were strong (1), the countervailing factors were absent, and the capacity was present. Whenever a motive and the capacity exist and no countervailing factor is present, the action necessarily follows. This is because Ali himself (2) was their Prophet’s cousin and one of the noblest among them in lineage.

There was no enmity between him and anyone—neither enmity based on lineage nor enmity arising from Islam—such that someone could say, “He killed their kinsmen while they were pagans.”

This consideration (3) did not apply to the Ansār: he had not killed any of their relatives, and they possessed military strength. Nor had he killed anyone from Banū Taym, Adī, or many other tribes (4). As for the tribes (5) from which he had killed men, such as Banū Abd Manāf, they supported him and would choose his leadership (6), because he was more closely related to them.

Thus, if the Prophet—may Allah bless him and grant him peace—had explicitly designated him as ruler (7), or if he was (8) the best and rightful claimant to it, this would not have been unknown to them. Their knowledge of that would necessarily have moved them to appoint him, since there was no countervailing factor to prevent it. The circumstances favored this motive; nothing opposed them, and there was no deterrent whatsoever.

Even assuming that a small number had some deterrent, the majority of Muslims had no countervailing factor in the matter that would turn them away from him. Rather, they were capable of appointing him. Had the Ansār said, “Ali has a greater right to it than Sa‘d or Abu Bakr,” it would (not) (9) have been possible for those