What they said on one who wages war and spreads corruption in the land, then seeks safety before he is overpowered

Amir (may Allah have mercy on him) says: Harithah bin Badr al-Tamimi was one of the people of Basra. He spread corruption in the land and waged war. Then he spoke about safety to Sayyiduna al-Hasan bin Ali (may Allah be pleased with him), Sayyiduna Ibn Ja'far (may Allah be pleased with him), Sayyiduna Ibn Abbas (may Allah be pleased with them both) and some others from Quraysh. They spoke to Sayyiduna Ali (may Allah be pleased with him), but he (may Allah be pleased with him) did not grant him safety. So Harithah bin Badr came to Sa'id bin Qays al-Hamdani (may Allah have mercy on him) and spoke to him about this. Sa'id (may Allah have mercy on him) went to Sayyiduna Ali (may Allah be pleased with him), leaving him behind at his house, and said: "O Commander of the Faithful, what do you (may Allah be pleased with you) say about one who wages war against Allah and His Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) and runs about spreading corruption in the land?" In reply he (may Allah be pleased with him) recited this verse: "The only recompense of those who wage war against Allah and His Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) and run about spreading corruption in the land" [Al-Ma'idah: 33], until he (may Allah be pleased with him) had recited the whole verse. At this Sa'id said: "What is your (may Allah be pleased with you) view of one who repents before being brought under control?" Sayyiduna Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) said: "I say what Allah Almighty said, and his repentance will be accepted." He (may Allah have mercy on him) said: "Harithah bin Badr has indeed repented before being brought under control." Then he (may Allah be pleased with him) sent a messenger to summon him, and he was brought before Sayyiduna Ali (may Allah be pleased with him). He (may Allah be pleased with him) granted him safety and wrote a document for him. At this Harithah recited these verses: "Convey my greetings to Hamdan when you reach them; may their enemy not remain safe. Surely the people of Hamdan fear Allah, and their preacher judges by the Book of Allah. My head has turned white and our minds have dimmed from the thunder and lightning around us. Our souls hold death to be sweet, while we hold life to be bitter."

Amir (may Allah have mercy on him) says: I mentioned this report to Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Ja'far (may Allah be pleased with him), and he (may Allah be pleased with him) said: "We had more right to these verses than the people of Hamdan."

The above statement of Sayyiduna Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) is also narrated from Imam al-Sha'bi (may Allah have mercy on him) through this chain, but he did not mention the poetry in it.

Imam al-Sha'bi (may Allah have mercy on him) says that a man of the tribe of Murad prayed. The narrator says: When Sayyiduna Abu Musa (may Allah be pleased with him) finished the prayer with the salam, that man stood up and said: "This is the place of one who repents and seeks refuge." He (may Allah be pleased with him) said: "Woe to you, what is the matter with you?" He said: "I am so-and-so son of so-and-so, of Murad. I waged war against Allah and His Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) and ran about spreading corruption in the land. And I have now come, having repented before being brought under control." The narrator says: Sayyiduna Abu Musa (may Allah be pleased with him) stood in the place where that man had stood, then he (may Allah be pleased with him) said: "This is so-and-so son of so-and-so, of Murad. He waged war against Allah and His Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) and ran about spreading corruption in the land, and he has repented before being brought under control. So if this man is truthful, he is to be treated as the truthful are treated. And if he is lying, Allah, the Lord of Honour, will seize him for his sin." The narrator says: Then that man went out among the people, went away and escaped. Then he did the same thing again, and he was killed.