ومن كلام له عليه السلام في صفة رجل مذموم ثم في فضله هو عليه السلام

Amīr al-mu’minīn said to his companions about Mu‘āwiyah

أما إنِّهُ سِيَظْهَرُ عَلَيْكُمْ بَعْدِي رَجُلٌ رَحْبُ الْبُلْعُومِ، مُنْدَحِقُ الْبَطْنِ، يَأْكُلُ مَا يَجِدُ، وَيَطْلُبُ مَا لاَ يَجِدُ، فَاقْتُلُوهُ، وَلَنْ تَقْتُلُوهُ! أَلاَ وَإِنَّهُ سَيَأْمُرُكُمْ بِسَبِّي وَالْبَرَاءَةِ مِنِّي; فَأَمَّا السَّبُّ فَسُبُّونِي، فَإِنَّهُ لي زَكَاةٌ،وَلَكُمْ نَجَاةٌ; وَأَمَّا الْبَرَاءَةُ فَلاَ تَتَبَرَّأُوا مِنِّي، فَإِنِّي وَلِدْتُ عَلَى الْفِطْرَةِ، وَسَبَقْتُ إِلَى الاْيمَانِ وَالْهِجْرَةِ.

Soon after me there would be put on you a man with a broad mouth and a big belly. He would swallow whatever he gets and would crave for what he does not get. You should kill him but (I know) you would not kill him. He would command you to abuse me and to renounce me. As for abusing, you do abuse me because that would mean purification for me and salvation for you. As regards renunciation, you should not renounce me because I have been born on the natural religion (Islam) and was foremost in (accepting) it as well as in Hijrah (migrating from Mecca to Medina). [1]

Extrait de ses paroles où il décrit un homme blâmable et affirme son propre mérite

Vous seriez gouvernés, après moi, par un homme à l’oesophage large [très glouton] et au ventre bombé, qui mange ce qu’il trouve et demande à avoir ce qu’il ne trouve pas; celui-ci, tuez-le, mais vous ne le tuerez pas! D’ailleurs, il vous ordonnera de m’injurier et de s’affranchir de ma tutelle. Vous pourriez quand même m’injurier, mais n’essayez pas en tout cas de vous affranchir de moi car je suis né imbu du sentiment religieux, et j’ai devancé les autres dans la foi et l’Hégire.

Nahj al-Balāgha

Chapter #57