We went out with ‘Ali to the Khawarij, and he fought them and killed them. Then he said: Look, for the Prophet ﷺ of Allah said: “There will emerge people who speak the truth but it will not go further than their throats; they will pass out of the truth as the arrow passes through the prey. Their sign is that among them will be a black man with a deformed hand, with black hairs on his hand.” If it is him, you will have killed the worst of people, and if it is not him, you will have killed the best of people.” We wept, then he said: Go and look. So we looked, and we found the one with the deformity. We fell down in prostration and ‘Ali fell down in prostration with us, but he said: ʿThey speak the word of truth.”  

خَرَجْنَا مَعَ عَلِيٍّ إِلَى الْخَوَارِجِ فَقَتَلَهُمْ ثُمَّ قَالَ انْظُرُوا فَإِنَّ نَبِيَّ اللهِ ﷺ قَالَ إِنَّهُ سَيَخْرُجُ قَوْمٌ يَتَكَلَّمُونَ بِالْحَقِّ لَا يُجَاوِزُ حَلْقَهُمْ يَخْرُجُونَ مِنَ الْحَقِّ كَمَا يَخْرُجُ السَّهْمُ مِنَ الرَّمِيَّةِ سِيمَاهُمْ أَنَّ مِنْهُمْ رَجُلًا أَسْوَدَ مُخْدَجَ الْيَدِ فِي يَدِهِ شَعَرَاتٌ سُودٌ إِنْ كَانَ هُوَ فَقَدْ قَتَلْتُمْ شَرَّ النَّاسِ وَإِنْ لَمْ يَكُنْ هُوَ فَقَدْ قَتَلْتُمْ خَيْرَ النَّاسِ فَبَكَيْنَا ثُمَّ قَالَ اطْلُبُوا فَطَلَبْنَا فَوَجَدْنَا الْمُخْدَجَ فَخَرَرْنَا سُجُودًا وَخَرَّ عَلِيٌّ مَعَنَا سَاجِدًا غَيْرَ أَنَّهُ قَالَ يَتَكَلَّمُونَ بِكَلِمَةِ الْحَقِّ  

‘Ali marched to an-Nahrawan and killed the Khawarij. Then he said: Look, for the Prophet ﷺ said: ʿThere will come a people who will speak the word of truth but it will not go any further than their throats; they will pass out of Islam as the arrow passes out of the prey. Their sign - or among them - will be a black man with a deformed arm, on which there are black hairs. If he is among them, then you will have killed the worst of people; if he is not among them, then you will have killed the best of people.” Then we found the one with the deformity, and we fell down in prostration and ‘Ali fell down in prostration with us. .  

سَارَ عَلِيٌّ إِلَى النَّهْرَوَانِ فَقَتَلَ الْخَوَارِجَ فَقَالَ اطْلُبُوا فَإِنَّ النَّبِيَّ ﷺ قَالَ سَيَجِيءُ قَوْمٌ يَتَكَلَّمُونَ بِكَلِمَةِ الْحَقِّ لَا يُجَاوِزُ حُلُوقَهُمْ يَمْرُقُونَ مِنَالإِسْلامِ كَمَا يَمْرُقُ السَّهْمُ مِنَ الرَّمِيَّةِ سِيمَاهُمْ أَوْ فِيهِمْ رَجُلٌ أَسْوَدُ مُخْدَجُ الْيَدِ فِي يَدِهِ شَعَرَاتٌ سُودٌ إِنْ كَانَ فِيهِمْ فَقَدْ قَتَلْتُمْ شَرَّ النَّاسِ وَإِنْ لَمْ يَكُنْ فِيهِمْ فَقَدْ قَتَلْتُمْ خَيْرَ النَّاسِ قَالَ ثُمَّ إِنَّا وَجَدْنَا الْمُخْدَجَ قَالَ فَخَرَرْنَا سُجُودًا وَخَرَّ عَلِيٌّ سَاجِدًا مَعَنَا  

We went out with ‘Ali to the Khawarij, and he fought them and killed them. Then he said: Look, for the Prophet ﷺ of Allah said: “There will emerge people who speak the truth but it will not go further than their throats; they will pass out of the truth as the arrow passes through the prey. Their sign is that among them will be a black man with a deformed hand, with black hairs on his hand.” If it is him, you will have killed the worst of people, and if it is not him, you will have killed the best of people.” We wept, then he said: Go and look. So we looked, and we found the one with the deformity. We fell down in prostration and ‘Ali fell down in prostration with us, but he said: ʿThey speak the word of truth.” (Using translation from Aḥmad 848)   

«إِنَّهُ سَيَخْرُجُ قَوْمٌ يَتَكَلَّمُونَ بِالْحَقِّ لَا يُجَاوِزُ حُلُوقَهُمْ يَخْرُجُونَ مِنَ الْحَقِّ كَمَا يَخْرُجُ السَّهْمُ مِنَ الرَّمِيَّةِ فَسِيمَاهُمْ أَنَّ فِيهِمْ رَجُلًا أَسْوَدَ مُخْدَجَ الْيَدِ فِي يَدِهِ شَعَرَاتٌ سُودٌ إِنْ كَانَ هُوَ فَقَدْ قَتَلْتُمْ شَرَّ النَّاسِ وَإِنْ لَمْ يَكُنْ هُوَ فَقَدْ قَتَلْتُمْ خَيْرَ النَّاسِ» فَبَكَيْنَا ثُمَّ قَالَ اطْلُبُوا فَطَلَبْنَا فَوَجَدْنَا الْمُخْدَجَ فَخَرَرْنَا سُجُودًا وَخَرَّ عَلِيٌّ مَعَنَا سَاجِدًا غَيْرَ أَنَّهُ قَالَ يَتَكَلَّمُونَ بِكَلِمَةِ الْحَقِّ