Therefore, Abū-Bakr did accordingly and Abū-Sufyan was happy.

Therefore, Abū-Bakr did accordingly and Abū-Sufyan was happy. He extended his bay`ah!” [1] Abū-Sufyan was not only appeased in this manner. His son Yazid was appointed the governor of Syria that proved as the cornerstone of the Umayyad Dynasty! `Ali’s discreet quiet is reflective of his sagacity and understanding of the fissiparous conditions prevalent at that time.

If he had agreed to fight at the instigation of Abū-Sufyan, the conflict would not have been given any other name than the search for power. The hands of the enemies of Islam would have strengthened as a result of the war of attrition between two groups of Muslims. People would have felt that taking shelter behind the Prophet’s name he was running after acquisition of power. Then his silent protest against the existing power center would have gone in vain.

He still had strength in his arms to face any adversary, the example s of which he had set time and again in the ghazawat that he won single-handed while other important functionaries were fleeing, and he had the courage and will to stand any onslaught. But his farsightedness stopped him from taking any precipitate action. The defeated Jews and the captive Ansar were looking for a chance to rise no sooner they smelled that the Muslims were a divided house.

The hypocrites were busy in the garb of Muslims as well. All these forces were raring to unite under one flag to inflict one final blow to the Muslims! This is a great favor to Muslims from `Ali (a.s) that he made only silent protest and did not rise against the persons who had deprived him of everything that was rightfully his as Ordained by Allah and His Prophet (a.s). [1] Al-`Iqd al-Farīd, Vol 3, Page 62 Previous…