Nahjul Balagha Part 2, Letters and Sayings

Letter 35: To 'Abdullah ibn al-'Abbas after Muhammad ibn Abi Bakr had been killed.

Now then, Egypt has been conquered and Muhammad ibn Abi Bakr, may Allah have mercy on him, has been martyred. We seek his reward from Allah. He was a son who was a well-wisher, a hard worker, a sharp sword and a bastion of defence. I had roused the people to join him and ordered them to reach him to help before this incident. I called to them secretly as well as openly repeatedly. Some of them came half-heartedly, some put up false excuses and some sat away leaving me. I ask Allah the Sublime, to give me early relief from them, for by Allah, had I not been yearning to meet the enemy for martyrdom and not prepared myself for death, I would not have liked to be with these people for a single day nor ever to face the enemy with them.