Sources for this sermon

SERMON 207

In the battle of Siffin Amir al-mu'minin saw Imam al-Hasan proceeding rapidly to fight, then he said:

Hold back this young man on my behalf, lest he causes my ruin, because I am loath to send these two (meaning al-Hasan and al-Husayn) towards death, lest the descending line of the Prophet - may Allah bless him and his descendants - is cut away by their death.

as-Sayyid ar-Radi says: Amir al-mu'minin's words "amliku `anni hadha'l- ghulam" (i.e. "Hold back this young man on my behalf") represents the highest and the most eloquent form of expression.