امْلِكُوا عنِّي هذَا الْغُلاَمَ لاَ يَهُدَّنِي، فَإِنَّنِي أَنْفَسُ بِهذَيْنِ ـ يَعْنِي الحَسَنَ وَالْحُسَيْنَ (عليهما السلام) عَلَى الْمَوْتِ، لِئَلاَّ يَنْقَطِعَ بِهِمَا نَسْلُ رَسُولِ اللهِ (صلى الله عليه وآله).
Hold back this young man on my behalf, lest he causes my ruin, because I am loath to send these two (meaning al-Ḥasan and al-Ḥusayn) towards death, lest the descending line of the Prophet - may Allāh bless him and his descendants - is cut away by their death.