يَا أَشْبَاهَ الرِّجَالِ وَلاَ رِجَالَ! حُلُومُ الاْطْفَالِ، وَعُقُولُ رَبّاتِ الحِجَالِ لَوَدِدْتُ أَنِّي لَمْ أَرَكُمْ وَلَمْ أَعْرِفْكمْ مَعْرِفَةً ـ وَاللهِ ـ جَرَّتْ نَدَماً، وَأَعقَبَتْسَدَماً قَاتَلَكُمُ اللهُ! لَقَدْ مَلاَتُمْ قَلْبِي قَيْحاً وَشَحَنْتُمْ صَدْرِي غَيْظاً، وَجَرَّعْتُمُونِي نُغَبَ التَّهْمَامِ أَنْفَاساً وَأَفْسَدْتُمْ عَلَيَّ رَأْيِي بِالعِصْيَانِ وَالخذْلاَن، حَتَّى قَالَتْ قُريْشٌ: إِنَّ ابْنَ أَبِي طَالِبٍ رَجُلٌ شُجَاعٌ، وَلْكِنْ لاَ عِلْمَ لَهُ بِالحَرْبِ. للهِ أَبُوهُمْ! وَهَلْ أَحدٌ مِنْهُمْ أَشَدُّ لَهَا مِرَاساً وَأَقْدَمُ فِيهَا مَقَاماً مِنِّي؟! لَقَدْ نَهَضْتُ فِيهَا وَمَا بَلَغْتُ العِشْرِينَ، وها أناذا قَدْ ذَرَّفْتُ عَلَى السِّتِّينَ! وَلكِنْ لا رَأْيَ لَمِنْ لاَ يُطَاعُ!
O you semblances of men, not men, your intelligence is that of children and your wit is that of the occupants of the curtained canopies (women kept in seclusion from the outside world). I wish I had not seen you nor known you. By Allāh, this acquaintance has brought about shame and resulted in repentance. May Allāh fight you! you have filled my heart with puss and loaded my bosom with rage. You made me drink mouthful of grief one after the other. You shattered my counsel by disobeying and leaving me so much so that Quraysh started saying that the son of Abī Ṭālib is brave but does not know (tactics of) war. Allāh bless them! Is any one of them more fierce in war and more older in it than I am? I rose for it although yet within twenties, and here I am, have crossed over sixty, but one who is not obeyed can have no opinion.