As for the chain of narrators
As you see, it ends at Abdur Rahman bin Auf and Saeed bin Zaid and other
than these two no one has narrated it. And the channel of Abdur Rahman is
restricted to Abdur Rahman bin Hamid bin Abdur Rahman Zuhri from his father,
who sometimes narrates from Abdur Rahman bin Auf and sometimes from
Messenger of Allah (s.a.w.a.).
This chain of narrators becomes invalid with attention to the year of death
for Hamid bin Abdur Rahman, and it is not complete, because he was not a
companion. On the contrary he was a companion of companions; and he had not
met Abdur Rahman bin Auf, because he died in 105 A.H. at the age of seventythree years.
Thus, if he was born in 32 A.H. the year of death of Abdur Rahman or a year
later.1
Therefore Hajar believes that the report of Hamid from Umar and Uthman
is definitely severed.2 And Uthman died after Abdur Rahman bin Auf; then this
chain of narrators is not correct.
Therefore, the channel of report is restricted to Saeed bin Zaid, who himself
is one of the ten, who were given glad tidings, and he narrated this report in Kufa
during the times Muawiyah as was clarified at the beginning of the tradition, and
this tradition till that time, which was full of calamities and turmoil was not heard
from him and was not narrated before that time.
Thus is there no one who would ask this companion regarding secret behind
keeping this traditional report concealed till the time of Muawiyah, and not
stating it during so many years and during the period of Khulafa Rashideen? And
it would have been a shield by Khulafa Rashideen and other companions for
exhausting the argument and to protect lives and sanctities during those days;
they were more needful of such a report, then as if this report was revealed to
Saeed bin Zaid during the days Muawiyah usurped the throne of Caliphate!
I feel a strong possibility that Saeed bin Zaid did not have the capacity to
bear ridicule, condemnation and enmity regarding Ali (a.s.) from his enemies,
and regarding this he confronted whoever Muawiyah appointed as the governor
of Kufa, and refused to pay allegiance to Yazid, when his father appointed him as
the next caliph.
Regarding him he spoke harshly with Marwan.3 That is why he feared
response of Muawiyah on himself, and by fabricating this traditional report he
prepared a shield so that it may save him from being loyal to Ali (a.s.). And
whoever was accused of this inclination was punished in different ways, he was
imprisoned, tortured, and was killed in the worst manner.
So he pleased the caliph of the time by granting Paradise to the opponents of
Ali (a.s.) and those who had not paid allegiance to him, and who had staged
uprising against him, and kept their leaders in a single row, a row which others
did not share; as if Paradise was only created for them; and no one from the
followers and Shia was mentioned in that.
Whereas among them were chiefs of Paradise, like Salman, Abu Zar,
Ammar and Miqdad; thus he, by fabricating this tradition obtained approval of
caliph, a caliph who for every false statement gifted loads of gold and silver.
And if drawn swords had not been there during those times, no one would
have believed that Ali and such other individuals cannot come together in one
place; because all know that the conduct of Ali (a.s.) was opposed to the conduct
of the rest of them. And on the day of Shura when conditions was imposed on
him to follow the practice of Abu Bakr and Umar, in order to remain aloof from
them, he dared to decline that Caliphate.
After those two; such incidents occurred between him and Uthman and the
killing of Uthman did not affect him and he did not testify that Uthman was
killed oppressed. And the Shiqshiqya sermon was narrated from him through
authentic chains and he called out among his people:
“Know that indeed, every land which Uthman gifted to someone or any
property he has given to anyone, will be brought back to the Public Treasury.”4
After this event, two pledge breakers [Talha and Zubair] fought battle with
him and were killed due to their enmity to him. Then how can they gather
together in Paradise? I don’t know.
ايَطْمَعُ كُلُّ امْرِى مِنْهُمْ أَنْ يُدْخَلَ جَنَّةَ نَعِيمٍ كَلَّا
“Does every man from them desire that he should be made to enter the garden of bliss? By no means!”5