NAHJUL BALAGHA
SERMON 115
Alláh deputized him (the Prophet) as a caller towards Truth and a witness over the creatures. The Prophet conveyed the messages of Alláh without being lazy and without any short-coming, and he fought His enemies in the cause of Alláh without being languid and without pleading excuses. He is the foremost of all who practice piety and the power of perception of all those who achieve guidance.
A part of the same sermon, complaining about his men
If you know what I know of the unknown that is kept wrapped up from you certainly you would have gone out into the open weeping over your deeds and beating yourselves in grief and you would have abandoned your properties without any guard for it or any substitute over it. Everyone would then have cared for his own self without paying attention to anyone else. But you have forgotten what was recalled to you and felt safe from what you had been warned. Consequently, your ideas went astray and your affairs were dispersed.
I do long that Alláh may cause separation between me and you and give me those who have a better right to be with me than you. By Alláh, they are people of blissful ideas, enduring wisdom and true speech. They keep aloof from revolt. They trod forward on the path (of Alláh) and ran on the high road. Consequently, they achieved the everlasting next life and easeful honours.
Beware! by Alláh, a tall lad of swinging gait from Banú Thaqíf would be placed over you. He would eat away your vegetation and melt your fat. So, O’ Abá Wadhahah, is that all?
as-Sayyid ar-Razí says: "al-Wadhahah" means "al-khunfusá’ (dung-beetle)." In this sentence Amír al-mu’minín has referred to al-Hajjáj ibn Yúsuf ath-Thaqafí and he had an incident with "al-Khunfusá ‘", which need not be related here.(1)
(1).The detail of this incident is that one day al-Hajjáj stood up for saying prayers when al-khunfusá’ advanced towards him. al-Hajjáj held out his hand to stop him but he bit him whereby his hand got swollen and eventually he died of it.
Ibn Abi’l-Hadíd has written that "al-Wadhahah" means the dung that remains sticking to the tail of an animal, and this surname is intended to disgrace him.