507. al-Kāfi - narrating from `Adi ibn Hātim: “When the Commander of the Faithful confronted Mu`āwiya in Siffin, he raised his voice so that his companions could hear him and he said: “By God, I will kill Mu`āwiya and his companions!” Then he lowered his voice and said: “If God wills!”
I was near him and I said to him: “O Commander of the Faithful! You have truly sworn to do it and then you said ‘if God wills’. What did you mean by this?”
He said: “War is a deception and I am not a liar in the sight of the faithful. I wanted to incite my followers and encourage them not to show weakness and to fight against the enemy. Therefore, in future the wisest of them will benefit from this word. God willing!”¹

508. Tafsir al-Qummi – in the report about the Battle of Khandaq: “The Commander of the Faithful passed by while walking hastily and `Amr [Ibn `Abduwud] asked him: “Who are you.”
He said: “I am Ali ibn Abi Tālib, the cousin of the Messenger of God (s.a.w.) and his son-in-law.”
`Amr said: “By God, your father was an old friend of mine and I do not like to kill you. When your cousin sent you to me, wasn’t he afraid that I would snatch you up with my weapon and leave you in the air, neither killed nor alive?!”
The Commander of the Faithful said to him: “My cousin knew that if you killed me I would enter Heaven and you would be in fire; but if I killed you, you would stay in Hellfire and I will go to Heaven.”
`Amr said: ‘O Ali, both of them are for you! This is not a fair dividing!”
He said: “Leave it aside now! I heard you say while holding on to the curtain of the Ka`ba: “If a person presents to me three requests, I will at least answer one of them.”And [now] I have three requests from you, so answer to one of them.”
`Amr said: “O Ali, say what they are!”
He said: “The first is that you bear witness that there is no god but Allah and that Muhammad is His Messenger.”
`Amr said: “Put this aside and ask the second one!”
He said: “The second is that you go back and turn this army [of yours] away from [confronting] the Messenger of God (s.a.w.). If he [the Prophet] is truthful, you will be honored through him, and if he is a liar then the Arab robbers and rascals do it (kill him) for you.”
`Amr said: ‘Would not the women of Quraysh then speak about it and the poets mention it in their poems that I was cowardice and retreated from a battle and that I betrayed a group that chose me as their chief.”
The Commander of the Faithful said: “My third [request] is that you dismount [your horse] so that I could fight with you, as you are mounted and I am on foot.”
He then dismounted his horse and hamstrung it and said: “This is a trait for which I did not suppose any of the Arabs would bargain with me.” Then he started [the battle] and struck Ali’s (a.s.) head with his sword. The Commander of the Faithful held his head behind his shield, but the sword rent the shield and hit his head.
Ali (a.s.) said to him: “O `Amr! As an Arab warrior will you not be able to fight by yourself and need to ask for assistance while I am fighting you alone?”
`Amr turned his face [to look behind him] and the Commander of the Faithful delivered a swift blow on his knees and cut them off. A huge cloud of dust rose around them and the hypocrites said Ali ibn Abi Tālib was killed.
Soon the dust settled and they saw the Commander of the Faithful who was saying:
“I am ‘Ali, son of `Abd al-Muttalib;
Death is better for the knight than running away.”
Thereupon, the Messenger of God (s.a.w.) said: “Did you play a trick on him?”
He replied: “Yes, O Messenger of God! War is a craftiness.”²

507. الكافي عن عَدِيّ بن حاتِم: إنَّ أميرَ المُؤمِنينَ علیه السلام قالَ يَومَ التقَى هُوَ ومُعاوِيَةُ بِصِفّينَ ـ ورَفَع بِها صَوتَه لِيُسمِعَ أصحابَهُ ـ: وَاللهِ لاََقتُلَنَّ مُعاوِيَةَ وأصحابَهُ، ثُمَّ يَقولُ في آخِرِ قَولِهِ: إن شاءَ اللهُ ـ يَخفِضُ بِها صَوتَهُ ـ .
وكُنتُ قَريباً مِنهُ، فَقُلتُ: يا أميرَ المُؤمِنينَ إنَّكَ حَلَفتَ عَلى ما فَعَلتَ، ثُمَّ استَثنَيتَ، فَما أرَدتَ بِذلِكَ؟! فَقالَ لي: إنَّ الحَربَ خُدعَةٌ، وأنَا عِندَ المُؤمِنينَ غَيرُ كَذوب، فَأَرَدتُ أن اُحَرِّض أصحابي عَلَيهِم؛ كَيلا يَفشَلوا، وكَي يَطمَعوا فيهِم، فَأَفقَهُهُم يَنتَفِعُ بِها بَعدَ اليَومِ إن شاءَ اللهُ.¹

508. تفسير القمّي ـ في ذِكرِ غَزوَةِ الخَندَقِ ـ: مَرَّ أميرُ المُؤمِنينَ علیه السلام يُهَروِلُ في مَشيِهِ... فَقالَ لَهُ عَمرٌو: مَن أنتَ؟ قالَ: أنَا عَلِيُّ بنُ أبي طالِب؛ ابنُ عَمِّ رَسولِ اللهِ صلی الله علیه وآله، وخَتَنُهُ. فَقالَ: وَاللهِ إنَّ أباكَ كانَ لي صَديقاً قَديماً وإنّي أكرَهُ أن أقتُلَكَ، ما أمِنَ ابنُ عَمِّكَ ـ حينَ بَعَثَكَ إلَيَّ ـ أن أختَطِفَكَ بِرُمحي هذا فَأَترُكَكَ شائِلا بَينَ السَّماءِ وَالأَرضِ؛ لا حَيٌّ ولا مَيِّتٌ!!
فَقالَ لَهُ أميرُ المُؤمِنينَ علیه السلام: قَد عَلِمَ ابنُ عَمّي أنَّكَ إن قَتَلتَني دَخَلتُ الجَنَّةَ وأنتَ فِي النّارِ، وإن قَتَلتُكَ فَأَنتَ فِي النّارِ وأنَا فِي الجَنَّةِ.
فَقالَ عَمرٌو: وكِلتاهُما لَكَ يا عَلِيُّ! تِلكَ إذاً قِسمَةٌ ضيزى!!
قالَ عَلِيٌّ علیه السلام: دَع هذا يا عَمرُو، إنّي سَمِعتُ مِنكَ وأنتَ مُتَعَلِّقٌ بِأَستارِ الكَعبَةِ تَقولُ: «لا يَعرِضَنَّ عَلَيَّ أحَدٌ فِي الحَربِ ثَلاثَ خِصال إلّا أجَبتُهُ إلى واحِدَة مِنها»، وأنَا أعرِضُ عَلَيكَ ثلاثَ خِصال، فَأَجِبني إلى واحِدَة! قالَ: هاتِ يا عَلِيُّ!
قالَ: أحَدُها تَشهَدُ أن لا إلهَ إلّا اللهُ، وأنَّ مُحَمَّداً رَسولُ اللهِ. قال: نَحِّ عَنّي هذِهِ، فَاسأَلِ الثّانِيَةَ.
فَقالَ: أن تَرجِعَ وتَرُدَّ هذَا الجَيشَ عَن رَسولِ اللهِ صلی الله علیه وآله؛ فَإِن يَكُ صادِقاً فَأَنتُم أعلى بِهِ عَيناً، وإن يَكُ كاذِباً كَفَتكُم ذُؤبانُ العَرَبِ أمرَهُ! فَقالَ: إذاً لا تَتَحَدَّثُ نِساءُ قُرَيش بِذلِكَ، ولا تُنشِدُ² الشُّعَراءُ في أشعارِها أنّي جَبَنتُ ورَجَعتُ عَلى عَقِبي مِنَ الحَربِ، وخَذَلتُ قَوماً رَأَّسوني عَلَيهِم!
فَقالَ أميرُ المُؤمِنينَ علیه السلام: فَالثّالِثَةُ أن تَنزِلَ إلَيَّ؛ فَإِنَّكَ راكِبٌ وأنَا راجِلٌ؛ حَتّى اُنابِذَكَ! فَوَثَبَ عَن فَرَسِهِ وعَرقَبَهُ، وقالَ: هذِهِ خَصلَةٌ ما ظَنَنتُ أنَّ أحَداً مِنَ العَرَبِ يَسومُني عَلَيها.
ثُمَّ بَدَأَ فَضَرَبَ أميرَ المُؤمِنينَ علیه السلام بِالسَّيفِ عَلى رَأسِهِ، فَاتَّقاهُ أميرُ المُؤمِنينَ بِدَرَقَتِهِ، فَقَطَعَها، وَثَبَتَ السَّيفُ عَلى رَأسِهِ. فَقالَ لَهُ عَلِيٌّ علیه السلام: يا عَمرُو، أما كَفَاكَ أنّي بارَزتُكَ وأنتَ فارِسُ العَرَبِ، حَتَّى استَعَنتَ عَلَيَّ بِظَهير؟! فَالتَفَتَ عَمرٌو إلى خَلفِهِ، فَضَرَبَهُ أميرُ المُؤمِنينَ علیه السلام مُسرِعاً عَلى ساقَيهِ ]فـَ[³ قَطَعَهُما جَميعاً، وَارتَفَعَت بَينَهُما عَجاجَةٌ، فَقالَ المُنافِقونَ: قُتِلَ عَلِيُّ بنُ أبي طالِب. ثُمَّ انكَشَفَتِ⁴ العَجاجَةُ فَنَظروا فَإِذا أميرُ المُؤمِنينَ علیه السلام يَقولُ:

أنَا عَلِيٌّ وَابنُ عَبدِ المُطَّلِبِالمَوتُ خَيرٌ لِلفَتى مِنَ الهَرَبِ
فَقالَ رَسولُ اللهِ صلی الله علیه وآله ياعَلِيُّ ما كَرتَهُ؟ قالَ: نَعَم يا رَسولَ اللهِ؛ الحَربُ خَديعَةٌ.⁵