Arabic (Original)
حَدَّثَنَا يَعْلَى بْنُ عُبَيْدٍ عَنْ عَبْدِ الْعَزِيزِ بْنِ سِيَاهٍ عَنْ حَبِيبِ بْنِ أَبِي ثَابِتٍ قَالَ أَتَيْتُ أَبَا وَائِلٍ فِي مَسْجِدِ أَهْلِهِ أَسْأَلُهُ عَنْ هَؤُلَاءِ الْقَوْمِ الَّذِينَ قَتَلَهُمْ عَلِيٌّ بِالنَّهْرَوَانِ فَفِيمَا اسْتَجَابُوا لَهُ وَفِيمَا فَارَقُوهُ وَفِيمَا اسْتَحَلَّ قِتَالَهُمْ قَالَ كُنَّا بِصِفِّينَ فَلَمَّا اسْتَحَرَّ الْقَتْلُ بِأَهْلِ الشَّامِ اعْتَصَمُوا بِتَلٍّ فَقَالَ عَمْرُو بْنُ الْعَاصِ لِمُعَاوِيَةَ أَرْسِلْ إِلَى عَلِيٍّ بِمُصْحَفٍ وَادْعُهُ إِلَى كِتَابِ اللَّهِ فَإِنَّهُ لَنْ يَأْبَى عَلَيْكَ فَجَاءَ بِهِ رَجُلٌ فَقَالَ بَيْنَنَا وَبَيْنَكُمْ كِتَابُ اللَّهِ { أَلَمْ تَرَ إِلَى الَّذِينَ أُوتُوا نَصِيبًا مِنْ الْكِتَابِ يُدْعَوْنَ إِلَى كِتَابِ اللَّهِ لِيَحْكُمَ بَيْنَهُمْ ثُمَّ يَتَوَلَّى فَرِيقٌ مِنْهُمْ وَهُمْ مُعْرِضُونَ } فَقَالَ عَلِيٌّ نَعَمْ أَنَا أَوْلَى بِذَلِكَ بَيْنَنَا وَبَيْنَكُمْ كِتَابُ اللَّهِ قَالَ فَجَاءَتْهُ الْخَوَارِجُ وَنَحْنُ نَدْعُوهُمْ يَوْمَئِذٍ الْقُرَّاءَ وَسُيُوفُهُمْ عَلَى عَوَاتِقِهِمْ فَقَالُوا يَا أَمِيرَ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ مَا نَنْتَظِرُ بِهَؤُلَاءِ الْقَوْمِ الَّذِينَ عَلَى التَّلِّ أَلَا نَمْشِي إِلَيْهِمْ بِسُيُوفِنَا حَتَّى يَحْكُمَ اللَّهُ بَيْنَنَا وَبَيْنَهُمْ فَتَكَلَّمَ سَهْلُ بْنُ حُنَيْفٍ فَقَالَ يَا أَيُّهَا النَّاسُ اتَّهِمُوا أَنْفُسَكُمْ فَلَقَدْ رَأَيْتُنَا يَوْمَ الْحُدَيْبِيَةِ يَعْنِي الصُّلْحَ الَّذِي كَانَ بَيْنَ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ وَبَيْنَ الْمُشْرِكِينَ وَلَوْ نَرَى قِتَالًا لَقَاتَلْنَا فَجَاءَ عُمَرُ إِلَى رَسُولِ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ فَقَالَ يَا رَسُولَ اللَّهِ أَلَسْنَا عَلَى الْحَقِّ وَهُمْ عَلَى بَاطِلٍ أَلَيْسَ قَتْلَانَا فِي الْجَنَّةِ وَقَتْلَاهُمْ فِي النَّارِ قَالَ بَلَى قَالَ فَفِيمَ نُعْطِي الدَّنِيَّةَ فِي دِينِنَا وَنَرْجِعُ وَلَمَّا يَحْكُمِ اللَّهُ بَيْنَنَا وَبَيْنَهُمْ فَقَالَ يَا ابْنَ الْخَطَّابِ إِنِّي رَسُولُ اللَّهِ وَلَنْ يُضَيِّعَنِي أَبَدًا قَالَ فَرَجَعَ وَهُوَ مُتَغَيِّظٌ فَلَمْ يَصْبِرْ حَتَّى أَتَى أَبَا بَكْرٍ فَقَالَ يَا أَبَا بَكْرٍ أَلَسْنَا عَلَى حَقٍّ وَهُمْ عَلَى بَاطِلٍ أَلَيْسَ قَتْلَانَا فِي الْجَنَّةِ وَقَتْلَاهُمْ فِي النَّارِ قَالَ بَلَى قَالَ فَفِيمَ نُعْطِي الدَّنِيَّةَ فِي دِينِنَا وَنَرْجِعُ وَلَمَّا يَحْكُمِ اللَّهُ بَيْنَنَا وَبَيْنَهُمْ فَقَالَ يَا ابْنَ الْخَطَّابِ إِنَّهُ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ وَلَنْ يُضَيِّعَهُ اللَّهُ أَبَدًا قَالَ فَنَزَلَتْ سُورَةُ الْفَتْحِ قَالَ فَأَرْسَلَنِي رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ إِلَى عُمَرَ فَأَقْرَأَهَا إِيَّاهُ قَالَ يَا رَسُولَ اللَّهِ وَفَتْحٌ هُوَ قَالَ نَعَمْ.
English Translation
Ya'la b. Ubayd narrated to us, from Abd al-Aziz b. Siyah, from Habib b. Abi Thabit, who said: I came to Abu Wa'il in the mosque of his people to ask him about those people whom Ali killed at al-Nahrawan — what they had responded to him with, what caused them to part from him, and on what basis he considered fighting them lawful. He said: We were at Siffin, and when the killing intensified against the people of Syria, they took refuge on a hill. Amr b. al-As said to Mu'awiyah, "Send to Ali a copy of the Qur'an and call him to the Book of Allah, for he will not refuse you." So a man brought it and said, "Between us and you is the Book of Allah" — {Have you not seen those who were given a portion of the Scripture, being called to the Book of Allah that it might judge between them, then a party of them turns away, and they are averse} — Ali said, "Yes, I am more entitled to that — between us and you is the Book of Allah." He said: Then the Khawarij came to him — we used to call them the Reciters in those days — with their swords upon their shoulders, and said, "O Commander of the Faithful, what are we waiting for regarding these people on the hill? Should we not go to them with our swords until Allah judges between us and them?" Sahl b. Hunayf then spoke and said, "O people, doubt yourselves. I recall the day of Hudaybiyyah" — meaning the truce between the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, and the polytheists — "had we thought fighting was appropriate, we would have fought. Umar came to the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, and said, 'O Messenger of Allah, are we not upon truth and they upon falsehood? Are not our dead in Paradise and their dead in the Fire?' He said, 'Yes.' He said, 'Then why do we accept humiliation regarding our religion and turn back, when Allah has not yet judged between us and them?' He said, 'O son of al-Khattab, I am the Messenger of Allah, and He will never forsake me.' He said: So he went back enraged, and could not restrain himself until he went to Abu Bakr and said, 'O Abu Bakr, are we not upon truth and they upon falsehood? Are not our dead in Paradise and their dead in the Fire?' He said, 'Yes.' He said, 'Then why do we accept humiliation regarding our religion and turn back, when Allah has not yet judged between us and them?' He said, 'O son of al-Khattab, he is the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, and Allah will never forsake him.' He said: Then Surat al-Fath [the Sura of Victory] was revealed. He said: The Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, sent me to Umar, and I recited it to him. He said, 'O Messenger of Allah, is this a victory?' He said, 'Yes.'"