Abu Adrees Khawlani narrates: I entered the mosque of Damascus, and there was a young man present whose front teeth were extremely bright. There were some people with him, and whenever there was a disagreement among them about something, they would refer to him and act upon his opinion. I inquired about this young man, and it was told to me that he was Sayyiduna Mu’adh bin Jabal (may Allah be pleased with him). The next day I came early, and I saw that the young man had arrived before me. I found him performing prayer. Abu Adrees says: I kept waiting for him until he completed his prayer, then I approached him from the front. I greeted him with salam and said: By Allah! I love you for the sake of Allah. He asked: For the sake of Allah, is it? I replied: For the sake of Allah. He took hold of the edge of my cloak and pulled me towards himself and said: Receive this glad tidings! I heard the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) say:“Allah the Exalted says: My love is obligatory for those who love each other for My sake, who sit together for My sake, and who meet each other for My sake.”

(Imam Ibn Hibban, may Allah have mercy on him, says:) The narrator named Abu Adrees Khawlani’s name is ‘Aidhullah bin Abdullah. He was the leader of the experts in the science of recitation from Syria in his time. He is the one who refused to fight Sayyiduna Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) on behalf of Sayyiduna Mu’awiyah (may Allah be pleased with him). When he said to Sayyiduna Mu’awiyah (may Allah be pleased with him): Who are you to fight Sayyiduna Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) and dispute with him regarding the caliphate? You are not like him. You are not the husband of a lady like Sayyidah Fatimah (may Allah be pleased with her). You are not the father of Sayyiduna Imam Hasan (may Allah be pleased with him) and Sayyiduna Imam Husain (may Allah be pleased with him). You are not the cousin of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him). So Sayyiduna Mu’awiyah (may Allah be pleased with him) feared that he might corrupt the minds of the reciters of Syria, so Sayyiduna Mu’awiyah (may Allah be pleased with him) said to him: I am seeking retribution for the blood of Sayyiduna Uthman (may Allah be pleased with him). He replied: Sayyiduna Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) did not kill him. Sayyiduna Mu’awiyah (may Allah be pleased with him) said: But he is preventing retribution from being taken from the killer of Sayyiduna Uthman (may Allah be pleased with him). He said: Be patient, I will go to him and try to find out the reality. Then he came to Sayyiduna Ali (may Allah be pleased with him), greeted him with salam, and then said: Who killed Sayyiduna Uthman (may Allah be pleased with him)? Sayyiduna Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) replied: Allah the Exalted killed him, and I am with him. Sayyiduna Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) meant: I too am among the slain with him.

And according to one narration: He meant that Allah the Exalted intended for him to be killed, and I tried to avoid it. (But) Abu Adrees Khawlani could not understand the meaning of Sayyiduna Ali’s (may Allah be pleased with him) words, and he gathered a group from Syria and encouraged them (to fight against Sayyiduna Ali, may Allah be pleased with him).