It is recorded in some histories that on the second day after the homage to Ssiddiq Akbar, A’li B. Abu Ttâleb was with the approbation of men of intellect brought to a special meeting. When his lordship, the receptacle of vicarship, arrived, he beheld an assembly consisting of prominent Mohâjer and Anssâr, whom he asked why he had been called; whereon O’mar informed him that this had been done for the purpose of his acting in consonance with the companions of the apostle of Allah—u. w. bl.—and likewise paying allegiance to Abu Bakr, as they had done after the latter had been appointed to the Khalifate. A’li said: ‘You have pacified the Anssâr, and elected Abu Bakr to the Khalifate because he is a relative of the prophet— u. w. bl.—and I now, having recourse to the same motive, ask you who in the world is more closely related to his lordship. Fear God the Most High and use no subterfuge, but mete out justice as it has been meted out to you!’ O’mar replied: ‘I shall not let thee go until thou hast paid allegiance to Abu Bakr as others have done.’ The Commander of the Faithful A’li retorted: ‘Why should I care for these words? and I shall not abandon my claim as long as a spark of life remains in me.’ Abu O’baydah B. Jurrâh then said: ‘O father of Hasan, thy excellence and precedence in Islâm are patent to all, therefore thou art meritorious and even more deserving [of this dignity than any other man]; but as the companions of the apostle of Allah—u. w. bl.—have unanimously conferred the Khalifate upon Abu Bakr, thou must likewise consent, and not scratch the face of this arrangement with the nail of opposition.’ A’li replied: ‘O Abu O’baydah, thou, who wast an intimate friend of his lordship and art trusted by the nation, must respect thyself, and not utter words contrary to the truth. Do not act so as to cause the gift bestowed by the Lord of Glory upon the family of the prophet to be transferred to another stock. The Qurân has been revealed in our houses; we are the mine of religious knowledge and of the ordinances promulged by the prince of apostles; we are better acquainted than others with the principles of the law and the tenets of the religion. Do not act according to the inclinations of your nature, because they will injure you.’ Bashir B. Sa’d rejoined: ‘O father of Hasan, I swear by God that if the people had become aware of thy sentiments before the election of Abu Bakr, it is probable that not two men among the companions would have opposed thee; but as thou hast remained sitting in thy house, everyone thought that thou entertainest no aspirations to the government and administration. These words of thine are contrary to the surmise of the people, who have feared that the law might be infringed, and have therefore paid homage to Abu Bakr by surrendering this all-important office into his grasp.’ A’li said: ‘Thou art Bashir, and wouldst have approved of my abandoning the corpse of his lordship the prince of men and quintessence of created beings in the house, caring little how to prepare or to shroud it, and hastening in search of dignity and government.’ Ssiddiq [i.e., Abu Bakr himself] now spoke as follows: ‘O father of Hasan, if I had known that thou wouldst contend with me for this dignity I should not have accepted it. Now the people have paid allegiance to me, and if thou agreest with them, my impression concerning thee was not wrong; but if thou art at present unwilling to pay me allegiance, no trouble awaits thee, and thou mayest return in safety.’ When A’li the Commander of the Faithful had heard these words of Abu Bakr, he departed without paying him homage; but some say that he did so forty days afterwards, and others after the death of Fattimah Zohrah, whilst yet others allege that he paid allegiance after six months.
It is recorded in the ‘Ghoniah’ that when Ali had heard of the unanimous consent of the Musalmâns to pay allegiance to Abu Bakr, he quickly left his house without any clothes except his shirt, and thus went to Ssiddiq to pay him homage. After that he sent a person home to bring his robe into the assembly. According to certain traditions, Abu Sofiân said to A’li before the allegiance: ‘Art thou consenting that the business of government should devolve upon a man of the Bani Jamym? I swear by God that, if thou art willing, I shall fill this valley with cavalry and infantry.’ A’li rejoined: ‘O Abu Sofiân, thou wast always raising disturbances in the time of ignorance, and wishest also now to do so in Islâm; but I know that Abu Bakr is worthy of this dignity.’ It is on record that when Fârûq [i.e., O’mar] had been apprised of Abu Sofiân’s intention to offer assistance they promised to make his son Yazid Governor of Syria, whereon he desisted from his opposition and became loyal.
It is also recorded in the ‘Ghoniah’ that according to some reports Abu Bakr sent the following letter to A’li when the latter refused to pay him homage: ‘From Abu Bakr the Khalifah [i.e. successor] of the apostle of God to A’li B. Abu Ttâleb: But after [the usual compliments I state that]: Verily the Musalmâns have paid allegiance to me and consented to my government; consent thou likewise with them.’ A’li the Commander of the Faithful—peace be on him—wrote in reply as follows: ‘Thou hast written a letter to me, and mentioned therein that the Musalmâns have paid thee homage and consented to thy government; I, however, who have before all other men been ennobled by the happiness of [professing] Islâm and have believed the apostle, take God the Most High and Glorious to witness that I do not assent to thy Khalifate.’ The author of the ‘Ghoniah’ also states that according to some, Borydah B. Alhassyb Aslami having prepared a standard in his tribe, brought it to Madinah and erected it in front of the house of the Lord A’li. O’mar, having been apprised of this event, informed the man that the nation had done homage to Abu Bakr, and asked him why he was acting contrary to this decision; Borydah, however, replied: ‘We pay no allegiance to anyone except to the master of this house.’ After that some companions assembled to interrogate Borydah, and he appeared among them in response to their summons; they asked him what he meant by the words which he was reported to have uttered. He replied: ‘The state of the case is this. Once the apostle of Allah—u. w. bl.—had sent me with Khâled B. Wolyd and other men to march with A’li in the direction of Yemen, and I swear by God that in those days I disliked nothing more than to be near A’li, and liked nothing more than to be far from him. When we had returned from the journey, I first waited upon the apostle of Allah, who asked me how I had left A’li, but I slandered him on account of the aversion I felt towards him in my heart. His lordship felt displeasure, and the signs of it manifested themselves on his blessed countenance, wherein he asked: “O Borydah, do they slander among you the man who will be the foremost after me?” When I heard these words uttered by the wonderfully eloquent tongue of that prince, I said: “O prophet of Allah, I turn back to God and repent of what may be the cause of thy anger; I request thee to pray for me and to ask pardon for me.” His lordship then called out to A’li, who then entered the mosque, and, sitting down in a corner, engaged in arranging his sandals. I then said: “O apostle of Allah, fulfil thy promise, A’li has arrived.” His lordship then said: “O mender of sandals, this is Borydah, who slanders thee and is unfriendly towards thee; but I asked him whether among them a man is slandered who will be the first after me, and he requested me to ask pardon for him.”’ Borydah says: ‘After these words the apostle of Allah— u. w. bl.—prayed for my pardon, and A’li likewise asked forgiveness on my behalf, whereon I returned home.’ It is said that in the battles of Jamal and of Ssafyn Borydah was attending upon A’li.