بشير بن سعد الأنصاري

I heard Salman Al-Farsy (ar) saying: ‘When the Rasool Allah (saww) passed away, and the people did what they did, and Abu Bakr and Umar, and Abu Ubeyda Bin Al-Jarrah disputed with the Helpers, they disputed with them by the ‘بِحُجَّةِ’ rights of Ali (asws). They said, ‘O group of Helpers! Qureysh are more deserving of the Command than you are because the Rasool Allah (saww) is from Qureysh and the Emigrant are from them. Allah (azwj) the High has Begun by them in His (azwj) Book and has Preferred them, and the Rasool Allah (saww) has said that the Imams (asws) are going to be from Qureysh’. Salman (ar) said. ‘So I (ar) came to Ali (asws) and he (asws) was washing (the body of) the Rasool Allah (saww). I informed him of what the people had done and I said, ‘At this time, Abu Bakr is upon the Pulpit of the Rasool Allah (saww), and by Allah (azwj), they are not happy to pledge their allegiances to him with one hand, they are pledging their allegiances by both, their right hands and their left’. So he (asws) said to me; ‘O Salman (ar)! Do you know the one who pledged his allegiance to him upon the Pulpit of the Rasool Allah (saww)?’ I (ar) said, ‘I (ar) do not know except that I (ar) saw in the shadow of the Clan of Sa’ada where the Helpers were disputing, and the one who was the first to pledged his allegiance to him was Basheer Bin Sa’ad, and Abu Ubeyda Bin Al-Jarrah, then Umar, then Saalim’. He (asws) said; ‘I (asws) did not ask you (ar) about this, but do you (ar) know the first one who pledged his allegiance when he ascended upon the Pulpit of the Rasool Allah (saww)?’ I (ar) said, ‘No, but I (ar) saw an old man leaning upon his walking stick, with a mark of prostration between his eyes due to the intensity of Al-Tashmir (prostrations) climb up to him and he was weeping and saying, ‘Praise be to Allah (azwj) Who did not Cause me to die from the world until I saw you in this place. Extend your hand’. So he extended his hand, and he pledged his allegiance to him. Then he descended and went out from the Masjid’. So Ali (asws) said; ‘Do you know who he was?’ I said, ‘No, but his speech had displeased me, as if he was gloating at the passing away of the Prophet (saww)’. So he (asws) said; ‘That was Iblees (la), may Allah (azwj) Curse him (la). The Rasool Allah (saww) informed me (asws) that Iblees (la) and the chiefs of his (la) companions witnessed the Messenger (saww) establishing me (asws) to the people at Ghadeer Khumm by the Command of Allah (azwj), so he (saww) told them that I (asws) was higher to them than their own selves and commanded them that those who were present should make it reach to the absentees. So the devils and the castaways companions of his (la) turned towards Iblees (la) and said, ‘This community is a Blessed community and is infallible, and there is neither for you (la) nor for us (la) a way against them, for they have come to know their Imam (asws), and their shelter after their Prophet (saww). So Iblees (la) , may Allah (azwj) Curse him (la) went away bleak and in grief. And the Messenger (saww) informed me (asws) that when he (saww) passes away, the people would be pledging their allegiances to Abu Bakr in the shade of the Clan of Sa’ada after their quarrelling, then they would be coming to the Masjid, so the first one who would be pledging his allegiance upon my (saww) Pulpit would be Iblees (la) may Allah (azwj) Curse him (la) in the image of an old man with mark of prostration, saying such and such. Then he (la) will go out and gather his (la) Satans and devils and excitedly say to them, ‘All of you (la) thought that there was no way for me (la) against them, so how do you (la) see what I (la) have done with them, to the extent that they had left the Command of Allah (azwj) Mighty and Majestic, and being obedient to Him (azwj), and what the Rasool Allah (saww) has commanded them for’.