At times you are saying...

At times you are saying, ‘Caliph of Allah -azwj ’, and at time you are saying, ‘Caliph of Rasool-Allah -saww ’, and at times, ‘The people are in agreement with me’, and it is a vague matter. Do not enter into a matter it would be difficult for you to exit from it tomorrow, and your posterity would happen to be in regret from it, and the self-accusing soul would blame in front of the Reckoning on the Day of Qiyamah.

There are entrances and exits for the matters, and you know one who is foremost with it than you are. Watch out for Allah -azwj as if you can see Him -azwj , and do not leave out its (rightful) owner, for leaving it today is lighter upon you, and peace be to you’’.

[50] The Saqifa meeting, however, needs to be analysed as a reaction to the sermon of Rasool Allah -saww at Ghadeer-e-Khum, where Rasool Allah -saww announced: ‘For the ones for whom I ‑saww am Mola (Master), for them, Ali -asws is Mola ’ ! [51] A group among Muslims, disliked it so much that they agreed among themselves to stop Bani Hashim (mainly Ali -asws Ibn Abi Talib ‑asws ) from succeeding to Caliphate.

The leading hypocrites among them were the twelve (12) companions of Al-Uqba , who hatched their first plan when they covered their faces and intended to frighten the camel of the Messenger of Allah -saww . When did that happen (Sulaym asked from Abu Dharr -ra )?’ He –ra (Abu Dharr -ra ) said, ‘At Ghadeer Khum (or Battle of Tabbuk as per some traditions), when the Messenger of Allah -saww was returning from the Farewell Pilgrimage’.

I said, ‘May Allah -azwj Keep you well, do you know them?’ He -ra , said, ‘Yes, by Allah -azwj , all of them’. I said, ‘From where did you -ra come to know them and the Messenger of Allah -saww had told Huzayfa to keep it a secret?’ He -ra said, ‘Ammar Bin Yaasar was the guide and Huzayfa was the usher, so Huzayfa was ordered for concealment, but that was not the order to Ammar’.

I said, ‘Can you name them for me?’ He ‑ra said, ‘Five (5) companions of the agreement [52] , and five (5) companions of the consultative council (to selected the 3 rd Muslim Caliph), and Amr Bin Al-Aas and Mu’awiya’. A (failed) assassination attempt was made to trip the she-camel of Rasool-Allah -saww on the night of Al-Aqaba (at Al-Aqaba Mountain pass), and the remaining ones from the renegade hypocrites at Al-Madinah wished to kill Ali -asws Bin Abu Talib -asws .