“No one who pledged allegiance beneath the tree will enter the Fire.”

Concerning these men and others like them, we therefore say of the disputes that arose among them: the conduct of any one of them was either a praiseworthy effort, a forgiven sin, or an exercise of independent judgment whose error was pardoned.

For this reason, one of the principles upheld by scholars is that no one should be allowed to speak of these men in a manner that impugns their uprightness and religious integrity. Rather, it must be recognized that they are upright and worthy of approval, and that Allah is pleased with them—especially since the grave allegations reported against them are fabricated lies. For example, a group of ʿUthmān’s supporters accused ʿAlī of ordering ʿUthmān’s killing or helping to bring it about. Some of those who fought against him believed this about him, and it was among the misconceptions on which they based their fighting against ʿAlī. Yet it was a baseless misconception. ʿAlī would swear—and he was truthful and true to his oath—“I did not kill ʿUthmān, nor did I assist in his killing.” He would also say: “O Allah, scatter ʿUthmān’s killers across land and sea, plain and mountain.”

They also used his refusal to hand over ʿUthmān’s killers as grounds for their suspicions in this matter. Yet he was not in a position to carry out everything he wished concerning the enforcement of prescribed punishments and similar matters. The people were divided over him, and his army and its commanders did not obey every order he gave them. Division and discord give rise to causes of evil, corruption, and the suspension of legal rulings, as is understood by scholars familiar with the scriptural texts concerning the virtue of unity and Islam.