You have read the narration in previous pages that when...

You have read the narration in previous pages that when someone informed Ayesha in Mecca that Uthman has killed the rioters and the agitation has come to an end, she said: “What kind of justice is this? People seeking justice are being killed! The oppressed people are put at the mercy of swords instead of being provided with justice!” As soon as Imam ‘Ali (a) came to power, Ayesha stood up to revenge Uthman’s death. She began preparations for Basra on advice of Talha and Zubair.

During this period, Saeed ibn al-Aas came to the Mother of faithful and asked: “What do you want?” She replied: “I want to go to Basra.” Saeed asked: “Why do you want to go there?” She replied: “I want to revenge Uthman’s murder.” Saeed ibn al-Aas said: “O Mother of faithful! Uthman’s killers are your allies.”[^4] On the basis of historical facts, we can say that those who initiated the Battle of Jamal were the greatest enemies of Uthman, having Uthman’s blood on their hands.

The majority of Muslims of that time was well-aware of Uthman’s killers. After having a look at this historical fact, an interesting question arises: When the heroes of the Battle of Jamal were real killers of Uthman, why did they want to revenge Uthman’s murder? Why did they instigate people against Imam ‘Ali (a)? Were some hidden factors active at that time, which were taken as pretext to oppose the government? Why did Talha and Zubair pay allegiance to Imam ‘Ali (a) then?

If the revenge of Uthman’s murder was important, was betraying the government the only way to do so? Did Uthman pass away without leaving an heir behind? All know that Amr, the son of Uthman, was present at that time. Which law granted to the Mother of faithful, Talha and Zubair, the right to punish Uthman’s killers? Why was Basra chosen for punishing Uthman’s killers? Why wasn’t Egypt chosen for this ‘virtuous deed’ in spite of the fact that majority of rioters was from Egypt only?

Ayesha’s Age-Old Hatred to ‘Ali (a) It is not a concealed fact for students of History that Ayesha was jealous of Imam ‘Ali (a) since the Prophet’s lifetime. The hatred of Imam ‘Ali (a) was in her veins. There were two reasons for his jealousy: Ayesha was taunted during the Battle of Bani Mustaliq and Imam ‘Ali (a) did not take her side. Ayesha was jealous of Imam ‘Ali (a) because of her barren status. She knew that the Prophet’s progeny would continue through Lady Fatima.

Ayesha did not bear any children.