1. A part of the sermon of His Eminence regarding the killing of Uthman is as follows:
“If I had ordered his assassination, I should have been his killer, but if I had
refrained others from killing him, I would have been his helper.1 The position
was that he, who helped him cannot now say that he is better than the one, who
deserted him. While he, who deserted him cannot say that he is better than the
one, who helped him. I am putting before you his case. He appropriated (wealth)
and did it badly. You protested against it and committed excess therein. With
Allah lies the real verdict between the appropriator and the protester.”2
Ibne Abil Hadid says in his Sharh:3
“His statement: ‘that he, who helped him…’ implies that those, who did not
help him were better than those, who helped him, because most of those, who
helped him, were transgressors, like Marwan bin Hakam and his like, and
Muhajireen and Ansar condemned him.”
2. Ibne Saad4 has narrated from Ammar bin Yasir that: When Uthman was
killed, I saw Ali (a.s.) on the pulpit of Messenger of Allah (s.a.w.a.) saying:
“Neither do I like his assassination nor dislike it; neither I ordered nor forbid it.”5
Balazari in Ansab6 has in a tradition, mentioned this statement of Ali (a.s.)
to Uthman:
“O Uthman, indeed truth, no matter how heavy it may be, is a blessing [and
it has pleasing consequences] and falsehood may be light, but it is fraught with
trouble [and had no positive consequences] when truth is mentioned, you become
angry and when falsehood is mentioned, you are pleased.”
4. When people complained to Ali (a.s.) about the acts of Uthman, he sent
his son, Hasan to him and when this occurred often, Uthman said to Imam Hasan
(a.s.):
“Indeed, your father thinks that no one knows what he knows and we are
well aware of what we do, so, leave us alone.”
After that Ali (a.s.) never sent his son to Uthman.7
5. Amash has narrated from Hakam bin Utaibah from Qays bin Abu Hazim that: I heard Ali (a.s.) saying from the pulpit in Kufa:
“O sons of Emigrants, depart towards leaders of deviation, survivors of
Battle of Ahzab, and friends of Shaitan; towards those, who are fighting on the
pretext of blood for one, who was killed for excessive mistakes. Thus, by the
God, who split the seed and created creatures, he carries the burden of their
crimes till Judgment Day, without any decrease in any of their sins.”8
6. From the letter that His Eminence wrote to people of Egypt, when he
appointed Ashtar as governor are following statements:
“From the creature of Allah, Ali bin Abi Talib (a), to people whose anger
and enmity was on account of Allah, they got angry when they saw that their land
was being run over by people disobedient to Allah, when rights were being
crushed and obligations were being ignored and spurned, when tyranny and
oppression were the order of the day and every good or bad person and every
local resident or outsider had to face them, when goodness and piety were taboos
and when nobody cared to keep himself away from vices and sins.”9
Ibne Abil Hadid writes in his Sharh:10
“The interpretation of this part of letter of Ameerul Momineen (a.s.) is very
difficult, because it were the people of Egypt, who slain Uthman and when
Ameerul Momineen (a.s.) testified that disobedience of Almighty Allah was done
on the earth, they were angered for the sake of Allah. This is a clear testimony
against Uthman that he has committed divine disobedience and committed sinful
acts.”
After that he justifies a statement of Imam (a.s.), which he has not reflected
upon and regards it to be opposed to facts and such justification does not make
man needless of truth and proof is not exhausted upon him.
Suppose Ibne Abil Hadid has implied the statement as opposed to apparent,
and justifies it, what about the rest of the words of Ameerul Momineen (a.s.) and
statements of other companions, which were compatible to this statement and
more than hundreds of such statements? Can we interpret all these statements as
opposed to apparent? Ask him about that!
It is mentioned in some parts of the Shiqshiqya sermon of Ameerul
Momineen (a.s.) that:
“Till the third man of these people stood up with heaving breasts between
his dung and fodder. With him his children of his grand-father, (Umayyah) also
stood up swallowing up Allah’s wealth like a camel devouring the foliage of
spring, till his rope broke down, his actions finished him and his gluttony brought him down prostrate.”11
8. Balazari in Ansab has narrated through the channels of Suhaib, the
retainer of Abbas that:12
Abbas said to Uthman: “I remind you of Almighty Allah regarding acts of
the son of your paternal uncle, son of your maternal uncle, and your son-in-law.
Indeed, I have been informed that you want to continue to support him and his
friends.”
Uthman said: “My first reply to you is that: I have deemed you as arbitrator,
if Ali wants, no one other than him was with me [he was the most proximate to
me], but he abstained from everything, except himself.”
So Abbas conveyed to Ali what Uthman has said. Ali said: “If Uthman
orders me to come out of my house, I would definitely do that.”
9. A part of the letter of Ameerul Momineen (a.s.) to Muawiyah is as
follows:
“So to say, by God, no one other than you killed your cousin, and I hope to
make you join him for sins like him and greater than his mistakes.”13
Allamah Amini says: Analysis of this tradition informs us that Imam (a.s.)
did not regard the Caliph a just imam to kill whom makes him distraught or that
the matter was significant for him, or attacking him had made him angry, on the
contrary he had become aloof from his acts and he feared that if he took any steps
to defend him, he would be sinful.
If he considered him a just Imam at least he should have said: His supporters
are better than those, who desert him, because it is as such regarding just persons
from majority of Muslims, what to say about the imam of Muslims?
The tradition of complain of Uthman to Abbas, who passed away in the year
32 A.H., makes us aware that conflict and argument took place between the two
of them before he was besieged and around the middle part of his Caliphate and
some years before he was killed.
As for what Ameerul Momineen (a.s.) told Abbas: “If Uthman orders me to
come out of my house, I would definitely do that,” hints at that denial and
condemnation of that man from His Eminence was definitely not during his reign
and he did not approve opposing his matter.
On the contrary, it was only for enjoining good and forbidding evil, and he
did not see any other option for himself, except this.
In some sermons delivered after his allegiance, it is mentioned:
“Know that indeed every land, which Uthman left behind, and every amount
he had gifted, would be restored to Public Treasury.”
If this man has been a just imam in view of Imam (a.s.), he would have
definitely not condemned his acts, but…