Are you not concerned about the mischief?

Are you not concerned about the mischief?”[1] `Ali (a.s) refused to accept their request, but when their insistence increased very much, he felt that for Fulfillment of the Condition, despite unfavorable circumstances, he could not any more resist the call of duty, he said: “I accept!

But remember one thing that this acceptance is on condition that I shall take you on the path that I think is better for you!”[2] It was the charisma of the changing circumstances that after `Umar the condition of sirat al-shaykhayn was imposed along with the offer of the Caliphate, that was rejected by `Ali (a.s).

Now the same Caliphate was offered to him and he was putting forth his own conditions before he accepted it that he would use his own discretion in performing the task rather than depending on others advice. After `Ali (a.s) accepted the Caliphate, the general bay`ah was organized on Friday, the twenty-fifth of Dhul-Hijjah 35 H. Amir al-Mu’minin (a.s) emerged from Bayt al-Sharaf and came to the al-Masjid al-Nabawi where a huge gathering was already there.

In his simplicity `Ali (a.s) was wearing an ordinary turban on his head, carrying the footwear in one hand and, instead of the staff, a bow in the other, entered the precincts of the Mosque. When he arrived, there was a movement in the crowd. He went past the crowd towards the pulpit of the Mosque and sat at the place where the Prophet (a.s) used to sit. He rested his arm on the bow and the process of the bay`ah was commenced.

Talhah and al-Zubayr were the first to extend their hands to owe their allegiance to him. Husayn Diyarbakri writes: “First Talhah and al-Zubayr did the bay`at and then the others followed.”[3] Talhah had lost one of his hands in the Battle of Badr When Habib ibn Dhu’ayb saw him doing the bay`ah , he said: “A person with the useless hand has done the bay`ah .

It will not be successful!”[4] [1] Al-Kāmil fit-Tārīkh, Vol 3, Page 99 [2] Al-Kāmil fit-Tārīkh, Vol 3, Page 99 [3] Tārīkh al-Khamīs, Vol 2, Page 276 [4] Tārīkh al-Tabarī, Vol 3, Page 451 After this men came forward for the bay`ah in hordes as the thirsty come to quench their thirst. None from the participants in the Battle of Badr who was living had missed the bay`ah of `Ali (a.s). Ibn Hajar al-Makki writes: “None from the people of Badr was missed.

All of them came to `Ali (a.s) and said that they considered none more deserving of the Caliphate than him. They asked him to extend his hand in bay`ah .