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Shiavault - a Vault of Shia Islamic Books The Hidden Truth about Karbala Chapter 7: Hadith By hastening to Saqifa and leaving behind the body of the Prophet (S), they succeeded in usurping the Caliphate from Imam Ali (a.s.). As the very first act, the Caliph invited the Banu Umayya , the inveterate enemies of Islam and more particularly of the Banu Hashim , to participate in the administration.

They recalled the exiled Marwan and Amr bin al-‘Aas and entertained them as close confidants, secretly in the beginning and openly during the period of the third Caliph. The Caliphs also appointed Abu Sufyan’s sons as governors of Syria, Iraq, and Egypt. The conspiracy extended beyond these overt acts. The conspirators resolved to follow a system by which: [a] the traditions [sayings] and the Sunna [deeds] of the Prophet (S) were prohibited from being cited, repeated, or recorded.

[b] Altogether new traditions were invented to justify the exclusion of Ali (a.s.) from the first three stages of the Caliphate. [c] Traditions were so interpreted as to justify the assumption of the Caliphate by persons other than Ali (a.s.). [d] Traditions were distorted in favour of the legitimacy of the first three Caliphs and the ruling Caliph. [e] New traditions were invented as parallels to those traditions which were known to be in favour of Ali (a.s.).

[f] Traditions were coined to show that the Prophet (S) and his progeny (a.s.) were not different from other people and therefore, they were fallible. [g] Just criticism was shut down by inventing the need for expeditions and wars under the name of Jihad, and people were sent to foreign countries, or at least their attention was diverted from local problems by innovating Tarawih prayers..

[h] The meaning of Zakat and Khums was so misinterpreted that it excluded the Ahlul Bayt (a.s.) from their rightful share. A consummate politician that he was, Umar achieved his objectives, first as an advisor to Abu Bakr and later himself as the second Caliph. The appointment of the third Caliph was made contingent upon his agreeing to follow the aforesaid precedents of the first two Caliphs.

Imam Ali (a.s.) rejected the condition and refused to follow the footsteps of the first two Caliphs , saying that he would not be bound by anything except the Qur’an and the Sunna . On the other hand, Uthman, who agreed to abide by this stipulation, became the Caliph and followed the footsteps of the first two Caliphs.