Abu Muhammad al-Hasan ibn Ali al-Askari (AS) said: Ali ibn Abi Talib (AS) said: Whoever strengthens a poor soul — weak in his religion and feeble in his knowledge — against a hostile opponent (nasibi), and silences him, God Most High will prompt him, on the day he is lowered into his grave, to say: God is my Lord, Muhammad my Prophet, Ali my guardian (wali), the Kaaba my qibla, the Qur'an my delight and my provision, and the believers my brothers. Then God will say: You have prevailed with the proof, so the highest degrees of Paradise are your due. And at that, his grave is transformed into the most delightful of the gardens of Paradise. (al-Ihtijaj of al-Tabrisi, vol. 1, p. 18)
The Commander of the Faithful (AS) said: Whoever strengthens one who is feeble in religion and weak in faith, and delivers him from the specious doubts of the enemies of religion, God will prompt him with the profession of faith in his grave, so that he says: My God is Allah, my Prophet is Muhammad, my guardian is Ali, my qibla is the Kaaba, my delight and my support is the Qur'an, and my brothers are the believers. Then God says: Since it is so, the highest degrees of Paradise are your station. Then his grave changes state and turns into a garden of Paradise.
Yahya ibn Abdallah ibn al-Hasan narrated from his father, Abdallah ibn al-Hasan, who said: Some days after his entry, the Commander of the Faithful (AS) was preaching in Basra and said: The people of unity (al-jama'a) — that is I and those who follow me, though they be few, and that is the truth by the command of God Most High and the command of His Messenger; and the people of division (al-furqa) are those who oppose me and those who follow me, though they be many... As for A'isha, the counsel of women overtook her; yet she retains thereafter her former sanctity, and the reckoning belongs to God — He pardons whom He wills and punishes whom He wills. (al-Ihtijaj of al-Tabrisi, vol. 1, p. 168)
After the quelling of the sedition of the Camel, the Commander of the Faithful (AS) mounted the pulpit in Basra and said: O people! The community (jama'a), which the Messenger of God (PBUH) constantly enjoined, is I and my followers, though they be few; and the division (furqa), which the Messenger of God (PBUH) forbade, is my opponents and the opponents of my followers, though they be many. Then he said: As for A'isha, she was deceived by the effeminate schemers, and what should never have happened, happened! Yet we honor her as before. Her reckoning is with God, not with us. And God pardons whom He wills and punishes whom He wills.
It is related from Ibn Abbas, may God be pleased with him, who said: When Ali (AS) had finished the battle with the people of Basra, he set one camel-saddle upon another, then climbed upon it and delivered a sermon. He praised God and extolled Him, then said: O people of Basra! O people of the overturned city! O people of the incurable disease! Followers of the beast — O soldiers of the woman! It bellowed and you answered; it was hamstrung and you fled. Your water is brackish, your religion is hypocrisy, and your morals are base. Then, when he had finished his sermon, he came down and walked, and we walked with him. He passed by al-Hasan al-Basri, who was performing the ablution, and said: O Hasan, perform the ablution thoroughly! He replied: O Commander of the Faithful, yesterday you killed men who bore witness that there is no god but God alone, without partner, and that Muhammad is His servant and His messenger — men who prayed the five prayers and performed the ablution thoroughly! The Commander of the Faithful (AS) said to him: If it was as you saw, then what kept you from aiding our enemy against us? He said: By God, I will tell you the truth, O Commander of the Faithful. On the first day I went out, washed myself, applied the funerary perfume, girded on my weapons, and I had no doubt that holding back from the Mother of the Faithful, Aisha, was unbelief. But when I reached a spot at al-Khurayba, a caller cried out to me: O Hasan, where to? Go back, for the slayer and the slain are both in the Fire! So I returned in fright and sat in my house. On the second day I again had no doubt that holding back from the Mother of the Faithful, Aisha, was unbelief; so I applied the funerary perfume, girded on my weapons, and went out intending to fight, until I reached a spot at al-Khurayba, and a caller cried out from behind me: O Hasan, where to? Go back, once and yet again, for the slayer and the slain are both in the Fire! Ali (AS) said: He told you the truth. Do you know who that caller was? He said: No. He (AS) said: That was your brother Iblis, and he told you the truth that the slayer and the slain among them are in the Fire. Al-Hasan al-Basri said: Now I know, O Commander of the Faithful, that those people are doomed. (al-Ihtijaj of al-Tabrisi, vol. 1, p. 171)
Ibn Abbas relates: When the Commander of the Faithful (AS) had finished the Battle of the Camel, several camel-saddles were stacked upon one another in the form of a pulpit, and the Imam mounted it, and after praising and glorifying God he said: O people of Basra! O deviant crowd! O sufferers of an incurable disease! O soldiers of the woman! O companions of the beast! You gathered at the bellow of a camel, and when it was slain you scattered! Your water is bitter, your religion is hypocrisy, and your character is vile! Then he came down from the pulpit and we set off with him, and on the way we came upon al-Hasan al-Basri, who was performing the ablution. The Imam (AS) said to him: O Hasan! Perform your ablution with full attention! Hasan said tauntingly: O Commander of the Faithful! Yesterday you killed men who all bore witness to God's oneness and to the prophethood, were people of prayer, and performed the ablution with complete propriety! The Imam replied: If it was so, and you witnessed it, then why did you not hasten to their aid? Hasan said: By God, you have spoken truly and I confirm it! Indeed, on the first day of the battle I left my house, performed the ritual washing, applied the funerary perfume, and took up my sword, having no doubt whatsoever that failing the Mother of the Faithful, Aisha, was forbidden. But when I reached al-Khurayba, a voice called out from behind me: O Hasan, where are you going? Turn back, for the slayer and the slain are both in the Fire! So I turned back in fear and sat in my house. On the second day, just as before, I washed, applied the perfume, girded on my weapons, and set out for the battlefield. When I again reached al-Khurayba, I heard the same call from behind me. The Commander of the Faithful (AS) said: You have spoken truly! Do you know who that caller was? He said: No! He said: It was your brother Iblis! And he spoke truly that the slayer and the slain of the army of the Camel are both in the Fire! Al-Hasan al-Basri said: Now I understand what the matter was!
And from Yahya al-Wasiti, who said: When the Commander of the Faithful (AS) conquered [Basra], the people gathered around him, and among them was al-Hasan al-Basri, carrying writing-tablets; whenever the Commander of the Faithful (AS) uttered a word, he wrote it down. The Commander of the Faithful (AS) said to him at the top of his voice: What are you doing? He replied: We are writing down your words so that we may relate them after you. The Commander of the Faithful (AS) said: Truly, every people has its Samiri, and this man is the Samiri of this community — only he does not say 'no touching,' but says 'no fighting.' (al-Ihtijaj of al-Tabrisi, vol. 1, p. 171)
The narrator relates: When the Commander of the Faithful (AS) conquered Basra, the people were gathered and he ascended the pulpit. Al-Hasan al-Basri was also present among the people; he had brought writing-tablets with him, and whatever the Commander of the Faithful (AS) said, he wrote down. The Commander of the Faithful (AS) said to him in a loud voice: What are you doing?! He answered: I am writing down whatever you say, so that I may relate it to those who come after. The Commander of the Faithful (AS) said: Every people has its Samiri, and this man is the Samiri of this people! Only that Samiri used to say 'no touching,' while this one says 'no fighting'!
And it is related that he was asked about the divine decree and destiny, and he said: Do not say that God has left people to their own devices, for you would thereby belittle Him; and do not say that He has compelled them to sin, for you would thereby ascribe injustice to Him. Rather say: good comes by God's grace and enabling, and evil by God's withdrawal of His aid; and all of it is present beforehand in God's knowledge. (al-Ihtijaj of al-Tabrisi, vol. 1, p. 209)
The Commander of the Faithful (AS) was asked about the divine decree and destiny. He said: Do not say that God has left people to themselves and consigned their affairs to them, for that is an insult to God; and do not say that God has forced people into sin, for that ascribes injustice to the Lord. Rather say: good deeds come about through God's help and enabling grace, and evil deeds arise from khidhlan, that is, God's withdrawal of His enabling grace from a person; and all of these matters are recorded and preserved in God's knowledge.