27. Imām Ali (a.s.) –on Talha and Zubair breaking their allegiance: “You came to me and told me to accept your pledge of allegiance and I refused. You said: “Yes [you will].” I said no, and pulled back my hand, but you pulled it towards you. I drew back my hand, but you dragged it. You leapt upon me as the camels leap upon each other on their arrival for drinking water to the extent that I thought you would either kill me or some will kill others. Then I extended out my hand and you swore allegiance to me willingly. The first among you was Talha and Zubair who swore their allegiance to me willingly, but without any compulsion.”1
28. Imām Ali (a.s.) –on his pledge of allegiance: “You opened my hand, but I closed it and you stretched it, but I pulled it to myself. Then you crowded over me as thirsty camels crowd on the watering pond when taken there, to the extent that shoes were torn, robes fell off and the weak got trampled. The happiness of people on their allegiance to me was so much that small children felt joyful, the old staggered for it, the sick reached towards it and the young girls ran for it without their veils.”2
29. Waq`at Siffin –quoting from Khafāf ibn `Abdullah: “People gathered around Ali (a.s.), like moths, to swear allegiance, to the extent that shoes got lost, robes fell off and the old men got trampled.”3
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Allegiance of the General Public
30. Sharh Nahj al-Balāghah –narrating from Ibn `Abbās: “When Ali (a.s.) entered the mosque and the people came forward to swear allegiance to him, I feared that some of Ali’s enemies whose father, brother or relatives had been killed by him during the life time of the Prophet (s.a.w.) might say something that would cause Ali to turn his face away from ruling and abandon it. I was constantly observing the situation while being apprehensive about it, but nobody said anything until all people swore allegiance to him, willingly, without any compulsion.”4
1.. al-Irshād, vol. ۱, p. ۲۴۴, al-Ihtijāj, vol. ۱, p. ۳۷۵, h. ۶۸, al-Jamal, p. ۲۶۷, al-`Iqd al-Farid, vol. ۳, p. ۱۲۳.
2.. Nahj al-Balāghah, Sermon ۲۲۹, Bihār al-Anwār, vol. ۳۲, p. ۵۱, h. ۳۵.
3.. Waqa`at Siffin, p. ۶۵, Sharh Nahj al-Balāghah, vol. ۳, p.۱۱۱, al-Imāma wa al-Siyāsa, vol. ۱, p. ۱۰۵.
4.. Sharh Nahj al-Balāghah, vol. ۴, p. ۱۰. There is hesitance in the acceptance of this narration, as `Abdullah ibn `Abbās was `Uthmān’s agent in Hajj and when he reached Medina, the allegiance to Ali had been accomplished. See Tārikh al-Tabari, vol. ۴, p. ۴۳۹. The narrator may have been `Abdullah or Qutham –the sons of `Abbās.