Attributing the Expectation of ‘Bad Omen’ to Imām Ali
As previously mentioned, Talha was the first to give his pledge of allegiance to Ali (a.s.). Talha’s hand was limping and it was thus taken as a bad omen (tatayyur/tafa'ul) that the allegiance would not last long. There are different views as to the person who uttered the bad omen. Some have attributed it to a person called Habib ibn Dhu'ayb, while others say it was a man from Bani Asad who made the comment of bad omen, saying:
أوّل من بدأ بالبیعة ید شلّا، لایتمّ هذا الأمر.“The first person who initiated the allegiance was a limping hand. [So] This affair will not be settled.”
Some other traditions have attributed this statement of ‘evil augury’ to Imām Ali (a.s.) and reported that at the time of allegiance he (a.s.) had said:
ما أخلقها أن تنکث.“How befitting it is for it [the allegiance] to be broken!”
However, it appears that such an attribution is not correct and this can be proven by the intellect and traditions.
There is no doubt that on such an occasion with all the multitude of people who came to pledge allegiance, no intellect would allow to expect bad omen [talk about failure]; no wise person would then do so. How would Ali (a.s.), an unrivaled person in his wisdom proclaim the breaking of allegiance from one of the most eminent political figures in front of the public and on the first day of allegiance, especially by resorting to augury and considering it as a bad omen?!
On one hand, such utterances would add fuel to the rumors that can lead to the weakening of the foundations of the government, and on the other hand, it would encourage the breaking of allegiance.
