who are rightly guided after me. Hold fast to it and cling to it with your molar teeth. Beware of newly introduced matters, for every newly introduced matter is an innovation.”

Many people disputed ‘Alī’s caliphate, saying: “His time was a time of civil strife, and the community was not united during his rule.” One group said: “It is valid to appoint two caliphs: he was a caliph, and Mu‘āwiya was a caliph, because the community neither agreed upon him nor united under his caliphate.”

The correct position, upheld by the leading scholars, is that ‘Alī, may Allah be pleased with him, was one of the rightly guided caliphs, as established by this hadith. During his rule, ‘Alī called himself Commander of the Faithful, and the Companions addressed him by that title. Imam Ahmad ibn Hanbal said:

“Whoever does not count ‘Alī, may Allah be pleased with him, as the fourth caliph is more astray than his family’s donkey.”

Nevertheless, each caliph has his own rank. No one equals Abū Bakr and ‘Umar, as the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said:

“Follow the two who come after me: Abū Bakr and ‘Umar.”

There was no disagreement among ‘Alī’s supporters who accompanied him concerning the precedence of Abū Bakr and ‘Umar. It is established through numerous reports that ‘Alī said: “If any man is brought before me who considers me superior to Abū Bakr and ‘Umar, I will flog him with the prescribed punishment for slander.”

Their disagreement concerned only ‘Uthmān and ‘Alī, may Allah be pleased with them both. However, ‘Uthmān’s precedence over ‘Alī was established by the agreement of the early Muslims to pledge allegiance to (‘Uthmān willingly, without coercion, after ‘Umar entrusted the choice of his successor to a council of six: ‘Uthmān, ‘Alī, Talha, al-Zubayr, Sa‘d