Hadith 55

(The book) ‘Al Kharaij Wa Al Jaraih’ –
‘When Ali-asws travelled to Al-Nahrawan, a man called Jundab doubted. Ali-asws said to him: ‘Stick to me-asws and do not separate from me-asws’. So, he adhered with him-asws. When they were nearby from the archway of Al-Nahrawan, Ali-asws looked at the direction of the setting of the sun towards Qanbar instructing him to call the Azaan for the Salat. He-asws descended and said: ‘Come to me with water’. He-asws sat and performed wud’u, and a horseman came and said, ‘The people (Kharijites) have cross over’. Amir Al-Momineen-asws said: ‘They have not crossed, and they will not be crossing it, nor will they flee from it except less than ten of them, nor will there be killed from you except less than ten. By Allah-azwj! Neither am I-asws lying, nor have I-asws been lied to! ’
The people were astounded. Jundab said, ‘If what Ali-asws said was correct, then I am not needy to any evidence other than it’. While they were like that when a horseman came and said, ‘O Amir Al-Momineen-asws! The people (Kharijites) are upon what you-asws mentioned. They did not cross the archway’. He-asws prayed Salat leading the people and ordered them with the travelling to them. Jundab said, ‘I said, ‘No one will pray Salat at the archway before me’. So, I galloped my horse and there they were beneath the archway, standing. I was the first one to shoot. All of them were killed except nine, and nine from our companions were killed. Then Ali-asws said: ‘Search for ‘One with the breast! ’ They sought him but could not find him. He-asws said: ‘Search, for by Allah-azwj, neither am I-asws lying nor have I-asws been lied to! ’ Then he-asws stood and rode the mule towards the many slain ones. He-asws said: ‘Turn them over! ’ They extracted the ‘One with the breast’. He-asws said: ‘The praise is for Allah-azwj Who Hastened you to the Fire’. And the Kharijites had come out to him-asws before that, by the side of Al-Kufa, in Haroura, and when that happened, they were twelve thousand. Amir Al-Momineen-asws went out to them in his-asws trouser and his-asws cloak (no armour), riding the mules. It was said to him-asws, ‘The people are clad in the weaponry and you-asws are going out to them like this? ’ He-asws said: ‘It isn’t the day of fighting them’. And he-asws came to them at Haroura and said to them: ‘It isn’t today the time of fighting you all, and you will be dividing until you become four thousand, and you will be coming out against me-asws in the like of this day and the like of this month. I-asws shall be coming out to you with my-asws companions and kill you until there does not remain from you except less than ten, and on that day the slain from my-asws companions would be below ten. That is how Rasool-Allah-saww has informed me’. He-asws had not departed from his-asws place until they disavowed from each other and they separated until they became four thousand at Al-Nahrawan’’. [86]