Abdullah bin Shaddad came in and visited Ayesha while we were sitting with her, on his return from Iraq during the nights when Ali was killed.She said to him, "Abdullah bin Shaddad, will you be truthful with me about what I am going to ask you? Tell me about those people whom Ali killed."He replied, "Why would I not be truthful with you?"She said, "Then tell me their story."He said, "When Ali corresponded with Muawiya and the two arbitrators delivered their judgment, eight thousand of the Quran reciters rebelled against him and camped at a place called Harura on the outskirts of Kufa. They reproached him, saying, 'You stripped off a garment that Allah Most High had clothed you in and a title that Allah Most High had named you with, then you went and submitted to arbitration in the religion of Allah, when judgment belongs to none but Allah Most High.'When word reached Ali about their grievances and that they had separated from him on this account, he ordered a caller to announce that no one should enter upon the Commander of the Faithful except a man who had memorized the Quran. When the house was filled with Quran reciters, he called for a great master copy of the Quran, placed it before him, and began striking it with his hand, saying, 'Quran, speak to the people!'The people called out to him, saying, 'Commander of the Faithful, what are you asking it about? It is only ink on paper, and we speak from what we have learned of it. So what is it you want?'He said, 'These companions of yours who have rebelled, between me and them is the Book of Allah. Allah Most High says in His Book regarding a woman and her husband, "And if you fear a breach between them, appoint an arbitrator from his family and an arbitrator from her family. If they both desire reconciliation, Allah will bring about agreement between them" [Nisa 4:35]. So the nation of Muhammad ﷺ has greater sanctity in blood and inviolability than a woman and a man. They condemned me for corresponding with Muawiya, but Suhayl bin Amr came to us when we were with the Messenger of Allah ﷺ at Hudaybiya during his treaty with his people, the Quraysh. The Messenger of Allah ﷺ wrote, "In the name of Allah, the Most Merciful, the Most Compassionate."Suhayl said, "Do not write 'In the name of Allah, the Most Merciful, the Most Compassionate.'"He asked, "How shall we write it?"Suhayl said, "Write, 'In Your name, O Allah.'"The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said, "Then write, 'Muhammad, the Messenger of Allah.'"Suhayl said, "If I knew you were the Messenger of Allah, I would not oppose you."So he wrote, "This is what Muhammad bin Abdullah agreed upon with the Quraysh." And Allah Most High 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" [Ahzab 33:21].'Then Ali sent Abdullah bin Abbas to them, and I went out with him. When we reached the middle of their camp, Ibn al-Kawwa stood up to address the people and said, 'Bearers of the Quran, this is Abdullah bin Abbas. Whoever does not know him, I know him from the Book of Allah by what is described therein. He is among those about whom and about whose people the verse was revealed, "They are a contentious people" [Zukhruf 43:58]. So send him back to his master and do not engage him in debate over the Book of Allah.'Then their orators stood up and said, 'By Allah, we shall indeed engage him in debate over the Book of Allah. If he comes with truth that we recognize, we will follow him, and if he comes with falsehood, we will refute him with his falsehood.'So they engaged Abdullah in debate over the Book for three days, and four thousand of them returned, all of them repentant, including Ibn al-Kawwa, until he brought them to Ali in Kufa.Then Ali sent word to the rest of them, saying, 'What has occurred between us and the people you have witnessed. So stay wherever you wish until the nation of Muhammad ﷺ is united, on condition that you do not shed forbidden blood, cut off any road, or wrong any protected non-Muslim. For if you do any of that, we have declared war on you on equal terms. Indeed, Allah does not love the treacherous.'"Ayesha said to him, "Ibn Shaddad, did he then kill them?"He replied, "By Allah, he did not march against them until they had cut off roads, shed blood, and declared lawful the killing of the protected non-Muslims."She said, "By Allah?"He said, "By Allah, beside whom there is no god, that is indeed what happened."She said, "What is this thing that has reached me from the people of Iraq, who speak of 'the man with the breast' and 'the man with the breast'?"He replied, "I saw him myself, and I stood with Ali over him among the slain. Ali called the people and said, 'Do you recognize this man?' How many came forward saying, 'I saw him praying in the mosque of such-and-such tribe,' and 'I saw him praying in the mosque of such-and-such tribe.' But they brought no firm evidence about him known except that."She said, "What did Ali say when he stood over him, as the people of Iraq claim?"He said, "I heard him say, 'Allah and His Messenger spoke the truth.'"She asked, "Did you hear him say anything else?"He said, "By Allah, no."She said, "Indeed, Allah and His Messenger spoke the truth. May Allah have mercy on Ali. It was part of his manner of speech that he never saw something that pleased him without saying, 'Allah and His Messenger spoke the truth.' Yet the people of Iraq go and lie about him and add to the narration."
حدثنا إسحاق بن عيسى الطباع حدثني يحيى بن سليم عن عبد الله بن عثمان بن خثيم
جاء عبد الله بن شداد فدخل على عائشة رضي الله عنها ونحن عندها جلوس مرجعه من العراق ليالي قتل علي رضي الله عنه فقالت له يا عبد الله بن شداد هل أنت صادقي عما أسألك عنه تحدثني عن هؤلاء القوم الذين قتلهم علي رضي الله عنه قال وما لي لا أصدقك قالت فحدثني عن قصتهم قال فإن عليا رضي الله عنه لما كاتب معاوية وحكم الحكمان خرج عليه ثمانية آلاف من قراء الناس فنزلوا بأرض يقال لها حروراء من جانب الكوفة وإنهم عتبوا عليه فقالوا انسلخت من قميص ألبسكه الله تعالى واسم سماك الله تعالى به ثم انطلقت فحكمت في دين الله فلا حكم إلا لله تعالى فلما أن بلغ عليا رضي الله عنه ما عتبوا عليه وفارقوه عليه فأمر مؤذنا فأذن أن لا يدخل على أمير المؤمنين إلا رجل قد حمل القرآن فلما أن امتلأت الدار من قراء الناس دعا بمصحف إمام عظيم فوضعه بين يديه فجعل يصكه بيده ويقول أيها المصحف حدث الناس فناداه الناس فقالوا يا أمير المؤمنين ما تسأل عنه إنما هو مداد في ورق ونحن نتكلم بما روينا منه فماذا تريد قال أصحابكم هؤلاء الذين خرجوا بيني وبينهم كتاب الله يقول الله تعالى في كتابه في امرأة ورجل {وإن خفتم شقاق بينهما فابعثوا حكما من أهله وحكما من أهلها إن يريدا إصلاحا يوفق الله بينهما} فأمة محمد ﷺ أعظم دما وحرمة من امرأة ورجل ونقموا علي أن كاتبت معاوية كتب علي بن أبي طالب وقد جاءنا سهيل بن عمرو ونحن مع رسول الله ﷺ بالحديبية حين صالح قومه قريشا فكتب رسول الله ﷺ بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم فقال سهيل لا تكتب بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم فقال كيف نكتب فقال اكتب باسمك اللهم فقال رسول الله ﷺ فاكتب محمد رسول الله فقال لو أعلم أنك رسول الله لم أخالفك فكتب هذا ما صالح محمد بن عبد الله قريشا يقول الله تعالى في كتابه {لقد كان لكم في رسول الله أسوة حسنة لمن كان يرجو الله واليوم الآخر} فبعث إليهم علي عبد الله بن عباس رضي الله عنه فخرجت معه حتى إذا توسطنا عسكرهم قام ابن الكواء يخطب الناس فقال يا حملة القرآن إن هذا عبد الله بن عباس رضي الله عنه فمن لم يكن يعرفه فأنا أعرفه من كتاب الله ما يعرفه به هذا ممن نزل فيه وفي قومه {قوم خصمون} فردوه إلى صاحبه ولا تواضعوه كتاب الله فقام خطباؤهم فقالوا والله لنواضعنه كتاب الله فإن جاء بحق نعرفه لنتبعنه وإن جاء بباطل لنبكتنه بباطله فواضعوا عبد الله الكتاب ثلاثة أيام فرجع منهم أربعة آلاف كلهم تائب فيهم ابن الكواء حتى أدخلهم على علي الكوفة فبعث علي رضي الله عنه إلى بقيتهم فقال قد كان من أمرنا وأمر الناس ما قد رأيتم فقفوا حيث شئتم حتى تجتمع أمة محمد ﷺ بيننا وبينكم أن لا تسفكوا دما حراما أو تقطعوا سبيلا أو تظلموا ذمة فإنكم إن فعلتم فقد نبذنا إليكم الحرب على سواء إن الله لا يحب الخائنين فقالت له عائشة رضي الله عنها يا ابن شداد فقد قتلهم فقال والله ما بعث إليهم حتى قطعوا السبيل وسفكوا الدم واستحلوا أهل الذمة فقالت أالله قال أالله الذي لا إله إلا هو لقد كان قالت فما شيء بلغني عن أهل الذمة يتحدثونه يقولون ذو الثدي وذو الثدي قال قد رأيته وقمت مع علي رضي الله عنه عليه في القتلى فدعا الناس فقال أتعرفون هذا فما أكثر من جاء يقول قد رأيته في مسجد بني فلان يصلي ورأيته في مسجد بني فلان يصلي ولم يأتوا فيه بثبت يعرف إلا ذلك قالت فما قول علي رضي الله عنه حين قام عليه كما يزعم أهل العراق قال سمعته يقول صدق الله ورسوله قالت هل سمعت منه أنه قال غير ذلك قال اللهم لا قالت أجل صدق الله ورسوله يرحم الله عليا رضي الله عنه إنه كان من كلامه لا يرى شيئا يعجبه إلا قال صدق الله ورسوله فيذهب أهل العراق يكذبون عليه ويزيدون عليه في الحديث