Was not Sa`d present when Abu Bakr...

Was not Sa`d present when Abu Bakr, Umar, and Uthman received the oath of allegiance, an occasion from which anyone who lagged behind was killed for fear of dissension? Yet Sa`d did swear the oath of allegiance to Uthman, unconditionally giving his support to him.

He also heard Abd al-Rahman ibn Awf threatening Ali with a sword which he raised over his head, saying, "So do not harm your own self, for it will then be the sword and nothing else." He was also present when Ali refused to swear the oath of allegiance to Abu Bakr, invoking a threat against him by Umar ibn al-Khattab who then…