9. We were told by Abu’l-Abbas, Muhammed bin Ibrahim bin Ishaq al-Talaqani, may Allah grant him mercy, that he said: We were told by Abdul-Aziz bin Yahya al-Jaloudi in Basra, that he said, I was told by Mughaira bin Muhammed, that he said: We were told by Rajaa’ bin Salama, from Amru bin Shimr, from Jabir al-Ju’fi, from Abu Ja’far, Muhammed bin Ali, peace be upon them both, that he said:

The Commander of the Believers, Ali bin Abi Talib, Allah’s blessings be upon him, gave a speech in Kufa after his return from Nahrawan, and it had reached him that Mu’awiya is verbally insulting him, cursing him and killing his companions, and so he stood up to give a speech. Then he praised Allah and commended Him, and he sent blessings upon the Messenger of Allah, Allah’s blessings be upon him and his Family, and he mentioned what Allah bestowed of grace upon His Prophet and upon himself, then he said: Were it not for a verse in the Book of Allah, I would not have mentioned what I am now mentioning in this position of mine. Allah, Exalted and Glorious is He, says: «And as for the grace of your Lord, then speak.» (93:11) O Allah, to You belongs the praise for Your grace that cannot be counted, and Your favor that cannot be forgotten. O people, indeed, it has reached me what has reached me, and verily, I see that my time has come near. It is as if I am with you and you have forgotten my case, and I am leaving among you what the Messenger of Allah, Allah’s blessings be upon him and his Family, left; the Book of Allah and my Family, that is the Family of the Guide to Salvation, the Seal of the Prophets, and he is the Master of Nobles and the Selected Prophet. O people, perhaps you might not hear a sayer say the like of my saying after me, except for a calumniator. I am the brother of Allah’s Messenger, the son of his paternal uncle, the sword of his wrath, the pillar of his victory, his strength and intensity, the circling mill of Hell, its pulverizing grinders. I am the orphanizer of boys and girls, I am the grabber of souls and the punishment of Allah that He will not repel from the criminal people. I am the quarrelling with heroes, the slayer of knights, the executor of those who disbelieved in the All-Merciful and the in-law of the Best of mankind. I am the Master of Sucessors and the Successor of the Best of Prophets. I am the Door to the City of Knowledge and the Keeper of the knowledge of Allah’s Messenger and his inheritor. I am the husband of the Batul [1], the Mistress of the Lady of all the worlds, Fatima, the godfearing, the clean, the pure, the good-doer, the guided, the beloved of Allah’s Beloved, the best of his daughters and progeny and the sweet smelling plant of Allah’s Messenger. His two grandsons are the best of grandsons, and my two sons are the best of sons. Does anyone deny what I say? Where are the Muslims from the People of the Book? My name is, in the Injeel, Elia, and in the Tawrat, Bara’, and in the Zabur, Ara, and among the Indians, Kabkar, and among the Romans, Batrisa, and among the Persians, Jabtar, and among the Turks, Batheer, and among the blacks, Haitar, and among the shamans, Boyi’, and among the Abyssinians, Bathrik, and for my mother, Haidara, and for my wet nurse, Maimoun, and among the Arabs, Ali, and among the Armenians, Fareeq, and for my father, Dhaheer. Alas, I am, verily, specified in the Qur’an with names. Beware from overlooking them, lest you aberrate in your religion. Allah, Exalted and Glorious is He, says: «Indeed, Allah is with the truthful.» [2] I am that Truthful, and I am the Announcer in this world and the Hereafter. Allah, Exalted and Glorious is He, said: «Then an announcer will announce among them: May the curse of Allah be upon the wrong-doers.» (7:44) I am that announcer. And He said: «And an announcement from Allah and His Messenger» (9:3). I am that Announcement. And I am the Good-Doer, about whom Allah, Exalted and Glorious is He, says: «Indeed, Allah is with the good-doers.» (29:69) And I am the One with the heart, about whom Allah says: «Indeed, in that is, verily, a reminder for he who has a heart» (50:37). And I am the Rememberer, about whom Allah, Exalted and Glorious is He, says: «Who remember Allah whilst standing and sitting and lying on their sides» (3:191). And we are the people of the Elevations, I, my paternal uncle, my brother and the son of my paternal uncle. By Allah, the Divider of the seeds and kernels, the Fire will not enter into a lover of us, and no hater of us will enter Paradise. Allah, Exalted and Glorious is He, said: «And on the elevations are men who recognize all by their marks.» (7:46) And I am the in-law, about whom Allah, Exalted and Glorious is He, says: «And it is He who created from water, a human being and made him (a relative by) lineage and marriage.» (25:54) And I am the Conscious Ear, about whom Allah, Exalted and Glorious is He, says: «And (that) it is perceived by a conscious ear.» (69:12) And I am the Peace to His Messenger, about which Allah, Exalted and Glorious is He, said: «And a man belonging entirely to one man» (39:29). And from my sons is the Mahdi of this nation. Alas, your misfortune has, verily, been made that with hatred to me, the hypocrites are recognized, and with love to me, Allah tests the believers. This is the covenant of the Ummi Prophet to me: None will love you, except for a believer, and none will hate you, except for a hater. And I am the carrier of the banner of Allah’s Messenger, Allah’s blessings be upon him and his Family, in this world and the Hereafter. The Messenger of Allah is my precedent, and I am the precedent of my Shia’. By Allah, my lover will not become thirsty, nor will my ally fear, whilst I am the Ally of the Believers and Allah is my Ally. It is sufficient for my lovers to love what Allah loves, and it is sufficient for my haters to hate what Allah loves. Alas, it has, indeed, reached me that Mu’awiya has verbally insulted me and cursed me. O Allah, intensify Your hit upon him, and send down the curse upon the deserving, Ameen, O Lord of all the worlds, the Lord of Isma’eel and the Sender of Ibrahim. Indeed, You are Praised, Commendable. Then he, peace be upon him, stepped down from his old camels, and he did not return to it until he was killed by Ibn Muljim, may Allah curse him. Jabir said: We will come to interpret what we mentioned of his names. As for the saying of him, peace be upon him: My name is, in the Injeel, Elia, it is Ali in the tongue of the Arabs. And in the Tawrat, Bara’. He said: He was free from polytheism. And among the shamans, Boyi’, it is he who takes a place and frees another from a place, and he is the one who returns the truth to its places and invalidates falsehood and impairs it. And in the Zabur, Ari, and he is the lion who beats the bones and devours the flesh. And among the Indians, Kabkar, He said: They read in books which include the mentioning of Allah’s Messenger, Allah’s blessings be upon him and his Family, and it was mentioned in them that his supporter is Kabkar, and he is the one who if he wants something, he persists on it and does not depart from it until he reaches it. And among the Romans, Batrisa. He said: He is the seizer of souls. And among the Persians, Habtar, and he is the falcon that hunts. And among the Turks Batheer. He said: He is the tiger who if he puts his claw into something, he penetrates it. And among the blacks, Haitar. He said: He is the one that cuts joints. And among the Abyssinians, Bathrik. He said: He is the destroyer of everything he comes across. And for my mother, Haidara. He said: He is the one with the firm opinion, the acquainted, the digger, the observer into the details of things. And for my wet nurse, Maimoun. Jabir said: I was informed by Muhammed bin Ali, peace be upon him, that he said: The wet nurse of Ali, peace be upon him, who nursed him was a woman from the sons of Hilal. She had left him in her tent, and with him was a milk brother who was older than him in age with one year except for a few days. Near the tent, there was a well, and so the boy went to the well and put his head into it. Then Ali, peace be upon him, crawled behind him and the foot of Ali, peace be upon him, tangled to the tent’s rope, and so he pulled the rope until it came on his brother and tangled itself to one of his feet and one of his arms. As for hand, it was in his mouth, and as for the foot, it was in his hand. Then his mother came and managed to save him, and she yelled: O my jawbone, O my jawbone, O my jawbone for a fortunate boy who saved for me my son! Then they took the two boys from the top of the well while they were amazed of his strength, due to his childhood, the tangling of his foot to the tent and his pulling of the child until they managed to save him. Then his mother named him Maimoun, meaning blessed, and the boy among the sons of Hilal was known as the one tangled to Maimoun, and so were his sons till today. And among the Armenians, Fareeq. He said: The Fareeq is the bold who is feared by people. And for my father, Dhaheer. He said: His father used to gather his sons and the sons of his brothers and then order them to wrestle, and that was a tradition among the Arabs. Ali, peace be upon him, used to expose his two solid, short, forearms when he was a child, and he would wrestle his big and small brothers, and the big and small ones of the sons of his paternal uncle, and he would defeat them. Then his father would say: Ali has gained victory . Hence, he named him Dhaheer. And among the Arabs, Ali. Jabir said: The people of knowledge differed with regards to why Ali was named Ali. A group said: None from the sons of Adam have been named with this name among the Arabs nor among the non-Arabs, except if a man of the Arabs would say: This son of mine is high , intending to refer to highness , not to name him, and that people were only named with it after him and during his time. Another group said: Ali was named Ali due to his sublimity over everyone who sword-fought him. Another group said: Ali was named Ali because his house in the Gardens is elevated to the extent it aligns with the homes of the Prophets, and there is no Prophet whose rank elevates the rank of Ali. Another group said: Ali was named Ali because he mounted the back of Allah’s Messenger, Allah’s blessings be upon him and his Family, with his feet, out of obedience to Allah, Exalted and Glorious is He, and none has mounted the back of a Prophet other than him, during the bringing down of idols from the top of the Kaaba. Another group said: Ali was only named Ali because he was married in the Highest of Heavens, and none from the creations of Allah, Exalted and Glorious is He, was married in that place other than thim. Another group said: Ali was only named Ali because he was the one of the people with the highest knowledge after Allah’s Messenger, Allah’s blessings be upon him and his Family.