Introduction
In this article we examine the stance of Ali bin Abi Talib towards the Caliphate of Abu Bakr. Contrary to the belief of the Shia, Ali never contested Abu Bakr’s right to succeed the Messenger of Allah, nor did he make a claim that he was divinely appointed!
The hadeeth of Aa’ishah
From ‘Aa’ishah who narrated that her father Abu Bakr entered upon Ali ibn Abi Taalib after he requested a meeting with him: Ali recited the Tashahhud, then he said: O Abu Bakr, we acknowledge your virtue and what Allah has given you. We do not envy you for any favour that Allah has bestowed upon you, but you did it without consulting us. And we thought that we had the right (to be consulted) because of our kinship with the Messenger of Allah. He kept speaking to Abu Bakr until Abu Bakr’s eyes filled with tears.
When Abu Bakr spoke, he said: By the One in Whose hand is my soul, kinship with the Messenger of is dearer to me than kinship with my own people. As for this dispute that occurred between me and you concerning these properties, I have not deviated from the right path with regard to them. And I have not given up something that I saw the Messenger of Allah do with them, rather I have done it too.
Ali said to Abu Bakr: Your appointment for my oath of allegiance is this afternoon. When Abu Bakr had prayed Zuhr, he ascended the minbar and recited the tashahhud. And he spoke of Ali and his delay in swearing allegiance, and the excuse that he had given. Then he prayed for his forgiveness. And ‘Ali recited the tashahhud and spoke highly of Abu Bakr. [He] said that what he had done was not due to jealousy of Abu Bakr, or a refusal to accept the favour that Allah had bestowed upon him. But we thought that we should have had a share in the matter. It had been decided without consulting us, and we were upset with that.
The Muslims were pleased with this and said: ‘You have done the right thing’. Then the Muslims became closer to ‘Ali, when he did the right thing. (Bukhaari)
The commentary of the scholars
Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyyah said: It is known from mutawaatir reports that no one refrained from swearing allegiance to Abu Bakr except Sa‘d ibn ‘Ubaadah. As for Ali and Banu Haashim, all of them swore allegiance to him, according to ijma‘. None of them died without having sworn allegiance to him. However it was said that ‘Ali delayed his oath of allegiance for six months; it was also said that in fact he swore allegiance to him on the second day. Whatever the case, they swore allegiance to him without being forced to do so. [Minhaaj as-Sunnah (8/232)] .
An-Nawawi said: With regard to ‘Ali delaying swearing of allegiance (to Abu Bakr), ‘Ali mentioned it in this hadith and Abu Bakr apologised to him. Moreover, this delay on ‘Ali’s part did not undermine the oath of allegiance to Abu Bakr. With regard to swearing allegiance, the scholars are unanimously agreed that for an oath of allegiance to be valid, it is not essential that all the people, or even all the decision-makers and prominent people, should swear allegiance. Rather there should be a group of scholars, leaders and prominent figures who do so. With regard to it not undermining ‘Ali or his character, that is because it was not essential for everyone to come to the leader, put his hand in his and swear allegiance to him. Rather once the decision-makers and prominent figures have sworn allegiance to the leader, the individual is required to accept his leadership, not show dissent and not rebel against him.
The narration of Ibn Katheer
Ali and az-Zubayr said: ‘The only thing that disappointed us was that we were not consulted. But we believe that Abu Bakr is the most qualified of the people for it after the Messenger of Allah. He was his companion in the cave and the second of two, and we know of his honourable position and seniority. The Messenger of Allah commanded him to lead the people in prayer when he was still alive. (Ibn Kathīr; Bidayah Ḥasan)
Ali said: We were not angered by anything except that we weren’t brought into this discussion sooner. We see Abu Bakr as the most rightful after the Prophet and that he is the companion in the cave, and the second of two, and we know of his status and greatness, and the Prophet had him lead prayer while he was alive.” (Al Mustadrak Al-Hakim /70. 4422: Sahih according to the conditions of the Shaykhayn, but they did not narrate it.)
Divine Appointment of Ali?
Ali Ibn Abû Tâlib rejected the Caliphate when it was offered to him, saying, “Pass me by, and choose another, for it is better that I be a minister to you, than a prince over you.” (Nahjul-Balâghah) When Ali was given the bay’a after `Uthmân’s murder he said, “By Allah, I had no desire for the Caliphate, and no ambition to power, but you have called me to it and forced it upon me.” (Nahjul-Balâghah)
That Ali initially rejected the post of Caliphate, and then felt that he was forced to take the post of Caliph contradicts the Shi’i idea of divine designation. Ali refused to accept the post of Caliph until senior men from the Muhājirūn and Ans̩ār offered him the ba’ya. ‘Alī accepted their pledge as he considered them to be representatives of the ummah.
A letter from Ali to Mu`āwiyah demonstrates that Ali recognised the legality of the Caliphate of Abū Bakr and of `Umar, since they had been chosen by the majority. The letter states:
“Verily, those who swore allegiance to Abu Bakr, `Umar and `Uthman have sworn allegiance to me on the same basis on which they swore allegiance to them. And consultation (shūrā) is confined to the Muhajirun and the Ansar. If they agree on an individual and take him to be Caliph it will be deemed to mean Allah’s pleasure”.
Nahjul-Balâghah
In this letter to Mu’awiya, Ali is arguing the following point:
In the same way that that the companions had sworn allegiance to the previous three caliphs, thus validating their caliphate, my caliphate was also valid based upon the pledge of the senior companions.
Thus Mu’awiya was also obligated to pledge allegiance to Ali. Ali never claimed that basis of his authority was that Allah had divinely appointed him. Rather the basis of Ali’s authority was the acceptance of the shūrā of the Muhājirūn and Ans̩ār, as opposed to any divine appointment.
This letter also contradicts the view that the previous Caliphs had usurped Ali’s right to succession. ‘Alī says consultation (shūrā) is confined to the Muhajirun and the Ansar. If they agree on an individual and take him to be Caliph it will be deemed to mean Allah’s pleasure. Meaning that Allah is pleased with the decision that they made regarding the first three Caliphs.
Reconciling the reports about the bay’a of Ali
‘Ali did not stay away from Abu Bakr at any time, and he never stayed away from him in any gathering. He joined with him in consultation and running the affairs of the Muslims. Ibn Katheer and a number of scholars narrated that ‘Ali renewed his oath of allegiance six months after the first oath, after the death of Fatimah and there are sound reports about this. (Ibn Kathīr; Bidiyah). When the second oath of allegiance took place, some narrators thought that ‘Ali had not sworn allegiance before that, so they denied the earlier pledge. What is proven takes precedence over what is denied. (Ibn Kathīr, Bidiyah)
Summarised from Abu Bakr as-Siddeeq: His Life and Times. by Ali M. Sallabi and additional sources.
