69. Tārikh al-Tabari –narrating from Ibn `Abbās: “`Uthmān summoned me and appointed me in charge of Hajj pilgrimage. I left for Mecca and prepared the people’s affairs for the Hajj pilgrimage and read `Uthmān’s letter to them. I then returned to Madina and Ali (a.s.) was sworn allegiance to, so I went to his house and I found al-Mughayra ibn Shu`ba who was meeting him privately. I was kept at the door until al-Mughayra came out and I asked him: ‘What did this person [al-Mughayra] say to you?’
The Imām said: “He has said to me more than once before: “Send letters to `Abdullah ibn `Amir, Mu`āwiya and to the agents of `Uthmān and reinstall them to their previous posts so that they would be able to let people swear allegiance to you. They can convince the people and calm down the towns.” I rejected his proposal from that day and said: “By God, if there is only one hour left of my life, I will make attempt to maintain my notions and I will never give authority to these people or let anyone like them to enter the government.”¹
He [Ali] (a.s.) then said: “So, he [al-Mughayra] then left me and I knew that he believed that I was wrong, until he came to me again this time and said: “I gave advice to you the previous time and you rejected it, now I have come with another proposition that you do as you wish and dismiss them and seek the help of your trusted figures. Sufficient is God and these people have become weaker than ever before.”
Ibn `Abbās said: “I told Ali (a.s.): The first time he [al-Mughayra] gave advice to you, but in the second time he has betrayed you.”Ali (a.s.) said to Ibn `Abbās: “How did he give me advice?”
Ibn `Abbās said: “You know that Mu`āwiya and his companions are worldly oriented. If you reinstall them, they do not care who is running the government, and if you dismiss them, they will say: “He has taken the government without consultation and has killed our chief.” They will stir up people against you and then the people of Shām and the people of Iraq will rise up against you, furthermore I am not sure that Talha and Zubair would (not return to you) and attack you.”
Ali (a.s.) said: “As for your recommendation to reinstall them, by God, I have no doubt that this will be helpful for improvement of the transient worldly life. But based on my commitment to the truth and according to my knowledge of the administrators of `Uthmān, I swear by God that I would never appoint any one of them to the government. If they submit to this [situation], it would be better for them and if they turned their back, I will draw sword against them.”
Ibn `Abbās said: “Accept my words, enter your house, go to your properties in Yanbu`<sup>2</sup> and close the door behind you, because the Arabs will make a move and then disperse and then you will find no one but yourself. By God, if you rise up with them today, they will impose on you the vengeance for the murder of `Uthmān.”
Ali (a.s.) refused and said to Ibn `Abbās: “Leave for Shām! I appointed you as the governor of that region.”
Ibn `Abbās said: “This is wrong. Mu`āwiya is a man from the Umayyad tribe and is `Uthmān’s cousin and his administrator in the Shām region. I will not be safe from him beheading me in revenge for the murder of `Uthmān, or at the least, he will imprison me or treat me in whatever way he wishes.”
Ali (a.s.) asked him: “Why?”
Ibn `Abbās said: “Because of the kinship between you and me. Whatever He intends to impose upon you, will impose on me therefore send a letter to Mu`āwiya and oblige him and make promises to him.”
Ali (a.s.) refused and said, “By God, this will never happen.”³

69. تاريخ الطبري عن ابن عبّاس: دَعاني عُثمانُ فَاستَعمَلَني عَلَى الحَجِّ، فَخَرَجتُ إلى مَكَّةَ فَأَقَمتُ لِلنّاسِ الحَجَّ، وقَرأَتُ عَلَيهِم كِتابَ عُثمانَ إلَيهِم، ثُمَّ قَدِمتُ المَدينَةَ وقَد بويِعَ لِعَلِيٍّ، فَأَتَيتُهُ في دارِهِ فَوَجَدتُ المُغيرَةَ بنَ شُعبَةَ مُستَخلِياً بِهِ، فَحَبَسَني حَتّى خَرَجَ مِن عِندِهِ، فَقُلتُ: ماذا قالَ لَكَ هذا؟
فَقالَ: قالَ لي قَبلَ مَرَّتِهِ هذِهِ: أرسِل إلىٰ عَبدِ اللهِ بنِ عامِرٍ وإلىٰ مُعاوِيَةَ وإلىٰ عُمّالِ عُثمانَ بِعُهودِهِم تُقِرَّهُم عَلىٰ أعمالِهِم ويُبايِعونَ لَكَ النّاسَ، فَإِنَّهُم يُهَدِّئونَ البِلادَ ويُسَكِّنونَ النّاسَ، فَأَبَيتُ ذلِكَ عَلَيهِ يَومَئِذ وقُلتُ: وَاللهِ لَو كانَ ساعَةٌ مِن نَهار لاَجتَهَدتُ فيها رَأيي، ولا وَلَّيتُ هؤُلاءِ ولا مِثلُهُم يُوَلَّى.¹
قالَ: ثُمَّ انصَرَفَ مِن عِندي وأنَا أعرِفُ فيهِ أنَّهُ يَرى أنّي مُخطِئٌ، ثُمَّ عادَ إلَي الآنَ فَقالَ: إنّي أشَرتُ عَلَيكَ أوَّلَ مَرَّةٍ بِالَّذي أشَرتُ عَلَيكَ وخالَفتَني فيهِ، ثُمَّ رَأَيتُ بَعدَ ذلِكَ رَأياً، وأنَا أرىٰ أن تَصنَعَ الَّذي رَأَيتَ فَتَنزِعَهُم وتَستَعينَ بِمَن تَثِقُ بِهِ، فَقَد كَفَى اللهُ، وهُم أهوَنُ شَوكَةً مِمّا كانَ.
قالَ ابنُ عَبّاسٍ: فَقُلتُ لِعَلِيٍّ: أمَّا المَرَّةُ الاُولى فَقَد نَصَحَكَ، وأمَّا المَرَّةُ الآخِرَةُ فَقَد غَشَّكَ.
قالَ لَهُ عَلِيٌّ: ولِمَ نَصَحَني؟
قالَ ابنُ عَبّاسٍ: لاَِنَّكَ تَعلَمُ أنَّ مُعاوِيَةَ وأصحابَهُ أهلُ دُنيا فَمَتى تُثبِتُهُم لا يُبالوا بِمَن وَلِيَ هذَا الأَمرَ، ومَتى تَعزِلُهُم يَقولوا: أخَذَ هٰذَا الأَمرَ بِغَيرِ شورىٰ وهُوَ قَتَلَ صاحِبَنا، ويُؤَلِّبونَ عَلَيكَ فَيَنتَقِضُ عَلَيكَ أهلُ الشّامِ وأهلُ العِراقِ، مَعَ أنّي لا آمَنُ طَلحَةَ وَالزُّبَيرَ أن يَكُرّا عَلَيكَ.
فَقالَ عَلِيٌّ: أمّا ما ذَكَرتَ مِن إقرارِهِم، فَوَاللهِ ما أشُكُّ أنَّ ذلِكَ خَيرٌ في عاجِلِ الدُّنيا لاِِصلاحِها، وأمَّا الَّذي يَلزَمُني مِنَ الحَقِّ وَالمَعرِفَةِ بِعُمّالِ عُثمانَ فَوَاللهِ لا اُوَلّي مِنهُم أحَداً أبَداً، فَإِن أقبَلوا فَذلِكَ خَيرٌ لَهُم، وإن أدبَروا بَذَلتُ لَهُمُ السَّيفَ.
قالَ ابنُ عَبّاسٍ: فَأَطِعني وَادخُل دارَكَ وَالحَق بِمالِكَ بِيَنبُعَ² وأغلِق بابَكَ عَلَيكَ، فَإِنَّ العَرَبَ تَجولُ جَولَةً وتَضطَرِبُ ولا تَجِدُ غَيرَكَ، فَإِنَّكَ وَاللهِ لَئِن نَهَضتَ مَعَ هؤُلاءِ اليَومَ لَيُحَمِّلَنَّكَ النّاسُ دَمَ عُثمانَ غَداً.
فَأَبىٰ عَلِيٌّ، فَقالَ لاِبنِ عَبّاسٍ: سِر إلَى الشّامِ فَقَد وَلَّيتُكَها.
فَقالَ ابنُ عَبّاسٍ: ما هذا بِرَأيٍ، مُعاوِيَةُ رَجُلٌ مِن بَني اُمَيَّةَ وهُوَ ابنُ عَمِّ عُثمانَ وعامِلُهُ عَلَى الشّامِ، ولَستُ آمَنُ أن يَضرِبَ عُنُقي لِعُثمانَ أو أدنىٰ ما هُوَ صانِعٌ أن يَحبِسَني فَيَتَحَكَّمَ عَلَيَّ.
فَقالَ لَهُ عَلِيٌّ: ولِمَ؟
قالَ: لِقَرابَةٍ ما بَيني وبَينَكَ، وإنَّ كُلَّ ما حُمِلَ عَلَيكَ حُمِلَ عَلَيَّ، ولكِنِ اكتُب إلىٰ مُعاوِيَةَ فَمُنَّهُ وعِدهُ.
فَأَبىٰ عَلِيٌّ وقالَ: وَاللهِ لا كانَ هذا أبَداً.³