I set out with al-Ashtar to go to ‘Ali ؓ . We said: Did the Prophet of Allah ﷺ tell you something that he did not tell to all the people? He said: No, except what is in this document. He [the narrator] said: A document in the sheath of this sword. In it was said: “The believers are equal in respect of blood and they are one against their enemies; protection given even by the least among them is to be honoured, but no believer is to be killed (in retaliation) for a disbeliever and no one who has a covenant is to be killed during the covenant. Whoever commits an offence or gives refuge to an offender, upon him be the curse of Allah, the angels and all the people.ʿ (Using translation from Aḥmad 993)  

انْطَلَقْتُ أَنَا وَالْأَشْتَرُ إِلَى عَلِيٍّ فَقُلْنَا هَلْ عَهِدَ إِلَيْكَ نَبِيُّ اللهِ ﷺ شَيْئًا لَمْ يَعْهَدْهُ إِلَى النَّاسِ عَامَّةً؟ قَالَ لَا إِلَّا مَا كَانَ فِي كِتَابِي هَذَا فَأَخْرَجَ كِتَابًا مِنْ قِرَابِ سَيْفِهِ فَإِذَا فِيهِ «الْمُؤْمِنُونَ تَكَافَأُ دِمَاؤُهُمْ وَهُمْ يَدٌ عَلَى مَنْ سِوَاهُمْ وَيَسْعَى بِذِمَّتِهِمْ أَدْنَاهُمْ أَلَا لَا يُقْتَلُ مُؤْمِنٌ بِكَافِرٍ وَلَا ذُو عَهْدٍ فِي عَهْدِهِ مَنْ أَحْدَثَ حَدَثًا فَعَلَى نَفْسِهِ أَوْ آوَى مُحْدِثًا فَعَلَيْهِ لَعْنَةُ اللهِ وَالْمَلَائِكَةِ وَالنَّاسِ أَجْمَعِينَ»  

ʿThe believers are equal in respect of blood and they are one against their enemies; protection given even by the least among them is to be honoured, but no believer is to be killed (in retaliation) for a disbeliever and no one who has a covenant is to be killed during the covenant.ʿ (Using translation from Aḥmad 991)  

أَنَّ رَسُولَ اللهِ ﷺ قَالَ «الْمُؤْمِنُونَ تَكَافَأُ دِمَاؤُهُمْ وَهُمْ يَدٌ عَلَى مَنْ سِوَاهُمْ يَسْعَى بِذِمَّتِهِمْ أَدْنَاهُمْ لَا يُقْتَلُ مُؤْمِنٌ بِكَافِرٍ وَلَا ذُو عَهْدٍ فِي عَهْدِهِ»