Arabic (Original)
حَدَّثَنَا مُؤَمَّلٌ قَالَ حَدَّثَنَا حَمَّادٌ يَعْنِي ابْنَ سَلَمَةَ قَالَ حَدَّثَنَا شَيْخٌ يُقَالُ لَهُ أَبُو عَمْرٍو عَنْ ابْنَةٍ لِأُهْبَانَ بْنِ صَيْفِيٍّ عَنْ أَبِيهَا وَكَانَتْ لَهُ صُحْبَةٌ أَنَّ عَلِيًّا لَمَّا قَدِمَ الْبَصْرَةَ بَعَثَ إِلَيْهِ فَقَالَ مَا يَمْنَعُكَ أَنْ تَتْبَعَنِي فَقَالَ أَوْصَانِي خَلِيلِي وَابْنُ عَمِّكَ فَقَالَ إِنَّهُ سَيَكُونُ فُرْقَةٌ وَاخْتِلَافٌ فَاكْسِرْ سَيْفَكَ وَاتَّخِذْ سَيْفًا مِنْ خَشَبٍ وَاقْعُدْ فِي بَيْتِكَ حَتَّى تَأْتِيَكَ يَدٌ خَاطِئَةٌ أَوْ مَنِيَّةٌ قَاضِيَةٌ فَفَعَلْتُ مَا أَمَرَنِي رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ فَإِنْ اسْتَطَعْتَ يَا عَلِيُّ أَنْ لَا تَكُونَ تِلْكَ الْيَدَ الْخَاطِئَةَ فَافْعَلْ حَدَّثَنَا أَسْوَدُ بْنُ عَامِرٍ قَالَ حَدَّثَنَا حَمَّادُ بْنُ سَلَمَةَ عَنْ أَبِي عَمْرٍو الْقَسْمَلِيِّ عَنْ ابْنَةِ أُهْبَانَ عَنْ أَبِيهَا أَنَّ عَلِيًّا أَتَى أُهْبَانَ فَقَالَ مَا يَمْنَعُكَ مِنْ اتِّبَاعِي فَذَكَرَ مَعْنَاهُ.
English Translation
Mu'ammal narrated to us: Hammad - meaning Ibn Salamah - narrated to us: An old man called Abu Amr narrated to us, from a daughter of Uhban ibn Sayfi, from her father, who was a Companion, that when Ali arrived at Basrah, he sent for him and said, "What keeps you from following me?" He said, "My close companion and your cousin advised me" - he said - "there will be discord and disagreement, so break your sword and take up a sword of wood, and stay in your house until a wrongdoing hand or a decreeing death comes to you; so I did as the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, commanded me. If you are able, O Ali, not to be that wrongdoing hand, then do so." Aswad ibn Amir narrated to us: Hammad ibn Salamah narrated to us, from Abu Amr al-Qasmali, from the daughter of Uhban, from her father, that Ali came to Uhban and said, "What keeps you from following me?" and he mentioned the like of it.