When people did what they did
Al-Kāfi|Volume 8|Book 1|Chapter 454
حُمَيْدُ بْنُ زِيَادٍ عَنِ الْحَسَنِ بْنِ مُحَمَّدٍ الْكِنْدِيِّ عَنْ غَيْرِ وَاحِدٍ عَنْ أَبَانِ بْنِ عُثْمَانَ عَنِ الْفُضَيْلِ عَنْ زُرَارَةَ عَنْ أَبِي جَعْفَرٍ (عليه السلام) قَالَ إِنَّ النَّاسَ لَمَّا صَنَعُوا مَا صَنَعُوا إِذْ بَايَعُوا أَبَا بَكْرٍ لَمْ يَمْنَعْ أَمِيرَ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ (عليه السلام) مِنْ أَنْ يَدْعُوَ إِلَى نَفْسِهِ إِلَّا نَظَراً لِلنَّاسِ وَتَخَوُّفاً عَلَيْهِمْ أَنْ يَرْتَدُّوا عَنِ الْإِسْلَامِ فَيَعْبُدُوا الْأَوْثَانَ وَ لَا يَشْهَدُوا أَنْ لَا إِلَهَ إِلَّا اللَّهُ وَ أَنَّ مُحَمَّداً رَسُولُ اللَّهِ (صلى الله عليه وآله) وَ كَانَ الْأَحَبَّ إِلَيْهِ أَنْ يُقِرَّهُمْ عَلَى مَا صَنَعُوا مِنْ أَنْ يَرْتَدُّوا عَنْ جَمِيعِ الْإِسْلَامِ وَ إِنَّمَا هَلَكَ الَّذِينَ رَكِبُوا مَا رَكِبُوا فَأَمَّا مَنْ لَمْ يَصْنَعْ ذَلِكَ وَ دَخَلَ فِيمَا دَخَلَ فِيهِ النَّاسُ عَلَى غَيْرِ عِلْمٍ وَ لَا عَدَاوَةٍ لِأَمِيرِ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ (عليه السلام) فَإِنَّ ذَلِكَ لَا يُكْفِرُهُ وَ لَا يُخْرِجُهُ مِنَ الْإِسْلَامِ وَ لِذَلِكَ كَتَمَ عَلِيٌّ (عليه السلام) أَمْرَهُ وَ بَايَعَ مُكْرَهاً حَيْثُ لَمْ يَجِدْ أَعْوَاناً.
454. Humayd bin Ziyad narrated from Al-Hassan bin Muhammad Al-Kindy from more than one from Aban ibn Uthman from Al-Fadhl from Zurara that Abu Ja’far (al-Baqir) عليه السلام said: "When the people did what they did, they pledged their allegiance to Abu Bakr. Nothing prevented Amir al-Mu'minin عليه السلام from inviting people to follow him except that he looked at the people and feared that they might turn away from Islam, worship idols, and not testify that there is no god but Allah and that Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah. It was dearer to him to affirm their actions than to risk them apostatizing from Islam altogether. Those who perished were those who committed what they committed. As for the one who did not engage in that and entered what the people entered without animosity towards Amir al-Mu'minin عليه السلام, that does not make him an apostate or expel him from Islam. For that reason, Ali عليه السلام kept his affair secret and gave allegiance under compulsion where he found no support."
- Mirʾāt al-ʿUqūl fī Sharḥ Akhbār Āl al-Rasūl (16/326)
- Ṣaḥīḥ al-Kāfī, vol. 3, p. 402