وَقَالَ (عليه السلام):
Amir al-mu'minin, peace be upon him, said:
وَاعَجَبَاهُ!
How strange?
أَتَكُونُ الْخِلاَفَةَ بِالصَّحَابَةِ
Could the caliphate be through the (Prophet's) companionship
وَلاَتَكُونُ بِالصَّحَابةِ وَالْقَرَابَةِ؟
but not through (his) companionship and (his) kinship?
قال الرضي: و روي له شعر في هذا المعنى، وهو:
As-Sayyid ar-Radi says: Verses have also been related from Amir al-mu'minin on the same matter. They are:--
فَإِنْ كُنْتَ بِالشُّورَى مَلَكْتَ أُمُورَهُمْ
If you claim to have secured authority by consultation,
فَكَيْفَ بِهذَا وَالْمُشِيرُونَ غُيَّبُ*
how did it happen when those to be consulted were absent!
وَإِنْ كنْتَ بِالْقُرْبَى حَجَجْتَ خَصِيمَهُمْ
If you have scored over your opponents by kinship
فَغَيْرُكَ أَوْلَى بِالنَّبِيِّ وَأَقْرَبُ*
then someone else has greater right for being nearer to the Holy Prophet. 45
45. Ibn Abi'l-Hadid ( 'Izzu'd-Din 'Abd al-Hamid ibn Hibatul'llah al-Mu'tazili [586/1190-655/1257]) says: "The saying of Amir al-mu'minin in the form of prose and poetry was intended for Abu Bakr and 'Umar. In his prose he addressed 'Umar, because when Abu Bakr asked 'Umar (on the day of Saqifah): 'Give me your hand so that I may swear allegiance to you.' 'Umar replied, 'You are the companion of the Messenger of Allah in all circumstances -- comfort and hardship. So, give me your hand.' "'Ali, peace be upon him, says (with regard to the claim of 'Umar) that: If you give arguments in favour of the Abu Bakr's deserving the caliphate on the basis of his being the companion of the Holy Prophet in all circumstances, then why did you not hand over the caliphate to one (i.e., Amir al-mu'minin) who shares with him (Abu Bakr) in this matter, and who had superiority over him by having a relation of kinship with the Holy Prophet? "In his poetry, Amir al-mu'minin addressed Abu Bakr, because he argued with the ansar at Saqifah saying; "We (the Quraysh) are the kin of the Messenger of Allah and the seed from which he sprung, (therefore, we are the most deserving people to succeed him).' "After allegiance was sworn to Abu Bakr (by a small group at Saqifah) he used to argue with the Muslims that they must accept his caliphate since it had been accepted by the ahlu'1-halli Wa'1-'aqd (the group who can tie and untie a matter -- i.e., those who were present at Saqifah). "'Ali, peace be upon him, says (with regard to the claim of Abu Bakr) that: Regarding your argument with the ansar that you are from the seed from which the Messenger of Allah sprung, and one of his tribe, there is other one (i.e. Amir al-mu'minin himself) who ha" the nearest relation of kinship to the Holy Prophet. And concerning your argument that you have been accepted by the consultation of the com panions of the Holy Prophet (whom you mean by ahlu'l-halli wa'1-`agd), how did it happen that most of the companions were absent (on the day of Saqifah) and did not swear allegiance to you.''(Sharh Nahjul Balaghah al-balaghah, vol.18, p.416)
