Yunus ibn Zabyan—peace be upon him—said: When he finished his prayer, he raised his head from his prostration. I said to him: "May I be your ransom, do you command us with a matter?" He replied: "Adhere to this one [meaning al-Mufaddal ibn Umar—peace be upon him], for in him is the Successor of the Successor and the interpretation of what is in the Mushaf. Accompany his view and follow his command, for the rings of the belly-girth have tightened1 and time has turned upon its people."
While he was giving his testament, I was looking at al-Mufaddal, and he was like a woman in labor in her month. He [Abu al-Khattab] said to al-Mufaddal—peace be upon him: "Be [ready] tonight, for I shall announce that you are the Battleground2 in which God distinguishes your companions—the Light from the Darkness—and honors some people by the humiliation of others," according to the words of the Almighty: {So We supported those who believed against their enemy, and they became dominant}3. Then he—peace be upon him—gave us a testament in which was a deterrent for whoever understood it from him, {for him who has a heart or lends an ear while he is a witness}. Among his words—peace be upon him: "Ja'far is sufficient for me among creatures; Ja'far is sufficient for me besides all of creation. Labbaika Allahumma labbaika, in awe toward You." These two reports appear in the killing of Abu al-Khattab in their completion; we have restricted ourselves to what we cited here to summarize the prayer for him whom God the Almighty has granted success to memorize and recite it.
(448) Among what Abu al-Qasim al-Husayn ibn Ali ibn Diqqa—may God be pleased with him—related in his compilation: This is our Lord Abu al-Khattab Muhammad ibn Abi Zaynab—peace be upon him—the Honored Gate and Magnificent Means, saying in Kufa while the fire of war was kindled by the disbelievers: "O you people, toward whom was I calling you in ease?" They said: "Toward Ja'far." He said: "Then I am not calling you in hardship toward other than him whom I was calling you toward in ease.