


New battle lines are being drawn pitting Muslims against each other. The tussle is between the Madkhalis, a group that insists on not opposing the rulers—it must be nice, for the rulers, that is—and the Kharijis who denounce every Muslim not subscribing to their narrow worldview.
The assumption of the caliphate by Imam Ali [AS] took place either on the same day Uthman was assassinated or according to another source some five days later. It would be useful in order to understand what transpires during the exercise of rule by Imam Ali [AS] to go back a little to examine the nature of the opposition to Uthman because many of the factors of political disunity that were operative during the caliphate of Uthman persisted into the caliphate of Imam Ali [AS].
1