পৃষ্ঠা 107: প্রথম অধ্যায়: দূরবর্তী আলামতসমূহ যা ইতিমধ্যে প্রকাশ পেয়ে অতিক্রান্ত হয়েছে

At this point, we say: As for Talhah, al-Zubayr, and 'A'ishah (may Allah be pleased with them), they were definitively exercising ijtihad (independent juristic judgment), because they never coveted the Caliphate, nor were they ignorant of the virtue of the Commander of the Faithful, 'Ali (may Allah be pleased with him), his knowledge, his close kinship to the Prophet, and his early precedence in Islam. Rather, what drove them to act was seeking retribution for the blood of 'Uthman (may Allah be pleased with him), as their ijtihad led them to conclude that the Imam was obligated to execute the killers immediately. Meanwhile, the Commander of the Faithful, 'Ali (may Allah be pleased with him), was awaiting the formal petition of 'Uthman's heirs before him and the establishment of clear judicial evidence against the perpetrators.

Furthermore, Talhah and al-Zubayr (may Allah be pleased with them) were among the veterans of Badr, and the Prophet (ﷺ) had said to 'Umar concerning the story of Hatib ibn Abi Balta'ah (may Allah be pleased with him): "And what makes you know? Perhaps Allah looked upon the people of Badr and said: 'Do whatever you will, for I have already forgiven you.'"

And the Prophet (ﷺ) said to the slave of Hatib when he complained about him, saying: 'O Messenger of Allah, Hatib will surely enter the Fire!' He (ﷺ) replied: "You have lied! He will not enter the Fire, for he participated in Badr and al-Hudaybiyyah." Moreover, both of them were among the ten promised Paradise, and his (ﷺ) glad tidings are absolute truth, and because both of them withdrew from the uprising and repented.

As for al-Zubayr (may Allah be pleased with him): when 'Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) reminded him of the hadith, he abandoned the fighting and withdrew entirely from both armies.

As for Talhah (may Allah be pleased with him): after he was wounded and incapacitated, a man from the companions of 'Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) passed by him, so Talhah asked him: 'Whom do you belong to?' He answered: 'From the companions of 'Ali.' Talhah said: 'Extend your hand so that I may pledge allegiance to you on behalf of 'Ali.' When 'Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) heard of this, he said: 'The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) spoke the truth: Allah refused to admit Talhah into Paradise except with my pledge of allegiance upon his neck,' as mentioned previously.

And 'Ali said: 'I hope that I, Talhah, and al-Zubayr are among those concerning whom Allah said: {And We shall remove whatever rancor may be in their hearts; [they will be] brothers, facing each other on thrones}.' He also honored the son of Talhah and returned all of his wealth to him.

As for 'A'ishah (may Allah be pleased with her): she is the wife of the Prophet (ﷺ) in this world and the Hereafter, as is established in the Sahih, and because she intended to turn back during the journey when she heard the dogs of Haw'ab barking at her and remembered the hadith.

However, they said: 'Rather, proceed, so that perhaps Allah may bring about reconciliation through you among the Muslims.' Thus, she intended nothing other than reconciliation, not corruption. It was only the killers of 'Uthman (may Allah be pleased with him) who ignited the flames of war out of fear for their own lives.