Musnad of Ali bin Abi Talib (may Allah be pleased with him)

It is narrated from Sayyidah (the mother of Mas'ud bin al-Hakam) (may Allah be pleased with her) that she said: It is as if I can see Sayyiduna Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) riding the white mule of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) in a mountain pass of the Ansar (among the people), calling out: "O people, the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) has said: 'These are not days of fasting; rather, they are days of eating and drinking, the days of Mina (the days of Tashriq).'"

Ikrimah (may Allah have mercy on him) said: I set out from Muzdalifah with Sayyiduna Husayn bin Ali (may Allah be pleased with him), and I kept hearing him say: 'Labbayk, labbayk' (Here I am, here I am), until he reached the Jamrah (al-Aqabah). I asked him: "O Abu Abdullah, what is this talbiyah?" He said: "I heard my father, Sayyiduna Ali bin Abi Talib (may Allah be pleased with him), keep reciting the talbiyah until he reached the Jamrah, and he narrated to me that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) kept reciting the talbiyah until he (peace and blessings be upon him) reached the Jamrah."

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) that the camels of charity (sadaqah) passed by the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him), and he (peace and blessings be upon him) took a tuft of hair from the back of a camel and said: "I have no more right to even this single tuft than any ordinary Muslim."

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) that during a journey he would keep travelling until, when the sun had set and darkness had fallen, he would dismount and first pray Maghrib, then eat his evening meal, and immediately after that pray Isha. Then he (may Allah be pleased with him) would say: "This is how I saw the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) do it."

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "The Mahdi will be from us, the People of the House (Ahl al-Bayt); Allah Almighty will set him right in a single night."

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) that we were sitting with the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) while he (peace and blessings be upon him) was resting. We began to talk (among ourselves) about the Dajjal, and he (peace and blessings be upon him) woke up with his (peace and blessings be upon him) blessed face red (out of this concern). Then he (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "What I fear more for you than the Dajjal, other than the Dajjal, is misguiding leaders (imams)."

Nu'aym bin Dajajah (may Allah have mercy on him) narrates: I was sitting in the company of Sayyiduna Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) when Sayyiduna Abu Mas'ud (may Allah be pleased with him) suddenly came to him. Sayyiduna Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) said (in jest or by way of mention): "Farrukh has come." Then he sat down, and Sayyiduna Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) asked: "Do you give fatwas to the people?" He said: "Yes, and I tell them that the time to come is worse (than what has passed)." Sayyiduna Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) said: "Tell me, did you hear anything about this from the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him)?" He said: "Yes, I heard him (peace and blessings be upon him) say: 'A hundred years will not pass over the people while there remains upon the earth an eye that blinks (that is, anyone alive at that time).'" At this Sayyiduna Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) said (as a proverb): "Your mind has missed the mark, and you have erred in the very first of your fatwas. He (peace and blessings be upon him) said that only about those who were present (in his gathering) at that time. (As for trials,) is true ease and prosperity not going to come only after the hundred years have passed?"

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Indeed, the miscarried child (siqt) will plead insistently and fondly with its Lord when He admits its parents into the Fire, until it is said to it: 'O miscarried child who pleads with its Lord, go back, for I have admitted your parents into Paradise.'" He (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Then that child will drag them both by its navel cord until it brings them into Paradise."

It is narrated from Ali bin Husayn (may Allah have mercy on him) that he saw a man come to an opening near the blessed grave of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), enter it and supplicate there, and he forbade him, saying: "Shall I not narrate to you a hadith that I heard from my father, Sayyiduna Husayn (may Allah be pleased with him), who heard it from my grandfather, Sayyiduna Ali (may Allah be pleased with him), that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: 'Do not make my grave a place of festival ('id, a place of fairs or repeated gathering), and do not make your houses graveyards, for your greetings of peace reach me wherever you are.'"

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) that he said: "When I married Sayyidah Fatimah (may Allah be pleased with her), I said: O Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him), which of my things should I sell (to pay the dowry): my horse or my coat of armour? He (peace and blessings be upon him) said: 'Sell your coat of armour.' So I sold it for twelve uqiyyahs, and that became the dowry (mahr) of Sayyidah Fatimah (may Allah be pleased with her)."

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) that he said: "On the night Sayyidah Fatimah (may Allah be pleased with her) was sent to me as a bride, we had nothing to sleep on as a bed except the skin of a ram."

It is narrated from Kulayb (may Allah have mercy on him) that he said: I was sitting with Sayyiduna Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) while he was attending to some affair of the people, when suddenly a man dressed in travelling clothes came to him and called out: "O Commander of the Believers!" Since Sayyiduna Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) was occupied with public affairs, the man said again: "I —" I (Kulayb) asked him: "What is your matter?" He said: "I had set out for Hajj or Umrah" (the narrator is unsure whether he said Hajj or Umrah), "then I passed by Sayyidah Aishah (may Allah be pleased with her), and she asked: 'Who are these people who have set out from your side, who are called the Haruriyyah?' I said: 'They camped at a place called Harura', and from that they are called the Haruriyyah.' Sayyidah Aishah (may Allah be pleased with her) said: 'Glad tidings for the one who was present at their destruction (that is, at the fighting against them).' Then she said: 'By Allah, if you were to ask Ibn Abi Talib (Sayyiduna Ali, may Allah be pleased with him), he would tell you the full account of them.' That is why I have come here to ask him about it." The narrator said: When Sayyiduna Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) had finished his work, he asked: "Where is the man who was seeking permission?" The man stood before him and repeated what he had told me. Sayyiduna Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) said 'Allahu akbar' (Allah is the Greatest) aloud three times, then said: "I was with the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him), and there was no one with him except Sayyidah Aishah (may Allah be pleased with her). He (peace and blessings be upon him) said to me: 'O Ali, how will you be when a people will come forth who will appear from such-and-such a place?' and he (peace and blessings be upon him) pointed with his blessed hand towards the east. 'They will recite the Qur'an, but it will not go beyond their throats or their collarbones. They will pass out of Islam just as an arrow passes through the game. Among them will be a man with a deficient hand, as though it were the breast of a black woman.'" Then Sayyiduna Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) said to the people present: "I ask you by Allah, besides whom there is no god: did I not tell you (before fighting them) that this man would be among them?" The people said: "Yes!" He said: "Then you went and searched for him, and you brought him dragging him along, and he was exactly as he had been described to you." The narrator said: Then Sayyiduna Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) said three times: "Allah and His Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) have spoken the truth."

It is narrated from Abu Wa'il (may Allah have mercy on him); the narrator (Habib bin Abi Thabit) said: I came to him (Abu Wa'il) and asked him about those people (the Khawarij) whom Sayyiduna Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) had killed. I asked: "Over what did they separate from him? On what basis did they regard his blood as lawful? To what did Sayyiduna Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) invite them? What was the reason for their separation from him, and for what reason did he regard their blood as lawful?" He replied: "When the killing became intense among the people of Syria at Siffin, Sayyiduna Mu'awiyah (may Allah be pleased with him) and his companions resorted to a stratagem. Sayyiduna Amr bin al-As (may Allah be pleased with him) said to him: 'Send the Mushaf (the Qur'an) to me; by Allah, they will not reject it from you.'" The narrator said: Then a man came carrying it and called out: "The Book of Allah shall decide between us and you: 'Have you not seen those who were given a portion of the Book?'" Sayyiduna Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) said: "Yes, the Book of Allah is between us and you, and we have more right to it than you." Meanwhile the Khawarij came, whom in those days we used to call the 'Qurra'' (reciters). They came with their swords on their shoulders and said: "O Commander of the Believers, will you not advance against these people so that Allah may judge between us and them?" Then Sayyiduna Sahl bin Hunayf (may Allah be pleased with him) stood up and said: "O people, suspect your own opinions (in matters of religion). We were with the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) on the day of al-Hudaybiyah, and had we thought fighting was right, we would certainly have fought. That was at the time of the peace treaty that was made between the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) and the polytheists. On that occasion 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 they upon falsehood?' He (peace and blessings be upon him) said: 'Indeed, yes.' He said: 'Are our slain not in Paradise and theirs in Hell?' He (peace and blessings be upon him) said: 'Indeed, yes.' He said: 'Then why should we accept this humiliation in the matter of our religion, and why should we turn back before Allah has judged between us and them?' He (peace and blessings be upon him) said: 'O Ibn al-Khattab, I am the Messenger of Allah, and Allah will never let me be lost.' Then Sayyiduna Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) went away in a state of anger, unable to remain patient, until he came to Sayyiduna Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him) and repeated the same questions. Sayyiduna Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him) also gave the same answer: 'O Ibn al-Khattab, he is the Messenger of Allah, and Allah will never let him be lost.' Then the Qur'an was revealed to Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) with the glad tidings of victory, and he (peace and blessings be upon him) sent for Sayyiduna Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) and recited those verses to him. He said: 'O Messenger of Allah, is it really a victory?' He (peace and blessings be upon him) said: 'Yes.' Then his heart was at ease and he went back, and the other people went back too. Then this band of the Khawarij, consisting of more than ten thousand people, came out at the place called 'Harura''. Sayyiduna Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) sent to them, adjuring them by Allah to make them understand, but they refused. Then Sa'sa'ah bin Suhan (may Allah have mercy on him) came to them and, advising them, asked: 'On what basis are you fighting your caliph?' They said: 'Out of fear of fitnah (trial).' He replied: 'Do not hasten into this year's misguidance out of fear of next year's fitnah.' So they went back, saying: 'We will continue on the course on which we came. If Sayyiduna Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) accepts the arbitration, we will fight just as we fought on the day of Siffin, and if he breaks it, we will fight alongside him.' Then they went on until they reached al-Nahrawan. There a group of them broke away and began killing people at night. Their companions said: 'Woe to you! It was not for this that we separated from Sayyiduna Ali (may Allah be pleased with him).' When news of their state reached Sayyiduna Ali (may Allah be pleased with him), he stood up, addressed the people and asked: 'What is your opinion? Shall we march against the people of Syria, or turn back against those who have become a danger behind you to your families?' The people said: 'Rather, we will turn back against them.' Then Sayyiduna Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) mentioned them and related the saying of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) about them: 'At a time of disagreement among the people, a group will come forth, who will be killed by whichever of the two parties is closer to the truth. Their sign is a man whose hand is like a woman's breast (a lump of flesh).' So they marched until they met at al-Nahrawan, and there was fierce fighting. The horsemen of Sayyiduna Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) could not hold their ground against them, so Sayyiduna Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) stood up and said: 'O people, if you are fighting only for me, then by Allah I have nothing to give you; and if you are fighting for Allah, then this should not be your conduct.' Then the people charged together in one full assault, and the Khawarij were routed and lay fallen on their faces. Sayyiduna Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) said: 'Look for that man among them.' The people searched but did not find him, until some began saying: 'Ibn Abi Talib has deceived us concerning our brothers, so that we have killed them.' The narrator said: On hearing this, tears came to the eyes of Sayyiduna Ali (may Allah be pleased with him). He called for his mount, rode it and came to a hollow where the slain lay on top of one another. Their bodies were dragged aside by the feet until that man was found beneath them. When the people told him, Sayyiduna Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) said aloud, 'Allahu akbar' (Allah is the Greatest), and he rejoiced, and the people too rejoiced and returned. Sayyiduna Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) said: 'I will not fight any further this year.' So he returned to Kufah, and there he (may Allah have mercy on him) was martyred. Then Sayyiduna al-Hasan (may Allah be pleased with him) became caliph and followed the way of his father, and then he sent his pledge of allegiance to Sayyiduna Mu'awiyah (may Allah be pleased with him)."

It is narrated from Ubaydullah bin Iyad bin Amr al-Qari (may Allah have mercy on him) that Abdullah bin Shaddad (may Allah have mercy on him), on those nights when he returned from Iraq after the martyrdom of Sayyiduna Ali bin Abi Talib (may Allah be pleased with him), came into the presence of Sayyidah Aishah (may Allah be pleased with her) while we were sitting with her. Sayyidah Aishah (may Allah be pleased with her) asked him: "O Ibn Shaddad bin al-Had, will you tell me the truth about what I ask you? Tell me about those people whom Ali killed." He said: "Why would I not tell you the truth?" She (may Allah be pleased with her) said: "Then tell me their whole story." He related: When Sayyiduna Ali bin Abi Talib (may Allah be pleased with him) corresponded with Sayyiduna Mu'awiyah (may Allah be pleased with him) and the two arbitrators were appointed, eight thousand reciters of the Qur'an rose against him and camped at a place called 'Harura'' on one side of Kufah. They were displeased with him and began saying: "You have stepped out of the shirt that Allah clothed you with and given up the name that Allah gave you; then you went and made people arbitrators in the religion of Allah, whereas judgement belongs to none but Allah." When news of their objection and their separation reached Sayyiduna Ali (may Allah be pleased with him), he ordered a caller to announce: "None shall enter upon the Commander of the Believers except one who has memorised the Qur'an." When the house was full of reciters of the Qur'an, he (may Allah be pleased with him) called for a large copy of the Qur'an, placed it in front of him, and began striking it with his hand, saying: "O Mushaf, speak to the people." The people called out: "O Commander of the Believers, what are you asking it? It is only ink on paper; we speak according to its teachings. What do you want?" He (may Allah be pleased with him) said: "These companions of yours who have separated from me: between me and them is the Book of Allah. Allah Almighty says in His Book concerning a woman and a man: 'And if you fear a breach between the two of them, then send an arbitrator from his family and an arbitrator from her family; if they both desire reconciliation, Allah will bring about agreement between them.' So the sanctity of the Ummah of Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) and the protection of their lives is far greater than the matter of a man and a woman. And they object against me that, in writing the peace document with Mu'awiyah, I wrote my name as Ali bin Abi Talib (instead of Commander of the Believers). Yet when Suhayl bin Amr came to us for the peace treaty, the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) had written: 'Bismillah al-Rahman al-Rahim' (In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful), and he said: 'Do not write Bismillah al-Rahman al-Rahim.' He (peace and blessings be upon him) asked: 'Then what shall we write?' He said: 'Write: Bismika Allahumma (In Your name, O Allah).' Then the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: 'Very well, write: Muhammad, the Messenger of Allah.' He said: 'If I knew that you were the Messenger of Allah, I would not oppose you at all.' So he (peace and blessings be upon him) had it written: 'This is the peace that Muhammad bin Abdullah has made with Quraysh.' And Allah Almighty says in His Book: 'There has certainly been for you in the Messenger of Allah an excellent example for whoever hopes in Allah 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 them. I too went out with him, until when I reached the middle of their camp, Ibn al-Kawwa' stood up and addressed the people, saying: "O bearers of the Qur'an, this is Abdullah bin Abbas. Whoever does not know him, let him know that I recognise him through the Book of Allah: he is among those about whom this verse was revealed: 'They are a quarrelsome people.' So send him back to his master and do not put the Book of Allah before him (for debate)." But their other speakers stood up and said: "By Allah, we will certainly debate the Book of Allah with him. If he brings the truth, we will recognise it and follow it, and if he brings falsehood, we will refute him and send him back to his master." So for three days they put the Book of Allah before Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Abbas (may Allah be pleased with them both) (and debated with him), as a result of which four thousand of them repented and came back, Ibn al-Kawwa' among them. Ibn Abbas brought them to Sayyiduna Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) in Kufah. Then Sayyiduna Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) sent word to those who remained: "You have seen what happened between us and the people. Now stay wherever you wish. Between us and you is this covenant: that you will not shed forbidden blood, will not block the roads, and will not oppress any protected non-Muslim (dhimmi). But if you do so, we will declare war against you: 'Indeed, Allah does not love the treacherous.'" Abdullah bin Shaddad said: Sayyidah Aishah (may Allah be pleased with her) asked him: "O Ibn Shaddad, did Ali really kill them?" He said: "By Allah, he did not send an army against them until they had blocked the roads, shed blood and regarded the killing of the protected non-Muslims as lawful." She asked: "By Allah?" He replied: "By Allah, besides whom there is no god! That is exactly what happened." She asked: "What is this that has reached me about the people of Iraq, that they repeatedly speak of 'Dhu al-Thudayyah' (the man with the breast-like hand)?" He said: "I saw him, and when he was found in the heap of the slain I was standing there with Ali (may Allah be pleased with him). He called out to the people and asked: 'Do you know this man?' Many people came and said: 'I saw him praying in the mosque of such-and-such a tribe.' Apart from that, they could not bring any reliable identification of him." She (may Allah be pleased with her) asked: "When Ali stood over him, what did he say, as the people of Iraq claim?" He said: "I heard him say only: 'Allah and His Messenger have spoken the truth.'" She asked: "Did you hear him say anything other than that?" He said: "O Allah, no (I heard only this)." Sayyidah Aishah (may Allah be pleased with her) said: "Yes! Allah and His Messenger have spoken the truth. May Allah have mercy on Ali. It was his habit that whenever he saw something that pleased him (or a prophecy that came true), he would say just this: 'Allah and His Messenger have spoken the truth.' But the people of Iraq attribute lies to him and add things of their own to his words."

It is narrated from Abidah al-Salmani (may Allah have mercy on him) that when the Khawarij were killed at al-Nahrawan, Sayyiduna Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) said to us: "Search among these slain (for the man in question), for if these are the same group that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) mentioned, then there will certainly be among them a man one of whose hands is deficient, short, or like a lump of flesh." Abidah (may Allah have mercy on him) said: So we searched for him and found him. Then we called Sayyiduna Ali (may Allah be pleased with him), and he came and stood over him and said: 'Allahu akbar' (Allah is the Greatest). "Were it not that I fear you would become proud (merely on account of this merit), I would certainly tell you the reward that Allah Almighty has decreed, on the blessed tongue of His Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him), for those who kill these Khawarij." Abidah (may Allah have mercy on him) said: I asked: "Did you yourself hear this from the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him)?" He (may Allah be pleased with him) said: "Yes, by the Lord of the Ka'bah! Yes, by the Lord of the Ka'bah!" The narrator said: When this news reached some of the wives of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), it was as though she felt envious of him (Sayyiduna Ali, may Allah be pleased with him) for this merit. Imam Awf (may Allah have mercy on him) said: I deliberately did not reveal her name (that of the Mother of the Believers).

It is narrated from a man of the tribe of Abd al-Qays that he said: I was present with Sayyiduna Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) on the day the people of al-Nahrawan (the Khawarij) were killed. Then he related that when they had been killed, Sayyiduna Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) said: "Bring me Dhu al-Thudayyah (the man with the breast-like hand)" or "al-Mukhdaj (the man with the deficient limb)". The narrator mentioned some further things about this that I do not remember. He related: Then the people searched for him and found an Abyssinian man who was like a camel (in size), and on his shoulder there was a protrusion like a woman's breast. Abd al-Rahman (may Allah have mercy on him) said: I think the narrator also mentioned that there was hair on it. If anyone's soul could leave him out of sheer joy, the soul of Sayyiduna Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) would have left him that day (from the intensity of his happiness). He (may Allah be pleased with him) said: "Allah and His Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) have spoken the truth. Whoever among the people tells me that he saw him before this place where he fell (was killed), then I am a liar."

Abidah (may Allah have mercy on him) narrates that Sayyiduna Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) then mentioned the people of al-Nahrawan (the Khawarij) and said: "Among them will be a man whose hand is short, like a lump of flesh, or deformed. Were it not that I fear you would become proud (neglecting other deeds in the hope of abundant reward), I would certainly tell you what Allah Almighty has promised, on the blessed tongue of Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him), to those who kill them." Abidah (may Allah have mercy on him) said: I asked: "Did you hear this yourself from the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him)?" He replied: "Yes, by the Lord of the Ka'bah!"

It is narrated from Abu Kathir (may Allah have mercy on him), a freed slave of the Ansar, that he was with Sayyiduna Ali bin Abi Talib (may Allah be pleased with him) when the people of al-Nahrawan were killed. He related that the people felt some unease and misgiving in their hearts because of their killing. Then Sayyiduna Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) said: "O people, the Prophet of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) told us of peoples who will pass out of the religion just as an arrow passes through the game, and they will not return to it until the arrow returns to its notch. The sign of this is that among them will be a man with a deficient hand; one of his hands will be like a woman's breast, with a tip like the nipple of a breast, and on it there will be seven hairs. So search for him, for I think he is among them." So the people searched for him and found him on the bank of the river, pinned beneath the slain. When he was brought out, Sayyiduna Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) raised the takbir and said: "Allah is the Greatest; Allah and His Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) have spoken the truth." Another sign of him was that he was carrying an Arabian bow slung over him. Sayyiduna Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) took it in his hand and began poking that deficient part of him with the bow, saying: "Allah is the Greatest; Allah and His Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) have spoken the truth; Allah and His Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) have spoken the truth." When the people saw that man, they too said the takbir and rejoiced, and the (unease and doubt) that was in their hearts went away.

It is narrated from Abidah (may Allah have mercy on him) that he said: "I narrate to you only what I heard from him (that is, Sayyiduna Ali, may Allah be pleased with him)." Then (he related that) Sayyiduna Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) said: "Were it not that I fear you would become proud (out of complacency), I would certainly inform you of what Allah Almighty has promised, on the blessed tongue of Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him), to those who kill them (the Khawarij)." Abidah (may Allah have mercy on him) said: I asked: "Did you yourself hear this from Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him)?" He said three times: "Yes, by the Lord of the Ka'bah!" (Sayyiduna Ali, may Allah be pleased with him, had said that) among them there would be a man whose hand is deficient or like a lump of flesh. The narrator said: I think he used the words "mudan al-yad" (a deficient, short hand). The narrator related: Then the people searched for that man and found him (among the slain); on his arm there was a fleshy protrusion like a woman's breast with a few hairs on it. Muhammad (may Allah have mercy on him) said: Abidah (may Allah have mercy on him) swore to me three times that he heard this from Sayyiduna Ali (may Allah be pleased with him), and Sayyiduna Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) swore three times that he heard it from the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him).

It is narrated from Abu al-Wadi' (may Allah have mercy on him) that he said: I was present with Sayyiduna Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) when the people of al-Nahrawan (the Khawarij) were killed, and he (may Allah be pleased with him) said: "Search for the deformed man." The narrator said: The people searched for him among the slain but did not find him, so they said: "We cannot find him." At this Sayyiduna Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) said: "Go back and search for him (again); by Allah, I have not lied, nor have I been told a lie." So they went back and searched for him, and he (may Allah be pleased with him) kept repeating the same words again and again: "I have not lied, nor have I been told a lie." At last they went and found him pressed into the mud beneath the slain. He was pulled out from there and brought to him (may Allah be pleased with him). Abu al-Wadi' (may Allah have mercy on him) said: It is as if I can still see him: he was an Abyssinian wearing a tunic, and one of his hands was like a woman's breast (a lump of flesh), with a few hairs on it like the hairs on the tail of a jerboa (desert rat).

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) that when the Khawarij were mentioned, he said: "Among them will be a man whose hand is deficient (congenitally short)", or he said, "short, or like a lump of flesh. Were it not that I fear you would become proud (abandoning deeds and relying on this glad tiding alone), I would certainly tell you of the rewards that Allah Almighty has promised, on the blessed tongue of Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him), to those who will kill them (the Khawarij)." Abidah (may Allah have mercy on him) related: I asked: "Did you hear this yourself from Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him)?" He said (three times): "Yes, by the Lord of the Ka'bah! Yes, by the Lord of the Ka'bah! Yes, by the Lord of the Ka'bah!"

Kulayb (may Allah have mercy on him) related: I was sitting in the company of Sayyiduna Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) when a man came who showed clear signs of travel. He said: "O Commander of the Believers, will you permit me to speak?" Sayyiduna Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) was at that time engaged in conversation with the people, so he could not pay attention to him. I asked the man about his situation, and he said: "I went to perform Umrah, and there I met Sayyidah Aishah (may Allah be pleased with her). She asked me: 'Who are these people who have come forth from your land and are called the Haruriyyah?' I said: 'They came out of a settlement called Harura', so they are called by that name.' She asked: 'Were you present at their destruction (that is, at the battle against them)?'" (The narrator said:) I do not remember whether the man said 'yes' or 'no'. "In any case, Sayyidah Aishah (may Allah be pleased with her) said: 'Glad tidings for the one who was present at their killing. By Allah, if Sayyiduna Ali bin Abi Talib (may Allah be pleased with him) wished, he would give you the (full) account of them.' So I have now come to ask him about it." When Sayyiduna Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) was free, he asked: "Where is the man who was seeking permission?" He related the same story he had told us, whereupon Sayyiduna Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) said twice 'La ilaha illa Allah' (there is no god worthy of worship but Allah) and 'Allahu akbar' (Allah is the Greatest), and then said: "I went into the presence of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him), and there was no one else there except the Mother of the Believers, Sayyidah Aishah (may Allah be pleased with her). He (peace and blessings be upon him) asked me: 'O Ali, how will you be when such-and-such a people come forth?' I said: 'Allah and His Messenger know best.' Then he (peace and blessings be upon him), pointing with his blessed hand, said: 'A people will appear from the direction of the east. They will recite the Qur'an, but it will not go below their throats. They will pass swiftly out of the religion just as an arrow passes through the game. Among them will be a man with a deficient hand (that is, short and like a lump of flesh), as though it were the breast of an Abyssinian woman.'" (Then Sayyiduna Ali, may Allah be pleased with him, addressed the gathering and asked:) "I ask you by Allah: did I not tell you about them (the Khawarij) beforehand?" The people said: "Yes." He asked again: "I ask you by Allah: did I not tell you that this man (with the particular sign) was among them?" They said: "Yes." He said: "Then you came and told me that he was not among them, and I swore before you that he was certainly among them?" They said: "Yes." He said: "Then you brought him to me dragging him along, and his condition was exactly as I had described him to you?" They said: "Yes." At this he (may Allah be pleased with him) said: "Allah and His Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) have spoken the truth."

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Indeed, Allah, the Mighty and Majestic, loves the believing servant who, though he falls (into trials or sins) again and again, repents abundantly."

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said to me: "O Ali, perform ablution thoroughly and completely, observing all its etiquettes and limits, even if it is hard for you; do not eat from charity (sadaqah); do not let donkeys mate with mares; and do not sit in the company of astrologers."

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Suhayb (may Allah be pleased with him) that Sayyiduna Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) related that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) asked me: "Who was the most wretched of the earlier peoples?" I said: The one who hamstrung the she-camel (of Sayyiduna Salih, peace be upon him). He (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "You have spoken the truth. Then tell me, who is the most wretched of the later peoples?" I said: O Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him), I do not know. He (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "The one who will strike you here," and he (peace and blessings be upon him) pointed with his blessed hand to the top of his head. And Sayyiduna Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) often used to say: "I wish that the most wretched of you would rise up and dye this with this," that is, (he meant) that the blood of his head would dye his beard.

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) that when the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) entered the mosque, he would say: 'Allahumma iftah li abwaba rahmatik' (O Allah, open for me the gates of Your mercy), and when he came out of the mosque, he would say: 'Allahumma iftah li abwaba fadlik' (O Allah, open for me the gates of Your bounty).

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "All livestock (grazing animals) are wholly wrongdoers or transgressors."

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Ali bin Abi Talib (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Performing ablution thoroughly despite unpleasant conditions and hardship, taking many steps to the mosques, and waiting for the next prayer after a prayer wash away sins just as a thing is washed thoroughly clean."

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Ali bin Abi Talib (may Allah be pleased with him) that he said: "On the day of Badr I was at a well, drawing water from it, when suddenly a very strong wind blew. Then another extremely violent wind blew, such that I had never seen a wind more violent than it except the first one. Then a third time another powerful wind blew. With the first wind, Sayyiduna Mika'il (peace be upon him) came with a thousand angels on the right side of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him); with the second wind, Sayyiduna Israfil (peace be upon him) was with a thousand angels on the left side of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him); and with the third wind, Sayyiduna Jibril (peace be upon him) came with a thousand angels. At that time Sayyiduna Abu Bakr al-Siddiq (may Allah be pleased with him) was on his (peace and blessings be upon him) right side and I was on his (peace and blessings be upon him) left side. Then, when Allah Almighty inflicted a crushing defeat on the disbelievers, the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) mounted me on a horse. When I had settled firmly on it, it dashed off with me, and losing my balance I fell onto its neck. Then I supplicated to Allah Almighty, and He made me firm on the horse. Then I struck at the enemy with my spear so much that the blood reached my armpit."

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Ali bin Abi Talib (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Indeed, Allah Almighty is gentle and loves gentleness, and He grants for gentleness what He does not grant for harshness."

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) that he said: "Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Salam (may Allah be pleased with him) came to me when I had already put my foot in the stirrup (for the journey to Iraq). He said to me: Do not go to Iraq, for I fear that the edge of the sword will strike you there (that is, you will be martyred). Sayyiduna Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) said: 'By Allah, the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) had already informed me of this.' Abu al-Aswad (may Allah have mercy on him) said: I have never seen, as I did that day, a warrior giving such news (of a fatal end) about himself."

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) that Sayyiduna Ammar (may Allah be pleased with him) asked the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) for permission (to come into his presence), and he (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Welcome to the pure one who has been made pure!"

Ishaq (may Allah have mercy on him) narrated this report to us from Sharik (may Allah have mercy on him) with his previous chain, in the same way. And in Ishaq's (may Allah have mercy on him) narration it is mentioned that "the doubt (in a word of the report) is from Sharik (may Allah have mercy on him)."

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) that he said: "Indeed, Allah Almighty, on the blessed tongue of His Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), named war 'deception' (that is, a stratagem of war)."

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Ali (may Allah be pleased with him): "The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) used to pray eight rak'ahs of voluntary prayer at night and twelve rak'ahs during the day."

Tha'labah bin Yazid al-Himmani (may Allah have mercy on him) narrates from Sayyiduna Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) that he said: I heard the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) say: "Whoever deliberately attributes a lie to me, let him take his seat in the Fire of Hell."

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) forbade a man, before the Isha prayer and after it, to raise his voice in reciting the Qur'an so loudly that he confuses his companions (in the verses) while the people are praying.

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Ali bin Abi Talib (may Allah be pleased with him) that he named his eldest son Hamzah (after his uncle), and named Husayn after his uncle Ja'far. He said: Then the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) called Ali (may Allah be pleased with him), and when he came, he (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Have you changed the names of these two sons of mine?" I said: Allah and His Messenger know best. So he (peace and blessings be upon him) named them Hasan and Husayn.

It is narrated from Abu Hayyah (may Allah have mercy on him) that he said: I saw Sayyiduna Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) performing ablution. He washed his hands until he had cleaned them well, then rinsed his mouth three times, put water into his nose three times, washed his face three times, and washed both his arms up to and including the elbows three times. Then he wiped his head and washed both his feet up to the ankles. After that he took the water left over from his ablution and drank it while standing, then said: "I wanted to show you how the ablution of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) used to be."

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) that Abd Khayr (may Allah have mercy on him) narrated the like of Abu Hayyah's (may Allah have mercy on him) hadith, except that Abd Khayr (may Allah have mercy on him) specified: "When he (may Allah be pleased with him) finished his ablution, he would take a handful of the water left over from his ablution and drink it."