of the detachment⦗1⦘ that slew al-Ḥusayn ibn ʿAlī (may Allah be pleased with him), as will be clarified in its proper place. Had he been content with the course his father had taken, none of that would have happened—Allah knows best.
The point is that Saʿd (may Allah be pleased with him) neither attended the arbitration nor wished or even contemplated doing so; only the men we have named were present. When the two arbiters met, they discussed what would best serve the Muslims, weighed various considerations, and finally agreed to depose both ʿAlī and Muʿāwiyah and leave the matter to shūrā among the people, so they might settle on whoever was most beneficial—whether one of the two or someone else. Abū Mūsā proposed appointing ʿAbd Allāh ibn ʿUmar ibn al-Khaṭṭāb. ʿAmr replied, “Then invest my son ʿAbd Allāh, for he rivals him in knowledge, deeds, and asceticism.”
Abū Mūsā said, “You have plunged your son into the trials [and the world] along with yourself, even though he is an honest man.”
Abū Mikhnaf⦗2⦘ narrates: Muḥammad ibn Isḥāq told me, from Nāfiʿ, from Ibn ʿUmar, who said: ʿAmr ibn al-ʿĀṣ remarked, “This affair will only be set right by a man with a molar tooth—one who eats and feeds.” Ibn ʿUmar was unaware of the nuance, so Ibn al-Zubayr said to him, “Be alert and wake up!” Ibn ʿUmar responded, “By Allah, I will never curry favor for it,” and then added, “O Ibn al-ʿĀṣ, the Arabs have turned their affair over to you after their swords have clashed and their spears have locked; do not return them to a tribulation like it—or worse.”
ʿAmr ibn al-ʿĀṣ tried to persuade Abū Mūsā to confirm Muʿāwiyah alone over the people, but he refused. He then tried to have his own son ʿAbd Allāh (ibn ʿAmr) declared caliph, but Abū Mūsā again refused. Abū Mūsā, for his part, pressed ʿAmr to appoint ʿAbd Allāh ibn ʿUmar⦗3⦘, but ʿAmr likewise declined⦗4⦘. The two therefore agreed to depose both Muʿāwiyah and ʿAlī and leave the matter to consultation among the people so they could agree upon whomever⦗5⦘ they chose for themselves.
They then went to the assembly where the people were gathered. Out of courtesy and respect, ʿAmr would not step ahead of Abū Mūsā but always let him lead. He said, “O Abū Mūsā, rise and inform the people of what we have agreed upon.”
Abū Mūsā addressed the people. He praised Allah, extolled Him, invoked blessings upon the Messenger of Allah ﷺ, and said, “O people, we have examined the condition of this ummah and find nothing more beneficial for it and more unifying to its scattered ranks than the view on which ʿAmr and I have agreed: we depose both ʿAlī and Muʿāwiyah and leave the matter to shūrā. Let the ummah hereafter take up this affair and appoint over themselves whomever they love and choose. Accordingly, I hereby depose ʿAlī and Muʿāwiyah.” He then stepped aside.
ʿAmr rose, stood in his place, praised and extolled Allah, and said, “This man has spoken what you have heard, and he has deposed his companion. I too depose him as he has deposed him, but I confirm my companion Muʿāwiyah, for he is the protector of ʿUthmān ibn ʿAffān, the seeker of his blood, and the one most entitled to his position.” (ʿAmr ibn al-ʿĀṣ deemed that leaving the people without an imām in such circumstances would lead to protracted disorder.)