Hadith 382

g any consultation from us, nor from the ones who are here with us’. Ali-asws said: ‘The people followed the Emigrants and the Helpers, and they are witnesses of the Muslims in the country to their rulers, and are commanders of their religion. They were pleased with me-asws and pledged allegiance to me-asws, and it isn’t possible that I-asws should leave Muawiya striking judgments upon this community and riding (upon) them, and splitting their stick’. They returned to Muawiya and informed him with that. He said, ‘It isn’t as they are saying. What is the matter with the ones over here, from the Emigrants and the Helpers, they were not included in this matter? ’
They left to go to him-asws and informed him-asws with his words. He-asws said: ‘Woe be unto you all! These are the participants besides the companions, and there isn’t any participant of Badr except he had pledged allegiance to me-asws and he is with me-asws, or is standing and is pleased, so do not let Muawiya deceive you all from yourselves and your religion’’. Nasr (the narrator) said, ‘They corresponded with that for three months – Rabbi Al-Akhar and the two Jumadis (Awwal and Akhar), and they were panicking with that alarm in what was between these, and were marching to each other, and the readers were confined between them’. Nasr (the narrator) said, ‘And Abu Amama Al-Nahily, and Abu Al-Darda’a came out and entered to see Muawiya. They said, ‘O Muawiya! Upon what are you fighting this man (Ali-asws)? By Allah-azwj! He-asws is ahead of you in being a Muslim, and more rightful than you with this command, and closer from Rasool-Allah-saww, so upon what are you fighting him-asws? ’
He said, ‘I am fighting him-asws upon the blood of Usman, for he-asws is sheltering his killers. Tell him-asws to guide us to the ones who killed him, and I would be the first one from the people of Syria to pledge allegiance to him-asws’. They went to Ali-asws and informed him-asws. He-asws said: ‘But rather he is seeking the ones you see’. Twenty thousand and more came out, clad in iron, nothing could be seen from them except for the eyes, and they said, ‘We all killed him, so if they desire, let them blame that on us’. Abu Amama and Abu Al-Darda’a went out and did not witness anything from the fighting until when it was (month of) Rajab, and Muawiya feared that the readers would pledge allegiance to Ali-asws, he strived in the plotting and wrote (in a letter tied to an arrow), ‘From a servant of Allah-azwj, the adviser. I am informing you all that Muawiya intends to burst the Euphrates upon you and drown you all, so take your caution’. Then he shot the arrow among the soldiers of Ali-asws. The arrow fell into the hands of a man, and he read it, then his companion read it. When the ones in front and back had read it, they said, ‘This one is an adviser to us, writing to you all informing you with what Muawiya intends’. The arrow did not cease to be read and raised until it was raised to Ali-asws. And Muawiya sent a detachment and the men from the workers came to a point of the river having the spades and the pick-axes in their hands digging therein by the horses of soldiers of Ali-asws. He-asws said: ‘Woe be unto you! That which Muawiya is trying to do will not be straight for him, nor has he the strength upon it. But rather, he is intending to remove you from your positions, so end from that and leave him’. They said to him-asws, ‘By Allah-azwj, they are digging! By Allah-azwj, we should be departing, and if you-asws so desire, you-asws stay’. They departed and ascended with their soldiers for a whole, and Ali-asws departed among the last of the people and he-asws was saying: ‘If I-asws were to obey a gang of my-asws people to a corner of Al-Yamama or Syria, but I-asws would be killed if I-asws were to conclud