أبو الحسن على بن بلال

Once, Amirul Mu’mineen ‘Ali ibn Abi Talib peace be upon him, was offered a sweet dish called Khubais (mixture of dates, raisins and ghee), but he refused to eat it. They said: "Do you consider it forbidden?" He said, "No, but I fear that my heart may become so desirous of it, that I am forced to come out in its quest." Then he recited the verse: ’....You have vested all your good deeds,for the enjoyment in the life of this world....’(Al-Ahqaf, 46:20)

I heard Amirul Mu’mineen ‘Ali ibn Abi Talib, peace be upon him, say: "There is no verse between the two covers of the Qur’an, except that I know for whom it was revealed and when it was revealed, and whether on a plain, levelled land or upon a mountain. Surely, here in my breast is abundant knowledge! So, put your questions to me before you do not find me among yourselves, for when you have lost me, you will not find anyone uttering the words I utter."

"Allah guarded their treasure because of their father’s righteousness; so who is worthier for the best protection than us? The messenger of Allah, peace be upon him and his progeny, is our grandfather and his daughter, the leading lady of the women of Paradise, is our mother. And the first one to confirm his faith in Allah, His Oneness, and to offer prayers to Him was our father."

The messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, once appeared on the day of Arafah and said: "O, people, surely Allah glorified Himself because of you on this day, so that He may pardon you generally and pardon ‘Ali in particular." Then he said: "Come near me, O ‘Ali." So ‘Ali drew near. Then the Prophet took him by his hand and said: "Surely, the blessed, completely and truly blessed is the one who obeyed you and loved you after I have gone. And surely, the wretched, completely and truly wretched is the one who disobeyed you, and showed his hostility after I have gone."

I held the opinion of the al-Khawarij, accepting nothing else. Then one day, I sat at Abu Saeed al-Khudari - may Allah bless him with mercy, and heard him say: "People were ordered to do five things and they performed four out of them, leaving the fifth." A man asked: "O Abu Saeed, which are the four things they performed?" He said: "The daily prayers, the zakat (alms giving), the Hajj and fasting during the month of Ramadhan." He asked: "And which one did they leave out?" He said: "The wilayah of ‘Ali ibn Abi Talib, peace be upon him." The man asked: "Was it made obligatory with the first four?" Abu Saeed said: "Yes, by the Lord of Ka’bah!" The man said: "In that case, the people have indeed transgressed!" Abu Saeed said: "What is my fault?"

Abdullah ibn Salaam came to the Prophet before he had embraced Islam, and said: "O Messenger of Allah! What appellation does ‘Ali have among you?" The Prophet, peace be upon him and his progeny, said: "‘Ali is al-Siddiq al-Akbar among us." Abdullah said: "I testify that there is no god but Allah and that Muhammad is His Prophet. Surely, we have read in Torah: Muhammad is the Prophet of Mercy and ‘Ali is the upholder of Proof."

That a person called upon Amirul Mu’mineen, peace be upon him, and asked: "O Amirul Mu’mineen, explain to me the verse of Qur’an in which Allah says: ’Is the one who stands upon a clear sign from his Sustainer and a witness to him follows him ....?’ (Hud, 11:17) He (‘Ali) said: "The messenger of Allah, peace be upon him and his progeny, is the one who stood on a clear sign from His Sustainer; and I am his witness from Him. By He Who controls my breath, Allah has mentioned in His Book about every group from Quraish. By Him Who controls my soul, for the people to understand what Allah has destined for us Ahlul Bayt, through the revelation to His unlearned Prophet, is more lovable to me than for me to have the whole expanse filled with gold. By Allah, our example in this Ummah is like Noah’s Arc or like the Gate of Forgiveness for the children of Israel."

When the people entered the house for consultation (al-Shura), al-Miqdad ibn al-Aswad al-Kindi - may Allah bless him with mercy, said: "Allow me in with you for I am sincere and faithful to Allah and I have something good for you." They refused. Then he said: "Allow me to enter my head and listen to me." They refused even that. Then he said: "If you do not allow me, then (let me advise that) do not swear allegiance to the one who has not witnessed (the battle of) Badr, and who was not present at the allegiance of al-Ridhwan and was routed on the day of Uhud, when the two groups met." Uthman said: "By Allah, if the authority is given to me, I shall indeed, send you back to your first lord." And when al-Miqdad was dying, he said: "Inform Uthman that I am being returned to my first and the last lord!" When Uthman learnt of his death, he came to his grave and said: "May Allah bless you with mercy, you were (good), in spite of what you were (i.e. my opponent)!" Then he praised him. (Upon hearing this) al-Zubair said (to Uthman): "I will let you know me (better) after death, when you lament over me, while during my lifetime, you did not allow me my subsintence." He (i.e. Uthman) said: "O Zubair, you say this? Do you think I like to see such a companion of the Prophet, peace be upon him and his progeny, die while he is resentful against me?"

When the verse: ’We have surely blessed you with abundance’ (Kauthar-108:1) was revealed to the Prophet, peace be upon him and his progeny, ‘Ali ibn Abi Talib, peace be upon him, asked him: "O messenger of Allah, what is al-Kauthar?" He said: "It is a stream with which Allah has honoured me." Then ‘Ali, peace be upon him, said: "O messenger of Allah, describe for us this sacred stream." He said: "Yes, O ‘Ali, al-Kauthar is a stream that flows under the Throne of Allah, Most High. Its water is whiter than milk, sweeter than honey, softer than cream. Its pebbles are of aquamarine, ruby and coral. Its weeds are saffron, its dust is sweet smelling musk, and its basins are under the Throne of Allah, Most High!" Then the Prophet, peace be upon him and his progeny, struck his hand on Amirul Mu’mineen’s side and said: "O ‘Ali, this stream is for me and you, and for those who love you after I have gone."

"O Amirul Mu’mineen, between us and these people against whom we are fighting, the call is one, the Prophet is one, the daily prayer is one, Hajj is one, then how shall we classify them?" Amirul Mu’mineen, peace be upon him, said: "Classify them the same way as Allah, Most High, has classified them in His Book. Have you not heard the verse: ’Those messengers We excel some above the others, among them is he to whom Allah spoke, and some He raised in rank, and We gave Jesus the son of Mary the clear signs and strengthened him with the holy spirit. And if Allah had pleased, those who came after them would not have fought one against the other, after the clear signs had come to them, but they fell into variance and some of them believed and some disbelieved....’(al-Baqrah 2:253) So, when the confrontation occurred, we were worthier with Allah, His faith, the Prophet, peace be upon him and his progeny, the Book and the Truth. We are the ones who believed and they are the ones who disbelieved. And Allah willed that we fought against them, so we fought in accordance with His will, His command and His pleasure."

When Uthman expelled Abu Dharr from Madinah to Damascus, he (i.e. Abu Dharr) used to narrate to us, beginning with the praise to Allah and testifying the Oneness of Allah and Muhmmad’s Prophethood, invoking divine blessings upon the Prophet, peace be upon him and his progeny. Then he would say: "We were in the era of ignorance before the Book was revealed to us, and the Prophet, peace be upon him and his progeny, was sent among us; yet we were faithful in promise, truthful in speech, kind to neighbours, hospitable to guests, comforting the poor (hating the arrogant). And when Allah, Most High, sent to us His messenger, peace be upon him and his progeny, and revealed His Book, our behaviour were pleasing to Allah and His messenger, and the people of Islam were worthier to practice them; and to safeguard them. So, they remained with these attributes for as long as Allah willed. Now, the rulers have introduced evil acts of which we did not know; discarding the Tradition of the Prophet and introducing the innovations. A truthful person is held a liar, generosity is displayed without fear of Allah and a trustworthy from among the righteous people is deprived. O Allah! If you have destined good for me, then take me away into Your proximity, without having changed." He used to repeat these words openly. Then Habib ibn Maslamah came to Mu’awiyah ibn Abi Sufyan and said: "Surely, Abu Dharr is arousing people against you by saying such and such things." So Mu’awiyah wrote to Uthman about it and Uthman replied: "Send him back to me." When Abu Dharr arrived in Madinah, Uthman exiled him to al-Rabdhah.

When people deserted ‘Ali ibn Abi Talib, peace be upon him, and fled to Mu’awiyah seeking worldly gains from him, a group from the companions of Amirul Mu’mineen, peace be upon him, called upon him and told him: "O Amirul Mu’mineen, spend the wealth and give preference to the noble clans of Arabs and Quraish over the client tribes and the non-Arabs; and appease those who you fear may turn against you or run away to Mu’awiyah." Amirul Mu’mineen, peace be upon him, told them: "Do you counsel me to enlist help by unfairness? No, by Allah, I shall never do it, for as long as the sun shines and the stars in the sky twinkle! By Allah, if their wealth had belonged to me, I would have distributed equally to them, so how can I discriminate when the wealth belongs to all of them?" He said: Then Amirul Mu’mineen, peace be upon him, remained silent for some time and then said: "Whoever has wealth, he should be wary of being spoiled. Surely, when wealth is given to an undeserving person, then it is a squander and extravagance. And though it makes the giver popular in this world, it is wasted in the eyes of Allah. And a person who squanders his wealth wastefully giving to those who do not deserve, Allah deprives him from their gratitude and causes them to have affinity towards others! And if at all there are some who are inclined and grateful to him, it is nothing but flattery and sham. They wish to ingratiate themselves to him so that they may continue to receive what they have been receiving before. And if that rich man is hit by adversity, needing their help or support, you will find them the worst, taunting friends. And whoever wishes to do good with what Allah has given to him, he should use it to mend with his blood relatives; be a generous host, release the oppressed prisoners, help those who are in debt, and the wayfarers, the poor and those who fight in the way of Allah. And he should be patient against adversities and misfortunes. With such accomplishment, he will attain the high honour in this world and the virtues in the next."

When the following verses were revealed to the Prophet, peace be upon him and his progeny: ’When the victory granted by Allah and the conquest comes’ (110:1), he said to me: "O ‘Ali, surely the victory from Allah and the conquest has come! So when you see people entering into the fold of religion of Allah in throngs, then celebrate the praise of Your Lord and seek His forgiveness, for He is ever Relenting. O ‘Ali, Allah has ordained for the believers to fight the confusion created by the dissenters after I have gone, the way He has ordained for them to fight the unbelievers with me." So I said: "O messenger of Allah! What is that dissent against which we are ordained to combat?" He said: "Dissent by a group which will (outwardly) testify that there is no god but Allah, and that I am His messenger, (but) they will contradict my traditions, and will be levelling invectives against my religion." So I asked: "On what basis should we fight them, O messenger of Allah, when they will be testifying Allah’s Oneness, and your Prophethood?" He said: "On the basis of their innovation in their religion and departure from my command, and for consenting to spill the blood of my kinsfolk." He said: I said: "O Prophet of Allah, you had once promised me martyrdom. So pray to Allah to hasten it for me." He said: "Yes, I had promised you martyrdom. So how patient will you be when this will be dyed by this?" - (and he pointed to my head and my beard). I said: "O messenger of Allah! When the time you have indicated will dawn, it will not be an occasion for patience, it will be an occasion of glad tidings and thanksgiving." He said: "Well, then prepare for the opposition, for you will have a dispute against my Ummah." I said: "O messenger of Allah! Guide me about the (expected) split?" He said: "When you find a group of people turning away from (true) guidance towards deviation, oppose them. For true guidance is from Allah, and as from the devil it is only going astray. O ‘Ali, true guidance is to follow the orders of Allah, without falling prey to base desires and ones own opinion. It is as if I see you facing a group of people interpreting the Qur’an the way they like, and creating (dubious) analogies; so they will make intoxicants lawful by calling it grape juice, they will pay Zakat to make lawful the wealth earned by cheating people in weight, they will accept bribery and call it a gift." I said: "O messenger of Allah! How do we classify them when they start doing that? Are they apostates or just rebellious dissenters?" He said: "They will be the dissenters, blindly wandering in it, till they are dealt with by justice." I asked: "O messenger of Allah, will that justice be meted out by us or by others?" He said: "Of course, it will be by us, for with us Allah has commenced and with us shall He end. It was by us that Allah united the hearts after it had suffered disbelief, and it will be by us that He will unite the hearts after the dissent." Then I said: "Praise be to Allah, for the merit that He has granted us."

Once when ‘Ali, Amirul Mu’mineen was near the mountain at Siffin, the time for maghrib prayers set in. So he went farther away and called for the prayers. When he finished the Adhan, a man appeared from near the mountain, having grey hair and beard, with a bright, white face. He said: "Peace be upon you, O Amirul Mu’mineen and mercy and blessings from Allah! Welcome to the successor of the last of the Prophets, leader of the ones with bright, brilliant faces, (on the Day of Judgement) magnanimous and protected, excellent one and one who has the reward of the Truthfuls, master of all the successors!" So, Amirul Mu’mineen, peace be upon him, said: "And peace be upon you, how are you?" He replied: "I am well, waiting for the holy spirit. I do not know of any name, which is greater in the estimation of Allah, at the time of ordeal, than yours, nor of any who has earned more rewards than you, nor of anyone who has an elevated place higher than yours. Put up with all that you are in, O my brother, till you meet the al-Habib (the beloved Prophet, peace be upon him and his progeny). Verily, I have witnessed whatever befall our colleagues in the past at the hands of the children of Israel. They cut them apart with the saw and carried them over the bier." And then pointing towards the people of Syria, he said: "And if these poor, ugly faces know what chastisement and exemplary punishment awaits them for fighting against you, they would withdraw." And then pointing to the people of Iraq, he said: "And if these bright faces knew what award awaits them for having obeyed you, they would love to be cut by the scissors. And peace and His mercy and blessings be upon you." Then he disappeared. At that time, Ammar ibn Yasir, Abdul Haytham ibn al-Teehan, Abu Ayyub al-Ansari, Ubadah ibn al-Samit, Khuzaima ibn Thabit and Hashim al-Marqal, a group from his followers stood up and said: "O, Amirul Mu’mineen, (for they heard what the man had said) who is this man?" Amirul Mu’mineen said: "He is Sham’oon, the successor of Isa, peace be upon him. Allah sent him to me to give me solace for this confrontation with His enemies!" They said: "May our parents be your ransom, By Allah, we will help you the way we helped the messenger of Allah, peace be upon him and his progeny, and none from the al-Muhajir nor al-Ansar shall desert you, except the unfortunate one." (Upon hearing this), Amirul Mu’mineen spoke to them kind words."

Once an Arab from the desert came to the Prophet, peace be upon him and his progeny, and said: "By Allah! We have come to you while we neither have a shrieking camel nor a snoring sheep." Then he presented the following verses: "O best of all the creatures, we have come to you, that you may show mercy to us for the hardship we face! We have come to you while the maiden girls bleed from their breasts (because of hard labour), and the suckling mother is distressed from her baby. And a young man submits with both his palms, to receive anything bitter or sweet, weakened by hunger. Nothing that a human can consume is left with us, except the common bitter colocynth and the fluffy saplings, so we have no refuge but with you, and where can people seek refuge but with the Prophets." So the Prophet, peace be upon him and his progeny, turned to his companions and said: "This Arab is complaining of shortage of rainfall and severe famine." Then he rose putting together his clock and climbed up the pulpit. After praising and lauding Allah thus: "All praise to Allah Who when He rose to the heavens became exalted, and on the earth became close - closer to us than the jugular vein." Then he raised his hands towards the heaven and said: "O Allah, send upon us rain which would give us relief and which would be savory, productive, abundant, pervading, immediate, without any delay. Let it be beneficial without any harm, which would fill the udder and cause the produce to grow from the earth; it would give life to earth after it had died." His hands had not come back to his chest when the clouds encircled Madinah like a crown, and the sky became overcast. Then the people of the valleys came to the Prophet shouting: "We will drown, we will drown." So the Prophet, peace be upon him and his progeny uttered: "Around us and not upon us." So the clouds in the sky dissipated. Then the Prophet, peace be upon him and his progeny, smiled and said: "How good was Abu Talib. Had he been alive, his eyes would have cooled. Who will recite to us his verses?" Then Umar ibn al-Khattab rose and said: "O messenger of Allah, perhaps you mean this verse":- "No she-camel has carried on her saddle any load, more kind and more dutiful than the person of Muhammad." The Prophet, peace be upon him and his progeny, said: "That was not said by Abu Talib, that is from Hassan ibn Thabit." Then ‘Ali ibn Abi Talib, peace he upon him, stood up and said: "Perhaps you meant this, O messenger of Allah!":- "And the bright one from whose face, the clouds pour forth to relieve the orphans and protect the poor widows, The one to whom the ruined men from Banu Hashim resort, While he is among them bounteous, and man of many virtues. By the sacred House of Allah, you have lied when you said: ’We will surpass Muhammad,’ and when you said: ’we will fight him.’ We will indeed protect him till we are knocked down around him, unmindful of our own children and our wives." The Prophet, peace be upon him and his progeny said: "Yes, that is it." Then a man from the Banu Kananah stood up and said: "Praise to you, and all praise to Him Who is All-Rewarding, We were blessed with rain because of the Prophet. He prayed to Allah, His Creator, And turned his eyes unto Him; And before his glance returned, or quicker, the rain poured forth upon us. Bustling forth in abundance and exuberant, with which Allah succoured the prominent people of Mudhar. So it was the way his uncle had said, his uncle Abu Talib, a man of exceeding grace; (he said): ’By his face shall Allah pour forth from the clouds,’ so this is the witness and that was the information." The Prophet, peace be upon him and his progeny, said: "May Allah lodge you, O Kanani, for every couplet you have said, in a chamber in Paradise."

When Abraha ibn al-Sabbah, the king of Abyssinia, advanced towards Makkah to demolish the House (of Allah, i.e. Ka’bah), the Abyssinias hastened to raid it and they captured the grazing camels of Abdul Muttalib ibn Hashim. Then Abdul Muttalib came to the King, seeking permission to see him, and he was granted. The king was sitting under a silken cupola on his throne. He greeted him, and Abraha returned the greeting, staring at his face. He was impressed by his (Abdul Muttalib’s) grace, handsomeness and appearance. The king said: "Did your ancestors have the same light as this which I see in you and the same comeliness?" He said: "Yes, O king, all my ancestors had this light, comeliness and radiance." So Abraha said to him: "You have indeed superceded the kings in your glory and nobility! And you deserve to be the chief of your people." Then he made him sit with him on his throne, and he sent for the groom, who looked after his huge elephant. The elephant was white and huge, having two tusks studded with pearls and gems, and the king prided over other kings because of it. He said: "Bring the elephant." The groom came with the elephant, flourished with beautiful adornments. When it came to face to face with Abdul Muttalib, it bowed before him, and it had never bowed before the king. And then Allah made it utter in Arabic, so it greeted Abdul Muttaliibn When the king saw this, he was disturbed and considered it a magic. So he said: "Take back the elephant to its place." Then he turned to Abdul Muttalib and asked: "What have you come for? For I know of your generosity and your magnanimity, and I have observed your dignified appearance and comeliness which prepares me to fulfil your need. So ask of me whatever you wish." He thought Abdul Muttalib would ask him to return from Makkah. But Abdul Muttalib said: "Your people have captured my grazing camels and taken them away. So order them to return them to me." He said: The king was furious at this and said: "You have fallen in my estimate. You come to me to ask for your camels, while I am here to destroy your glory and the glory of your people, and to demolish your distinction, which distinguishes you from every other people, and that is the House which people of all lands come for pilgrimage. You did not ask me about it and your are calling for your camels?" Abdul Muttalib said: "I am not the Lord of the House, which you intend to wreck. I am the master of my camels which have been taken away by your people! I have come to ask for that which I own, and as for the House, it has a Lord Who is All-Powerful and mightier than all His creatures, and has more authority over it than others." The king said: "Return his camels, and attack the House, breaking it stone by stone." Then Abdul Muttalib took his camels and preceded to Makkah. The king followed him with his huge elephant and the army to demolish the House. When they pushed the elephant to enter the sanctuary (of Kabah) it stopped, and when they left him, it hurriedly drew back. So Abdul Muttalib told his servants: "Bring me my son." They came with al-Abbas. He said: "I did not mean him. Bring me my son." They came with Abu Talib. He said: "I did not mean him, call my son for me." So they came with Abdullah, the father of the Prophet, peace be upon him and his progeny. When he arrived, he (i.e. Abdul Muttalib) said: "O my son, go and climb the mountain of Abu Qubais, and cast your glance towards the sea, and see what is coming from there and inform me." He said: Abdullah climbed Abu Qubais. After a short while, he saw flights of birds coming, like a storm and darkness of the night, and descended on Abu Qubais. Then they proceeded towards the House, and circled around it seven times. Then they came to al-Safa and al-Marwah, and went to and fro seven times. Abdullah, may Allah be pleased with him, returned to his father and gave him the news. He said: "O my son, go and see what has become of those people, and then inform me." So he went, and saw them directed towards the army of Abyssinia. He informed Abdul Muttalib about it. Then Abdul Muttalib, may Allah bless him with mercy, proceeded exclaiming: "O people of Makkah! Go towards the army and pick up your share of the spoils." He said: They came upon the army who had become like whittled wood. And every bird had three pebbles in its beak and hands, killing every one of the army with every single pebble. As they came to see all of them, the birds had gone. And nothing like it had ever been seen before or after. When all had perished, Abdul Muttalib came to the House, and clinging to its curtains said: "O One who held back the elephant from al-Mughammas (i.e. a place on the road of al-Taif where Abraha’s guide lived), You indeed held it back, as if it were topsy-turvy. In a strait in which men lose their breath." Then he went away, commenting on the runaway Quraish, and their anxiety over the invading Abyssinians: "The Quraishites flew when they saw the army, and I remained alone, finding no one for comfort, and I never heard even a whisper from them except from my honoured and distinguished brother (who was) made a chief and a leader among his people."

When Uthman ordered Abu Dharr al-Ghifari - may Allah bless him with mercy, into exile from Medinah to Syria, he (i.e. Abu Dharr) used to stand up everyday admonishing people, exhorting them to obey Allah, warning them against committing sins. And he used to narrate from the messenger of Allah, peace be upon him and his progeny, whatever he had heard about the virtues and excellence of his Ahlul Bayt, peace be upon them, enjoining upon them to follow his progeny. So, Mu’awiyah wrote to Uthman: "Be it known to you that Abu Dharr, at all times during the day, morning and evening, has a large group of people around him and to them he says such and such things. Well, if you have any need of me among the people, then I would send Abu Dharr to you, for I fear that he will instigate people against you; with Salaams." Then Uthman wrote to him: "As this letter reaches you, send Abu Dharr back to me; with Salaams." Then Moawiyah sent for Abu Dharr and made him read the letter from Uthman, saying: "Make haste, and go now." Abu Dharr came to his camel fastened his saddle to set off. The people gathered around him saying: "O Abu Dharr! May Allah have mercy on you, where are you going?" He said: "They drove me out to come to you, as they were angry with me, and now they are driving me away from you to them, messing around with me. And this will continue as I see it, because of my difference with them, till the righteous relaxes or is relieved of the wicked one." Then he left. As people heard of his departure, they followed him till outside Damascus and remained in his company till he reached the monastery of Murran. He alighted and with him the people also stopped. He was asked to lead, so he prayed with them and then he addressed: "O people! I admonish you about things, which will benefit you, and I do not resort to speeches and eloquence. All of you praise Allah, Most High." So they said: "All praise be to Allah." He said: "I testify that there is no god but Allah and that Muhammad is His slave and His messenger." They repeated what he uttered. Then he said: "I testify that the resurrection is truth and that the heaven is truth and that the hell is truth; and I confirm what he (i.e. Muhammad) has come with from Allah. So bear witness for me over what I have confirmed." And they said: "And we are among those who testify." He said: "Whoever among you dies on these tenets of faith, may he have good tidings of Allah’s mercy and honour; as long as he does not support the wrongdoers, and does not justify the torture of the tyrants nor does he assist them in anyway. ’O people! Let your daily prayers and fasts be combined with your displeasure for the sake of Allah, whenever He is disobeyed on the earth! Do not please your leaders to incur the wrath of Allah. And if they come up with innovations of which you know not, stay aloof from them; and remain strong against them, even if you were tortured, deprived or rusticated, so that Allah may be pleased with you! Surely, Allah is Most High and it does not behave to displease Him, by pleasing His creatures. May Allah forgive me and you all. I entrust you to His care, and sent you greetings and the grace of Allah." Then people exclaimed: "May Allah greet you with safety and shower upon you His mercy, O, Abu Dharr; O companion of the Prophet, peace be upon him and his progeny; we will not send you back if they expel you and we will not refuse you entry." Abu Dharr said: "Return to your places, may Allah have mercy upon you; for I am more tolerant of the adversities than you are. And be careful, never be disunited." So, he went away till he arrived at Uthman’s and upon his arrival, Uthman told him: "May Allah show no favour to the eyes, which behold Amru." Upon this, Abu Dharr reported: "My parents did not name me Amr. But may Allah not favour the one who disobeys Him, acts against His commands and follows his own base desires." At that time, Ka’b al-Ahbar stood up against him and said: "You old man! Do you not fear Allah when you talk back this way to Amirul Mu’mineen?" Then Abu Dharr raised the stick, which he had in his hands and hit Ka’b on his head, saying: "O son of the Jewish parents, why do you have to speak on behalf of the Muslims? For, By Allah, your jewishness has not come out of your heart yet." Then Uthman said: "May Allah not unite me with you under one roof! You have indeed gone senile and you have lost your senses. Get him away out of my sight, mount him on a bare camel and then hasten the camel to reach him uncomfortably to Rabdhah. Then drop him there alone, till Allah may decide his fate." So he was pushed away with humiliation, with his ribs prodded. It was declared in advance that no one should bid him farewell. When the news reached ‘Ali ibn Abi Talib, peace be upon him, he wept till his beard was wet with tears and then he said: "Is this the way to treat the companion of the messenger of Allah? We are for Allah, and unto Him shall we return!" Then he stood up, accompanied by al-Hasan, al-Husayn, Abdullah ibn Abbas, al-Fadhl, Qathum and Ubaidullah and proceeded till they drew close to Abu Dharr. They continued following him. When Abu Dharr, may Allah have mercy on him, saw them, he wept in sympathy for them and said: "May my father be ransom for the faces which remind me of the Prophet (peace be upon him, and his progeny) when I see them; and mere sight of them overwhelms me with divine blessings." Then he raised his hands towards the heavens and said: "O Allah! I love them; and shall remain steadfast even if I were cut into pieces because of their love! And that is only for Your pleasure and for the next abode! Return to your places, may Allah have mercy upon you, and I pray to Allah that He may keep me in the best relationship with you." Then they bid him farewell and returned with tears in their eyes.