وَمِنۡ كَلَامٍ لَهُ عَلَيۡهِ السَّلَامُ
From one of his statements
لَمَّا أَنۡفَذَ عَبۡدَ اللهِ بۡنَ عَبَّاسٍ [في بعض النسخ: الۡعَبَّاسٍ رحمه الله] إِلَى الزُّبَيۡرِ قَبۡلَ وُقُوعِ الۡحَرۡبِ يَومَ الۡجَمَلِ لِيَسۡتَفِيئُهُ إِلَى طَاعَتِهِ [في بعض النسخ: لَمَّا أَنۡفَذَ عَبۡدَ اللهِ بۡنَ عَبَّاسٍ إِلَى الزُّبَيۡرِ يَسۡتَفِيئُهُ إِلَى طَاعَتِهِ قَبۡلَ حَرۡبِ الۡجَمَلِ، أو: لِابۡنِ الۡعَبَّاسَ لَمَّا اَرۡسَلَهُ إِلَى الزُّبَيۡرِ لِيَسۡتَفِيئُهُ إِلَى طَاعَتِهِ قَبۡلَ حَرۡبِ الۡجَمَلِ]
When, before the commencement of the Battle of Jamal, Amīr al-Muʾminīn sent ʿAbd Allāh ibn al-ʿAbbās to az-Zubayr ibn al-ʿAwwām with the purpose that he should advise him to return to obedience, he said to him on that occasion:
لَا تَلۡقَيَنَّ طَلۡحَةَ، فَإِنَّكَ إِنۡ تَلۡقَهُ تَجِدۡهُ كَالثَّوۡرِ عَاقِصاً قَرۡنَهُ، يَرۡكَبُ الصَّعۡبَ وَيَقُولُ: هُوَ الذَّلُولُ، وَلَكِنِ الۡقَ الزُّبَيۡرَ، فَإِنَّهُ أَلۡيَنُ عَرِيكَةً، فَقُلۡ لَهُ: يَقُولُ لَكَ ابۡنُ خَالِكَ: عَرَفۡتَنِي بِالۡحِجَازِ وَأَنۡكَرۡتَنِي بِالۡعِرَاقِ، فَمَا عَدَا مِمَّا بَدَا.
Do not meet Ṭalḥah (ibn ʿUbayd Allāh). If you meet him, you will find him like an unruly bull whose horns are turned towards its ears. He rides a ferocious riding beast and says that it has been tamed. But you meet az-Zubayr, because he is soft-tempered. Tell him that your maternal cousin says that: ‘(It looks as if) in the Ḥijāz you knew me (accepted me), but (on coming here) in Iraq you no longer know me (do not accept me). So, what has dissuaded (you) from what was shown (by you previously)?!’
أَقُولُ [في بعض النسخ: قال السيد الشريف:]: وَهُوَ عَلَيۡهِ السَّلَامُ أَوَّلُ مَنۡ سُمِعَتۡ مِنۡهُ هٰذِهِ الۡكَلِمَةُ، أَعۡنِي: «فَمَا عَدَا مِمَّا بَدَا».
As-Sayyid ar-Raḍī says: The last sentence of this sermon “fa mā ʿadā mimmā badā,” has been heard only from Amīr al-Muʾminīn.
