Aban narrates from Sulaym. Sulaym said: “Ali (S.A) came to know that Amr ibn Aas had given a sermon to the people in Shaam and said. (“The Holy Prophet (S.A.W) made me the leader of his army in which Abu Bakr and Umar were also present. So I thought he had made me a leader because he thought highly of me. So when I returned I asked: “O Messenger of Allah, who is the most beloved to you among all?” He replied: [“Ayeshah”.] So I asked “And in men?” He replied: [“Her father.”]
“O people this Ali is saying bad things about Abu Bakr, Umar and Uthman when I have heard the Holy Prophet (S.A.W) saying: [“Allah has put a seal of truth on Umar’s tongue and heart”] and about Uthman, he has said: [“Angels feel ashamed in front of Uthman”] and I have heard Ali narrating, otherwise my two ears become deaf – he was saying during the time of Umar that the Holy Prophet (S.A.W) saw Abu Bakr and Umar coming so he said: [“O Ali these two are the leaders of the old people of Paradise from the
Awwaleen to Aakhireen, except all Prophets and Messenger, but you do not tell this hadith to these two otherwise they will be doomed.”])”
So Ali (a.s) stood up and said: {“It is astonishing that the unworthy people of Shaam accept what Amr says and confirm it when his talks and his lies and his lack of fear of Allah, has reached that stage where he is accusing the Holy Prophet (S.A.W), when the Holy Prophet (S.A.W) has cursed him 70 times and has cursed his companions towards whom he is called people, at many places. This is when he had said 70 verses in which he had abused the Holy Prophet (S.A.W). At that time the Holy Prophet (S.A.W) had said: [“O Allah I do not say verses nor do I consider them halal. You curse him and your Angels curse him for every verse, such a curse that remains in his descendants until the Day of Judgement”].
Then after Ibrahim, the son of the Holy Prophet (S.A.W) passed away, he (Amr) stood up and said: (“Muhammad has become childless and now he will not have any descendants and I keep most enmity towards him and abuse him.”)
So Allah revealed a verse {‘Surely your enemy is the one who shall be without posterity’ } (Al Kauther: 3).
From this Ummah, what I have seen from its liars and hypocrites – of course I can see those reciters who are weak and are Mujtahids (i.e. are putting in a lot of effort) have narrated his (Amr’s) hadiths and confirm him and present his lies as argument in opposition of us ahlulbayt. Am I saying that Abu Bakr and Umar are the best of all in this Ummah? If I wanted I would also name the third one. By God what he has said about Ayeshah and her father is for nothing else except to please Muawiyah, and he has pleased him at the expense of displeasing Allah.
And the hadith that he thinks he heard from me – Never! (i.e. it is not from me). By Him Who separated the seed and created human being. He knows that this man has attributed a lie to me, and Allah has also not heard it from me either publicly or secretly.
O Allah, send your curse on Amr and Muawiyah because they both have stopped from Your Way and these two have attributed a lie to your Book and Your Prophet and those two have degraded Your Prophet and attributed a lie to Your Messenger and myself.”}
Sulaym says: “Then Muawiyah called the reciters, of Quran, of Shaam and its judges, and gave them lot of wealth and spread them around and in the cities of Shaam. They narrated false hadiths and made false principles for them and these people told them that Ali (a.s) killed Uthman and bears enmity towards Abu Bakr and Umar, and Muawiyah wanted to avenge Ali (a.s) for the murder of Uthman and Aban ibn Uthman and other children of Uthman were with him until they made the people of Shaam think the same as they did and all agreed.
Muawiyah continued doing this for 20 years. This action of his continued in the small towns around Shaam until the oppressors of Shaam and the helpers of falsehood who kept feeding him, all became united. Muawiyah used to give them wealth, allocated land to them and fed them, until the young children were brought up in this manner and the youths and adults became old on this policy, and the villagers migrated. The people of Shaam stopped cursing Shaytan and started cursing Ali (a.s) and cursing the killer of Uthman. This became the habit of the ignorants of Ummah, the obedient ones of the misguiding imams and the callers towards Hell. Allah is sufficient for us and He is the best wakil. If He wanted He would have gathered all of them on guidance, but He does what He wants.”