Ultimately I chose the second choice and waited while I was...

Ultimately I chose the second choice and waited while I was harshly suffering the loss of my lost heritage until the day when the first caliph's (Abu Bakr) day was over; but he appointed some one else as his successor.’ It is surprising that while the Imam was alive he used to ask people for his resignation. However, he surrendered the caliphate to other individuals when they had divided caliphate between themselves.

Then the Imam continues: ‘Omar, too, went his own way, although he let a group decide about the next caliph and I was included among that group[^2]. In a letter, the Imam reveals the way the allegiance came about and how he was treated unjustly.

In answer to Muawiyyah's letter who, in turn, had said in his letter to the Imam that they had drawn Imam Ali in to allegiance with Abu Bakr in the same way that they would drawn a camel with a piece of wood in its nose, the Imam wrote: ‘You had mentioned that they had drawn me to the allegiance ceremony the same way a camel is drawn with a piece of wood in its nose.

I swear to God, that you had admired me while you had the intention to blame me; you wanted to betray me, but you have betrayed yourself (because you are confessing that I was treated unjustly).’ Could the Imam consider caliphate legal while he asserts that he was forced to vote for the caliph? Definitely not. There fore his intention in this letter was to dispute for his rights, as it is noted compulsory to do so in the Quran.

In another letter which the Imam sent via his province governor, Malik, to Egypt, he writes: “By God I had not thought that Arabs would be deprived after 's death. What hurts me most is the people's hurry to ally with Abu Bakr[^3]. [^1]: . Sharh Nahj-ul-Balaghah, Hadidi, vol. 14, p. 36. [^2]: . Sharh Nahj-ul- Balaghah, vol 1, third sermon. [^3]: . Nahj-ul- Balaghah, letter No. 62. Previous…