Amir al-mu'minin was delivering a lecture from the pulpit of (the
mosque of) Kufah when al-Ash`ath ibn Qays (1) objected and said,
"O' Amir al-mu'minin this thing is not in your favour but against
you." (2) Amir al-mu'minin looked at him with anger and said:
How do you know what is for me and what is against me? ! Curse of Allah and others be on
you. You are a weaver and son of a weaver. You are the son of an unbeliever and yourself a
hypocrite. You were arrested once by the Unbelievers and once by the Muslims, but your
wealth and birth could not save you from either. The man who contrives for his own people to
be put to sword and invites death and destruction for them does deserve that the near ones
should hate him and the remote ones should not trust him
