Exceeding them...

Exceeding them, Mu`awiyah ibn Abi-Sufyan insisted on the cancellation of this matter so importunely since he believed in the necessity of founding an independent code of law that would be characterized by independent dimensions and foundations in order to be contradictory to the religious laws adopted and followed by the descendants of Imam `Ali ibn Abi-Talib and the other Sahabah who followed them.

The code of law enacted by Abu-Bakr and `Umar was the ground on which Mu`awiyah ibn Abi-Sufyan rested in the enactment of his independent code of law. Having been extremely cunning, Mu`awiyah could understand the necessity of locking the door to the circulation of the Holy Prophet’s Hadith. He therefore strengthened the personal decisions of `Umar ibn al-Khattab so that he would be able to construct the substitutive code of law.

In my book entitled Wudu' al-Nabiy , I have focused much light on the fact that the Muslim rulers, whether the Umayyads or the `Abbasids, feared the descendants and followers of `Ali ibn Abi-Talib very much; they therefore planned to eradicate them; they therefore decided to sketch for the people a code of law opposite to that of `Ali ibn Abi-Talib so that they would realize the followers of `Ali ibn Abi-Talib and discriminate them.

Hence, those rulers, in the admission of the religious laws, once followed the opinions of `Umar, and at other times they followed the opinions of `Ā'ishah and then the opinions of Abu-Hurayrah and then the opinions of `Uthman and so on. The most important aim that they worked for attaining it was to oppose the sayings of Imam `Ali ibn Abi-Talib and only then would they be able to force all the peoples to follow their decisions.

Whenever they intended to eradicate any of the followers of Imam `Ali, they would declare that he had mutinied against the will of the ummah since the laws that he practiced had been opposite to these issued by the ruling authorities and the methods that he followed in the practice of the religious duties had been different from these practiced by the publics.

For instance, he rubbed, not washed, his feet in the ritual ablutions, or he extended his hands rather than crossing them in the ritual prayers, and he recited the verses audibly instead of quietly… etc.