the followers of Ibn al-Ash'ath included many people of knowledge and religion. May Allah forgive [all of] them (1).

During the civil strife of Ibn al-Ash'ath, al-Sha'bī was asked, “Where were you, O Āmir?” He replied, “I was in the state described by the poet:

The wolf howled, and its howl made me feel at ease;
But when a man cried out, I nearly took flight.

A tribulation befell us in which we were neither righteous and pious nor wicked and strong.”

Al-Hasan al-Basrī used to say, “Al-Hajjāj is a punishment from Allah, so do not try to repel Allah’s punishment with your own hands. Rather, humble yourselves and supplicate, for Allah Most High says:

‘We certainly seized them with punishment, yet they neither humbled themselves before their Lord nor earnestly supplicated.’

[Surah al-Mu'minūn: 76]”

Talq ibn Habīb used to say, “Protect yourselves from tribulation through piety.” He was asked, “Summarize piety for us.” He replied, “It is to obey Allah, guided by light from Allah and hoping for Allah’s mercy, and to forsake disobedience to Allah, guided by light from Allah and fearing Allah’s punishment.” This was narrated by Ahmad and Ibn Abī al-Dunyā.

The foremost Muslims used to forbid rebellion and fighting during civil strife. Thus, in the year of al-Harrah, Abd Allah ibn Umar, Sa'īd ibn al-Musayyib, Alī ibn al-Husayn, and others forbade rebelling against Yazīd. Likewise, al-Hasan al-Basrī, Mujāhid, and others forbade rebellion during the civil strife of Ibn al-Ash'ath. For this reason, the position of Ahl al-Sunnah became firmly established upon refraining from fighting during civil strife, in accordance with the authentic, firmly established hadiths transmitted from the Prophet—may Allah bless him and grant him peace. They came to mention this in their creeds and to enjoin patience in the face of the injustice of