33. Imām Ali (a.s.) –in a letter to Mu`āwiya: “Verily, those who swore allegiance to Abu Bakr, `Umar and `Uthmān have sworn allegiance to me on the same basis they swore allegiance to them. Therefore, those who were present had no choice to consider, and he who was absent had no right to reject (what was decided by the council). Indeed the council is confined to the Muhājirin and the Ansār. If they agree on one person and call him the leader (imam), it would be deemed to mean Allah's content. If anyone keeps out by way of objection or innovation, he must be brought back to the position from where he left, and if he refuses they must fight him for following a path other than that of the believers, and God will put him with those he deserves.”¹

34. Imām Ali (a.s.) –in response to Mu`āwiya’s letter: “You should not consider yourself different from Talha and Zubair, and the people of Shām from the people of Basra, by my life, all are equal in accepting this affair [of government], because it was an inclusive allegiance in which the elite were not excluded and in it there is no place for any revision in it.”²

33. الإمام عليّ علیه السلام ـ مِن كِتاب لَهُ إلى مُعاوِيَةَ ـ: إنَّهُ بايَعَنِي القَومُ الَّذينَ بايَعوا أبا بَكر وعُمَرَ وعُثمانَ عَلى ما بايَعوهُم عَلَيهِ، فَلَم يَكُن لِلشّاهِدِ أن يَختارَ، ولا لِلغائِبِ أن يَرُدَّ، وإنَّمَا الشّورَى لِلمُهاجِرينَ والأَنصارِ؛ فَإِنِ اجتَمَعوا عَلى رَجُلٍ وسَمَّوهُ إِماماً كانَ ذلِكَ للهِ رِضاً، فَإِن خَرَجَ عَن أمرِهِم خارِجٌ ـ بِطَعن أو بِدعَة ـ رَدّوهُ إلى ما خَرَجَ مِنهُ، فَإنِ أبى قاتَلوهُ عَلَى اتِّباعِهِ غَيرَ سَبيلِ المُؤمِنينَ ووَلّاهُ اللهُ ما تَوَلّى.¹

34. عنه علیه السلام ـ في جَوابِ كِتابِ مُعاوِيَةَ ـ: أمّا تَمييزُكَ بَينَكَ وبَينَ طَلحَةَ وَالزُّبَيرِ، وبَينَ أهلِ الشّامِ وأهلِ البَصرَةِ، فَلَعَمري مَا الأَمرُ فيما هُناكَ إلّا سَواءٌ، لاَِنَّها بَيعَةٌ شامِلَةٌ؛ لا يُستَثنى فيهَا الخِيارُ، ولا يُستَأنَفُ فيهَا النَّظَرُ.²