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Shiavault - a Vault of Shia Islamic Books The Hidden Truth about Karbala Chapter 11: Imam Ali, The only Caliph by Public Choice If, at all, any real democratic choice of its ruler is to be found in the entire history of Islam, it is to be found only in the case of Imam Ali (a.s.), when the entire population of Muslims, after the murder of Uthman, unitedly and repeatedly requested Imam Ali (a.s.) to assume the religio-political governance of the Islamic world.

Though he refused in the beginning, he yielded when he was told that his refusal would be tantamount to abdication of his duties as the Imam. Imam Ali (a.s.) accepted the political leadership of the Ummah in addition to the religious leadership that always remained with him. Imam Ali (a.s.) in his famous sermon called ‘ Shaqshaqiyah’ elaborates the dilemma facing him:“ At that time nothing surprised me more than the vast crowd of people rushing to me [demanding that I accept the Caliphate ].

It [the crowd] advanced towards me from every side like the mane of the hyena so much so that Hasan and Husayn were neigh being trampled and crushed and both ends of my garment [tunic] were torn [due to being pulled by the crowd to draw my attention] … Behold, by Him Who splits the seed and creates life, had there not gathered such multitude of supporters, and had they not exhausted all the arguments, and had there not been a covenant between God and the learned scholars [Imams] that [the Imams] shall not sit quietly watching the gluttony of the oppressor and the burning hunger of the oppressed poor, I would have cast the rope of Caliphate on its own shoulders [declined to accept the Caliphate] and I would have continued to give the last of them the same treatment as the first one.

You would then have realized that in my view [for me] worldly life is not better than the sneeze of a goat.” [^1] Thus, when by popular demand, Imam Ali (a.s.) accepted the Caliphate , after a lapse of over thirty years after the Prophet (S), for the first time once again, the temporal authority [ Caliphate ] and the religious authority [ Imamate ] came to be vested in one person (Imam Ali (a.s.) ). His leadership stands in stark contrast to the period of the three earlier Caliphs .

Firstly, Imam Ali (a.s.) never planned territorial expansion. Secondly, he subdued the internal threat from the hypocrites [ Munafiqin ] like Mu’awiya and those who were solely interested in acquiring power or expanding territory like Talha and az-Zubair.