28. `Ali ibn Ahmad ibn Muhammad ibn `Imran al-Daqqaq said: Muhammad ibn al-Hasan al-Ta’i said: Abu Sa`id Sahl ibn Ziyad al-Adami al-Razi said, on the authority of `Ali ibn Ja`far al-Kufi that I heard My Master `Ali ibn Muhammad that Abu Ja`far ibn `Ali related to me, on the authority of his father al-Rida `Ali ibn Musa on the authority of his father Musa ibn Ja`far, on the authority his father Ja`far ibn Muhammad, on the authority of his father Muhammad ibn `Ali, on the authority of his father `Ali ibn al-Husayn, on the authority of his father al-Husayn ibn `Ali ; and Muhammad ibn `Umar al-Hafiz al-Baghdadi said: Abu al-Qasim Ishaq ibn Ja`far al-`Alawi related to me that Abu Ja`far ibn Muhammad ibn `Ali related to me, on the authority of Sulayman ibn Muhammad al-Qarashi, on the authority of Isma`il ibn Abu Ziyad alSakuni, on the authority of Ja`far ibn Muhammad, on the authority of his father Ziyad alSakuni, on the authority of Ja`far ibn Muhammad, on the authority of his father Muhammad ibn `Ali, on the authority of his father, on the authority of his grandfather, on the authority of `Ali ; the word is for `Ali ibn Ahmad ibn Muhammad ibn `Imran al-Daqqaq that

An Iraqi man entered the presence of the Commander of the Faithful and asked: “Tell us about our attack on the Syrians. Is it part of Allah’s Destiny and Divine Decree?” The Commander of the Faithful replied to him, “By all means, O Shaykh! By Allah, all of you have not gone up a hill or gone down to the depth of a valley except with the destiny from Allah and the decree.” The old man asked, “Will my trouble be accounted for before Allah, O Commander of the Faithful?” He answered, Slowly, O Shaykh! Perhaps you think predestination is irrevocable, and the decree is inseparable. If that were so, then the reward, the punishment, the commandment, the prohibition, and the reprimand would all be annulled. The meaning of threatening and promise would disintegrate. There would be no blame for the evil-doer, and no praise for the good-doer. In fact, the good-doer would be worthier of blame than the sinner, and the sinner would be worthier of praise than the good-doer. This is the claim of the idol worshippers, the opponents of the Most Compassionate, the free-willers of this Ummah, and its Zoroastrians. O Shaykh! Verily, Allah, the Mighty and High, has obliged with choice, forbidden with warning, granted plenty for little, does not consider the one who was coerced to be a sinner, does not require the subjected to obey, and has not created the heaves and the earth and that which is between them without a purpose. This is the assumption of the unbelievers. Woe to those who disbelieve in Hell. The old man rose and composed: You are the Imam in whose obedience we all hope, To receive forgiveness from the Most Compassionate on the Day of Salvation; You have made clear what was dubious to us from our religion. May your Lord reward you with beneficence on your behalf! Hence, there is no excuse for committing indecency, Which I perpetrated with un-justice and disobedience, No, no, I do not claim that the forbidder has dropped him In it, because then I would be serving the Satan, O people, Nor does He like or will the un-justice; nor Killing the Guardian with oppression and enmity. How can He like, while His will is correct. The Possessor of the Empyrean that is Allah has declared this is a clear declaration. The Compiler of this book says: Muhammad ibn `Umar al-Hafiz has only mentioned the first two couplets of this poetry at the end of this tradition. This tradition is also said by Abu al-Husayn Muhammad ibn Ibrahim ibn Ishaq al-Farisi al`Aza’imi that Abu Sa`id Ahmad ibn Muhammad ibn Rumayh al-Nisawi said in Jurjan that `Abd al-`Aziz ibn Ishaq ibn Ja`far said in Baghdad that `Abd al-Wahhab ibn `Isa al-Marwazi related to me that al-Hasan ibn `Ali ibn Muhammad al-Balawi said: Muhammad ibn `Abd Allah ibn Nujayh said, on the authority of his father, on the authority of Ja`far ibn Muhammad, on the authority of his father, on the authority of his grandfather Also this tradition has been said by Ahmad ibn al-Hasan al-Qittan that al-Hasan ibn `ali alSukkari said; Muhammad ibn Zakariyya al-Jawhari said: al-`Abbas ibn Bakkar al-Dabbi said: Abu Bakr al-Hudhayli said, on the authority of `Ikrimah, on the authority of Ibn `Abbas that When the Commander of the Faithful moved on from the Battle of Siffin, an old man stood up before him who had witnessed the incident with him and said: “O Commander of the Faithful! Tell us about this journey of ours. Is it part of Allah’s Destiny, and His Divine Decree?” He has mentioned the tradition similar to this, except that he has added in it: The old man said: “O Commander of the Faithful! What are the predestination ad the Divine Decree that are contracted with us, and we have not gone down in a valley or gone up a hill except with these two?” The Commander of the Faithful replied, “The command and the judgment are from Allah, then he read this verse: And your Lord has destined that you shall not sere (any) but Him, and goodness to your parents, i.e. the command of your Lord is that you do not serve any but Him and do good to your parents.”