The Peak of Eloquence · Hadith 44 (#Passage #3)

مَا زِلتُ أَنْتَظِرُ بِكُمْ عَوَاقِبَ الغَدْرِ، وَأَتَوَسَّمُكُمْ بِحِلْيَةِ الـمُغْتَرِّينَ ، سَتَرَني عَنْكُمْ جِلْبَابُ الدِّينِ، وَبَصَّرَنِيكُمْ صِدْقُ النِّيَّةِ، أَقَمْتُ لَكُمْ عَلَى سَنَنِ الحَقِّ في جَوَادِّ الـمَضَلَّةِ، حيْثُ تَلْتَقُونَ وَلا دَلِيلَ، وَتَحْتَفِرُونَ وَلا تُميِهُونَ.

I always apprehended from you consequences of treachery and I had seen you through in the garb of the deceitful. The curtain of religion had kept me hidden from you but the truth of my intentions disclosed you to me. I stood for you on the path of truth among misleading tracks where you met each other but there was no leader and you dug but got no water.

Gradings are classical jarḥ-wa-taʿdīl, name-matched to a rijāl index (not individually re-verified).