( 188 )

SERMON 218

A part of the mine amnon ahout those who went to Basrah to fight Amir al-mu'minin

They marched on my officers and the custodians of the public treasury which is still under my control and on the people of a metropolis all of whom were obedient to me and were in allegiance to me. They created division among them instigated their parry against me and attacked my followers. They killed a group of the! by treachery while another group took up swords against them and fought with the swords till they met Allah as adherents to truth.

* * * * *

SERMON 219

When Amir al-mu'minin passed by the corpses of Talhah ibn 'Ubaydullah and 'Abd ar-Rahman ibn 'Attab ibn Asid who were both killed in the battle of Jamal he said:

Abu Muhammad (Talhah) lies here away from his own place. By Allah I did not like that the Quraysh should lie killed under the stars. I have avenged myself with the descendants of 'Abd Manaf but the chief persons of Banu Jumah (1) have escaped me. They had stretched their necks towards a matter for which they were not suited and therefore their necks were broken before they reached the goal.

(1). In the battle of Jamal a group of Banu Jumah was with 'A'ishah butthe chief men of this group fled away from the battle-field. Some of them were: 'Abdullah at-Tawil ibn Safwan Yahya ibn Hakim 'Amir ibn Mas'ud and Ayyub ibn Habib. From this group (Banu Jumah) only two persons were killed.


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[ 218 ] ومن كلام له عليه السلام

في ذكر السائرين إلى البصرة لحربه عليه السلام

فَقَدِمُوا عَلَى عُمَّالِي، وَخُزَّانِ بَيْتِ الْمُسْلِمِينَ الَّذِي في يَدَيَّ، وَعَلى أَهْلِ مِصْرٍ، كُلُّهُمْ فِي طَاعَتِي وَعَلَى بَيْعَتِي، فَشَتَّتُوا كَلِمَتَهُمْ، وَأَفْسَدُوا عَلَيَّ جَمَاعَتَهُمْ، وَوَثَبُوا عَلى شِيعَتِي، فَقَتَلُوا طَائِفَةً مِنْهُمْ غَدْراً، وَطَائِفَةٌ عَضُّوا عَلى أَسْيَافِهِمْ (1) ، فَضَارَبُوا بِهَا حَتَّى لَقُوا اللهَ صَادِقِينَ.

[ 219 ] ومن كلام له عليه السلام

لمّا مر بطلحة بن عبد الله وعبدالرحمن بن عتاب بن أسيد وهما قتيلان يوم الجمل:

لَقَدْ أَصْبَحَ أَبُو مُحَمَّدٍ بِهذَا الْمَكَانِ غَرِيباً! أَمَا وَاللهِ لَقَدْ كَنْتُ أَكْرَهُ أَنْ تَكُونَ قُرَيْشٌ قَتْلَى تَحْتَ بُطُونِ الْكَوَاكِبِ! أَدْرَكْتُ وَتْرِي (1) مِنْ بَنِي عَبْدِ مَنَافٍ، وَأَفْلَتَتْنِي أَعْيَانُ بَنِي جُمَحَ، لَقَدْ أَتْلَعُوا (2) أَعْنَاقَهُمْ إِلَى أَمْرٍ لَمْ يَكُونُوا أَهْلَهُ فَوُقِصُوا (3) دوُنَهُ.