Ali Ibn Abi Talib - Volume 1 of 2

580 Governors at the time of 'Ali ibn Abi Trilib
led to instability, and 'Uthmin ibn Haneef lost control of Basra and
was forced to leave until 'Ali (&) .. got there. After the Battle of the
Camel, 'Ali (&) strove to put the province's affairs in order.166
Some turmoil also occurred in Basra later as a result of the Kharijite
movement and Mu'iwiyab's attempt to gain control of the region.
Despite that, Basra remained one of the Islamic provinces that
belonged to the caliphate throughout 'Ali's era, and his opponents
did not manage to gain control of it.167
In Basra, the leadership abilities of Ibn 'Abbis came to the
fore. He benefited from having kept company with 'Ali (may Allah
be pleased with them both), and he was deeply influenced by him.
Amir al-Mu'rnineen 'Ali (&) gave him advice and guidance, and he
exhorted him from time to-time. Ibn 'Abbis said: I never benefited
from the words of anyone after the Messenger of Allah (s) as I
benefited from a letter written to me by 'Ali ibn Abi Tilib (A), in
which he said: "A man would feel upset to miss out on what he could
never have gotten, and he could be pleased to get what he never could
have missed, so let your pleasure be in that which you get of matters
pertaining to the hereafter, and let your regret be with regard to what
you miss of that. Whatever you get of worldly gains, do not be too
happy about it, and whatever you miss out on of worldly matters, do
not be too upset about it; let your concern be what happens after
death."
Ibn 'Abbis was one of those who prayed q iyh regularly. It
was narrated that Ibn Maleekah said: "I accompanied Ihn 'Abbh
from Makkah to Madinah. He used to pray two by two, and he would
spend half the night in prayer, reciting Qur'an slowly, letter by letter,
and weeping and sobbing a great deal."169 He (&) wept so much
that traces of that were left on his cheeks. It was narrated that Ahu
Raja' said: "I saw ibn 'Abbis, and the bottom of his eyes was like a
worn out shoelace because of weeping."170 He also used to fast on