Muhammad b. `Umar al-Hafith al-Baghdadi narrated to us. He said: Ahmad b. `Abd al-`Aziz b. al-Ja`d narrated to us. He said: `Abd al-Rahman b. Salih narrated to us. He said: Shu`ayb b. Rashid narrated to us from Jabir from Abi Ja`far . He said:

`Ali delivered a sermon to the people at Siffin on Friday, five days before the battle. So, he said: Praise be to Allah for His great blessings which He bestowed upon all His creation, the righteous and the wretched alike; and for His elaborate proofs over His creation, those who disobey Him and those who obey Him alike. Surely, if He forgives, then that is a bounty from Him, and if He punishes, then that is what proceeded from their own hands – and Allah is not oppressive to the servants. I praise Him for resolving hardships, manifesting blessings, and His help in fulfilling the orders of our religion. I believe in Him and I rely on Him, as Allah is sufficient as a guardian. Then, I bear witness that there is no god but Allah, one without partners, and that Muhammad is His Servant and His Messenger. He sent him with guidance and His religion which He is pleased with, and he was of its nature. He chose him over all the servants to preach His message and His proofs over His creation – and He was gentle and merciful with him. He was the most honoured of Allah’s creation, the most beautiful of them in appearance, the most valiant of them in spirit, the best of them to his parent, the most secure of them in agreements – no Muslim nor disbeliever ever claimed to have been wronged by him. Rather, he would be wronged, and he would forgive and pardon; until he passed away in obedience to Allah, patient over what afflicted him, striving for Allah as He ought to be strived for, worshiping Allah until certainty (death) came to him. His (s) leave of us was the greatest calamity for all the people of the world, the righteous and the wretched alike. He left the Book of Allah among you, which commands you to obey Allah and prohibits you from disobeying Him. The Messenger of Allah (s) gave me a covenant that I will not leave. Your enemies have come to you, and you have recognized who their leader is – he calls them to falsehood – and the cousin of your Prophet (s) is in your midst calling you to the obedience of your Lord and fulfilling the sunna of your Prophet. There is no equal to the one who prayed before every male. None preceded me in prayer except the Prophet of Allah. I am, by Allah, from the people of Badr. By Allah, you are surely upon truth, and the people are surely upon falsehood. We cannot bear their falsehood patiently as they gather to it and split away from their truth. Fight them, and Allah will punish them with your hands. If you do not do that, then Allah will punish them with the hands of others. So, his companions responded to him, and they said: O Amir al-Mu’minin! Go forth to the people if you wish, for by Allah, we live and we die with you. So, he said to them: By He in whose hand is my soul! The Messenger of Allah (s) looked at me while I was striking before him with my sword, then he said: “There is no sword except the dhulfiqar, and there is no youth except `Ali.” Then, he said to me: “O `Ali! You are to me as Harun was to Musa, except there is no prophet after me – by your life, O `Ali, and by your death.” I have never lied, nor have I misled, nor have I forgotten what was entrusted to me. Surely, I am upon a proof from my Lord that he had given to His Prophet (s), and he had given it to me. Surely, I am upon the clear path, and I go quickly upon it. Then, he went forth to the people on Thursday, and they fought from sunrise to sunset. Those people (the enemy) did not pray on that day except for reciting the takbir during the timings of the prayers. That day, `Ali killed five hundred and six individuals from that group of people with his hands. So, the next morning, the people of the Levant called: O `Ali! Fear Allah regarding those who remain. So, they raised the codices [of the Quran] from the tips of their spears.