On the authority of Amr bin Salamah, he said: We used to sit at the door of Abdullah bin Masoud before the morning prayer, and when he came out, we would walk with him to the mosque.

Abu Musa al-Ash’ari came to us and said:
Has Abu Abd al-Rahman come out to you yet ❓

We said:
No, so he sat with us until he left, and when he left, we all stood up to him.

Abu Musa said to him:
O Abu Abd al-Rahman, I saw something in the mosque just now that I denied, and I did not see - praise be to Almighty Allah- but good.

Ibn Masoud said:
What is it ❓
Abu Musa said:
If you live, you will see him.


Abu Musa said:
I saw people in the mosque sitting in circles waiting for the prayer, in each circle a man with pebbles in their hands, and he would say: “Allah is the Greatest” one hundred times, and they would say “Allah is the Greatest” one hundred times.

Ibn Masoud said:
What did you say to them ❓

Abu Musa said:
I did not say anything to them waiting for your opinion or waiting for your order.


Ibn Masoud said:
Did you not order them to count their bad deeds, and guarantee them that their good deeds would not be wasted ❓

Then he left, and we went with him, until he came to one of those circles. He stood before them and said: What is this that I see you doing ❓


They said:
O Abu Abd al-Rahman, these are pebbles with which we count the takbeer, the tahleel, and the glorification.


He said:
Count your bad deeds, for I guarantee that none of your good deeds will be wasted, and judge, O ummah of Muhammad! How quickly you perished!
These companions of your Prophet - may Allah bless him and grant him peace - are abundant, and these are his clothes that are not worn out, and his utensils are not broken.

They said:
By Allah, Abu Abd al-Rahman, we only wanted good.

He said:
How many of those who seek good will not befall it. The Messenger of Allah - may Allah's prayers and peace be upon him - told us that a people recite the Qur’an that does not go beyond their collarbones, and I swear to Allah, I do not know, perhaps most of them are among you, then he turned away from them.

Amr bin Salamah said: We saw most of those groups attacking us on the day of Nahrawan with the Kharijites..