SERMON 169
When Amir al-mu'minin approached Basrah an Arab met him
and spoke to him, as he had been sent to him by a group of people
of Basrah to enquire from him on their behalf position vis-à-vis
the people of Jamal. Amir al-mu'minin explained to him his position
with respect to them, from which he was convinced that Amir al-mu'minin
was in the right. Then Amir al-mu'minin asked him to swear allegiance,
but he replied "I am just a message carrier of a people and
shall not do anything until I get back to them." Upon this
Amir al-mu'minin said to him:
If those at your back send you as a forerunner to search out a
rain-fed area for them, and you return to them and apprise them
of greenery and water but they disagree with you and go towards
dry and barren land, what would you do then? He said: I would
leave them and go towards greenery and water. Amir al-mu'minin
then said: So then extend your hand.
This man related that: By Allah, by such a clear argument I could
not refrain from swearing allegiance to Amir al-mu'minin.
This man was know as Kulayb al-Jarmi.
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