1. The claim that a number of the Companions abstained from

swearing allegiance to 'Ali (&) is incorrect because no one refrained from swearing allegiance to him. Some people, including those mentioned above, did not join him; that was an The oath ofallegiance to 'Ali, his characteristics & his way of life issue that is subject to individual opinion, so each individual worked it out for himself and acted accordingly.58 With regard to Ibn Khaldoon's comment that the people were scattered throughout the regions at the time of 'UthmSn's murder and were not present when the oath of allegiance was sworn to 'Ali (&), and that of those who were present, some swore allegiance and some (Sa'd, Sa'eed, Ibn 'Umar and others)59 refrained until the people gathered and agreed on a leader, what is mentioned is an exaggeration on the part of Ibn Khaldoon (may AUah have mercy on him). With regard to Sa'd ibn Abi Waqqas, his swearing allegiance to 'Ali (&) was narrated by Ibn Sa'd, Ibn Wbbih, adh-Dhahabi and others.60 The same is tme for the rest; they swore allegiance, as we have mentioned, and there was consensus on that among the Companions who were present in Madinah. Ibn Khaldoon himself has narrated that there was consensus among the second generation after the Companions in Madinah that the caliphate of 'Ali (&) became valid and was binding on all Muslims. I have quoted what Ibn Khaldoon said because many writers and researchers relied on it later on.