shed his blood, and then her uprising,
for the sake of avenging his death, are other arguments,
which make us, doubt the truth of her words.
In the same way, her actions against 'Ali her aids
to his enemies and her alliance with Talhah and az-Zubayr
who had broken their vow with 'Ali and her starting
the fire of the battle of al-Jamal, are all clear
examples of her rancor and long-standing hostility
towards such a chaste Imam as 'Ali using those acts
as a means to create division and dispersion among
the Muslims. She felt such a pain in her heart about
'Ali that it gave her no tranquility. Even when she
heard the news of the Imam's assassination, she prostrated
herself to thank God, and recited a couplet expressing
her feeling.
Each of her traditions is related to one of such important
historical events, which should be treated with caution,
and discovery of truth gives her a higher position
than her personality and one's own inclinations.
Moreover, a companion of the Prophet may, like other
people, err in his verdict and judgment, since so
long as a human being, whoever he may be, acts upon
his own opinion and taste, he may be right or wrong.
But an investigator has no right to lay aside wisdom
and intelligence, humble himself before great personalities,
and conceal the truth. He is not permitted in his
evaluation, to place right and wrong views on the
same level. His duty is to state the truth in its
full sense.
In addition, when we agree that every authority may
err and blunder and hence will be called to account
at the threshold of divine justice, Umm al-Mu'minin
will not be exempted from this rule, and no injustice
is done to her. From the viewpoint of scientific and
research method, injustice occurs when we give a prejudiced
judgment about 'Ali and 'A'ishah and consider them
to be equal from the viewpoint of justice, or when
we regard 'Ali, who proceeded in the right path, as
an authority to be at par with those who had gone
astray, such as 'A'ishah, Mu'awiyah and other companions
who rose in opposition to and dispute with 'Ali.
