Hadith 433

ched is section and there does not remain except to cut off the tail of the oppressors. Around twenty thousand from his-asws companions came to him-asws, clad in the iron, with the weapons, their swords being upon their shoulders, and their foreheads had been darkened from the performance of (so many) Sajdahs, led by Mis’ar Bin Fadaky and Zayd Bin Huseyn, and a group from the readers, the ones who became Khawarijites from afterwards. They called out to him by his-asws name, not as ‘Amir Al-Momineen’. They said, ‘O Ali-asws! Answer the people to the Book of Allah-azwj when you are being called to it, or else we shall fight against you-asws just as we had fought (Usman) the son of Affan. By Allah-azwj! We will do it if you-asws do not answer them’. Ali-asws said to them: ‘Woe be unto you all! I-asws am the first one to call to the Book of Allah-azwj and the first one to answer to it, and it isn’t permissible for me-asws nor is there any leeway for me-asws if I-asws called to the Book of Allah-azwj and I-asws do not accept it. But rather, I-asws fought them so they would make it a religion with the Judgment of the Quran. They have disobeyed Allah-azwj in what He-azwj had Commanded them, and they have broken His-azwj Pact, and have discarded His-azwj Book. But, I-asws am letting you know that they have plotted with you all and it isn’t acting by the Quran they are intending’. They said, ‘Then send a message to Al-Ashtar to come (back) to you-asws! ’ And it had so happened that Al-Ashtar, in the morning of ‘Laylat Al-Hareer’, had been overlooking upon the army camp of Muawiya in order to enter into it’’. [58]
Nasr said, ‘It is narrated to me by Fuzeyl Bin Khadeej who said, ‘Mas’ab Bin Al-Zubeyr asked Ibrahim Bin Al-Ashtar about the situation, how it was. He said, ‘I was in the presence of Ali-asws when he-asws sent a message to Al-Ashtar to come (back) to him-asws, and Al-Ashtar had been overlooking upon the army camp of Muawiya in order to enter into it. Ali-asws sent Yazeed Bin Hany: ‘Bring him to me-asws’. He went to him and delivered to him. Al-Ashtar said to him, ‘Go to him-asws and say to him-asws, ‘This isn’t the time which is appropriate to remove me from my position. I am sensing the victory, so do not hasten me’. Yazeed returned to him-asws and informed him-asws. He had only just ended up to us until the dust was raised and the voices were raised from the direction of Al-Ashtar, and the evidence of the victory appeared, and the conquest for the people of Al-Iraq, and evidence of the forsaking and the turning back by the people of Syria. The people said to Ali-asws! we do not see you-asws having ordered him except with the fighting’. He-asws said: ‘Did you all not see me sending my messenger to him? It wasn’t except an announcement upon your heads and you were listening’. They said, ‘Then send a message to him to come (back) to you-asws or else, by Allah-azwj we shall abandon you-asws’. He-asws said: ‘Woe be unto you, O Yazeed! Tell him to come back to me-asws, for the Fitna has occurred’. He went to him and informed him. Al-Ashtar said, ‘Is it due to the raising of these Qurans? ’ He said, ‘Yes’. He said, ‘But, by Allah-azwj! I had thought that it is so when these were raised that the differing will be occurring and division. It is a consultation of Ibn Al-Nabiga’. Then he said to Yazeed Bin Hany, ‘Woe be unto you! Can you not see the victory! Can you not see what they are facing? ’ Can you not see that which Allah-azwj has Done for us? Is it appropriate for us to leave this and turn away from it? ’
Yazeed said to him, ‘Would you like to win over here and Amir Al-Momineen-asws is in his-asws place which he-asws is in, they are leavi