Sulaym ibn Qays al Hilali narrates: “I reached Abu Dhar at the time when Uthman had sent the later to Rabzah and Abu Dhar had made his will to Ali (AS) concerning his family and belongings. So the one who said it said: “If only you had made your will to Amirul Mumineen Uthman.”
He replied: “I have done will to the true Amirul Mumineen – Amirul Mumineen Ali ibn Abi Talib (AS). We on the order of the Holy Prophet (SAW) and on the command of Allah, during his time, saluted him as Amirul Mumineen. He (SAW) had told us: “Salute my brother, my vizier, my inheritor, my caliph in my Ummah, and after me the guardian of all Mumineen, saying AMIRUL MUMINEEN, because he such that the earth, which is getting peace of him is established because of him. If you lose him then you will be denying the earth and its inhabitants.”
So I saw this Ummah’s calf and its Samiri. Both of them went and spoke to the Holy Prophet (SAW) in a manner refusing, and then both asked: “Is this true from Allah and His Prophet?” the Holy Prophet (SAW) became very angry and then said: “This is true from Allah and His Prophet. Allah has commanded me about this.”
So when we saluted him, the two went to their companions Ma’az, Saalim and Abu Ubeydah. When we had already saluted Ali (AS), the two went out of the house of Ali (AS) and told their companions: “What has happened to this man that he always raises high the matters of his paternal cousin?” And one of the two said: “He is always making good the matters of his paternal cousin.” And all of them jointly said: “Until Ali remains, he has nothing good for us.”
Sulaym asked Abu Dhar: “O Abu Dhar, was this salutation after or before the last pilgrimage?” He replied: “The first salutation was before the last pilgrimage and the second salutation was after the last pilgrimage.”
I (Sulaym) asked: “When was the agreement between these five made?” He replied: “In the last Pilgrimage.” I asked: “May Allah keep you good, inform me about those twelve men who were of AQBA, who had masked their faces, who had wanted to provoke the camel of the Holy Prophet (SAW) and when did this happen?” He replied: “This happened in Gadhire Khum when the Holy Prophet (SAW) was returning from the last pilgrimage.”
I asked: “May Allah keep you good, do you know them?” He replied: “Yes, By God, all of them.” So I asked: “Where do you know them from when the Holy Prophet (SAW) had told Huzayfah to keep this confidential?” He replied: “Ammar ibn Yasar was the one to pull it from front and Huzayfah was asked to keep it secret but Ammar was not asked to keep it secret.” So I asked: “Will you tell me the names of all of these?” He replied: “Five were of the Sahifa, five were of Shura and Amr ibn Aas and Muawiyah.”
I asked: “May Allah keep you good, how did then Ammar and Huzayfah, after the Holy Prophet (SAW), get confused about these people when they had seen all of them?” He replied: “They had repented and had expressed their shamefulness after that and the one who was the calf had made a clain of a degree and his witness was his Samri, and three people were with them, that they had heard this (the claim) from the Holy Prophet (SAW). So these people said that perhaps this matter happened after the first one. So the two (Ammar and Huzayfah) became doubtful along with these people concerning this but these two surely repented and understood the matter and were saved.”
Sulaym ibn Qays says: “When Abu Dhar passed away, during the time of Uthman’s caliphate, I met Ammar and told him whatever Abu Dhar said.” He replied: “My brother Abu Dhar had said truth. Surely he was very good and truthful in that that he says anything about Ammar that he has not heard from Ammar.”
So I (Sulaym) said: “May Allah keep you good, why do you confirm Abu Dhar?” He replied: “I bear witness that I heard the Holy Prophet (SAW) saying: “The sky has not given a shade, and the earth has not carried the weight of anyone who is more truthful and worthy than Abu Dhar.” I asked: “O Messenger of Allah, isn’t even your Ahlulbayt like that?” He (SAW) replied: “Apart from them, I mean everyone else.”
“Then in Madayan I met Huzayfah. I went to him from Kufa and informed him of what Abu Dhar had told me. He said: “SubhanAllah – Glory be to Allah, Abu Dhar was very truthful and worth in this matter that he narrates a hadith from the Holy Prophet (SAW) which he (SAW) has not said.”