38. Imām Ali (a.s.) –from his speech when `Abdullah ibn `Umar, Sa`d ibn Abi Waqqās, Muhammad ibn Maslima, Hassān ibn Thābit and Usāma refused to pledge allegiance: “O people! You swore allegiance to me on what you did to those before me. Verily, people have options before they swear allegiance; but after that they have no option. The leader (imam) must be steadfast and truthful, and the people must be obedient.
This is a public allegiance, so whoever turns away from it is turning away from the religion of Islam and is following a path other than that of the Muslims. Your allegiance to me was not without thinking [by accident] and your motives are not the same as mine. I want you for God, but you want me for your own interests. By God, I will be benevolent to the adversary and bring justice to the oppressed.
I have been informed about Sa`d, ibn Maslima, Usāma, `Abdullah and Hassān ibn Thābit certain things that I do not approve and the Real [Almighty] will be the Judge between them and me.”¹

38. الإمام عليّ علیه السلام ـ مِن كَلامِهِ حينَ تَخَلَّفَ عَن بَيعَتِهِ عَبدُ اللهِ بنُ عُمَرَ، وسَعدُ بنُ أبي وَقّاص، ومُحَمَّدُ بنُ مَسلَمَةَ، وحَسّانُ بنُ ثابِتٍ، واُسامَةُ بنُ زَيدٍ ـ: أيُّهَا النّاسُ!إنَّكُم بايَعتُموني عَلى ما بُويِعَ عَلَيهِ مَن كان قَبلي، وإنَّمَا الخِيارُ إلَى النّاسِ قَبلَ أن يُبايِعوا، فَإِذا بايَعوا فَلا خِيارَ لَهُم. وإنَّ عَلَى الإِمامِ الاِستِقامَةَ، وعَلَى الرَّعِيَّةِ التَّسليمَ . وهذِهِ بَيعَةٌ عامَّةٌ، مَن رَغِبَ عَنها رَغِبَ عَن دينِ الإِسلامِ، وَاتَّبَعَ غَيرَ سَبيلِ أهلِهِ، ولَم تَكُن بَيعَتُكُم إيّايَ فَلتَةً، ولَيسَ أمري وأمرُكُم واحِداً. وإنّي اُريدُكُم للهِ، وأنتُم تُريدونَني لِأَنفُسِكُم، وَايمُ اللهِ لأَنصَحَنَّ لِلخَصمِ، ولاَُنصِفَنَّ المَظلومَ.
وقَد بَلَغَني عَن سَعد وَابنِ مَسلَمَةَ واُسامَةَ وعَبدِ اللهِ وحَسّانِ بنِ ثابِتٍ اُمورٌ كَرِهتُها، وَالحَقُّ بَيني وبَينَهُم.¹