Therefore go to Ali and tell him to send me Uthman's...

Therefore go to Ali and tell him to send me Uthman's murderers then I will obey him." They went to Ali and talked to him, but Ali refused to hand in Uthman's murderers to Mu'awiyah.) [Sayr A'alam Al-Nubala'a, vol.3, p.140, the examiner of the book said that its narrators are trustworthy] Abu Sulaiman's use of this reference is indeed disturbing. It is implying that Imam Ali (as) was AWARE who the killers of Uthman were, despite this he let these killers roam free.

Does Abu Sulaiman not understand the serious implication of this viewpoint? The Ahl'ul Sunnah have never espoused the view that Imam Ali (as) knew and protected Uthman's killers, they absolve him of any such slander and yet Abu Sulaiman is seeking to offer a new approach casting doubts on Imam Ali (as). This is a subtle and devious method used by Abu Sulaiman, he has consciously cited this reference, implicating Imam Ali (as) as the wrongdoer and Mu'awiya as the distraught sincere relative.

It is clear that the majority Ahl'ul Sunnah do NOT believe such slander against Imam Ali (as) but they should be warned of the risks of infiltration by Nasibis seeking protection for their comments under the Sunni garb. Mu'awiya and his supporters Abu Sulaiman extols the cosy relationship between Mu'awiya and the people of Sham at several points in his article.

Ansar.org states:"Mu'awiyah ruled Al-Sham for forty years, and his relationship with Al-Sham's people was a relationship of love and loyalty to a degree that the people of Al-Sham agreed strongly with him when Mu'awiyah wanted to avenge Uthman's murder". When Mu'awiyah took the governship of Al-Sham, his policy with his people was one of the best policies. His people loved him, and he loved them too his people supported him when Mu'awiyah wanted to take Uthman's revenge.

They gave him allegiance on that and promised him that they will spend their lives and money for the cause of Uthman, take Uthman's revenge, or Allah take their souls before that. [Al Bidaya Volume 8 p.131] So we learn: Mu'awiya loved the people of Sham and vice versa Such was their love they supported him in his decision to avenge Uthman's murder It should be made clear than the Sharia is NOT based on the opinions of the Sahaba.

The legitimacy of any stance is only valid if it is supported by the dictates of the Qur'an and Sunnah. The premise that the love of the people constitutes legitimacy of a stance is indeed a very faulty logic.