[1] After the battle of Siffin, Mu‘āwiyah had spread killing and bloodshed all round, and started encroachments on cities within Amīr al-mu’minīn’s domain. In this connection he dupted Sufyan ibn `Awf al-Ghamidi with a force of six thousand to attack Hit, al-Anbār and al-Mada‘in. First he reached al-Mada‘in but finding it deserted proceeded to al-Anbār. Here a contingent of five hundred soldiers was posted as guard from Amīr al-mu’minīn’s side, but it could not resist the fierce army of Mu‘āwiyah. Only a hundred men stuck to their position and they did face them stoutly as far as they could but collecting together the enemy’s force made such severe attack that they too could no more resist and the chief of the contingent Ḥassān ibn Ḥassān al-Bakri was killed along with thirty others. When the battlefield was clear the enemy ransacked al-Anbār with full freedom and left the city completely destroyed. When Amīr al-mu’minīn got the news of this attack he ascended the pulpit, and exhorted the people for crushing the enemy and called them to jihād, but from no quarter was there any voice or response. He alighted from the pulpit utterly disgusted and worried and in the same condition set off for the enemy on foot. When people observed this their sense of self respect and shame was also awakened and they too followed him. Amīr al-mu’minīn stopped at an-Nukhaylah. People then surrounded and insisted upon him to get back as they were enough with the enemy, when their insistence increased beyond reckoning, Amīr al-mu’minīn consented to return and Said ibn Qays al-Hamdāni proceeded forward with a force of eight thousand. But Sufyan ibn ‘Awf al-Ghāmidi had gone, so Said came back without any encounter. When Said reached Kūfah then - according to the version of Ibn Abi’l-Ḥadīd - Amīr al-mu’minīn was so deeply grieved and indisposed during those days to an extent of not wishing to enter the mosque, but instead sat in the corridor of his residence (that connects the entrance of the mosque) and wrote this sermon and gave it to his slave Sa'd to read it over to the people. But al-Mubarrad (al-Kāmil, vol. l, pp. 104-107) has related from ‘Ubaydullah ibn Hafṣ at-Taymi, Ibn ‘Ā’ishah, that Amīr al-mu’minīn delivered this sermon on a high pace in an-Nukhaylah. Ibn Maytham has held this view preferable.