Musannaf Ibn Abi Shayba 38:1

Abdullah ibn Yunus narrated to us, he said: Baqi ibn Makhlad narrated to us, he said: Abu Bakr narrated to us, he said: Abu Usama narrated to us, he said: Al-Ala ibn al-Minhal narrated to me, he said: Asim ibn Kulayb al-Jarmi narrated to us, he said: My father narrated to me, he said: We besieged Tawwaj, and we had a man from Banu Sulaym with us called Mujashi ibn Masud. He said: When we conquered it, I was wearing a worn-out shirt. I went to one of the slain from the non-Arabs whom we had killed, and I took a shirt from some of those slain. He said: It had blood on it, so I washed it between stones and rubbed it until I cleaned it, then I wore it and entered the village. I took a needle and thread and mended my shirt. Mujashi stood up and said: "O people, do not commit *ghulul* (taking spoils before distribution). Whoever commits *ghulul* will bring it on the Day of Resurrection, even if it were a needle." So I went to that shirt and took it off, and I went to my shirt and began to unpick it until, by Allah, O my son, I began to tear my shirt, fearing that the thread might break. I went with the needle and the shirt that I had taken from the spoils and threw it into them. Then, I did not depart from the world until I saw them committing *ghulul* with the baggage. If I said, "What is this?" they would say, "A share of the *fay* (spoils) more than this." Asim said: My father saw a vision while they were besieging Tawwaj during the caliphate of Uthman. My father, when he saw a vision, it was as if he were looking at it in broad daylight. My father had met the Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him. He said: He saw as if there were a sick man, and as if a group of people were disputing near him; their hands were clashing and their voices were raised. There was a woman wearing green clothes sitting, as if she could have reconciled between them if she wished. Then a man among them stood up and turned the lining of a cloak he was wearing, then said: "O community of Muslims, will Islam be worn out among you while this is the garment of the Prophet of Allah among you, not worn out?" Then another man from the group stood up and took one of the covers of the *Mushaf* (Quran) and shook it until its pages were agitated. He said: My father woke up presenting it, but he could not find anyone to interpret it. He said: It was as if they were afraid to interpret it. My father said: When I arrived in Basra, the people had camped. I said: "What is their matter?" They said: "It reached them that a group had marched toward Uthman, so they camped to catch up with him and support him." Ibn Amir stood up and said: "The Commander of the Faithful is righteous, and the people have turned away from him toward me," so they returned to their homes. Then, suddenly, he was killed. My father said: I have never seen a day with more weeping old men, with tears furrowing their beards, than that day. He did not stay long until Zubayr and Talha arrived in Basra. He said: He did not stay long after that until Ali also arrived and descended at Dhu Qar. Two old men from the tribe said to me: "Go with us to this man so we may look at what he is calling to and what he has brought." We went out until we approached the group and identified their tents. A young man with thick skin came out of the camp. Al-Ala said: I think he said he was on a mule. When I looked at him, I likened him to the woman I had seen at the head of the sick man in the dream. I said to my companion: "If the woman I saw in the dream at the head of the sick man had a brother, this is her brother." One of the two old men who were with me said: "What do you want with this?" and he poked me with his elbow. The young man said: "What did you say?" One of the two old men said: "He did not say anything," and he turned away. He said: "You will tell me what you said." I told him the vision. He said: "You have seen it." He was startled, and he kept saying: "You have seen it, you have seen it," until his voice faded from us. I said to some of those I met: "Who is the man we saw just now?" He said: "Muhammad ibn Abi Bakr." We realized that the woman was Aisha. When I arrived at the camp, I arrived at the most astute of the Arabs, meaning Ali. By Allah, he entered into the genealogy of my people until I began to say: "By Allah, he is more knowledgeable about them than I am." He said: "Are the Banu Rasib in Basra more numerous than the Banu Qudama?" I said: "Yes." He said: "Are you the master of your people?" I said: "No, but I am obeyed among them, and others are more masterly and more obeyed among them than I am." He said: "Who is the master of Banu Rasib?" I said: "So-and-so." He said: "And the master of Banu Qudama?" I said: "So-and-so," for another. He said: "Will you deliver two letters from me to them?" I said: "Yes." He said: "Will you not pledge allegiance?" The two old men who were with me pledged allegiance. A group of people who were with him were agitated—my father gestured with his hand as if they were restless—and they began saying: "Pledge allegiance, pledge allegiance." The prostration had eaten away at their faces. Ali said to the group: "Leave the man." My father said: "My people only sent me as a scout, and I will convey to them what I have seen. If they pledge allegiance to you, I will pledge allegiance to you, and if they withdraw from you, I will withdraw from you." Ali said: "What do you think if your people sent you as a scout, and you saw a meadow and a pool, and you said: 'O my people, the pasture, the pasture,' but they refused—what would you pasture yourself?" I took one of his fingers and said: "We pledge allegiance to you that we will obey you as long as you obey Allah, but if you disobey Him, you have no obedience upon us." He said: "Yes," and he raised his voice with it. I struck his hand. Then he turned to Muhammad ibn Hatib, who was in a corner of the group, and said: "Will you not go to your people in Basra and convey my letters and my words?" Muhammad turned to him and said: "My people, when I come to them, will say: 'What is your companion's word regarding Uthman?'" Those around him cursed him. I saw Ali's forehead sweating with dislike for what they were bringing. Muhammad said: "O people, refrain, for by Allah, I am not asking you, nor am I being asked about you." Ali said: "Inform them that my word regarding Uthman is the best of words: Uthman was among those who believed and did righteous deeds, then they feared and believed, then they feared and did good, and Allah loves the doers of good." My father said: I did not leave until the people of Kufa arrived. They began to meet me and say: "Do you think our brothers from the people of Basra will fight us?" They would laugh and be amazed. Then they said: "By Allah, if we meet, we will exchange the truth." It was as if they thought they would not fight each other. I went out with Ali's letter. As for one of the two men to whom he wrote, he accepted the letter and answered it. I was directed to the other, but he hid. If they had not said "Kulayb," he would not have given me permission, but I gave him the letter and said: "This is Ali's letter," and I informed him that I had told him that you are the master of your people. He refused to accept the letter and said: "I have no need for mastership today. Your masters today are like the dregs, or the lowly, or the pretenders." He said a word: "I have no need for that today." He refused to answer him. By Allah, I did not return to Ali until the armies had drawn near. Their slaves had stabilized. The reciters who were with Ali rode when the people clashed. I did not reach Ali until the people had finished their fighting. I entered upon al-Ashtar, and he had sustained wounds. Asim said: There was a kinship between us and him through the women. When he looked at my father—and the house was full of his companions—he said: "O Kulayb, you are more knowledgeable about Basra than we are, so go and buy me a *ifrat* (a young camel) of a noble camel." I bought a camel from a chief of Mahra for five hundred. He said: "Take it to Aisha and say: 'Your son Malik greets you and says: Take this camel to replace your camel.'" She said: "May Allah not greet him; he is not my son." She refused to accept it. I returned to him and informed him of her words. He sat up straight, then bared his arm, and said: "Aisha blames me for the deadly death! I came in a group of Madh'hij, and Ibn Attab had descended, so he embraced me and said: 'Kill me and Malik.'" He said: "So I struck him, and he fell." Then he jumped to Ibn al-Zubayr and said: "Kill me and Malik." I do not like that he said: "Kill me and al-Ashtar," and that every Madh'hij woman gave birth to a boy. My father said: I corrected him in a moment of negligence, saying: "What does it benefit you if you say that every Madh'hij woman gives birth to a boy?" Then my father drew near him and said: "Commend the master of Basra to me, for I have a position after you." He said: "If the master of Basra had seen you, he would have honored you." It was as if he thought he was the commander. My father went out from him, and a man met him and said: "The Commander of the Faithful has stood up as a preacher and appointed Ibn Abbas over the people of Basra, and he claims that he is marching to the Levant on such-and-such a day." My father returned and informed al-Ashtar. He said to my father: "Did you hear it?" My father said: "No." He scolded him and said: "Sit down, for this is falsehood." I did not leave until a man came and informed him of the same news as mine. He said: "Did you hear that?" He said: "No." He scolded him with a scolding less than the one he gave me. He glanced at me while I was at the side of the group, meaning: "This one has brought the same news as yours." I did not stay long until Attab al-Taghlibi came, with his sword dangling or shaking at his neck, and said: "This is your Commander of the Faithful, his cousin has taken over Basra, and he claims he is marching to the Levant on such-and-such a day." Al-Ashtar said to him: "Did you hear it, O one-eyed?" He said: "Yes, by Allah, I heard it with these two ears of mine." He smiled a smile that had bitterness in it. He said: "We do not know then for what we killed the old man in Medina." Then he said: "O Madh'hij, prepare, so mount." He mounted. I do not think he wanted anyone that day except Muawiyah. Ali intended to send cavalry to fight him. Then he wrote to him that nothing prevented me from appointing you except that you were not fit for it, but I wanted to meet the people of the Levant, and they are your people, so I wanted to seek support through you against them. He called out to the people to depart. Al-Ashtar stayed until the first of the people caught up with him. He had set a time for them on Monday. When al-Ashtar did what he did, he called out to the people before that to depart.