A discussion of the trials that occurred between the Companions and the Khawarij.
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The Shaykh : To conclude: We referred a moment ago to the issue of the Khawarij and 'Ali ibn Abi Talib. What was the word that the Khariji said? And what was the word by which 'Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) responded to him? Who knows? Yes, please stand up so the people can hear.
The student: ... .
The Shaykh : And the men of today, you and those like you, may Allah bless you. You have done well. In the era of 'Ali ibn Abi Talib (may Allah be pleased with him), trials occurred after the killing of 'Uthman. Great trials occurred, even among the Companions themselves. But regarding these trials that occurred, people added to them and subtracted from them; people added to them and subtracted from them, and they also lied and fabricated. Much of the history in this specific issue—namely, what occurred between the Companions at Siffin, al-Jamal, and others—much of it is lies, and much of it is weak. The authentic part of it, as the Shaykh al-Islam said in *Al-'Aqidah al-Wasitiyyah*: "The authentic part of it is that they were excused in it, being those who interpreted the texts. Whoever erred among them, what does he have? A reward. And whoever was correct, he has two rewards. And it is not permissible for us to lean toward any one of them, ever. Even though we believe that 'Ali ibn Abi Talib (may Allah be pleased with him) is the fourth caliph, and that his caliphate did not end except with his death, and that he is closer to the truth than the others. We have no doubt about this in our belief. But for us to hate this one and love that one is a mistake. Therefore, the scholars said: It is obligatory upon us—and this is the position of the people of the Sunnah and the community—"It is obligatory upon us to hold back from what occurred between the Companions". And some of them expressed it by saying: "And we remain silent about the war of the Companions, for what occurred between them was pure ijtihad (independent legal reasoning)". We remain silent, we do not speak about it, and we do not spread it among the people. Because if you spread this among the people, it is inevitable that a leaning toward this one or that one will ignite in the heart of one of them, and he will be destroyed. So it is better that we leave the discussion of what occurred between the Companions. For this reason, when 'Umar ibn 'Abd al-'Aziz (may Allah have mercy on him), whom some scholars considered the fifth caliph, was asked about what occurred between 'Ali and Mu'awiyah, he said a word that is a truth that should be written, or is worthy of being written in gold ink. He said to the one who asked him: He said: "These are bloods from which Allah purified our swords, so we must purify our tongues from them". Look at this speech; it means: That is a nation that has passed away. It is not befitting for us to read what occurred between them, because this will inevitably cause a leaning in the heart of a person toward one of them. And what the people of the Sunnah and the community held is the truth, and it is the good, that we hold back from what occurred between them, as mentioned by Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyyah in *Al-'Aqidah al-Wasitiyyah* and other scholars, and that we say: These are a nation that has passed away; they have what they earned, and we have what we earned, and we do not ask about what they used to do.
May Allah guide everyone to what He loves and is pleased with, and we ask Allah the Exalted to make us among those about whom Allah said:[Al-Hashr 59:10].
The questioner : May Allah reward our father and our Shaykh with the best reward, and benefit us with his knowledge, and may Allah send prayers and blessings upon His servant and His Messenger Muhammad.
The student: ... .
The Shaykh : And the men of today, you and those like you, may Allah bless you. You have done well. In the era of 'Ali ibn Abi Talib (may Allah be pleased with him), trials occurred after the killing of 'Uthman. Great trials occurred, even among the Companions themselves. But regarding these trials that occurred, people added to them and subtracted from them; people added to them and subtracted from them, and they also lied and fabricated. Much of the history in this specific issue—namely, what occurred between the Companions at Siffin, al-Jamal, and others—much of it is lies, and much of it is weak. The authentic part of it, as the Shaykh al-Islam said in *Al-'Aqidah al-Wasitiyyah*: "The authentic part of it is that they were excused in it, being those who interpreted the texts. Whoever erred among them, what does he have? A reward. And whoever was correct, he has two rewards. And it is not permissible for us to lean toward any one of them, ever. Even though we believe that 'Ali ibn Abi Talib (may Allah be pleased with him) is the fourth caliph, and that his caliphate did not end except with his death, and that he is closer to the truth than the others. We have no doubt about this in our belief. But for us to hate this one and love that one is a mistake. Therefore, the scholars said: It is obligatory upon us—and this is the position of the people of the Sunnah and the community—"It is obligatory upon us to hold back from what occurred between the Companions". And some of them expressed it by saying: "And we remain silent about the war of the Companions, for what occurred between them was pure ijtihad (independent legal reasoning)". We remain silent, we do not speak about it, and we do not spread it among the people. Because if you spread this among the people, it is inevitable that a leaning toward this one or that one will ignite in the heart of one of them, and he will be destroyed. So it is better that we leave the discussion of what occurred between the Companions. For this reason, when 'Umar ibn 'Abd al-'Aziz (may Allah have mercy on him), whom some scholars considered the fifth caliph, was asked about what occurred between 'Ali and Mu'awiyah, he said a word that is a truth that should be written, or is worthy of being written in gold ink. He said to the one who asked him: He said: "These are bloods from which Allah purified our swords, so we must purify our tongues from them". Look at this speech; it means: That is a nation that has passed away. It is not befitting for us to read what occurred between them, because this will inevitably cause a leaning in the heart of a person toward one of them. And what the people of the Sunnah and the community held is the truth, and it is the good, that we hold back from what occurred between them, as mentioned by Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyyah in *Al-'Aqidah al-Wasitiyyah* and other scholars, and that we say: These are a nation that has passed away; they have what they earned, and we have what we earned, and we do not ask about what they used to do.
May Allah guide everyone to what He loves and is pleased with, and we ask Allah the Exalted to make us among those about whom Allah said:
"Our Lord, forgive us and our brothers who preceded us in faith and put not in our hearts [any] resentment toward those who have believed. Our Lord, indeed You are Kind and Merciful."
رَبَّنَا اغْفِرْ لَنَا وَلِإِخْوَانِنَا الَّذِينَ سَبَقُونَا بِالْأِيمَانِ وَلا تَجْعَلْ فِي قُلُوبِنَا غِلّاً لِلَّذِينَ آمَنُوا رَبَّنَا إِنَّكَ رَؤُوفٌ رَحِيمٌThe questioner : May Allah reward our father and our Shaykh with the best reward, and benefit us with his knowledge, and may Allah send prayers and blessings upon His servant and His Messenger Muhammad.