Arabic (Original)
حَدَّثَنَا زَيْدُ بْنُ الْحُبَابِ قَالَ أَخْبَرَنِي سَهْلُ بْنُ أَبِي الصَّلْتِ قَالَ سَمِعْتُ الْحَسَنَ يَقُولُ إِنَّ عَلِيًّا بَعَثَ إِلَى مُحَمَّدِ بْنِ مَسْلَمَةَ فَجِيءَ بِهِ فَقَالَ مَا خَلَّفَكَ عَنْ هَذَا الْأَمْرِ قَالَ دَفَعَ إِلَيَّ ابْنُ عَمِّكَ يَعْنِي النَّبِيَّ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ سَيْفًا فَقَالَ قَاتِلْ بِهِ مَا قُوتِلَ الْعَدُوُّ فَإِذَا رَأَيْتَ النَّاسَ يَقْتُلُ بَعْضُهُمْ بَعْضًا فَاعْمَدْ بِهِ إِلَى صَخْرَةٍ فَاضْرِبْهُ بِهَا ثُمَّ الْزَمْ بَيْتَكَ حَتَّى تَأْتِيَكَ مَنِيَّةٌ قَاضِيَةٌ أَوْ يَدٌ خَاطِئَةٌ قَالَ خَلُّوا عَنْهُ.
English Translation
Zayd ibn al-Hubab told us, he said: Sahl ibn Abi al-Salt informed me, he said: I heard al-Hasan say: Ali sent for Muhammad ibn Maslamah, and he was brought. He said, "What kept you back from this affair?" He said, "Your cousin — meaning the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him — gave me a sword and said, 'Fight with this as long as the enemy is fought; but if you see the people killing one another, then take it to a rock and strike it against the rock, then stay in your house until a decreed death comes to you or an errant hand strikes you.'" He said, "Leave him be."