It is related that Abu Sufyan said, when allegiance had been pledged to Uthman: “This authority was in Taym — and what had Taym to do with this authority? Then it passed to Adi, and grew further and further away; then it returned to its own dwellings and the rule settled in its proper place. So toss it among yourselves as a ball is tossed.” And al-Mughira ibn Muhammad al-Muhallabi related to me, saying: I discussed with Isma'il ibn Ishaq the judge, in connection with this report, that Abu Sufyan said to Uthman: “May my father be your ransom! Spend, and do not be like Abu Hajar; and pass it round among yourselves, O Banu Umayya, as children pass round a ball — for by God there is neither Paradise nor Hellfire!” Al-Zubayr was present, and Uthman said to Abu Sufyan: “Be gone!” He said: “O my son, is anyone here?” Al-Zubayr said: “Yes, by God — but I shall keep it hidden for you.” And Abu Sufyan came to Ali (AS) and said: “You have given authority over this affair to the meanest house of Quraysh. Yet by God, if I wished, I would fill it against Abu Fudayl with horsemen and foot soldiers.” Ali (AS) said: “Long have you deceived Islam and its people, and you have done them no harm at all. We have no need of your horsemen or your foot soldiers.” (Al-Saqifa wa Fadak, vol. 1, p. 37)
The narrator said: When Uthman became caliph, Abu Sufyan — who had gone blind from extreme old age — went to him and said: “In the time of Abu Bakr the rule was settled in his tribe, Taym; in the time of Umar it settled in Adi and grew more distant from us; and now, with your caliphate, it has come to its proper place, that is, to the sons of Umayya.” Then he urged Uthman and said: “For God's sake, do not be miserly like Abu Hajar (Umar) — give of the public treasury to your kinsmen!” Then he raised his voice and said: “O sons of Umayya, pass the caliphate among yourselves like a ball, and never let it slip from your hands again — for there is neither Paradise nor Hell. All there is, is this world.” When Abu Sufyan's words reached this point, Uthman cut him short and said sharply: “Be silent!” Abu Sufyan, whose eyes could not see, asked: “Is there a stranger among us?!” Al-Zubayr raised his voice and said: “I am al-Zubayr, and I am present in this gathering! But have no fear — your words will be buried here.” The narrator said: Then Abu Sufyan went to Ali (AS) and said to him: “You have handed the caliphate to the basest of Quraysh (meaning Uthman). But O Ali, if you are willing, I have many allies among the Arab tribes, horsemen and foot soldiers, and I will help you to the caliphate.” But Ali (AS) said to him: “Until now you have plotted much against Islam and its people! Yet no harm came to them from your plotting. I have no need of you, nor of your horsemen and your foot soldiers.”
Abu al-Mundhir, Hisham ibn Muhammad ibn al-Sa'ib, from his father, from Abu Salih, from Ibn Abbas, who said: There was an estrangement between al-Abbas and Ali. Ibn Abbas met Ali and said: “If you have any wish to see your uncle, come to him, for I do not think you will meet him after this.” He was struck silent by this and said: “Go before me and ask permission.” So I went ahead of him and asked permission for him, and permission was given, and he entered. Each of them embraced the other, and Ali (AS) bent over his hand and his foot, kissing them and saying: “O uncle, be pleased with me; may God be pleased with you.” He said: “I am pleased with you.” Then he said: “O son of my brother, I counselled you in three matters and you did not accept, and I saw in their outcome what I disliked. And here I am now counselling you in a fourth; if you accept it, well and good; otherwise there will befall you what has befallen you before.” He said: “And what is that, O uncle?” He said: “I counselled you, during the illness of the Messenger of God, may God bless him and his family, to ask him about it: if the authority was to be among us, he would give it to us; and if it was to be in others, he would enjoin them concerning us. But you said: ‘I fear that if he withholds it from us, none after him will ever give it to us.’ So that passed. Then, when the Messenger of God, may God bless him and his family, was taken, Abu Sufyan ibn Harb came to us at that very hour, and we called upon you that we might pledge allegiance to you, and I said to you: ‘Stretch out your hand that I may pledge allegiance to you, and this elder shall pledge allegiance to you; for if we pledge allegiance to you, not one of the Banu Abd Manaf will differ with you; and if the Banu Abd Manaf pledge allegiance to you, not one of Quraysh will differ with you; and if Quraysh pledges allegiance to you, not one of the Arabs will differ with you.’ But you said: ‘We are occupied with the preparation of the Messenger of God, may God bless him and his family, for burial; and as for this affair, we have no fear concerning it.’ And it was not long before we heard the takbir from the Saqifa of the Banu Sa'ida. You said: ‘O uncle, what is this?’ I said: ‘It is that to which we called you and which you refused.’ You said: ‘Glory be to God! Can this be?’ I said: ‘Yes.’ You said: ‘Can it not be reversed?’ I said to you: ‘Has the like of this ever been reversed?’ Then I counselled you when Umar was stabbed, and I said: ‘Do not enter yourself into the council; for if you keep apart from them they will put you forward, and if you place yourself on a level with them they will go before you.’ But you entered with them, and what happened was what you saw. And now I counsel you a fourth counsel; if you accept it, well; otherwise there will befall you what has befallen you before. I see that this man — Uthman — has embarked upon certain courses, and by God, it is as though I see the Arabs marching against him until he is slaughtered in his own house as a camel is slaughtered. And by God, if that comes to pass while you are in Medina, the people will fasten it upon you; and if that happens, you will attain nothing of this authority except after an evil in which there is no good.” Abd Allah ibn Abbas said: When the day of the Camel came, I met him after Talha had been killed, and the people of Kufa had gone to great lengths in reviling and disparaging him. Ali (AS) said: “By God, though they say that, he was as the brother of Ju'fi said: ‘A youth whom wealth would bring near to his friend when he himself had grown rich, and whom poverty would drive far away.’” Then he said: “By God, it is as though my uncle were looking through a thin veil. By God, I have attained nothing of this authority except after an evil in which there is no good.” (Al-Saqifa wa Fadak, vol. 1, p. 41)
Abd Allah ibn Abbas said: My father Abbas and Ali (AS) were estranged from one another. I went to Ali (AS) and said: “If you long to see your uncle, come with me — for it may be too late later.” Ali (AS) said: “Go ahead and ask permission.” I did so, and Ali (AS) went to visit his uncle. They embraced each other, and Ali (AS) kissed his uncle's hand and said: “Uncle! Be pleased with me; may God be pleased with you.” After their reconciliation, Abbas said: “My dear one! Three times now I have told you what was in your best interest, and you did not listen. I told you what would happen, and it happened, and you tasted its bitterness! Now I wish to give you a final counsel. If you do not heed this one either, you will see its outcome.” Ali (AS) said: “What counsel, dear uncle?” Abbas said: “The first time, when the Prophet (PBUH) was on his sickbed, I asked you to say to him: if the caliphate is to come to us, let him declare it plainly, and if it is not to come to us, let him not allow such a thing to happen and let him again enjoin us plainly in his will. But you said: ‘I fear that if I ask this, the caliphate will never come to us’ — and you did not ask. When the Messenger of God (PBUH) passed away, Abu Sufyan came to me at once and urged us to pledge allegiance to you. We came to you and said: stretch out your hand that we may pledge allegiance to you. Had you had the allegiance of the two of us, none of the sons of Abd Manaf would have opposed you, and thus all of Quraysh would have been with you, and through Quraysh all the Arabs would have obeyed you. But you did not accept, and said: ‘Now is the time to bury the Messenger of God (PBUH); this is no time to think of such things.’ You were busy with the shrouding and burial of the Messenger of God (PBUH) when the cry of takbir rose from the Saqifa, and what ought not to have happened, happened — while you could not believe it. I had told you, and you refused our allegiance. The third time, when Umar was stabbed, I told you not to enter the council, so that the council would incline towards you. But you made yourself one of them and their equal, and you saw that they preferred Uthman over you. Now for today's counsel, the fourth: Uthman is on the verge of ruin, and I foresee a day when the Arabs will slaughter him in his own house like a camel. So, O son of Abu Talib, leave Medina and do not remain there. For after Uthman the people will come to you and make you caliph, and such a caliph — coming after the killing of a caliph — will never see his rule brought to a good end; there will be war upon war without cease.” Abd Allah ibn Abbas said: This affair passed, and on the day of the Battle of the Camel, when Talha was killed, most of the people of Kufa reproached him and lamented his fate! At that moment Ali (AS) turned to me and said: “Truly it has been said that a friend who draws near to you for the sake of your wealth will leave you in the hour of your poverty, or when he finds himself in no further need of you.” By God, my uncle Abbas spoke truly: this caliphate is heading down a path of evil in which there is no good.
Ibrahim ibn al-Mundhir, from Ibn Wahb, from Ibn Lahi'a, from Abu al-Aswad, who said: Men of the Emigrants were angered at the pledge of allegiance to Abu Bakr made without consultation. Ali and al-Zubayr were angered, and they entered the house of Fatima (peace be upon her) bearing arms. Then Umar came with a band of men, among them Usayd ibn Hudayr and Salama ibn Salama ibn Waqsh, both of the Banu Abd al-Ashhal. Fatima (peace be upon her) cried out and adjured them by God. But they took the two swords of Ali and al-Zubayr and struck them against the wall until they broke them; then Umar brought the two men out, driving them along until they pledged allegiance. Then Abu Bakr rose and addressed the people, excusing himself to them, and said: “My pledge of allegiance was a sudden affair from whose evil may God preserve us; I feared strife.” (Al-Saqifa wa Fadak, vol. 1, p. 44)
The narrator said: After the people had pledged allegiance to Abu Bakr, a number of the Emigrants who held that they had not been consulted were angered, and together with al-Zubayr they gathered in the house of Ali (AS), and all of them took up arms. At that point Umar came with a group of men, among them Usayd ibn Hudayr and Salama ibn Salama of the Banu Ashhal. Fatima (peace be upon her) cried out and adjured them by God. They entered and seized the swords of Ali (AS) and al-Zubayr and broke them, and took the two of them along with them to Abu Bakr in the mosque. Abu Bakr excused himself to them both and said: “The pledge of allegiance to me was a sudden affair — may God preserve us from its evil! We feared that if we did not act swiftly, a sedition would arise.”
Abd al-Razzaq, from his father, from Ikrima, from Ibn Abbas, who said: When Abu Dharr was banished to al-Rabadha, Uthman gave orders and it was proclaimed among the people that no one should speak with Abu Dharr or escort him on his way; and he commanded Marwan ibn al-Hakam to take him out. So he took him out, and the people avoided him — except Ali ibn Abi Talib (AS), his brother Aqil, al-Hasan and al-Husayn (AS), and Ammar; for they went out with him to see him off. Al-Hasan (AS) began to speak with Abu Dharr, and Marwan said to him: “Enough, O Hasan! Do you not know that the Commander of the Faithful has forbidden speaking with this man? If you do not know it, then know it now.” At that Ali (AS) turned upon Marwan and struck with his whip between the ears of his mount and said: “Away with you — may God bring you to the Fire!” Marwan returned in anger to Uthman and told him what had happened, and Uthman burned with rage against Ali (AS). Abu Dharr halted and the company bade him farewell, and Ali (AS) said: “O Abu Dharr, you were angered for the sake of God. These people feared you for the sake of their world, and you feared them for the sake of your religion; so they tested you with rejection and banished you to the wilderness. By God, if the heavens and the earth were closed fast upon a servant of God, and then he feared God, God would make for him a way out of them. O Abu Dharr, let nothing give you comfort but the truth, and let nothing make you shrink but falsehood.” Then he said to his companions: “Bid farewell to your uncle.” Then al-Husayn (AS) spoke and said: “O uncle, God Almighty is able to change what you now see, and ‘every day He is upon some task.’ So ask God for patience and victory, and seek refuge with Him from greed and from anguish. For greed brings no provision forward, and anguish puts off no appointed term.” Then Abu Dharr, God have mercy on him, wept — and he was a very old man — and said: “May God have mercy on you, O People of the House of mercy! When I see you, I remember through you the Messenger of God, may God bless him and his family. I have in Medina no dwelling and no attachment but you. By God, I desire none but God as my companion, and with God I fear no loneliness.” And the company returned to Medina. (Al-Saqifa wa Fadak, vol. 1, p. 76)
The narrator said: When Uthman resolved to banish Abu Dharr to al-Rabadha, he ordered that it be proclaimed in Medina: “No one has the right to escort Abu Dharr or to speak with him!” and he appointed Marwan ibn al-Hakam to carry out the sentence. Marwan came to Abu Dharr to conduct him out of the city, and not one of the people of Medina came out of his house. But Ali (AS), his brother Aqil, al-Hasan and al-Husayn (AS), and Ammar came to see Abu Dharr off. Al-Hasan ibn Ali (AS) began to speak with Abu Dharr, whereupon Marwan objected and said: “Hasan! Do you not know that the Commander of the Faithful has forbidden speaking with this man?! If you do not know it, then know it now!”
At that moment Ali (AS) turned upon Marwan and struck with his whip between the ears of his horse, so that the horse shied and threw Marwan into confusion. Ali (AS) said to him: “Get away from us! May God allot to you the fire of Hell.” Marwan withdrew in anger and returned enraged to Uthman, recounted the affair to him, and complained bitterly about Ali (AS).
When Marwan had gone, Ali (AS) said: “O Abu Dharr, you were angered for the sake of God, because you fear that the deeds of these people will corrupt your religion. And these people fear you for the sake of their world, and for this reason they have set themselves to banish you. O Abu Dharr, know that if all the people of the heavens and the earth were to bar the way against a servant of God, and he were to be mindful of God, God would open a way for him. O Abu Dharr, take comfort in nothing but the truth, and fear nothing but falsehood!” Then he said to his companions: “Bid farewell to your uncle.” At the moment of parting, al-Husayn ibn Ali (AS) said: “Dear uncle! God is able to change anything, and every day God may take a new decision. So ask God constantly for patience and victory, and beware of greed and anguish. For greed adds nothing to one's provision, and anguish does not avert what is decreed.” At this Abu Dharr, who was extremely old and frail, wept and said: “The greetings of God be upon you, O People of the House of mercy! Whenever I see you, I am reminded of the Prophet (PBUH). In Medina I have no one but you.” Then he said: “By God, I desire no companion but God, and when I have God I am never alone at all.” Abu Dharr departed, and Ali (AS) and his companions returned to Medina.
Al-Sha'bi, from Shaqiq ibn Salama: The people spoke much about the affair of al-Hurmuzan and Ubayd Allah ibn Umar and his killing of him, and what Ali ibn Abi Talib had said about it reached [Uthman]. So Uthman rose and mounted the pulpit, praised God and extolled Him, and then said: “O people, it was part of God's decree that Ubayd Allah ibn Umar ibn al-Khattab struck down al-Hurmuzan, who was a man of the Muslims and who has no heir but God and the Muslims. I am your imam, and I have pardoned him. Will you then pardon Ubayd Allah, the son of your caliph of yesterday?” They said: “Yes.” So he pardoned him. When that reached Ali, he laughed and said: “Glory be to God! Uthman has been the first to do such a thing. Does he pardon the right of a man who is not under his guardianship? By God, this is indeed a wonder.” And in another hadith: “By God, were I to hold power, I would surely kill Ubayd Allah for al-Hurmuzan.” (Al-Saqifa wa Fadak, vol. 1, p. 86)
The narrator said: When al-Hurmuzan was killed at the hands of Ubayd Allah ibn Umar, the Muslims fell into dispute over the matter. Ali (AS) held that Ubayd Allah must be subjected to retaliation. When Uthman came to the caliphate, he mounted the pulpit and said: “O people, it was God's decree that Ubayd Allah should kill al-Hurmuzan! Al-Hurmuzan was one of the Muslims and has no heir to claim his blood. I, who am your caliph and imam, pardon his killer, Ubayd Allah, the son of the late caliph. Do you also pardon him?” The people cried out: “Yes, we pardon him.” When Ali (AS) heard what had been done, he laughed and said: “Glory be to God! Uthman has set an evil precedent. Does he forgo a right that is not his own?! This is astonishing.” And in another hadith (in the Fada'il of Ibn Uqda) it is related that he said: “By God, if I were able, I would kill Ubayd Allah for the killing of Hurmuz.”
(We say: Al-Hurmuzan was one of the commanders of the Sasanian army who was defeated by the Muslim army at Qadisiyya and Jalula. He then went to Khuzistan and took refuge in Shushtar, which had a strong fortress. The Muslims besieged Shushtar and at last conquered it, and al-Hurmuzan, who had surrendered and been granted quarter, was sent to Medina as a captive.
After al-Hurmuzan reached Medina, he was brought before Umar ibn al-Khattab, who was asleep in the mosque. The Arabs were astonished at the sight of al-Hurmuzan's magnificent garments. Al-Hurmuzan asked the Arabs: “Where is the caliph?” The Arabs said: “Do you not see? That is the caliph.” Umar awoke from sleep, and after speaking with al-Hurmuzan he ordered him to be put to death. Before his death al-Hurmuzan asked for water to drink, but water was brought to him in a dog's bowl, and al-Hurmuzan refused to drink it. At the protest of Ali ibn Abi Talib (AS) against this, water was brought to him in a silver vessel, and Ali (AS) obtained a promise from the second caliph that al-Hurmuzan would not be killed until he had drunk the water. Al-Hurmuzan then poured the vessel of water out onto the ground, and, with Ali's protection and the promise the second caliph had given, he left the mosque with Ali and escaped death. After this incident Umar said to al-Hurmuzan: “With such intelligence as yours, you Persians would never have been overcome by us had fortune not turned against you!”
Al-Hurmuzan dwelt in Medina under the protection of Ali (AS); but after the killing of Umar, his son Ubayd Allah, out of rage, struck al-Hurmuzan from behind with a sword and martyred him. He likewise unjustly and oppressively killed the wife and child of Abu Lu'lu', the man who had struck Umar. As is stated in this report, Ali (AS) intended to exact retaliation upon Ubayd Allah, but Uthman prevented it. Later, when Ali (AS) attained the caliphate, Ubayd Allah fled in fear of him to Damascus, to Mu'awiya, and came with Mu'awiya to fight Ali (AS) at the Battle of Siffin, where he was killed in the course of the fighting. When his body was brought to Ali (AS), he ordered that his garment be cut open. They cut it open and found hundreds of gold coins sewn into the lining of his undergarment, which he had constantly carried about with him!)
Abd al-Rahman ibn Jundab, from his father Jundab ibn Abd Allah al-Azdi, who said: I said: “O Abu al-Hasan, I am one of your supporters.” He (AS) said: “May God have mercy on you. In this affair two men or three are of no avail.” I said: “By God, your people did no right in turning this affair away from you.” He said: “Beautiful patience, and God is the one whose help is sought.” I said: “By God, you are indeed patient.” He said: “If I am not patient, what then shall I do?” I said: “Stand among the people and call them to yourself, and inform them that you have the better right to [the succession of] the Prophet, may God bless him and his family and grant them peace, and ask them for help against those who have set themselves over you. If ten out of a hundred respond to you, you may press with them against the rest; whether you are killed or survive, your proof before God will be the higher.” He (AS) said: “Do you hope, O Jundab, that one out of every ten will pledge allegiance to me?” I said: “I hope so.” He said: “But I do not hope for that — no, by God, not even one out of a hundred. And I shall tell you: by God, the people will never willingly hand over this authority to us.” I said: “May I be your ransom, O cousin of the Messenger of God, you have broken my heart with these words. Shall I not return to my city and proclaim your words to the people and call the people to you?” He said: “O Jundab, this is not the time for that.” Then he (AS) said: “The helpers of the truth have never ceased to be abased.” Then he rose and departed. (Al-Saqifa wa Fadak, vol. 1, p. 88)
The son of Jundab al-Azdi relates from his father that after the Saqifa he went to the house of Ali (AS). He said: I said: “O Abu al-Hasan! I am one of your supporters.” He said: “May God drown you in His mercy! Our cause cannot be set right by two or three men!” I said: “Now that the people have accepted someone other than you for the caliphate, what will you do?!” He said: “Beautiful patience, and God is the one whose help is sought.” I said: “Indeed, you are truly patient!” He said: “If I am not patient, what shall I do?!” I said: “Go out among the people and call them to yourself, and tell them that you were the nearest of all to the Prophet (PBUH). Ask the people for help against those who have usurped the caliphate. Even if only one in ten responds to you, fight the rest with your supporters! Either you will win or you will be defeated — but at least then you will have a proof before God.” He said: “Do you think that one in ten will pledge allegiance to me?” I said: “Yes, I have hope of it.” He said: “But I have no hope at all. By God, not even one in a hundred will answer me. Let me tell you plainly: by God, the people will never, to the end of history, willingly return the caliphate to us!” I said: “O cousin of the Messenger of God, you have grieved my heart! Would that I might return to my city and call the people to you and gather supporters for your aid.” He said: “Now is not the time for that.” Then he said: “O Jundab, the helpers of the truth have ever been abased!” Then he rose and departed.
And it is related that when death came to Fatima, God's blessings be upon her, she called Ali (AS) and said: “Will you carry out my will and my charge? Otherwise, by God, I shall entrust it to someone other than you.” He (AS) said: “Indeed, I shall carry it out.” She (peace be upon her) said: “When I die, bury me at night, and do not inform Abu Bakr and Umar of me.” He said: When her illness grew severe, women of the Emigrants and the Helpers gathered around her and said: “How have you risen this morning, O daughter of the Messenger of God, may God bless him and his family?” She said: “I have risen, by God, loathing your world.” (Al-Saqifa wa Fadak, vol. 1, p. 145)
It is said that when Fatima's (peace be upon her) condition grew grave, the women of the Emigrants and the Helpers came to her bedside. Someone asked: “O daughter of the Messenger of God, how do you fare?” Fatima (peace be upon her) answered: “I have no need of your world, and I loathe it.”
It is related that when the death of Fatima (peace be upon her) drew near, she called Ali (AS) and said: “I have a testament; will you carry it out, or shall I entrust it to someone else?!” The Commander of the Faithful (AS) said: “I shall carry it out.” Fatima (peace be upon her) said: “When I die, bury me by night and do not inform Abu Bakr and Umar!”
It is related from Abu Abd Allah (AS) that Abu Basir asked him, saying: “Why did the Commander of the Faithful not take back Fadak when he came to rule over the people, and for what reason did he leave it?” He said: “Because the oppressor and the oppressed woman had both come before God, and He had recompensed each according to what he deserved; so he disliked to take back something for which God had already punished the usurper and rewarded the one from whom it had been usurped.” (Al-Saqifa wa Fadak, vol. 1, p. 145)
Abu Basir asked Imam al-Sadiq (AS): “Why, when the Commander of the Faithful (AS) attained the caliphate, did he not take Fadak back?” Imam al-Sadiq (AS) said: “Because the oppressor and the oppressed will one day both come before God, and the oppressor will be punished according to his oppression and the oppressed will be rewarded according to what is due. Ali (AS) did not wish to intervene in such an outcome!”
And it has been related that in leaving Fadak the Commander of the Faithful (AS) had a precedent in the Messenger of God (PBUH); for when he departed from Mecca, Aqil sold his house. Then, when he conquered Mecca, it was said to him: “O Messenger of God, will you not return to your house?” He (AS) said: “And has Aqil left us any house?” — and he refused to return to it, and said: “We are a household who do not take back what has been taken from us for the sake of God, mighty and majestic is He.” (Al-Saqifa wa Fadak, vol. 1, p. 145)
And it is related: that the Commander of the Faithful (AS) forwent the restoration of Fadak was in emulation of the conduct of the Noble Prophet (PBUH). When the Prophet (PBUH) emigrated to Medina, Aqil took possession of his house and sold it! When Mecca was conquered, they said to the Messenger of God (PBUH): “Will you not return to your house?” He said: “Has Aqil left me any house at all?” Yet he did not demand the house back, and said: “We, the People of the House, regard whatever has been taken from us as given in the way of God, and we do not take it back.”