Hadith 19

e had gathered and drawn their swords and had taken an oath upon Allah-azwj that if the sun sets and you all had not chosen one of you, they would strike your necks and would carry out with regard to you-asws, the condition of Umar. The one in charge of your affair, Ibn Awf, pledged allegiance to Usman. You-asws had to pledge allegiance to him. Then Usman was besieged, so he asked for your-asws help. But you-asws did not help him, and he called out to you-asws, and you-asws did not answer his call, and he had a right (due to being caliph) upon your-asws neck, and upon yours, O group of Emigrants and the Helpers who were present and witnessed it. You-asws left him alone with the people of Egypt until they killed him, and your sects from among you helped them on his killing, and most of you abandoned him. So you-asws became, with regards to his matter, between a murderer and an instructor and a forsaker. Then the people paid allegiance to you-asws and you-asws are more deserving of this matter than me. Hand over the ones who killed Usman so that I can kill them, and submit the command (Caliphate) to you-asws, and I will pledge allegiance to you-asws, and so will all those who are confronting you, from the people of Syria’. When Ali-asws read the letter of Muawiya which had been brought by Abu Al-Darda and Abu Hureira, his message and his words, Ali-asws said to Abu Al-Darda: ‘The two of you have brought to me what Muawiya had sent you two with, so hear from me-asws, then take it from me-asws to him just as you two brought it to me, and say to him that: –
‘Usman Bin Affan was nothing more than one of the two men – an imam of guidance (shedding of) whose blood was forbidden, and helping him was obligatory, and it was not permissible to disobey him, nor was there any leeway for abandoning him; or he was an imam of misguidance, (the shedding of) whose blood was permissible, and befriending him and helping him was not permissible. So, he was not devoid of one of the two characteristics. And the Obligation in the Judgment of Allah-azwj and the judgment upon the Muslims, after the death of their imam or his murder – be he upon error or on guidance, an oppressed one or an oppressor, (shedding of) whose blood was permissible or prohibited – is that they should neither take any action, nor make any event to happen, nor proceed with their hands or their feet, nor initiate anything before choosing for themselves an imam who is a chaste, devout, scholar and has the understanding of the judgments and the Sunnah. He will gather for them their affairs and he judges between them and takes the rights of the oppressed one from the oppressor, and protects them, and levies their taxes (Fey), and establishes their arguments and their congregations, and levies their Charities (Sadaqa). Then he will be judging with regards to their imam who had been killed unjustly, and he will pass a judgment against the killer, judging between them with the truth. So if their Imam was killed as an oppressed one, the judgment will be for his guardians for his blood, and if he was killed whilst being an oppressor, he will consider how the judgment will be with regards to this. This is first (issue) that they should try to resolve by agreeing on an Imam who would gather their affairs, and he is their kind care taker and they should follow him and obey him. However, the choice of an Imam is from Allah-azwj Mighty and Majestic, and for His-azwj Rasool-saww, so Allah-azwj is Sufficient for Considering with regards to that Choice, and the Rasool-Allah-saww had chosen for them an Imam-asws and ordered them for being obedient to him-asws and to follow him-asws. And the people had pledged allegiance to me-asws after the killing of Usman, and so did the Emig