Sermon 218

When Amir al-mu'minin passed by the corpses of Talhah ibn 'Ubaydullah and 'Abd ar-Rahman ibn 'Attab ibn Asid who were both killed in the battle of Jamal, he said:

Abu Muhammad (Talhah) lies here away from his own place. By Allah, I did not like that the Quraysh should lie killed under the stars. I have avenged myself with the descendants of 'Abd Manaf, but the chief persons of Banu Jumah have escaped me. They had stretched their necks towards a matter for which they were not suited, and therefore their necks were broken before they reached the goal.

Arabic Text

ومن كلام له (عليه السلام) لمّا مر بطلحة وعبدالرحمن بن عتاب بن أسيد وهما قتيلان يوم الجمل لَقَدْ أَصْبَحَ أَبُو مُحَمَّد بِهذَا الْمَكَانِ غَرِيباً! أَمَا وَاللهِ لَقَدْ كَنْتُ أَكْرَهُ أَنْ تَكُونَ قُرَيْشٌ قَتْلَى تَحْتَ بُطُونِ الْكَوَاكِبِ! أَدْرَكْتُ وَتْرِي مِنْ بَنِي عَبْدِ مَنَاف، وَأَفْلَتَتْنِي أَعْيَانُ بَنِي جُمَحَ، لَقَدْ أَتْلَعُوا أَعْنَاقَهُمْ إِلَى أَمْر لَمْ يَكُونُوا أَهْلَهُ فَوُقِصُوا دوُنَهُ.

Alternative Sources

(1) Abu al-Faraj, al-'Aghani, XXI, 246; (2) al-Mubarrad, al-Kamil, I, 126; (3) al-Bayhaqi, al-Mahasin, II, 53; (4) Ibn 'Abd Rabbih, al-'Iqd, II, 279; (5) Ibn al-'Athir, al-Nihayah, I, 192; (6) al-Baladhuri, Ansab, II, 261; (7) al-Mas'udi, Muruj, II, 371.

• In the battle of Jamal a group of Banú Jumah was with `Á'ishah, but the chief men of this group fled away from the battle-field. Some of them were: `Abdulláh al-Tawíl ibn Safwán, Yayá ibn Hakím, `Ámir ibn Mas`úd and Ayyúb ibn Habíb. From this group (Banú Jumah) only two persons were killed.]