Nahj al-Balāgha

ومن كلام له (عليه السلام) في وجوب اتباع الحقّ عند قيام الحجّة كلّم به بعض العرب، وقد أرسله قوم من أهل البصرة لما قرب (عليه السلام) منها ليعلم لهم منه حقيقة حاله مع أصحاب الجمل لتزول الشبهة من نفوسهم، فبيّن له (عليه السلام) من أمره معهم ما علم به أنّه على الحقّ. ثمّ قال له: بايع. فقال: إني رسول قوم، ولا أحدِث حدثاً حتى أرجع إليهم. فقال (عليه السلام):

When Amīr al-mu’minīn approached Baṣrah an Arab met him and spoke to him, as he had been sent to him by a group of people of Baṣrah to enquire from him on their behalf his position vis-à-vis the people of Jamal. Amīr al-mu’minīn explained to him his position with respect to them, from which he was convinced that Amīr al-mu’minīn was in the right. Then Amīr al-mu’minīn 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 Amīr al-mu’minīn said to him:

أَرَأَيْتَ لَوْ أَنَّ الَّذِينَ وَرَاءَكَ بَعَثُوكَ رَائِداً تَبْتَغِي لَهُمْ مَسَاقِطَ الْغَيْثِ، فَرَجَعْتَ إلَيْهِمْ وَأَخْبَرْتَهُمْ عَنِ الْكَلاَ وَالْمَاءِ، فَخَالَفُوا إلى الْمَعَاطِشِ وَالْـمَجَادِبِ، مَا كُنْتَ صَانِعاً؟

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?

قال: كُنْتُ تَارِكَهُمْ وَمُخَالِفَهُمْ إلى الْكَلاَءِ وَالْمَاءِ.

He said: I would leave them and go towards greenery and water.

فَقَالَ لَهُ ـ عَلَيْهِ السَّلاَمُ ـ : فَامْدُدْ إذاً يَدَكَ.

Amīr al-mu’minīn then said: So then extend your hand.

فَقَالَ الرَّجُلُ: فَوَاللهِ مَااسْتَطَعْتُ أَنْ أَمْتَنِعَ عِنْدَ قِيَامِ الْحُجَّةِ عَلَيَّ، فَبَايَعْتُهُ عَلَيْهِ الْسَّلاَمُ.

This man related that: By Allāh, by such a clear argument I could not refrain from swearing allegiance to Amīr al-mu’minīn.

وَالرّجلُ يُعْرَفُ بِكُلَيْب الجَرْمِيّ.

This man was known as Kulayb al-Jarmī.