Pearls of Wisdom Stories and Sayings of Infallibles (as) and their Noble Companions

Not the Personalities

Taken from: Unto Thee We Grant...

It was the famous or rather infamous battle of Jamal, where armies of Muslims arranged themselves against each other. On one side were Talha and Zubair, the Companions of the Prophet, peace be upon him and his cleansed progeny, at the head was Ummul Mu'mineen Aisha, the Prophet's wife.

On the other side was an army led by Amir ul Mu'mineen, Imam ‘Ali, peace be upon him.

The Imam, tried his best to avert the war, but the opposition remained adamant. They said they were out to avenge the blood of Uthman.

As the battle raged on, a companion who had been watching in detachment slowly advanced to Imam ‘Ali, peace be upon him, and said:

O ‘Ali, is it possible to believe that men like Talha and Zubair and a lady like Aisha, the mother of the faithful have all joined hands on the wrong side?

The Imam, peace be upon him, replied:

You have tangled yourself in a misleading argument. Truth and untruth are not judged by the personalities. Discern the truth first and then know its followers. Recognize the untruth and then identify its adherents.