—nor would I have handed you over, nor censured you (1), nor introduced anything objectionable. What I have done is to uphold kinship bonds, remedy need, give shelter to the lost, and appoint someone like those whom ʿUmar used to appoint. I adjure you by Allah, O ʿAlī: do you know that al-Mughīrah ibn Shuʿbah is not here?’
He answered, ‘Yes.’
ʿUthmān said, ‘And do you know that ʿUmar put him in office?’
He replied, ‘Yes.’
ʿUthmān continued, ‘Then why do you (2) blame me for having appointed Ibn ʿĀmir because he is a kinsman of mine (3)?’

ʿAlī said, ‘I will tell you. Whenever ʿUmar invested a governor (4) he would keep his heel on the man’s neck (5); if even a single report reached him, he would pursue the matter to the furthest limit in punishment, whereas you do not do that—you have grown weak and lenient (6) toward your relatives.’

ʿUthmān said, ‘They are your relatives as well.’
ʿAlī replied, ‘By my life (7), their blood-ties to me are indeed close, but merit lies with others besides them.’

ʿUthmān said, ‘Do you know that ʿUmar entrusted Muʿāwiyah with the whole of his governorship, and so I have appointed him?’
ʿAlī answered, ‘I adjure you by Allah—do you know that Muʿāwiyah used to fear ʿUmar more than the man who stitched the cloak of ʿUmar’s servant feared him?’
ʿUthmān said, ‘Yes!’
ʿAlī went on, ‘Yet Muʿāwiyah now settles matters without referring to you (and you know it), and he tells the people, “This is ʿUthmān’s command.” Let this reach you (8); do not disown it, and do not refrain from restraining Muʿāwiyah.’

Then ʿAlī left him, and ʿUthmān followed after him, mounted the pulpit, and addressed the people (9). He exhorted, warned, threatened, and intimidated; lightning flashed and thunder rolled from his tongue.

Among the things he said were: ‘By Allah, you reproach me for actions you yourselves accepted from Ibn al-Khaṭṭāb. He trampled you underfoot, struck you with his hand, and subdued you (10) with his tongue, and you submitted to him whether you liked it or not. I have been gentle with you, lowered my shoulder, withheld my hand and my tongue, and so you have become bold against me. By Allah, I have the mightier clan, the nearer helpers, the larger numbers, and the firmer ground—should I but say, “Come to me, come!” I have prepared your equals, kept resources in reserve, and bared my fang to you. You have drawn from me a character I never used to display and speech I never used to utter. So curb your tongues, your stabs, and your denunciations of your governors. I have spared you a man who, had he ruled you, you would have been content with far less than this speech of mine. Tell me, what right of yours is missing? By Allah, I have not fallen short of what was achieved by those before me.’

He then excused what he had been giving to his relatives (11), saying that it came from the surplus of his own wealth.

Marwān ibn al-Ḥakam rose and said, ‘If you wish, by Allah, we shall let the sword decide between us and you. By Allah, we and you are—as the poet said:

[from the ṭawīl metre]