8 – Abū ʿAlī ibn Ṣafwān informed us; Abū Bakr ibn Abī al-Dunyā informed us; ʿĪsā ibn ʿAbd Allāh, the client of Banū Tamīm, related to me from an elder of Banū Hāshim, who said:

“I saw a man in Syria whose face was blackened on one side, and he kept that side covered. I asked him about the reason. He replied, ‘Yes— I have pledged before Allah that I will tell anyone who asks me. I used to malign ʿAlī ibn Abī Ṭālib severely, often speaking ill of him. One night, while I was asleep, someone came to me in a dream and said, “You are the one who slanders ʿAlī,” then struck one side of my face. When morning came, that side of my face was black, just as you see.’”