Hadith 19

rants and the Helpers after having consulted for three days, and they are the ones who had paid allegiance to Abu Bakr, and Umar, and Usman and held on to their imamate. And that was for me-asws from the people of Badr and the former ones from the Emigrants and the Helpers, except that they had paid allegiance before me without consulting the general public, and that their allegiance to me-asws was after having consulted the general public. If Allah-azwj, Majestic is His-azwj Name, had Made the choice to be for the community to make, and they are the ones who will be choosing, and considering for themselves, and that their choosing and considering for themselves for it is better for them than the Choice of Allah-azwj and His-azwj Rasool-saww for them, and that the one whom they had chosen, and paid allegiance to with an allegiance of guidance, and he would be an Imam the obedience to whom would be obligatory upon the people, and to help him. So, they have consulted with regards to me-asws and chosen me-asws by consensus among them. And if it was Allah-azwj Mighty and Majestic Who would be the One to Choose, and the choice was for Him-azwj to Make, so He-azwj has Chosen me-asws for the community, and Made me-asws to be the Caliph over them and Ordered them to be obedient to me-asws and to help me-asws, in His-azwj Revealed Book, and the Sunnah of His-azwj Prophet-saww. That is a stronger argument for me-asws and more than Obligates my-asws right. And if Usman had been killed during the era of Abu Bakr or Umar, would Muawiya had fought against the two of them and come out against them both for seeking (the blood)? ’ Abu Hureira and Abu Al-Darda said, ‘No’. Ali-asws said: ‘My-asws (position) is similar to that. If Muawiya says, ‘Yes’, say to him, ‘It would then become permissible for everyone who has been oppressed by an oppressor or killed by a killer, to created discord among the Muslims, and cause disunity in their gatherings, and make a call to himself. Along with this, the children of Usman should be the first to claim the blood of their father, rather than Muawiya’. (Sulaym) said, ‘Abu Al-Darda and Abu Hureira were silent for a while and said, ‘You-asws have been equitable from yourself-asws’. Ali-asws said: ‘By my-asws life, Muawiya would have done justice to me if he would have kept to his words and been truthful to what he gives to me-asws. Here are the sons of Usman, men who have understanding, and there are no children among them nor is there a guardian over them. So come, I-asws will gather them along with the killers of their father, and if they get tired from arguing against them, let them testify that Muawiya is a guardian for them, and their representative, and fight against them for their disagreements. And let them and the defendants sit in front of me-asws, like the sitting of a litigant to the Imam-asws and the governor, whose judgement they accept and carry out his-asws judgement, and I-asws will consider their arguments and the arguments of their opponents. If their father was killed whilst being an oppressor and it was lawful for his blood to be shed, (seeking revenge for) his blood is invalidated, and if he was an oppressed one, (the shedding of) whose blood was unlawful, I-asws will punish the one who killed their father, so if they want they can kill him, and if they want they can forgive him, and if they want they can accept the wergild. And here are the killers of Usman in my-asws army, accepting that they killed him, and are happy with my-asws judgement, be it against them or for them. Let the sons of Usman come to me, or Muawiya – if he was their guardian or their representative –let them present their arguments for his killing; and I-asws will judge between the two of them until