Ahmad b. Yahya al-Mukattib narrated to us. He said: Abu’l Tayyib Ahmad b. Muhammad al-Warraq narrated to us. He said: Muhammad b. al-Hasan b. Durayd al-Azdi al-`Umani narrated to us. He said: al-`Abbas b. al-Faraj al-Riyashi narrated to us. He said: Abu Zayd al-Nahwi al-Ansari narrated to me.

He said: I asked al-Khalil b. Ahmad al-`Arwadi, saying: How could the people abandon `Ali when his relation to the Messenger of Allah (s) was such, his place with the Muslims was such, and his striving for Islam was such? So, he said: By Allah, his light dazzled their light, and he overcame them on every plain; and the people incline toward those who resemble them [and `Ali did not resemble them]. Have you not heard the first when he said: “Every sort inclines toward its own sort. Do you not see how an elephant inclines toward elephants?” He said: Al-Riyashi recited to us – [something] of its [same] meaning – from al-`Abbas b. al-Ahnaf. “A questioner says, ‘how did you leave us?’ So, I gave a reply that was fair. ‘He was not of my sort, so I left him. People are of sorts and inclinations.’”