ومن كلام له (عليه السلام) لمّا هرب مَصْقَلة بنُ هُبيرة الشيباني إلى معاوية، وكان قد ابتاع سَبْيَ بني ناجية من عامل أميرالمؤمنين (عليه السلام) وأعتقهم، فلمّا طالبه (عليه السلام) بالمال خاس به وهرب إلى الشام،

When Maṣqalah [1] ibn Hubayrah ash-Shaybāni fled to Mu‘āwiyah because he had purchased some prisoners of Banū Nājiyah from an executive of Amīr al-mu’minīn, but when he demanded the price latter avoided and ran to Syria, Amīr al-mu’minīn said:

قَبَّحَ اللهُ مَصْقَلَةَ! فَعَلَ فِعْلَ السَّادَةِ، وَفَرَّ فِرَارَ الْعَبِيدِ! فَمَا أَنْطَقَ مَادِحَهُ حَتَّى أَسْكَتَهُ، وَلاَ صَدَّقَ وَاصِفَهُ حَتَّى بَكَّتَهُ، وَلَو أَقَامَ لاَخَذْنَا مَيْسُورَهُ، وَانْتَظَرْنا بِمَالِهِ وُفُورَهُ.

Allah may be bad to Maṣqalah. He acted like the noble but fled away like a slave. Before his admirer could speak (about him) he silenced him and before his eulogist could testify to his good deeds he closed his mouth. If he had stayed behind we would have taken from him what he could easily pay and waited for the balance till his money increased.

Extrait de ses paroles à l’oceasion de la fuite de Masqalat ïbn Hubaïrat Ash-Shaïbani chez Mou’awiyat, qui avait acheté les esclaves de l’invasion de Bani Najiat du gouverneur du Prince des Croyants. Masqalat donna la liberté à ces esclaves mais refusa de payer leur rançon et prit la fuite à Damas.

Que Dieu montre l’indignité de la conduite de Masqalat! Il a agi comme les seigneurs et pris la fuite comme les esclaves! Dès qu’on eut commencé à le louer il fit taire son panégyriste, et dès qu’on eut commencé à décrire son bon comportement il musela toute description. S’il était resté nous aurions pris ce qui était dans son pouvoir de payer et attendu qu’il ait assez d’argent.

Nahj al-Balāgha

Chapter #44