وَمِنۡ كَلَامٍ لَهُ عَلَيۡهِ السَّلَامُ
From one of his statements
فِي ذِكْرِ الْبَيْعَةِ
On the swearing of allegiance
وَفِيهَا يَصِفُ أَصۡحَابَهُ بِصِفِّينَ حِينَ طَالَ مَنۡعُهُمۡ لَهُ مِنۡ قِتَالِ أَهۡلِ الشَّامِ
فَتَدَاكُّوا عَلَيَّ تَدَاكَّ الۡإِبِلِ الۡهِيمِ يَوۡمَ وِرۡدِهَا، قَدۡ [في بعض النسخ: وَقَدۡ] أَرۡسَلَهَا رَاعِيهَا، وَخُلِعَتۡ مَثَانِيهَا، حَتَّى ظَنَنۡتُ أَنَّهُمۡ قَاتِلِيَّ، أَوۡ بَعۡضُهُمۡ قَاتِلُ بَعۡضٍ لَدَيَّ، وَقَدۡ قَلَّبۡتُ هَذَا الۡأَمۡرَ بَطۡنَهُ وَظَهۡرَهُ [في بعض النسخ: ... حَتَّى مَنَعَنِي النَّوۡمَ]، فَمَا وَجَدۡتُنِي يَسَعُنِي إِلَّا قِتَالُهُمۡ أَوِ الۡجُحُودُ بِمَا جَاءَ بِهِ مُحَمَّدٌ صَلّٰى اللّٰهُ عَلَيۡهِ وَآلِهِ، فَكَانَتۡ مُعَالَجَةُ الۡقِتَالِ أَهۡوَنَ عَلَيَّ مِنۡ مُعَالَجَةِ الۡعِقَابِ، وَمَوۡتَاتُ الدُّنۡيَا أَهۡوَنَ عَلَيَّ مِنۡ مَوۡتَاتِ الۡآخِرَةِ.
They leapt upon me as the camels leap upon each other on their arrival for drinking water, having been let loose after unfastening of their four legs, till I thought they would either kill me or kill one another in front of me. I thought over this matter in and out, to the extent that it prevented me from sleeping. But I found no way except to fight them or else to reject whatever has been brought by Muḥammad (ṣ). I found that to face war was easier for me than to face the retribution, and the hardships of this world were easier than the hardships of the next world.
