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Sermons
Sermon
8

SERMON
8

Said about az-Zubayr at a time for
which it was appropriate

He asserts that he swore
allegiance to me with his hand but did not swear with his heart. (1)
So he does admit allegiance. As regards his claiming it otherwise than
with his heart he should come forward with a clear argument for it.
Otherwise, he should return to wherefrom he has gone out. (2)

(1).
When after swearing allegiance on the hand of Amir al-mu'minin, az-Zubayr
ibn al-Awwam broke the allegiance, then sometimes he put forth the excuse
that he was forced to swear allegiance and that forced allegiance is no
allegiance, and sometimes he said that allegiance was only for show. His
heart did not go in accord with it. As though he himself admitted with his
tongue the duplicity of his outer appearance and inner self. But this
excuse is like that of the one who reverts to apostasy after adopting
Islam and to avoid penalty may say that he had accepted Islam only by the
tongue, not in the heart. Obviously, such an excuse cannot be heard, nor
can avoid punishment by this argument. If az-Zubayr suspected that Uthman
was slain at Amir al-mu'minin's insistence, this suspicion should have
existed when he was taking oath for obedience and stretching his hand for
allegiance, not now that his expectations were getting frustrated and
hopes had started dawning from somewhere else.

(2).
Amir al-mu'minin has rejected his claim in short form thus: that when he
admits that his hands had paid allegiance then until there is
justification for breaking of the allegiance he should stick to it. But
if, according to him his heart was not in accord with it he should produce
other proof for it. Since proof about the state of heart cannot be adduced
how can he bring such proof, and an assertion without proof is
unacceptable to his mind.