Hazrat Othman assumed the reins of office at the age of 70 years on 1 Moharrum 24 H. Unfortunately his period, excepting the Ommayads, was not very good for the Muslims in general. The people were put to much hardship. Even very senior, and octogenarian, Companions of the Prophet (s.a) were ill treated. The ribs of Abd Allah ibne Masood were broken. Ammar ibne Yassir was tortured. Abu Dharr Ghiffari was exiled. Cruelty and torture was rampant. Voices were raised against this attitude of Hazrat Othman. There was unrest amongst the people. From amongst the members of the Shura, Hazrat Ali (a.s.) was already unhappy with the way the succession was effected. Talha and Zubair too turned openly hostile to the caliph. Abd ar Rehman ibne Auf who was instrumental in bringing Hazrat Othman to the caliphate by playing the ruse of Seerat e Shaikhain was repentant and not very happy for promoting him. He was so angry that he didn’t talk to Othman till his death. Ibne Abd Rabba writes:
“During the illness of Abd ar Rehman, Othman went to inquire about his condition. Looking at him, Abd ar Rehman turned his face towards the wall. “”
Ref: Aqd al Fareed, Vol 3, Page 79
After the Prophet (s.a.), Hazrat Ali (a.s.) spent a long period of time with no concern for the governance and the life style that he lived attracted the attention of the people. They therefore reached a conclusion that there is no person better than Ali ibne Abi talib (a.s.) to be at the helm of affairs. Therefore the important persons from the Mohajirs and Ansaar gathered at the Masjid e Nabavi and decided unanimously that Hazrat Ali (a.s.) be requested to take the reins of the caliphate in his hands. After this decision they sent a delegation to Hazrat Ali (a.s.). In this delegation Talha and Zubair too were there. The delegation made their request with Hazrat Ali ibne Abi Talib (a.s.). Hazrat Ali (a.s.) hesitated in accepting their request and said that he didn’t like to interfere in their affairs and that they should look elsewhere for another person. He wanted them to leave him to his own scruples. Those people said:
“We don’t consider anyone other than you deserving of the Caliphate, nor anyone is more eminent than you on the basis of the past services to the Faith. There is none near to you in the closeness with the Prophet (s.a.).” Ref: Tareeq e Kaamil, Vol 3, Page 98
Hazrat Ali (a.s.) refused once again. But they pleaded with him very much. When they saw that Hazrat Ali (a.s.) wasn’t yielding to their requests they literally begged him:
“We request you in the name of Allah! You are seeing the condition we are in! Aren’t you seeing the state of Islam and the mischief that is rampant? Are you not concerned about the mischief?” Ref: Tareeq e Kaamil, Vol 3, Page 99
Hazrat Ali (a.s.) refused to accept their request, but when their insistence increased very much, he felt that for Itmam e Hujjat ( Fulfillment of the Condition), despite unfavorable circumstances, he couldn’t any more resist the call of duty, he said:
“I accept! But remember one thing that this acceptance is on condition that I shall take you on the path that I think is better for you!” Ref: Tareeq e Kaamil, Vol 3, Page 99
After Hazrat Ali (a.s.) accepted the Caliphate, the general Bai-at was organized on Friday, 25 Zil Hijja 35 H. Hazrat Ameer al Momineen (a.s.) emerged from Bayt al Sharaf and came to the Masjid e Nabavi where a huge gathering was already there. In his simplicity Hazrat Ali (a.s.) was wearing an ordinary turban on his head, carrying the footwear in one hand and, instead of the staff, a bow in the other, entered the precincts of the Mosque. When he arrived there was a movement in the crowd. He went past the crowd towards the pulpit of the Mosque and sat at the place where the Prophet (s.a.) used to sit. He rested his arm on the bow and the process of the Bai-at was commenced. Talha and Zubair were the first to extend their hands to owe their allegiance to him. Hussain Diyar Bakri writes: “First Talha and Zubair did the bai-at and then the others followed.” Ref: Tareeq e Qamees, Vol 2, Page 276
Talha had lost one of his hands in the Battle of Badr When Habeeb ibne ibne Zoeb saw him doing the Bai-at he said:
“A person with the useless hand has done the Bai-at. It will not be successful!”
Ref: Tareeq e Tabari, Vol Page 451
After this men came forward for the Bai-at in hordes as the thirsty come to quench their thirst. None from the participants in the Battle of Badr who was living had missed the Bai-at of Hazrat Ali (a.s.). Ibne Hajar Makki writes:
“None from the people of Badr was missed. All of them came to Hazrat Ali (a.s.) and said that they considered none more deserving of the Caliphate than him. They asked him to extend his hand in Bai-at. Thus the allegiance was accomplished.”
Ref: Sawaiq Mohriqa, Page 118
Among the people who did the Bai-at not only there were the people of Madina, but also there were men from Yemen, Egypt and Iraq as well. Everyone owed his allegiance to the Imam (a.s.) happily and pledged to be faithful to him. Thus, unanimously his Caliphate was established. After the accomplishment of the Bai-at, the representative of the Ansaar,
Tabit ibne Qais, said on behalf of his group:
“By Allah! O Ameer al Momineen (a.s.)! Although they had taken precedence over you in assuming the reins of the governance, they didn’t have precedence over you in embracing the Faith! Then they went ahead of you, but now you are at that place! With them around neither your status was hidden nor your position unknown! They were dependent on you for the matters about which they were ignorant, and you, with your knowledge didn’t have to depend on anyone!”
Ref: Tareeq e Yaqoobi, Vol 2, Page 118
The Ansaar, in general, took very active part in the Bai-at. But some of them who were affiliated to the Othmani coterie abstained from the Bai-at. Therefore Hassan ibne Tabit, Kaab ibne Malik, Maslima ibne Muqlid, Abu Saeed Khudri, Mohammed ibne Muslima, Noman ibne Bashir, Zaid ibne Thabit, Rafeh ibne Khadij, Fazala ibne Obaid and Kaab ibne Hajra didn’t do the Bai-at. These men remained at their respective homes.
Hazrat Ali (a.s.) didn’t deprive any person of his right of choice. He didn’t bring about any pressure on any one nor forced people to come to owe their allegiance. Those who came willingly, he did Bai-at with them. But he did ask Saad bin Abi Waqas and Abd Allah ibne Omer to come for the Bai-at because their appearances indicated that they might try to prevent others from coming for the Bai-at. Therefore Saad ibne Abi Waqas and Abd Allah ibne Omer were particularly sent for and their allegiance was demanded. Saad said that when the others owe their allegiance, he too would do it. He added that even if he didn’t do the Bai-at, he wouldn’t openly oppose Hazrat Ali (a.s.). When Abd Allah ibne Omer refused to do the Bai-at, he was asked to commit that he wouldn’t try to disrupt the peace and tranquility of the realm. He refused to give any such guarantee. At this Malik e Ashtar was angry and asked Hazrat Ali (a.s.)’s permission to cut away Abd Allah’s head. Hazrat Ali (a.s.) said, “You needn’t do anything to him! I take the responsibility on his behalf! He had been stubborn in his childhood and is the same even now!”
The caliphate that was offered to Hazrat Ali (a.s.) was just a worldly position that he accepted under much persuasion from the people and he had made it clear to them that all his actions would be in consonance with the Shariah. Therefore, in one of his sermons he says:
“If the presence of those who came for the Bai-at and those who supported me, had not persuaded me, and the pledge that Allah has taken from the Ulema that they should not remain quiet at the tyranny of the cruel and the penury of the poor, I would have left the caliphate on others shoulders.
Hazrat Ali (a.s.) at the time of the Bai-at:
“By Allah! O Ameer al Momineen(a.s.)! You have enhanced the status of the caliphate. The caliphate has not elevated you in any way! You have taken it to greater heights by accepting it. You didn’t need it, the caliphate needed you!”
Ref: Tareeq e Yaqoobi, Vol 1, Page 135
Once a discussion was started about the caliphate in the presence of Ahmed ibne Hanbal when he said:
“O people! Why are you talking so much about Ali (a.s.) and the caliphate, and the caliphate and Ali (a.s.)? Caliphate had not enhanced Ali (a.s)’s status in any way. It was Ali (a.s.) who gave the status to caliphate!” Ref: Tareeq Qatib Baghdadi, Vol 1, Page
Aal-e-Qutub Aal-e-Syed Abdullah Shah Ghazi 