Group of Companions
نَهْجٌ: مِنْ كَلَامٍ لَهُ عَلَيْهِ السَّلَامُ بَعْدَ مَا بُويِعَ بِالْخِلَافَةِ وَ قَالَ لَهُ قَوْمٌ مِنَ الصَّحَابَةِ: لَوْ عَاقَبْتَ قَوْماً مِمَّنْ أَجْلَبَ عَلَى عُثْمَانَ
(The book) ‘Nahj (Al-Balagah’) – From a speech of his-asws after he-asws had been pledged to with the caliphate, and a group of the companions said to him-asws, ‘If you-asws would punish a people from the ones who assaulted upon Usman’.
فَقَالَ عَلَيْهِ السَّلَامُ: يَا إِخْوَتَاهْ! إِنِّي لَسْتُ أَجْهَلُ مَا تَعْلَمُونَ، وَ لَكِنْ كَيْفَ لِي بِقُوَّةٍ وَ الْقَوْمُ الْمُجْلِبُونَ عَلَى حَدِّ شَوْكَتِهِمْ، يَمْلِكُونَنَا وَ لَا نَمْلِكُهُمْ، وَ هَا هُمْ هَؤُلَاءِ قَدْ ثَارَتْ مَعَهُمْ عِبْدَانُكُمْ، وَ الْتَفَّتْ إِلَيْهِمْ أَعْرَابُكُمْ، وَ هُمْ خِلَالَكُمْ يَسُومُونَكُمْ مَا شَاءُوا، وَ هَلْ تَرَوْنَ مَوْضِعاً لِقُدْرَةٍ عَلَى شَيْءٍ تُرِيدُونَهُ؟
He-asws said: ‘O brothers! I-asws am not ignorant of what you are knowing, but how can it be for me-asws with strength while the group of assaulters are at the peak of their positions. They are controlling us and we are not controlling them, and here they are, your slaves have risen with them, and your Bedouins have turned to them, and there are in your midst poisoning you all whatever they desire to, and do you see any place for power upon something you are intending?
إِنَّ هَذَا الْأَمْرَ أَمْرُ جَاهِلِيَّةٍ، وَ إِنَّ لِهَؤُلَاءِ الْقَوْمِ مَادَّةً، إِنَّ النَّاسَ مِنْ هَذَا الْأَمْرِ إِذَا حُرِّكَ عَلَى أُمُورٍ فِرْقَةٌ تَرَى مَا تَرَوْنَ، وَ فِرْقَةٌ تَرَى مَا لَا تَرَوْنَ، وَ فِرْقَةٌ لَا تَرَى لَا هَذَا وَ لَا هَذَا
Surely, this matter is a matter of the pre-Islamic period, and these people are well supported. The people from this matter, when they move upon affairs, would be a sect viewing what you are viewing, and a sect would be viewing what you are not viewing, and a sect not neither viewing this nor this.
فَاصْبِرُوا حَتَّى يَهْدَأَ النَّاسُ، وَ تَقَعَ الْقُلُوبُ مَوَاقِعَهَا، وَ تُؤْخَذَ الْحُقُوقُ مُسْمَحَةً، فَاهْدَءُوا عَنِّي، وَ انْظُرُوا مَا ذَا يَأْتِيكُمْ بِهِ أَمْرِي، وَ لَا تَفْعَلُوا فَعْلَةً تُضَعْضِعُ قُوَّةً وَ تُسْقِطُ مُنَّةً، وَ تُورِثُ وَهْناً وَ ذِلَّةً، وَ سَأُمْسِكُ الْأَمْرَ مَا اسْتَمْسَكَ، وَ إِذَا لَمْ أَجِدْ بُدّاً، فَآخِرُ الدَّوَاءِ الْكَيُ
Therefore, be patient until the people calm down and the hearts fall in their places, and the rights can be taken more easily. So, calm down from me and await what my-asws command would be coming to you with, and do not do any deed shattering (your) strength and you fall down weak, and you will inherit weakness and disgrace, and I-asws shall withhold the command for as long as I-asws can withhold, and I-asws do not find any escape, so the last call would be the iron (battle)’.[1]
[1] Bihar Al-Anwaar – V 31, The book of Fitna (Strife) And Ordeals, Ch 30 H 3