أبو أيوب الأنصاري

“Once I saw Amir al-Mu’minin Ali (AS) on the day of victory in Basra while he was riding the on the mule of the Messenger of Allah (SAW). Then he said, ‘Oh people, do you want me to tell you who the best of the creatures of Allah will be on the Day when He will bring all of them to one place?’ Abu Ayyub al-Ansari (RA) stood up and said, ‘Yes, O Amir al-Mu’minin (AS), please explain to us. You were present and we were absent.’ The Imam (a.s.) then said, ‘The best of the people on the day of resurrection when Allah will bring all people together are seven people descended of ‘Abd al-Muttalib whose distinction no one except an unbeliever would deny and no one would reject except a deviant.’ ‘Ammar b. Yasir (RA) then stood up and said, ‘O Amir al-Mu’minin (AS) tell us their names so we can recognise them properly.’ The Imam (AS) said, “The best in the creatures of Allah on the Day when He will bring all creatures together are the messengers and the best of the messengers is Muhammad (SAW). The best after the prophet in his Ummah (followers) is the executor of his will until a prophet comes. There is no doubt that the best among the executors of the wills of the prophets is the executor of the will of Prophet Muhammad (SAW). There is also no doubt that the best among the people after the executors of the will of the prophets are the martyrs and the best of the martyrs is Hamza b. ‘Abd al-Muttalib and Ja‘far b. Abu Talib who was given two fresh wings with which he flies in Paradise. No one else besides him from this Ummah received two wings. With this Allah honored and granted dignity to Muhammad (SAW). Also of the seven people are the two grandsons of the Holy Prophet (SAW) and al-Mahdi (AS). Whoever Allah wants will be al-Mahdi from our Ahl al-Bayt. Then he read this verse of the Holy Quran. “One who obeys God and the Messenger is the friend of the Prophets, saints, martyrs, and the righteous ones to whom God has granted His favors. They are the best friends that one can have. [4:69] The favors of God are such, and He knows very well (how to reward you).’” [4:70]

I heard Amirul Mu’mineen, ‘Ali ibn Abi Talib, peace be upon him, say to his companions, after having urged them for days on end to march forth for Jihad but in vain: "O people! I have ordered you to march forth, but you did not, and I have admonished you, but you did not acquiesce. So, you are like the absentees in spite of your presence and the deaf in spite of your hearing! I recite unto you words of wisdom and preach to you beautiful preaching and exhort you to fight your despotic adversaries; but when I come to the close of my speech, I find you as disunited as the hands of Saba’ (i.e. ten children of a Yamani chief who were each separated from the other). And the moment I turn away from you, you return to your meetings, forming group circles. (There) you set up similitudes, chant poems and ask each other the news. You have forgotten the art of preparedness for war, and have occupied your minds with unavailing things. Your hands are weakened! Rise to fight the enemy before they overwhelm you! By Allah! Never was a community attacked in its own houses, except that it was humiliated and vanquished. And I swear in the name of Allah, I do not see you do it, till they have done! And I would love to confront them (alone) with my (firm) determination and vision, (and get killed in the way of Allah) so that I am relieved of enduring you. For, you are like a hoard of camels, which has lost its herdsman; no sooner are they herded on one side, than they fall apart from each other on the other side. By Allah, I can visualize about you that if the war were to rage on, and the hostilities were to flame up, you would separate yourselves from ‘Ali ibn Abi Talib (as easily as the heads are cut off and) the way a woman shirks as she delivers (her child)." At that time, al-Ash’ath ibn Qais al-Kindi stood up and said: "O Amirul Mu’mineen, why didn’t you do what Uthman ibn Affan did?" (i.e. granting favours for the sake of compromising). He, peace upon him, said: "O, pusher to the hellfire! Woe unto you! The act of Ibn Affan was a disgraceful one, even for the one who has no religion, nor any authority with him; so, how can I, who stands on a manifest proof from my Sustainer and the rightful authority is in my hand, do that? By Allah, that man is indeed weak, who himself makes it possible for his enemy to carve his flesh, crush his bones, tear down his skin and spill his blood! Such a man is not blessed with a brave heart. If you so desire, be like him! As far as I am concerned, the least I can give that enemy is a hit of my sword, which will send the bones of the skull flying, palm falling together with the arms. Then Allah shall do what He intends." Then Abu Ayyub al-Ansari Khalid ibn Zaid, the host of the Prophet, peace be upon him and his progeny, rose, and said: "O people, surely Amirul Mu’mineen has conveyed to those who have heeding ears and remembering hearts. Allah has indeed blessed you with an honour, which you do not accept in the way you should! He has left with you your Prophet’s cousin, master of all the Muslims after him (i.e. the Prophet). He (i.e. ‘Ali) makes you learned in Religion and calls you to fight against those who have descended upon you to afflict you. It seems as if you have gone deaf, hearing nothing. Or that your hearts are impermeably wrapped, so that you do not understand! Are you not ashamed? O servants of Allah! Did you not have an era of injustice and hostility yesterday? (i.e. in the days gone by). An era in which affliction was common, spread all over the country? When the rightfuls were deprived, their faces smacked, their bellies trampled upon, hurled down on an open ground, and borne by the sandstorms. There was nothing to protect them from heat or cold, from being scorched by the sun and its glare, except the tattered clothes on their bodies, or the shaggy old huts. Till Allah brought unto you Amirul Mu’mineen, peace be upon him, who declared the truth and spread justice, and acted according to the Book (i.e. the Qur’an). So, O people, be thankful to Allah for the bounty with which He has blessed you, and do not turn away on your backs. And be not of those who say "we hear", but they hear not. Sharpen your swords and prepare to fight your enemies. Respond when you are summoned and listen and obey when commanded. Let that what you say happen; and prove yourselves among the truthful by following what you have been ordered to do."

“Those who were opposed to the rule of Abu Bakr before Ali ibn Abi Talib (AS) were twelve persons from the Emigrants (Muhajirin) and the Helpers (Ansar). The ones from amongst the Emigrants were Sa’id ibn Al-As; al-Miqdad ibn al-Aswad; Abi ibn Ka’ab; Ammar ibn Yasir; Abuzar al-Qaffari; Salman al-Farsi; Abdullah ibn Mas’ood; and Baridat al-Aslami. And those who were from the Helpers were Khazimat ibn Sabit Zulshahadatein; Sahl ibn Hanif; Abu Ayoob Al-Ansari; Abul Haysam ibn al-Tayhan and others.
When Abu Bakr sat on God’s Prophet’s (sw) pulpit as the Caliph they consulted with each other in this regard. Some of them said, ‘Let us go and force him down from the pulpit.’ The others said, ‘This would be like contributing to our own destruction and the Honorable the Exalted God has said, ‘And make not your own hands contribute to (your) destruction;’ It is better that we all go to see Ali ibn Abi Talib (AS) and consult with him to see what he says.’ Then they all went to see Ali (AS) and said, ‘O Commander of the Faithful! You have given up your position and your due right. We do not want to take Abu Bakr down from the pulpit without consulting with you.’ Ali (AS) told them, ‘A war would break out if you do so. You are nothing when compared with them in terms of force. The people have agreed to his Caliphate now and have not acted according to what the Prophet (sw) said. They have denied their Lord! I consulted with my family on this issue. They believe that there is no solution except being silent since these people hate the Honorable the Exalted God and the Prophet’s Household. They want to retaliate for the blood shed in the Age of Ignorance. I swear by God that if you do so, they will unsheathe their swords and become ready for a battle as they quarreled with me so much that they defeated me; dominated over me; surrounded me and said, ‘Either you pledge allegiance or we will kill you.’ I had no way except to protect myself since I remembered the words of God’s Prophet (sw) who told me, ‘O Ali! If these people did not let you become the Caliph; disagreed with you and disobeyed my orders regarding you, you must be patient until God descends an order for you. Beware that they will certainly deceive you. You should not give them any excuses, since then they will belittle you and shed your blood. Gabriel has informed me on the authority of the Blessed the Sublime God that the nation will break their pledge of allegiance after me.’ You should all go to that man and tell him what you have heard from your Prophet (sw), so that he may have no doubts in what he is doing. It would be best to give him an ultimatum so that he deserves a greater punishment from his Lord, since he has disobeyed God’s Prophet (sw) and has acted against his orders.’
Then they all waited until Friday when they surrounded the pulpit of God’s Prophet (sw). The Helpers told the Emigrants, ‘Indeed the Honorable the Exalted God has preferred you to the Helpers and said, ‘Allah turned with favor to the Prophet, the Muhajers and the Ansar …’ Therefore, you may speak first. Because of this the first one who stood up and started to speak was Khalid ibn Saeed ibn Aas with the support of the Umayyads.
He said, ‘O Abu Bakr! I admonish you to fear God. You well know what God’s Prophet (sw) has said about Ali (AS). Don’t you know that on the day of the Battle of the Qariza clan, (when we were all around him) faced the noble ones of us - and said, ‘O Emigrants and Helpers! I have a recommendation to you which you must honor. I have an order which you must obey. Beware that Ali (AS) is your Commander and my Trustee after me. My Lord advised me so. If you do not respect my will in this regard, and do not support and assist him, you will fall into disunion regarding your decrees. Your religious affairs will be in a mess, and the most wicked ones amongst you will take charge of your affairs. The members of my Household are in charge of the affairs after me. They are to run the affairs of my nation after me. O my Lord! Please include anyone who honors my will regarding Ali (AS) to be amongst those who are resurrected along with me. Also grant them some of my Friendship with which they can become prosperous in the Hereafter. O my God! Please forbid Paradise which is wider than the heavens and the Earth for whoever mistreats my Household.’
When Khalid said this Umar ibn al-Khattab yelled and said, ‘O Khalid! Shut up. You are not one of the members of the council or the ones on whose sayings we could rely.’ Then Khalid said, ‘O Ibn al-Khat’tab! You should shut up. I swear by God that you well know that you are not just saying what you yourself think. Rather, you are defending other people’s interests. I swear by God that all of the Quraysh know that my lineage is nobler than everyone else. I am the most literate, the most well-known one and expect the least from God and His Prophet (sw), but you are of the worst lineage, the most infamous one that is much more distant from the Honorable the Exalted God and His Prophet (sw). Indeed you are a coward in fighting, stingy at times of drought, and of a base lineage. You have nothing to be proud of amongst the Quraysh.’ Thus, Khalid silenced him and sat down.
Then Abuzar (ra) stood up, praised God, expressed God’s glorifications and said, ‘O group of the Emigrants and the Helpers! You and the good ones amongst you all know well that God’s Prophet (sw) said, ‘The Rule over the affairs belongs to Ali (AS) after me. After him, it belongs to Al-Hassan (AS) and al-Hussein (AS). Then after them it belongs to the members of my Holy Household from the progeny of Al-Hussein (AS). You have ignored what God’s Prophet (sw) said. You have become materialists and have forgotten what God’s Prophet (sw) said. You have forsaken the permanent blessings of the Hereafter which is everlasting and never ends or gets ruined where the residents neither grieve nor die. You have become just like the deviated nations who changed the orders of their Prophets after them. Soon you will be bitterly punished for your deeds. God doesn’t oppress His servants.’
Abuzar finished his speech and then Salman al-Farsi (ra) stood up and said, ‘O Abu Bakr! Who do you cite when you issue your judgements and to whom do you seek refuge when you are asked things which you do not know? Who is more knowledgeable in the nation than you are? Who is closer to God’s Prophet (sw) than you are? Who has a more extensive background with God’s Prophet (sw) than you do? You have ignored the Prophet’s orders which he issued when he was alive. You have forgotten the Prophet’s (sw) will. Soon everythingwill become very clear for you when you die and enter the graveyard with a heavy load of sins and wicked deeds. When you enter your grave you will find exactly what you sent ahead of yourself. If you pay attention to the truth and be fair and acknowledge the right of the just ones, it will save you on a Day on which you will be in need of your own deeds and when you will be left alone in your grave with your (own) deeds. You have heard what we have heard and you have seen what we have seen. Why do these remarks not prevent you from doing what you are doing? I beseech you by God to consider God. Whoever ponders over things in advance would act according to what is right.’
Then Al-Miqdad ibn al-Aswad (ra) stood up and said, ‘O Abu Bakr! First measure yourself and see how much you measure up to. Sit in your own house and cry over your sins, since that would be better for you in this life and after your death. Return the position of the Caliphate to the one whom God and His Prophet (sw) have already determined. Do not rely on this world as your supporter and do not let these lowly people deceive you. Soon the world will end for you and you will be taken to your Lord to be rewarded for what you have done. You know well that the position of the Caliphate belongs to Ali (AS). He (MGB) is the one to whom it belongs to after God’s Prophet (sw). I have only advised you. You may accept it or not as you please.’Then Barideh Aslami stood up and said, ‘O Abu Bakr! Have you really forgotten things or do you pretend to have forgotten? Are you deceiving yourself? Don’t you remember that God’s Prophet (sw) ordered us to greet Ali (AS) as the Commander of the Faithful during his lifetime. Fear God and get a grip on yourself before it gets too late. Save yourself from destruction! Leave the position of Caliphate and entrust it to the one who deserves it. Do not go astray. Return while you still can. I have only advised you and did my best. You may accept it or not as you please. You will become triumphant and prosper if you accept it.’
Then Abdullah ibn Mas’ood stood up and said, ‘O the Quraysh clan! You and all the good ones amongst you well know that the members of the Household of your Prophet are closer to God’s Prophet (sw) than you are. If you claim the position of the Caliphate to be for the relatives of God’s Prophet (sw) and say you have a background in Islam, then the members of the Household of God’s Prophet (sw) are closer to him than you are. They are closer to God’s Prophet (sw) and have a more extensive background with him. Ali ibn Abi Talib (AS) is in charge of this after your Prophet (sw). Therefore, entrust to him what God has already entrusted him with and do not step backwards, since then you may experience a detrimental ending.’
Then, Ammar ibn Yasir stood up and said, ‘O Abu Bakr! Do not grasp by force the right which God has granted to someone else. Do not be the first one to disobey God’s Prophet (sw) and oppose him regarding his Household. Return the right to its owner. Lighten the load and burden on your back and meet God’s Prophet in such a manner that he may be pleased with you. Then you may go to the Merciful God for the Reckoning of your deeds and asking you about what you have done.’
Then Khuzayma ibn Sabit Zul-Shuhadatayn stood up and said, ‘O Abu Bakr! Don’t you know that God’s Prophet accepted my testimony alone and did not ask for anyone else’s testimony?’ Abu Bakr replied, ‘Yes.’ Khuzayma said, ‘I swear by God and bear witness that I heard God’s Prophet (sw) say, ‘The members of my Household are the ones who distinguish the difference between right and wrong. In fact, they are the Divine Leaders whom you must follow.’’
Then Abul Haysam ibn al-Teehan stood up and said, ‘O Abu Bakr! I bear witness to the Prophet (sw) and his Holy Household that God’s Prophet (sw) raised up Ali (AS) by his arm.’Then the Helpers said, ‘The Prophet (sw) indeed raised him up by his arm for the position of Trusteeship.’ Others said, ‘The Prophet (sw) raised him up so that the people could know who is the Master of whomever the Prophet (sw) is the master of and that the Prophet (sw) had said, ‘Beware that the members of my Household are the stars on the Earth! Honor them and do not surpass them.’’Then Sahl ibn Hanif stood up and said, ‘I bear witness that I have heard God’s Prophet (sw) say the following from the pulpit, ‘Your Divine Leader after me will be Ali ibn Abi Talib (AS). He is the one person who is the most caring of the nation!’’
Then Abu Ayoob al-Ansari stood up and said, ‘Fear God regarding the members of the Holy Household of your Prophet and return this Rule to them. You should listen and obey as we did from the Prophet (sw) in one position after another as they are more deserving for that rank than you are.’ Then he sat down.
Then Zayd ibn Wahab stood up and spoke. Then a group of people stood up after him and spoke likewise saying similar things. It has been reported on the authority of one of the trustworthy companions of God’s Prophet that after this session Abu Bakr stayed in his house for three days.
On the third day Umar ibn al-Khat’tab, Talha, Zubayr, Uthman ibn Affan, Abdul Rahman ibn Oaf, Sa’id ibn Abi Waqqas, Abu Ubaydat ibn al-Jarah each accompanied with ten men armed with swords went to his house and took him to the pulpit. One of them announced, ‘Should any of you say what he said before, we shall tear him into pieces with our swords.’ Thus, they stayed home and did not say anything any more.