Ibn Hanbal says:
Muhammad bin ‘Ubayd has related to us from Sharhabīl bin Madrak from ‘Abdullāh bin Nujayy from his father who narrates that he was marching with (Imam) ‘Alī [(‘a)] towards Siffīn and when we reached Ninevah, (Imam) ‘Alī [(‘a)] cried in a loud voice:
“O Abā ‘Abdillāh! Be patient. O Abā ‘Abdillāh! Be patient beside the River Euphrates.”
I asked him:
For what?
He said:
“Once when I went to the Prophet I saw tears in his eyes and asked him:
O Messenger of Allah (S) who has made you upset? Why are your eyes moist with tears?
He said:
Bal qāma min ‘indī Jibra’īlu qabl, fahaddathanī anna al-Husayn yuqtulu bishatt al-Furāt. Qāla: Hal laka an ushimaka min turbatih? Qāla: Qultu: Na‘am. Famadda yadahu faqabaza qabzatan min turābin fa a‘tānīhā. falam amliku ‘aynī an fāzatā (A while ago [the Archangel] Gabriel left. He has informed me that indeed Husayn will be killed beside the River Euphrates.
Then he [the Prophet] said:
Do you like to smell part of his soil [where Imam Husayn (‘a) will be killed].
I said:
Yes.
He stretched his hand and taking a fistful of soil gave it to me. As a result, tears started rolling down uncontrollably from my eyes.)”[1]
The annotator of the Musnad regards the isnād of this hadith as sahīh and writes that Nujayy is not the only one to narrate this from Imam ‘Alī (‘a).
Notes:
[1] Ibn Hunbal’s Musnad, hadith no. 6480 (Ahmad Shākir).