And it is narrated from Amash from Ibrahim Teemi from his father that: “I
asked Abu Zar: What has brought you to Rabdha?” He replied: “I dispensed
advice to Uthman and Muawiyah.”
Masudi has written:…Uthman said: “I am sending you to Rabdha. He said:
“God is the greatest. The Messenger of Allah (s.a.w.a.) said the truth. He
informed me of everything that I would bear.” Uthman asked: “What did he tell
you?” He replied: “That I would be banned from Mecca and Medina and I would
pass away in Rabdha and a group traveling from Iraq to Hijaz would bury me.”
Abu Zar told them to bring his mount. Then he mounted his wife – and it is
said – his daughter upon it. Uthman ordered that people should keep away from
him till he goes to Rabdha. When he left Medina and Marwan was taking him,
Ali Ibne Abi Talib (a.s.) arrived with his sons, his brothers, Aqil, Abdullah bin
Ja’far and Ammar bin Yasir.
Marwan objected: “O Ali, the chief of believers forbid people to see off Abu
Zar; and if you don’t know I am informing you.”
Imam Ameerul Momineen Ali (a.s.) stood up towards Marwan and lashed
the ears of his mount and cried, “Get away, may Allah send you to the fire of
Hell.”
Imam Ameerul Momineen Ali (a.s.) stood besides Abu Zar with tearful eyes
and bid farewell to him.
After hearing these speeches Abu Zar burst into tears and he glanced for the
last time on them and bid farewell to Ahle Bayt (a.s.), who had been sincere to
him and he had been sincere to them. Then he spoke to them words that showed
his deepest emotions:
“May Allah have mercy on you, O blessed members of Prophet’s family.
When I saw you, I remembered Holy Prophet (s.a.w.a.) and blessings surrounded
me. My revered ones! You alone were means of solace to me in Medina.
Whenever I saw you I got satisfaction of my heart and peace of mind.
Marwan complained to Uthman about the conduct of Ali Ibne Abi Talib
(a.s.) and Uthman said: “Muslims, who would help me against Ali? He has
prevented my representative from carrying out my orders and he committed so
and so act and I swear by God, I will take the penalty from him.”
When Ameerul Momineen Ali (a.s.) returned after bidding farewell to Abu
Zar, a group of people hastened to welcome him.1 They informed him that
Uthman was enraged at His Eminence, because he disobeyed Uthman’s orders
regarding speaking to Abu Zar and bidding him farewell.
His Eminence replied, “The horse’s rage is on the rein.”2
Uthman went to the Imam and cried, “Why did you oppose my commands?”
“Yes, Marwan came to me to prevent us, and I drove him away, but I did not
disobey your command.”
“Didn’t you know I forbade people from bidding farewell to Abu Zar?”
“Is it incumbent for us to obey your orders even if they conflict with
obedience of Allah and the truth?”
“Pay up the penalty to Marwan.”
“For what?”
“For hitting his mount.”
“My horse is over there. If he wants he can slap its ears like I did to his
mount. But, by Allah, if he abuses me, I shall abuse you in the same way. Not
that it would have any falsehood in it.”
Uthman: “Why should he not abuse you if abused him? By Allah, you are
not superior than him in my view.”
The Holy Imam (a.s.) was shocked at Uthman, who was so much obsessed
by favoritism to his clan that he compares Ali (a.s.), who was in relation to
Prophet as Harun was to Musa (a.s.) with a lizard son of a lizard, whom the
Prophet had cursed while he was yet in the loins of his father.
Imam stood up and said, “Do you say this to me? And compare me to
Marwan? I am, by Allah, superior to you and my father was better than your
father and my mother was better than yours. And this my precedence and
nobility, now bring your precedence and nobility…”
Uthman was enraged and his face became red. He rose up and went into his
house and Ali (a.s.) returned from there and his family members and Muhajireen
and Ansar surrounded him.
The following day people gathered with Uthman and he complained to them
about Ali (a.s.): “He condemns me and supports those, who pick fault in me, and
he wants to please Abu Zar, Ammar and others.” So people mediated between
him and Ali. Ali (a.s.) said: “By God, I did not see off Abu Zar, except for the
sake of Almighty Allah.”3