I -asws have not done anything from this, and I -asws used to be in the governance of the clan of Umayya and you know they are the most inimical of the people to us -asws and to you all, and they, there are no rights for them in this command (caliphate).
I -asws neither rebelled against them nor did any evil reach them from me -asws , along with their tyranny which was with me -asws , and how, O commander of the faithful, can I -asws be doing this now and you are a son of my -asws uncle, and the closest of the people with me -asws in kinship, and their most abundant of awarding and righteous.
So, how can I -asws be doing this?’ فَأَطْرَقَ الْمَنْصُورُ سَاعَةً وَ كَانَ عَلَى لِبْدٍ وَ عَنْ يَسَارِهِ مِرْفَقَةٌ جُرْمُقَانِيَّةٌ وَ تَحْتَ لِبْدِهِ سَيْفٌ ذُو فَقَارٍ كَانَ لَا يُفَارِقُهُ إِذَا قَعَدَ فِي الْقُبَّةِ Al-Mansour lowered his head for a while, and he was (sitting) upon fluffy wool, and on his left was a Jumurqany pillow, and under his wood was a sharp sword he would not separate from whenever he would sit in the dome.
قَالَ أَبْطَلْتَ وَ أَثِمْتَ ثُمَّ رَفَعَ ثِنْيَ الْوِسَادَةِ فَأَخْرَجَ مِنْهَا إِضْبَارَةَ كُتُبٍ فَرَمَى بِهَا إِلَيْهِ وَ قَالَ هَذِهِ كُتُبُكَ إِلَى أَهْلِ خُرَاسَانَ تَدْعُوهُمْ إِلَى نَقْضِ بَيْعَتِي وَ أَنْ يُبَايِعُوكَ دُونِي He said, ‘I was tried, and I sinned’.
Then he raised the pillow and brought out a dossier of letters and threw these towards him -asws and said, ‘These are your -asws letters to the people of Khurasan, calling them to break my allegiance, and that they should pledge allegiance to you -asws besides me’.