hearing. Amr said, on the authority of Jabir, from Rafi', from Farqad, that he heard these words from Ali (AS) upon the pulpit. (al-Gharat, vol. 1, p. 41)
The narrator said: I heard Ali (AS) saying: O people of Kufa, will you not open your eyes? By God, I have struck you with the staff with which fools are disciplined, and you did not desist from your deeds; I have struck you with the lash with which I punish sinners, and you did not come to the right path. Now nothing remains but my sword, and I know what — by God's leave — would set you straight, yet I do not wish to do that to you.
I marvel at you and at the people of Syria. The people of Syria have a commander who disobeys God, and they obey him; your commander obeys God, and you do not follow his orders. If I tell you to march against your enemy, you say: The cold will not let us. Do you not see that your enemy is not like you, that he should fear the cold? You are like that people to whom the Messenger of God (PBUH) said: “Go forth to struggle in the way of God,” and their chiefs said: “No, do not go out to war in the heat.” God Most High said to His Prophet, say: “The fire of Hell is fiercer in heat, if only they understood” [Qur'an 9:81]. By God, were I to strike a believer on the nose with this sword so that he might hate me, he would not hate me; and were I to pour all the bounty of the world into the lap of an unbeliever, he would not let love for me enter his heart. This is what passed upon the tongue of the unlettered Prophet, who said: “A believer will not show you enmity, and an unbeliever will not show you friendship.” Indeed, the oppressors and the fabricators of lies shall be brought to despair. O people of Kufa, by God, if you do not stand firm in fighting your enemy, a people will gain mastery over you though you have a better right to the truth than they; they will afflict you with torment, and God in turn will torment them at your hands. Do you flee from being slain by the sword only to die comfortably in your beds? I bear witness that I heard the Messenger of God (PBUH) say: “To die in one's bed is harder than the blows of a thousand swords, and Gabriel brought me this news.”
On the authority of al-Mughira al-Dabbi, who said: The notables of the people of Kufa were treacherous toward Ali (AS), and their sympathies lay with Mu'awiya. That was because Ali would give no one more than his due out of the public spoils (fay'), whereas Mu'awiya ibn Abi Sufyan had fixed the stipend of the nobility at two thousand dirhams. (al-Gharat, vol. 1, p. 44)
The narrator said: The notables of Kufa were two-faced toward Ali (AS) and secretly inclined toward Mu'awiya, because Ali (AS) gave no one more than his due from the spoils, whereas Mu'awiya gave each of the notables two thousand dinars.
Mujammi' al-Taymi related to us: Ali (AS) used to distribute to them from Friday to Friday, then he would sprinkle the treasury with water, then pray a supererogatory prayer in it and say: Bear witness for me on the Day of Resurrection that I withheld no wealth of the Muslims within you. (al-Gharat, vol. 1, p. 49)
The narrator said: Ali (AS) would distribute the public treasury in full from one Friday to the next, then sprinkle water over it, then perform a supererogatory prayer there, and say: O treasury, bear witness on the Day of Resurrection that I kept back within you nothing of the wealth of the Muslims.
On the authority of Abd al-Rahman, from al-Sha'bi, who said: I entered al-Rahba as a boy among boys, and there was the Commander of the Faithful, Ali ibn Abi Talib (AS), [standing over two heaps] of gold and silver, with a whip in his hand, driving the people back with it; then he would turn back to the wealth and divide it among the people until nothing of it remained, and he went home without carrying any of it to his house. I returned to my father and said: Today I have seen either the best of people or the most foolish of people. He said: And who is he, my son? I said: I saw the Commander of the Faithful, Ali (AS) — and I recounted to him what I had seen him do. [He wept and] said: My son, [rather] you have seen the best of people. (al-Gharat, vol. 1, p. 53)
The narrator said: I came into al-Rahba; I was a young boy. I saw Ali ibn Abi Talib standing between two heaps of gold and silver, holding a whip in his hand with which he kept the people back. Ali (AS) divided the wealth among the people until nothing of it was left, and he returned home empty-handed. I went to my father and said: I do not know whether today I have seen the best of people or the most foolish of them. My father said: My son, whom did you see? I said: The Commander of the Faithful, Ali (AS) — and I recounted in full what I had seen. My father wept and said: My son, you have seen the best of people.
On the authority of Zadhan, who said: I went with Qanbar to Ali (AS), and he said: Rise, O Commander of the Faithful, for I have stored away something hidden. He said: And what is it? He said: Come with me. So he rose and went to his house, and there was a sack filled with vessels of gold and silver. He said: O Commander of the Faithful, you leave nothing without dividing it, so I stored this away for you. Ali (AS) said: You would have liked to bring a great fire into my house! Then he drew his sword and struck it, and the vessels scattered, each of them cut through by a half or a third. Then he said: Divide it into shares. He said: And in the house there were large and small needles, and he said: Divide these too. They said: We have no need of them. He said: By Him in whose hand is my soul, you shall take the worse of it along with the better. (al-Gharat, vol. 1, p. 55)
The narrator said: Qanbar had hidden away for Ali (AS) sacks full of vessels of gold and silver. When Ali (AS) learned of it, he went to his house and said: Had you cast a great fire into my house, it would have pleased me better than this. Then he drew his sword and struck those sacks. The vessels scattered about, each of them cut through by a half or a third. Then he ordered that they be divided up. Likewise, one day there were in the treasury a number of large and small needles. He said: Divide these too. The people said: We have no need of them. He said: By Him in whose hand is my soul, you must take the bad and the good of your share together.
Bakr ibn Isa related to us, saying: Ali (AS) used to say: O people of Kufa, if I depart from among you with anything other than my saddle gear, my mount and my servant, then I am a traitor. And his living expenses came to him from the yield of his property at Yanbu near Medina. (al-Gharat, vol. 1, p. 68)
Bakr ibn Isa said: Ali (AS) used to say: O people of Kufa, if on the day I depart from among you I have with me anything other than my household furnishings, my pack animals and my servant, then know that I am a traitor. The cost of Ali's (AS) living was met from the grain that reached him from Medina, the produce of his property at Yanbu.
On the authority of Abu Ishaq al-Hamdani: Two women came to Ali (AS) at the time of distribution, one of them an Arab and the other of the clients (mawali); he gave each of them twenty-five dirhams and a kurr of grain. The Arab woman said: O Commander of the Faithful, I am an Arab woman and this one is a non-Arab! Ali (AS) said: By God, [truly] I find no superiority for the children of Ishmael over the children of Isaac in this public spoil (fay'). (al-Gharat, vol. 1, p. 69)
The narrator said: At the time of the distribution of wealth two women came to Ali (AS), one an Arab and the other of the clients. Ali (AS) gave each of them twenty-five dirhams and a kurr of food. The woman who was an Arab said: O Commander of the Faithful, I am an Arab and this woman is a non-Arab. Ali (AS) said: In this spoil that has come I find no superiority for the children of Ishmael over the children of Isaac.
On the authority of Shahr ibn Hawshab, that Ali (AS) said: The Muslim man who is free of treachery awaits one of two goods: either the summoner of God (death), and what is with God is better for him; or an ample provision from God, so that he comes to have family and wealth while [his religion and] his honour remain with him. Wealth and children are the harvest of this world, and righteous deeds are the harvest of the Hereafter; and God may gather both of them together for some peoples. (al-Gharat, vol. 1, p. 78)
The Commander of the Faithful (AS) said: The Muslim untainted by treachery awaits one of two good recompenses: either God calls him to Himself, in which case what is with God is better for him — for his provision for the Hereafter is righteous action and is most abundant; or God grants him ease in his provision, in which case he comes to possess wife, children and wealth, which are the bounties of this world. And sometimes God bestows both of these together upon some people.
And on the authority of one of the companions of Ali (AS): It was said to him: How much you give in charity! Will you not hold something back? He said: By God, if I knew that God had accepted from me a single obligatory act, I would hold back; but by God, I do not know whether God has accepted anything from me or not. (al-Gharat, vol. 1, p. 90)
It is related from one of the companions of Ali (AS) that they said to Ali (AS): You give a great deal in charity; will you not hold back a little? He said: No; if I knew that God had accepted a single one of these acts that I perform, I would stop. But by God, I do not know!
Ali ibn Abis related to me, from Abu Ishaq, who said: My father lifted me up, and I saw Ali (AS): his head and beard were white, and he was broad between the shoulders. (al-Gharat, vol. 1, p. 99)
Abu Ishaq said: My father lifted me up. I saw Ali (AS). The hair of his head and his beard were white, and his chest was broad.
Amr, from Abbad ibn Abd Allah, who said: Ali (AS) used to deliver the sermon upon a pulpit of baked brick. (al-Gharat, vol. 1, p. 100)
The narrator said: Ali (AS) used to speak from a pulpit of baked brick.
There was a man of the people of Basra who said: I used to spend the night in the mosque of Kufa, relieve myself in al-Rahba, and eat bread from the grocer's skin-bag. One day I went out intending to go to one of its markets, when a voice called to me and said: You there, lift up your lower garment, for that keeps your garment cleaner and is more godfearing toward your Lord. I said: Who is this? I was told: This is the Commander of the Faithful, Ali ibn Abi Talib (AS). So I went out following him as he made his way to the camel market. When he reached it, he stood in the middle of the market and said: O company of merchants, beware of the false oath, for it sells the goods but wipes out the blessing. Then he came to the cloth market, and there was a handsome man; he said: You there, have you two garments for five dirhams? The man sprang up and said: Yes, O Commander of the Faithful. But when the man had recognized him, Ali passed on and left him. Then he stopped by a youth and said to him: Boy, have you two garments for five dirhams? He said: Yes, I have two garments, one of them better than the other: one for three and the other for two dirhams. He said: Bring them both. Then he said: Qanbar, take the one that is worth three. He said: You have more right to it, O Commander of the Faithful; you ascend the pulpit and address the people. He said: Qanbar, you are a young man and you have the ardour of youth, and I am ashamed before my Lord to prefer myself over you, for I heard the Messenger of God (PBUH) say: Clothe them from what you wear and feed them from what you eat. Then he put on the shirt and stretched his hand into its sleeve, and it extended beyond his fingers, so he said: Boy, cut off this excess. He cut it off, and the youth said: Give it here, old man, that I may hem it. He said: Leave it as it is, for the matter is swifter than that. (al-Gharat, vol. 1, p. 104)
A man of the people of Basra said: I used to sleep in the mosque of Kufa, go to al-Rahba to relieve myself, and get bread from the grocer. One day I went out intending to go to the market, and someone called to me: O man, gather up your hem, so that your garment may stay cleaner and you may also be showing piety toward your Lord. I asked: Who is this man? They said: He is the Commander of the Faithful, Ali ibn Abi Talib (AS). I followed after him. He was going to the market of the camel-sellers. When he reached the market he stopped and said: O company of sellers, beware of the false oath, for although swearing may sell the goods, it takes away the blessing.
Then he went to the market of the linen-sellers. In one shop sat a man of pleasant countenance. Ali (AS) said to him: I want two garments worth five dirhams. The man suddenly leapt up and said: At your service, O Commander of the Faithful. Since the seller had recognized him, Ali bought nothing from him and went elsewhere. He came upon a youth and said: Boy, I want two garments for five dirhams. The youth said: I have two garments; the one that is better than the other I sell for three dirhams, and the other for two. Ali (AS) said: Bring them — and he said to Qanbar: The one worth three dirhams is yours. Qanbar said: It is more fitting for you, since you ascend the pulpit and speak to the people. Ali (AS) said: No; you are a young man and the ardour of youth is in you. I am ashamed before my Lord to prefer myself over you. I have heard from the Messenger of God (PBUH): “Clothe those under your authority with what you yourselves wear, and feed them with what you yourselves eat.” Then he put the garment on and thrust his hand into the sleeve, and it was longer than his fingers. He said: Boy, cut off this piece. The youth cut it and said: Old man, let me sew up its edge. Ali (AS) said: Leave it as it is, for a man's time is too short to be spent on such matters.
On the authority of Abu Sa'id, who said: Ali (AS) used to come to the market and say: O people of the market, fear God, and beware of oaths, for an oath sells the goods and wipes out the blessing. The merchant is a sinner, save one who takes what is right and gives what is right. Peace be upon you. Then he would stay away for some days, then come and say the like of his words. Whenever he came they would say: “Marda shikamba” (the pot-bellied man) has come. Word of this got back to him, and he said: When I come, they say “Marda shikamba has come” — what do they mean by that? He was told: They are saying, The man with the big belly has come. So he said: Its lower part is food, and its upper part is knowledge. (al-Gharat, vol. 1, p. 109)
The narrator said: Ali (AS) used to come to the market and say: O people of the market, fear God and beware of swearing oaths, for though an oath may sell the goods, it takes away the blessing. Truly the merchant is a sinner, unless he buys rightly and sells rightly. That is all! After some days he would come to the market again and repeat the same words. Whenever he came to the market the market people would say: The pot-belly has come! — an allusion to his large stomach. One day he said: When I come to the market they say, “The pot-belly has come”; what do they mean by that? They said: They mean, That man with the big belly has come. Ali (AS) was not offended, and said: Its lower part is food, and its upper part is knowledge.
On the authority of al-Harith: A man said to Ali (AS): No indeed, by Him who is veiled behind the seven! Ali (AS) struck him on his back and then said: So-and-so, and who is it that is veiled behind the seven? He said: The Lord of the Worlds, O Commander of the Faithful. He said to him: You are mistaken. Between God and His creatures there is no veil, for He is with them wherever they are. (al-Gharat, vol. 1, p. 111)
The narrator said: A man, while swearing an oath, said to Ali (AS): Never — by Him who is behind the seven veils! Ali (AS) struck him on the back and said: So-and-so, who is it that is behind the seven veils? The man said: O Commander of the Faithful, the Creator of the world. Ali (AS) said: You are mistaken; between God and His creatures there is no veil at all; wherever they may be, God is with them.
On the authority of Qadam al-Dabbi, who said: Ali (AS) sent for Labid ibn Utarid al-Tamimi to be brought to him. They passed with him by one of the assemblies of the Banu Asad, and Nu'aym ibn Dajaja was there; Nu'aym rose and set the man free. So they came to the Commander of the Faithful, Ali (AS), and said: We had seized the man, but we passed with him by Nu'aym ibn Dajaja and he set him free — and Nu'aym was one of the shurtat al-khamis (Ali's picked guard). He said: Bring Nu'aym to me, and he ordered that he be beaten severely. As they were leading him away he said: O Commander of the Faithful, truly to remain with you is humiliation, and to part from you is unbelief. He said: Is it really so? He said: Yes. He said: Let him go free. (al-Gharat, vol. 1, p. 118)
The narrator relates that Ali (AS) sent someone to bring Labid al-Tamimi to him. On the way, as they were bringing him, they came to one of the dwellings of the Banu Asad. Nu'aym ibn Dajaja was there. Nu'aym rose and set Labid free. So they came to Ali (AS) and said: We arrested Labid and were bringing him, but on the way we passed by Nu'aym and he freed him. Nu'aym was one of the men of the “shurtat al-khamis.” Ali (AS) ordered that Nu'aym be brought, and he was beaten severely. As they were leading him back he said: O Commander of the Faithful, to live with you is the cause of humiliation, and to be separated from you is unbelief. Ali (AS) said: Is it truly so? He said: Yes. Ali (AS) said: Set him free.
On the authority of al-Sha'bi, who said: Ali (AS) found a coat of mail of his in the possession of a Christian, and brought him before Shurayh to litigate against him. When Shurayh saw him, he made to move aside, but Ali said: Stay where you are — and he sat down beside him and said: Shurayh, had my adversary been a Muslim, I would have sat nowhere but with him; but he is a Christian, and the Messenger of God (PBUH) said: When you and they are together on a road, force them to its narrow side and belittle them as God has belittled them, without wronging them. Then Ali (AS) said: This coat of mail is mine; I neither sold it nor gave it away. Shurayh said to the Christian: What do you say to what the Commander of the Faithful says? The Christian said: The coat of mail is none other than my coat of mail, and the Commander of the Faithful is no liar in my eyes. Shurayh turned to Ali (AS) and said: O Commander of the Faithful, have you any proof? He said: No. So he gave judgement in favour of the Christian. The man walked on a little, then came back and said: As for me, I bear witness that these are the judgements of the prophets: the Commander of the Faithful takes me to his own judge, and his judge gives judgement against him! I bear witness that there is no god but God alone, who has no partner, and that Muhammad is His servant and His messenger. By God, the coat of mail is your coat of mail, O Commander of the Faithful: the army set out and you were on your way to Siffin, and it fell from your dust-grey camel. He said: Since you have accepted Islam, it is yours — and he mounted him upon a horse. Al-Sha'bi said: One who saw him told me that he fought alongside Ali (AS) against the Kharijites at Nahrawan. (al-Gharat, vol. 1, p. 124)
The narrator said: Ali (AS) found his coat of mail in the possession of a Christian man. He brought him before Shurayh to bring suit. When Shurayh's eye fell upon him, he drew aside from his seat. Ali (AS) said: Sit in your place — and he sat down. Then he said: This coat of mail is mine. I neither sold it to him nor gave it to him. Shurayh said to the Christian: What does the Commander of the Faithful say? The Christian said: No; the coat of mail is my coat of mail. Shurayh turned to Ali (AS) and said: O Commander of the Faithful, have you any witness or proof for your claim? He said: No. So Shurayh gave judgement in favour of the Christian. The Christian went a little way, then turned back and said: I bear witness that judgements such as these are the judgements of the prophets. The Commander of the Faithful brings me before his own judge, and the judge rules against him. I bear witness that there is no god but the one God, and I bear witness that Muhammad is His servant and His messenger. O Commander of the Faithful, by God, this coat of mail is your coat of mail. Your army set out and you were going to Siffin, and this coat of mail fell from the back of your dust-grey camel. Ali (AS) said: Now that you have accepted Islam, let this coat of mail be yours — and he gave him a horse as well. The narrator said: One who had seen him told me that he was fighting alongside Ali (AS) against the Kharijites at Nahrawan.
On the authority of Abu Amr al-Kindi, who said: One day we were with Ali (AS), and the people found him in good spirits and disposed to pleasantry, so they said: O Commander of the Faithful, tell us about your companions. He said: About which of my companions? They said: Tell us about Abd Allah ibn Mas'ud. He said: He recited the Qur'an and knew the Sunna, and that is enough. We said: Tell us about Abu Dharr. He said: He used to ask many questions, and would sometimes be given an answer and sometimes refused; he was eager for decisive knowledge, and it was poured into a vessel of his until his vessel was so filled with knowledge that he was overwhelmed by it. They said: Then tell us about Salman the Persian. He said: Who can give you the like of Luqman [the Wise]? He is a man of us and belongs to us, the People of the House. He attained the first knowledge and the last knowledge; he read the first Book and the last Book — an ocean that is never drained. We said: Then tell us about Ammar ibn Yasir. He said: That is a man in whose flesh and blood and hair and skin God has mingled faith; wherever he turns, it turns with him. We said: Then tell us about yourself. He said: Gently! God has forbidden us self-praise. A man said to him: But God says: “And as for the favour of your Lord, proclaim it” [Qur'an 93:11]. He said: Then I shall proclaim the favour of my Lord: by God, when I asked, I was given; and when I fell silent, I was addressed first. Beneath my ribs there is abundant knowledge — so question me. (al-Gharat, vol. 1, p. 177)
The narrator said: One day we were gathered around Ali (AS). We saw that he was in good spirits. We seized the opportunity and drew him into conversation, saying: Tell us about your friends. He said: About which of them? We said: About Abd Allah ibn Mas'ud, for example. He said: He recited the Qur'an and knew the Sunna well. He said nothing more and fell silent. We said: About Abu Dharr. He said: He had many questions. Sometimes he received an answer and sometimes not. He was very keen to obtain definitive answers to his questions. He pursued knowledge so far that his vessel was filled and had no more capacity, and so he was left helpless. We said: About Salman. He said: Salman was like Luqman the Wise. Salman is of us, the People of the House. He possessed the knowledge of the first and the last, and had mastery of all the heavenly Books. Salman was a boundless ocean. We said: Tell us about Ammar ibn Yasir. He said: Faith was mingled with his flesh and his blood. Wherever Ammar was, faith was there too. We said: Tell us about yourself. He said: God does not love self-praise. Someone said: But God has said: “And as for the favour of your Lord, proclaim it” [Qur'an 93:11] — that is, declare God's favour toward you. He said: Whatever I say is a declaration of God's favour. Whatever I asked, I received an answer; and wherever I halted, the door of knowledge opened itself to me. This is why my breast is filled with knowledge. Ask me all you can.
On the authority of Amir al-Sha'bi: that he — meaning Ibn al-Kawwa — asked him, saying: O Commander of the Faithful, which of God's creatures is the strongest? He said: The strongest of God's creatures are ten: the firm mountains; iron, with which mountains are hewn; fire, which consumes iron; water, which extinguishes fire; the clouds, held subject between heaven and earth, which carry the water; the wind, which bears the clouds along; man, who overcomes the wind, shielding himself from it with his hands and going about his business; drunkenness, which overcomes man; sleep, which overcomes drunkenness; and care, which overcomes sleep. So the strongest of your Lord's creatures is care and sorrow. (al-Gharat, vol. 1, p. 182)
The Commander of the Faithful (AS) was asked: What is the strongest of the Lord's creatures? He said: The mountain; yet iron prevails over it, and iron itself is overcome by fire, and fire by water, and water by the wind. Man, in turn, overcomes the wind and tames it, so he is stronger than it. But man himself is overcome by drunkenness, and drunkenness by sleep, and sleep by care and sorrow. So the strongest of God's creatures is this very care and sorrow, which has the power to overcome man.
And on the authority of al-Asbagh ibn Nubata, from the Commander of the Faithful (AS): God has placed in every people a noble soul who, when he hears our tradition, his heart inclines to love of us; he recognizes the excellence of our knowledge and the parables we strike, which none understand save those who know our excellence. (al-Gharat, vol. 1, p. 183)
The Commander of the Faithful (AS) said: In every people God has placed a noble soul who, as soon as he hears our tradition, his heart inclines toward love of us and he understands the excellence of our knowledge. There are parables in our words that none but such persons understand.
On the authority of Sahl ibn Sa'd, who said: When Uthman was killed and Ali ibn Abi Talib (may God's blessings be upon him) took charge, he summoned Qays ibn Sa'd and said: Be good to the one who does good, be severe with the one who is suspect, and be gentle with the elite and with the common people, for gentleness is a blessing. (al-Gharat, vol. 1, p. 208)
The narrator said: After the killing of Uthman and his acceptance of the caliphate, Ali (AS) sent Qays ibn Sa'd to govern Egypt and charged him: With one who is in doubt and suspicion, be firm; but with the common people and with the elite of your companions, act with gentleness and forbearance, for gentleness and forbearance are wholly blessing and good fortune.
On the authority of Abaya: that Ali (AS) wrote to Muhammad ibn Abi Bakr: ... You cannot do without your portion of this world, yet you are more in need of your portion of the Hereafter. So if two matters present themselves to you, one of them for the Hereafter and the other for this world, begin with the matter of the Hereafter. Let your desire for good be great and your intention in it sincere, for God, mighty and majestic, gives the servant according to [the measure of] his intention; and if he loves good and the people of good but does not do it, he is — if God wills — as one who has done it. (al-Gharat, vol. 1, p. 228)
The narrator said: The Commander of the Faithful (AS) wrote to Muhammad ibn Abi Bakr, his governor in Egypt: ... Take your portion of this world, but know that you are more in need of your portion of the world to come. So if two matters present themselves to you, one pertaining to the Hereafter and one to this world, give priority to the matter of the Hereafter. Turn toward good as much as you can, and in performing it make your intention pure; for God gives His servant according to the measure of his intention, to the point that if someone loves good and loves the people of good but finds no opportunity to act, then — if God wills — he stands before God like one who has performed that good.
On the authority of al-Harith, from his father, who said: Ali (AS) sent Muhammad ibn Abi Bakr as governor over Egypt, and he wrote to Ali (AS) asking him about heretics (zanadiqa) among whom were some who worship the sun and the moon, others who worship something else, and some who have apostatized from Islam. Ali (AS) wrote to him: Let whoever professed Islam [and then apostatized] be killed, and leave the rest to worship what they wish. (al-Gharat, vol. 1, p. 230)
The narrator said: Muhammad ibn Abi Bakr wrote from Egypt to the Commander of the Faithful (AS) and asked about the ruling concerning the heretics (zanadiqa), some of whom worship the moon, the sun and other things, and some of whom have apostatized from Islam. Ali (AS) wrote in reply: Whoever accepted Islam and then apostatized, kill him; and leave the rest to worship whatever they wish.
On the authority of Abd Allah ibn al-Hasan, from Abaya, who said: Ali (AS) wrote to Muhammad and the people of Egypt: To proceed: I enjoin upon you the fear of God and action in accordance with that for which you will be questioned, for you are pledged to it and to it you shall come. So hold fast to the fear of God, mighty and majestic, for it gathers together such good as nothing else gathers, and through it such good is attained as is attained through nothing else — the good of this world and the good of the Hereafter. (al-Gharat, vol. 1, p. 231)
The narrator said: The Commander of the Faithful (AS) wrote a letter of counsel to Muhammad ibn Abi Bakr and the people of Egypt, the opening of which was as follows: To proceed: I enjoin upon you the fear of God and action in accordance with that concerning which you will be questioned on the Day of Resurrection, for your destiny is pledged to it and you will be confronted with it. Hold fast to the fear of God, for nothing is so productive of good in your destiny as godfearing. It is through godfearing that you attain abundant good in this world and in the Hereafter.
On the authority of Abd Allah ibn al-Hasan, from Abaya, who said: Ali (AS) wrote to Muhammad and the people of Egypt: Look, Muhammad, to your prayer, how you perform it, for you are a leader (imam): it behoves you to perform it completely and to pray it at its proper time. Then the ablution, for it belongs to the completeness of the prayer: wash your hands three times, rinse your mouth three times, draw water into your nose three times, wash your face three times, then your right arm three times up to the elbow, then your left arm three times up to the elbow, then wipe your head, then wash your right foot three times, then wash your left foot three times; for I saw the Prophet (PBUH) perform the ablution thus. The Prophet (PBUH) said: The ablution is half of faith. And he prayed the noon prayer when the sun had passed the meridian; then he prayed the afternoon prayer while it was still white and pure; then he prayed the sunset prayer when the sun had set; then he prayed the night prayer when the twilight had vanished; then he prayed the dawn prayer in the darkness before daybreak, while the stars were still thickly clustered. Thus did the Prophet (PBUH) pray. Then attend to your bowing and your prostration, for the Prophet (PBUH) was the most complete of people in prayer and the most attentive to it. When he bowed he would say three times: Glory be to my Lord the Great, and praise be to Him. When he raised his back he would say: God hears him who praises Him; O God, to You be praise. And when he prostrated he would say three times: Glory be to my Lord the Most High, and praise be to Him. Know, Muhammad, that everything of your work follows your prayer; and know that whoever squanders the prayer will squander everything else the more. (al-Gharat, vol. 1, p. 244)
The narrator said: In the letter of Ali (AS) to Muhammad ibn Abi Bakr and the Egyptians it is written: Take care of your prayer and perform it completely and at the beginning of its time. In the ablution, which is the prelude to prayer, wash your hands three times, rinse your mouth and draw water into your nose three times each, and wash your face and each of your arms three times; then proceed to the wiping of the head and the feet. I saw the Prophet (PBUH) perform the ablution in this way, and he used to say: The ablution is half of faith. Pray the noon prayer when the sun has passed the middle of the sky; the afternoon prayer while it is still white and has not turned red; the sunset prayer with the setting of the disc of the sun; the night prayer when the redness of the sky has entirely gone; and the dawn prayer when the sky is still fully dark and full of stars. The Prophet (PBUH) prayed at these times. His bowing and prostration were likewise complete: while bowing he would say three times, “Glory be to my Lord the Great, and praise be to Him”; and when he rose he would say, “God hears him who praises Him; O God, to You be praise”; and at the time of prostration he would say three times, “Glory be to my Lord the Most High, and praise be to Him.” Know that all your deeds follow your prayer, and that if the prayer is ruined, the ruin of the rest of your affairs is to be expected.
Muhammad ibn Abi Sayf, from his companions: When Ali (AS) sent this reply to Muhammad ibn Abi Bakr, he used to study it, learn from it and judge by it. When [the enemy] prevailed over him and he was killed, Amr ibn al-As seized all his writings and sent them to Mu'awiya ibn Abi Sufyan. Mu'awiya used to look into this letter, and it delighted him. Al-Walid ibn Uqba, who was with Mu'awiya, when he saw Mu'awiya's admiration for it, said: Order that these traditions be burned. Mu'awiya said to him: Enough, son of Abu Mu'ayt; you have no judgement. Al-Walid said to him: It is you who have no judgement. Is it sound policy that people should know that the traditions of Abu Turab are with you, that you learn from them and judge by his judgements? Then why do you fight him? Mu'awiya said: Woe to you! Do you bid me burn knowledge such as this? By God, I have never heard of knowledge more comprehensive than it, nor wiser, nor clearer. Al-Walid said: If you so marvel at his knowledge and his judgement, then why do you fight him? Mu'awiya said: Were it not that Abu Turab killed Uthman, we would take from him whatever legal rulings he gave us. Then he was silent for a while, then looked at those sitting with him and said: We shall not say that these are from the writings of Ali ibn Abi Talib; rather we shall say that these are from the writings of Abu Bakr al-Siddiq, which were with his son Muhammad — and so we judge and give rulings by them. Those writings remained in the treasuries of the Umayyads until Umar ibn Abd al-Aziz came to power; it was he who made it known that they were among the traditions of Ali ibn Abi Talib (AS). And when word reached Ali ibn Abi Talib (AS) that that document had come into Mu'awiya's hands, it weighed heavily upon him. (al-Gharat, vol. 1, p. 251)
The narrator said: When Ali (AS) sent the letter to Muhammad ibn Abi Bakr, Muhammad would constantly look into it, learn from it and judge in accordance with it. When Muhammad was killed, every book and writing that was in his possession fell into the hands of Amr ibn al-As. Amr sent them to Mu'awiya ibn Abi Sufyan. Mu'awiya would look into this letter and marvel at it and take pleasure in reading it. Al-Walid ibn Uqba was with him, and when he saw his admiration he said: Give the order for these words to be burned. Mu'awiya said: Enough, son of Abu Mu'ayt; that is no commendable opinion. Al-Walid said: It is your opinion that is unsound. Is it prudent that people should know that the words of Abu Turab are with you, that you learn things from them and judge in accordance with them? Then why did you fight him? Mu'awiya said: Woe to you — do you tell me to burn a knowledge such as this? By God, nowhere and from no one have I heard knowledge more comprehensive than this, or wiser than this, or clearer than this. Al-Walid said: If you so marvel at Ali's knowledge and judgement, why did you fight him? Mu'awiya said: If Abu Turab had not killed Uthman and were he to give legal rulings, we would act upon his rulings. Then he was silent a while, and looked at those in his assembly and said: We shall not say that this is from the writings of Ali ibn Abi Talib; rather we shall say that it is from the writings of Abu Bakr al-Siddiq, which were in the keeping of his son Muhammad, and that we judge and give rulings in accordance with them. Those writings remained continually in the treasuries of the Umayyads until the time when Umar ibn Abd al-Aziz came to power. It was he who declared that these words were the words of Ali ibn Abi Talib (AS). When Ali ibn Abi Talib (AS) was informed that his letter had fallen into Mu'awiya's hands, it weighed heavily upon him.
(I say: Ali (AS) wrote many letters and sent them out in all directions. Many of his letters survived him and fell into the hands of the Umayyads. In this way the express wording of his utterances, or the substance of his words and the sense of his allusions, entered the hadith sources of the Sunnis and were transmitted on the tongues of other Companions, so that they might be acceptable to the temper of the age and be preserved. Boldly, with full conviction, and relying upon that [divine] favour — to which reference has been made in the Suluknama — I submit that almost all of the teachings and wisdom that have remained on the tongues of the Companions and the Successors under the name of “athar,” and even some of what has been transmitted through them under the name of “khabar” from the Messenger of God (PBUH), is either verbatim or by adaptation from the teachings of the Master of the Monotheists, Ali ibn Abi Talib (AS). This is the meaning of what they have said: “Go east and go west; you will find no sound knowledge except something that comes forth from this House.”)
On the authority of Mughira al-Dabbi, who said: The affair of Ali remained strong until al-Ashtar died. (al-Gharat, vol. 1, p. 262)
The narrator said: As long as Malik al-Ashtar lived, Ali's (AS) position was strong.
On the authority of the elders of the Nakha', who said: We came in to Ali (AS) when news of the death of al-Ashtar reached him, and he began to lament and grieve over him, saying: What a man was Malik! And what a Malik he was! Had he been a mountain, he would have been a mighty peak; had he been a stone, he would have been a hard, solid rock. By God, your death has shaken one world and gladdened another. For one such as Malik let the mourning women weep — and is there any to be found like Malik? He said: Alqama ibn Qays al-Nakha'i said: Ali did not cease to lament and grieve until we supposed that the loss was his rather than ours, and the mark of it was recognizable on his face for days. (al-Gharat, vol. 1, p. 265)
It is related from the elders of the Nakha' that they said: When news of the death of Malik al-Ashtar reached Ali (AS), we were with him. He grieved greatly over him and said: What gifts God had given to Malik! Malik — what a Malik! Had he been a mountain, he would have been a mighty mountain; had he been a stone, he would have been a hard stone. Indeed, by God, O Malik, your death has made many tremble and has gladdened many. Let the mourners weep for such a man as this. Can a man like Malik ever be found again?
Alqama ibn Qays al-Nakha'i said: Ali (AS) continued to lament and grieve, so much so that we supposed the calamity had befallen him rather than us, who are Malik's kin; and for several days the mark of this sorrow was plain upon his face.
On the authority of Jundab ibn Abd Allah, who said: By God, I was sitting with Ali when Abd Allah ibn Qu'ayn, the grandfather of Ka'b, came to him crying for help on behalf of Muhammad ibn Abi Bakr, who at that time was governor over Egypt. Ali (AS) rose and called out among the people: To the congregational prayer! The people gathered, and he ascended the pulpit, praised God and extolled Him, and invoked blessings upon the Prophet (PBUH), then said: To proceed: this is the cry for help of Muhammad ibn Abi Bakr and of your brethren, the people of Egypt. The son of al-Nabigha, the enemy of God and your enemy, has marched against them. Let not the people of error, in their inclination toward their falsehood and toward the path of the idol (taghut), be more united upon their falsehood and their straying than you are upon your truth. It is as though you already see them beginning war upon you and upon your brethren; so hasten to them with support and succour. Servants of God, Egypt is greater in good than Syria and better in its people, so do not let Egypt be wrested from you, for the survival of Egypt in your hands is might for you and humiliation for your enemy. Go out to al-Jar'a — and al-Jar'a is between Kufa and al-Hira — so that we may all meet there tomorrow, if God wills. When the morrow came, he went out on foot and encamped there in the early morning, and he stayed until midday of that day, and not a hundred men of them came to him, so he returned. In the evening he sent for the notables and gathered them; they came in to him in the palace, and he was sorrowful and grieved. He said: Praise be to God for what He has decreed of affairs and ordained of deeds, and for afflicting me with you, O faction that does not obey when I command and does not answer when I call. May others than you be fatherless! What are you waiting for, instead of aiding [your Lord] and struggling for your right? Death or humiliation is your lot in this world, unjustly. By God, if death comes to me — and it will surely come to me — it will part me from you, and truly I am weary of your company. Is there no religion to unite you? Is there no zeal to rouse your anger, when you have heard that your enemy is diminishing your lands and launching raids against you? Is it not astonishing that Mu'awiya calls upon coarse, oppressive rabble, and they follow him without any stipend or support, answering him once, twice or three times in the year, to whatever quarter he wishes; while I call upon you, and you are the people of understanding and the remnant of the people, [some of you receiving support and some of you stipends], yet you differ and scatter away from me, disobey me and oppose me. Then Malik ibn Ka'b al-Arhabi rose to him and said: O Commander of the Faithful, summon the people to march with me, for “there is no perfume after the bride.” It is for a day such as this that I have been saving myself, and reward comes only through what is disliked. [Then he turned to the people and said:] Fear God, answer your imam, support his call, and fight your enemy. And I shall march against them, O Commander of the Faithful. He said: So Ali ordered his crier, Sa'd his client, and he called out: Set forth with Malik ibn Ka'b to Egypt! But it was an undertaking they disliked, and for a month they did not gather to him. [When such of them as would gather had gathered, Malik ibn Ka'b set out with them] and encamped outside Kufa. Then he departed, and the Commander of the Faithful Ali (AS) went out with him. They looked, and all who had gone out with him were about two thousand men. Ali (AS) said: Set forth in the name of God; by God, I do not think you will reach the people before their affair is over. He said: So Malik set out with them and journeyed with them five nights. Then al-Hajjaj ibn Ghaziyya al-Ansari came to Ali from Egypt, and Abd al-Rahman ibn al-Musayyab al-Fazari came to him from Syria. As for al-Fazari, he was his (AS) intelligence agent in Syria; and as for al-Ansari, he had been with Muhammad ibn Abi Bakr in Egypt. Al-Ansari related to him what he had seen and witnessed of the destruction of Muhammad; and al-Fazari related that he had not left Syria until the glad tidings came from Amr ibn al-As, one report following upon another, of the conquest of Egypt and the killing of Muhammad ibn Abi Bakr, and until Mu'awiya proclaimed his killing from the pulpit. He said to him: O Commander of the Faithful, I have never seen any day of rejoicing like the rejoicing I saw in Syria when news of the death of the son of Abi Bakr reached them. Ali (AS) said: Truly our grief at his killing is in the measure of their joy at it — nay, many times greater. He said: So Ali (AS) dispatched Abd al-Rahman ibn Shurayh al-Shami to Malik ibn Ka'b and turned him back from the road.
He said: Ali (AS) grieved for Muhammad ibn Abi Bakr until it was visible in him and showed plainly in his face. He stood up to address the people, praised God and extolled Him, then said: Behold, Egypt has been conquered by the wicked, the allies of injustice and oppression, who barred men from the way of God and sought to make Islam crooked. Behold, Muhammad ibn Abi Bakr — may God have mercy upon him — has been martyred; we reckon his reward with God. By God, he was, as far as I knew, one who awaited the divine decree and worked for the recompense, who hated the ways of the sinner and loved the gentleness of the believer. And by God, I do not blame myself for any shortcoming or incapacity; in the conduct of war I am truly discerning; I advance upon a matter knowing the course of prudence, and I act upon sound judgement. I called upon you for aid openly and summoned you with the plain cry of one seeking help, yet you neither listen to a word of mine nor obey a command of mine, so that matters come to evil ends. You are a people by whom no blood-vengeance is attained and no debts of vengeance are discharged. For more than fifty days I have been calling you to the succour of your brethren, and you have grumbled at me with the grumbling of a slack-jawed camel and have clung heavily to the earth like one who has no intention of struggling against the enemy and no thought of earning reward. Then there came out to me from among you a scattered little band, weak, “as though they were being driven to death while they looked on” [Qur'an 8:6]. Fie upon you! Then he descended and went into his dwelling. (al-Gharat, vol. 1, p. 289)
The narrator said: I was sitting with Ali (AS) when a messenger came from Egypt on behalf of Muhammad ibn Abi Bakr, asking that they come to his aid. Ali (AS) rose and called out to the people that they should all gather in the mosque. The people gathered, and he ascended the pulpit. He offered praise and thanks to God and invoked blessings upon Muhammad (PBUH). Then he said: O people, this is the cry of Muhammad ibn Abi Bakr and of your brethren, the people of Egypt, which is reaching your ears; they wish you to come to their aid. The son of al-Nabigha, that enemy of God and enemy of you, has led an army against them. Let it not be that the misguided, who go toward falsehood and travel the road of the idol (taghut), are more united in their falsehood and error than you, whose road is the road of truth. So hasten toward them in sympathy and support. O servants of God, the blessings and good things of Egypt are far greater than those of Syria, and its people are better than the people of Syria. Let it not be that you are overcome in Egypt, for the remaining of Egypt in your hands is your might and your enemy's humiliation. Go to al-Jar'a — al-Jar'a is a place between Kufa and al-Hira — so that, if God wills, we may all gather there tomorrow.
Early the next morning Ali (AS) himself set out for al-Jar'a. He waited until midday, but not even a hundred men came. Ali (AS) returned. In the evening he summoned their notables, and they gathered before him in the palace of government. Ali (AS) was deeply grieved and broken-hearted. He spoke to them and said: I give praise to God for what He has ordained and decreed, and for having afflicted me with you — you, a people who, when I give a command, do not obey, and when I call, do not answer. Why do you delay so long in aiding me, and why do you not fight to obtain your right? Death be upon you, or humiliation! By God, would that my death might come — and come it will — and that separation might fall between me and you, for I do not find your company agreeable. Is there no faith upon which you might unite? Is there not enough zeal in you to rouse you to anger? With your own ears you have heard that the enemy is seizing your lands one by one and is attacking and raiding you. Is it not astonishing that Mu'awiya summons a handful of base and worthless men and they answer him, without his having bestowed any wealth upon them or given them any help with expenses? He dispatches them once, twice or three times a year wherever he wishes; while I summon you, who are a noble and intelligent people and the remnant of the people of religion, and I provide support and bestow wealth, yet you sit in your houses, scatter away from me, and rise in opposition to me.
Malik ibn Ka'b al-Arhabi rose and said: O Commander of the Faithful, send the people out with me, for “after the loss of the husband, what need is there of perfume?” I had stored up my life for just such a day, and a goodly reward is attained only by enduring hardships. Then he looked into the faces of the people and said: Fear God and answer your imam; now that he calls you, aid him and do battle with your enemy. O Commander of the Faithful, here I am, going out to fight the enemy. Ali (AS) ordered his crier to call out that all should set forth with Malik ibn Ka'b for Egypt. A month passed, but no one came to Malik, as though they had no liking for him. When a number of them had gathered around him, Malik went out with them from Kufa and pitched camp outside the city. Then he set off toward Egypt. Ali (AS) also came out of the city to see him off. He looked and saw that all those who had gathered were about two thousand men. Ali (AS) said: Set forth in the name of God. By God, I do not think you will reach them except when their affair is already finished.
Malik ibn Ka'b had journeyed five nights with this army when al-Hajjaj ibn Ghaziyya al-Ansari came from Egypt to Ali (AS), and Abd al-Rahman ibn al-Musayyab al-Fazari arrived from Syria. Al-Fazari was Ali's (AS) spy in Syria, and al-Ansari had been with Muhammad ibn Abi Bakr in Egypt. Al-Ansari recounted what he had seen with his own eyes concerning the killing of Muhammad ibn Abi Bakr; and al-Fazari said that he had been in Syria when the good news of the killing of Muhammad ibn Abi Bakr arrived from Amr ibn al-As, and reports came one after another of the conquest of Egypt, and Mu'awiya ascended the pulpit and informed the people of the killing of Muhammad ibn Abi Bakr. Al-Ansari said: O Commander of the Faithful, never had I seen the people of Syria rejoice as they rejoiced that day. Ali (AS) said: Yes — to the same degree that they rejoice at his killing, we grieve; indeed, several times more. Then Ali (AS) sent Abd al-Rahman ibn Shurayh al-Shami after Malik ibn Ka'b and turned him back from the road to Egypt.
Ali (AS) grieved so deeply over the death of Muhammad ibn Abi Bakr that the mark of this sorrow remained upon his face. So he rose and spoke to the people. First he praised God and extolled Him. Then he said: Know that Egypt has been seized by a company of the wicked, people of tyranny and oppression, who turn men aside from the way of God and lead Islam astray; and that Muhammad ibn Abi Bakr has been martyred — may God have mercy upon him — and he now has his place at the threshold of the Divine. By God, from the time I knew him he was ever awaiting the decree of God and looking for its reward. He hated the crookedness of the wicked and loved the gentleness and dignity of the believers. And by God, I do not blame myself for having fallen short in the matter or having shown incapacity. I am well versed in warfare and the leading of armies; I set my foot upon the road and know where the dangers lie, and in command my judgement is firm and sound. But I called you to aid with a loud voice and summoned you openly: O people, come to the rescue! — and you did not hear my words and did not obey my command, until the grievous consequences of the matter became apparent. You are of that sort of people by whom no vengeance can be exacted and by whose steadfastness no goal can be reached. For more than fifty days I had been calling you to the aid of your brethren. You groaned like a camel whose jaws have been split and which moans from exhaustion, and you clung to the earth like one who never has any intention in his heart of struggling against the enemy and does not wish to earn any reward by this path. Until at last a paltry little army, wretched and feeble, came to me from among you, “as though they were being driven toward death while they looked on.” Death be upon you! Then Ali (AS) came down from the pulpit and withdrew into his own privacy.
Ali (AS) wrote to Abd Allah ibn al-Abbas, who was his governor over Basra: In the Name of God, the Most Compassionate, the Most Merciful. From the servant of God, Ali, Commander of the Faithful, to Abd Allah ibn al-Abbas: Peace be upon you, and the mercy of God and His blessings. To proceed: Egypt has been taken, and Muhammad ibn Abi Bakr has been martyred; we reckon him with God, the Mighty and Exalted. I had written to the people and had stood before them at the outset of the affair, and I commanded them to go to his aid before the battle, and I summoned them in secret and in the open, again and again. Yet among them was one who came unwillingly, one who feigned an excuse falsely, and one who sat back and forsook us. I ask God Almighty to grant me relief and a way out from them, and to give me rest from them soon. By God, were it not for my longing for martyrdom when I meet my enemy, and my having reconciled my soul to death, I would not wish to remain a single day among these people. May God resolve for me and for you upon right guidance, upon fear of Him and upon His guidance; truly He has power over all things. And peace. (al-Gharat, vol. 1, p. 298)
After the martyrdom of Muhammad ibn Abi Bakr, Ali (AS) wrote as follows to Abd Allah ibn Abbas, who was the governor of Basra:
In the Name of God, the Most Compassionate, the Most Merciful. From the servant of God, Ali, Commander of the Faithful, to Abd Allah ibn Abbas. Peace be upon you, and the mercy of God.
To proceed: Egypt has been taken and Muhammad ibn Abi Bakr has been martyred. We now entrust him to God, the Mighty and Exalted. Many times I wrote letters to the people, and at the beginning of the affair I stood before them and called them to his aid before the fighting broke out; I summoned them in secret and in the open, and I called them again and again. A number came unwillingly, some falsely pleaded illness, and others abandoned me and sat at home. I ask God Almighty to deliver me from them and to grant me rest from them soon. By God, were it not that I long for martyrdom in facing the enemy and am attached to death on the field of battle, I would not wish to live even a single day among these people. May God guide us and you to fear of Him and to His guidance, for He has power over every affair. And peace.
He said: When the day had risen high, I came to the Commander of the Faithful (AS) and sat with him a while, wishing to tell him in private what he had said to me. I prolonged my sitting, but the people only grew more numerous. So I drew near and sat behind him, and he inclined his head toward me. I informed him of what I had heard from al-Khirrit, and of what I had said to his cousin, and of the reply he gave me. He (AS) said: Leave him be. If he accepts the truth and returns, we shall acknowledge that of him and accept it from him; and if he refuses, we shall pursue him. I said: O Commander of the Faithful, why not take him now and make sure of him? He said: If we were to do this with everyone among the people whom we suspect, we would fill the prisons with them. I do not see it as permitted to me to fall upon people, to imprison them and to punish them, until they openly show us their opposition. (al-Gharat, vol. 1, p. 332)
The narrator said: The next morning, when I hastened to see the Commander of the Faithful (AS), I was waiting for a moment of privacy so that I might lay before him the news of the treachery of a group who intended to break away; but the crowd around him kept growing thicker and thicker. At last I went and sat behind him, and the Commander of the Faithful (AS) brought his head near to me. I said: From what I heard from them, they have broken their promise today and will not come to debate with you and clarify the truth; rather they will slip away and rise in revolt. He said: Leave them be; if they come and accept the truth, we shall honour them, and if it becomes clear that they have broken their allegiance and fled, we shall summon them. The narrator said: I said to the Commander of the Faithful (AS): Would it not be better to arrest them all right now, before it is too late and they escape? He said: If we were to seize and imprison everyone who is under suspicion, we would have to fill all the prisons with the people. I cannot seize people, imprison them and punish them before they have shown open opposition.
From Abd Allah ibn Qu'ayn, who said: My brother Ka'b ibn Qu'ayn and I were in that army with Ma'qil ibn Qays. When he wished to set out, he came to Ali (AS) to take his leave, and Ali (AS) said to him: O Ma'qil, fear God as much as you are able, for that is the counsel of God to the believers. (al-Gharat, vol. 1, p. 350)
The narrator said: My brother Ka'b and I were in the army of Ma'qil ibn Qays. When he wished to lead the troops out, he came to Ali (AS) to take his leave. Ali (AS) said: O Ma'qil, be mindful of the presence of God as much as you are able, for this is God's counsel to the believers.
Abd al-Rahman ibn Jundab, from his father, who said: When Masqala fled, it was said to Ali (AS): Restore to bondage those captives whose price has not been paid in full. He said: That would not be a just judgment. They have been freed, since the one who bought them set them free, and my money has become a debt upon the one who bought them. (al-Gharat, vol. 1, p. 370)
Masqala ibn Hubayra al-Shaybani was Ali's (AS) agent in Ardashir Khurra, one of the important cities of Fars. After the defeat of the revolt of al-Khirrit ibn Rashid, when Ma'qil ibn Qays, one of Ali's commanders, reached Ardashir Khurra with five hundred captives, Masqala bought the captives for an exorbitant sum and set them free. But he was unable to pay the sum to the public treasury. Ali demanded the money from him, but he fled and went to Mu'awiya. Ali marvelled at his conduct: that he freed the captives like a man of nobility and then fled like a slave. By his own account, Ali (AS) had intended to imprison him until he repaid the debt, and to release him if he found him unable to pay. Abd al-Rahman ibn Jundab relates from his father that when Masqala fled, some people said to Ali (AS): Seize once again those captives the price of whose freedom was never paid.
Ali (AS) said: This is not a just judgment. They have been set free, and the man who had bought them freed them; and that money, which belongs to me, is a debt upon the one who bought them.
Abd al-Rahman ibn Jundab, from his father, who said: When news reached Ali (AS) of the fate that befell the Banu Najiya and of the killing of their leader, he said: May his mother be bereaved of him! How deficient was his intellect and how bold he was against his Lord! He came to me once and said: Among your companions are men whom I fear will part from you; what is your view concerning them? I said to him: I do not seize a man upon accusation, nor do I punish upon suspicion, and I fight none but him who opposes me, sets himself against me and shows me open enmity. Even then I do not fight him until I have summoned him and made my case plain to him. If he repents and returns to us, we accept it from him, and he is our brother; but if he insists upon resolving to make war on us, we seek God's help against him and confront him. So he left me alone for as long as God willed. Then he came to me another time and said: I fear that Abd Allah ibn Wahb and Zayd ibn Husayn al-Ta'i will stir up corruption against you. I have heard them say things about you which, had you heard them, you would not have parted from them until you had killed them or bound them so that they would never leave your prison. I said: I am consulting you about them; what do you advise me to do? He said: I advise you to summon them both and strike off their heads. Then I knew that he had neither piety nor intellect. I said: By God, I do not think you possess any piety or any intellect that is of use. By God, it ought to have been clear to you that I do not kill one who has not fought me, nor shown me his enmity, nor set himself against me, just as I had made known to you my view when you came to me the first time and described your companions to me. And it would have befitted you, had I intended to kill them, to say to me: Fear God! Why do you deem their killing lawful, when they have killed no one, have not risen against you, and have not left your obedience? (al-Gharat, vol. 1, p. 371)
The narrator said that when news of the affair of the Banu Najiya and the killing of al-Khirrit ibn Rashid al-Naji reached Ali (AS), he said: Woe to him, what a man of little sense he was, and how bold in disobeying his Lord. One day he came to me and said: Among your companions are men of whom I fear that they will abandon you and depart. What will you do with them? I said to him: I do not call anyone to account merely upon accusation, nor punish anyone merely upon suspicion, and I fight only one who rises in opposition against me, stands against me, and shows open enmity. Even then I do not fight him until I have summoned him and heard his excuse; if he repents and returns to us we accept him, but if he turns away and persists in making war against us, we seek help from God and fight him. And may God protect me from every harm. Another day he came to me again and said: I fear that Abd Allah ibn Wahb and Zayd ibn Husayn al-Ta'i will rise against you; I have heard things from them concerning you such that if you yourself had heard them, you would at once either have killed them or put them in chains and never released them from prison. I said to him: I am now consulting you about those two. Tell me, what should I do with them? He said: My advice is that you summon them both and behead them. From this speech I knew that he had neither piety nor intellect. I said: By God, I do not think you possess any piety or intellect that could be of use. By God, it should have been clear to you that I do not fight a man who has not raised his hand to fight me, who has not shown open enmity toward me, and who has not stood face to face against me. And the first time you came to me and began to slander your companions, I told you so, and I say the same now. It would have been fitting that even if I had intended to kill them, you should have stepped forward and said to me: Fear God! Why do you deem their killing lawful? These men have killed no one, nor have they slandered you, nor have they left your obedience.
(Explanation: After the Battle of Siffin, al-Khirrit went to Ali together with a group of men and announced that he intended to separate from him. Ali reminded al-Khirrit of his oath of allegiance and forbade him this course. But al-Khirrit, together with three hundred men, embraced Christianity, parted from Ali that very night, and rose in revolt against him. In response, Ali sent Ziyad ibn Khasafa to pursue and suppress him. Continuing on their way, al-Khirrit and his companions went to the village of Niffar near Kufa and killed its governor, a man named Zadan ibn Farrukh. Ziyad engaged al-Khirrit in battle at a place called al-Madhar, between Wasit and Basra, and succeeded in defeating him. Two hundred men who had recently joined al-Khirrit's force from Kufa fled with him to Ahwaz. The danger posed by al-Khirrit gradually became more serious for Ali. A group of the Banu Najiya refused to pay the alms-tax to Ali (AS), and a little later they revolted and joined al-Khirrit. To crush al-Khirrit, Ali this time sent Ma'qil ibn Qays al-Riyahi, who managed to defeat him. But al-Khirrit fled to the tribe of Abd al-Qays, took refuge among them, and incited them against Ali. Ma'qil succeeded, by granting quarter to al-Khirrit's troops, in drawing a large number of them over to his side. Al-Khirrit was finally killed by Nu'man ibn Suhban in that same battle.)
From the servant of God, Ali, Commander of the Faithful, to Aqil ibn Abi Talib: ... As for your asking me to write to you my view concerning the situation I am in, my view is to wage jihad against those who have violated their pledge until I meet God. The multitude of people with me adds nothing to my might, nor does their scattering away from me bring me any desolation, for I am upon the truth, and God is with the truth. By God, I do not hate death when it is upon the truth, and all good after death belongs only to him who was upon the truth. As for your offer to come to me with your sons and the sons of your father, I have no need of that; so stay where you are, rightly guided and praised. By God, I would not wish that, if I perish, you should perish with me. And do not imagine that the son of your mother, even if all the people forsake him, will show himself abject or submissive, or slack of rein for one who would lead him, or a broad back for a rider who would mount him. (al-Gharat, vol. 2, p. 430)
The Commander of the Faithful (AS) wrote thus to his brother Aqil: ... As for your asking me to write to you what I shall do in the end and what I am seeking, know that my view is to wage jihad against the breakers of the covenant until I meet God. On this path, if the number of my supporters increases it adds nothing to my honour, and if they scatter away from me I shall feel no fear, for I am upon the truth, and God is with whoever is upon the truth. By God, I do not find death hateful in the way of the truth, for whatever good there is after death belongs to the one who is upon the truth. As for your offer to come to my aid with your sons and your brothers, I have no need of that; remain where you are, rightly guided and approved. By God, I would not wish that, if I am destroyed, you too should be destroyed. And do not think that your brother, though the people should abandon him and depart, will display humility and abasement, or bow beneath the burden of oppression, or hand the reins of his affair to another, or bend his back to give others a ride.
From al-Musayyab ibn Najaba al-Fazari, who said: I heard Ali (AS) say: I fear that these people may gain the upper hand over you, because of their obedience to their leader and your disobedience to your leader, because of their discharging the trust and your betrayal of it, because of their setting their land in order and your working corruption in your land, and because of their unity upon their falsehood and your division away from your truth; until their rule grows long, and they leave nothing that God has forbidden without declaring it lawful, until there remains no tent of hair nor house of clay that their tyranny and injustice has not entered, until two weepers arise: one who weeps for his religion and one who weeps for his worldly life; and until none of you is anything but useful to them or at least harmless to them; and until the support one of you gives them is like the support of a slave toward his master: when he is present with him he obeys him, and when he is absent from him he reviles him. So if God brings you well-being, accept it; and if He tries you, be patient, for truly the outcome belongs to the God-fearing [Qur'an 11:49]. (al-Gharat, vol. 2, p. 487)
The narrator said: I heard Ali (AS) saying: I fear that this people will take the reins of your affairs into their hands, for several reasons. First, that they are obedient to their leader while you disobey your Imam. Second, that they discharge the trust faithfully while you betray the trust. Third, that they set their own land in order while you work corruption in your land. And fourth, that they are gathered and united upon their falsehood while you are divided and scattered away from your truth. Yes, they will take the reins of your affairs, and their rule will endure, until there is no forbidden thing that they do not declare permissible, and no tent in the desert and no house in the city that their oppression and injustice does not enter. It will reach the point where you will see two men weeping: one weeping for his religion and one weeping for his worldly life. And matters will come to such a pass that the people will be divided into two groups: one useful to the government and one at least harmless to it. In that time people will be compelled to serve tyrants as a slave serves his master: when he sees him he obeys him, and when he is out of his sight he curses him. In those days, if God grants you well-being, accept it; and if He afflicts you with trial, be patient, for the good outcome belongs to the God-fearing.
From Abbad ibn Abd Allah al-Asadi, who said: I was sitting on a Friday while Ali (AS) was delivering the sermon from a pulpit of baked brick, and Ibn Sawhan was seated there. Then al-Ash'ath came, stepping over the people, and said: O Commander of the Faithful, these red ones have overcome us in gaining your attention. And he grew angry. Ibn Sawhan said: Today what has been hidden concerning the affair of the Arabs will be made plain. Ali (AS) said: Who will excuse me from these coarse, thick-bodied men? One of them takes his midday rest, turning about upon his bedding, while a people forsake their sleep for the remembrance of God; and then he bids me drive them away, so that I should become one of the wrongdoers? By Him who split the seed and created the soul, I heard Muhammad (PBUH) say: By God, they shall surely strike you over religion at the last, just as you struck them over it at the first. (al-Gharat, vol. 2, p. 498)
The narrator said: One Friday I was sitting in the mosque while Ali (AS) was speaking from a pulpit built of baked brick, and Sa'sa'a ibn Sawhan was also there at the foot of the pulpit. Al-Ash'ath al-Kindi came into the mosque, treading over the heads of the people and pressing forward. When he drew near he said: O Commander of the Faithful, these red-faced clients, the Persians, have gained the upper hand over us, and you do nothing! Ali (AS) was angered by these words and said: If the matter were in my hands, I would punish you thick-bodied Arabs, who toss about in your beds until midday while the clients rise from their beds to keep vigil through the night. And you tell me to drive them away and become one of the oppressors? By Him who caused the seed to sprout and created living beings, I heard Muhammad (PBUH) say: By God, one day they will strike you Arabs so that you may return to religion, just as you struck them at the beginning so that they might enter religion.
Mughira said: Ali (AS) was more inclined toward the clients and more gentle with them, while Umar kept himself further away from them. (al-Gharat, vol. 2, p. 499)
The narrator said: Ali (AS) had great affection for the clients and was kind to them; but Umar disliked them and kept his distance from them.
From al-Asbagh ibn Nubata, who said: Ali (AS) preached: A man says, I have waged jihad, when he has not waged jihad. Jihad is only the avoidance of what God has forbidden together with the struggle against the enemy. Some people fight, and fight well, desiring nothing but the remembrance of God and the reward. And a man may fight by his natural disposition to courage, defending both the one he knows and the one he does not know; and another may be a coward by his natural disposition to fear, and so surrender his father and his mother to the enemy. Fighting is but one death among the deaths, and every man is judged according to that for which he fought; for even the dog fights in defence of its household. (al-Gharat, vol. 2, p. 501)
The narrator said: Ali (AS) ascended the pulpit and said: Sometimes a man says, I have waged jihad, when he has not waged jihad. Jihad is the avoidance of what is forbidden together with fighting the enemy. Sometimes people go out to fight and fight well, desiring nothing but the remembrance of God and the reward of the Hereafter; these are the true warriors of jihad. But sometimes a man fights because of the trait of boldness that is in him, and defends anyone, whether he knows him or not. And sometimes a man, because of the trait of fear that is in him, does not approach the battle, and in that state he surrenders even his father and his mother to the enemy. Fighting sometimes leads to death, but not every fight and every death is of worth. The worth of every fighter lies in that for the sake of which he fights; otherwise even a dog fights in defence of its den and its young.
From Awana, who said: Al-Najashi went out on the first day of Ramadan and passed by Abu Simmal al-Asadi, who was sitting in the forecourt of his house. He said to him: Where are you bound? He said: I am going to al-Kunasa. He said: Have you any desire for sheep's heads and fat tails that I placed in the oven at the beginning of the night, and which by morning are cooked through and falling apart? He said: Woe to you, on the first day of Ramadan? He said: Leave us alone with what we do not acknowledge. He said: And then what? He said: Then I shall give you to drink of a beverage the colour of wars, which gladdens the soul, runs in the veins, increases strength, digests food, and loosens the tongue of the tongue-tied. So he dismounted and the two ate their morning meal; then he brought him nabidh and they drank. When the end of the day came, their voices grew loud. They had a neighbour of Shi'i inclination, one of the companions of Ali (AS). He went to Ali (AS) and told him their story, so he sent a company to them, who surrounded the house. As for Abu Simmal, he leapt away into the dwellings of the Banu Asad and escaped; but al-Najashi was brought to Ali (AS). In the morning he stood him up in his trousers and gave him eighty lashes, then added twenty lashes more. He said: O Commander of the Faithful, as for the prescribed penalty I know it, but what is this addition that is not known? He said: For your boldness against your Lord and your breaking the fast in the month of Ramadan. Then he stood him up in his trousers before the people, and the boys began to shout at him: Al-Najashi has soiled himself! And he kept saying: Never, by God, it is a Yemeni garment, whose drawstring is of hair. Hind ibn Asim al-Saluli passed by him and threw a mantle over him; then the people began to pass by him and throw their mantles over him, until many mantles were gathered upon him. (al-Gharat, vol. 2, p. 533)
Al-Najashi was Ali's (AS) poet at Siffin. He drank wine and Ali (AS) inflicted the prescribed penalty upon him; al-Najashi became enraged, joined Mu'awiya, and composed satires against Ali (AS).
The narrator said: It was the first day of Ramadan, and al-Najashi came out of his house. On the way he saw Abu Simmal al-Asadi sitting at the door of his own house. Abu Simmal asked where he was going. Al-Najashi said: To the quarter of al-Kunasa. Abu Simmal said: Would you like to eat of the head and fat tail of a sheep that I put in the oven at the beginning of the night and that is now cooked? Al-Najashi said: Woe to you, on the first day of Ramadan? Abu Simmal said: Do not remind us of something we know nothing about. Al-Najashi said: Be silent. Abu Simmal said: Then I shall give you a clear and pleasant wine that gladdens the heart, runs in the veins, increases strength, digests food, and makes the tongue eloquent. Al-Najashi dismounted and they ate their meal, and Abu Simmal brought wine and they drank. Toward the end of the day they raised their voices. In their neighbourhood there lived one of the companions of Ali (AS) and of his Shi'a. He went to Ali (AS) and told him what had happened. Ali (AS) sent a group of men after them. They came and surrounded the house. When Abu Simmal saw the situation he threw himself into the quarter of the Banu Asad and hid. But al-Najashi was seized and brought to Ali (AS). The next day he was brought forth wearing only trousers, and Ali gave him eighty lashes and added twenty lashes more. Al-Najashi said: O Commander of the Faithful, those eighty lashes were the prescribed penalty, but what were these twenty you added? He said: For your insolence toward your Lord and for not fasting in the month of Ramadan.
When Ali (AS) inflicted the prescribed penalty upon al-Najashi, those of the Yemenis who were with Ali were angered by it, and the closest of them to him was Tariq ibn Abd Allah al-Nahdi. He came in upon the Commander of the Faithful (AS) and said: O Commander of the Faithful, we never thought that the people of disobedience and the people of obedience, the people of division and the people of unity, would be equal in recompense in the sight of just rulers and mines of excellence, until I saw what you did to my brother al-Harith. You have kindled rancour in our breasts, scattered our affairs, and driven us onto the road which we used to think that whoever travels it ends in the Fire. Ali (AS) said: Truly it is a hard thing, save for the humble [Qur'an 2:45]. O brother of the Banu Nahd, is he anything other than a man of the Muslims who violated one of the sanctities of God, so that we established upon him a prescribed penalty that was his expiation? God Almighty says: Let not the hatred of a people move you to act unjustly; be just, for that is nearer to piety [Qur'an 5:8]. He said: So Tariq went out from Ali's presence, and when night covered him he and al-Najashi slipped away to Mu'awiya. When they came to him, his chamberlain went in and informed him of their arrival, while the notables of Syria were with him. When Mu'awiya set eyes upon him he said: Welcome! And he disparaged Ali. Then Tariq rose and said: O Mu'awiya, I am about to speak, so let not the first of my words anger you before the last. And, leaning upon his sword, he said: To proceed. We used to press forward in what we pressed forward, before a God-fearing and just Imam, among men of the companions of the Messenger of God (PBUH) who were pious and rightly guiding, who never ceased to be a beacon of guidance and a landmark of religion, generation after generation, rightly guided, people of religion and not of the world, people of the Hereafter, in whom lies every good. Among the people there followed them kings and chieftains and men of noble houses and honour, who were neither breakers of the covenant nor oppressors. So the turning away of whoever turned away from them and from their company was for no cause other than the bitterness of the truth when they made him drink it. Then he turned to al-Najashi and said: This is not your nest, so be off from it. That weighed heavily upon Mu'awiya and angered him, but he restrained himself. Word of Tariq's speech and of what he said to Mu'awiya reached Ali (AS), and he said: Had the brother of the Banu Nahd been killed that day, he would have been killed a martyr. (al-Gharat, vol. 2, p. 539)
When Ali (AS) inflicted the prescribed penalty upon al-Najashi, the Yemenis who were with Ali (AS) were angered, and especially Tariq ibn Abd Allah al-Nahdi. Tariq came in upon Ali (AS) and said: O Commander of the Faithful, we had never seen that rebels and obedient men, sowers of discord and those who desire unity, should receive the same recompense from just rulers and mines of excellence, until you did what you did to my brother al-Najashi, and filled our hearts with anger, and threw our affairs into confusion and disorder, and set us upon a road whose end is Hellfire. Ali (AS) said: It is a hard thing, save for the humble. O man of Nahd, is it not so that he is one of the Muslims who violated the sanctity of religion and committed what is forbidden? We therefore carried out upon him a penalty that is the expiation of his sin. O man of Nahd, God Almighty says: Let enmity toward another group not lead you to abandon justice; be just, for that is nearer to piety. Tariq went out from Ali's presence, and when night came he and al-Najashi went at once to Mu'awiya. Mu'awiya's chamberlain informed him of their arrival. A number of the notables of Syria were with him. When Mu'awiya's eye fell upon Tariq he said: Welcome! And he praised him and disparaged Ali and called him misguided. Tariq rose to his feet and said: O Mu'awiya, I am going to speak, but let not my words anger you. Then he leaned upon his sword and said: To proceed, we were in the service of an Imam who was God-fearing and just, together with a company of the companions of the Messenger of God (PBUH), all of them God-fearing and rightly guided; men who were always a lamp of guidance. Whatever good could be found was to be found in them. That we turned away from them was only because the truth is bitter and we could not bear it, and because the road they travel is hard. Before us, Jabala ibn al-Ayham turned his face from Islam because he would not submit to the humiliation of retaliation. O Mu'awiya, do not take pride in the fact that we have packed our bags and come to you, for you yourself know us, however much you feign ignorance. I have said my say, and I ask forgiveness of God the Great. Then he turned to al-Najashi and said: This is no place for you; take yourself out of it. These words weighed heavily upon Mu'awiya and he was angered, but he did not show his anger. News of this affair, and of what Tariq said to Mu'awiya, reached Ali (AS), and Ali (AS) said: Had Tariq been killed on that day, he would have been among the martyrs.
The Shaykh reported from Abu Amr ibn al-Ala that when Aqil ibn Abi Talib came to Ali (AS) at Kufa seeking his assistance, he offered him his own stipend. He said: I only want you to give me from the public treasury. He said: Stay until Friday. So he stayed, and when the Commander of the Faithful (AS) had performed the Friday prayer, he said to Aqil: What do you say of one who betrays all of these people? He said: An evil man is such a man. He said: Then you are ordering me to betray all these and to give to you. So when he left his presence, he went to Mu'awiya. (al-Gharat, vol. 2, p. 549)
Another of those who left Ali (AS) was his brother Aqil. The narrator said: Aqil came to Ali (AS) at Kufa and asked him for a gift. Ali (AS) gave him what was his rightful share. Aqil said: I want you to give me something from the public treasury. Ali (AS) said: Wait until Friday. And Aqil waited until Friday. When the Commander of the Faithful (AS) had performed the Friday prayer, he said to Aqil: What do you say of a man who betrays all these people? Aqil said: An evil man is such a man. Ali (AS) said: Do you then wish me to betray all these people and give you something from the public treasury? Aqil left Ali's presence and went to Mu'awiya.
From Abu Fakhita, the client of Umm Hani, who said: I was sitting with Ali (AS) when a man came to him wearing travelling clothes and said: O Commander of the Faithful, I have come to you from a town in which I left not a single person who loves you. He said: Truly, if they were able to love me, they would love me. I and my Shi'a are within a covenant of God: no man shall be added to us nor taken away from us until the Day of Resurrection. (al-Gharat, vol. 2, p. 554)
The narrator said: I was sitting with Ali (AS) when a man came in travelling clothes and said: O Commander of the Faithful, I have come to you from a city in which you have not a single friend. Ali (AS) said: It is no matter; if they were able to love me, they would love me. I and my Shi'a are within the covenant and pledge of God until the Day of Resurrection, and not one person shall be added to our number, nor one taken away.
From Abu Dawud al-Hamdani, from Umar ibn Ali ibn Abi Talib, from the Commander of the Faithful (AS): There is no word of wisdom in the heart of a hypocrite but that he will not depart from this world until he has spoken it. (al-Gharat, vol. 2, p. 579)
The Commander of the Faithful (AS) said: Every word of wisdom that lies in the heart of a hypocrite, he will utter with his tongue before he dies.
From Abd al-Rahman ibn Abi Bakra, who said: I heard Ali (AS) saying: No one among the people has met with what I have met with. Then he wept. (al-Gharat, vol. 2, p. 583)
One day the Commander of the Faithful (AS) said: What has befallen me has befallen no other human being. Then he wept.
From Abu al-Jahhaf, from a man whom he named, who said: They came in upon Ali (AS) while he was in al-Rahba, seated upon a low couch. He said: What has brought you? They said: Love of you and your discourse, O Commander of the Faithful. He said: By God? They said: By God. He said: Truly, whoever loves me shall see me where he loves to see me, and whoever hates me shall see me where he hates to see me. (al-Gharat, vol. 2, p. 587)
The narrator said that we went to Ali (AS) in the great square of Kufa, and he was seated upon a low couch. He asked us: For what purpose have you come? We said: Out of love for you and to hear your words, O Commander of the Faithful. Ali (AS) said: By God? We said: By God. He said: Know that whoever loves me will see me where he has need of me, and whoever hates me will see me where he does not wish to see me.
From Habba, from Ali (AS), who said: Were you to fast all your life and stand in prayer every night and be slain between the Rukn and the Maqam, God would raise you up with the one you love, wherever he may end: if in Paradise, then in Paradise; and if in the Fire, then in the Fire. (al-Gharat, vol. 2, p. 588)
The narrator relates from Ali that he said: Even if you fast your whole life long and stand in prayer every night and are martyred between the Rukn and the Maqam, God will raise you up on the Day of Resurrection together with the one whom you love. If he is of Paradise you will go to Paradise, and if he is of the Fire you will go to the Fire.
From the Commander of the Faithful (AS): Whoever loves us, the People of the House, let him prepare a provision for affliction. (al-Gharat, vol. 2, p. 588)
The Commander of the Faithful (AS) said: Whoever loves us, the People of the House, let him be ready for affliction.
We say: that is, let him be prepared for the day of affliction, which is death and the Resurrection, and that preparation consists in acquiring provision. Thus in volume 69 of Bihar al-Anwar, page 40, it is related on the authority of Ma'ani al-Akhbar that the narrator asked Imam al-Sadiq (AS): What is the meaning of the words of the Commander of the Faithful (AS) in reply to a man who said, I love you, when he said: Prepare a cloak for poverty? The Imam (AS) said: It means, if you love me, then for the day of your poverty, which is the Resurrection, think of a covering, through piety.
Ali (AS) said: Two will perish on my account: an extravagant lover who praises me for what is not in me, and a slandering hater whom his loathing of me drives to calumniate me. Beware, I am not a prophet, nor is revelation sent down to me; rather I act according to the Book of God as much as I am able. So whatever I command you of obedience to God, obedience to me in it is binding upon you, whether you like it or dislike it; and whatever I or anyone else commands you of disobedience to God, there is no obedience in disobedience. Obedience is only in what is right; obedience is only in what is right, three times. (al-Gharat, vol. 2, p. 590)
Ali (AS) said: May he perish who is excessive in his love for me, and he who out of hostility slanders me. I am not a prophet, and no revelation is sent down to me; but as far as I am able I act according to the Book of God. So whatever I command you concerning obedience to God Almighty, it is your duty to obey, whether it pleases you or displeases you. But if I or anyone else commands you to disobedience, there is no obedience in disobedience. Then three times he said: Obedience is only in what is good.
The Commander of the Faithful (AS) used to sit each day in a place in the Great Mosque, glorifying God there after the dawn prayer until the rising of the sun. When the sun had risen he would rise to the pulpit, and striking his palm with two of his fingers he would say: There is nothing but Kufa, which I contract and expand. (al-Gharat, vol. 2, p. 635)
Every day after the dawn prayer the Commander of the Faithful (AS) would sit in a place in the mosque of Kufa and glorify God until the sun rose. When the sun had risen he would stand, ascend the pulpit, strike the palm of his hand with two of his fingers, and say: Nothing remains to me but this Kufa, whose contracting and expanding is in my hands.
From Abd Allah ibn al-Harith ibn Sulayman, from his father, who said: Ali (AS) said: I see these people as none other than about to prevail over you, because of your division away from your truth and their unity upon their falsehood. And the leader is not beyond error: he errs at times and is right at times. So if you have over you an Imam who is just toward the subjects and divides equally, then listen to him and obey; for the people are not set right except by an Imam, whether righteous or wicked. If he is righteous, that is to the good of both the shepherd and the flock; and if he is wicked, the believer worships his Lord under him, and the wicked one carries on until his appointed term. (al-Gharat, vol. 2, p. 636)
Ali (AS) used to say: Assuredly this people will gain the upper hand over you, for you, though you are upon the truth, are scattered, while they, though they are upon falsehood, are united. The ruler is like yourselves; he too sometimes errs and sometimes is right. If there is among you a ruler who acts justly toward the subjects and divides the wealth equally, then listen to his word and obey his command. For nothing sets the people right except a ruler, whether he be good or bad. If he is a good ruler, it is to his own benefit and to the benefit of his subjects; and if he is bad, the believing servant worships his Lord under the shelter of the security he provides, while that evildoer goes on toward his own death.