Nasb-and-the-Nawasib

He again demanded, “By Allah you will surely swear him or else I will slay
you.”
He replied, “By Allah I will not revile him.”
He thus ordered that he be slayed. A person thus stood up with a sword
flashing in his hand as if it was a big pearl.
He once more demanded, “By Allah you will revile him or I will slay you.”
He replied, “By Allah I will not revile him.”
He then called out, “Woe to you, O Sulaymān, allow me to come near you.”
He thus called him and he said, “O Sulaymān, would you not be happy with
me if I said that which made the one better than you happy with he who he
is better than me regarding those who are worse than ʿAlī?”
He said, “What do you mean?”
He replied, “Allah was happy with ʿĪsā S, who is better than me, when
he said the following regarding the Banū Isrāʾīl who were worse than ʿAlī:
If you should punish them, indeed they are your servants; but if you forgive them,
indeed it is you who is the Exalted in Might, the Wise.”
He says “I saw the anger leaving his face till it settled at the tip of his nose.”
Thereafter he said, “Leave him.” and consequently he returned to his
proud walk. 1
What captures ones attention in this awe inspiring story is that Ṭalḥah was classed
as an ʿUthmānī (a partisan of ʿUthmān) 2 due to him opposing most of the people of
1 Ḥilyah al-Awliyāʾ 5/16.
2 Tahdhīb al-Kamāl 13/437.
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