The Prophet—exalted be his glory—asked: "And why is that, O Sa'd?" He replied: "O my lord, you entrusted two banners in two days and they returned defeated; perhaps God the Almighty has not permitted the conquest of this fortress." The Messenger of God—exalted be his glory—said to him: "Be still, O Sa'd, for tomorrow I shall give the banner to a man who loves God and His Messenger and is loved by God and His Messenger—a relentless attacker who never retreats, through whose hands God shall grant victory."¹

His saying "to a man" is a noun indicating perfection, like the description: "a learned man" or "a gnostic man." Our Master al-Sadiq—exalted be his glory—said: "This is proof that the two to whom he gave the banners were not men, but rather two effeminate transformed beings." Then he recited the words of the Mighty and Sublime: {They invoke none instead of Him but females, and they invoke none but a rebellious devil whom God has cursed. And he said: "I will surely take from Your servants a designated portion."}² The Muslims spent that night each saying: "Perhaps the banner will be given to me tomorrow." When morning came, the Messenger of God said: "O Salman, where is Ali?" He replied: "He is suffering from ophthalmia, O Messenger of God." He said: "Bring him to me." Salman called him, and he came leaning upon Salman the Persian and Ammar ibn Yasir. When he reached the Prophet—exalted be his glory—he asked: "What do you feel, O Abu al-Hassan?" He replied: "Ophthalmia, O Messenger of God." The Messenger of God spat into the eye of Amir Almuminin, and the ophthalmia vanished along with all the pain he felt. The Prophet entrusted the banner, and Amir Almuminin—Mighty and Sublime—took it and shook it.