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Shiavault - a Vault of Shia Islamic Books Biography of Imam `alĪ Ibn AbĪ-tĀlib Retaliation Over `uthman’s Blood Qisas or ‘blood-for-blood’ is a rule that is neither rejected by intelligence nor the Shari`ah. All civilized societies and religions agree on this. But every law has some exceptions, and this law too is not free of exceptions.

Therefore, if someone is killed in punishment for some crime, or a person, in self-defense, kills someone, in both the situations, although a killing has taken place, neither the Shari`ah permits qisas nor intelligence supports it. In this manner several instances can be mentioned where the law of qisas cannot be applied. While one cannot deny the law of qisas , its applicability differs from circumstance to circumstance.

After Amir al-Mu’minin (a.s) assuming the caliphate, when the demand for the retaliation for the blood of `Uthman came up, it became a controversial issue. People were divided into two differing groups. One group considered that the killing of `Uthman was legitimate. For them there was no question of claiming qisas in this case. The other group considered his assassination a sin and a crime and forcefully championed the need for qisas .

We are not debating here whether one group was right or the other. The problem was so intricate that immediate solution was next to impossible. These complications could have been removed if `Ali (a.s) considered the assassination illegitimate and gave attention to the claim of qisas . If he did that, the other group, who thought that the killing was justifiable in the circumstances the act was committed, would have reacted strongly.

Taking the side of either of the two groups was fraught with danger. The need was to bring both the groups to the middle ground and make efforts to resolve the issue. There were pulls and pushes in all directions and neither the feelings of the claimants of the qisas nor of their opponents could be assuaged. It was also difficult to round up the culprits who perpetrated the act.

Therefore, when Talhah and al-Zubayr, and other persons of their ilk, approached Amir al-Mu’minin (a.s) and demanded retaliation for the blood of `Uthman, he gauged the situation and said, “Whatever you know, I am not unaware of! But presently I do not have the power when the aggressors are in full flow and are overwhelming us, and we are not controlling them. Even your own slaves are siding with them and the Bedouin Arabs too have joined them.