Hadith 18

sulted with Amro Bin Al-Aas regarding writing a letter to Ali-asws asking him-asws in it to reconcile. Amro laughed and said, ‘Where are you, O Muawiya, from deceiving Ali-asws? ’ He said, ‘Aren’t we the clan of Abd Manaf? ’ He said, ‘Yes, but for them is the Prophet-hood besides you, and if you want to write, then write’. Muawiya wrote to him-asws (sending the letter) with a man from Al-Sakasik, called Abdullah Bin Uqba, ‘As for after, surely I think if you-asws had known that the war would reach to a point with us and you-asws what is has reached, and had we known (as well), would not have made it upon each other. And we, although we have been overcome upon our intellects, there has remained from it what we can regret with upon what has passed, and we can correct what remains, and I had asked you for (let me rule) Syria, and not to necessitate me with the obedience to you-asws, nor any allegiance, but you-asws refused that upon me. Allah-azwj has Given me what you-asws had refused, and today I am your-asws enemy to what you-asws had called to yesterday, for you-asws do not wish from the remaining (life) except what I am wishing, nor do I fear from the killing except what you-asws fear. By Allah-azwj! The armies have become thin (less numbers), and the men are gone (dead), and the war has consumed the Arabs except the constant breathing remains and I and the men are the same in the war, and we are the clan of Abd Manaf and there is no merit for some of us upon the others except a merit no honourable can be humiliated with, nor the free can be enslaved with. And the greetings’. When Ali-asws read his letter, he-asws was astonished from him and from his letter. Then he-asws called his-asws scribe Ubeydullah Bin Abu Rafie and said to him: ‘Write to him: ‘As for after, your letter has come to me mentioning that if you had known and we had known that the war would reach with us and you what it has reached, we would not have made it to be upon each other, and we and you-asws are at a point we will not be reaching it afterwards. And I-asws, if I-asws were to be killed regarding the Self of Allah-azwj and revived, then killed, then revived seventy times, I-asws would not return from the difficulties for the Sake of Allah-azwj, and the Jihad against enemies of Allah-azwj. And as for your words that there still remain from our intellect what we can regret with upon what has passed, so my-asws intellect is not broken nor do I-asws regret upon my-asws deeds. And as for what you sought to me-asws, Syria, so I-asws am not going to give you today what I-asws had refused yesterday. And as for your word that the war has consumed the Arabs except the constant breathing remains. Indeed! And the one who consumes the truth is to the Paradise and one who consumes the falsehood is to the Fire. And as for our being same regarding the fear and the wishes, there is no doubt from me accomplishing upon the certainty, and the people of Syria are not greedier upon the world than the people of Al-Iraq are upon the Hereafter. And as for your word that we are the clan of Abd