Nasb-and-the-Nawasib

him by the Umayyads and the Abbasids. Hence they would instigate revolts when
they found the moment opportune. These revolts kept the Umayyads and the
Abbasids restless for a very long period of time. 1
By undertaking these revolts, unwittingly, they provoked many of the rulers to
continue reviling ʿAlī I and increasingly violate his rights in an endeavour to
bar any person who would try to exploit his relationship with him.
The Second category: Implausible causes 2
Some people have tried to discover the reasons behind the inception of the
phenomenon of Naṣb in the Muslim society, but have not been fully inspired to
reach the correct conclusions. This is either due to them not studying the history
of the fitnah and whatever followed thereafter in depth, or due to them going
with certain presupposed perceptions which were dictated by their inclinations
and leanings to a specific school. As a result it became an obstacle between them
and an objective study of the actual causes.
The most prominent of these causes are the following:
The First Cause: Competition between the Banū Hāshim and the Banū
Umayyah which existed in the days of Jāhiliyyah (ignorance).
In the days of Jāhiliyyah the competition for status and honour was at its peak
between the various Arabian tribes and sub-tribes; it was the dominating thought
which occupied the mind of every person.
Because the Quraysh were not aloof from this reality, there was competition
between its sub-tribes as well. This is especially true between the Banū Hāshim
and the Banū Umayyah who were united by very strong bonds. But these bonds
were alloyed by their competition for glory and leadership in an environment
1 Al-Ḥaḍārah al-Islāmiyyah fī al-Qarn al-Rābiʿ al-Hijrī 1/270.
2 They are only deemed causes in consideration of those who consider them causes.
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