while ʿAlī—may Allah be pleased with him—was not correct (1) in fighting Muʿāwiya, their position is weaker than that of the group just discussed. Those who hold this view argue that Muʿāwiya—may Allah be pleased with him—was demanding retribution (2) for the blood of ʿUthmān—may Allah be pleased with him. He was his paternal kinsman and legal next of kin. ʿUthmān’s sons and all his other agnatic relatives rallied around him and asked ʿAlī either to give them power over ʿUthmān’s killers or to surrender the killers to them. ʿAlī refused, so they withheld their allegiance from him but did not (3) fight him. ʿAlī then initiated hostilities against them, whereupon they fought him in defense of themselves and their lands.

They said, “ʿAlī was the aggressor against them.”

As for the hadith related from the Prophet—may Allah bless him and grant him peace—in which he said to ʿAmmār:

“The rebellious faction will kill you,” (4)

some of them deemed it weak, while others interpreted it differently. Some said that it meant “the faction seeking (5) retribution for the blood of ʿUthmān—may Allah be pleased with him,” just as it is said:

“We seek vengeance for Ibn ʿAffān with the tips of our spears.”

Others gave the response (6) related from Muʿāwiya—may Allah be pleased with him—when this hadith was mentioned (7) to him: “Was it we who killed him? It was ʿAlī and his companions who killed him when they placed him before our swords.”

It is also related that when this interpretation was mentioned to ʿAlī—may Allah be pleased with him—he said, “Then the Messenger of Allah—may Allah bless him and grant him peace—and his Companions would have killed Hamza and his companions on the Day of Uhud, for Hamza fought the polytheists alongside them.”