Hadith 144

asws, and Ali-asws was saying: ‘I-asws am a servant of Allah-azwj and brother-asws of Rasool-Allah-saww’, until they ended up with him-asws to Abu Bakr. He said to him-asws, ‘Pledge allegiance’. He-asws said: ‘I-asws am more rightful with this command than you are. I will not pledge allegiance to you and you are foremost with pledging allegiance to me-asws. You seized this command from the helpers and argued against them by the kinship from Rasool-Allah-saww. So, they gave you the leaders and submitted the emirate (rulership) to you, and I-asws am arguing against you with the like of what you argued against them with upon the Helpers. Be fair to us if you fear Allah-azwj from yourselves, and recognise for us from the command like what the Helpers recognised for you, or else so you got it with the injustice and you are knowing’. Umar said, ‘You-asws will not be left alone until you-asws pledge allegiance’. Ali-asws said to him: ‘O Umar! Milk the milk for you, part of it has been strengthened for it today, tomorrow it would be returned to you as bitter. No, by Allah-azwj! I-asws will not accept your words, nor will I-asws pledge allegiance to you’. Abu Bakr said to him-asws, ‘If you do not pledge allegiance to me, I will not force you-asws’. Abu Ubeyda said to him-asws, ‘O Abu Al-Hassan-asws! ’ You-asws are of young age, and they are elders of Quraysh, your-asws people. There isn’t for you-asws like their experience and their recognition with the affairs, and I do not see Abu Bakr except as stronger upon this command than you-asws, and formidable of endurance for it, and stronger with it, so submit this command to him, and be pleased with it, for you-asws, for if you-asws live and your-asws life is prolonged, then you-asws would be appropriate for it, and capable with it considering your-asws merit, and your-asws kinship, and your-asws precedence and your-asws Jihaad’. Ali-asws said: ‘O community of the Emigrants! Allah-azwj, Allah-azwj! Do not take the authority of Muhammad-saww out from his-saww house and his-saww Household to your households and your houses, and do not push his-saww away from his-saww position among the people and his-saww right. By Allah-azwj, O community of Emigrants! We-asws People-asws of the Household are more rightful with this command than you are. Was there not from us-asws the reader of the Book of Allah-azwj, the understanding one in the religion of Allah-azwj, and knower with the Sunnah, the expert with the affairs of the citizens. By Allah-azwj! It is regarding us-asws, so do not pursue the whims, for you will only increase in remoteness from the truth’. Bashir Bin Sa’ad said, ‘If only the Helpers had heard the speech from you-asws, O Ali-asws, before they pledged their allegiances to Abu Bakr, no two would have differed upon you-asws, but they have already pledged their allegiance’. And Ali-asws left to go to his-asws house and did not pledge allegiance and stayed in his-asws house until (Syeda) Fatima-asws passed away, and he-asws pledged allegiance’’. [61] (Non-Shia source)