Reply
(a) Are not the Bani Hashim and all those who protested against the event of Saqifah and those who gathered outside the house of J. Zahra (s.a) in support of H. Ali (a.s) and refused to give allegiance to Abu Bakr not considered as the “people of Madina”? Then how can one say that the “people of Madina” remained silent?
(b) Did Holy Prophet (s.a.w.a) present the people of Madina as the standard of truth and falsehood? Or did he introduce H. Ali (a.s) as the criterion to distinguish between right and wrong?
(c) If the people of Madina are to be considered as the standard of truth and falsehood, then what is the view of the Sunnis concerning their killing of Usman bin Afwaan; touching his wife Nayla inappropriately on her buttocks; not participating in the funeral of the caliph; denying permission for his burial in a Muslim cemetery and forcing him to be buried in a Jewish cemetery; considering his killing as “Mubah” and not condemning those who killed him, rather considering them to be worthy of Divine reward and appreciating their actions and being thankful to them (for having gotten rid of the him). Then the same people of Madina remained mute spectators on the killing of Usman bin Afwaan and did not protest in any way.
If the actions of people of Madina is to be made as the standard of truth and falsehood, then Yazid will get away scot-free for his attack on Madina and the killing of honorable companions and for his decree that spilling the blood of the wives of Muslims was “Mubah”. Despite such cruel and barbaric acts, the people of Madina chose to look the other way and made no special efforts to express their contempt nor did they protest against his actions of Yazid - thereby giving him a clean chit.
