The Companions’ Disagreement Over The Method By Which Retribution Is Taken From The Killers Of Uthman
Selections from the Book Muawiyah Ibn Abi Sufyan (His Character And Era) And The Sufyanid State …
Written by Dr. Ali Muhammad al-Sallabi...
Episode (10)
The disagreement that arose between the Commander of the Faithful Ali on one side, and Talha, al-Zubayr, and Aisha, may Allah be pleased with them, on the other, and later between Ali and Muawiya, may Allah be pleased with them both, was not due to them casting doubt on Ali’s caliphate, his leadership, or his rightful claim to the position of authority over the Muslims. This matter was agreed upon among them. Ibn Hazm said: “Muawiyah never denied the virtue of Ali or his right to the caliphate. However, his ijtihad led him to believe that avenging the blood of Uthman, may Allah be pleased with him, should take precedence over pledging allegiance, and he believed himself more entitled to seek retribution for Uthman’s death.”
Ibn Taymiyya said: “Muawiyah did not claim the caliphate, nor was allegiance pledged to him for it when he fought Ali. He did not fight claiming to be the caliph or to deserve the caliphate. They acknowledged that, and Muawiyah would affirm it when asked. Neither Muawiyah nor his followers considered initiating combat against Ali and his companions, nor did they do so”. He also said: “Every faction among the Shi'a (supporters of Ali) also acknowledged that Muawiyah was not equal to Ali in the matter of the caliphate, and that he could not be caliph as long as Ali was available, for Ali’s virtue, precedence, knowledge, piety, bravery, and other merits were clearly known to them, just as were the merits of his brothers Abu Bakr, Umar, and Uthman, may Allah be pleased with them.”
The origin of the disagreement was not a challenge to the caliphate of the Commander of the Faithful Ali, may Allah be pleased with him, but rather a disagreement on the matter of retribution for the killers of Uthman. Their disagreement was not about the principle itself, but about the method of addressing the issue. The Commander of the Faithful Ali, may Allah be pleased with him, agreed in principle on the necessity of taking retribution from the killers of Uthman, but his opinion was to delay the retribution until the situation stabilized, matters calmed down, and unity was restored — and this was the correct approach.
Al-Nawawi said: Know that the cause of those wars was that the matters were ambiguous. Due to the intense ambiguity, their independent reasoning differed, and they became three groups:
One group, through ijtihad, concluded that the truth was with one side, and that those opposing it were rebels. Therefore, they believed it obligatory to support that side and fight against the rebels as they perceived it. It was not permissible for anyone in this position to delay supporting the just leader in fighting the rebels, according to their belief.
A second group, the opposite of the first, concluded through ijtihad that the truth was with the other side, and thus they believed it obligatory to support them and fight those they considered rebellious.
A third group found the matter too ambiguous and were uncertain, unable to determine which side was correct. So they refrained from joining either party, and this abstention was obligatory for them—because it is not permissible to fight a Muslim unless it becomes clear that he deserves to be fought. Had it become clear to them which side was stronger in truth and more rightful, it would not have been permissible for them to refrain from supporting it in fighting the rebels.
- Ali Muhammad al-Sallabi, Muawiyah Ibn Abi Sufyan (His Character And Era) And The Sufyanid State, pp. 203-205.
- Chapter on religions, whims and sects (4/160).
- Events and Hadiths of the fitna of Chaos, p. 158.
- Collection of Fatwas (35/72).
- Al-Nawawi’s explanation of Sahih Muslim (15/149).
For further information and review of the sources for the article, see:
The Book of “Muawiyah Ibn Abi Sufyan (His Character And Era) And The Sufyanid State” on the official website of Sheikh Dr. Ali Muhammad al-Sallabi:
