—far more closely bound to him than to us. If he was a liar, your brother kept him near despite his falsehood; and if he was anything else, then Allah knows him best. I have no quarrel with your brother so long as I remain under his protection; had I differed with him, I would have gone out to those who summon me. Yet here your brother has a rival—both of them are fighting over this world—ʿAbd al-Malik. It is as though you already see his armies tightening around your brother’s neck. In my view, his protection is better than yours, and he has written to me offering what he possesses and inviting me to join him.
ʿUrwah said, “What, then, is holding you back?”
He replied, “I shall seek Allah’s guidance; that course is dearer to me than following your companion.”
One of Ibn al-Hanafiyyah’s supporters exclaimed, “By Allah, if you would heed us, we would strike off his head!”
Ibn al-Hanafiyyah said, “And for what crime? The man only brought a message from his brother. You know my position: were all the people to unite against me save a single person, I would never fight him.”
ʿUrwah departed, informed his brother, and said, “I do not think you should contend with him. Leave him; let him move on. ʿAbd al-Malik lies ahead of him and will not allow him to enter Syria until he pledges allegiance to him, while he, for his part, will never pledge until the people are unanimous for him.” ⦗1⦘
Abu ʿAwanah narrated, from Abu Jamrah, who said:
We travelled with Ibn al-Hanafiyyah from Ta’if to Aylah ⦗2⦘ after the death of Ibn ʿAbbas. ʿAbd al-Malik had written to him, permitting him and his companions to stay in his territory until the people should agree on a single leader; and when they did so—by Allah’s covenant and pledge—… (in a lengthy discourse). When Muhammad reached Syria, ʿAbd al-Malik wrote to him:
“Either you pledge allegiance to me, or leave my land”—and at that time we were seven thousand.
He sent back, “On condition that you guarantee the safety of my companions.”
ʿAbd al-Malik agreed. Ibn al-Hanafiyyah then rose, praised Allah and glorified Him, and said:
“Allah is the Guardian and Judge of all affairs. Whatever Allah wills comes to pass, and whatever He does not will never occurs. By Him in whose hand is Muhammad’s soul, matters will surely return to the state in which they began. Praise be to Allah, who has spared your blood and safeguarded your religion. Whoever among you wishes to return safely to his own land…"