But a person ruled by desire, who has a vested interest in one side, finds it hard to listen to and follow anything contrary to his desire when it is put before him.

Allah Most High says:

“Had the truth followed their desires, the heavens and the earth and all those within them would surely have been corrupted.”

(Surah al-Mu’minūn: 71)

There is another line of argument here, namely: After the Prophet’s death—may Allah bless him and grant him peace—the Muslims’ motives were directed toward following the truth. There was nothing to turn them away from it, and they were capable of doing so. Thus, when(1) the motive to follow the truth is present, no countervailing factor remains, and one has the ability to act, the action necessarily follows.

It is therefore known that the Muslims followed the truth in what they did. This is because they(2) are the best of nations; Allah had perfected the religion for them and completed His favor upon them. In al-Siddīq’s case, there was no worldly consideration for which they would have given him precedence, nor, in Alī’s case, any worldly consideration for which they would have held him back. Indeed, had they acted according to natural inclination, they would have given Alī precedence. Had the Ansār followed their desires, they would have preferred to follow a man from Banū Hāshim rather than a man from Banū Taym. The same was true of the Quraysh tribes generally, especially Banū Abd Manāf and Banū Makhzūm: had they followed their desires, obedience to a man from Banū Abd Manāf would have been more agreeable to them than obedience to a man from Banū Taym. Abū Sufyān ibn Harb and others like him favored giving precedence to Alī.

It is reported that Abū Sufyān asked Alī to assume the caliphate because of the kinship between them. When Abū Quhāfah was told, “Your son has assumed the caliphate,” he asked, “Have Banū Abd Manāf and Banū Makhzūm consented to this?” They replied, “Yes.” He was astonished at this because he knew