Ali ibn Rabi’ah said: I was present with Ali while a beast was brought to him to ride. When he put his foot in the stirrup, he said: “In the name of Allah.” Then when he sat on its back, he said: “Praise be to Allah.” He then said: “Glory be to Him Who has made this subservient to us, for we had not the strength, and to our Lord do we return.” He then said: “Praise be to Allah (thrice); Allah is Most Great (thrice): glory be to Thee, I have wronged myself, so forgive me, for only Thou forgivest sins.” He then laughed. He was asked: At what did you laugh? He replied: I saw the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) do as I have done, and laugh after that. I asked: Messenger of Allah , at what are you laughing? He replied: Your Lord, Most High, is pleased with His servant when he says: “Forgive me my sins.” He know that no one forgives sins except Him.
We were in an army with the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ). We got some lizards. I roasted one lizard and brought it to the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) and placed it before him. He took a stick and counted its fingers. He then said: A group from the children of Isra’il was transformed into an animal of the land, and I do not know which animal it was. He did not eat it nor did he forbid (its eating).
We went out with the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) on a journey, and we had on our saddles and camels garments consisting of red warp of wool. The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said: Do I not see that red colour has dominated you. We then got up quickly on account of this saying of the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) and some of our camels ran away. We then took the garments and withdrew them.
The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) led us in the night prayer one night towards the end of his life. When he uttered the salutation, he got up and said : Have you seen this night of yours ? No one of those who are on the surface of the earth will survive at the ends of one hundred years. Ibn ‘Umar said: The people fell into fallacy by this statement of the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) about the traditions they used to narrate concerning one hundred years. The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said: No one of those who are present today on the surface of the earth will survive, meaning when that century comes to and end.
Is one of you unable to be like Abu Damdam? The people asked: who is Abu Damdam? He replied : A man of old before you. He then mentioned the rest of tradition to the tradition to the same effect. This version has : who would say (in the morning) : My honors is for the one who reviles me. Abu Dawud said: This tradition has also been transmitted by Hashim bin al-Qasim from Muhammad b. ‘Adb Allah al-‘Ammi from Thabit on the authority of Anas from Prophet (ﷺ) to the same effect. Abu Dawud said: The tradition of Hammad (i.e. ‘Abd al-Rahman’s version) is sounder.
The Prophet (ﷺ) said: On the Day of resurrection Allah will not accept repentance or ransom from him who learns excellence of speech to captivate thereby the hearts of men, or of people.
“When ‘Ali bin Abu Talib came to Basrah, he entered upon my father and said: ‘O Abu Muslim, will you not help me against these people?’ He said: ‘Of course.’ So he called a slave woman of his and said: ‘O slave woman, bring me my sword.’ So she brought it, and he unsheathed it a span, and (I saw that) it was made of wood. He said: ‘My close friend and your cousin (ﷺ) advised me, if tribulation (Fitnah) arose among the Muslims, that I should take a sword of wood. If you wish I will go out with you.’ He said: ‘I have no need of you or of your sword.’”