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personal property.
This event acquaints us with 'Ali's personality and
the extent of his chastity and degree of preferring
public interests to those of himself and his kinsmen.
It can be claimed without any doubt that none of the
Prophet's companions but 'Ali had attained such a height
of humanity and perfection; or, he himself has, in all
sincerity, uttered his famous and immortal phrase saying:
"O world, deceive others but not me!"
'Ali
and the Caliphate
I do not think there is any companion of the Prophet
whose verdict and authority may not be subject to comments
except 'Ali about whose authority there does not exist
the slightest room for criticism. I make this statement
with full courage since it is confirmed by all the political
events that have occurred in Islam.
'Umar interfered in the matter of caliphate with the
result that Abu Bakr succeeded to get that position.
In his decree he argued that he had checked riot and
sedition, and after Abu Bakr he shouldered that heavy
responsibility, and on many occasions, confessed his
own mistake in giving his verdict in favor of Abu Bakr's
caliphate. At that time when some of the companions
spoke to him about the allegiance to his son 'Abd Allah
he answered: "It is enough for 'Umar's household
to have one person responsible and to be called to account
at the threshold of divine justice about Muhammad's
ummah." But 'Ali explained, contrary to the two
elders and concerning the matter of caliphate, that
he was engaged in a more important task, namely preparing
the body of the Prophet for burial.(10)
This was the greatest criticism leveled always against
Abu Bakr and 'Umar, showing, 'Ali to be entitled against
those two.
In the election of the caliph after 'Umar, 'Abd ar-Rahman
ibn 'Awf gave his verdict upon 'Ali and 'Uthman who
were two of the six candidates for the Caliphate nominated
by 'Umar, and notified to those two the duty of the
caliph in relation to his own verdict. Although he knew
that 'Ali would not submit to his authority, he began
first by proposing to 'Ali the
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