Early disputes over Prophet Muhammad's succession

Nahj al-Balāgha|Volume 1|Book 3|Chapter 317

Nahj al-Balāgha

Book 3, Chapter 317

Early disputes over Prophet Muhammad's succession
1 Ḥadīth
Ḥadīth 391

٣١٧. وَقَالَ لَهُ بَعْضُ الْيَهُودِ: مَا دَفَنْتُمْ نَبِيَّكُمْ حَتَّى اخْتَلَفْتُمْ فِيهِ. فَقَالَ (عليه السلام) لَهُ: إِنَّمَا اخْتَلَفْنَا عَنْهُ لَا فِيهِ وَلَكِنَّكُمْ مَا جَفَّتْ أَرْجُلُكُمْ مِنَ الْبَحْرِ حَتَّى قُلْتُمْ لِنَبِيِّكُمْ ﴿اجْعَل لَّنَا إِلَـٰهًا كَمَا لَهُمْ آلِهَةٌ ۚ قَالَ إِنَّكُمْ قَوْمٌ تَجْهَلُونَ﴾.

317. Some Jews said to Amīr al-mu’minīn, peace be upon him: You had not buried your Prophet when you picked up differences about him, when Amīr al-mu’minīn replied: We did not differ about him but we differed after him (i.e. about his succession); whereas you had not dried up your feet after coming out of the river (Nile) when you began asking your Prophet: Make you for us a god as they have gods of their own. Said he: ‘Verily you are a people behaving ignorantly.’ (Qur’ān, 7:138) [1]