sixteen times (1) on the day of Uhud. Four of those blows knocked me to the ground. Then a man came to me, handsome of face, with beautiful locks (2) and a pleasant scent. He took hold of both my upper arms, raised me to my feet, and said, ‘Advance against them and fight in obedience to Allah and His Messenger, for Allah and His Messenger are both pleased with you.’”

Alī said, “I then went to the Prophet—may Allah bless him and grant him peace—and told him what had happened. He asked, ‘Alī, do you not recognize the man?’

“I replied, ‘No, but I thought he resembled Dihya al-Kalbī.’

“He said, ‘Alī, may Allah gladden your eyes (3). That was Gabriel.’”’” (4).

The response is as follows:

This statement contains some outrageous lies that could gain currency only among those unfamiliar with Islam. It is as though, by relating these fables, he were addressing people who know nothing of what occurred during the military campaigns. One example is his statement:

“Alī killed most of the polytheists in this battle, and victory in it was won at his hands.”

To this it is said: The bane of lying is ignorance. Was there any victory in this campaign? Rather, the Muslims initially routed the enemy. The Prophet—may Allah bless him and grant him peace—had posted the archers at a gap in the mountain and ordered them to guard that position and not to leave it to join the others, whether they prevailed or were defeated. When the polytheists were routed, some of the archers cried out, “Men, the spoils!” Their commander, Abdullāh ibn Jubayr, forbade them to do so. The enemy then turned back against them, and the commander of the polytheists