2527 – Jaʿfar ibn ʿAbd Allah ibn Yaʿqūb reported to us; he said: Muhammad ibn Hārūn al-Ruwayānī reported to us; he said: ʿAmr ibn ʿAlī narrated to us; he said: Abū ʿĀṣim narrated to us; he said: Sufyān, from al-Aswad ibn Qays, from Saʿīd ibn ʿAmr ibn Sufyān, from his father, who said that ʿAlī once delivered a sermon and declared:

“The Messenger of Allah ﷺ did not place any binding covenant upon us concerning leadership; rather, he left the matter to our discretion. Consequently Abū Bakr—may Allah’s mercy be upon him—was chosen as successor; he rose to the task and remained upright until the religion had settled firmly in place. Then ʿUmar, may Allah be pleased with him, was appointed; he too rose and stayed the course until the religion was likewise firmly established. Thereafter, however, a group began to chase after worldly gain—Allah forgives whom He wills and punishes whom He wills.”