Aban narrates from Sulaym. He said that he heard Ali (AS), before the incident of Siffin, saying:
“Surely this community will not come towards Truth and will also not choose a matter which is equal between them and us, until they are killed by an army behind an army, until an armed force is sent behind an armed force and until a battalion is sent behind a battalion in their cities and until horses are sent around their land and their border and until they are attacked at night from every small and big road, and until they are met by a community which is honest, patient and whose dying and being killed in the way of Allah only increase their obedience to Him.
By God, I have seen myself with the Holy Prophet (SAW) that we killed our ancestors, our sons, our maternal and paternal uncles, and members of household, and then this did not increase anything but our faith and acceptance and efforts to obey Allah and firmness in fighting against those who fought against us. And when our man and the man from an enemy fought like two brace people fight, each became determined to make the other drink the cup of death. Sometimes we used to succeed over the enemy and sometimes the enemy succeeded over us. So when Allah saw our patience and honesty, in our praise and being pleased with us, He sent verses of the Book and showered help on us.
I am not saying that all that were with the Holy Prophet (SAW) were like that but majority, most were like that. Some people came in unnoticed but they were not cheaters. Allah says ‘They love what distresses you; vehement hatred has already appeared from out of their mouths, and what their breasts conceal is greater still’ (Surah Ali Imran: 8)
Some were such whom you and your companions think to be very honorable, O ibn Qays, those who were running away, neither did they release an arrow, not hit a sword, not a spear. When death and was were near they took shelter or hid themselves and became ill. They used to take refuge like a pathetic sheep takes refuge. They could not even stop somebody’s hand touching and when they met an enemy they used to run away and showed their back to the enemy with fright and shame and when times were happy and on occasions of booty they used to talk as Allah says: ‘but when the fear is gone they smite you with sharp tongues being niggardly of the good things’ (Surah Ahzab: 9)
So they always sought permission from the Holy Prophet (SAW) to cut the neck of those people whom the Holy Prophet (SAW) did not want killed, so he refused. And the Holy Prophet (SAW) once saw him that he was armed so the Holy Prophet (SAW) smiled and said to him with his title: “O father of such and such, today is your day.”
Ash’ath said: “You did not tell me who this person was. He is like the one from whom shaytan runs away.”
Alayhissalam said: “O ibn Qays, May Allah not keep him safe from fear of Shaytan when he said it.”
Then he said: “If we, when we were with the Holy Prophet (SAW) were like that too, when we had problem, inconvenience, hardship and did what you people are doing today, then Deen would not be established and Allah’s Islam would not have any esteem. By God, this thing creates blood, shame and desire. So remember what I am telling you now and keep talking about it. Very soon you people will be overpowered by bad people and from you those that are bad and those whom the Holy Prophet (SAW) forgave and deported and those who were hypocrites, will surely kill you people. Then you will pray to Allah and your prayer will not be accepted and trouble will not leave you until you repent and turn away from your sins. So if you all repent and turn away from sins, Allah will save you from their discord and deviation like He saved you from your evil bad things and ignorance.
Be aware, it is extremely surprising that the ignorant of this Ummah, those who misguide, and lead and those who take towards Hell, because they heard it from the Holy Prophet (SAW) in the beginning and also in the end, that whenever any Ummah hands over its reins to someone else, when there is a more educated person present within them, then that Ummah’s works will always go down until they return to where they had left. But they handed over their affairs to three people before me and there was none among them who had compiled Quran or claimed that he had knowledge of Allah’s Book or the Tradition of His Prophet. They surely knew that I was most knowledgeable in the Book of Allah and the Tradition of His Prophet and the most one who knows the laws of sharia’, and the one who recites Allah’s Book more than anyone else and the one who is foremost in making decisions in accordance with the Command of Allah. And among these three people, none of them was first one to follow the Holy Prophet (SAW) and one who shared the problem of the Holy Prophet (SAW) in all wars. Neither did they release an arrow nor hit a spear nor used sword because they were frightened, unlucky and desired to live.
And they knew that the Holy Prophet (SAW) himself fought and killed Ubay ibn Khalf and Masja’a ibn Awf, and he (Masja’a) was the bravest and the one who was foremost in wars and was the one who deserved it most.
Surely they knew that in that Ummah there is no one who can take my place, and who can fight against the brave ones and conquer the forts except myself. There is no adversity that came to the Holy Prophet (SAW) and no problems or severe hardship came to him, but he said: “Where is my brother
Ali, where is my sword, where is my spear, where is the one who lifts away sorrow from my face?” So he used to make me go in front and I used to go in front ready to sacrifice my life for him, and Allah, through my hands, relieved him of his problems. And it is the favor and reward of Allah Azz wa Jall and His Prophet that He gave me this specialty and guidance for this matter.
Indeed some people whom you named, none of them tolerated any difficulties nor were they first, nor did they fight against or conquer or helped even once. Then he ran away and showed his back to the enemy and when he returned he portrayed his companions to be cowards and the companions portrayed him as a coward. And he ran away many times. And when it was quiet or times for sharing the booty, he used to talk and become angry and ordered and stopped people.
And ibn ‘Abde-Wood, on the day of Khandak, called him by name. He turned away and took refuge in his companions until the Holy Prophet (SAW) smiled seeing how frightened he was. Sallallahu Alayhi Wa Ale said: “Where is my friend Ali? My friend, O Ali, go forward.”
And he is the one who told his four companions – those companions who were companions of the book and his advisors, “By God, we hand over Muhammad to these people so we will be saved from this.” This was at the time when we had enemies from up and down. As Allah Tabarak Wa T’Ala has said: ‘and they were shaken with sever shaking.’ (Surah: Ahzab: )
‘and you began to think diverse thoughts of Allah’ (Surah Ahzab: 0)
And when the hypocrites and those in whose hears was a disease began to say: Allah and His Apostle did not promise us (victory) but only to deceive.’ (Surah Ahzab: 2)
And his companion said: “No but we are making a very big idol whom we worship because we are not satisfied. It is possible that ibn Abi Kabshah (ie the Holy Prophet (SAW) may be victorious then we will be destroyed. But this idol will be a treasure for us. If the Quraysh are victorious then we will show this idol worship and show thses people that we never left our religion and if the rule of ibn Abi Kabshah returns then we will remain secretly on this idol worship.”
So Jibra’eel (AS) descended and informed the Holy Prophet (SAW) about this. Then the Holy Prophet (SAW) said this after I had killed ibn ‘Abde- Wood and called the two and said “How many idols have you two worshipped in your era of ignorance?” They said: “O Muhammad, do not make us feel ashamed over what happened during the period of ignorance.” So Sallallahu Alayhi Wa Alihi said to both of them: “So today how many idols do you worship?” The two replied: “By Him who has sent you as Prophet of Truth, except Allah we do not worship anyone else from the day your Deen was declared – what was declared.” So he (SAW) said: “Ali take this sword and go to such and such a place, get the idol that these two worship and break it. And if anyone comes in between you and it, kill him.” So both of them fell on the feet of the Holy Prophet (SAW) and said: “You hide us (keep it secret), Allah hides you (keep you safe).” So I said: “I am sufficient for these two.” Then I said: “You give guarantee to Allah and His Prophet that except Allah you will not worship anything and will not associate anything to Allah even minutely.” So both of them promised this to the Holy Prophet (SAW) about this. I went and took idol our from its place and broke its face, two hands, cut its two feet and then returned to the Holy Prophet (SAW). By God, until the two died I kept seeing this on their faces.
Then he and his companions, after the Holy Prophet (SAW) passed away, went and presented my rights as an argument against the Ansar. If they were right and their argument was true that they were more deserving than the Ansar because they are from Quraysh and the Holy Prophet (SAW) was also from Quraysh, then whoever was nearest to the Holy Prophet (SAW)was the most deserving so they usurped what was my right, and If their argument was baseless, then they usurped the rights of the Ansar and Allah will decide between us and those who usurped our rights and made people ride on our backs. It is surprising that the love of all these has set in the hearts of this Ummah, the love of those people who stop them from the way of their God and the way of their religion. By God, even if this Ummah always stand on their feet on the earth and dust s put on their heads, and they lament to Allah and curse these people, until the Day of Judgment, who misguided them, stopped them from the way of Allah, called them towards Hell and presented them for Allah’s displeasure because of what they did, even then they will not be able to fully pay their dues in this connection.
Because, whoever is on the right path and is honest and knows Allah and His Prophet (SAW) is afraid of innovations, his own tradition and creating new things and his general habits and when he does that people will abuse him, oppose him and go away and leave him and separate themselves from his rights. If he chooses their innovations and accepts them and decorates them and makes them his religion, then he will love it and see it with respect and honor.
By God, if I announced this in my army according to the rights that Allah has revealed on His Prophet (SAW), and if I announce it and invite people towards it and explain it, and give a commentary on it like what I have heard from the Holy Prophet (SAW) about it, then except a very few people nobody would have remained and would have taken it as a trivial argument, and would be afraid of it and separate from me.
If the Holy Prophet (SAW) had not made me promise and had I not heard from him, and if I had not known about it beforehand, then surely I would have done it, but the Holy Prophet (SAW) had told “O my brother, whatever thing a person becomes helpless of, then Allah makes it halal for him and makes it permissible for him.” And I have also heard him say “Taqayah is Allah’s Deen and he who has no Taqayah has no Deen.”
Then Alayhissalam turned to me and said the following:
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of this is for the tribe and /3 Allah rewards me for it, then forgive me in this matter.”
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“Take it away from me, 2/3 is for me. If Then he said to Kakamayn (2 people who were appointed to make a decision in Siffin): “You make a decision in accordance with the Book of Allah and the Tradition of His Prophet even if in this matter my neck is cut off because the intention of whoever has brought this to them is very bad.”
So a person from Ansar said to him: “What is all this confusion that I have heard about you? There was nobody except you in the entire Ummah who is more capable than you for this matter, so why is there opposition and confusion?”
Ali ibn Abi Talib (AS) said: “I am that companion of yours whom you know, but from the creation of Allah, some bad people have got involved in my affairs; if I try to ask them to agree they refuse and if I agree to what they want then they will separate from me.”