1232 — Abū Abd Allah Muhammad ibn Makhlad narrated to us, saying: Ahmad ibn Ishāq al-Raqqī narrated to us, saying: Abd Allah ibn Jafar narrated to us, saying: Muhammad ibn Marwān narrated to us, on the authority of al-Kalbī, on the authority of Abū Sālih, on the authority of Ibn Abbās, regarding the words of Allah, Mighty and Majestic, ⦗1774⦘ “Believe as the people have believed” [al-Baqarah: 13]. He said: “Abū Bakr, Umar, Uthmān, and Ali—may Allah be pleased with them.” Abū Bakr ibn Abī al-Tayyib recited to us the following verses by one poet:

[Basīt meter]

I am content to take Ali as an exemplar and a beacon,
Just as I am content with Atīq, the Companion of the Cave.

I am content with Abū Hafs and his followers,
And I did not approve the elder’s murder in his home.

Every Companion, in my eyes, is an exemplar of knowledge;
Is there any shame upon me for holding this view?

If You know that I love them only for Your sake,
Then set me free from the Fire.