Reports on Dhu al-Thudayyah and the people of al-Nahrawan

Sayyiduna Sa'd bin Malik (may Allah be pleased with him), that is, Sayyiduna Sa'd bin Abi Waqqas (may Allah be pleased with him), narrates that he heard the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) mention him, that is, mention Dhu al-Thudayyah, who was found among the people of Nahrawan. He said: "The devil of the mountain hollow, whom a man from the tribe of Bajilah will bring down from above. That man's name will be al-Ashhab (the narrator is unsure; perhaps the words are:) Ibn al-Ashhab. He will be a sign among an unjust people." The narrator Sufyan says: When Ammar al-Duhni narrated this, he said: "A man from our tribe of Bajilah brought him." The narrator says: I think the narration also contains these words: He was from Duhn, and he was called al-Ashhab or Ibn al-Ashhab.
Abu Ya'la recorded it, Ahmad recorded it in abridged form, and al-Bazzar recorded it; its narrators are thiqat (trustworthy).

Sayyiduna Abu Sa'id al-Khudri (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates: On the occasion of the Battle of Hunayn I was present with the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) while he was distributing (the spoils of Hunayn). The narrator says: He then narrated the whole hadith, and further on he reported these words: "Their distinctive sign will be a man one of whose hands will be like a woman's breast. It will be a lump of flesh with some hairs on it, like the whiskers of a beast of prey." Sayyiduna Abu Sa'id al-Khudri (may Allah be pleased with him) says: I was present with the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) on that day at Hunayn, and then I was also present with Sayyiduna Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) when Sayyiduna Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) killed those people at Nahrawan. The narrator says: Sayyiduna Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) searched for that man but did not find him. After that he found him beneath a wall, and his appearance was exactly like that. Sayyiduna Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) said: "Which of you knows him?" One of those present said: "We know him. This is Harqus, and his mother is here." Sayyiduna Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) sent for his mother and asked: "Who is this?" She said: "I do not know, O Commander of the Believers. Once, in the time of Ignorance (Jahiliyyah), I was grazing goats (this was at al-Rabadhah), and something like darkness came over me. I became pregnant with this child, and then I gave birth to him."
Abu Ya'la recorded it as a lengthy narration. Its chain contains the narrator Abu Ma'shar Najih, who is da'if (weak), though his hadith may be written down.

Yazid bin Abi Salih narrates that Abu al-Wadi' Abbad told him: We were heading to Kufah with Sayyiduna Ali bin Abi Talib (may Allah be pleased with him). The narrator says: Then he mentioned the narration about al-Mukhdaj, and Sayyiduna Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) said: "By Allah, I have not lied, nor have I been lied to." He said this three times. Then Sayyiduna Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) said: "My beloved friend (peace and blessings be upon him) informed me that three are brothers of the jinn, and this one is the eldest of them; the second of them is the one who will have a large army with him, and the third will be the one in whom there will be some weakness."
Abdullah bin Ahmad recorded it, and its narrators are thiqat (trustworthy).

Amir bin Sa'd bin Abi Waqqas narrates: Sayyiduna Ammar bin Yasir (may Allah be pleased with him) said to Sayyiduna Sa'd bin Abi Waqqas (may Allah be pleased with him): "What is the reason that you do not go out with Sayyiduna Ali (may Allah be pleased with him)? Did you not hear the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) say about him? He said: 'A people will emerge from my Ummah who will pass out of the religion just as an arrow passes through the target, and Ali bin Abi Talib will fight them (or kill them).'" He said this three times. Sayyiduna Sa'd bin Abi Waqqas (may Allah be pleased with him) said: "Yes, by Allah, I heard this from him (peace and blessings be upon him); but I prefer to remain aloof until I find a situation in which the sword will cut only the disbeliever and will stay away from the believer."
Al-Tabarani recorded it in al-Mu'jam al-Kabir and al-Mu'jam al-Awsat. Its chain contains the narrator Umar bin Abi A'ishah. Al-Dhahabi mentioned him in Mizan al-I'tidal and, in connection with him,
mentioned this narration and said that this hadith is munkar (denounced).

Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Mas'ud (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates: The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) ordered fighting those who break (the covenant or pledge of allegiance), those who deviate unjustly, and those who rebel (or revolt).
Al-Tabarani recorded it, and its chain contains a narrator whom I do not know.

Mikhnaf bin Sulaym narrates: We came to Sayyiduna Abu Ayyub al-Ansari (may Allah be pleased with him) while he was feeding his horse; this was at a place called Sa'naba. We took our midday rest with him. We said to him: "O Sayyiduna Abu Ayyub, you fought the polytheists together with the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), and then you have come to fight the Muslims?" He said: "The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) ordered me to fight three kinds of people: those who break (the covenant or pledge of allegiance), those who deviate unjustly, and those who rebel (or revolt). So I have fought those who break (the covenant or pledge of allegiance), and I have fought those who deviate unjustly, and now, if Allah wills, I will fight those who rebel (or revolt) at al-Sa'afat, at al-Turuqat and at al-Nahrawanat, and I do not know where they are."
Al-Tabarani recorded it. Its chain contains the narrator Muhammad bin Kathir al-Kufi, who is da'if (weak).

Ubaydullah bin Iyad bin Amr al-Qari narrates: Abdullah bin Shaddad bin al-Had came and entered upon Sayyidah Aishah (may Allah be pleased with her), while we were sitting with Sayyidah Aishah (may Allah be pleased with her). This was on his return from Iraq, in the days when Sayyiduna Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) was martyred. Sayyidah Aishah (may Allah be pleased with her) asked him: "O son of Shaddad bin al-Had, will you tell me the truth about what I ask you? Tell me about those people whom Sayyiduna Ali bin Abi Talib (may Allah be pleased with him) killed." Abdullah bin Shaddad said: "Why would I not tell you the truth?" Sayyidah Aishah (may Allah be pleased with her) said: "Then tell me about them." Abdullah bin Shaddad said: "When Sayyiduna Ali bin Abi Talib (may Allah be pleased with him) agreed with Sayyiduna Mu'awiyah (may Allah be pleased with him) that arbitrators would be appointed from both sides, eight thousand of the scholars of the Qur'an rebelled against Sayyiduna Ali (may Allah be pleased with him). They camped at a place called Harura', which was a place near Kufah, and they settled there. Those people said: 'You have taken off the shirt which Allah Almighty clothed you with, and you have also abandoned the name which Allah Almighty gave you, and then you went ahead and made someone an arbitrator in the religion of Allah, whereas judgement belongs only to Allah Almighty.' When Sayyiduna Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) received news of the objection they had raised against Sayyiduna Ali (may Allah be pleased with him), on the basis of which they had separated from Sayyiduna Ali (may Allah be pleased with him), Sayyiduna Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) ordered the mu'adhdhin, and he called out (that is, announced) that only those who were scholars of the Qur'an should come to the Commander of the Believers. When the house was filled with the scholars of the Qur'an, he sent for a copy of the Qur'an (mushaf) and placed it before those people, and then, passing his hand over it, he began to say: 'O Mushaf, tell the people.' The people appealed to him, saying: 'O Commander of the Believers, what are you asking it about? It is only ink on paper; we read the words that are in it. What do you want?' He said: 'These companions of yours who have rebelled: the Book of Allah will judge between me and them. Allah Almighty has said in His Book concerning a husband and wife: "If you fear a breach between the two of them, then send an arbitrator from the man's family and an arbitrator from the woman's family; if they both intend reconciliation, Allah Almighty will bring about agreement between them."' (Then Sayyiduna Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) said:) 'Is the sanctity of the Ummah of Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) greater, or is the respect owed to the affair of one man and woman greater? They object against me that, when writing the agreement, I wrote in it "Ali bin Abi Talib" (and did not write "Commander of the Believers" in it). Once Suhayl bin Amr came (on the occasion of the Truce of Hudaybiyah). The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) had this written: "Bismillah al-Rahman al-Rahim (In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful)." He said: "Do not write Bismillah al-Rahman al-Rahim." The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) asked: "Then what shall we write?" Suhayl said: "Write: Bismika Allahumma (In Your name, O Allah)." The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Write: Muhammad, the Messenger of Allah." He said: "If I knew that you were the Messenger of Allah, I would not have opposed you." So the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) had this written: "This is the agreement which Muhammad bin Abdullah the Qurashi is making."' (Then Sayyiduna Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) said:) 'Allah Almighty has said in His Book: "In the way of the Messenger of Allah there is an excellent example for you; this is for the one who hopes in Allah Almighty and the Last Day."' Then Sayyiduna Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) sent Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Abbas (may Allah be pleased with them both) to those people. I also went with Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Abbas (may Allah be pleased with them both) until we reached the middle of their camp. Then Ibn al-Kawwa' stood up and addressed the people, saying: 'O scholars of the Qur'an, this is Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Abbas (may Allah be pleased with them both). Whoever does not know him, let him recognize him. I know him through the Book of Allah: he is the one about whom, and about whose people, this verse was revealed: "Rather, they are a quarrelsome people." So send him back to his master, and do not debate with him about the Book of Allah.' The narrator says: Then their speakers stood up and said: 'By Allah, we will debate with him on the basis of the Book of Allah. If he brings a truth that we understand, we will follow him; and if he brings falsehood, we will expose him as wrong for his falsehood and send him back to his companion (that is, to Sayyiduna Ali (may Allah be pleased with him)).' Then for three days they kept debating with Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Abbas (may Allah be pleased with them both) on the basis of the Book of Allah, and four thousand of them turned back, all of them having repented; Ibn al-Kawwa' was also among them. Then Sayyiduna Abdullah (may Allah be pleased with him) brought them to Sayyiduna Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) in Kufah. Then Sayyiduna Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) sent a mission to the rest of them and said: 'You see what our situation and the people's situation is. Stay wherever you wish. Let it be agreed between us and you that you will not unlawfully shed any blood, you will not rob on the roads, and you will not violate any covenant of protection. If you do any of these things, then we will impose war upon you. Indeed, Allah Almighty does not love the treacherous.'" The narrator says: Sayyidah Aishah (may Allah be pleased with her) said to Abdullah bin Shaddad: "O Ibn Shaddad, did Sayyiduna Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) kill them?" Abdullah bin Shaddad said: "By Allah, Sayyiduna Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) did not send a military expedition against them until they had begun robbing, had begun shedding blood, and had begun violating the covenant of protection." Sayyidah Aishah said: "By Allah! Is that really how it happened?" Abdullah bin Shaddad said: "By Allah, besides whom there is no god, that is exactly how it happened." Sayyidah Aishah (may Allah be pleased with her) said: "Something else has reached me about the people of Iraq: they talk among themselves and say that there was also a man called Dhu al-Thudayyah." Abdullah bin Shaddad said: "I saw him. I stood beside him among the slain with Sayyiduna Ali (may Allah be pleased with him). Sayyiduna Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) called the people and asked: 'Do you recognize him?' The most that was said was that one man said: 'I saw him praying in the mosque of Banu so-and-so.' The people could give no reliable information about him; only this much could be learned." Sayyidah Aishah (may Allah be pleased with her) asked: "When Sayyiduna Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) was standing beside him, what did he say? Was it what the people of Iraq relate?" Abdullah bin Shaddad said: "I heard him say: 'Allah and His Messenger have spoken the truth.'" Sayyidah Aishah (may Allah be pleased with her) said: "Did you see him say anything other than that?" Abdullah said: "Allah knows, no." Sayyidah Aishah (may Allah be pleased with her) said: "Very well, Allah and His Messenger have spoken the truth. May Allah Almighty have mercy on Sayyiduna Ali (may Allah be pleased with him). It was his habitual phrase that whenever he saw something remarkable, he would say: 'Allah and His Messenger have spoken the truth.' Then the people of Iraq began attributing false statements to him and adding to the original account."
Abu Ya'la recorded it, and its narrators are thiqat (trustworthy).

Habib bin Abi Thabit reported this about Abu Wa'il: I asked him about those people whom Sayyiduna Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) had killed. I asked: "For what reason did those people separate from Sayyiduna Ali (may Allah be pleased with him)? For what reason did they deem the blood of Sayyiduna Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) lawful? To what did Sayyiduna Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) invite them, and on what basis did he deem their blood lawful?" Abu Wa'il said: When the fighting with the people of Syria became intense at Siffin, and Sayyiduna Mu'awiyah (may Allah be pleased with him) and his companions took refuge on a mountain, Sayyiduna Amr bin al-As (may Allah be pleased with him) advised him: "Send the Mushaf to Sayyiduna Ali (may Allah be pleased with him); by Allah, we cannot be saved in any other way." The narrator says: So a man came carrying the Qur'an and called out: "The Book of Allah will judge between us and you. (Allah, the Exalted, says:) 'Have you not seen those who were given a portion of the Book.'" Sayyiduna Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) said: "Very well, the Book of Allah will judge between us and you, and I have more right than you to follow it." Then the Khawarij came; we used to call them "the reciters" (qurra'). They had their swords on their shoulders. They said: "O Commander of the Believers, shall we not march against these people so that Allah Almighty may judge between us and them?" Then Sahl bin Hunayf stood up and said: "O people, hold yourselves to blame. At Hudaybiyah we were with the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him); had we wanted to fight, we could have fought. This was the truce that took place between the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) and the polytheists. Sayyiduna Umar bin al-Khattab (may Allah be pleased with him) came and said: 'O Messenger of Allah, are we not upon the truth, and are they not upon falsehood?' The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: 'Yes.' Sayyiduna Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) said: 'Are our slain not in Paradise, and are their slain not in Hell?' The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: 'Yes.' Sayyiduna Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) said: 'Then on what basis should we show weakness in our religion? We are going back so that Allah Almighty may judge between us and them.' The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: 'O son of al-Khattab, I am the Messenger of Allah, and He will never let me be lost.' Sayyiduna Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) went away, but he could not control his anger, so he came to Sayyiduna Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him) and said: 'O Sayyiduna Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him), are we not upon the truth and they upon falsehood?' Sayyiduna Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him) replied: 'Yes.' Sayyiduna Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) said: 'Are our slain not in Paradise and their slain in Hell?' Sayyiduna Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him) replied: 'Yes.' Sayyiduna Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) asked: 'Then on what basis should we show weakness in the matter of our religion? Rather, we should do this (that is, fight) so that Allah Almighty may judge between us and them.' Sayyiduna Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him) said: 'O son of al-Khattab, he is the Messenger of Allah, and Allah Almighty will never let him be lost.'" The narrator says: Then Surah al-Fath was revealed to the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him). He sent for Sayyiduna Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) and recited this surah before him. He asked: "O Messenger of Allah, is this a victory?" The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) replied: "Yes." At this Sayyiduna Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) was reassured. Then the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) went back, and the people went back too. (The narrator says:) These Khawarij camped at Harura'; they were somewhat more than ten thousand people. Sayyiduna Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) sent a message to them and adjured them by Allah, but they did not accept what Sayyiduna Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) said. Then Sa'sa'ah bin Suhan went and adjured them, and said: "On what basis do you want to fight your caliph?" They replied: "For fear of tribulation." Sa'sa'ah said: "Do not fall into misguidance this year for fear of a tribulation that will come next year." So those people went back and said: "We will continue on the basis on which we came. If Sayyiduna Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) accepts this arbitration, we will fight on the principle on which we fought at the Battle of Siffin; and if he breaks it, we will fight alongside him." Then they set out until they reached Nahrawan. There they split into different parts, and they began harming people at night. Some of their companions said: "Woe to you! It was not for this that we separated from Sayyiduna Ali (may Allah be pleased with him)." When Sayyiduna Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) received this news, he addressed the people and said: "What do you think: should we go to the people of Syria, or to these people whom you will leave behind you among your families and children?" The people said: "We should go back." Then Sayyiduna Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) mentioned the matter of those people and narrated about them the hadith which the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) had said about them: "At a time of disagreement among people, a sect will appear which will be killed by whichever of the two groups is closer to the truth. The distinctive sign of these people will be one man among them, one of whose hands will be like a woman's breast." Then they set out from there, and at Nahrawan they fought the Khawarij; there was fierce fighting, and the cavalry of Sayyiduna Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) could not hold firm against them. Sayyiduna Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) said: "O people, if you are fighting for my sake, then by Allah I have nothing to give you as a reward; and if you are fighting for the sake of Allah Almighty, then this should not be your conduct." Then the people charged all at once, and when the cavalry cleared away from them, those people were lying fallen on their faces. Then Sayyiduna Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) stood up and said: "Search for that man among these people." The people searched for that man but did not find him, until one of them said: "Sayyiduna Ali bin Abi Talib (may Allah be pleased with him) has deceived us concerning our brothers, because of which we have killed them." The narrator says: Tears flowed from the eyes of Sayyiduna Ali (may Allah be pleased with him). He sent for his mount, rode it and set off until he came to a low-lying place where the slain were lying, some on top of others. Their legs began to be pulled aside until that man was found beneath them. The people told Sayyiduna Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) about this, and Sayyiduna Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) said: "Allahu Akbar (Allah is the Greatest)." Sayyiduna Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) was pleased, and the people were pleased too, and the people turned back. Sayyiduna Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) said: "I will not go on campaign this year." Then he came back to Kufah, and there he was martyred. After that Sayyiduna Imam Hasan (may Allah be pleased with him) became caliph. He too adopted his father's way, and then he handed over the caliphate to Sayyiduna Mu'awiyah (may Allah be pleased with him). (Allamah al-Haythami says:) I say: Part of this narration is mentioned in the Sahih.
Abu Ya'la recorded it, and its narrators are the narrators of the Sahih.

Kulayb bin Shihab narrates: I was sitting with Sayyiduna Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) while he was busy with the people's affairs. Meanwhile a man came to him wearing travelling clothes. He said: "O Commander of the Believers," but Sayyiduna Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) remained occupied with other matters and paid no attention to him. Kulayb says: I asked: "What is your matter?" He said: "I had gone for Hajj or for Umrah" (the narrator says: I could not make out which he said). He said: "I passed by Sayyidah Aishah (may Allah be pleased with her), and she asked: 'Who are those people who have rebelled in your direction, who are called the Haruriyyah?' I told her: 'They are connected with a place called Harura', and on that account they have been named the Haruriyyah.' Sayyidah Aishah (may Allah be pleased with her) said: 'Glad tidings for the one who takes part in destroying them.' Sayyidah Aishah (may Allah be pleased with her) also said: 'By Allah, if Ibn Abi Talib wished, he could tell you about their circumstances.'" (The man said:) "That is why I have come to ask about this." The narrator says: When Sayyiduna Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) was free, he asked: "Where is the man who was seeking permission?" The man stood before him and related the whole incident just as he had related it to me. Sayyiduna Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) said la ilaha illa Allah (there is no god but Allah) three times and then said: "Once I was with the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), and no one other than Sayyidah Aishah (may Allah be pleased with her) was with him. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said to me: 'O Ali, what will you do when some people emerge at such-and-such a place'—the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said this pointing with his blessed hand toward the east—'they will recite the Qur'an, but it will not go beyond their throats (the narrator is unsure about one word here), and they will pass out of Islam just as an arrow passes through the target. Among those people there will be a man one of whose hands will be deficient; his hand will be like the breast of an Abyssinian woman.'" Then Sayyiduna Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) said: "I adjure you by Allah, besides whom there is no god, and ask you: did I narrate this hadith to you, that that man would be among those people?" The people replied: "Yes." Sayyiduna Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) said: "Then you went and searched for him, and then you brought him dragging him along, and he was just as I had described to you." Then Sayyiduna Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) said three times: "Allah and His Messenger have spoken the truth."
Abu Ya'la recorded it, and its narrators are thiqat (trustworthy). Al-Bazzar
recorded a similar narration.

It is reported about Sayyidah Aishah al-Siddiqah (may Allah be pleased with her) that, while mentioning the Khawarij, she asked: "Who killed them?" The people told her: "Sayyiduna Ali (may Allah be pleased with him)." Sayyidah Aishah (may Allah be pleased with her) said: I heard the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) say: "The best people of my Ummah will kill them, and they (that is, the Khawarij) are the worst people of my Ummah."
Al-Bazzar recorded it. Its chain contains the narrator Ata' bin al-Sa'ib, whose memory became confused (ikhtilat).
Al-Tabarani recorded a similar narration in al-Mu'jam al-Awsat, in which the whole incident is related.

It is reported about Sayyidah Aishah (may Allah be pleased with her) that she asked: "Who killed Dhu al-Thudayyah? Was it Sayyiduna Ali bin Abi Talib (may Allah be pleased with him)?" The people replied: "Yes." Sayyidah Aishah (may Allah be pleased with her) said: I heard the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) say: "Some people will emerge who will recite the Qur'an, but it will not go down beyond their throats. They will pass out of the religion just as an arrow passes through the target, and their distinctive sign will be a man one of whose hands will be deficient."
Al-Tabarani recorded it in al-Mu'jam al-Awsat. Its chain contains the narrator Amr bin Abd al-Ghaffar, who is matruk al-hadith (abandoned in hadith).

Sayyiduna Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) says: The people of knowledge from the family of Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him), and Sayyidah Aishah bint Abi Bakr (may Allah be pleased with them both), know that the companions of Dhu al-Thudayyah have been declared accursed by the tongue of the unlettered Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him). In one narration the words are: The people of Nahrawan (have been declared accursed by the tongue of the unlettered Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him)).
Al-Tabarani recorded it in al-Mu'jam al-Saghir and al-Mu'jam al-Awsat with two chains, the narrators of one of which are thiqat (trustworthy).

Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Abbas (may Allah be pleased with them both) narrates: When the Haruriyyah withdrew and separated themselves, I said to Sayyiduna Ali (may Allah be pleased with him): "O Commander of the Believers, delay the prayer a little so that I may go to these people and speak with them." Sayyiduna Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) said: "I fear that they may harm you." I said: "If Allah wills, that will not happen." Then I put on the finest Yemeni garment I had and went to those people. At that time, in the middle of the day, they were taking their midday rest. I came to those people, and I have never seen such hard-striving people. Their hands were like the hardened calluses of camels, and on their faces were the marks of prostration. When I entered, they said: "Welcome to you, O Ibn Abbas. What has brought you?" Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Abbas (may Allah be pleased with them both) said: "I have come to talk with you about the Companions of the Messenger of Allah. The revelation came down, and they know its meaning best." Some of them said: "Do not talk with him," and some said: "We will certainly talk with him." Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Abbas (may Allah be pleased with them both) says: I said: "Tell me what objection you have against the cousin and son-in-law of the Messenger of Allah, who was the first to believe in him, while the Companions of the Messenger of Allah are also with him?" They said: "We have three objections against him." I asked: "What are they?" They said: "The first is that he appointed men as arbitrators in the religion of Allah, whereas Allah Almighty has said: 'Judgement belongs only to Allah.'" I asked: "And what else?" They said: "He fought, but he did not take the enemy captive nor count their property as spoils. If the people of the other side were disbelievers, then their wealth should also have been lawful; and if they were believers, then their blood should also have been unlawful for him." Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Abbas (may Allah be pleased with them both) says: I asked: "And what other objection?" They said: "Sayyiduna Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) erased the title 'Commander of the Believers' from himself. If he is not the Commander of the Believers, then he must be the commander of the disbelievers." Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Abbas (may Allah be pleased with them both) says: I said: "What is your view: if I recite to you verses of the decisive Book of Allah and narrate to you the Sunnah of your Prophet which you cannot deny, will you turn back?" They replied: "Yes." Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Abbas (may Allah be pleased with them both) says: I said: "As for your saying that he appointed men as arbitrators in the religion of Allah, Allah Almighty has said: 'O you who believe, do not kill game while you are in the state of ihram,' up to: 'two just men among you shall judge it.' Likewise Allah Almighty has said concerning a woman and her husband: 'If you fear a breach between the two of them, then send an arbitrator from the man's family and an arbitrator from the woman's family.'" (Then Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Abbas (may Allah be pleased with them both) said:) "I adjure you by Allah and ask you: is appointing men as arbitrators concerning people's lives and blood, so that there may be betterment among people, more deserving, or is appointing an arbitrator concerning a rabbit whose price is a quarter of a dirham more deserving?" The people said: "Allah knows that protecting people's lives and making peace between them is more deserving." Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Abbas (may Allah be pleased with them both) said: "Have I answered this objection?" They said: "Allah knows, yes." (Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Abbas (may Allah be pleased with them both) said:) "As for your saying that he killed but did not take captives nor treat the property as spoils: would you take your mother captive, or would you regard as lawful with regard to her what you regard as lawful with regard to other women? If you do so, you will have committed disbelief; and if you claim that she is not your mother, then too you will have committed disbelief and will have left Islam, because Allah Almighty has said: 'The Prophet is closer to the believers than their own selves, and the wives of the Prophet are their mothers.' So you will be tumbling between two kinds of misguidance; choose whichever of the two you wish. Have I answered this objection?" They said: "Allah knows, yes." (Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Abbas (may Allah be pleased with them both) said:) "As for your saying that he had the title 'Commander of the Believers' erased for himself: on the occasion of Hudaybiyah the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) invited Quraysh to have an agreement written between him and them. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: 'Write that this is the agreement which Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him), the Messenger of Allah, is making.' The polytheists said: 'By Allah, if we knew that you were the Messenger of Allah, we would not have stopped you from going to the House, nor would we have fought you; rather write: Muhammad bin Abdullah (is making this agreement).' The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: 'By Allah, I am the Messenger of Allah, even if you deny me. O Ali, write: Muhammad bin Abdullah.'" (Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Abbas (may Allah be pleased with them both) asked:) "Was the Messenger of Allah not more excellent than Sayyiduna Ali (may Allah be pleased with him)? Have I answered this objection as well?" Those people said: "Allah knows, yes." The narrator says: So twenty thousand of them turned back, and four thousand remained upon their way, and then they were killed.
Al-Tabarani recorded it, and Ahmad recorded part of it. The narrators of both are the narrators of the Sahih.

Sayyiduna Jundub (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates: When the Khawarij separated from Sayyiduna Ali (may Allah be pleased with him), Sayyiduna Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) set out in pursuit of them, and we set out with him. We reached the enemy's camp. The sound of the recitation of the Qur'an was coming from it like the humming of bees. Among them were people with hard calluses (or lumps) on their skin, and some wearing hooded cloaks (that is, devout worshippers). When I saw those people, I felt troubled about it. I moved aside, planted my spear in the ground, dismounted from my horse, took off my cap and put my coat of mail on it. I took hold of my horse's lead and began to pray facing the spear. During the prayer I was supplicating: "O Allah, if fighting these people is obedience to You, then grant me permission for it; and if it is disobedience, then grant me the opportunity to dissociate myself." The narrator says: I was still in this state when Sayyiduna Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) arrived riding the mule of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him). When he came alongside me, he said: "Seek refuge in Allah, seek refuge in Allah, O Jundub, (seek refuge) from the evil of doubt." I went running to him. He dismounted and stood up to pray. Meanwhile a man came riding a horse and said: "O Commander of the Believers!" Sayyiduna Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) said: "What is the matter?" He said: "Will you not attend to the enemy?" Sayyiduna Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) said: "What has happened?" He said: "They have cut (or crossed) the river." Sayyiduna Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) said: "What? They have crossed it?" I said: "Subhan Allah (Glory be to Allah)." Then after that another man came whose voice was louder. He said: "O Commander of the Believers!" Sayyiduna Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) said: "What do you want?" He said: "Will you not attend to the enemy?" Sayyiduna Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) asked: "What has happened?" He told him: "Those people have crossed the river and have gone." I said: "Allahu Akbar (Allah is the Greatest)." Sayyiduna Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) said: "They cannot cross it." Then another man came galloping his horse and said: "O Commander of the Believers!" Sayyiduna Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) asked: "What has happened?" He said: "Will you not attend to the enemy?" Sayyiduna Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) asked: "What has happened?" He told him: "Those people have crossed the river." Sayyiduna Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) said: "They cannot cross it, nor will they be able to get beyond it; they will be killed before that. This is a covenant from Allah and His Messenger." I said: "Allahu Akbar." Then I got up and held the stirrup for him, and he mounted his horse. I went back to my coat of mail and put it on, took my bow and hung it on, and then set out walking alongside Sayyiduna Ali (may Allah be pleased with him). He said to me: "O Jundub." I said: "O Commander of the Believers, here I am." He said: "As for me, I will send to them a man who will recite the Qur'an and invite them to the Book of Allah, their Lord, and to the Sunnah of their Prophet; and he will not turn his face back toward us before they wound him with arrows. O Jundub, not even ten men of ours will be killed, and not even ten men of theirs will survive." The narrator says: We reached them; they were in the camp in which they had been before, and in the same state. Sayyiduna Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) called out among his companions and had them form ranks. Then he went from one end of the rank to the other; he did this twice, saying: "Who will take this Qur'an to these people and invite them to the Book of Allah, their Lord, and to the Sunnah of their Prophet? That man will be killed, and he will attain Paradise." No one answered Sayyiduna Ali (may Allah be pleased with him); a young man from Banu Amir bin Sa'sa'ah answered him. When Sayyiduna Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) saw how young he was, he said to him: "Go back to your place." Then Sayyiduna Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) made the same announcement a second time, and no one came out to him except that same young man. Then he announced it a third time, and only that young man came out to him. Sayyiduna Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) said to him: "Take this!" He took the Mushaf. Sayyiduna Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) said to him: "You will be killed, and you will not come back to us; those people will wound you with arrows (or kill you)." The young man took the Qur'an toward the enemy. When he came close enough to them that they could hear his voice, he stood; before the young man could come back, those people shot arrows at him. One man shot an arrow at him; the young man turned his face toward us and sat down. Sayyiduna Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) said: "Attack them!" Sayyiduna Jundub (may Allah be pleased with him) says: After whatever thoughts had earlier come into my mind about those people, it came about that with my own hand I killed eight people before praying Zuhr. Not even ten of us were killed, and not even ten of them survived, just as Sayyiduna Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) had said.
Al-Tabarani recorded it in al-Mu'jam al-Awsat through Abu al-Sabi'ah from Sayyiduna Jundub. I do not know Abu al-Sabi'ah; the remaining narrators of this report are thiqat (trustworthy).

Abu Ja'far al-Farra', the freed slave of Sayyiduna Ali (may Allah be pleased with him), narrates: I was present with Sayyiduna Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) at the river. When he had finished killing those people, he said: "Search for the man one of whose hands is deficient." The people searched for him but did not find him. Sayyiduna Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) ordered that a reed be placed on every slain person, and then they found that man in a low-lying place near water. He was a black man with a foul smell, and in place of one of his hands was something like a breast with some hairs on it. When Sayyiduna Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) looked at him, he said: "Allah and His Messenger have spoken the truth." Then Sayyiduna Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) heard one of his two sons, perhaps Sayyiduna Imam Hasan (may Allah be pleased with him) or perhaps Sayyiduna Imam Husayn (may Allah be pleased with him), saying: "All praise belongs to Allah Almighty, who has relieved the Ummah of Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) of this group." Sayyiduna Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) said: "If only three people of the Ummah of Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) remained, one of them would be upon the way of these people. They are still in the loins of men and the wombs of women."
Al-Tabarani recorded it in al-Mu'jam al-Awsat. Its chain contains a group of narrators whom I do not know.

Sayyiduna Abdul Rahman bin Udays al-Balawi (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates: I heard the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) say: "Some people will emerge who will pass out of the religion just as an arrow passes through the target. They will be killed at Mount Lebanon (the narrator is unsure; perhaps the words are:) Mount al-Khalil." The narrator Ibn Lahi'ah says: Sayyiduna Abdul Rahman bin Udays was martyred at Mount Lebanon, or perhaps at Mount al-Khalil.
Al-Tabarani recorded it in al-Mu'jam al-Awsat from his teacher Bakr bin Sahl, who is muqarib al-hal (fairly acceptable), though he has also been declared da'if (weak). The hadith of the remaining narrators of this report is hasan (good) or sahih (authentic).