Ali Ibn Abi Talib - Volume 1 of 2

31 8 The oath of allegiance to 'Ali, his characteristics & his way of life
Despite all that, his caliphate only became valid after there was
consensus among the Muhijireen and Ansir and they swore
allegiance to him.
1.4. Consensus on the appointment of
'Ali (&,) as Caliph
There is consensus among Ah1 as-Sunnah wal-Jami'ah that
'Ali (&) was entitled to the position of caliphate after 'Uthmin
(&), as the Muhijireen and An& swore allegiance to him, because
of his superiority over the remaining Companions. He was the first of
them to become Muslim, the most knowledgeable, the closest to the
Prophet (g) in lineage, the most courageous, the dearest to Allah
(B) and His Messenger (g), the best in calibre, the most superior,
the highest in status and the one who most resembled the Messenger
of Allah (g) in attitude and character. He was better suited for the
caliphate than anyone else. The Companions of the Prophet (@J who
were left in Madinab swore allegiance to him as caliph unanimously.
At that point, he became a legitimate ruler whom all the people were
obliged to obey, and it was forbidden to rebel against him or oppose
him. Many scholars have narrated that there was consensus on his
caliphate, including the following:
1. Muhammad ibn Sa'd narrated that there was consensus on
swearing allegiance to 'Ali (&) among those Companions in
Madinah who were known for their piety and seniority in Islam.
He said: "Allegiance was sworn to 'Al ibn Abi TZb (4) in
Madinah on the day after the killing of 'Uthmin (a).
Allegiance was sworn to him by Talhah, az-Zubayr, Sa'd ibn
Abi Waqqik, Sa'eed ibn Zayd ibn 'Amr ibn Nufayl, 'Ammir ibn
YGir, Ushah ibn Zayd, Sahl ibn Haneef, Abu Ayyoob a]-
An~iki, Muhammad ibn Maslamah, Zayd ibn Thibit, Khuzyrnah