In spite of their disagreement on the traditions of their Prophet...

In spite of their disagreement on the traditions of their Prophet, we say: The Apostle of Allah, may Allah bless him and his family, regarded the Qur'an and his family as his deputies after him as in the foregoing traditions and similar ones. However, those who depended on their viewpoints treated the Prophet's deputies (the Qur'an and the Prophet's family) according to their political ideas that mean that they accepted the traditions of the Apostle of Allah, may Allah bless him and his family.

In other words they thought that the interest should be taken into consideration. Also they thought that obeying the orders of the Prophet was in charge of the experienced old men. If they confirmed what the Prophet wanted, then it was okay. If they did not confirm what the Prophet wanted, they put into effect whatever they wanted. In this manner the succession was taken from the Prophet's family.

In this manner, it was possible or advisable for a great number of those who believed in Muhammad, may Allah bless him and his family, to give Mu'awiya the right to compete with the others for the succession of Islam and to produce old- age [1] as evidence for it. In the meantime the old men such 'Amr b. al-'As, al-Mughira b. Shu'ba, Abu Hurayra al-Dousi, and the like confirmed his claim.

This claim of Mu'awiya, that included disdain at the sacredness of Islam, was not [1] Ibn Abu al-Hadid, Sharh Nahj al-Balagha, vol.4, p.13. for the first time. Rather it had historical backgrounds. [1] It is obvious that these historical back grounds led to an unexpected trend in Medina when the people held a meeting in the Shelter (saqifa) of banu (the sons of) Sa'ida to find a new rope other than that of the Prophet, may Allah bless him and his family, in the foregoing tradition.

In this connection, Polis Salama said: Events occurred one by one under the Shelter ( Saqifa ) They provoked hidden things and inclinations Tendencies divided like the branches of The tender boxthron. [2] The owner of the right (Imam 'Ali) in the succession adopted an honorable attitude towards his brothers who depended on their viewpoints. His attitude in itself underlined that he wanted to protect Islam from collapse.

Also such an attitude underlined that he was the only means or rope between the people and the sky. He (Imam 'Ali) failed for a very short time to pledge allegiance (to Abu Bakr). That is [1] Al-Mas'udi, Hashim b. al-Athir, vol. 6, pp. 78-79.