The story carries us on to the point where the group, after they had killed Imam "Uthman" ibn Affan, may Allah be pleased with him.. sensed the danger with the news that he had sent to "Muawiya ibn Abi Sufyan" asking for support from the soldiers of Syria, and it appeared that if those soldiers arrived, or the people of Medina united to avenge the caliph.. not one of them would remain alive.. a terrifying predicament.. and more terrifying still is that their hands are stained with blood without argument and without escape.
And "Ali ibn Abi Talib" was at that time alone with his two sons "al-Hasan" and "al-Hussein" together with "Muhammad ibn Talha", may Allah be pleased with them.. and his hand was raised striking "al-Hasan" and punching "al-Hussein", as they stood in disgrace and reluctance; he saw it as a disgrace that the Commander of the Faithful should be killed while under their guard, but "Muhammad ibn Talha" explains to him that the numbers of the attackers were very large.. and numbers overcame them.. and that if the caliph had handed over to those who rebelled against him "Marwan ibn al-Hakam".. they would not have killed him and the problem would have been solved.
"Ali ibn Abi Talib" knew full well that this was not true.. the Kharijites would have killed "Uthman" in any case, but there was no time for discussion because there were women in the house of "Uthman" who had to be protected.. so he girded on his weapon, and left them and went out to the caliph's house.
And the time had already passed, because that group had left the house empty, after they had looted everything in it, even what was on the women.. they snatched it and stole it.. and their elders and their minds were going back and forth.
What is the way out of this nightmare? What will happen when Imam "Ali" arrives.. and he was one of the greatest supporters of the legitimacy of "Uthman".. how will they bear his wrath? Notice also that their followers did not dare to kill the sons of "Ali", and were content to gang up on them and push them out of the way.. so what about "Ali" and his awe?
And like lightning the idea flashes in their heads.. there is no escape from "Ali ibn Abi Talib".. except "Ali ibn Abi Talib" himself.. they go to him.. and speak to him about how matters have developed and slipped out of their hands and the crowds and the mobs and the rabble have moved with the herd mentality and committed a crime.. and then they pledge allegiance to him as caliph.
This move was very malicious.. because if "Ali" accepted their pledge, they would have washed their hands of the blood of "Uthman".. and if the soldiers of Syria sent by "Muawiya" attacked them.. then the governor of Syria would be attacking the caliph and those who pledged allegiance to him.. and in this way they could escape the predicament, and avoid death.
They meet "Ali" and ask him to accept their pledge as caliph.. and he refuses insistently.. so they begin to push his companions and the general public upon him, that he must accept the pledge or there will be a terrible schism and a dreadful civil war in which blood will be spilled and no one will know who is killing whom.. and because Imam "Ali" understood their purpose in the pledge, he agrees to the caliphate reluctantly, on condition that the pledge should not be from them nor in any special way.. but from the generality of the Muslims as well.
The pledge is concluded as the Imam wished.. and "Ali ibn Abi Talib" sees fit to postpone the investigation into the case of the killing of "Uthman".. because right now the world is inflamed and tense.. the city is surging with armed Kharijites.. and tribal passions have begun to prevail.. so he decides to begin with a package of decisions, the first of which is the dismissal of all the governors whom "Uthman" had appointed from among the people of trust, and the appointment of new governors.. and "Ali" moves the seat of the caliphate to Kufa, so that he can control the city and the crowds of the Kharijites and see the situation from afar.
The decision to postpone the retribution against the killers of "Uthman" did not please "Lady Aisha", may Allah be pleased with her, in Mecca.. so she decided to set out to Imam "Ali" and demand retribution from the killers of "Uthman".
And in Syria, "Muawiya ibn Abi Sufyan" rejected the decision of the new caliph "Ali ibn Abi Talib" to dismiss him, and he displayed the shirt of "Uthman" stained with blood on the pulpit, and beside it the severed palm of the latter's wife.. and he addressed the people and rallied them and they responded to him, and he declared himself "the avenger of the blood" for "Uthman ibn Affan".. and his argument in that was that they were both from "Banu Umayya".. and "Muawiya" draws the tribe of "Banu Umayya" into his camp, and incites it that the blood is on the neck of the tribe of "Banu Hashim".
And the truth is that nothing preoccupied "Muawiya" in the matter but rule.. and the proof of that is that "Muawiya", who considered himself the avenger of the blood, and refused dismissal and mobilised an army and attacked "Ali ibn Abi Talib".. kept silent about the killers of "Uthman" and ignored the matter entirely once he reached power.. likewise "Amr ibn al-Aas", the close adviser of "Muawiya", was one of the leading opponents of "Uthman" himself while he was in power.. and Muawiya knew that.
Today we hear the phrase "the shirt of Uthman".. which has slipped into the feelings and minds of people since then as a popular proverb, indicating everyone who raises a slogan he does not believe in for the sake of a personal agenda or private purposes.. the reason was the shirt of "Uthman ibn Affan", may Allah be pleased with him, which "Muawiya" raised stained with blood on the pulpit in Syria.
And the decision to postpone retribution had likewise angered the relatives of "Uthman ibn Affan".. and angered his tribe and his friends and those close to him.. and to make matters worse; Imam "Ali" announced that he would recover any piastre that some of them had taken from the public treasury, if it became clear to him that it had no supporting basis.. so some of these people band together.. and abandon "Ali" and head to "Muawiya" in Syria.
People gather around Imam "Ali" supporting him in his decisions, while others are angered.. note that this is the first real formation of the "Shia" faction.. who will champion "Ali ibn Abi Talib" from this moment on.. and there was another Shia faction at the very same time.. history ignored it except a little.. and did not shine a light on it.. and these were the people who were angered by Ali's decisions and went to "Muawiya".. and their name was "the Shia of Uthman".
And in the middle between all the factions were the Kharijites.. the killers of "Uthman".. in another catastrophe...
Imam "Ali" promised retribution against the killers as soon as matters settled and security was restored. Meaning their heads would fly.. so matters must not settle at any price.
And the supporters of each side began to gather, and the movements took shape, and the nation split for the first time into two camps.. two camps, one demanding protection for the legitimate caliph to whom the pledge of allegiance had been given, "Ali ibn Abi Talib".. and a camp with "Muawiya" demanding the blood of "Uthman".. and for the first time since the death of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ the signs of a real civil war begin to loom on the horizon.
Two armies are formed.. the army of "Ali ibn Abi Talib" in Iraq.. and the army of "Muawiya ibn Abi Sufyan" in Syria.. and the truth is that the army of "Ali" was stronger and had on its side the great Companions.. and "Muawiya" is perplexed and thinks of a solution.. and he realises that there is a certain army.. which, if it joined him.. would tip the balance of the scales.. and he would become far stronger.
And this army was the Egyptian army.
The eyes of "Muawiya" turn to Egypt.. but a dangerous obstacle faces him.. which is that the people of Egypt support Imam "Ali".
And in the midst of his thinking, an idea appears to him which he tries to carry out in order to attach Egypt to his side.. and it also appears to me that today's conversation has grown long.. so we postpone our talk to a later time.
And there remains more to the talk about the Great Sedition.
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Previous posts:
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1 - http://bit.ly/2Rm5tBs
2 - http://bit.ly/2RACrOV
3 - http://bit.ly/2NeseJs
4 - http://bit.ly/2XoDruI
5 - http://bit.ly/2IAYulr
6 - http://bit.ly/2IYrjHm