Hadith 54

travel with them the travel (facing) exposure and deviousness, and in an example by the Prophet-saww: ‘The war is a deception’, and that is because they said, ‘Repent to Allah-azwj from what you-asws have done just as we repented, we shall get up with you-asws to the war (against Muawiya)’. He-asws said to them: ‘A phrase transmitted, spoken by the Prophet-as and the Infallibles-asws’. They were pleased with it and counted it as an answer for them to their question, and described to him-asws their intention, and their consciences were sincere with it, from without that phrase being an acknowledgment with Kufr or sin. But Al Ash’as did not leave him-asws and came to him-asws for interpretation and spoilt the matter, and broke what he-asws had managed, and the Kharijites returned to their former suspicions, and that is how the state is wherein are portents of the decline are available for it the Al-Ash’as, from the beginning of the mischief in the earth, Being a Sunnah of Allah regarding those who have gone before, and you will never find any alteration in the Sunnah of Allah [33: 62]. Then he (the narrator) said, ‘Al-Mubrad said, ‘Then the people went to Al-Nahrawan, and they had intended to go to Al-Madain. From the oddities of their reports is that in their road they came across a Muslims and a Christian, so they killed the Muslim because he was a Kafir in their presence, and they were advising the Christians and said, ‘Preserve the responsibility of your Prophet-as’’. He said, ‘And Abdullah Bin Khabab met them being upon a donkey, having a Quran in his neck, and with him was his wife, and she was pregnant. They said to him, ‘That which is in your neck is Commanding us with killing you’. He said to them, ‘Whatever the Quran revives, so revive it and whatever it kills, so kill it’. A man from them leapt up upon a date which had fallen from a palm tree and placed it in his mouth. They shouted at him. He uttered a scorn; and a pig presented to a man from them, so he struck it and killed it. They said, ‘This is mischief in the earth, and they denied the killing of the pig, then said to Ibn Khabab, ‘Narrate to us from your father’. He said, ‘I heard my father saying, ‘Rasool-Allah-saww said: ‘Fitna will be happening after me-saww, during it the heart of a man would be dying just as his body dies. He would be a Momin in the evening and wake up in the morning as a Kafir, so be a servant of Allah-azwj, killed, and do not be the killer’. They said, ‘So, what are you saying regarding Abu Bakr and Umar’. He praised goodly. They said, ‘So, what are you saying regarding Ali-asws after the arbitration, and regarding Usman during the last six years’. He praised goodly. They said, ‘So, what are you saying regarding the arbitration and the judgment? ’
He said, ‘Surely Ali-asws is more knowing with Allah-azwj than you are, and more guarding upon his-asws religion and of a more accomplishing insight’. They said, ‘You aren’t a follower of guidance, but rather you are following the men upon their Eman’. Then they took him closer to the river and laid him down and slaughtered him. He (the narrator) said, ‘And they bartered a Christian man for a palm tree of his.