Musannaf Ibn Abi Shaybah 40703 — Reports on the Khawarij

Abu Mijlaz said: Sayyiduna Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) forbade his companions from engaging the Khawarij in battle until they themselves caused trouble. So the Khawarij passed by Abdullah bin Khabbab and seized him. Then one of them picked up a date that had fallen from a palm tree and began to eat it, and another man rebuked him, saying: "This is the date of a dhimmi; how do you consider it lawful?" So he threw the date out of his mouth. Then they passed by a pig, and a man struck it with his sword. Another man rebuked him, saying: "This is the pig of a dhimmi; how do you consider it lawful for yourself?" Abdullah bin Khabbab said: "Shall I not tell you of something more sacred than these things?" They said: "Tell us." Abdullah bin Khabbab said: "It is I." They went forward and cut off the neck of Abdullah bin Khabbab. Then Sayyiduna Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) sent a message to them: "Send the killer of Abdullah bin Khabbab to me." They replied: "How can we send his killer to you? All of us killed him." Sayyiduna Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) asked: "Did all of you kill him?" They said: "Yes." Sayyiduna Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) said "Allahu Akbar" and then ordered his companions to attack them. And he said: "By Allah, ten of you will not be killed, and ten of them will not survive." So the people fought them. Sayyiduna Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) ordered them: "Look for Dhu al-Thudayyah among them." The people searched for him, and he was brought to Sayyiduna Ali (may Allah be pleased with him). He asked: "Who knows him?" Only one man could be found who knew him. He said: "I saw him in al-Hirah. I asked him: 'Where are you going?' He said: 'That way,' and pointed towards Kufah, while I had no knowledge of him." Sayyiduna Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) said: "He is from the jinn; he spoke the truth."