Ibne Abbas says : One day, an adherent of Imam ‘Ali who was staying in Syria wrote a letter to him whose contents were as follows: ‘Umro b. As, Utbah b. Abi Sufyan, al-Walid b. ‘Aqbah and Marwan b. Hakam gathered around Mu’awiyah when a discussion concerning Imam ‘Ali’s sermon arose among them. They criticized him (Imam ‘Ali) extremely and made it known among the people that he (‘Ali) had lessened the quantity of the Prophet’s companions (by waging the battle of al-Jamal and now al-Siffin).
They attributed such faults to him (and implied) which they themselves were more worthy of possessing. This letter reached Imam ‘Ali when he had commanded his troops to proceed to the encampment at al-Nukhaylah and to stay there until he himself joined them (and from there they would proceed for the battle of al-Siffin against Mu’awiyah), however the troops displayed laxity and entered Kufah leaving him alone.
This episode grieved Imam ‘Ali and word spread all around about what had transpired. When I was informed about it, I went to meet Imam ‘Ali at night and met Qambar (his servant) and asked him, ‘What is the news of the Commander of the Faithful?’ Qambar replied, ‘He is sleeping.’ However, the Imam heard the voice of Qambar and asked who was there, to which Qambar replied that I had come to meet him. He permitted me to enter therein and I saw him sitting in a corner of his bed. He had wrapped himself with his shirt and was looking disturbed. I said, ‘Tonight I see you in an extraordinary state, O Commander of the Faithful!’
He replied, ‘O son of ‘Abbas! Woe be to you! The eyes are sleepy but the heart is troubled, while the heart is the king of all your bodily parts. Thus when the heart is aggrieved, sleep parts away from the eyes. You now see me that I am constantly thinking from the start of the night about how the community broke their promises during the beginning (after the death of the Prophet), and they have made this breach of trust their destiny.
During his lifetime, the Noble Prophet had commanded his companions to salute me addressing me as the Commander of the Faithful, and I always strived to be so even after the death of the Prophet. O son of ‘Abbas! I am the best one and the most near among them after the death of the Prophet. But people’s attachment to the world and the sovereignty has brought such animosity, while their hearts have drifted away from me and they do not obey me. O son of ‘Abbas! My situation has reached to such an extent that I am being considered equal to the son of Hind, the chewer of the liver (of Hamzah) (i.e. Mu’awiyah), ‘Umro b. As, ‘Utbah, al-Walid, Marwan and their accomplices.
Due to this, I am disturbed and I see that the caliphate and the legacy of the Prophet is in the hands of the one who considers himself to be the chief of men, and the men obey himand these chiefs criticize the ‘friends of Allah’ and accuse them unjustly! Thus, they reveal their enmity towards them through lies and ancient malice; while the companions of Muhammad, who are the defenders and guardians of his secrets, very well know that all of my enemies in fact are obeying Satan by opposing me and have made the people heedless of me. They obey the caprice of the self and have thus destroyed their hereafter. Allah is Absolute and Self-Sufficient and it is He Who is the Bestower of Grace in the path of guidance and righteousness.
O son of ‘Abbas! Woe be to the one who oppresses me and usurps my right and snatches away the great position from me. Where were these men when I had prayed alongside the Prophet during my childhood, when prayers were not even incumbent upon me, while they were worshipping their idols and neglecting the commands of Allah and they were the kindlers of the fire of hell? Then they turned away from infidelity and accepted Islam unwillingly, but their hearts were full of infidelity and hypocricy.
In their greed to extinguish the ‘Light of Allah’, they impatiently awaited the death of the Prophet and counted each minute of his prophetic mission to conclude. Their avarice and envy reached such height that they resolved to kill the Prophet in Makkah, and for this gathered at Darul Nadwa to plan his murder. Allah says regarding this, “And they planned and Allah (also) planned, and verily Allah is the best of planners.” (Surat Ale ‘Imran (3): 54) and He also says, “They intend to put out the Light of Allah with (the blow of) their mouths, and Allah disdains this save that He prefects His Light, though the infidels may detest.” (Suratul Bara’at (9): 32).
O son of ‘Abbas! During his lifetime, the Prophet of Allah invited them towards the revelations of Allah and commanded them towards my authority and friendship. Satan led them astray in the same motivation that he had enmity for our grandfather, Prophet Adam. He (Satan) envied Adam and due to this very envy with the friend of Allah, he was expelled from the presence of Allah and became entangled in the wrath of Allah forever. The envy of the Quraysh towards me – Allah willing – shall not put me in any loss.
O son of ‘Abbas! Each of these men desire to be a chief and superior and that the world and her adherents should turn towards them, while the caprice of their self and the pleasure of the affection of the world, as well as the obedience of men, made them usurp my right bestowed upon me by Allah.
If I had not feared that the Ahlul Bayt would be left behind and the tree of knowledge would be severed and that the firm rope of Allah, the fortress of the trustworthy of the Allah and the sons of the Prophet of Allah would be killed – death and the meeting with Allah would be more dear to me than the water which a thirsty man desires and is sweeter than the dream of the dreamer.
However I bore patiently until the extreme sorrow jammed into my heart and the commotion settled in my mind. But (my course is) timely patience, and Allah is He Whose help is to be sought against what you describe. In the past too, messengers were oppressed and the friends of Allah were killed; and soon the disbelievers will know for whom is the sequel of the eternal abode.’”
At that moment, the sound of the call to prayer arose and the caller called our, “the prayers!”
Imam ‘Ali said, “O son of ‘Abbas! Do not forget and seek forgiveness for me and yourself while Allah is Sufficient for us and He is the guardian of the good, and there is no might and no power except with Allah, the Most High, the Most Great.”
Ibn ‘Abbas says that I was very much saddened due to the ending of the night and the concluding of the Commander of the Faithful’s speech.
House of Sorrows Translation of Baytul AhzanShaikh Abbas Al – Qummi