Admonishing his companions
Nahj al-Balāgha|Volume 1|Book 1|Chapter 97
أَيُّهَا الشَّاهِدةُ أَبْدَانُهُمْ، الْغَائِبَةُ عَنْهُمْ عُقُولُهُمْ، الْـمُخْتَلِفَةُ أَهْوَاؤُهُمْ، المُبْتَلَى بِهمْ أُمَرَاؤُهُمْ، صَاحِبُكُمْ يُطِيعُ اللهَ وَأَنْتُمْ تَعْصُونَهُ، وَصَاحِبُ أَهْلِ الشَّامِ يَعْصِي اللهَ وَهُمْ يُطِيعُونَهُ، لَوَدِدْتُ وَاللهِ أَنَّ مُعَاوِيَةَ صَارَفَني بِكُمْ صَرْفَ الدِّينَارِ بِالدِّرْهَمِ، فَأَخَذَ مِنِّي عَشَرَةً مِنْكُمْ وَأَعْطَانِي رَجُلاً مِنْهُمْ!
O those whose bodies are present but wits are absent, and whose wishes are scattered. Their rulers are on trial. Your leader obeys Allāh but you disobeyed him while the leader of the people of Syria (ash-Shām) disobeys Allāh but they obey him. By Allāh, I wish Mu‘āwiyah exchanges with me like Dinars with Dirhams, so that he takes from me ten of you and give me one from them.