The complaint of Ali's troops after Yemen and the Prophet's words: do not complain of Ali

The troops of Ali complained, when he came back from Yemen toward the Farewell Pilgrimage, about what he had done to them in taking off the garments, and the Prophet stood to preach against the complaint about Ali. ¹

Ibn Ishaq relates on the authority of Yahya ibn Abd Allah ibn Abd al-Rahman ibn Abi Amra, from Yazid ibn Talha ibn Yazid ibn Rukana, that when Ali came back from Yemen to meet the Prophet in Mecca, he hastened ahead and left a man of his companions in charge of his troops. That man dressed every man of the people in a robe from the cloth that was with Ali. ¹ When his army drew near, Ali went out to meet them and saw that they were wearing the robes. He said: "Woe to you, what is this?" The man said: "I clothed the people so that they might look fine when they came among the people." Ali said: "Woe to you, take them off before you bring them to the Messenger of God." So the robes were taken off the people and returned to the cloth, and the army made its complaint known about what had been done to them. ¹

Ibn Ishaq relates on the authority of Abd Allah ibn Abd al-Rahman ibn Ma'mar ibn Hazm, from Sulayman ibn Muhammad ibn Ka'b ibn Ujra, from his paternal aunt Zaynab bint Ka'b, who was married to Abu Sa'id al-Khudri, from Abu Sa'id: the people complained about Ali, and the Prophet stood to preach and said: "O people, do not complain about Ali; by God, he is too stern in the matter of God, or in the way of God, to be complained of." ¹

• A doubt about the wording: "in the matter of God, or in the way of God." ¹
• Ibn Hisham does not mention Ghadir Khumm at this point. ¹