Our Sovereign’s dealings are fair and lovely, and none of His provisions (1) ever elude us.
So you—yes, you—will soon depart (2) to a people whose very speech is silence.

A thorough examination of this topic would grow lengthy; we have cited what should satisfy anyone who seeks it, and praise and gratitude belong to Allah.

Hammād ibn Salamah narrated that Ayyūb al-Sakhtiyānī said: “Whoever loves Abū Bakr has upheld the religion; whoever loves ʿUmar has made the path clear; whoever loves ʿUthmān has been illumined by the light of Allah; whoever loves ʿAlī has grasped the firmest handhold; and whoever speaks well of the Companions of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ is free of hypocrisy.”

A rare marvel (3), a singular anecdote:

Ibn Abī Khaythamah reported:

Ahmad ibn Manṣūr ibn Yasār told us; ʿAbd al-Razzāq told us, saying:

“Once Maʿmar faced me, smiled—no one else was present—and I asked, ‘What is the matter?’

He replied, ‘I am amazed at the people of Kūfa; it is as though Kūfa were built upon love for ʿAlī! Whenever I speak with any of them, I find that even their “moderate” ones give ʿAlī precedence over Abū Bakr and ʿUmar—Sufyān al-Thawrī among them.’

I said to Maʿmar, ‘And you actually saw that?’—as though I found it astonishing.

Maʿmar answered, ‘Why not? If someone were to say, “In my view ʿAlī is superior to those two,” I would not censure him (4) so long as he acknowledges their virtues; and if someone were to say, “In my view ʿUmar is superior to ʿAlī and Abū Bakr,” I would not rebuke him.’

ʿAbd al-Razzāq continued:

‘I later mentioned that to Wakīʿ ibn al-Jarāḥ when we were alone (5). He was astonished that it should come from Sufyān, laughed, and said, “Sufyān would never carry the matter that far with us, but he disclosed to Maʿmar what he did not disclose to us.

I used to say to Sufyān, ‘O Abū ʿAbd Allah, what if we preferred ʿAlī over Abū Bakr and ʿUmar—what would you say?’ He remained silent (6) for a while and then said, ‘I fear that this would amount to impugning Abū Bakr and ʿUmar, so we refrain.’”

ʿAbd al-Razzāq added:

‘As for Ibn al-Taymī—meaning Muʿtamir—he said: I heard my father say, “ʿAlī ibn Abī Ṭālib surpassed the Companions of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ in a hundred virtues and shared with them in their virtues, yet ʿUthmān is dearer to me than he.”’

Ibn ʿAsākir relates this in his History (7) with his chain from Ibn Abī Khaythamah. These words, however, contain considerable confusion; it seems Maʿmar became muddled. What is well-known among some Kūfans is giving ʿAlī precedence over ʿUthmān, not over the two Shaykhs. The superiority of the two Shaykhs over the rest of the Companions is hidden only from a dullard—so how could it be hidden from these leading scholars? Rather,