Ali Ibn Abi Talib - Volume 1 of 2

282 'Ali ibn Abi Trilib at the time of the Rightly Guided Caliphs
front of the people, criticising the governors, and using forged letters
which were falsely attributed to the Companions, including 'A'ishah,
'Ali, Ta&ah and az-Zubayr (may Allah be pleased with them all).
They also spread the rnmour that 'Ali ibn Abi T2ib (&) was more
entitled to the caliphate, and that he had been appointed as the heir to
succeed the Messenger of Allah (@J. They organised groups in
Basra, Kufah and Egypt, four groups in each region, which is
indicative of prior planning. They gave the impression to the people
of Madinah that they had only come at the invitation of the
Companions, and they fabricated the events that led to the murder.234
In addition to these methods, they also used a number of slogans such
as the takbeer (Allihu akbar, Allah is the most great). They claimed
that their campaign was against injustice, that they were only
enjoining what is good and forbidding what is evil, and that this was
a demand to change and dismiss some governors. Then their
demands escalated until they called for the dismissal of 'Uthmin
(&). They went so far in their audacity that they hastened to kill the
caliph, especially when news reached them that the people of the
regions were coming to support him. Their crazed enthusiasm led to
their tightening the stranglehold on the caliph and their efforts to kill
him by any means.235
The Saba'i organization, led by the Jew Abdullah ibn Saba',
was behind these events and what came after them. We will discuss
this more below, and we will discuss the murder of 'Uthmgn, which
shook the Muslim world and affected many events until the present
day.
3.5.1. 'Ali's attitude at the beginning of the turmoil
'ALi (&) continued with his usual attitude towards the
caliphs, which was to hear and obey and to offer sincere advice. He
himself expressed the extent of his obedience to the caliph 'Uthmin