Hadith 348

(The book) ‘Al Irshad’, ‘From a speech of Amir Al-Momineen-asws when he-asws determined the journey to Syria for fighting Muawiya Bin Abu Sufyan. He-asws said after praising Allah-azwj and extolling upon Him-azwj, and the Salawaat upon Rasool-Allah-saww: ‘Fear Allah-azwj, O servants of Allah-azwj, and obey Him-azwj and obey your Imam-asws, for the righteous citizen would be rescued by the just Imam-asws, and the immoral citizen would be destroyed by the immoral imam (leader). And Muawiya has become a usurper to what is in his hands of my-asws right, breaking to my-asws allegiance, abusive in the religion of Allah-azwj mighty and Majestic, and you have known, O Muslims, what the people had done yesterday, and they had come to me-asws desirous to me-asws regarding your affairs until they brought me-asws out of my-asws house in order to pledge allegiance to me-asws. I-asws folded (refused) to you all for taking on what is with you, but you repeated the word repeatedly, and you crowded to me-asws and thronged upon me-asws like the thronging of the thirsty camels upon their watering place, eager upon my-asws allegiance, until I-asws feared that some of you would kill others. When I-asws saw that from you, I-asws agreed regarding my-asws and your affairs, and I said, ‘If I-asws do not answer them to the standing with their affairs, they will not attain anyone to stand among them in my-asws place and be just among them with my-asws justice’. And I-asws said: ‘By Allah-azwj! My-asws being in-charge of them and they are recognising my-asws rights and my-asws merits is more beloved to me-asws than if I-asws were to be in-charge of them and they are not recognising my-asws rights and my-asws merits’. So, I-asws extended my-asws hand for you all and you pledged allegiance to me-asws’. O community of Muslims! And among you all are the Emigrants and the Helpers, and the followers with the good deeds. So, I-asws took the pact of my-asws allegiance upon you, and the obligation of my-asws agreement from the Pact of Allah-azwj and His-azwj Covenant, and tightened what had been Taken upon the Prophets-as, from a Pact and a Covenant, to dedicate to me-asws and to listen to my-asws orders, and to obey me-asws, and advise me-asws, and fight alongside me-asws against every rebel or deviant if he deviates. You have blessed for me-asws with that all, so I-asws took upon you all the Pact of Allah-azwj, and His-azwj Covenant, and Responsibility of Allah-azwj and His-azwj Rasool-saww, and you responded to me-asws to that, and I-asws kept Allah-azwj as Witness upon you all, and kept some of you witnesses upon others, and I-asws stood among you with the