Hadith 379

sent them both ahead towards Muawiya. When they ended up to Muawiya, Abu Al-Awr Al-Salmy met them among an army from Syria, and he was upon the front men of Muawiya. They invited him to enter into obedience of Amir Al-Momineen-asws. He refused. They sent a message to Ali-asws, ‘We had met Abu Al-Awr Al-Salmy by a bridge of Roma in an army from the people of Syria, and we invited him and his companions to enter into your-asws obedience, but he refused upon us, so instruct us with your-asws instructions’. Ali-asws sent a message to Al-Ashtar. He-asws said: ‘O Malik! Ziyad and Shareeh have sent a message to me-asws’ – up to the end of what has passed in the report of Ibn Maysam. He (the narrator) said, ‘And Ali-asws wrote to them both, and the messenger was Al-haris Bin Junhan Al-Jufy: ‘As for after, I-asws had made Maalik as commander upon you two, so listen to him and obey his orders, for he is one I-asws neither fear his laziness nor his mistakes, nor will he delay from what he should be quick upon the decision, nor will he be quick to what he should be delaying from it, being optimum. And I-asws have instructed him with similar to that which I-asws had instructed you both, that he should not begin fighting the people until he meets them, and invites them, and excuses to them’. Al-Ashtar went out until he arrived to the people and followed whatever Ali-asws had ordered him with, and he refrained from the fighting, and they did not cease to be pausing until when it was during the evening, Abu Al-Awr attacked upon them, so they were steadfast to him and were restless for a while. Then the people of Syria left. Then Hashim Bin Utba came out to them among cavalry and infantry, excellent was their preparation and their numbers. Abu Al-Awr came out to them and they killed during that day of theirs, the cavalry attacking upon the cavalry and the infantry upon the infantry, and they combated each other. Then they left. And Al-Ashtar attacked upon them early morning, and he had slayed from the people of Syria, Abdullah Bin Al-Munzir Al-Tanukhy, killed by Zabyan Bin Umarah Al-Tameemi, and on that day he was only a young man of in his teens, and even though the Syrian was a knight of the people of Syria. And Al-Ashtar took to saying, ‘Woe be unto you all, show me Abu Al-Awr! ’ Then Abu Al Awr called out to the people, and they returned towards him and stopped at a hit from behind the place they had been in the first time, and Al-Ashtar came until he formed rows of his companions in the place in which was Abu Al-Awr the first time. Al-Ashtar said to Sinan Bin Malik Al-Nakhaie, ‘Go to Abu Al-Awr and call him to the duel’. He said, ‘To duel me or to duel you? ’ Al-Ashtar said, ‘Or if I were to order you to duel him, would you do it? ’ He said, ‘Yes, by the One-azwj Who there is no god except He-azwj! Even if you were to order me to expose their rows with my sword, I would do so, until I strike him with the sword’. He said, ‘O my nephew! May Allah-azwj Prolong your life. By Allah-azwj, you have exceeded the desire in you. No, I had not ordered you with duelling him, b