[Machine] I was in Sham (Syria) when Al-Muhallab sent seventy heads of the Khawarij (a deviant sect) and they were placed at the gate of the mosque. I was on the roof of a house when Abu Umamah passed by, intending to enter the mosque. When he saw them, his eyes filled with tears and he said, "Glory be to Allah, what does Shaytan do to the children of Adam!" He repeated this three times, and then he said, "The dogs of Hell, the worst of killers under the sky." He repeated this three times, and then he said, "The best of those who are killed under the sky are the ones whom they (i.e., the Khawarij) kill." He repeated this three times, and then he turned to me and said, "O Abu Galib, you are in their land where there are many of them, may Allah protect you from them. Do you recite the Surah (i.e., Surah Al-Imran)? I said, Yes, I recite it. He said, "I wept out of mercy for them. They were among the people of Islam." Then he recited, "It is He Who has sent down to you (Muhammad) the Book (this Qur'an). In it are Verses that are entirely clear, they are the foundations of the Book..." until he reached the verse, "Seeking Al-Fitnah (polytheism and disbelief in the Oneness of Allah) and seeking it's interpretation..." and indeed they (i.e., the Khawarij) had deviation in their hearts, so he recited, "And be not as those who divided and differed among themselves..." until he reached the verse, "Have you then become disbelievers after having a true faith (Iman)?" I said, "Are these the people you were referring to, O Abu Umamah?" He said, "Yes." I said, "O Abu Umamah, did you say this based on your own opinion or something you heard from the Messenger of Allah ﷺ ?" He said, "I am bold enough to say it (based on my own opinion), rather, it is something I heard from the Messenger of Allah ﷺ not once or twice, but until he repeated it six times."
كُنْتُ بِالشَّامِ فَبَعَثَ الْمُهَلَّبُ سَبْعِينَ رَأْسًا مِنَ الْخَوَارِجِ فَنُصِبُوا عَلَى بَابِ الْمَسْجِدِ وَكُنْتُ عَلَى ظَهْرِ بَيْتٍ لِي فَمَرَّ أَبُو أُمَامَةَ يُرِيدُ الْمَسْجِدَ فَلَمَّا وَقَفَ عَلَيْهِمْ دَمِعَتْ عَيْنَاهُ فَقَالَ «سُبْحَانَ اللهِ مَا يَفْعَلُ الشَّيْطَانُ بِبَنِي آدَمَ» ثَلَاثًا قَالَ «كِلَابُ جَهَنَّمَ شَرُّ قَتْلَى تَحْتَ ظِلِّ السَّمَاءِ» ثَلَاثَ مَرَّاتٍ ثُمَّ قَالَ «خَيْرُ قَتْلَى تَحْتَ ظِلِّ السَّمَاءِ مَنْ قَتَلُوهُ» ثَلَاثًا ثُمَّ الْتَفَتَ إِلَيَّ فَقَالَ «يَا أَبَا غَالِبٍ إِنَّكَ بِأَرْضِ هَؤُلَاءِ بِهَا كَثِيرٌ فَأَعَاذَكَ اللهُ مِنْهُمْ هَلْ تَقْرَأُ السُّورَةَ الَّتِي فِيهَا آلُ عِمْرَانَ؟» قُلْتُ بَلَى إِنِّي رَأَيْتُكَ دَمِعَتْ عَيْنَاكَ قَالَ «بَكَيْتُ رَحْمَةً لَهُمْ كَانُوا مِنْ أَهْلِ الْإِسْلَامِ» فَتَلَا {هُوَ الَّذِي أَنْزَلَ عَلَيْكَ الْكِتَابَ مِنْهُ آيَاتٌ مُحْكَمَاتٌ} إِلَى أَنْ بَلَغَ {ابْتِغَاءَ الْفِتْنَةِ وَابْتِغَاءَ تَأْوِيلِهِ} وَإِنَّ هَؤُلَاءِ كَانَ فِي قُلُوبِهِمْ زَيْغٌ فَزِيغَ بِهِمْ ثُمَّ تَلَا {وَلَا تَكُونُوا كَالَّذِينَ تَفَرَّقُوا} إِلَى أَنْ بَلَغَ {أَكَفَرْتُمْ بَعْدَ إِيمَانِكُمْ} قُلْتُ هَؤُلَاءِ يَا أَبَا أُمَامَةَ؟ قَالَ «نَعَمْ» قُلْتُ يَا أَبَا أُمَامَةَ مِنْ قِبَلِ رَأْيِكَ تَقُولُ أَمْ شَيْئًا سَمِعْتَهُ مِنْ رَسُولِ اللهِ ﷺ؟ قَالَ «إِنِّي لَجَرِيءٌ ثَلَاثًا بَلْ شَيْءٌ سَمِعْتُهُ مِنْ رَسُولِ اللهِ ﷺ لَا مَرَّةً وَلَا مَرَّتَيْنِ حَتَّى بَلَغَ سِتَّةً»