ومن كلامه (عليه السلام) لمّا غلب أصحاب معاوية أصحابه عليه السلام على شريعة الفرات بصفين ومنعوهم الماء
When in Ṣiffīn the men of Mu‘āwiyah overpowered the men of Amīr al-mu’minīn and occupied the bank of River Euphrates and prevented them from taking its water, Amīr al-mu’minīn said :
قَدِ اسْتَطْعَمُوكُمُ الْقِتَالَ، فَأَقِرُّوا عَلَى مَذَلَّة، وَتَأْخِيرِ مَحَلَّة، أَوْ رَوُّوا السُّيُوفَ مِنَ الدِّمَاءِ تَرْوَوْا مِنَ الْمَاءِ، فَالمَوْتُ في حَيَاتِكُمْ مَقْهُورِينَ، وَالْحَيَاةُ في مَوْتِكُمْ قَاهِرِينَ. أَلاَ وَإِنَّ مُعَاوِيَةَ قَادَ لُمَةً مِنَ الْغُوَاةِ وَعَمَّسَ عَلَيْهِمُ الْخَبَرَ، حَتَّى جَعَلُوا نُحُورَهُمْ أَغْرَاضَ الْمَنِيَّةِ.
They [1] are asking you morsels of battle. So either you remain in ignominy and the lowest position or drench your swords with blood and quench your thirst with water. Real death is in the life of subjugation while real life is in dying as subjugators. Beware, Mu‘āwiyah is leading a small group of insurgents and has kept them in dark about the true facts with the result that they have made their bosoms the targets of death.
