والضرب . أقول : ولا بلغنا أن أحدا من الملوك كان لهم نبي أو ملك كان لهم سلطان قد أغناهم بعد الفقر ، وخلصهم من الذل والضر ودلهم على سعادة الدنيا والآخرة وفتح عليهم بنبوته بلاد الجبابرة ثم مات وخلف فيهم بنتا واحدة من ظهره ، وقال لهم : إنها سيدة نساء العالمين ، وطفلين معها منها لهما دون سبع سنين أو قريب من ذلك ، فتكون مجازاة ذلك النبي أو الملك من رعيته ، أنهم ينفذون نارا ليحرقوا ولديه ونفس ابنته وهما في مقام روحه ومهجته ، إنتهى 12 .

and of beating. I say: Nor has it reached us that any of the kings had a prophet, or that any king had an authority who had enriched them after poverty and delivered them from abasement and harm and guided them to the happiness of this world and the next, and opened for them by his prophethood the lands of the tyrants; then he died and left among them one daughter of his loins, and said to them: She is the Mistress of the Women of the Worlds — and two little ones with her, of hers, under seven years of age or near to it; and that the recompense of that prophet or that king from his subjects should be that they bring fire to burn his two sons and the person of his daughter, while they stand in the place of his spirit and his heart's blood. End. [12]

روى الصاحب الاحتجاج عن أحمد بن همام ، قال : أتيت عبادة بن الصامت في ولاية أبي بكر ، فقلت يا أبا عمارة 13 كان الناس على تفضيل أبي بكر قبل أن يستخلف ؟

The author of al-Ihtijaj related from Ahmad b. Hammam, who said: I came to 'Ubada b. al-Samit during the rule of Abu Bakr and said: O Abu 'Umara [13], were the people upon preferring Abu Bakr before he was made deputy?

فقال : يا أبا ثعلبة إذا سكتنا عنكم فاسكتوا ولا تبحثوا 14 ، فوالله لعلي بن أبي طالب كان أحق بالخلافة من أبي بكر كما كان رسول الله صلى الله عليه وآله أحق بالنبوة من أبي جهل ، قال : وأزيدك ، إنا كنا ذات يوم عند رسول الله ، فجاء علي وأبو بكر وعمر إلى باب رسول الله ، فدخل أبو بكر ، ثم دخل عمر ، ثم دخل علي عليه السلام على أثرهما فكأنما سفي 15 على وجه رسول الله صلى الله عليه وآله الرماد ، ثم قال : يا علي أيتقدمانك هذان وقد أمرك الله عليهما ، قال أبو بكر : نسيت يا رسول الله ، وقال عمر : سهوت يا رسول الله .

He said: O Abu Tha'laba, when we keep silent about you, then keep silent, and do not probe [14]. For by God, 'Ali b. Abi Talib was more entitled to the caliphate than Abu Bakr, as the Messenger of God, may God bless him and his Family, was more entitled to prophethood than Abu Jahl. He said: And I shall tell you more. We were one day with the Messenger of God when 'Ali and Abu Bakr and 'Umar came to the door of the Messenger of God. Abu Bakr entered, then 'Umar entered, then 'Ali, peace be upon him, entered after them; and it was as though ashes had been blown [15] upon the face of the Messenger of God, may God bless him and his Family. Then he said: O 'Ali, do these two go before you, when God has set you in command over them? Abu Bakr said: I forgot, O Messenger of God. And 'Umar said: I was heedless, O Messenger of God.

فقال رسول الله صلى الله عليه وآله : ما نسيتما ولا سهوتما ، وكأني بكما قد استلبتما ملكه وتحاربتما عليه وأعانكما على ذلك أعداء الله وأعداء رسوله ، وكأني بكما قد تركتما المهاجرين والأنصار بعضهم يضرب وجوه بعض بالسيف على الدنيا .

The Messenger of God, may God bless him and his Family, said: You did not forget, nor were you heedless. It is as though I see you two having seized his rule and warred over it, and the enemies of God and the enemies of His Messenger having helped you in that; and it is as though I see you two having left the Emigrants and the Ansar, some of them striking the faces of others with the sword over this world;

ولكأني بأهل بيتي وهم المقهورون المتشتتون في أقطارها وذلك لأمر قد قضي ،

and it is as though I see the people of my house, and they are the overpowered, scattered in its regions — and that is for a matter that has been decreed.