39. Muruj al-Dhahab: “Sa`d, Usāma ibn Zaid, `Abdullah ibn `Umar and Muhammad ibn Maslima were among those who refused to swear allegiance to Ali ibn Abu Tālib (a.s.) and as their argument said: It is a kind of sedition (fitnah).”
Another group said to Ali (a.s.): “Give us swords in order to use them to fight along with you. If we strike them upon the believers it will not hurt them, but if we strike the unbelievers, they will pierce their bodies!
Ali (a.s.) turned away from them and recited: “Had Allah known any good in them, surely He would have made them hear, and were He to make them hear, surely they would turn away, being disregardful.”¹²

40. Tārikh al-Ya`qubi: “People swore allegiance, except for three men from Quraysh: “Marwān ibn al-Hakam, Sa`id ibn al-`As and al-Walid ibn `Aqaba who was their spokesman. He said: “O you! You have cut all of us from our kin. As for me, you killed my father in the battle of Badr. As for Sa`id, you killed his father
in the battle of Badr and his father was one of the greatest of Quraysh, and as for Marwān, you insulted his father and mocked `Uthmān when he brought his father close to him. We have therefore taken an oath between ourselves that [we swear allegiance to you on the condition that] you forgive the punishment of what we have done, leave us with what is in our possession and kill the murderers of our friend (`Uthmān).”
Ali (a.s.) got angry and said: “As for what you said that I have cut you from your kin, it was the Truth that has cut you. As for me forgiving what you have done [of wrong doings], I have no right to forgive the right of God Almighty, as for me disregarding what is in your possession, justice will apply to you in that which belongs to God and the Muslims .
“As for killing the murderers of `Uthmān, if I must kill them today, I must fight against them tomorrow. However, it is to your benefit that I force you to accept the Book of Allah and tradition of his Prophet. He who feels confined by the truth, then falsehood will be more confining, and if you wish you may join along with your predecessors”
Marwān then said: “Rather, we swear allegiance to you and will stay with you until you see and we see [what will happen].”³

39. مروج الذهب: كانَ سَعدٌ واُسامَةُ بنُ زَيد وعَبدُ اللهِ بنُ عُمَرَ ومُحَمَّدُ بنُ مَسلَمَةَ¹ مِمَّن قَعَدَ عَن عَلِيِّ بنِ أبي طالِبٍ، وأبَوا أن يُبايِعوهُ، هُم وغَيرُهُم² مِمَّن ذَكَرنا مِنَ القُعّادِ، وذلِكَ أنَّهُم قالوا: إنَّها فِتنَةٌ.
ومِنهُم مَن قالَ لِعَلِيٍّ: أعطِنا سُيوفاً نُقاتِل بِها مَعَكَ، فَإِذا ضَرَبنا بِهَا المُؤمِنينَ لَم تَعمَل فيهِم ونَبَت³ عَن أجسامِهِم، وإذا ضَرَبنا بِهَا الكافِرينَ سَرَت في أبدانِهِم. فَأَعرَضَ عَنهُم عَلِيٌّ، وقالَ: (وَلَوْ عَلِمَ اللَّهُ فِيهِمْ خَيْرًا لَأَسْمَعَهُمْ وَلَوْ أَسْمَعَهُمْ لَتَوَلَّواْ وَّهُم مُّعْرِضُونَ)⁴.⁵

40. تاريخ اليعقوبي: بايَعَ النّاسُ إلّا ثَلاثَةَ نَفَر مِن قُرَيشٍ: مَروانَ بنَ الحَكَمِ، وسَعيدَ بنَ العاصِ، وَالوَليدَ بن عُقبَةَ ـ وكانَ لِسانَ القَومِ ـ فَقالَ: يا هذا، إنَّكَ قَد وَتَرتَنا جَميعاً، أمّا أنَا فَقَتَلتَ أبي صَبراً يَومَ بَدرٍ، وأمّا سَعيدٌ فَقَتَلتَ أباهُ يَومَ بَدرٍ ـ وكانَ أبوهُ مِن نورِ
قُرَيش ـ وأمّا مَروانُ فَشَتَمتَ أباهُ وعِبتَ عَلى عُثمانَ حينَ ضَمَّهُ إلَيهِ... فَتَبايَعنا عَلَى أن تَضَعَ عَنّا ما أصَبنا، وتُعفِيَ لَنا عَمّا في أيدينا، وتَقتُلَ قَتَلَةَ صاحِبِنا.
فَغَضِبَ عَلِيٌّ وقالَ: أمّا ما ذَكَرتَ مِن وَتري إيّاكُم، فَالحَقُّ وَتَرَكُم. وأمّا وَضعي عَنكُم ما أصَبتُم، فَلَيسَ لي أن أضَعَ حَقَّ اللهِ تَعالى. وأمّا إعفائي عَمّا في أيديكُم، فَما كانَ للهِ ولِلمُسلِمينَ فَالعَدلُ يَسَعُكُم. وأمّا قَتلي قَتلَةَ عُثمانَ، فَلَو لَزِمَني قَتلُهُم اليَومَ لَزِمَني قِتالُهُم غَداً، ولكِن لَكُم أن أحمِلَكُم عَلى كِتابِ اللهِ وسُنَّةِ نَبِيِّهِ، فَمَن ضاقَ عَلَيهِ الحَقُّ فَالباطِلُ عَلَيهِ أضيَقُ، وإن شِئتُم فَالحَقوا بِمَلاحِقِكُم.
فَقالَ مَروانُ: بَل نُبايِعُكَ، ونُقيمُ مَعَكَ، فَتَرى ونَرى.⁶