he said o commander of the faithful allah the almighty says allah has not made for any man two hearts in his chest but man has only one heart. so when he was overwhelmed with joy at speaking to the commander of the faithful there was no room for any accident in him. and when allah singles out someone with a special honor and wants his memory to remain he places that honor on the tongue of his prophet or caliph. and this is an honor that i have been singled out for and my mind has been drawn to it and my thoughts have been occupied with it. if the green were to turn to the dust i would not feel it nor would i be saddened by it except by what is necessary for me in my soul.
قال يا أمير المؤمنين، إن الله عز وجل يقول ما جعل الله لرجل من قلبين في جوفه، وإنما للمرء قلب واحد، فلما غمره السرور بمحادثة أمير المؤمنين، لم يكن فيه لحادث مجال. وإن الله إذا انفرد بكرامة أحد، وأحب أن يبقى له ذكرها، جعل تلك الكرامة على لسان نبيه أو خليفته. وهذه كرامة خصصت بها، مال إليها ذهني، وشغل بها فكري. فلو انقلبت الخضراء على الغبراء ما أحسست بها ولا وجمت لها إلا بما يلزمني في نفسي