Tarikh (al-Tabari) 1776
The story of the portico of Banū Sāʿidah and the pledge of allegiance to Abū Bakr as caliph
فَلَمَّا كَانَ الْغَدُ مِنْ بَيْعَةِ أَبِي بَكْرٍ جَلَسَ عَلَى الْمِنْبَرِ وَبَايَعَهُ النَّاسُ بَيْعَةً عَامَّةً، وَقَالَ ابْنُ أَبِي عَزَّةَ الْقُرَشِيُّ فِي ذَلِكَ: نَشْكُو لِمَنْ هُوَ بِالثَّنَاءِ خَلِيقُ ذَهَبَ اللَّجَاجُ وَبُويِعَ الصِّدِّيقُ مِنْ بَعْدِ مَا وَخِضَتْ بِسَعْدٍ بَغْلَةٌ وَرَحَا رَحَاهُ دُونَهُ الْعَيُّوقُ جَاءَتْ بِهِ الْأَنْصَارُ عَاصِبَ رَأْسِهِ فَأَتَاهُمُ الصِّدِّيقُ وَالْفَارُوقُ وَأَبُو عُبَيْدَةَ وَالَّذِينَ إِلَيْهِمُ نَفْسُ الْمُؤَمِّلِ لِلْبَقَاءِ تَشُوقُ كُنَّا نَقُولُ لَهَا عَلِيٌّ ذُو الرِّضَى وَأَوْلَاهُمُ عُمَرٌ بِتِلْكَ عَتِيقُ فَدَعَتْ قُرَيْشٌ بِاسْمِهِ فَأَجَابَهَا إِنَّ الْمُنَوَّهَ بِاسْمِهِ الْمَوْثُوقُ ثُمَّ تَكَلَّمَ أَبُو بَكْرٍ فَحَمِدَ اللَّهَ وَأَثْنَى عَلَيْهِ بِالَّذِي هُوَ أَهْلُهُ. وَفِي رِوَايَةِ الْبَلَاذُرِيِّ عَنِ الزُّهْرِيِّ أَنَّهُ قَالَ: الْحَمْدُ لِلَّهِ أَحْمَدُهُ وَأَسْتَعِينُهُ عَلَى الْأَمْرِ كُلِّهِ، عَلَانِيَتِهِ وَسِرِّهِ، وَنَعُوذُ بِاللَّهِ مِنْ شَرِّ مَا يَأْتِي بِاللَّيْلِ وَالنَّهَارِ، وَأَشْهَدُ أَنْ لَا إِلَهَ إِلَّا اللَّهُ وَحْدَهُ لَا شَرِيكَ لَهُ، وَأَنَّ مُحَمَّدًا عَبْدُهُ وَرَسُولُهُ، أَرْسَلَهُ بِالْحَقِّ بَشِيرًا وَنَذِيرًا، قُدَّامَ السَّاعَةِ، فَمَنْ أَطَاعَهُ رَشَدَ وَمَنْ عَصَاهُ هَلَكَ، انْتَهَى. ثُمَّ قَالَ: أَمَّا بَعْدُ، أَيُّهَا النَّاسُ، فَإِنِّي قَدْ وُلِّيتُ عَلَيْكُمْ وَلَسْتُ بِخَيْرِكُمْ، وَقَدْ كَانَتْ بَيْعَتِي فَلْتَةً، وَذَلِكَ أَنِّي خَشِيتُ الْفِتْنَةَ، وَايْمُ اللَّهِ مَا حَرَصْتُ عَلَيْهَا يَوْمًا قَطُّ، وَلَا طَلَبْتُهَا وَلَا سَأَلْتُ اللَّهَ تَعَالَى إِيَّاهَا سِرًّا وَلَا وَعَلَانِيَةً، وَمَا لِي فِيهَا مِنْ رَاحَةٍ، وَلَقَدْ قُلِّدْتُ أَمْرًا عَظِيمًا مَا لِي بِهِ طَاقَةٌ وَلَا يَدَانِ، وَلَوَدِدْتُ أَنَّ أَقْوَى النَّاسِ عَلَيْهَا مَكَانِي، فَعَلَيْكُمْ بِتَقْوَى اللَّهِ، فَإِنَّ أَكْيَسَ الْكَيْسِ التُّقَى وَإِنَّ أَحْمَقَ الْحُمْقِ الْفُجُورُ، وَإِنِّي مُتَّبِعٌ وَلَسْتُ بِمُبْتَدِعٍ» زَادَ عَاصِمُ بْنُ عَدِيٍّ كَمَا رَوَاهُ ابْنُ جَرِيرٍ: «إِنَّمَا أَنَا مِثْلُكُمْ وَإِنِّي لَا أَدْرِي لَعَلَّكُمْ سَتُكَلِّفُونَنِي مَا كَانَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ﷺ يُطِيقُ، إِنَّ اللَّهَ اصْطَفَى مُحَمَّدًا عَلَى الْعَالَمِينَ، وَعَصَمَهُ مِنَ الْآفَاتِ، فَإِنَّ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ ﷺ قُبِضَ وَلَيْسَ أَحَدٌ مِنْ هَذِهِ الْأُمَّةِ يَطْلُبُهُ بِمَظْلَمَةٍ، ضَرْبَةَ سَوْطٍ فَمَا دُونَهَا، أَلَا وَإِنَّ شَيْطَانًا يَعْتَرِينِي، فَإِذَا أَتَانِي فَاجْتَنِبُونِي، لَا أُؤْثَرُ فِي أَشْعَارِكُمْ وَأَبْشَارِكُمْ، تَغْدُونَ وَتَرُوحُونَ فِي أَجَلٍ قَدْ غُيِّبَ عَنْكُمْ عِلْمُهُ، فَإِنِ اسْتَطَعْتُمْ أَنْ لَا يَمْضِيَ هَذَا الْأَجَلُ إِلَّا وَأَنْتُمْ فِي عَمَلٍ صَالِحٍ فَافْعَلُوا، وَلَنْ تَسْتَطِيعُوا ذَلِكَ إِلَّا بِاللَّهِ، فَسَابِقُوا فِي مُهَلِ آجَالِكُمْ مِنْ قَبْلِ أَنْ تُسْلِمَكُمْ آجَالُكُمْ إِلَى انْقِطَاعِ الْأَعْمَالِ، فَإِنَّ قَوْمًا نَسُوا آجَالَهُمْ وَجَعَلُوا أَعْمَالَهُمْ لِغَيْرِهِمْ، فَإِيَّاكُمْ أَنْ تَكُونُوا أَمْثَالَهُمْ. الْجِدَّ الْجِدَّ، وَالْوَحَا الْوَحَا وَالنَّجَاءَ النَّجَاءَ، فَإِنَّ وَرَاءَكُمْ طَالِبًا حَثِيثًا، أَجَلًا سَرِيعًا، احْذَرُوا الْمَوْتَ بِالْآبَاءِ وَالْأَبْنَاءِ وَالْإِخْوَانِ، وَلَا تَغْبِطُوا الْأَحْيَاءَ إِلَّا بِمَا تَغْبِطُوا بِهِ الْأَمْوَاتَ. انْتَهَى. «فَإِنْ أَحْسَنْتُ فَأَعِينُونِي، وَإِنْ أَسَأْتُ فَقَوِّمُونِي، الصِّدْقُ أَمَانَةٌ، وَالْكَذِبُ خِيَانَةٌ، وَالضَّعِيفُ مِنْكُمْ قَوِيٌّ عِنْدِي حَتَّى أُزِيحَ عِلَّتَهُ إِنْ شَاءَ اللَّهُ تَعَالَى، وَالْقَوِيُّ فِيكُمْ ضَعِيفٌ عِنْدِي حَتَّى آخُذَ الْحَقَّ مِنْهُ- إِنْ شَاءَ اللَّهُ تَعَالَى- لَا يَدَعُ قَوْمٌ الْجِهَادَ فِي سَبِيلِ اللَّهِ إِلَّا ضَرَبَهُمُ اللَّهُ بِالذُّلِّ، وَلَمْ تَشِعِ الْفَاحِشَةُ مِنْ قَوْمٍ إِلَّا عَمَّهُمُ اللَّهُ بِالْبَلَاءِ، أَيُّهَا النَّاسُ اتَّبِعُوا كِتَابَ اللَّهِ، وَاقْبَلُوا نَصِيحَتَهُ، فَإِنَّ اللَّهَ يَقْبَلُ التَّوْبَةَ عَنْ عِبَادِهِ، وَيَعْفُو عَنِ السَّيِّئَاتِ، وَيَعْلَمُ مَا تَفْعَلُونَ، وَاحْذَرُوا يَوْمًا مَا لِلظَّالِمِينَ فِيهِ مِنْ حَمِيمٍ وَلَا شَفِيعٍ يُطَاعُ، الْيَوْمَ فَلْيَعْمَلْ عَامِلٌ مَا اسْتَطَاعَ مِنْ عَمَلٍ يُقَرِّبُهُ إِلَى اللَّهِ قَبْلَ أَنْ لَا يَقْدِرَ عَلَى ذَلِكَ. أَيُّهَا النَّاسُ أَطِيعُونِي مَا أَطَعْتُ اللَّهَ وَرَسُولَهُ، فَإِذَا عَصَيْتُ اللَّهَ، فَلَا طَاعَةَ لِي عَلَيْكُمْ، قُومُوا إِلَى صَلَاتِكُمْ يَرْحَمُكُمُ اللَّهُ.
Translation
✧ When the morrow came after the pledge of allegiance to Abū Bakr, he sat upon the pulpit and the people pledged allegiance to him in a general pledge. Ibn Abī ʿAzzah al-Qurashī said concerning that: We complain to One who is worthy of praise; obstinacy has gone and the Ṣiddīq was pledged allegiance. After Saʿd’s mule had been spurred on, And his millstone ground below the ʿAyyūq. The Anṣār came with him bandaging his head, Then the Ṣiddīq and al-Fārūq came to them, and Abū ʿUbaydah and those who were with them. We used to say to her: ʿAlī, possessor of contentment—the soul of one who hopes for survival longs for it. Quraysh called by his name, and it answered her, and the foremost of them in that was ʿUmar, ʿAtīq. Indeed the one whose name is proclaimed is the trusted one. Then Abū Bakr spoke, praised Allah and extolled Him with that of which He is worthy. In al-Balādhurī’s narration from al-Zuhrī, he said: “Praise be to Allah; I praise Him and seek His help in every matter, its open and its secret. We seek refuge in Allah from the evil of what comes by night and day. I bear witness that there is no god but Allah alone, with no partner, and that Muḥammad is His servant and Messenger. He sent him with the truth as a bringer of good tidings and a warner, before the Hour. Whoever obeys him is guided, and whoever disobeys him perishes.” End quote. Then he said: “Now then, O people, I have been placed in authority over you though I am not the best of you. My pledge of allegiance was a sudden affair, and that is because I feared discord. By Allah, I never coveted it for a single day, nor sought it, nor asked Allah the Exalted for it secretly or openly. There is no comfort for me in it. I have been entrusted with a momentous matter for which I have no strength or ability. I wish that the strongest of people for it were in my place. You must fear Allah, for the greatest prudence is piety and the greatest folly is wickedness. I am a follower, not an innovator.” ʿĀṣim b. ʿAdī added, as Ibn Jarīr narrated: “I am only like you, and I do not know—perhaps you will burden me with what the Messenger of Allah ﷺ was able to bear. Allah chose Muḥammad above all worlds and protected him from defects. The Messenger of Allah ﷺ was taken while no one in this community sought from him redress for a wrong, even a lash of a whip or less. Indeed, a devil seizes me, so when he comes to me, avoid me, lest I affect your hair and your skins. You go out in the morning and evening within a term whose knowledge has been hidden from you. If you are able that this term should not pass except while you are in righteous work, then do so. You will not be able to do that except through Allah. So race within the respite of your terms before your terms deliver you to the cutting off of deeds. For people forgot their terms and made their deeds for others, so beware lest you be like them. Strive, strive; haste, haste; deliverance, deliverance, for behind you is a swift pursuer—a fast-approaching term. Beware death through fathers, sons, and brothers. Do not envy the living except with that with which you would envy the dead.” End quote. “If I do well, help me; and if I do ill, set me aright. Truthfulness is a trust and lying is treachery. The weak among you is strong in my sight until I remove his cause, if Allah the Exalted wills. The strong among you is weak in my sight until I take the right from him, if Allah the Exalted wills. No people abandon jihad in the path of Allah except that Allah strikes them with humiliation, and indecency does not spread among a people except that Allah engulfs them with affliction. O people, follow the Book of Allah and accept His counsel, for Allah accepts repentance from His servants, pardons evil deeds, and knows what you do. Beware of a day on which the wrongdoers will have no loyal friend and no intercessor who is obeyed. Today let a worker work as much as he can of deeds that draw him near to Allah before he is unable to do so. O people, obey me as long as I obey Allah and His Messenger. If I disobey Allah, then no obedience to me is due from you. Arise to your prayer, may Allah have mercy on you.”
Grades by grader
No grade is recorded for this wording.