Nevertheless...

Nevertheless, I remained patient despite the length of period and

stiffness of trial, till when he went his way (by death), he put the matter

(of Caliphate) in a group and regarded me to be one of them. But good

Heavens! What had I to do with this `consultation'? Where was any

doubt about me with regard to the first of them that I was not

Digitized by: www.playandlearn.org 257

considered akin to these ones. But I remained low when they were low

and flew high. One of them turned against me because of his hatred

and the other got inclined the other way due to his in-law relationship

and this thing and that thing, till the third man of these people stood up

with heaving breasts between his dung and fodder. With him, his

cousins also stood up swallowing up Allah's wealth like a camel

devouring the foliage of spring, till his rope broke down, his actions

finished him and his gluttony brought him down prostrate. At that

moment, the crowd of people frightened me. It advanced towards me

from every side like the mane of the hyena so much so that Hassan

and Hussain were getting crushed and both the ends of my shoulder

garment were torn. They collected around me like a herd of sheep and

goats. When I took up the reins of government, one party broke away

and another turned disobedient while the rest began acting wrongfully

as if they had not heard the word of Allah saying:

`That abode in the hereafter, We assign it for those who intend not to

exalt themselves in the earth, nor (to make) mischief (therein); and the

end is (best) for the pious ones.' (28:83)

Yes, by Allah, they had heard it and understood it, but the world

if people had not come to me and supporters had not exhausted the

argument and if there had been no pledge of Allah with the learned to

the effect that they should not acquiesce the gluttony of the oppressor

and the hunger of the oppressed, I would have cast the rope of

Caliphate on its own shoulders and would have given the last one the

same treatment as the first. Then you would have seen that in my view

this world of yours is no better than the sneezing of a goat."

(It is said that when Amir Al-Mo'mineen reached here in his sermon, a