Q. & A. 711 to 1707 with solved Papers css 1971 to date

Problems faced by Hazrst Ali (R-au.A) as a Caliph
The insurgents’ shameful act of assassination of the Caliph could never have been imagined by Hazrat Ali (Rad.A) v. a^iy other eminent Companion at Medina. It came -* a total surprise to Hazrat An t’kaol. A..) whose two sons, Hasan and Hussain (Rad. A.) were guarding the gate of Usman’s residence. The insurgents after climbing the back wall of the residence had assassinated the Caliph. The assassination of Hazrat Usman (Rad.A) was really due to creation of faction among the Muslim Community which was the goal of Abdullah bin Saba and his followers (the insurgents), and they achieved it.
After the assassination of Hazrat Usman (Rad.A), the insurgents virtually controlled the capital, Medina for several days.
1 Dr Majid Ali Khan, The Pious Caliphs, India, 1982, P. 177.
Hazrat Ali (Rad. A.)
297
The Muslims were frightened and sat behind closed doors. After the assassination of Hazrat Usman (Rad. A.) an unprecedented calamity had fallen on the Muslims and for three days. Medina was without any government. Afterwards the insurgents approached Hazrat Ali (Rad. A.) to be the Caliph. Egyptians led by Ibn Saba and Ghafqi were the main group of insurgents behind the proposal for the Khilafat of Hazrat Ali (Rad. A.) Hazrat Ali (Rad.A) first declined to bear the responsibility of this great office. But the insurgents pressed him to accept it. As a matter of fact Hazrat Ali (Rad.A) wanted to approach Hazrat Talha and Hazrat Zubair (Rad. A.) who were included in the panel of the six persons appointed by Hazrat Umar (Rad. A.) to select a Caliph. He wanted to take pledge of loyalty (Bia’at) at the hands of any of these two gentlemen. But at the end, pressed by the threats of the regicides he decided to put the matter before Muslim public in the Mosque of the Holy Prophet. Most of the Companions in Medina considered him, to be the fittest person for ”Khilafat” after Hazrat Usman (Rad. A.). He then agreed to take the responsibility and gave his consent.
On 21st Zul Hijjah 35 A. H. pledge of loyalty took place at the hands of Hazrat Ali (Rad. A.) first of all the leading insurgents took the pledge of loyalty on his hands, followed by the general public, at Medina. Hazrat Talha and Zubair (Rad. A.) did not want to take a pledge (Bai’at) until the case of Hazrat Usman’s (Rad.A) assassination was decided. Before that Hazrat Ali (Rad.A) had offered the off:.--? of Khilafat to both of them but they had declined. However under the threats of insurgents they iouic the pledge of loyalty at Hazrat Ali’s bands, on the condition: ”You (i.e. Ali (Rad.A)) have to decide matters according to the Holy Qur’an and Sunnah (ways of the Holy Prophet) and would punish the guilty according to Islamic Law.” Hazrat Ali (Rad. A.) agreed to their conditions. Ho/rat Sa’d bin Waqqas said that he would take pledge when ali the Muslims had done so. Following Companions did not take pledge at the hands of Hazrat Ali (Rad. A.): Muhammad bin Muslimah, Usamah bin Zaid, Hassan bin Thabit, Ka’b bin Malik, Abu Sa’id Khudri, Nu’man bin Bashir, Zaid bin Thabit, Mughirah bin Shu’bah and Abdullah bin Salam. Most of the members of Banu Umayyah (Usman’s Family) also did not take pledge of loyalty at Hazrat Ali’s hands. Some of such persons who did not take Bai’at went to Syria.

298 Political and Cultural History of Islam

However the majority of the Muslims in Medina took pledge at the hands of Hazrat Ali (Rad.A). Hazrat Ali (Rad.A) was the most suitable and the fittest person for Khilafat after Hazrat Usman (Rad. A.). If some of the Companions did not take pledge on his hands, because of the political situation of that time, it did not mean that his Khilafat was not accepted by the Muslim majority. Besides Hazrat Ali (Rad. A.) nobody including Hazrat Muawiya (Rad. A.) claimed to be the Caliph at that time. The difference between them was the question of punishment to the assassins, which took the shape of various battles. As it would be seen afterwards Hazrat Amir Muawiya (Rad. A.) declared his Khilafat only after the death of Hazrat Ali (Rad.A.). Hazrat Ali (Rad.A) was declared to be the Caliph not only by the insurgents but by the Muslim public as well including the leading Ansar (Helpers) and Muhajirin (Emigrants). This could also be noticed with the fact that in the first battle which took place between Hazrat Ali (Rad.A) and Hazrat Aisha (and her group) about 800 of those Companions who had participated in the ”Treaty of Hudaibia”, were with Hazrat Ali (Rad.A) besides other Companions. As a matter of fact Hazrat Ali (Rad.A) was the most popular figure at that time and was the most appropriate person to be the fourth Caliph. Disobedience of Abdullah bin Saba and other Sabaites
On his third day as the Caliph , Hazrat Ali (Rad.A) asked all the Sabaites (insurgents) to return to their places. Some of them started to go back but a party headed by Abdullah bin Saba did not obey the Caliph pretending al! the while to be his friends. In the history of Islam this was the first incident of disobedience of a Caliph. Their aim was to be with him in order to create mischief as it would be observed later.2
Hazrat Ali (Rad. A.), faced a very difficult situation. His three main problems were: (i) To establish peace in the State and to set right the
deteriorating political situation, (ii) To take action against the assassins of Hazrat Usman (Rad.
A.) who had gone underground after he took the office.
Actually some of them were among the persons who
requested Hazrat Ali (Rad. A.) to take office of the Khilafat,
but neither he nor any other Muslim at that time knew the
Hazrat Ali (Rad. A.)
299
: Dr Ma|id All Khan, P. 186
real assassins. It was the hardest job at that time to find out the real assassins because the persons who recognized them had already left Medina, and those among the Sabaites, who were present there did not tell Hazrat Ali (Rad.A) the truth. All of the Sabaites told Hazrat Ali (Rad. A.) that they did not want to assassinate Hazrat Usman (Rad.A), that was done only by some of the wicked persons whom they did not recognize. Some time, therefore, was required to investigate the matter and that was possible only after peaceful atmosphere was restored in the state which, unfortunately, never occurred during the Caliphate of Hazrat Ali (Rad.A) as the situation continued to be worsen.
(in) The third problem was the attitude to be adopted towards
those Companions (Rad. A) who would not pledge loyalty at
the hands of Hazrat Ali (Rad.A) unless he either handed over
the assassins to them or punish them according to Islamic
law. Though we cannot criticise the sincerity of their
intention but in fairness to Ali (Rad.A), it has to be said that
it was rather an impossible job for Ali (Rad. A.) to fulfill
their demands immediately in that situation.
Hazrat Ali (Rad. A.) was a very straight forward man who
considered the ”Khilafat” (Caliphate) as a great trust. His aim was to
establish peace in the State which should be the first aim of every
good ruler in such a place where certain elements try to destroy the
order. According to leading Islamic jurists it is quite right for a
Muslim ruler to delay the cases of murder etc. in order to establish
peace in an Islamic State Hazrat Ali (Rad. A) was quite right in his
decision to tackle the assassins on restoration of normally. The
events which took place during the caliphate of Hazrat Ali in the
form of various battles will be discussed in the light of the above
facts.