وهؤلاء مشيخة قومك ليس لك مثل تجربتهم ومعرفتهم بالأمور ولا أرى أبا بكر إلا أقوى : على هذا الأمر منك ، وأشد احتمالا واستطلاعا 1 فسلم لأبي بكر هذا الأمر ، فإنك إن تعش ويطل بك بقاء ، فأنت لهذا الأمر خليق وبه حقيق في فضلك ودينك ، وعلمك وفهمك وسابقتك ، ونسبك وصهرك ، فقال علي كرم الله وجهه : الله الله يا معشر المهاجرين لا تخرجوا سلطان محمد صلى الله عليه وآله في العرب عن داره ، وقعر بيته إلى دوركم وقعور بيوتكم وتدفعون أهله عن مقامه في الناس وحقه 2 .

and these are the elders of your people; you have not the like of their experience and their knowledge of affairs. And I do not see Abu Bakr as other than stronger for this affair than you, and more able to bear it and to look into it [1]. So surrender this affair to Abu Bakr; for if you live and your remaining is long, you are fit for this affair and worthy of it, in your merit and your religion, your knowledge and your understanding, your precedence, your lineage and your marriage tie. 'Ali, may God ennoble his face, said: God, God, O assembly of Emigrants! Do not take the authority of Muhammad, may God bless him and his Family, among the Arabs out of his house and the inmost of his home to your houses and the inmost of your homes; and do not push away his family from his station among the people and from his right. [2]

فوالله يا معشر المهاجرين : لنحن أحق الناس به لأنا أهل البيت ، ونحن أحق بهذا الأمر منكم ، وساق الكلام إلى أن قال وخرج علي كرم الله وجهه يحمل فاطمة بنت رسول الله صلى الله عليه وآله على دابة ليلا في مجالس الأنصار ، تسألهم النصرة فكانوا يقولون : يا بنت رسول الله قد مضت بيعتنا لهذا الرجل ، ولو أن زوجك وابن عمك سبق إلينا قبل أبي بكر ما عد لنا به .

By God, O assembly of Emigrants, we are the most entitled of people to him, for we are the People of the House; and we are more entitled to this affair than you. — And he carried the words on until he said: And 'Ali, may God ennoble his face, went out carrying Fatima the daughter of the Messenger of God, may God bless him and his Family, upon a mount by night, among the assemblies of the Ansar, and she was asking them for help. And they would say: O daughter of the Messenger of God, our pledge to this man has already passed; had your husband and the son of your uncle come to us before Abu Bakr, we would not have turned from him.

فيقول علي كرم الله وجهه ، أفكنت أدع رسول الله صلى الله عليه وآله في بيته ، لم أدفنه وأخرج أنازع الناس سلطانه فقالت فاطمة : ما صنع أبو الحسن إلا ما كان ينبغي له ، وقد صنعوا ما الله حسيبهم وطالبهم .

And 'Ali, may God ennoble his face, would say: Was I to leave the Messenger of God, may God bless him and his Family, in his house unburied, and go out to dispute with the people over his authority? And Fatima said: Abu al-Hasan did nothing but what was fitting for him; and they have done what God is their reckoner and their claimant for.

ثم قال ابن قتيبة : كيف كانت بيعة علي بن أبي طالب كرم الله وجهه قال : وإن أبا بكر رضي الله عنه ، تفقد قوما تخلفوا عن بيعته عند علي كرم الله وجهه ، فبعث إليهم عمر ، فجاء فناداهم وهم في دار علي " عليه السلام " فأبوا أن يخرجوا ، فدعا بالحطب .

Then Ibn Qutayba said: How the pledge of 'Ali b. Abi Talib, may God ennoble his face, came about. He said: Abu Bakr, may God be pleased with him, marked the absence of a people who had held back from pledging to him, with 'Ali, may God ennoble his face; so he sent 'Umar to them, and he came and called out to them while they were in the house of 'Ali, peace be upon him; and they refused to come out. So he called for the firewood

وقال : والذي نفس عمر بيده لتخرجن أو لأحرقنها على من فيها فقيل له : يا أبا حفص إن فيها فاطمة ، فقال : وإن ، فخرجوا فبايعوا إلا عليا فإنه زعم أنه قال : حلفت أن لا أخرج ، ولا أضع ثوبي على عاتقي ، حتى أجمع القرآن فوقفت فاطمة

and said: By Him in whose hand is 'Umar's soul, you shall come out, or I shall burn it down upon whoever is in it. It was said to him: O Abu Hafs, Fatima is in it. He said: Even so. So they came out and pledged — except 'Ali; for he claimed that he had said: I have sworn that I shall not go out, nor put my garment upon my shoulder, until I have gathered the Qur'an. And Fatima stood