and abusing Abu
Turab?" Sa'd answered: "As long as I remember
three remarks of the Prophet about 'Ali I shall never
abuse him, since those words of the Prophet are more
precious to me than the best property of the Arab
people, namely; red-haired camels!
When the Prophet decided not to let 'Ali accompany
him in one of the wars (battle of Tabuk), and left
him in charge of the city of Medina against the malicious
deeds of hypocrites, 'Ali came to the Prophet with
tearful eyes and said: 'O Prophet of God! Are you
leaving me amidst women and children, and depriving
me of keeping your company in this war?' I heard the
Prophet say to him: 'Are you not glad that your relation
to me is like the relation of Aaron to Moses, except
that there will come no Prophet after me?'
Another time I heard the Prophet say on the day of
the battle of Khaybar: 'I will entrust this banner
to a man who loves God and His Prophet, and is loved
by God and his Prophet.' We all stretched our necks
and looked eagerly at the Prophet to see who is meant.
The Prophet said: 'Bring 'Ali to me.' They found and
brought him to the Prophet, while he was suffering
from a painful eye-ache. The Prophet touched his painful
eye with the saliva of his own mouth. Then he handed
him the banner, with the result that God granted us
victory on that day.
I remember also that at this time the following verse
descended: 'Then say: Come let us call our sons and
your sons, and our women and your women and our near
people and your near people... '(376)
The Prophet summoned 'Ali Fatimah al-Hasan and al-Husayn,
and said: 'This is my household!' "(377)
al-Mas'udi quotes the story of this meeting from at-Tabari
as follows: When Mu'awiyah had come on pilgrimage
to Mecca, he went with Sa'd ibn Abi Waqoas to circumambulate
the House of God, and after that ceremony he visited
Dar an-Nudwah, the gathering place of the Quraysh
dignitaries in Pagan times, and let Sa'd sit by him.
Then he began to insult and abuse the Imam. Sa'd was
greatly vexed at this conduct of Mu'awiyah and stood-up,
saying: "You are seating me in your place and
engage in abusing such a man as 'Ali? I swear to God
that if I possessed only one of his virtues and fine
qualities, it would be more