Hadith 149

, ‘You-asws will find him’. He said, ‘Who? ’ I said, ‘Al-Ashtar’. He-asws said: ‘Call him to me-asws’. I called him. He-asws wrote a pact for him, and wrote with him: ‘In the Name of Allah-azwj the Beneficent, the Merciful, from Ali-asws Bin Abu Talib-asws to the assembly from the Muslims, those who are angered for the Sake of Allah-azwj when He-azwj is disobeyed in the earth, and (when) the tyranny strikes with its spade upon the righteous and the immoral, so there is no right one can find rest to nor any evil one can stand aside from. Greetings be unto you all! I-asws praise Allah-azwj to you Who, there is no god except He-azwj. As for after, I-asws am sending to you a servant from the servants of Allah-azwj. He neither sleeps in the days of fear nor does he shy away from the enemies in dangerous circles. He is severe upon the transgressors than burning of the fire, and he is Malik Bin Al-Haris Al-Ashtar, brother of (clan of) Muzhij. Listen to him and obey, for he is a sword from the swords of Allah-azwj. Neither does he collect the taxes nor is he blunt of the edge. So, if he were to order you to mobilise, then mobilise, and if he orders you to stay, then stay, and if he orders you to gather, then gather, for he will neither advance nor withdraw except by my-asws orders, and I-asws have preferred you all with him upon myself-asws due to his being adviser to you all, and severity of his assertion against your enemies. May your Lord-azwj Fortify you with the guidance and Affirm you with the certainty’. Then he-asws said to him: ‘Do not take to Al-Samawah for I-asws fear Muawiya and his companions upon you, but take the high road in the valleys until you go out to Eilat, then the coast with the sea until you come to it’. He did so. When he ended up to Eilat and there came out from it his companion, Nafie slave of Usman Bin Affan. He served him and was kind with him until his occupation fascinated him. He said, ‘Whom are you from? ’ He said, ‘From the people of Al-Medina’. He said, ‘From which of them? ’ He said, ‘Slave of Umar Bin Al-Khattab’. He said, ‘And where are you intending? ’ He said, ‘Egypt’. He said, ‘And what is your need at it? ’ He said, ‘I want to be satiated from the bread, for we are not satiated at Al-Medina’. Al-Ashtar felt pity for him and said to him, ‘Stay with me and I shall answer you with bread’. He stayed with him until he reached Al-Qulzum, and it is one night from Egypt. He lodged at a woman from Juheyna. She said, ‘Which food fascinates you at Al-Iraq, so I can prepare it for you all’. He said, ‘Fresh fish’. She made it for him. He ate, and he had been Fasting on a hot day, so he frequented from drinking the water. He went on not getting saturated, so he frequented from it until he was embarrassed, and his belly was bloated from his drinking a lot. Nafie said to him, ‘This food which you have eaten, its poison will not be killed except by the honey’. So, he called for it from his feeling heavy, but it was not found. Nafie said to him, ‘It is with me, I shall come to you with it’. He said, ‘Yes, bring it to me’. He went to his luggage and presented a drink of honey with poison which had been with him, he had prepared it. He came with it and the death seized him from his moment, and Nafie sneaked away in the darkness of the night’. Al-Ashtar ordered with him that he be sought. He was sought but could not be found. Abdullah son of Ja’far-as said, ‘And there was a spy for Muawiya at Egy