1600 — Abū Bakr Muhammad ibn Hārūn ibn al-Mujaddar narrated to us, saying: Ibrāhīm ibn Saʿīd al-Jawharī narrated to us, saying: Abū Usāma narrated to us, saying: Abū Talq ʿAlī ibn Hanzala ⦗2108⦘ ibn Nuʿaym narrated to us, from his father, who said:

When Ibn Muljam—may Allah’s curse be upon him—struck ʿAlī—may Allah be pleased with him—ʿAlī said, “Detain him. It is only a wound. If I recover, I shall exact retribution or pardon him; but if I die, then kill him.”

ʿAbd Allāh ibn Jaʿfar—who was married to Zaynab bint ʿAlī—then immediately set upon him. He cut off his hands, gouged out his eyes, cut off his feet, and cut off his nose. He said, “Stick out your tongue.”

He replied, “Since you have done what you have done, we are merely borrowing against your body. But as for my tongue—woe to you—leave it so that I may remember Allah, Glorified and Exalted, with it. I shall never stick it out for you.”

He therefore parted his beard, pulled his tongue out from between his jaws, and cut it off. He then heated a nail to gouge out his eyes. Ibn Muljam said, “You are indeed applying kohl with a searing probe.”

Zaynab came weeping and saying, “You wicked man! By Allah, you have not harmed the Commander of the Faithful!”

ʿAlī said, “Why are you weeping, Zaynab? By Allah, my sword did not fail me, nor did my hand grow weak.”

Muhammad ibn al-Husayn—may Allah have mercy on him—said: Among ʿAlī’s virtues—may Allah be pleased with him—was his marriage to Fātima—may Allah be pleased with her. Allah the Most Generous singled him out by granting her to him in marriage. We shall mention this in the chapter on the virtues of Fātima—may Allah be pleased with her—one account after another, if Allah Most High wills.