Recorders of events have narrated that during the hostilities of Ssafyn, Ghurâr B. Aladham, who was a well-known man of Syria, had one day stepped out of his lines, taken a position between the two armies, recited verses in the rajaz measure boasting of his prowess, and shouted for a champion, but as the victory-hoping army was fully aware of the bravery and temerity of Ghurâr, no one was inclined to fight a duel with him. During this turmoil the eyes of Ghurâr alighted on A’yâsh B. Rebya’h Hâshemy, and he asked him: ‘Who art thou?’ A’yâsh having mentioned his name and genealogy, Ghurâr continued: ‘Art thou inclined to contend an hour with me in this field?’ A’yâsh replied: ‘On condition that we alight from our horses, because fighting on foot is less safe, and a sword-cut cannot be easily avoided.’ Ghurâr said, ‘This is an easy matter,’ and both alighting, attacked each other The two armies abstained from hostilities, and were spectators of the contest; the cuirasses of the two men were, however, so strong that their sabres took no effect. While dealing out blows to each other, the eyes of A’yâsh happened to alight on a spot of the armour of Ghurâr which was less compact than any other part of it, whereon he grasped his sword with both hands, and bringing it down with force, forthwith killed Ghurâr. At this exploit the adherents of the Amir of the Faithful raised a shout which ascended to the zenith of the sky, and then they uttered the Takbyr.* The troops of Moa’wiah became ashamed and sorrowful, and A’li the Commander of the Faithful having asked his intimates who had killed Ghurâr, was informed that A’yâsh had done it. He then called A’yâsh, but reproved him, saying: ‘I have ordered A’bdullah B. A’bbâs and thyself not to budge from your posts, and not to leave your centres empty. Why hast thou considered it proper to transgress my injunction, and to hold lightly my command?’ A’yâsh replied: ‘When the eye of the enemy alighted on me, he challenged me to fight; had I not responded, I would have become liable to the charge of cowardice.’ The Amir of the Faithful continued: ‘It is better to obey the injunction of the Emâm, than to act according to the wish of a foe, and to jeopardize life.’ Then the Amir of the Faithful added also the invocation: ‘O God, rejoice A’yâsh B. Rebya’h with Thy mercy, and do not make him lose his reward.’ After Ghurâr had been killed, Moa’wiah said: ‘Whoever slays A’yâsh I shall make him rich with worldly goods.’ Then two men of the Bani Najm said to Moa’wiah: ‘If thou wilt order, we shall undertake this business.’ Moa’wiah continued: ‘If you succeed in killing A’yâsh, I shall give twenty thousand dirhems to each of you.’ Those two individuals, being allured by mundane gifts, approached A’yâsh and challenged him to fight. A’yâsh, however, replied: ‘I cannot come without the permission of the Amir of the Faithful.’ When A’yâsh reported what had taken place, his lordship exclaimed: ‘I swear by God that the intention of Moa’wiah is to rid the world of the Bani Hâshem.’ Then his lordship ordered A’yâsh to alight from his horse and to divest himself of his cuirass, which he then himself donned, gave him his own horse, and ordered him to remain on his own august post. When his lordship approached the Najmy men, they thought him to be A’yâsh, and asked: ‘Hast thou received permission?’ His lordship replied: ‘“Permission is granted unto those who fight [against unbelievers], because they have been dealt with unjustly, and verily Allah is able to assist them.”’* Then one of the Najmy men attacked his lordship, but the Shah and receptacle of the Vicariate and lion of the field of bravery so struck the waist of the man with his sword that he cut him in twain. The reporter of the tradition says, and the responsibility rests upon him, that as the man had not fallen from his horse, although cut in twain by the celerity of his lordship’s sword, the spectators imagined that the attack had failed; when, however, the horse began to move and caper, and the two halves of the body separated, friends and foes applauded the exploit. Then the other obstinate fellow, allured by the promised money, encountered the Amir of the true believers, but being crushed by the foot of calamity, joined his predecessor. When Moa’wiah was informed that A’li Murtadza himself had slain those two men, he said: ‘The curse of God be on haste, for whenever I indulged in it I was vanquished and abased.’ A’mru B. A´ass, however, replied: ‘In this fight the Najmys have been overthrown and abased, but not thou.’ Moa’wiah continued: ‘Be silent; this is not the time for thee to speak.’ A’mru B. A´ass rejoined: ‘I may at any rate say that I wish God would pardon the Najmys, although I know that He will not do so.’ Moa’wiah continued: ‘If they are not pardoned, then woe to thee!’ A’mru replied: ‘Such is the case. But if it were not for my aspirations to obtain the government of Egypt, I would be walking on the road to paradise, and on the path of paradise.’ Moa’wiah said: ‘Yes; thy greediness for Egypt has obscured thy eyesight, and thrown thee into the desert of aberration, because thou art a wonderfully covetous and intriguing fellow.’ The writer of these lines says Moa’wiah ought to have been grateful because his own eyesight was not obscured. He was not at all greedy and covetous for worldly goods, conquering countries or attaining government, he being a simple-hearted man, who never indulged in fraud and deceit. In short, on that day the armies engaged in fighting, after much squabbling, and numberless men were slain on both sides.