Ali -asws said...
Ali -asws said: ‘ فَقَالَ عَلِيٌّ ع احْلُبْ حَلْباً لَكَ شَطْرُهُ اشْدُدْ لَهُ الْيَوْمَ لِيَرُدَّ عَلَيْكَ غَداً إِذاً وَ اللَّهِ لَا أَقْبَلَ قَوْلَكَ وَ لَا أَحْفِلَ بِمَقَامِكَ وَ لَا أُبَايِعَ Ali -asws said: ‘You are milking milk for you, being harsh for it today, it will be returned upon you tomorrow when, by Allah -azwj I -asws will neither accept your words, nor will your place be celebrated, and I will not pledge allegiance’.
فَقَالَ أَبُو بَكْرٍ مَهْلًا يَا أَبَا الْحَسَنِ مَا نُشَدِّدُ عَلَيْكَ وَ لَا نُكْرِهُكَ Abu Bakr (at this point intervened and) said: Shh no, O Abu Al-Hassan -asws ! We are not being harsh upon you -asws , nor forcing you’.
فَقَامَ أَبُو عُبَيْدَةَ إِلَى عَلِيٍّ فَقَالَ يَا ابْنَ عَمِّ لَسْنَا نَدْفَعُ قَرَابَتَكَ وَ لَا سَابِقَتَكَ وَ لَا عِلْمَكَ وَ لَا نُصْرَتَكَ وَ لَكِنَّكَ حَدَثُ السِّنِّ وَ كَانَ لِعَلِيٍّ ع يَوْمَئِذٍ ثَلَاثٌ وَ ثَلَاثُونَ سَنَةً وَ أَبُو بَكْرٍ شَيْخٌ مِنْ مَشَايِخِ قَوْمِكَ وَ هُوَ أَحْمَلُ لِثِقَلِ هَذَا الْأَمْرِ وَ قَدْ مَضَى الْأَمْرُ بِمَا فِيهِ فَسَلِّمْ لَهُ Abu Ubeyda stood up to Ali -asws and said, ‘O cousin!
We are not refuting your -asws kinship nor preceding you -asws , nor your -asws knowledge, nor your -asws help, but you are of young age’ – and on that day Ali -asws was thirty three years of age – ‘and Abu Bakr is an old man from the old men of your -asws people, and he has more endurance for the weight of this command, and the command has already passed along with whatever is in it, so submit to him.
فَإِنْ عَمَّرَكَ اللَّهُ لَسَلَّمُوا هَذَا الْأَمْرَ إِلَيْكَ وَ لَا يَخْتَلِفُ عَلَيْكَ اثْنَانِ بَعْدَ هَذَا إِلَّا وَ أَنْتَ بِهِ خَلِيقٌ وَ لَهُ حَقِيقٌ وَ لَا تَبْعَثِ الْفِتْنَةَ قَبْلَ أَوَانِ الْفِتْنَةِ قَدْ عَرَفْتَ مَا فِي قُلُوبِ الْعَرَبِ وَ غَيْرِهِمْ عَلَيْكَ If Allah -azwj were to Make you -asws a ruler, this command would be submitted to you -asws , and no two would differ upon you -asws after this, except and you would be appropriate with it, and competent for it, and do not resurrect the Fitna before the season of the Fitna (for) you -asws do recognise what is in the hearts of the Arabs and other against you -asws ’.
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