By Allah...

By Allah, we shall fight by your side in every situation, protecting (the message of) the messenger of Allah, peace be upon him and his progeny." Amirul Mu’mineen, peace be upon him, welcomed him and made him sit by his side, for he was indeed his helper and friend. Then he started inquiring about people till he mentioned Abu Musa al-Ashari.

He said: "By Allah, I do not trust him, and I do not see you secure against him if he finds support." Amriul Mu’mineen, peace be upon him, replied: "By Allah, he was neither trustworthy nor a good counsel in my estimation. But those who preceded me were captured by his fancy and gave him authority to govern the people. And I had decided to remove him, but al-Ashtar asked me to confirm him, so I did it reluctantly. Thereafter, I had to sustain his dismissal." He said: He (i.e.

Amirul Mu’mineen) remained with Abdullah this way, till a great multitude was seen coming from the mountains of Tay. Amirul Mu’mineen said: "Look out, who are they?" So, some of the horsemen ran to find out, and soon came back to report that they were the people of Tay who had come with their sheep and camels and horses. Some of them had come with their gifts for ‘Ali, and some intended to go with him to fight his enemy.

So Amirul Mu’mineen, peace be upon him, said: "May Allah reward the people of Tay a good reward, and ' He (i.e. Allah) has a far richer reward for those who fight for Him than for those who stay at home. '(4:95)" And when they drew close to him, they greeted him. Abdullah ibn Khalifa said: "By Allah, I was pleased with what I experienced from their group, and by their excellent form. They spoke and confirmed their stand.

By Allah, I have not seen a more eloquent speaker than their spokesman." And Adi ibn Hatim al-Taee stood up, praised Allah and lauded Him and then said: "I had embraced Islam…