Ali Ibn Abi Talib - Volume 1 of 2

'Ali ibn Abi Tab 271
over them, because 'Umar ihu al-Kha~sh (&) wiped over them.' I
said: 'I am asking you - do you wipe over them?' He said: 'May
you be doomed! I tell you about 'Umar (&) and you ask me about
my opinion! 'Umar (&) was an earthful better than me.' I said: '0
Abu Mu]?ammad, some people are claiming that this is taqiyyah on
your part.' He said to me - when we were between the grave and the
minbar [in Madinah] - 'By Allah, this is my opinion in private and
in public. Do not listen to anyone who says anything about me that is
different from what I am telling you.' Then he said: 'Who is this who
claims that 'Ali (&) was suppressed, and that the Messenger of
Allah (g) told him to do something and he did not do it? What a
great undermining and criticism of 'Ali (&) it is to suggest that the
Messenger of Allah (g) told him to do something and he did not
cany it out.""96
3. 'Ali (&) at the time of
'Uthmgn ibn 'Affgn
3.1. 'Ali's oath of allegiance to 'Uthmsn (&)
The people had barely finished burying 'Umar ihn al-KhatGb
(4) when the consultative committee and the members of the high
council of state hastened to meet in the house of 'A'ishah (I&), the
Mother of the Believers (or it was said that they met in the house of
Fgtimah bint Qays al-Fihriyyah, the sister of ad-D*ik ihn Qays) in
order to decide the most impoaant issue facing the Musl~ms after the
death of 'Umar (&). ..,
The people spoke and gave their opinions, and
they were guided by the help of Allah (&) to reach an agreement that
was accepted by prominent and ordinruy Muslims alike.L97