24 – Al-Ḥusayn narrated to us; ʿAbd Allah narrated; my father narrated to me, from Hishām ibn Muḥammad; ʿAwānah ibn al-Ḥakam narrated:

When the people dispersed after the dawn prayer in al-Ashʿath’s mosque—Hujr ibn ʿAdī was their imam—no sooner had he given the salām than voices were heard saying, “The Commander of the Believers was struck last night!” Hujr looked at al-Ashʿath and said, “Did I not see Ibn Muljam with you while you were whispering to him, telling him, ‘Daybreak has exposed you’? By Allah, were I certain of that I would have shorn off most of your hair.” Al-Ashʿath retorted, “You are an old man who has lost his wits.”

Al-Ashʿath then dispatched Qays ibn al-Ashʿath, on the morning ⦗38⦘ ʿAlī was attacked, saying, “My son, go and see how the Commander of the Believers is this morning.” Qays went, looked, then returned and said, “Father, I saw that his eyes have sunk deep into his head.” Al-Ashʿath exclaimed, “May my eye be smashed—by the Lord of the Kaʿbah!”