(396) Abu al-Hassan Ra’iq bin al-Khidr al-Ghassani narrated to me by his chain reaching our Lord Salman—peace be upon him: "I saw after the occultation of the Messiah—exalted be his glory—in what a sleeper sees as if I were in the middle of a desolate wilderness. I saw two armies meet; one was defeated and the other remained. Then I saw a great horseman emerge from the heart of the wilderness; he charged at the right wing of the army and overturned it upon the left, then charged at the left and overturned it upon the heart, then charged at the heart and broke it. I lived three hundred years after that, and the Prophet—exalted be his glory—was raised. He went out to the Battle of Hunayn to meet the polytheists. The army of the polytheists defeated the army of the Messenger of God—exalted be his glory—and no one remained with him except his uncle al-Abbas, holding the reins of his mule, while I was standing before him."

He [the Prophet] said: "O Salman, look; do you see Ali?" Then the dust broke through to the right and left, and there was a horseman charging at the right wing of the polytheists, turning it over upon the left, then charging at the left wing and turning it over upon the heart, then charging at the heart and driving it back upon the rear-guard. He was driving them as one drives camels. I recalled the dream and observed the horseman; I saw that he was that very horseman, so I headed toward him. When I drew near him, I saw my Master Amir Almuminin—exalted be his glory—and he was shouting to me: "O Salman, is your dream now confirmed?" I said: "Yes, O my Master, O One whose power cannot be denied."

(397) In the same sense is what I have transmitted from a manuscript in the handwriting of Abu al-Hasan ibn al-Qasim al-Rahawi the Tutor—may God be pleased with him—as a loose tradition: from Uthman ibn Maz'un—peace be upon him—who said: My lord Abu Abd Allah Salman the Persian—peace be upon him—narrated to me, saying: "On the Day of the Chains (Dhat al-Salasil), I saw my Master Amir Almuminin—exalted be his glory—charge at an army numbering seventy-five thousand horsemen and foot-soldiers.