Ahmad ibn Abd Allah al-Ijli al-Nahrawani narrated to us in Mecca from Salman ibn Muqatil al-Khurasani from Ayyub al-Qummi from Dawud ibn Kathir al-Raqqi from Qadir al-A'raj from Mahan al-Abuli, peace be upon them, from our Master Jabir ibn Yazid al-Ju'fi, peace be upon him, who said:

I asked Jabir ibn Abd Allah al-Ansari, peace be upon him, when he entered Kufa after the return of Amir Almuminin, Mighty is His Might, from fighting the Khawarij: "How was his journey? And how was his crossing of the Buran Bridge?"

He said to me: Our Master Amir Almuminin, Mighty is His Might, encamped at the Buran Bridge on Friday and its night, and the morning of Saturday until the day was high. Then he commanded the Muslims to march. We began passing by the slain Khawarij on the hills and plains; we would look at them and recognize them, saying to one another: "This is so-and-so, son of so-and-so," and we counted their tribes. Amir Almuminin, Mighty is His Might, was shaking his head, not speaking to anyone nor issuing any command regarding them—unlike his practice with others—until he came upon the very last slain man he passed. He stood over him and said: "O Utbah ibn Rafi', nothing brought you to destruction except the adherence to the [customs of] Ignorance (Jahiliyya) for the sake of your family and your people. By God, had you opposed their views and not believed in their secret, you would have been saved. Instead, you endured death and bore the war, seeking thereby the height of reputation out of fear that it might be said: 'He did not go out with his people in a calamity, nor did he stand by them in a vital matter.' Cast earth upon him."

Jabir said: So we buried him, and we did not bury anyone else among them but him. He then traveled with us through the land of Khosrow and its ruins, stopping at the buildings and the carved canals, saying: "O Jabir, what became of the people of these?" I would say: "They perished, O Amir Almuminin." He, Mighty is His Might, would say: "And others possessed them after them, and they too shall perish."