Lessons from Nahjul Balagha [Electronic resources] نسخه متنی

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Sermon
169

SERMON 169

When Amir al-mu'minin
approached Basrah an Arab met him and spoke to him, as he had been
sent to him by a group of people of Basrah to enquire from him on
their behalf position vis--vis the people of Jamal. Amir
al-mu'minin explained to him his position with respect to them,
from which he was convinced that Amir al-mu'minin was in the
right. Then Amir al-mu'minin asked him to swear allegiance, but he
replied "I am just a message carrier of a people and shall
not do anything until I get back to them." Upon this Amir
al-mu'minin said to him:

If those at your back
send you as a forerunner to search out a rain-fed area for them,
and you return to them and apprise them of greenery and water but
they disagree with you and go towards dry and barren land, what
would you do then? He said: I would leave them and go towards
greenery and water. Amir al-mu'minin then said: So then extend
your hand.

This man related that:
By Allah, by such a clear argument I could not refrain from
swearing allegiance to Amir al-mu'minin.

This man was know as
Kulayb al-Jarmi.