وقال عليه السلام لعبدالله بن العباس، وقد أشار عليه في شيء لم يوافق رأيه:
'Abdullah ibn al-'Abbas once advised Amir al-mu'minin peace be upon him, against his views, so he said:
لَكَ أَنْ تُشِيرَ عَلَيَّ وأَرَى،
You have only to advise me but then I have to see (what to do);
فَإِنْ عَصَيْتُكَ فَأَطِعْنِي.
and if I act against your advice you have to follow me. 81
81. 'Abdullah ibn al-'Abbas had advised Amir al-mu'minin to issue a letter of appointment to Talhah and az-Zubayr as the Governors of Kufah and to retain Mu'awiyah as the Governor of Syria till such time as his position became stabilized and the government gained strength. In reply to which Amir al-mu'minin said that he could not expose his own religion to danger for the sake of the worldly benefit of others, adding that "therefore instead of insisting on your own point you should listen to me and obey me.
