[^4] It was said that the name of Sawar al-‘Adawi was Hassan bin Hurayth...

[^4] It was said that the name of Sawar al-‘Adawi was Hassan bin Hurayth; and it was said that his name was Hurayth bin Hassan; and it was said that it was Munqidh. He narrated traditions from Imam Ali, the Commander of the faithful, peace be on him, and from Imam al-Hasan. Another group of traditionists narrated from him.

Ibn Sa‘d has said: “He is trustworthy.” Abu Dawud has said: “He is among the reliable people.” In his book al-Kuna, al-Nisaa’i has said: “Abu Sawar, Hassan bin Hurayth al-‘Adawi is trustworthy.” This has been mentioned in Tahdhib al-Tahdhib, vol. 12, p. 123. [^5] Al-Tabari, Tarikh, vol. 6, p. 132. Others than him have also mentioned that. crimes, saying: “Samra came to Medina. When he was near the houses of the Banu (family of tribe of) Asad, some man came out of one of the streets.

The man suddenly met the vanguard of people. A man attacked him and stabbed him with his sword as a sign of play and insolence. Then the horses went away. Samra passed by the man while he was covered with his blood. He asked: ‘What is that?’ ‘The Emir’s first horses hit him,’ was the answer.

Samra said with insolence and haughtiness: ‘If you heard that we rode our horses, then guard against our spear heads.’”[^1] This tyrannical person, who was thirsty to shedding blood, killed people because of suspicion and accusation. He was asked: “O Samra, what will you say to your Lord tomorrow? A person is brought to you. It is said to you that the person is from the Kharijites, and you ordered him to be killed.

Then another person is brought to you and it is said to you: ‘The person you had killed was not from the Kharijites. Rather he was going to satisfy a need of his. We were confused. The Kharijite is this person.’ Nevertheless you order the second person to be killed.” Samra answered through what his soul harbored of savageness and crime and what was in his nature of deviation and misguidance, saying: “And which harm results from that?

If he (the killed person) was from the men of the Garden, he would go to the Garden! If he was from the men of the fire, he would go to the fire!”[^2] Al-Hasan al-Basri narrated: “A man from Khurasan came to Basra. The man paid the zakat on his property to the Public Treasury. He took a receipt, and then he came into the mosque and performed two ruk’as. Then Samra took him and accused him of being a Kharijite. He ordered him to be beheaded.

They checked what was with him and found that he was innocent.