وَأَمَّا مَا سَأَلْتَ عَنْهُ مِنْ رَأيِي فِي الْقِتَالِ، فَإِنَّ رَأْيِي قِتَالُ الْـمُحِلِّينَ حَتَّى أَلْقَى اللهَ، لَا يَزِيدُنِي كَثْرَةُ النَّاسِ حَوْلِي عِزَّةً، وَلَا تَفَرُّقُهُمْ عَنِّي وَحْشَةً، وَلَا تَحْسَبَنَّ ابْنَ أَبِيكَ وَلَوْ أَسْلَمَهُ النَّاسُ مُتَضَرِّعاً مُتَخَشِّعاً، وَلَا مُقِرّاً لِلضَّيْمِ وَاهِناً، وَلَا سَلِسَ الزِّمَامِ لِلْقَائِدِ، وَلَا وَطِيءَ الظَّهْرِ لِلرَّاكِبِ المُقْتَعِدَ، وَلَكِنَّهُ كَمَا قَالَ أَخُو بَنِي سَلِيمٍ:
As for your enquiry about my opinion to fight till I die, I am in favour of fighting those who regard fighting lawful. The crowd of men around me does not give me strength nor does their dispersal from me cause any loneliness. Surely, do not consider the son of your father weak or afraid, even though all people have forsaken him, bow down submissively before injustice or hand over his reins into the hand of the puller, or allow his back to be used by the rider to sit upon. But he is as the man of Banū Salīm has said: