Had we willed...

Had we willed, we would have defended him, but Uthman made many changes, and he himself changed, doing good and bad things. If what we did was good, then that was good indeed, but if what we did was wrong, we seek Allah's forgiveness. I also am telling you that al-Zubayr is subdued by the overwhelming number of his kinsfolk, and by his sin.

Had Talhah wished to rend his stomach, due to his love for authority, he would have rent it.[^173] But what is strange in as far as Sa`d ibn Abu Waqqas is concerned is that he did not swear the oath of allegiance to the Commander of the Faithful Ali, nor did he support him while he knew the Imam fully well and realized his merits. He himself narrated several of Ali's merits which both Imam al-Nasa'i and Imam Muslim record in their respective Sahih books.

Here are a couple of examples: Sa`d has said, "I heard the Messenger of Allah stating three of Ali's merits; had I had one of them, it would have been better for me than red camels. I heard him saying, `He (Ali) to me is like Aaron to Moses except there will be no prophet after me.' And I heard him saying, `I shall give the standard tomorrow to a man who loves Allah and His Messenger and who is loved by Allah and His Messenger.' And I heard him saying, `O people!

Who is your master?' They thrice said that Allah and His Messenger were their master, whereupon he took Ali's hand, made him stand up, then said, `Whoever has accepted Allah and His Messenger as his master, this Ali is his master; O Allah!

Befriend whoever befriends him, and be the enemy of whoever antagonizes him.'"[^174] In Muslim's Sahih, Sa`d ibn Abu Waqqas is quoted as having said, "I heard the Messenger of Allah saying to Ali, `Are you not pleased to be to me what Aaron used to be to Moses, except there will be no prophet after me?' During the Battle of Khaybar, I heard him saying, `I shall give the standard tomorrow to a man who loves Allah and His Messenger and who is loved by Allah and His Messenger,' so we were very anxious and hopeful about it.

He said, `Bring Ali here.' And when the verse saying `... say: Come: let us call our sons and your sons, and our women and your women, and our near people and your near people, then let us be earnest in prayer and pray for the curse of Allah on the liars (Holy Qur'an, 3:61),' the Messenger of Allah brought Ali, Fatima, Hasan and Husayn and said, `O Allah!