Ali Ibn Abi Talib - Volume 2 of 2

220 fie Banles gf the Camel and Siffeeeen, and the issue ofarbitration
Haheeb ihn Maslamah said: "Why don't you answer him?" Abdullah
said: "So I changed the way I was sitting, and I wanted to say, 'The
one who is more entitled to this position than yon is the one who
fought you and you father for the sake of Islam.' But I was afraid to
say something that might cause division and hloodshed and could he
misinterpreted, so instead I talked about what AUah has prepared in
paradise." Haheeb said: "AUah has protected you from causing any
fit~~ah."~'~
It may he understood that this report is referring to the time
when allegiance was sworn to Mu'iwiyah as caliph, but it does not
contain any clear indication to that effect. Some of the scholars said
that this report refers to the meeting in which al-Hasan ihn 'Ali (&)
reconciled with Mu'Zwiyah (&). Ibn alJawzi said: "This speech
was given at the time of MuZ2wiyah, when he wanted to make his son
Yazeed his heir (to the caliphate)." And Ibn Hajar said that it was at
the time of arbitration.785 However, the apparent meaning of the text
supports the first two views. The words "I was afraid to say
something that might cause division and hloodshed" are indicative of
the unity that existed at the time of Mu'%wiyah, because at the time of
the arbitration there was division and dissent, not unity and
harmony .786
The real conclusion of the arbitration. There is no doubt that
the disputed issue, which the two arbitrators decided to refer to the
Ummah and to the members of the consultative committee, was
nothing other than the point of dispute between 'Ali and Mu'iwiyah,
namely the issue of the murderers of 'Uthmk. Mu'iwiyah was not
laying claim to the caliphate or denying 'Ali's right to it, as has been
established above. Rather, he refused to swear allegiance to him and
obey his instructions in Syria, since he had authority there (in reality