41. Tārikh al-Tabari –narrating from `Abdullah ibn al-Hasan: “When `Uthmān was killed, the Ansār swore allegiance to Ali (a.s.), except for a few people such as: Hassān ibn Thābit, Ka`b ibn Mālik, Muslima ibn Mukhallad, Abu Sa`id al-Khudri, Muhammad ibn Maslima, al-Nu`mān ibn Bashir, Zaid ibn Thābit, Rāfi` ibn Khadij, Fadāla ibn `Ubayd and Ka`b ibn `Ujra. They were the followers of `Uthmān.
Then a man said to `Abdullah ibn Hasan: “How could they refuse to swear allegiance to Ali (a.s.) and (when we know that) they were followers of `Uthmān?”
He replied: “As for Hassān, he is a poet who does not care what he does; as for Zaid ibn Thābit, `Uthmān had appointed him as the head of the state council and Public Treasury and when `Uthmān was besieged, he said: “O group of Ansār, assist God Almighty”, repeating it twice. Abu Ayyub answered: “You will only assist him because he has put countless palm trees at your disposal”! As for Ka`b ibn Mālik, `Uthmān had used him to collect the alms tax of Muzayna and granted him what he had collected from them.”¹

42. Waq`at Siffin –narrating from `Amr ibn Sa`d: “`Abdullah ibn `Umar, Sa`d ibn Abi Waqqās and al-Mughayra ibn Shu‘ba with a group of people went to visit Ali (a.s.) and they had not participated in swearing the allegiance to him. They asked him to
give them their share of the spoils, even though they did not take part in the battles of Siffin and Jamal.
Ali (a.s.) said to them: “What made you keep away from me?”
They said: “`Uthmān was killed and we do not know whether his blood was shed rightfully or not. He had committed some things and you made him repent and he did so. Then at the time of his killing, you contributed to it, so we do not know whether you acted rightfully or went wrong, even though we know of your excellence, O Commander of the Faithful, and your precedence [in Islam] and your migration (hijra).”
Ali (a.s.) then said: “Do you not know that God Almighty has commanded you to enjoin the good and forbid the wrong. He said: “If two groups of the faithful fight one another, make peace between them. But if one party of them aggresses against the other, fight the one which aggresses until it returns to Allah’s ordinance.”<sup>2</sup>
Sa`d said: “O Ali! Give me a sword that distinguishes the unbeliever from the believer. I fear that I may kill a believer and be taken to Hellfire.”
Ali (a.s.) told them: “Do you not know that `Uthmān was a leader to whom you swore allegiance to out of obedience? If he was righteous, why did you let him down? And if he was a wrongdoer, why did you not fight against him? If he was righteous, you did wrong since you did not help your leader, and if he was a wrongdoer, still you did wrong, as you did not help the person who asked others to practice good acts and refrained them from committing bad; and you did wrong, for you did not act between us and our enemy according to what you were commanded by God, as He said: “fight the one [party] which aggresses until it returns to Allah ordinances.”³ He then turned the group away and gave them nothing

41. تاريخ الطبري عن عبد الله بن الحسن: لَمّا قُتِلَ عُثمانُ بايَعَتِ الأَنصارُ عَليّاً إلّا نُفَيراً يَسيراً؛ مِنهُم حَسّانُ بنُ ثابِتٍ، وكَعبُ بنُ مالِكٍ، ومَسلَمَةُ بنُ مَخلَدٍ، وأبو سَعيد الخُدرِيُّ، ومُحَمَّدُ بنُ مَسلَمَةَ، وَالنُّعمانُ بنُ بَشيرٍ، وزَيدُ بنُ ثابِتٍ، ورافِعُ بنُ خَديجٍ، وفَضالَةُ بنُ عُبَيدٍ، وكَعبُ بنُ عُجرَةَ؛ كانوا عُثمانِيَّةً.
فَقالَ رَجُلٌ لِعَبدِ اللهِ بنِ حَسَنٍ: كَيفَ أبى هؤُلاءِ بَيعَةَ عَلِيٍّ! وكانوا عُثمانِيَّةً؟!
قالَ: أمّا حَسّانٌ فَكانَ شاعِراً لا يُبالي ما يَصنَعُ. وأمّا زَيدُ بنُ ثابِت فَوَلّاهُ عُثمانُ الدّيوانَ وبَيتَ المالِ، فَلَمّا حُصِرَ عُثمانُ قالَ: يا مَعشَرَ الأَنصارِ كونوا أنصاراً للهِ... مَرَّتَين. فَقالَ أبو أيّوبَ: ما تَنصُرُهُ إلّا أنَّهُ أكثَرَ لَكَ مِنَ العِضدانِ. فَأَمّا كَعبُ بن مالِك فَاستَعمَلَهُ عَلى صَدَقَةِ مُزَينَةَ، وتَرَكَ ما أخَذَ مِنهُم لَهُ.¹

42. وقعة صفّين عن عمر بن سعد: دَخَلَ عَبدُ اللهِ بنُ عُمَرَ وسَعدُ بنُ أبي وقَّاص وَالمُغيرَةُ بنُ شُعبَةَ مَعَ اُناس مَعَهُم، وكانوا قَد تَخَلَّفوا عَن عَلِيٍّ، فَدَخَلوا عَلَيهِ، فَسَأَلوهُ أن
يُعطِيَهُم عَطاءَهُم ـ وقَد كانوا تَخَلَّفوا عَن عَلِيٍّ حينَ خَرَجَ إلى صِفّينَ وَالجَمَلِ ـ .
فَقالَ لَهُم عَلِيٌّ: ما خَلَّفَكُم عَنّي؟
قالوا: قُتِلَ عُثمانُ، ولا نَدري أحَلَّ دَمُهُ أم لا، وقَد كانَ أحدَثَ أحداثاً ثُمَّ استَتَبتُموهُ فَتابَ، ثُمَّ دَخَلتُم في قَتلِهِ حينَ قُتِلَ، فَلَسنا نَدري أصَبتُم أم أخطَأتُم! مَعَ أنّا عارِفونَ بِفَضلِكَ ـ يا أميرَ المُؤمِنينَ ـ وسابِقَتِكَ وهِجرَتِكَ.
فَقالَ عَلِيٌّ: ألَستُم تَعلَمونَ أنَّ اللهَ عَزَّ وجَلَّ قَد أمَرَكُم أن تَأمُروا بِالمَعروفِ وتَنهَوا عَنِ المُنكَرِ، فَقالَ: (إِن طَـآئِفّتَانِ مِنَ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ اقْتَتَلُواْ فَأَصْلِحُواْ بَيْنَهُمَا فَإِن بَغَتْ إِحْداهُمَا عَلَى الاُخْرَى فَقَاتِلُواْ الَّتِى تَبْغِى حَتَّى تَفِىءَ إِلَى أَمْرِ اللهِ) ؟²
قالَ سَعدٌ: يا عَلِيُّ، أعطِني سَيفاً يَعرِفُ الكافِرَ مِنَ المُؤمِنِ؛ أخافُ أن أقتُلَ مُؤمِناً فَأَدخُلَ النّارَ.
فَقالَ لَهُم عَلِيٌّ: ألَستُم تَعلَمونَ أنَّ عُثمانَ كانَ إماماً، بايَعتُموهُ عَلَى السَّمعِ وَالطّاعَةِ، فَعَلامَ خَذَلتُموهُ إن كانَ مُحسِناً!! وكَيفَ لَم تُقاتِلوهُ إذ كانَ مُسيئاً؟! فَإِن كانَ عُثمانُ أصابَ بِما صَنَعَ فَقَد ظَلَمتُم؛ إذ لَم تَنصُروا إمامَكُم، وإن كانَ مُسيئاً فَقَد ظَلَمتُم؛ إذ لَم تُعينوا مَن أمَرَ بِالمَعروفِ ونَهى عَنِ المُنكَرِ، وقَد ظَلَمتُم إذ لَم تَقوموا بَينَنا وبَينَ عَدُوِّنا بِما أمَرَكُم اللهُ بِهِ، فَإِنَّهُ قالَ: (قَاتِلُواْ الَّتِى تَبْغِى حَتَّى تَفِىءَ إِلَى أَمْرِ اللهِ) .
فَرَدَّهُم ولَم يُعطِهِم شَيئاً.³