(17) Abu Sulayman Ahmad bin Hawtha bin Abu Hurasa al-Bahili narrated from Ibraheem bin Iss’haq an-Nahawandi from Abdullah bin Hammad al-Ansari from Sabah al-Muzni from al-Harith bin Haseera from al-Asbugh bin Nabata that Amirul Mo’mineen had said: “Be like the bees among the birds. All the birds deem them weak but if they know what blessing there is inside their (the bees’) interiors, they will not do that to them. Mix with people with your tongues and persons and be far away from them with your hearts and deeds. I swear by Him, in Whose hand my soul is, you will not meet what you like until a time comes that you spit at the face of each other, call each other as liars and until none of you remains except like the kohl in an eye and like the salt in food. I give you an example. It is like a man having some food (grains). He sifts and purifies it and then he keeps it in a store for some time. Then he comes back to find that his food has been worm-eaten. He takes it out, purifies it and puts it back into the store for some time. After a time he comes to find that his food has been worm-eaten again. He takes it out, purifies it and puts it back into the store. He does so again and again until nothing of his food remains except the least, which will never be harmed by the worms. So are you! You are going to be clarified until none of you remains save a very few ones, who will never be affected by seditions.” The same was narrated by Ahmad bin Muhammad bin Sa’eed from Ali bin al-Hasan at-Taymali from Muhammad and Ahmad the sons of al-Hasan from their father from Tha’laba bin Maymoon from Abu Kahmas and others from Amirul Mo’mineen . This tradition has been mentioned at the beginning of this book.