His Eminence has described their petitioning and requests in these words...

His Eminence has described their petitioning and requests in these words: “I saw that people swamped me from all sides like the hair on shoulders, [4] such that Hasan and Husain were crushed and my sides were injured and they gathered around me like a herd of sheep…” [1] Ibne Athir, Tarikh 3/192 [2] Muhammad Abduh, Sharh Nahjul Balagha 1/181 [3] Ansaab al-Ashraaf 5/7 [4] ‘YaalKiftaar’ = Thick hair that grow on the neck, used as idiom Imam’s Acceptance Imam had no option but to accept the caliphate from the risk that the evil of Umayyads may beset the community.

Regarding this he says, “By Allah, I did not step towards it [caliphate] but for the fear that a goat of Bani Umayyah may jump on the nation and make the Book of Allah, the Mighty and the Sublime, a plaything…” [1] Necessity and concern for Islam called His Eminence to the acceptance of caliphate.

A caliphate, which was not aimed at anything but the establishment of truth and destruction of falsehood because the son of Abu Talib was that standard bearer of justice in Islam, not an aspirant for rulership and power and neither from those who wanted to secure personal gains from rulership. He was the child of revelation who in all the stages of his life preferred piety to material things and maintained distance from every worldly need.

Allegiance People congregated in the great Masjid waiting impatiently that may be the Imam would accept their demand. The Imam came forward surrounded by the surviving pure companions of the Prophet and faced the waves of slogans in his support, which showed their heartfelt longing that he accepts the leadership of Muslims.

Imam (‘a) ascended the pulpit and addressed the huge gathering as follows: “O people, this matter of yours, no one has any right in it but that you may have given him authority. And when yesterday we separated from you in the condition that we had no desire for your caliphate but you did not accept except that I should be the ruler on you. However, I have no right that I should take even a single dirham against you.

Thus if you like I shall accept your responsibility otherwise I shall not question anyone about it.” Imam clarified his economic policy before the people because he used to be extremely careful regarding public wealth. He did not reserve anything for his own self and he never took single dirham for his personal needs or his special expenses.