I sharpened my gaze toward him and said to myself: "Woe to me from Ali bin Abi Talib! If I were told that I was in the presence of Mu'awiya, I would not be alarmed by that, until I looked at those people standing upon the backs of their horses with their swords upon their necks, and I knew not from where they entered. I said: 'By Allah, Mu'awiya is killed, and Ali bin Abi Talib and the believers are relieved of him and of fighting; there is no one with Mu'awiya to defend him!' I was anticipating the placement of the sword upon him, until I stretched my gaze and suddenly I saw Ali bin Abi Talib—mighty is his might—standing beside the people while they were encircling him. I said: 'And here is the Commander of the Faithful!'

He said to me with the fullness of his voice: 'Draw near to me, O Ammar.' So I mingled myself with the people and said: 'Praise be to Allah, I shall be among those who strike Mu'awiya.' But he said to me: 'Slowly, O Ammar.' While I was in that state, Mu'awiya turned to 'Amr ibn al-'As and said to him: 'Indeed, the courier reached us this day and said that Ali bin Abi Talib departed from Kufa on such-and-such a day, and until this day of ours, it has been such-and-such; the extent of his journey would bring him to 'Anah. It is as if his news has already reached me from al-Raqqa. So write to the people of al-Raqqa that they should prevent him from crossing and block him from arriving.